«President! - Ichika stared at him indignantly as he cleaned all the 'marks' off his face at a rapid pace.
«Yeah? Uh...
«How dare you...!
«What are you talking about?
«Yeah... - Ichika drew air into her chest, but immediately looked around in bewilderment. - I forgot.
«Hmm," Emeric grinned, heading towards the school. It was morning, so they headed straight away as a group towards the training site. - It was a rather strange feeling... As if someone was forced to rewrite reality because of a violation of the site's rules...
«Koro-ol," Valerie said with pain in her voice. - Don't break the fourth wall!
The school began to loom in the distance. It should be noted the excellent work of the cleanup teams, who corrected the memory of the entire panicked city. According to Aldis, they were dangerously close to universal exposure, in the case of which all the other pantheons would have joined in.
In general, memories are corrected, buildings are restored, and there were no casualties. The main battles took place away from populated areas. That is, he and Dichauser were out of town, and there was no one but demons and exorcists at the school. In short, it ended surprisingly well!
«You do remember the general version, don't you? - He turned to his women. Akeno and Valerie nodded grudgingly, before Ichika began to mutter.
«Why should we give away all the laurels...'' - Ichika muttered angrily.
«I've chewed that up for you several times," Emeric pinched Ichika's cheek.
«But still...
«Don't worry so much... - Emeric looked around his entourage once more and nodded. - There's more to come!
At that moment, the pouting Ichika finally saw the entire school that was visible a hundred meters away.
«What the hell!!! - Ichika grabbed her hair, looking at the buildings in shock. - Just twenty-four hours ago, there was almost nothing left of the school! They'd left a stone unturned!
Emeric chuckled indulgently at her indignation. That was probably where the oldest instinct of any learner came into play. No school meant a long weekend.
«That, my dear, is one of the signature moves of our race.....
«Which one?
Emeric folded his fingers in a suspiciously familiar gesture. Just like the seals from Naruto.
«Ebash-Montage-No-Jutsu...!
*****
School was surprisingly mundane. Amidst all this atmosphere, Emeric even forgot about the recent mess at times. Those carefree brothers! The fate of the world is being decided here on the grounds, and they're discussing which boy from the boyband is the coolest!
But Wisdom always reminded him of himself. The gift, as if off the chain, attacked him with completely unexpected facts and knowledge.
... An exacerbation of chronic depression that the teacher's trying to bury. That's why he's put on ten pounds in the last year ...
Will you stop it?
...By weight, a hamburger costs more than a new car.....
How did Emeric live without that knowledge?!
Emeric grabbed his aching head and stared at his feet, trying not to focus on anyone in particular. Akeno stroked his back carefully, already having a rough idea of what was happening to him. She hadn't worked out the subtleties, but she realized that he'd been too "overstressed" in the last battle, so his head was being attacked by a constant migraine.
... If you change the height of one of the steps by just a mere two millimeters, most people will trip on it. ...
He doesn't care! Wait. Two millimeters?! Okay, that was really interesting!
Okay, his power was straight up like a youtube channel with hundreds of useless lifehacks he'd never use. Moreover, Wisdom was not obeying his intention, but was working randomly!
«Okay," Emeric turned to Akeno with a sigh. No, power, he didn't need his bishop's chest size, he himself "measured" by hand. - What do we have after class?
«The exorcists are supposed to come for....
Right. And then there were the exorcists with their fused Escalibur and Izaiah, who was nowhere to be found. I mean, is he a traitor or not? I mean, he's the reason Excalibur turned into one, and he jeopardized the whole operation, but he helped them in the end. It's complicated. And then there's the Templar Order!
*****
The first meeting with Dulio Gesualdo, the strongest exorcist on active duty, had seemed somehow different. For instance, during the very peaceful summit that would take place in two weeks' time on the grounds of the Kuo Academy, but not so mundane.
Dulio Gesualdo was a rather handsome young man, no more than twenty-five years old. He was dressed in some version of the holy father's robes. He was not holding a bible, but a dango, a Japanese snack of rice dough, which he munched with great relish.
Azazel had once said that Dulio was a rather nice young man. Now, Emeric was in complete agreement with him.
The Exorcist did not flinch at their presence, but smiled welcomingly. It should be noted that there was a certain laziness in all his gestures.
To be honest, Dulio Gesualdo did not give the impression of having one of the strongest Longines, but of a hippie. A kind of do-gooder who would offer a joint at most.
But Emeric liked him. There was no double bottom.
