Chapter 29: I expected a lot of stuff, but not this…

Part 1

MC's POV

Walking amidst the streets of the neighborhood, I kept glancing carefully at the nameplates of each house. Only after verifying it twice do I move onto the next one.

Yasaka-san's words bugged me too much so I came to confirm in person. She had been able to find the Shidou family's old house so I kept looking using that location as the start. Given how Irina and Issei had been childhood friends, they might've lived in the same street or the same neighborhood.

I couldn't accept Yasaka-san's words easily. Even though he was a perverted person, Issei had been the one to resolve any problems in the supernatural world. Without him, who was supposed to go and fight all those crazy people?

"Sorry, I ended up dragging you as well". I apologized to the person who was accompanying me.

Walking behind me and attracting the looks of almost every passerby due to her maid outfit, or perhaps just because she is a beautiful young-looking woman, Grayfia-san followed after me.

"There is no need to apologize, I had arrived way too early to pick you up since I had some free time, and spending it by calmly strolling around this peaceful city is not bad". Grayfia-san smiled. "Although I was surprised to arrive at your house and learn that you were away, I thought that you had run away".

I can only feel guiltier if you say that, please value your free time some more.

"*Sigh* Please, don't remind me of that. I feel like running away. Why would that guy have something to do with me? I am just a simple cat you can find anywhere". I shrugged my shoulder.

From all the people that could request my presence, he was not someone I expected.

Huh? I feel like this house's nameplate sounds familiar, Kiryuu?

Just as I was thinking about it, the front door opened up, and a little girl came out.

She was wearing spectacles, had gold-colored eyes, and lightly messy brunette hair tied into braids on each side, her outfit consisted of blue pants and a striped black and white shirt.

Isn't she that perverted? Well, she sure looks like her. Maybe she is not a pervert yet-

Before my line of thought finished, she stared at me, or rather, her line of sight was directed slightly below.

*Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii*

Finished with her actions, she nodded in appreciation and gave me a thumbs up.

I can't deny that I felt embarrassed, but the girl was not finished yet. She turned to stare at Grayfia-san and then at me alternatively and a grin appeared on her face.

Just as she left her house, the girl had the guts to pat my shoulders and speak.

"Go for it, tiger". The girl commented leaving me speechless.

Walking away with her hand raised in thumps up, she left with a perverted grin plastered on her face.

That little pervert!

"Release me Grayfia-san; I need to educate that little girl". I protested.

Miss Maid had grabbed my shoulders, preventing me from catching up to that perverted girl. Damn, Aika Kiryuu was a pervert since this young.

"She was probably joking so I think you should let her off". Grayfia-san replied.

No, no, you don't know that girl. She could measure males, arghhhhh!

"Whatever..." I said after watching her disappearing in the distance.

Losing the motivation to pound some sense into her head, I decided to give one last look around the place. Even if Grayfia-san says that she didn't mind following me around, I felt bad making her do it.

Grayfia's POV

Sitting on a bench, the silver-haired woman was waiting patiently for Nora to come back. They had passed by a park on their stroll and Nora offered to buy her a treat for all the trouble.

Despite Grayfia trying to tell him that it was not necessary, he leads her by the hand and told her to wait for him. Since she didn't want to waste his goodwill, she remained in that spot until he came back.

Some rude people came trying to pick her up but a little killing intent took care of them.

She directed her gaze at the children playing (?) in the park, although it looked more like two children getting a beating by another pair. She was tempted to interfere thinking that it was bullying but the voices of the girls who carried wooden swords made her think otherwise. They were punishing the boys for being peeping toms.

One look around her and the people around the park look at that with wry smiles so it seemed to be a common picture.

"That was Murayama and Katase beating Motohama and Matsuda, the perverted duo being beaten by the swordswomen duo huh". Nora's voice was heard as he strode to Grayfia holding an ice cream cone in each hand. "I won't retort, I seriously don't want to retort but..."

The boy's lips twitched as he watched the spectacle. His eyes seemed to catch sight of something for a moment given that his expression turned doubtful for a moment before he shook his head.

"I might be seeing things..." Nora muttered in a low tone of voice.

The silver-haired woman was interested in those two, along with the girl from earlier. Those three girls gave a feeling similar to certain people she had met before, so maybe it would be prudent to keep an eye on them. That said, Grayfia wondered if they were acquaintances given that Nora knew their names.

Extending his hand, Nora handed her ice cream, it was grape-flavored, just like she liked it.

Blinking in surprise, she wondered if she had ever told the Nekomata about it.

"I saw you eating many grape-flavored sweets so I assumed you like that flavor, sorry, was I wrong after all?" Nora asked in an apologetic tone.

Smiling at his concern, Grayfia thought that he was quite silly.

"No, I like this so you don't need to be sorry". The silver-haired woman muttered as she had a taste of the ice cream.

"I see". Nora commented and started to eat his share of ice cream.

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"Nora-kun, are you ok?" Grayfia asked in worry.

After finishing their ice cream, they were about to leave when Nora started acting strange, he seemed to be in pain and started to sweat coldly.

Instantly, the silver-haired woman cast a spell to send away the surrounding people and sealed off the area to avoid interference from anyone outside.

Just as she finished her actions, from Nora a burst of demonic power came out. The boy did not seem to be in control of it as he looked vexed, perhaps he was trying to keep it in check but he was unable to.

"I am ok". Nora tried to reply with a grin.

Grayfia wanted to retort to that given his current situation, but she postponed that idea as she took his hands.

Her talent at using demonic power has always been her pride, this time, it will not be any different. Before Nora's demonic power goes rampant and harms him terribly, she would do something about it.

