"I know, I know. I just want a little reward later, nya~. I'm working so hard—surely that's not too much to ask? It would boost my motivation, too, you know~"
Ah, so she's asking for a reward now. Well, if that's what gets Kuroka motivated, it's a small price to pay.
"A reward, huh? You can't just spring that on me out of nowhere… Do you have something in mind?"
When I asked, Kuroka turned to me with a mischievous smile.
"Of course, nya~ Remember before your date with Ravel, I mentioned I was working on a new spell? I want you to help me test it once it's complete~"
"Huh? That's all you want?"
I was expecting something more extravagant or demanding.
"Yep~ There are some aspects I can't gauge on my own, and your sharp senses make your feedback really valuable. I'd like you to… let's see… write up a report on the spell's mechanics, side effects, and your overall impressions. Is that okay?"
A report, huh? For Kuroka to go that far, she must be putting serious effort into this new technique.
"Alright. I'll help with the test and write the report. No big deal."
"Nyaaan~ …Got your word on that, nya~"
"Hmm?"
She said something just now, but I was too tired to catch it.
"Anyway, Azazel-sensei. Once Kuroka and I finish up here in this town—or rather, in this country—we plan to head back to Carmilla's territory where we first teleported in. We'll carry out the same procedures there. As you heard, it's delicate work and there are many targets. We'll probably have to infiltrate the estates and castles of high-ranking vampires, which will take time. I'll be acting as Kuroka's support and navigator."
Right now, Kuroka's been healing me with her senjutsu, but once we switch roles, I'll probably be the one helping her recover. Other than that, I'll just be assisting however I can.
[Understood. This is definitely a job only you two can handle... sheesh, you're as capable as my own "Slash Dog." Having two powerful senjutsu users is perfect for this kind of covert operation.]
"That's fine with me. After all, taking down powerful enemies in direct combat is the job of the 'Oppai Dragon,' right?"
[But honestly, what you're doing now sounds more like a noble deed, doesn't it?]
Hmph. True, sneaking around on missions isn't inherently evil. I mean, there are even protagonists out there who sneak around in cardboard boxes.
"If Rizevim ends up pulling something flashy like, 'The Evil Dragon Parade begins now~ before we're done, and absolutely nothing happens, you should totally record his face when he throws a tantrum. Later, we can have a little viewing party over some crushed ice and tea pretending it's brandy. You in?"
[Hahaha! Now that sounds like a party. To think that the infamous demon of provocation and malice, the one even the Bible feared, would be brought low by a so-called evil god...]
"Wait, when did I get labeled a 'god of evil'? I never signed up for that."
[It's just that your divinity has been rising so much lately. When I met you right after the Beast Crisis, you'd just reached your Forbidden Balance Breaker and were borderline god-tier. But now? Your divine presence is easily on par with a named deity. Wouldn't surprise me if you reached god tier soon.]
Chief god–level divinity, huh... I'm currently rated at Divinity A+, and anything higher would be A++. I guess that's about where that incognito sun goddess, Caster Fox (Lancer) at the tropical beach, was too. Come to think of it, Azazel-sensei might not be far off.
...Well, not like I know whether I'll go beyond this or not.
[I'll be submitting this plan to Sirzechs as well. So do your best in your role as the villain against the 'Oppai Dragon.']
Wait, is that officially decided now!?
Well, I guess even the scriptwriters can't ignore the opinion of the former Governor of the Fallen Angels!
"And this whole operation has serious political implications too, you know? If the soldiers of the Tepes and Carmilla factions are turned into Evil Dragons, their military strength and authority will plummet. And the ones who are turned—some of them are still friends and family to the vampires who stayed out of the Holy Grail mess. They won't be able to easily decide to just kill them. On the flip side, even if they try to contain them, would this country have the strength left to manage it? Probably not. Their only option would be to swallow their pride and ask for help from outside."
To reverse the transformation, they'll need Valerie and the power of the Holy Grail. But we're taking her with us. So they'll probably come begging, asking us to help—even if it's just gradually turning them back into vampires.
In reality, though, they'll probably start discreetly culling the lower-ranked former soldiers who were turned into Evil Dragons. Or if they go with total eradication, the former high-ranked ones will likely be imprisoned in some underground facility.
Either way, the only people with real expertise on the Grail, Sacred Gears, and Evil Dragons are us, the Three Factions, and the allied mythological factions.