«Greetings, Señor Gremory," they shook hands. A regular, firm handshake.
«You can just say Emeric," he nodded back.
«Then call me Dulio," the exorcist smiled.
Standing off to the side was the entire trio of exorcists, watching their acquaintance. Though Irina was quietly bantering with Ichika, a kind of ritual before saying goodbye.
«If it's no secret... - Emeric threw a glance in Izaya's direction, thus hinting at the question. - What's going to happen to him...?
«Hmm... - Dulio grasped his chin thoughtfully, weighing what to say. They were supposed to be allies without five minutes, so they could be honest. - The Templar Order has been stripped of its status and will be held accountable....
«At this time? - Emeric was slightly surprised at such a swift and showy reprisal. Especially just two weeks before one of the most important events in the history of the Church. - Would you need, uh. help?
A sort of attempt to bridge the gap between them. Somehow Emeric felt like the exorcist in front of him could be trusted.
«Thank you, my friend, but the fallen have already come to our aid.....
Obviously, Azazel realized that he screwed up, so he's trying his best to plug the holes in the alliance that just started. It was funny, but Azazel, who was the most vocal supporter of peace, had almost ruined it with his carelessness. Emeric hoped he could still make fun of him. If Azazel was outside, it meant that most of the conversations were with the "shell" of Grigori's leader.
«All the more so," Dulio continued. - My master himself volunteered to catch all the infidels ...
... A huge shadow loomed over the younger Dulio, who was dousing himself in sweat on some training ground.
It seemed as if the very air itself was trembling with all the power of this unknown man....
«Vasco Strada... - It came out of him in response to a vision of this exorcist's life.
«That's right," Dulio confirmed with surprise, but then apparently thought it was a known fact. - Anyway, these not-so-good people don't stand a chance. Master Strada won't let them go....
«I've heard that you're considered the strongest exorcist.....
«It's because Vasco Strada has retired from active affairs due to his age," he shook his head, recognizing his second place. - In fact, he is much stronger than me... I honestly can't even imagine his true strength.....
«Well, I guess you don't need any help then," Emeric shrugged and glanced toward Izaya again. - What's going to happen to Izaiah?
«Mmm," Dulio chewed his lip thoughtfully. - He wasn't exactly a traitor, but there was some abuse of power....
«Since we're going to be allies, if anything, I'll vouch for him....
Emeric nodded in response to the grateful looks from the trio. He had to be honest, he had helped them quite a bit, even if he had betrayed them before. His word wouldn't carry much weight, but they might listen. The higher ranks would have to know that he had killed the Emperor, and that he was not the last man in the future Hell.
«That would be great," Dulio nodded. - I've known Izaya for a long time, and he's a pretty bright soul who won't say no to his neighbor....
The fact that he brutally murdered his abuser was left out of the picture. Everyone should have the right to revenge, even though it's not the most godly thing to do.
«Then I think it would be appropriate to share contacts," Emeric pulled out his phone and opened the most popular messenger. Dulio responded by opening the same one. - Let me add you... What's your nickname?
«Good," Dulio replied with a wooden smile, and after a short hesitation he began to dictate. - Dedley...
«Dedley...
«Parkour...
«Uh-huh...
«Killer...
Emeric drew his eyebrows together in bewilderment, but continued typing Dulio's nickname.
«Darke...
«Wait, you're an exorcist?! What the hell is a darc and a killer?! Why is your nickname so long?! What are you, an eighth grader or something?
«Yes I... - Dulio scratched the back of his head awkwardly. - It was my idea when I was a kid, and then it was too late to change it....
«La-ah-ah-kay," Emeric said with a touch of suspicion. - DedleyParkurKillerDark... Look, why don't you just say your nickname right away?...
Dulio drew in his breath as if before execution and answered curtly:
«DedleyParkourKillerDarkPlaystationAssassassinStalkerSniper1995Rus.
And silence...
«Ha ha ha!....
Everyone around them started laughing hysterically, ignoring Dulio's flushed face.
«Oh," Emeric brushed a tear from the corner of his eye. - What a complete and utter waste! And what does russ mean?!
«Oh, shit! - Dulio turned away, hiding his red face. - I told you, it was when I was a kid!
«All right, all right," Emeric raised his hands conciliatorily. - Calm down, StalkerAssassin... and the rest of the undoubtedly very cool names...
«Enough already!
«Ha ha ha ha...
All in all, the first encounter with the strongest exorcist went kind of well.
***
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