Using her demonic power to overwhelm and subdue him, she tried to keep it in check until it started to calm down. Her actions might've looked easy to replicate from an outsider's point of view but Grayfia had done something that only devils who took the control of their demonic power to the limit could try, and that was only one of the requirements.

*Heavy breathing*

With some difficulty breathing, Nora tried to catch his breath. He looked pale but his complexion was gaining color again.

"Thanks, you saved me from some- ouch! I am against violence!" Nora complained about teary eyes.

The silver-haired woman had applied punishment in the form of a small pounding on his head after he was out of danger.

"This must not be the first time this happened, am I right?" Grayfia asked with narrowed eyes.

The boy avoided her eyes at her words.

*Sigh*

Shaking her head, Grayfia did not know where to start.

"I did not hear anything from that person so I thought nothing happened to you, but... it has been causing you trouble again, right? Your demonic energy". Grayfia said in a serious tone.

Yasaka had not said a thing about it so she had let her guard down, but Ajuka had mentioned that this could happen given that his body was not accustomed complete to the changes he suffered. No, it was more accurate to say that the cells in his body kept fighting one another making him unstable.

Rubbing his head, Nora opted to remain silent.

*Sigh*

He was truly someone who you could not leave alone.

"Will you tell Yasaka-san?" Nora inquired.

Should he be worried about that more than his health? Rubbing her forehead with her index finger, Grayfia considered her options.

"Only if you promise to go, and get checked by Ajuka-sama". Grayfia replied.

Nodding in response, the boy did not say anything else.

Grayfia should keep an eye on him from now on.

Part 2

MC's POV

Putting that hectic event from before, Grayfia took me to the Underworld. It was time to meet that absurd person.

I had left Shirone-chan in Yasaka-san's care before leaving to check the location of Issei's house. Given that I was probably going to the Underworld just after my small tour, I thought it was better to leave her since I did not know what this meeting was about.

That said, I had enough trust in my maid companion this time around. She wouldn't send me to a place where I would be put into a precarious situation. Even though I have teased continuously, she wouldn't, would she?

No, I need to have faith in her; Grayfia-san is a good person.

When the teleportation magic circle, we end up in... a rather familiar place. Areeeh? Wasn't this place...?

I turned to look at Maid-sama in doubt but a voice interrupted my actions and confirmed my suspicions.

"Nora-chan! You are finally here!" Rias-chan spoke in a bright tone.

Carrying a sunny smile, she seemed very happy to see me.

Wearing an aristocratic black and crimson dress used in social gatherings, the girl came running and gave a tight hug.

I blinked in confusion.

Of course, knowing Rias-chan for quite some time, I was accustomed to her impulses to shower the people she liked with affection. Shirone-chan and Kunou-chan also received their fair share of love from her. Not even Yasaka-san or Kuroka-chan had been spared when they met, although the black cat was a tiny bit dissatisfied.

My confusion stemmed from the fact that I expect to meet the Great King at once. My mental preparations had been in vain so I took a moment to hug back the girl.

"So... I heard we were going to meet that amazing person but..." I muttered listlessly as I continued to hug Rias-chan and pat her head.

"I don't recall saying we would be going there at once". Grayfia spoke while looking warily at us. "It was necessary to make some sort of excuse to make this an official meeting to guarantee your security, so we used the excuse that the Great King wanted to meet some of his descendants for some reason. Those people happened to be Venelana-san and Rias-sama, I would also follow along to work as an escort, and Nora-sama who happened to be together with us at the moment of the summons had been unknowingly been dragged along".

Grayfia-san explanations were neat and precise, as expected, there were some strange points huh. Putting aside Rias-chan who wouldn't be able to offer much support in a fight or a debate, I think that the other women were my true supports given their experience dealing with nobility.

Perhaps the little girls heard my inner and slightly rude voice since he ahoge relentlessly began to poke and me in an aggressive manner.

My apologies, she is a lovely girl and she will be there to soothe my heart. Along with those words muttered in my head, the ahoge patted me lightly like it was praising me.

I was not sure how to react.

"Fufu, it nice to see you getting along despite not meeting that often". A slightly dignified voice said.

Turning my head in that direction, I saw Venelana-san in a modest (it still showed her curves even if she hid them with more cloth) purple dress walking in our direction.

I opted for not answering given that I felt she was reproaching me slightly for not meeting this girl more often.

"If everyone is here, it would be wise to depart. Teleportation would take no time at all, but we are meeting the Great King, arriving earlier is never a bad idea". Grayfia intervened.

Thank you, Maid-sama, for covering for me.

Narrowing her eyes at Grayfia-san, Venelana-san pouted a little. Miss Maid just stared back in reprimand so Rias-chan's mother did not say anything back.

"She is welcome anytime she wants, and the same goes for Grayfia-san and Venelana-san. My place is not a big place like yours but I will always open my door for you guys. I can at least offer you some sweets and tea to spend a peaceful afternoon". I offered.

I could understand Venelana-san's dissatisfaction, it must come from Rias-chan, but the little girl is not complaining at all. She probably wanted to meet her friend and her mother tried to express that.

The tension of Rias-chan went up a notch after I uttered those words since she rubbed her face in my chest happily.

The silver-haired woman had a wry smile and the flaxen-haired woman had a victorious grin. I didn't mind if Venelana-san planned for this or not.

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Despite the happy mood I had when I was at the Gremory Castle, my legs were almost shaking as soon as we teleported at that man's location.

"D-Don't worry Rias-chan, this will be j-just a normal meeting. No cats w-will be harmed?" I muttered.

"...why is ita question?" Rias-chan inquired with her head tilted.

That is because I want to be reassured.

Who knows if this guy goes and says that I must be erased because the experiment traces must be get rid of? No, what if he found out that I helped Masaomi-san and Cleria-san to getaway? No, there is no evidence of that, probably. That said, if the guy asks for Kuroka-chan to be taken care of, I will burn this damn place even if cost my life.

