Chapter 50: Chapter – 45 Tobio Joins the Team II
"There you are, Minagawa Natsume and Ikuse Tobio. Have you completed all the preparations?" asked Nova as he approached the brunette and the raven-haired boy. The two of them were pulling Tobio's trolley bags that contained stuff he would need while staying at Gregory's Safe House.
"Yes!" nodded Tobio.
"Good," Nova smiled and shifted his attention to the cute little thing following Tobio and Natsume. No, it wasn't Natsume's 'Griffon-Chan'; that hawk-like bird prefers to fly at a higher altitude. It was circling their group from high in the sky. One can see 'Griffon-Chan' if they look at the sky. But 'Griffon-Chan' is not the 'cute little thing' Nova was looking at. The being that Nova is looking at is a black companion of Tobio. It's the furry creature with whom you would want to play the moment you look at how cute it is. It's a cute little black puppy.
The black puppy is undoubtedly the physical form of the Sacred Gear [Canis Lykaon]. It is one of the thirteen varieties of Longinus that can theoretically kill even the Gods and Buddhas in its strongest form. The 'cute little thing' had noticed the green-haired stranger staring at it and returned the stare unblinkingly, resulting in a stare-down between Nova and the puppy.
As the Devil and the dog continued to stare at each other, suddenly, Nova felt a cold chill run through his spine. "To think I would be able to feel it this early when the little guy has just awakened, truly, the 'God Slayer' attribute that the Black Dog possesses is something that can threaten my existence," muttered Nova in amazement.
When Izanagi–the Primordial God of the Shinto Mythology–Kagatsuchi–slayed the God of Fire–Ame-no-Ohabiri–the sword he used for the kill–acquired the 'God Slayer' attribute. Ame-no-Ohabiri was later used as one of the two cores for [Canis Lykaon] by the God of the Bible, at that time, the divine sword may have lost its divinity because of the Lycaon's curse and became an ominous blade, but it retained the 'God Slayer Attribute,' and this attribute is what's sending chills down Nova's spine. The feeling is quite similar to what Hyoudou Issei might have felt when he was in the close vicinity of the Demonic Sword Gram as well as the 'Dragon Eater' Samael.
Nova suppressed the tingling, then crouched down in front of the black puppy. The black puppy didn't seem to be too wary of Nova and allowed him to scratch its fur. Playing with the Longinus, Nova spoke to Tobio, "So it seems that your Sacred Gear awakened, huh?"
Tobio nodded, "On our way to my home, we were once again attacked by several Utsusemi. While Minagawa-San was protecting us from the ones in the front, a few of them tried to sneak up on us from behind, and that's when the little guy came out of my shadow and protected us. If not for him, I would have suffered a terrible injury."
"I see, well, congratulations on awakening your Sacred Gear," Nova nodded, congratulating Tobio. He then got up with the puppy in his arms and said, "In any case, let's get going; the others are waiting at the Safe House."
The others nodded, "Okay," and the three of them started to make their way toward the Apartment Complex. On their way, Natsume couldn't help but question, "Where is Magnus Rose-san? Won't he be coming with us?"
"No, he won't be coming with us," Nova shook his head and asked with a confused expression, "What made you think that he would?"
"Well, I just had a feeling that he would… since he is not an enemy, so I thought maybe we would be working together on this thing, and he would be part of the team," answered Natsume.
Tobio agreed with Natsume. While he might not possess extensive knowledge of the supernatural side of the world and may be unfamiliar with the team he agreed to join, given the circumstances, it felt to him that teaming up would be the best course of action since their goals were quite similar. If the Caucasian-looking foreigner also intends to rescue the missing students, then it would make sense for them to cooperate. However, it seems he was thinking too much; the situation between different organizations is more complex than he might have imagined.
"You are not wrong, Natsume. We are indeed cooperating; however, the kind of work he will do is different. He'll work behind the scenes and handle tasks more effectively given his position. Nevertheless, he won't be coming to the Safe House with us, at least not now. Not everyone is welcomed at that place," Nova explained, then added, "In any case, these are not the things the two of you have to be worried about right now. What both of you need to focus on is getting stronger and protecting yourselves, understand?"
The two nodded, "Yes."
"Good, now let's make haste; Lavinia and the others are waiting," said Nova, and they hurried to the Grigori's Safe House.