They'll fall to their knees to join the peace alliance—and we can use this to earn a lot of favor.
[...You're not wrong, but the way you put it is just plain cruel.]
Hey, you told me to give it my all!
"And I'm not saying we should milk them dry. If we treat them like that, we'll just raise a bunch of entitled brats who think 'We, the supreme vampires, deserve to be served by other races!' in a few decades. But if we help while preserving their pride, they won't forget the kindness or get arrogant."
If we give them the full force of Heaven's support now, it'll just come back to bite us later.
[Don't mention any of this to Issei and the others yet. If the vampire situation's already too far gone, telling them now would just make them worry for no reason. And especially since you two are already handling it.]
"Got it. I'll move out once I've recovered... Cutting the transmission now, Toilet-Break Azazel-sensei."
[H-Hey! You little—I'll remember th—" click ]
I cut the call before he could finish his comeback.
"Well then, Ikki, you should rest and recover your strength. I'll finish setting up the spell formations while you sleep, nya~."
Kuroka placed her palm over my eyes, blocking my vision—a clear sign to go to sleep.
To be fair, I was already physically recovered thanks to her senjutsu, but the mental effort to resist this overwhelming drowsiness would wear me out faster than just sleeping. So I decided to surrender to it.
======
When I woke up, the scent of something pleasant and the warmth of another person greeted me.
I was lying on Kuroka's lap, and Shirone was resting her hand on my forehead, casting senjutsu as she leaned over me.
Honestly, waking up to the faces of the black-and-white nekomata sisters wasn't a bad way to start the day.
"You're awake, Ikki-senpai?"
"Yeah. Morning, Shirone. …Kuroka, did you finish what I asked?"
"Yep. Ready whenever you are."
Perfect. Time to get moving. I don't remember exactly how much time we have left, but I know we can't afford to waste it.
As I sat up and looked around, I saw Issei lying on a nearby couch, wearing a goofy, blissful expression while resting on Akeno-senpai's lap.
…What the hell is this guy doing?
"Oh, you're up, Ikki! Man, lap pillows are the best!"
That's the first thing out of his mouth? I mean… I won't deny it, but still.
Meanwhile, the Church Trio were behind them, apparently finishing up a game of rock-paper-scissors. Irina raised a triumphant victory sign (with scissors).
"Yay! I get to be next to give Issei-kun a lap pillow!"
Ah, I see. They were competing for the next turn.
"Damn it! I can't believe I lost to Irina at something like this! Why did I go with paper at that moment!?"
Xenovia clenched her fists in frustration, glaring at her traitorous hand.
"Aww… I lost too. But next time, I won't go easy!"
Even Asia had tears in her eyes. It's kind of amazing they take rock-paper-scissors this seriously.
"I don't care if Asia's my friend or not—I'll give it my all next time!"
"M-Me too! I won't lose!"
Their final duel began shortly afterward.
Several ties passed, and eventually Xenovia raised her fist (rock) in victory.
Asia, surprisingly, ended up last in a game of chance—something that's usually her strong suit. But apparently, during her turn giving Issei a lap pillow, everyone else just happened to leave the room… leading to an accidental reverse lap pillow situation.
Yeah… that's Asia's signature luck for you.
But we didn't have time to linger.
"Alright, everyone. Kuroka and I have something to take care of, so we'll be out for a while. At least a full day. Just a heads-up."
"An Azazel-sensei top-secret job, huh? Then no point in asking."
Oh? That was surprisingly mature, Issei. Guess he's starting to understand the subtleties of… well, let's call it the "adult" world.
It's not as flashy as pure strength, but it's part of growing into his role as a King.
As I stood, I placed my hand on Shirone's head.
"Take care of things here, okay?"
"Yes. You and Kuroka-sis too, please be careful."
"Time to go, nya~"
And with that, I headed out normally, while Kuroka waved playfully as we left the lounge.
"So, you're not using Ittou Shura right now, but can you still track the Evil Dragon-turned vampires?"
"No problem. It was just a faint discomfort at first, but now that I've tuned in, I can trace them even without it. After we finish dealing with all the vampires in this town, I'll activate Ittou Shura one last time to confirm. …Also, Kuroka, about the spell—we'll need a marking function. Just something light to help us identify them later."
"Got it, nya. That's easy enough. Let's get this mess cleaned up."
And so, we began—starting with the least guarded areas of town, we launched surprise attacks on the patrolling vampires one by one (though none of them even realized they were under attack).