3er Person POV

One look at the nekomata and everyone could tell that he was restless, the older ones in the group were the ones who were able to understand his worries given their knowledge of him so they kept observing him. He would speak shakily from time to time as they walked, although at one time they felt a chill when he directed a glare in the direction of the castle, for a minute they doubted that it was Nora who caused them to feel like that, one second later he started to panic over more stuff.

Rias was the only one who did not feel a thing as she kept patting his back non-stop, hoping to encourage him.

Feeling that perhaps they were wrong, the older duo shook their heads and made mental preparations for what was to come.

The man whom they were going to meet was not just anyone and they were here to prevent any kind of harm to befall this boy.

The most troubled was Venelana, who came alone due to her husband needing to go and resolve an issue with one of his other wives. It was at terrible timing, but somehow, Sirzechs also had duties that could not be put aside, in fact, Grayfia had to be at his side but she was coming with her after basically ignoring her king orders (he was aware of it and he allowed it, but on the surface, it was seen as Grayfia going against his orders). These were all uncanny coincidences that could be attributed to someone given his connections.

It had already started; Venelana couldn't help but think that.

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"The master will arrive in a minute, please wait for a moment"

A better informed the group after bringing them to and spacious room. A low table was positioned in the middle, and expensive furniture adorned everything around them. Two sofas were facing each other, one at each side of the table, big enough for all the group to sit on one side. That said, Grayfia did not sit and instead maintained a waiting position behind the group.

Nora was sitting in the middle, and Venelana and Rias were sitting at the right and left respectively almost like they had rehearsed it before.

Venelana thought of warning Nora to keep his calm but his expression had long changed from his nervous one to a new face that she had not seen before. Rias at the other side also stared in wonder at his serious look as he took several peeks around the round, his eye giving a strange pressure.

"Isn't it somewhat rude to spy on your guest? I thought you called me here for a reason?" Nora muttered with an unamused expression.

Rias had no idea what he meant and kept glancing around curiously, but Venelana caught the message quickly. They had kept their vigilance for any possible magic but there were other methods to spy on people.

Grayfia had lowered her head and whispered something in her ear after Nora spoke.

It seemed that the expensive furniture had come with gimmicks, and Grayfia had already identified. However, that left some questions, how did Nora do it?

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"My apologies. I had a slight curiosity towards the skills of the Miss standing there. As expected, your skills are very good, although I did not expect this child to find out about me first". A dignified voice muttered.

Along with his presence, pressure accompanied him. It was not something simple as his demonic energy overflowing or anything like that. It was just the aura of someone who has strong dignity.

People like Grayfia and Venelana had no trouble brushing off that, but the older women were worried about the younger ones.

Rias tried to bravely maintain a strong look but she was being overwhelmed little by little, her expression changing. It made Venelana angry, before she spoke; a hand reached for her daughter's and took it. It did not take long for Rias to start looking better, the girl sent an appreciative look at the boy who had grasped her hand. Venelana recalled that Nora was a Youkai, and Ki had many wondrous abilities.

"Did the Great King call us to bully these pair of children?" Venelana spoke.

Her tone was low, but it was perfectly high to be heard through the room. While she tried to sound polite, some dissatisfaction could be identified.

Grayfia did not say a word, taking her role as a servant seriously but she glared at the man who entered and never looked away.

"It has been a long time since we met face to face Grayfia Lucifuge". The man commented before he sat in front of the group, ignoring Venelana's words.

The pressure vanished like it was a lie as soon as he did that.

"Yes, since the Lucifuge Household downfall". Grayfia curtly replied.

Venelana tried to maintain a polite smile but this meeting was not going to be easy, she was not sure she could maintain it until the end.

MC's POV

Somehow, this situation feels complicated.

My memory could be wrong, however, I don't recall any sort of relationship between the Great King and the Lucifuge House. The way that Grayfia mentioned it did not seem to be something good. Nevertheless, that is to be expected given that they were in two different factions in the civil war.

*Sigh*

Gripping Rias-chan harder, I continued to send my Ki to calm her down. When this guy appeared, he released some strange pressure. As I watched the crimson-haired girl struggle, I knew that I had to lend a hand.

That said, I finally met him.

Zekram Bael, just looks like a middle-aged man with black hair and peaceful violet eyes, although they only relaxed once he sat down, as he strode until his spot, they looked sharp as he examinated each of the present people. He was wearing noble attire as expected. Not like I expected him to appear in an aloha shirt and pants, that would've left me speechless.

My impressions of him were that he did not look that scary as I imagined him. I mean, I happened to read a bit of the thing he did as the first generation Bael and I did not feel like reading more. They did say that curiosity killed the cat.

"How is your family doing?" The Great King asked.

Directing his gaze at Grayfia-san, he calmly waited for her answer.

"In jail, although the Great King should be aware given that they are there because of you". Grayfia-san spitefully replied.

Her tone couldn't sound colder.

Maid-san? You are starting to scare me, I will buy you an ice cream again so please act like before. Rias-chan besides me is clinging to me and she looks restless.

"Have you seen that man since then? How about anyone from his group?" The Great King inquired.

Maid-san's tone did not seem to affect him in the slightest.

In my mind, he became a gutsy middle-aged man.

"Even if I knew, I would rather die than to tell you". Grayfia-san dryly said.

What?

"Grayfia!" Venelana-san called out.

Noticing her words, or perhaps the way she was acting, Grayfia-san bowed as an apology and closed her eyes. It seemed that even if this gutsy guy kept asking things he will be ignored.

Losing interest, he turned his eyes to the rest of the group.

"My greeting to you all, I am called Zekram Bael, the first generation Bael. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances The Great King muttered.