Naturally, neither Tobio nor Natsume is aware of Magnus Rose's CIA background, therefore, they couldn't understand the kind of work he would be doing behind the scenes. Since Nova doesn't seem to have any intention to explain, they decide to stay quiet and go with the flow of things. Getting too much mind-boggling information at the same time will only hurt their brains.
…
Dining Room, Grigori's Safe House
After Nova and Natsume returned to the Safe House with Tobio, a meeting was called in the Dining Room. During the meeting, Nova and Natsume introduced Tobio to Lavinia, Iris, and Kouki. Unfortunately, Vali was assigned a mission by Azazel, so he couldn't attend the meeting. Regardless, after the introductions, Nova received the reports from the other two teams about the whereabouts of the last two wielders of the Four Fiends Sacred Gear.
"As expected, we were a little too late. By the time we got to them, the two of them had disappeared," said Iris with a helpless expression.
"I see," muttered Nova, not surprised by the result, and thought to himself, 'Hopefully, with this, Azazel will be able to figure out the identities of the traitors in the Grigori and deal with them.'
Satanael's betrayal of Grigori is something Nova already knows based on his knowledge of the Slash/Dog canon. However, Nova only knows of Satanael. The possibility that there are more traitors in the Grigori cannot be ruled out. After all, Satanael is a Cadre Class Fallen Angel, and as one of the bigwigs in the Grigori, it wouldn't be surprising if he had a lot of subordinates, admirers, and sympathizers who would want to follow in his footsteps.
On several occasions, Azazel mentioned in the DxD Canon that he needed to clean up traitors, indicating that, aside from Satanael and Kokobiel, there are likely other traitors as well. While they may not be Cadre Class, their presence in the Grigori could disrupt Azazel's Sacred Gear research. Hence, there is a strong possibility that those who admired Satanael would also betray Grigori. And that's exactly what happened. The disappearance of Nanadaru Shigune and Hyousuke Koga should have exposed these traitors.
With this in mind, Nova decided not to pay much attention to their failure to recruit Nanadaru Shigune and Hyousuke Koga. He reassured Tobio, Natsume, and Kouki, "Of course, we would continue to search for their whereabouts, but the three of you don't need to think too much about it. Sooner or later, you will encounter each other. Work hard now so that you can save them if an opportunity appears."
"But will they be alright? You told us that we were the goal of the Utsusemi Agency, and now they have their hands on two of them…" asked Tobio with a doubtful expression.
Nova shrugged, "I don't really have an answer to that," and added, "Let's believe in their luck and their Sacred Gear. Pray that their Sacred Gear protects them from any harm that may befall them." He isn't lying; truly, Nova isn't certain about their safety. His only reassurance is the Slash/Dog Canon. In the story, although the two of them were experimented upon by the Utsusemi Agency, Wizards of Oz, and Satanael, not only did they not die, but they also became strong, and he hoped the same would happen here too.
"Putting that aside, now that Ikuse Tobio-San has finally joined the team, it's time for the three of you to speak with the Governor-General. He too is also interested in speaking with you three, so let's do that first thing. I am sure the three of you have a lot of doubts, and he would be the one answering your questions," said Nova, changing the topic.
The threesome of Tobio, Natsume, and Kouki were surprised, "Is it that time already?"
So far, they have only heard Nova, Lavinia, Iris, and Vali mention the 'Governor General,' but they haven't been told anything about this mysterious person who seems to be the one Nova and the others at the Grigori Safe House are working for. As such, the three of them are quite interested in the mysterious 'Governor General,' and now that the opportunity is finally before them, they are looking forward to more answers.
Nova nodded lightly, then turned to Iris and questioned, "Can I leave this thing to you, Iris?"
For Tobio, Natsume, and Kouki to speak with Azazel, they would have to go to a particular building. Alone, they would never be able to reach that place, so someone has to accompany them, and Iris seems to be the natural choice. Nova wouldn't have minded doing such a thing; however, he has other matters to deal with, therefore, he decided to leave this matter in the capable hands of the professional, aka, Iris Gaule.
The ashen-grey-haired young beauty accepted Nova's request, "Yes." She had nothing better to do anyway, so she didn't mind accompanying the three high schoolers.
"Perfect. In that case, I will leave these matters to you," said Nova with a grateful smile and decided to take his leave, "Alright, fellas, I have things that I must attend to, so I will see you later. Lavinia, let's go."
