Chapter 43: Chapter – 38 A Dinner & A Plan!
The dining room of the Slash/Dog Base of Operation
After Azazel had collected as much data as he could about Nova and Lavinia's Sacred Gears, the five people at the apartment building gathered at the dining table for dinner. While Lavinia was helping Iris with dinner, Nova asked Azazel, "So Azazel-San, when can I expect to hear the reports about this Sacred Gear?"
Striking his goatee, Azazel replied, "Well, this is something completely new, and I want to run some of my own tests as well, so it might take a few days at least…"
Nova nodded, "Very well." He wasn't that impatient and understood that it would definitely take a few days for even the likes of Azazel to understand something as strange as [Aeon Balor]. As for what Azazel meant by 'some of my own tests,' Nova neither asked nor cared. In Nova's opinion, since it's Azazel we are talking about, it's definitely got something to do with the Artificial Sacred Gear Project that Azazel might have started working on.
Knowing the special situation of [Aeon Balor], Azazel might have had some inspiration. At this time, Vali said, "When you have mastered your Sacred Gear, I expect a good fight from you."
Nova chuckled, "How about now? I don't really need the power of this Sacred Gear to fight you."
Vali folded his hands over his chest and shook his head, "No… you would be a boring opponent and wouldn't be much of a challenge."
Hearing Vali's words, Nova laughed, "It seems you really underestimate me." Nova didn't really care about the fact that Vali was underestimating him. To him, it made no difference… Besides, the current Vali Lucifer is going through Chūnibyō/Eighth-Grade Syndrome, so rather than being offended, Nova finds Vali's words amusing.
Vali nodded, "Naturally… since I am the host of the White-One and the descendant of mmfmfff–!" He couldn't finish the last part since Azazel stuffed his mouth with carrots, preventing him from almost slipping out the fact that he was a descendant of the House of Lucifer.
Embarrassed by Azazel, Vali hurriedly finished the carrot and then looked at him angrily, "What was that for?"
Azazel turned his head and started to whistle, avoiding answering Vali's question.
Looking at Azazel and Vali's interaction, Nova couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. From his perspective, Azazel really does seem to care about Vali, and their interaction is more akin to brothers rather than an adoptive parent and child.
As Nova enjoyed Azazel and Vali's banter, Lavinia and Iris served the dinner and took their respective seats at the dining table.
Looking at all the dishes placed on the dining table, Azazel and Vali were surprised, "Iris, it seems you have prepared a full French dinner course, this is surprising."
Iris smiled humbly and said, "In order to commemorate the alliance we have formed, we decided to prepare a full dinner course, and since both Lavinia and I worked on it together, things were completed in due time."
Lavinia shook her head, and answered, "I only processed the ingredients; all the cooking is done by Iris."
"In any case, please enjoy the dinner," said Iris as the five started to eat.
The meal began with an appetizer, which was Onion Soup. It is a classic and hearty French soup made with caramelized onions and beef broth, topped with melted cheese.
As Nova tasted the French Onion Soup, he blinked in surprise, "Wonderful… This soup is seriously next-level. Even I, who is used to eating delicacies made by some of the top chefs in the world, can't help but want to praise you for your cooking skills."
Iris humbly accepted the praise with a bow.
After the appetizers, it was the turn of the main course, which included Coq au Vin – a rich and savory dish prepared by braising chicken in red wine along with mushrooms, onions, and bacon – Ratatouille – a colorful and delicious vegetable medley stew made with eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes – and finally, Herb-Roasted Potatoes with a mix of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and parsley for added flavor – served with Niçoise Salad – a refreshing salad with tuna, boiled eggs, green beans, olives, and tomatoes, drizzled with a light vinaigrette.
As everyone finished the main course, Lavinia and Iris brought out desserts and beverages. They had prepared Apple Tarte Tatin – an upside-down caramelized apple tart that's simple to make but incredibly tasty – served along with sparkling lemonade.
After the dinner was finished and the dining table was cleared, Nova couldn't help but look at Iris in a new light. Despite having tasted world-class dishes by some of the finest chefs in the world, he really liked the dinner prepared by Iris.