Your introduction took a while. Isn't that normally what you do first? Instead, you pissed off the Super Maid.

"My name is Venelana Gremory, the wife of the current head of Gremory Household; it is an honor to meet you!" Venelana-san muttered in a respectful tone.

"Pleased to meet you, I am Rias Gremory, the future heir to the Gremory Household" Rias-chan followed after her mother, although she slight forgot one part that she hastily added. "...Sir!"

Nodding in response to their introductions, he put his attention on me.

"I am Nora Shiki; it is a great honor to meet someone of your caliber, Sir!" I spoke in a respectful tone.

A little nervous, I was sure that things would start after this, so I tried to act as composed as possible.

"There is no need to address me so formally, it is an unofficial meeting so you can use my name to refer to me". He spoke calmly. "I do know about you, after all, this meeting was set up so I could meet you in person, although I expected you to come alone".

"He is a child; it would be bad if he was sent to an unfamiliar place, so we thought would be more comfortable with some familiar faces". Venelana-san explained with a smile.

Nodding in response, the man easily accepted her words.

"Well, let us get straight to the point then". He stared straight at me. "I found out about you due to that unfortunate incident, that said, I had been curious if you were like the reports described you".

If I said 'like a cat?' I am sure that not only I would make him angry, but Venelana-san will also get very angry as well.

Nevertheless, I decided to remain silent. Carelessly speaking when you have no idea what the other party wants would be unwise, Venelana-san advised me such a thing before we came here.

"Your eyes certainly look like I expected, is the 'eye color' the only thing you inherited from Murmur? Do those eyes of yours see something else?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

I decided to remain silent. What were these questions for? I couldn't tell what this was about, should I honestly answer or it was one of those times I should remain silent?

Murmur huh.

"I don't think asking me will get you much information regarding Murmur. I can only tell that there were three devils they used". I replied.

I was not sure what he was looking for, but someone of his caliber probably already had more information than me regarding what happened in that place. Back then, I had not time to read through every file that I came across since I was frantically trying to escape.

The Great King just maintained his eyes on me.

"I read all the information about it, and that is why am asking". He turned to look at everyone in the room before looking at me again. "My interest in Murmur aside, I had another objective with this meeting. Usually, devils exhibit one talent given their bloodline. Such is the case as people descendant from the Bael's who carry the Power of Destruction, just like the two women whom you are sitting with, and me".

Pointing at Venelana-san and Rias-chan, he continued.

"Of course, cases like those are not always the norm. Some abilities are not as 'showy', you can take the silver-haired woman glaring at me as an example. The Lucifuge Clan excelled in their use of demonic energy so they are gifted in the magical field. That takes me to you". The Great King pointed at me after he had done the same thing to Grayfia-san. "You already exhibit characteristics of the devil Murmur, but that is not all, you also have characteristics of Haagenti".

Having concluded his words, he rubbed his throat.

I was at loss for words; he dropped a bomb like it was nothing.

"What you are saying is not-". Venelana-san wanted to talk but stopped when the man featured her stop.

"I believe that this meeting would be more pleasant if we had some refreshment while we talk, don't you agree?" He offered.

Almost like magic, a butler and a maid entered bringing refreshments after he spoke.

These two made me question my sanity for a moment, the maid... No, given the topic that was spoken, the Butler had a retort priority.

"Nil... You were alive?" I inquired in mild surprise.

The man whom I called Nil just glance my way and smiled, he did not affirm or deny anything. Nevertheless, his appearance was the same and by using Ki, I recognized his presence so it had to be him.

This man had disappeared after we took Naberius down.

Zekram Bael is someone scary. I doubt that finding Nil had been an easy task because I learned about how people related to that place were hunted down. The influence he has is no joke.

Having finished serving the tea and placing several snacks on the table, Nil left the scene after bowing to the Great King. That said, Zekram gestured the maid to remain behind him.

What is that woman doing here? No, she looks younger than in the canon.

3er Person POV

The first one to taste what was served on the table was Zekram, he took his tea and gave it a sip.

"I have to say, what you mentioned makes no sense. This child does not exhibit any characteristics as you said". Venelana spoke.

She had decided to deny any of the claims this man had. There was no telling what his objectives were.

"Is that so? I heard it directly from one of your servants that was working that day. She saw the bathwater being turned into wine". Zekram calmly said.

As soon as those words left his mouth, the mood in the room changed. The already cold Grayfia had trouble keeping her demonic powers in check, Venelana's smile was erased and Rias bit her lip as she glared at Zekram.

"What did you do?" Venelana asked.

Her tone lacked any intonation. She had long become one of the Gremory, no, even before she joined that family, Venelana lived similarly like them, taking care of the people who served her with the utmost care and affection. The same could be said from Grayfia and Rias, so those words that practically indicated an interrogation from Zekram on one of the Gremory Household subjects did not sit well with them.

The maid trembled slightly at the different auras that were surging from the other females in the room. On the other hand, Zekram continues to drink his tea calmly, and Nora furrowed his eyebrow as he seemed to be lost in thoughts.

"In normal situations, a servant that was so close to the family, enough to serve you directly wouldn't have spoken out of loyalty. However, there are myriads of methods to make them talk, and given my long life, I just used one I learned". Zekram lowered his teacup. "I did not harm her so you can rest assured; I only asked some questions with the help of a certain youkai acquaintance of mine. I am not sure if you have heard about the youkai called 'Satori'".

"That is one strange youkai to be acquainted with. I am surprised that they have even agreed to lend you hand". Nora commented.

Venelana turned to Nora and spoke.

"You know about it?" Venelana inquired.

