[Ikki POV]
It was early morning, and everyone had gathered in the training room for our usual dawn routine—stretching, warm-ups, that kind of thing. Just as we were limbering up, Issei, who was next to me, leaned over and started talking.
"Hey, Ikki… what do you think about live-streaming an eroge while completely naked—with a bunch of girls?"
"Die."
I cut him off without hesitation.
"Whoa, wait, wait! Hear me out first! I didn't want it to happen either, okay?! I'm not asking for weirdness like that!"
"I don't even need to hear the rest to figure it out. Let me guess—Xenovia got a little too carried away or something?"
That kind of ridiculous idea screams Xenovia. I don't even need my knowledge from the original timeline to see it coming anymore.
"Damn, you're spot on. And yeah, Irina and Asia were in on it too. Luckily, Rossweisse-san showed up before it could start and shut everything down. I owe her big time."
Well, Issei may be a pervert, but his tastes still fall under the realm of "conventional" in their own way. Let's be real—nobody could just accept the idea of live-streaming an adult game, buck naked with a group of girls. Actually, I don't think there's a single sane person on Earth who'd take that in stride.
"Look, I kind of sympathize with how wild that situation was, but if you're planning to cross the line, you better be prepared to take responsibility. You do want to be the King of Harems someday, don't you?"
"Wh-What?! Cross the line?! Come on!"
"What, don't tell me you're aiming to be some kind of platonic Harem King? I mean, if you pulled that off, it'd be a legendary feat—but in that case, from now on, you're banned from any physical contact with girls."
If he could actually do that, I'd have no choice but to respect him.
"No way! Are you kidding?! Not being able to touch girls would be a death sentence for me! That training trip with Tannin over summer vacation was already torture! If you told me I'd have to live my whole life like that, I'd lose the will to live!"
…That bad, huh? Well, to be fair, going your whole life without any affection from the opposite sex would be pretty rough.
Just as we finished our warm-ups, a communication alert came in for Akeno-senpai.
"Everyone—training is canceled. We've received an urgent message from Azazel. It seems something has happened in vampire territory."
That instantly changed everyone's expression. We've gotten used to dealing with unexpected crises, so we've all gotten good at flipping the switch.
Akeno-senpai quickly contacted the rest of the team and summoned them to Issei's house. One by one, we all teleported to the meeting room.
Azazel-sensei appeared in a hologram projected from a magic circle, looking around at us.
"Good, everyone's here. Now listen—there's been a development on the Tepes side. Apparently, a coup d'état has taken place."
"A coup!? No way! Rias and the others are there! Don't tell me they got caught up in it?!"
"Relax. They're safe. From what I've learned, the coup was carefully orchestrated. By the time Rias and her team sensed something was off at the castle, the new regime had already taken over."
Issei was visibly worried, but Azazel reassured us—while also dropping a bombshell. The Tepes leadership had already been replaced. Everyone went quiet at that.
"Right now, Rias and the others are being treated as guests by the new government—but they're essentially under house arrest. We can't contact them by ordinary means."
Akeno-senpai activated a specialized magic circle to try and reach Rias, but she shook her head—no connection.
"Wait, but just now, you seemed to know exactly how they're doing. I thought we couldn't contact them?"
"Come on, give me some credit. You think I'd walk into a shady vampire stronghold without backup plans? I got help from Ikki for this one."
"From me?"
Everyone turned their attention to me.
"Before the three of them left, I lent them a duplicate of Izuna. Her communication isn't based on magic or signal transmission—it's more of a conceptual link. Everything she perceives gets shared instantly."
Think of it like an invisible hardwired connection. Even a powerful isolation barrier can't stop it unless you cut the "cable" (Izuna) itself.
Honestly, Izuna's support capabilities are almost too good. I owe a lot to Yasaka for that.
Right now, Izuna's power has reached about mid-to-high-tier demon level thanks to the boost from [Divinity] and 'Corrupted Mode'. Probably about equal to Akeno-senpai in her early days—before she could summon lightning. At least in terms of aura. She's not a combat type, but for a familiar, she's come a long way. I'd like her to reach high-class devil level eventually—but that depends entirely on my growth.