Feeling Nova's gaze on her, Iris questioned, "Is something the matter?"
Nova nodded, "Yes," and asked, "I would like to know why your cooking skills are so good."
"Oh, this," Iris smiled and answered with a melancholic voice, "My parents used to run a diner, and I learned cooking from them. As for why everyone likes my cooking, I don't really have an answer to that. All I do is just tweak my recipes a little, and add a touch of my own."
Nova was taken aback, "That's all?"
Iris nodded, "Yes, that's all."
Hearing her response, Nova couldn't help but mutter, "It seems you are a natural when it comes to culinary skills. What do you think, Lavinia?"
Lavinia nodded, "I feel the same, my Lord."
With Lavinia's nod, Nova became silent, and after pondering for a while, he looked at Iris and made a proposal, "Iris Gaule… would you like to serve me as my personal chef?"
"Huh?" Iris let out a surprised sound as she did not expect the heir of the Archduke House of Agares to suddenly make such a proposal to her. It wasn't just Iris who was surprised; even Azazel and Vali were taken aback.
Azazel said, "Come now, boy, you are trying to take away our chef from us; this is not very noble!"
"Who cares about being noble? I am a Devil!" replied Nova with a shrug.
Vali shook his head, "Even then… I will not give up Iris to you. She makes the best Ramen in the world. Even if I must fight to the death, I will not let you take her away from me!"
"Is that so?" muttered Nova with a thoughtful expression. Then he smiled and said, "What if I offered both of you something in return…?"
Vali scoffed, "Nothing could be more valuable than Ramen, isn't that right, Azazel?"
Azazel nodded, "Sorry to break it to you, kid, but Vali is right… Ramen Cough Iris is more important."
Nova smiled, "That's unfortunate, I guess… and here I thought that Azazel-san would be interested to know about one more Longinus user." Nova paused and added, "And this Longinus user happens to be the wielder of [Boosted Gear]."
Instantly, Azazel and Vali's expressions changed. "Another Longinus User?" "The user of [Boosted Gear], my Arch-enemy?!"
"Yes," nodded Nova. Then he looked at the two with one eye and asked, "What do you say?"
Both looked at each other and ran to the corner of the dining room, where they discussed something in a comedic fashion. Then they returned to their seats as Azazel spoke, "Cough Although Iris is the most important if she wishes to serve you of her own volition, we will reluctantly accept it in exchange for the information about the whereabouts of the [Boosted Gear] and its user."
Vali nodded from the side, "Yes, reluctantly."
Seeing Azazel and Vali's behavior, Lavinia burst into laughter, "Hehehehe." She really couldn't hold it in, "I am sorry… I apologize for my lack of manners, but I just can't hold it in."
Iris sighed, "You two…" She couldn't believe that both Vali and Azazel would betray her so easily. Of course, she knows that they aren't really serious, and they have left the decision to her, meaning they won't try to stop her if she wishes to serve Nova, and they will support her if she doesn't want to go.
Based on her observation of the heir of the House of Agares, he doesn't seem to be a 'bad' guy. However, as expected, 'I can't do that, huh?' With such a thought, Iris shook her head with an apologetic smile, "I am sorry, but I cannot accept your proposal." And added with a serious expression, "I have a responsibility on my shoulders, something that I must complete no matter the cost."
"I see, well, since you have a responsibility on your shoulders, then that's acceptable," nodded Nova, not at all offended by Iris's rejection. He added, "Though this doesn't mean I have given up. I still wish to have you as my personal chef. When you have completed your responsibility, I will once again ask you the same question. I expect a positive reply at that time."
"I don't mind, however, it would be better not to get your hopes up." After she left such words, she no longer bothered with this conversation and began to clean the dining table with Lavinia's assistance.
After the dinner table was cleaned, Iris and Lavinia returned to their seats. At that time, Azazel took the lead in the conversation, "Alright, everyone… now let's focus on the issue at hand."
Everyone directed their attention to Azazel.