The blonde [Bishop] nodded gently, "Yes, my Lord," and followed Nova to his room.
As Nova and Lavinia left the dining hall, Tobio looked at their back, and for some reason that he did not understand, he suddenly felt a little lonely.
…
Nova's Room, Grigori Safe House
"Ahh… that felt great," said Nova as he emerged from the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of black shorts.
Following him, Lavinia also stepped out of the bathroom, adorned in a white see-through nightie that barely covered her ample breasts and thick thighs, providing Nova with a seductive view whenever he glanced at her. Sensing Nova's gaze upon her, Lavinia spoke with a radiant smile, "You are right, my Lord. It felt great to have you all to myself."
From the context of her words, it is safe to say that the duo of [King] and [Bishop] had just finished an intense Sex session in the bath where they both helped each other thoroughly wash their bodies, especially their private parts.
Nova smirked, "For the next few days, it's only going to be the two of us, so you can enjoy all you want."
Lavinia's cheeks turned red as she spoke, "I can't help but shudder in ecstasy and pleasure just imagining the thought of having you all to myself for so many days... although this is unfair to Artoria, Lady Roygun, and little Tosca, I can't help but want to be greedy with you, Master." She knows that she cannot ask too much from her master; after all, there are other girls in the harem who also seek out Nova's affection, and the number is only going to increase in the future. Lavinia understands that as the first and most senior member of the harem, she must set an example for the younger girls and the newer members to maintain harmony between the sisters who endear the same master and share his bed.
Understanding Lavinia's thoughts, Nova smiled and enveloped her in his arms. He kissed her a few times, sharing a wet kiss, and gave a few kisses on the cheeks as well before aligning his forehead with hers. Staring into her sapphire blue eyes, he spoke, "Lavinia, don't worry about these things, and you needn't feel guilty. As my servant, it is your right to desire me more and more, and it also makes me happy and excited that such a beautiful girl desires my affection. Moreover, currently, it's just the two of us here; you can be as open as you want to be, and you can be as greedy as you want to be—no one is going to stop you!"
Hearing Nova's words, Lavinia became emotional, "Is it alright?"
"Yes, it is!" nodded Nova with a serious expression.
"I understand!" nodded Lavinia with a relieved smile and kissed her master while caressing his chest and back with her hands. Nova reciprocated the kiss, exploring the curves of her body. Though both the master and the servant were already familiar with each other's bodies, it didn't stop them from getting aroused by each other's touch.
The two continued for a while until they were out of breath before separating with haggard breath. At this moment, Lavinia spoke, "There is no doubt that I want to continue, but… I believe that you were going to train after the bath, right, my Lord?"
With both his hands resting on Lavinia's slim waist, Nova nodded, "Right you are, my dear."
"In that case, shall we start with your training?" asked Lavinia.
Nova questioned, "Are you sure?"
Lavinia nodded, "Yes." Even if Nova had told her that it was alright to be greedy, and she had accepted it, she knew that what was important at the moment for her master was training. Besides, she had been plenty pleasured in the bathtub; hence, Lavinia wanted Nova to focus on his training. She seductively whispered in his ears, "When you are done with the training, and if you make good progress, I will give you a special reward."
"A special reward, you say?" Nova was surprised. Curious about the reward, Lavinia smiled mysteriously and did not reveal it.
"Well, if that's the case, then I am looking forward to the reward," said Nova, spanking Lavinia on the butt, making her moan in excitement.
After the promise, the two decided to pause for a while and focus on another important thing—Nova's training.
For that, Nova created a Magic Circle on the ground and sat on top of it. He assumed the lotus position with his legs crossed and his arms resting on his lap. Before closing his eyes, Nova looked at Lavinia and ordered, "Get ready to cut the connection and wake me up immediately if too much comes out."
"I know," nodded Lavinia. The blonde then manifested a Magic Staff in her hand. She tapped the lower end of the Magic Staff on the floor and chanted in an unknown language. Instantly, intricate violet markings appeared on Nova's body.
Feeling the energy, Nova closed his eyes and delved his consciousness inside the Sacred Gear Space. It was time for Nova to have a conversation with Gasper Vladi.
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Author's Note:
Any suggestion for Rias Gremory's Mutated Evil Piece? Doesn't necessarily have to be [Bishop]. The Candidate can be a Mutated [Knight] or a [Rook] as well.
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