*Sigh*

"More or less, I do also have an acquaintance, or rather, a patient like that. Satori is a mind-reading youkai. Nevertheless, they are extremely few in numbers and they don't like to live close to large agglomerations of people. You have no idea how much trouble did I go through just to treat that girl, she constantly avoided me for months". Nora explained.

The women in the group had one thought after he explained, 'another girl, huh'.

Thanks to the explanations, Venelana, Grayfia, and Rias relaxed somewhat. They were relieved that everyone in the Gremory household remained safe.

That said, there was still a pending issue.

"You have become an oddity among devils Nora Shiki. Do you have any idea what your existence may cause if it becomes known?" Zekram inquired.

Another heavy mood descended in the room.

"The only reason why we agreed to this meeting was with the condition that you did not try to cause any trouble for him, even you are my Ancestor, I cannot allow you to talk like that". Venelana intervened.

Years of experience made her aware of what kind of topics that question might bring.

"Will I get hunted? Maybe I will get killed or perhaps I would spend the rest of my life in a lab. I have poor imagination so there might be more options". Nora spoke.

Staring at the ceiling, he had a dark expression. Before Venelana could signal him to let her speak in his stead, he continued.

"I have already been through both so there is nothing that would surprise me in that regard. The question is, what are you after, Great King-sama? I doubt you plan to outright kill me or send me to a lab". Nora spoke maintaining a dark expression.

A slight smile appeared on Zekram's face.

"The best way to avoid both is to be under the protection of a strong devil Clan. Why don't you-". Zekram tried to offer something but he was stopped midway.

"No thank you, I am happy with my life as a Youkai". Nora muttered while closing his eyes.

With the words still in his mouth, Zekram awkwardly coughed. This was not something he expected.

Tuning to see Venelana, Grayfia, and Rias, they all had their mouths open in surprise too, but they quickly closed them when they noticed how Zekram stared at them.

"Why don't you explain what you want to us? I am quite curious what you meant". Venelana smiled awkwardly.

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"It is a thoughtful proposal, that said, I am sure the Gremory could offer him the same. Unless there is another reason you seek him?" Venelana commented.

Zekram and Venelana had been speaking about what could happen to Nora and what he planned to offer in more detail over half an hour. However, there appeared to be more to that. No, even without it, the Gremory Clan belonged to the new creation of the Four Satan faction, given their closeness to the boy; they would be a better choice for him.

"It is not simply to offer him benefits, but I believe my influence could be of more use than yours". Zekram replied. "To behind with, I can..."

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"Even if you say that I can also give you my word that not only we would have support from Lucifer but Leviathan as well". Venelana argued.

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"There are matters to settle with the Naberius, they would still hold a grudge. High negotiation skills would be needed, and I can deal with them". Zekram spoke.

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"I seem to recall that I said how I wanted to live as a Youkai...". Nora weakly muttered but closed his mouth when Venelana glared at him.

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"Why are you so interested in taking him under your faction's wing?" Venelana asked.

It had been a while already since they started to talk about different details regarding the boy. The flaxen-haired woman had been probing him, but Zekram kept avoiding the topic. Through the conversation she was able to tell that he did not have plans to kill him, however, it made no sense, even if Nora had developed different abilities they were hardly threatening.

"My relationship with Murmur is not exactly a secret. Since that child became her descendant, I will protect him until he no longer needs it. For me, that is the best I can do in her name. That said, I have one condition. Will you also carry Murmur on your name?" Zekram requested.

He had been offering things so far so this was the first time he asked something in exchange. Nora furrowed his eyebrows in response but did not outright deny him.

Venelana decided to let the boy decide this time, even if she tried to push the support of the faction she belonged onto the boy, she was still not able to decide for him. Yasaka wouldn't be pleased if she did not allow him to decide.

"I am Nora Shiki. I had my questions regarding the name my mother gave me, but I have come to like it. I have no plans of giving up one of them". Nora said.

Closing his eyes, Zekram pondered for a moment.

"Can we talk alone for a moment?" Zekram asked.

"What is the meaning of that? We are here as his- what? You want to?" Venelana started to speak but Nora gestured to her that it was ok.

...

...

Everyone else in the room had left except two people.

"If I had some information regarding your mother, would you change your mind?" Zekram quietly muttered.

Instantly, Nora stood up and seemed ready to pounce on the middle-aged man, his tails stood straight his Ki was starting to leak.

"My patience has limits; I do not take those kinds of jokes well". Nora icily said.

"It is not a joke, while I have not found anything so far, I have a wide range of information Network. It is just a matter of time before I get something". Zekram explained.

The boy just limited himself to glare coldly at the middle-aged man.

"Isn't it a good deal for you?" Zekram inquired.

"Isn't your faction one that pursues purity among devils? My base is pretty far from a pure-blood devil". Nora commented as he sat back.

Smiling in response, Zekram shook his head.

"I told you that I would be taking you under my wing. You will receive my support, but not directly from my faction. This is a personal matter so I can't say that I would mobilize everyone every single time. I am technically retired from the faction, and the current head of the Bael's is leading it". The middle-aged man explained. "Besides, inside you, there are numerous parts of the original devils. Some might even argue that you are purer than some of the new generation of devils".

The way he stared at Nora contained some pity when he mentioned 'several parts'. It was not something he wished that happened in devil society, but there were still people seeking what was beyond their reach even if it meant sacrificing others, although he did not have the right to criticize others since his hands had been stained with so much blood.

"I don't need your support; I don't want you to watch my back. I have no interest in any political game or joining devil society, however, I will follow what you say as long as you help me to find Kaa-san". Nora muttered in a dark tone.

"Then, I want the following..." Zekram uttered.

...

...

...

"I don't mind, but do recall that I will never betray the Gremory or the Sitri. I owe too much to the current generation Maous and their families. Yasaka-san and the youkais are off-limit as well. Other than that, I don't mind if you want to use my body to experiment with". Nora said after hearing what the other party uttered.

"I did not ask you to do that. I just said that some topics you might earn under my tutelage are not to be mentioned to other parties". Zekram argued.

"My words still stand". Nora insisted.

...

...

...

"Please, wait a moment. Is that absolutely necessary?" Nora asked in a bitter tone.

"At some point, it will be. It will be your duty". Zekram spoke.

"Ahhh, please, tell me that you are joking". Nora groaned.

"I will make sure that the other party is to your liking". Zekram said.

"It has to be a joke...". Nora covered his face with his hands.

...

...

...

"Can we call everyone back? I am tired". Nora muttered in a weary tone.

"Everything has been more or less been taken care of, so I guess it is time". Zekram nodded after pondering for a moment.

...

...

...

As soon as Venelana and the rest of the group entered, Nora ran and hugged the flaxen-haired woman.

"Do never leave my side again!" Nora muttered as he clung to her leg.

Everyone was surprised at the sudden actions of the boy. Venelana was the most bewildered, from all the people she would imagine that the boy would jump to, she never considered herself to be on that list. Nevertheless, she did not dislike her daughter's friend's behavior. One thing was for certain, she could brag to Yasaka about it, this small situation would surely make the other party angry. The perfect material to tease her since she kept bragging about how the boy was so attached to her.

"Why!?" "Eh? Nora-chan!? Why didn't you hug me?"

Grayfia and Rias were also confused.

Finding the situation amusing, Venelana patted his head and left him like that.

"Fufu, you are suddenly acting spoiled". Venelana commented.

Raising his head, Nora showed his weary look.

"Negotiations are scary, please take care of it". Nora complained.

The hand the flaxen-haired woman used to pat him came to a stop and she felt slightly annoyed. He just wanted her so she could talk with Zekram.

"Ouch- my ears, not my ears". Nora whined.

Venelana bothered him a bit more before she took her earlier spot. Grayfia followed after her, leaving Nora alone who was being comforted by Rias.

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"I just wanted to rely on her... Why is she angry?" Nora asked.

"This is why you should've come to me. That said, can I pet your ears?" Rias asked but her hands were already taking action.

"You are just after my body". Nora bitterly replied.

"No?" Rias denied (?) it, but her hands did not stop.

...

...

...

"There is one last thing that was not settled before. Since the related people are present, it should be easier to settle the matter. Are you interested in having a child with Murmur's Descendant?" Zekram asked in a serious tone, he spoke to all the women present.

Grayfia who was refilling Nora's teacup broke the teapot. Rias spit the tea she was sipping and Nora was choking on some snacks he was eating.

"*Cough* W-what *cough* ar-ee yo-ou *cough* saying?" Nora was the first one to reply. "You were not joking?"

Grayfia remained frozen in her position despite having broken the teapot. Rias took a handkerchief and used it to clean herself.

Venelana maintained a smiling expression.

MC's POV

What is this guy saying? I thought he was joking when he mentioned that topic before. No, even if he was not joking, I would expect this topic to be talked about when I grow older.

Rias is blushing as she keeps trying to get rid of the tea's stains. Grayfia is... broken, she has a funny expression but she is not moving. Venelana is the only one who seems to be able to maintain a normal expression. She is smiling, no, on a closer look her smile seems forced.

That other maid is blushing as she glances at me repeatedly, I did not know what to think about that. I am sure that she was a young girl who was interested in the topic but did not have much knowledge about it.

My complaints did not seem to have made the Great King even budge.

"Since you carry the abilities of Murmur who is now deceased. It is of the utmost importance that you make an effort to continue the bloodline. I am not trying to joke here, you can ask the ladies around you about the importance of leaving an offspring for pure-blooded devils". The Great King explained.

Urgh, I don't want to touch that topic. I recall what Rias (canon version) had to go through because of it. I am not sure if she will go through the same given that some things have changed, but I am a little anxious since I got the news about Issei. Who is going to help her now? No, maybe I could make it so that she did it all by herself?

"Sir, I think I heard something extremely rude just now. I have to remind you about two facts. One, I am married. Second, my daughter is still too young for that". Venelana managed to finally react. "However, Grayfia is single. Be my guest".

Yes, you tell him, he did not listen to me...? Eh? Wait, what?

"Venelana-sama!?" Grayfia reacted.

Oh, she is moving again. I am glad that you are fine.

"I see, it is a shame. An individual born from someone who had an anomaly like the current 'Lucifer', and someone who had multiple devils inherited abilities is bound to be someone impressive". The Great King shook his head in regret. "That said, given that the Lucifuge had some blood relationships with the original Lucifer, I think that having a Lucifuge and this child have an offspring would be a good idea".

Not like I would mind being involved with a beautiful woman like Grayfia-san, but I have to decline. Yasaka-san is the woman I wish to have children with.

"Great King!? What are you saying? He is just a child. Venelana-sama, please stop joking around too". Grayfia-san retorted. "Nora-sama as well, say something".

She sure has it hard, but I don't like that she uses '-sama'.

"W-well, if she doesn't mind..." I tried to sound shy.

It made her panic. Good, next time call me like usual or I will tease you again. Besides, I have half given up listening to what this guy says.

"It is an idea worth considering since he is not against it. That said, are you sure about not reconsidering the matter with that little Princess? I think they get along 'very' well". Zekram commented.

His eyes were directed at Rias-chan's hands, one which had mine grasped and the other that played with one of my tails. When did she...?

"*Cough* They are only good friends so please drop the matter. It is also impossible since she already has a marriage partner". Venelana said as she ignored Grayfia-san stare.

Rias-chan tightened the grip in my hand but still tried to keep a neutral expression.

...

...

...

"We will continue with this topic at a later date". The Great King uttered.

Unless you help me to marry Yasaka-san, I won't agree to that demand. No, I am sure I can have her accept my love with my own methods.

"I am sure you might be curious why this young lady is present during our conversation. She is someone I hired from the Maid Guild, after looking at the background and what I needed of her, she was the best candidate". The Great King explained. "I feel slightly troubled that the Phenex Household had some interest in her, but she was the best choice for this job. Nora Shiki, since you will carry the name of Murmur, you will be known as her descendant. For now, it is not prudent for that fact to be known, but you still need to learn little by little about it. I will entrust this lady with that. She will work as your personal attendant for the time being".

Did these pair of cat ears of mine hear correctly? The Maid Guild...? A guild of maids, did that Shangri-La-like place exist in the canon? Wait, I feel like he said something else.

"Sir, I don't think he needs a maid. If he needs to be taught about anything, our side can cover all that". Grayfia spoke with a frown.

Wait, wait, wait. I finally got a maid and you want me to part with her already? What you say makes sense, but I feel complicated.

"Is that so? I seem to recall that he lives in a place called 'Urakyoto', not in the Gremory Castle. Are you saying that you of all people will put aside your duties to take care of that?" The Great King argued.

That is a good point, no matter how much they wish to help me, they can't be instructing me all the time.

"I can learn on my own if you give me some books". I offered an idea.

Don't look at me like an abandoned puppy, you might be a maid but it is not like I can just accept a stranger to follow me around. Even if it is a maid, yes, even if it is a maid.

"I also need someone who works as a link to contact me and tell me about your progress so it was important to have this lady around". The middle-aged man said.

Well, I tried my best to turn him down so I can only bitterly accept-

"You just want to keep him under your watch". Grayfia spoke.

Sighing helplessly, I wondered if I should be happy or sad about Grayfia-san's effort to keep that maid away from me.

"I would be able to do with her presence. You could say that finding someone who would patiently teach him about it is some sort of goodwill. Her strength is not higher than Low-Class (Low) so she is not dangerous by any means". The middle-aged man commented.

"He is-". Grayfia wanted to argue but was stopped by the middle-aged man who raised his hand.

"He is at least at Middle-Class (Low) from my investigations. He wouldn't have any problems with her". The Great King concluded.

This is the first time I am hearing about my strength level.

This conversation doesn't seem like it will end though. Ah, Yasaka-san, I need to see you heal my weariness.

3er Person POV

Everyone was leaving the room, the group of four became a group of five with the addition of a new maid even after the Grayfia tried to look for a way to have her remain with Zekram, but he swiftly shot down any complaints.

Only Zekram remained in the room, or so it seemed. Venelana stopped at the door and waited for everyone to distance themselves before talking.

"I am not sure if what you said was the truth or not. I can't say I know about you enough to be completely certain. However, we will not remain silent if you try something against him. No, even if you try to use it in the slightest, we will intervene. There is a huge debt we carry for that family. I will never accept another of the people my family cares about being a victim of the Baels". Venelana said in an icy tone before walking away.

Finally alone, Zekram did not seem bothered with her words, he even had a smile on his lips.

"Murmur, this child who will carry your dreams is an interesting individual. Today's was basically the first day he will be carrying your name, and he already has the support from two great families". Zekram muttered to no one in particular. "However, there are already movements of people against him. I bet they plan to take advantage of him while he is weak. Oh, look at the time. Today's meeting with those people is about to start. Next time I should include that boy, it is going to be part of his duties after all".

Part 3

Yasaka's POV

It had taken her quite some time, but the meeting with that group was finally taken care of. They left her with some requests difficult to deal with, but it was not unusual for them to take upon themselves to act like that. It has been the agreement that internal matters were to be dealt with by the Youkais in the area.

Recalling that it was that man who created this group, Yasaka couldn't help but complain that he should've made it more advantageous to her. He was their Sensei, although using 'their' when Saya was not here was a little lonely.

Walking in the direction of her daughter's bedroom, Yasaka looked at the time. It seemed lunchtime had gone by. She felt a little apologetic but she could not spend that time with her little girl, and the same could be said of Shirone who was left in her care by Nora.

Talking about the boy, he was also having a difficult time with the meeting partner, or at least she imagined that. Yasaka never had the chance to interact with a devil of that caliber before, but she could imagine how difficult it would be to do so. Hopefully, Venelana and Grayfia are enough of support for him.

Her mood turned complicated when she started to think about how she could not help him again.

"Why the long face!? Did you miss me!? Hahaha, I kind of wish that you answer 'yes' shyly." A sudden voice pulled her out of her musings.

Being the second room that was given to her daughter since the first one was full of plushies, this room was still spacious, although one corner was already filled with several cat and fox plushies. Looking at the source of the voice, she saw Nora who had Kunou in his hands. The smol kitsune was playing as she tried to bite his hands but was unable to since Nora did not keep his hands in one place. Standing close by, Shirone followed Nora's hand with her eyes, she also seemed interested in joining the game. There was also someone-

"I must be seeing things". Yasaka muttered as she rubbed her eyes.

Exhaustion probably caught up to her, the meeting left her wearier than she thought. She could've sworn that she saw a young girl wearing a maid outfit, Nora's eyes also seemed to be green again.

Smiling wryly, Yasaka kept rubbing her eyes. A moment later, she stopped.

"I just had something troublesome pushed onto me- Wait, I did not see wrongly. Who is that girl?". Yasaka retorted.

Even after she rubbed her eyes, the figure of the young girl remained in her vision.

"Ah, her? Well, things happened. My name got larger, I got a maid, I will also have to sort of act as a devil on some occasions". Nora nonchalantly said with a shrug of shoulders. "Ouch, that was sneaky".