"Anyway, I've already confirmed Rias is safe. But here's the problem—the deposed leader of the Tepes faction is now seeking help from the Carmilla side. I'm heading over to assess the situation, but I can't handle it alone. With the vampire who holds the Holy Grail now in charge, the Carmilla faction is in a panic. I managed to negotiate summoning rights for you. I'll open a direct portal to Carmilla's territory shortly. I need you all here. Chances are, a major battle will break out in the next few days… That bastard isn't the type to settle for a quiet power shift."
Azazel-sensei ended with an ominous warning.
"Understood! As a servant of Rias and a member of the Occult Research Club, I'll be there to protect her!"
"Now, about team composition—we can't send everyone. Your side was just attacked by mages, after all. Let's keep this to the Occult Research Club and Kuroka. Sister Griselda, Dulio, Tobio, and the Sitri peerage should stay behind."
Griselda nodded.
"Understood. Dulio, I'll leave the defense to you."
"I could trap that whole vampire town in a storm and shut it down entirely, y'know~?"
"Don't even think about it. We're the ones promoting peace. That would only make things worse with the vampires."
Dulio took a light smack on the head, but considering how long he's dealt with those grim vampires, I can't blame him for half-joking like that.
If it were Xenovia saying it, though… it'd be 99% not a joke.
"You've got four Longinus users over there, so it's better to split the firepower evenly."
"Four…? Wait, is Vali over there with you?"
"Yeah. He got curious about the Grail and infiltrated the area. We've got the Slash Dog, and the Joker. As a Sacred Gear enthusiast, I gotta admit it's a hell of a lineup—even if it's a little inappropriate to say so. Now, Ravel—"
Azazel-sensei suddenly shifted to a serious tone as he addressed Ravel.
"You should stay. We still don't know why those mages targeted you, but if they didn't gather enough data, they may still be after you. Plus, the Tepes vampires are almost certainly working with the Khaos Brigade. Your presence would make you a prime target. And… I've heard you've started using forbidden magic, but your control isn't stable yet, right? Rossweisse, how's her progress?"
Rossweisse, who's been tutoring Ravel, answered while tapping her chin.
"…She's a fast learner. Honestly, it's unusual, but she's managing to practice even forbidden spells through repetition. She should be able to shape her magic into something usable by the end of the year."
"Good. Still, your current strength is unstable. You're not ready for the front lines. Stay here—and don't go anywhere alone."
Though she looked a little sad at being left behind, Ravel quickly pushed it down and responded with determined eyes.
"Yes, understood. I'll continue training until I can stand on my own. Shione—I'll leave things to you this time."
With our enemies escalating, even Ravel's impressive power isn't enough.
"I got this. Don't worry. You'll catch up soon."
"Yes—I'll be right behind you."
As Shione and Ravel exchanged words of trust, President Sona made a suggestion.
"This is a good opportunity. I'll send our new 'Rook' and 'Knight' units. Since the enemy is vampires, they should be effective."
Azazel-sensei nodded in agreement.
"Right, right. If I remember, one of your new pawns is a reaper, and the other—Rugal—specializes in anti-vampire combat. That'd be a big help."
"Then it's settled. They still lack real combat experience as devils. This will be a good way to teach them their roles."
…President Sona's pretty hardcore sometimes.
"Alright, I'll explain the rest once you arrive. Get ready and teleport over."
"Right!"
We returned to our rooms to grab winter gear and essentials. Romania is six hours behind Japan. If it's dawn here, it's deep night over there. Cold, mountainous terrain—warm clothing is a must.
Soon after, we all regrouped at the teleportation chamber.
Rugal and Bennia had now joined us too.
"Both of you—support the Occult Research Club, understood?"
"Understood."
"Orders received loud and clear."
Sona sent them off, and Griselda offered a few final words.
"Leave this town to us. May the Lord's blessing—no, may fortune favor you."
She'd started to say blessing but corrected herself—ten of the eleven members departing were devils, after all. A divine blessing would be… counterproductive.
"Take care, Ikki-sama. All of you—come back safely."
With Ravel's parting words, we were engulfed by the glow of teleportation magic.
…Now then. How should I move in this?
As the light faded, we arrived in the teleportation chamber in Romania. Azazel-sensei was waiting for us.
"Well done, everyone. Glad you made it."
Next to him stood Elmenhilde—the vampire we'd met recently.
"Welcome, everyone. We only needed Gasper Vladi, but I suppose we'll just have to accept the rest of you."
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