"It's been nearly two months since the 'Heavenly of Aloha Incident,'" he said, and added, "Those people of the 'Utsusemi Agency' failed to acquire the five people they orchestrated the entire incident for. Ikuse Tobio, Minagawa Natsume, Samejima Kouki, Nanadaru Shigune, and Koga Hyousuke, these five second-year students of Ryōkū High School were their targets, but for better or for worse, all five of them avoided going on that School Trip for some reason."
"Ikuse Tobio…" muttered Vali as he asked, "He is the user of Black Dog, right?"
Azazel nodded, "Yes… that boy holds the power of Black Dog, while the other four human children hold the power of 'Four Fiends.'" He added, "Since Black Dog and the 'Four Fiends' are Independent Avatar-Type Sacred Gears, I believe that all five Sacred Gears sensed something ominous about the School Trip and used supernatural means to avoid it."
Everyone nodded, accepting Azazel's hypothesis.
Azazel continued, "After that incident, we have tried our best to keep these five children safe without attracting any attention to ourselves. However, our actions of protecting them have made the Utsusemi Agency impatient. Based on what I have heard from my sources, they no longer care about the means and want to get their hands on these five children."
Nova muttered, "This means they can no longer be protected from the shadows, huh?"
Azazel nodded, "Precisely. Therefore, we need to bring them to our side in order to provide our protection and, at the same time, keep enough distance so that the people of the Utsusemi Agency will continue to target them."
Iris said with a frown, "So you plan to use them as bait?"
Azazel shrugged, "In order to find the people pulling the strings of the Utsusemi Agency, this is necessary. If we of the Grigori were to directly involve ourselves, things would become troublesome. Not only would the other factions, including the Gods of the Shinto Faction, be alerted, but even the other two factions of Biblical Mythology would start paying attention to this matter.
At the same time, this is also important for their individual growth. These five children possess incredible power. One of my favorite quotes from Spiderman Comics is 'With great power comes great responsibility,' something you should understand more than anyone. And in order to fulfill that responsibility, they need to learn how to use it."
Azazel's words silenced Iris.
At this time, Lavinia asked, "So, what is the plan?"
"We bring them to our side," said Azazel as he put four files on the dining table and explained, "Since neither Mephisto nor I plan to reveal ourselves or our organization in this matter until we confirm the identity of the people pulling the strings, therefore, I want the four of you to act as our representatives and bring these five to our side…"
At this time, Nova said, "In that case, let's form two teams and start by bringing in two of them at a time…"
Azazel nodded, "That would be safer."
Vali asked, "And how are we going to team up?"
Nova responded, "Naturally, it's going to be me and Lavinia, and you will team up with Iris since we know each other better, so it would be best."
However, Azazel shook his head, "Although there is no problem with that team-up. However, let's try something else…" Then he said, "How about… Nova, you will team up with Iris, while Lavinia will team up with Vali... This way, you will be able to learn each other's abilities and prepare for future fights where you might have to form unexpected team-ups and work together depending on the situation." Of course, this is just one reason. The main reason is that Azazel was interested to know what would happen if two Longinus users were to work together.
At the same time, Azazel was also considering Iris' future. Being aware of her past, he felt that it would be better for Iris to form as many bonds as possible as they would become her strength when she faced the person she had sworn to confront.
Finding Azazel's reasoning reasonable enough, Iris nodded, "Fair enough."
Thinking about Azazel's words, Nova also nodded, "Alright, I don't have any problem with this, what about you, Lavinia?"
"Me? I have no problem, my lord…" nodded Lavinia. Then she thought of something and turned to Vali with a smile, "Come to think of it, I always wanted to have a younger brother… Vali… no, this doesn't feel right, how about Vali-kun? No… not Vali-Kun either, Vaa-kun…! Yes…! Vaa-kun, would you like to become my younger brother?"
"Vaa? Vaa-kun?" Vali's face cringed upon hearing the way Lavinia called him.
Seeing Vali's cringed expression, everyone in the dining room burst into laughter, especially Azazel.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone