ตอน 35: Chapter 35
"Old man. We need to talk."
There was a seriousness in the blonde's gaze that Baraquiel had only ever seen in their fights.
"Alright."
When the blonde had that gaze, Baraquiel knew there were no jokes involved.
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|DxD|
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Making their way outside the house, Igor and Baraquiel finally stood underneath the tree in the front yard next to the wall.
The sun had almost completely disappeared over the horizon and the cool breeze of the night was finally started to move.
Baraquiel folded his arms as he regarded the blonde with a serious look.
"Alright. I'm listening."
Knowing he had the fallen's full attention, Igor didn't dawdle any longer.
"Old man. When are you going to do something about the people who want Akeno dead?"
Baraquiel's eyes widened.
"How did you…"
As far as he knew, no one had said anything to the blonde. So he was very surprised when Igor came out and said this sentence.
And naturally, the blonde had a response.
"My eyes aren't for decoration, old man. You're a fallen angel. Aunty is a human. It would've been fine if aunty was from an ordinary family. At most, you could use that mind-magic thing you guys have to hypnotize her family. But aunty's family is not normal. I can already tell they advocate for human supremacy, bloodline purity, or some other nonsense. My point is, Akeno is a hybrid. Even I can guess that doesn't look good on the family tree so I'm pretty sure they'll do their best to remove her."
He then entered Baraquiel's personal space and poked him in the chest.
"My question old man is, what are you going to do about it?"
Baraquiel was silent. Igor's question invoked the old flames nestled deep within his heart. But just as quickly as those flames surged, they were quenched with water.
His clenched fists relaxed as he sighed.
"It's not as easy as you think, brat. I do want to get rid of them. I truly do but the Himejima Clan are part of the Shinto Pantheon. And that pantheon is very powerful. If I remove the Himejima Clan, Grigori would be plunged into a war with a pantheon that has millions of gods in their ranks. Not to mention that there are numerous powerful gods in the Shinto Pantheon, all of them possess some level of immortality. We do not have the means to fight against them."
Igor listened to all of this with a straight face. He processed Baraquiel's words for a few seconds and in the end, he frowned.
"Smart people like you always think about consequences, the impact, and whatnot. That's why even a person as strong as you is being restrained like this."
Igor then pointed at himself. His brows were furrowed as he looked at Baraquiel right in the eye.
"I'm stupid. This matter of consequences and stuff doesn't register in my mind. All I know is if I hate you, you must die that same day. Who your backer is, what your faction is, who's your friend, and all that stuff doesn't matter to me. Forget the gods, Lucifer could be your father or brother for all I care. I'll still kill you. So I ask again, old man. When will you deal with the Himejima?"
Igor was getting on Baraquiel's nerves. It was like the fallen was talking to a rock. Despite him raising the important points, Igor still couldn't understand.
It only served to make Baraquiel more agitated.
"I have just explained to you WHY I cannot-"
With a blank gaze, Igor interrupted.
"And I just told you I'm stupid. All I see are two paths here. Either Akeno dies, or the Himejima Clan dies."
He lifted both of his hands and listed either option like weighing a scale.
"Will you wait for the Himejima to strike first or, will you kill them first."
Baraquiel rubbed the back of his neck while sighing in the process.
"I can't believe a brat still wet behind the ears is trying to convince me to exterminate an entire clan."
"Hey! I'm atleast sixty…sixty-four? Or am I sixty-three? Somewhere around there!"
Baraquiel waved away the blonde's words.
"Stop speaking nonsense. You're six years old. Anyone with decent strength can tell your bone age hasn't even surpassed a decade."
"But mentally, I'm still in my sixties."
"And you're still infinitely younger than me."
"And so is aunty."
"..."
Both men stood in silence. Baraquiel's face was dull while Igor glared at Baraquiel with a daring smirk. But the fallen remained silent. He refused to dig himself deeper into the hole he created.
Eventually, the atmosphere eased and Igor reverted back to his serious expression.
"Enough playing around, old man. Akeno is a hybrid. I admit I don't know much about the world, but I do know full well that mixed-races are frowned upon. And that's in the world of the mundane. It isn't hard to guess that in the supernatural world, it doesn't just end with being 'frowned' upon. I don't know all the details, but I don't need to. I would've kept quiet before but I've come to like the little chick. Naturally I don't want her to die. So I ask again. What will be your plan of action? Give me a straight answer, old man."
Baraquiel seemed to ponder the question. He ran different scenarios in his mind for what would happen if he killed members of the Himejima clan. Each time, the scenario ended with the anger of the gods and the destruction of Grigori.
He couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
"My answer is still the same. I cannot wage war against the Himejima because not only would it harm Grigori, but also because Shuri would be devastated."
Igor looked at Baraquiel. He REALLY looked at him.
"What about assassination?"
Without missing a beat, Baraquiel replied.
"Divination magic. Even if I can protect my identity, I cannot protect my race. They will be able to find out that the one who exterminated the Himejima clan was a fallen angel. If they dig deeper, they will eventually tie the whole thing back to me."
Eventually, Baraquiel rubbed his forehead while taking in a deep breath.
"Look, brat. I want you to understand this very well. I am not terrified of the Himejima clan or the Shinto Pantheon. What I am afraid of, is being the cause for the next Great War. What I am afraid of, is causing the death of my people. What I am afraid of…is my wife and daughter harbouring hatred for me."
Baraquiel grit his teeth before he continued.
"I can bear the hatred from my own family since I know that despite them hating me, they will be alive. But I know Azazel won't label me a traitor of Grigori. When the war occurs, instead of shedding me off, he would fight with me, even if I begged him not to. I am not afraid of death. But I cannot bear the sight of my brothers dying in front of me. Do you understand me now, Dimori? Do you understand why that despite wishing to cull the threat hanging over my family, I cannot do so?!"
Silence…
The cold breeze blew past the trees. The sounds of various insects was accompanied by the gradual rising of the moon. But so as the moon rose, the blonde did as well. His cold cerulean orbs clashed with Baraquiel's eyes.
On the blonde's face was something akin to disgust.
"No. No I do not understand. I'm too stupid to understand all these things. All I know is if my brother was still alive, and he told me that someone wanted to kill him…"
The faint red aura of the Kaioken swirled around the blonde.
"... all it would take is one word from him, and I would even storm through the Gates of Hell to rip out the heart of whoever coveted his life."
The pressure of his ki grew, causing a dark, heavy aura to descend upon the vicinity.
"Even if the consequence of my choice would be to face the whole world, I would stand back to back with my brother and fight until we triumphed, or drew our last breath."
The dense pressure of his ki was so overwhelming that inside the house, Akeno who was sensitive to this couldn't help but cry out.
"Papa!!! Papa!!!"
She ran out of the house with tears in her eyes towards the two men standing by the tree. She didn't know where the pressure came from. All she knew was that she felt a sudden weight fall upon her, scaring her into seeking her father.
Igor immediately reigned in his pressure after seeing Akeno run out. He could only watch on helplessly as Baraquiel comforted his little girl.
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|DxD|
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Time passed again in silence. Baraquiel was holding a sleeping Akeno in his arms. She was so frightened that even after Igor's pressure disappeared, she refused to separate from her father. Eventually, Baraquiel could only hold her until she finally fell asleep.
As for Igor, he stood quietly to the side. He had said all that needed to be said to Baraquiel and felt that he didn't need to speak any further.
[I shouldn't try to impose my own views on him. With how long he's lived, he should know best what to do.]
He had tried all he could but Baraquiel remained steadfast. In the end, even the blonde came to understand the fallen's situation after a bit of thinking.
In the end, he could only make one request.
"Old man. Please…stay alive."
Silence…
Baraquiel didn't reply to the blonde's words. Igor also knew that the fallen heard him. A few moments passed in silence under the gentle rustle of the trees moved by the night's breeze.
Baraquiel gently swayed while holding his daughter. The love he displayed on his face could not be faked.
A few moments passed by again before finally, Baraquiel asked a question instead of replying to the blonde's earlier words.
"When and how long will you be gone?"
With a slightly solemn gaze, Igor looked towards Akeno and then towards the house. His expression was unreadable but his next words were filled with obvious reluctance to part.
"As soon as we're done here and…for a few years. As much as I want to stay, my situation doesn't allow it."
Baraquiel naturally understood what the blonde meant. It was only a matter of time before his existence and the time chamber he possessed came to light. At that time, blood would be shed throughout the supernatural world.
Although Igor was strong, he was only comparable to a little brother amongst the truly strong behemoths that inhabited the supernatural world.
That was why Baraquiel didn't try to persuade the blonde to stay.
"They'll be sad if you suddenly vanish, you know? They could overlook it last time but not this time."
Igor turned towards Baraquiel with a warm smile. His eyes drooped down to Akeno who was peacefully sleeping on her father's shoulder.
"What can I say, old man. I'm not good at goodbyes."
Baraquiel also smiled as well, fully understanding the blonde's sentiments. But like the change of tides, the smile on his face was replaced with a serious gaze.
"Don't worry. Even if I have to give my life, I will protect them. So make sure to come back soon."
Hearing the words of assurance from Baraquiel, Igor nodded his head.
"Alright, old man. I'll trust you to take care of aunty and the little chick."
White aura with wisps of red surrounded the blonde.
"See you later, old man. I trust you'll be strong enough to withstand a few blows from me at our reunion. Otherwise, I'll make you call me grandfather."
Having said that, he took off into the skies without looking back. It wasn't until the blonde disappeared into the horizon that Baraquiel shook his head with a sly grin.
"Call him 'grandfather' he says."
And yet, Igor's words resonated within him. He looked towards his daughter again before he reaffirmed his conviction.
"I'll just need to become stronger than you, brat."
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AN
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And now we've reached the end of Volume 1. Things are about to change immensely now. Look forward to it.
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