Since his attention was on talking to Yasaka, he almost got bit by Kunou, but he managed to avoid it, unfortunately, Shirone had been waiting for him to let his guard down so she attacked. The white cat girl bit him and did not let him go even when he moved his arm from one side to another. The young girl in a maid outfit laughed slightly in response to what was happening but stopped when she noticed Yasaka's stare.

As she watched the teary-eyed Nora, Yasaka did not feel pity. He deserved it for playing around... and not explaining everything properly to her.

Shaking her head, she now missed Saya for a different reason than before. She was able to pound some sense into this boy.

...

...

...

After getting a rough explanation from Nora after helping him in exchange for a proper description of the topics that happened in the Underworld, they were sitting in Kunou's room discussing.

"I can understand that your eyes turned back to their original color thanks to the bracelet you got since you went to visit the Maou from last time, I believe. That is one question answered". Yasaka nodded. "About your name... I won't say anything about it. If what you said it's true, then I can understand your decision. That said, it is her presence that I do not understand".

Yasaka pointed at the maid who had used a magic circle to make a small table appear between Nora and her. The young girl arranged a tea set piece by piece and began to prepare everything with refined movements, each of her actions was elegant and you could not find any fault in them.

"To be honest". Nora patted the two little girls who used his lap to rest their heads. "I have no idea either- ok, I was joking. Don't get angry, geez, it was a harmless joke".

Shaking his head, the boy wiped some sweat that had appeared on his forehead.

Yasaka couldn't help but wonder if she scared him, however, she did not put a scary face, probably.

"About that, I am thinking that we should ask the person in question to get a better answer". Nora commented as he took the teacup that had been filled with some fragrant tea. "Hmm, tasty".

Offering his praise, he started to rummage his pouch and pulled a basket. After placing it on the table, he opened it for everyone to take what was inside.

"I had made this before leaving today, feel free to- I didn't have to say that, huh. You too, Maid-san". Nora said.

Yasaka was already eating what was inside the basket. In no time, the two girls laying on his lap joined the fray and attacked the basket as well. After he insisted, the girl also sat down and timidly took one slice of the apple pie inside the basket. As the girl took a mouthful of it, her eyes widened and she started to eat faster.

"So, do you have any hidden agenda? Did the guy send you to spy on me?". Nora asked after the girl had swallowed down the pie on her mouth.

Correcting her posture, she pondered for a moment before speaking.

"The Maid Guild is an organization that provides people to work as maids, they do not provide spies. There are a large number of individuals that are part of the guild, no, given that the guild takes care to train servants, numerous people had something to do with the organization at some point. While we can be employed full-time, basically for life, the Great King employed me with a clause that I might be sent back if my services were not to his liking. That said, his words were that the one deciding if I would continue working for him or I should be sent back, it is no other than you, Murmur-sama". The girl explained. "Of course, if working for you resulted to be harmful to me, I can walk away and leave you. However, such an event hardly happens, and I wouldn't like it to happen either".

Taking another slice, Yasaka listened to the explanation in silence. She couldn't guess the intentions of the person who employed the girl for Nora unless they plan to win over him. It was a known secret that the boy was found of maids. The second time the disaster of the Red Light district happened, it had been made clear to a large number of people so learning about it shouldn't be that hard.

"Can I take that as you being interested in serving this boy? No, I guess your interest lays in working under the man who hired you". Yasaka said in a slightly spiteful tone.

It irked her somewhat how everything was decided without her knowledge. If an attendant was needed, she could arrange one from her side. There was no need for an outsider.

However, it might've been difficult for Nora to refuse. One look at the young girl and she had that thought.

A young girl with shoulder-length light brown hair and dark brown eyes, dressed in a buttoned and sleeveless, French maid uniform with a white laced design, along with a standard maid headpiece, cuffs, and a white half-apron to go with the set. She also wears light grey tights.

Tsk, that sly man.

Inwardly clicking her tongue, Yasaka couldn't help but complain to the Great King in her mind. Did he choose her because of her looks?

"It is a great honor to be employed by one of the progenitor devils, that much cannot be denied. However, on the Maid Guild, we are taught to serve people regardless of their status without looking at their background. That said, not everyone can hire people from the Guild, dubious individuals are outright rejected". The girl spoke. "I will serve Murmur-sama at the best of my abilities, that is the way of a Maid".

The way she nonchalantly ignored her hostile comment proved that she was not an amateur that would cause trouble for every little thing, in fact, she could be described as a professional maid even at that age.

Tsk, no, it was still too early to judge that. As long as she finds some faults with her-

"Yasaka-san, I can't tell what you are thinking but you are looking grim. Are you ok?" Nora asked in concern.

Shaking her head, Yasaka smiled at him to dispel his worries.

"It is nothing". Yasaka spoke in a light-hearted tone.

No good, she let her thoughts be shown on her face.

"So, you will serve him huh. I do believe that such a thing is not necessary. I can arrange for people on my end to fulfill that position". Yasaka spoke. "An outsider that could possibly gather information for unknown ends would be problematic.

Ignoring the despairing expression of Nora, the blonde-haired woman objected to the presence of the girl.

She wanted to ask the boy, did he love maids that much? He needs to consider this kind of possibility. If this girl were to harm him, she-

"I have listened to your words, however, I will have to inform you one thing. I am serving MURMUR-SAMA, as such, I will only withdraw when he orders it". The girl argued in a firm tone.

She was a cheeky girl. Yasaka wanted to see how much would keep that up.

"I was being polite, don't you know that I could make it so you disappear in an instant? There would be some problems later, but everything can be covered up if I explain that you were dangerous so I took care of you. Have you not considered that?" Yasaka spoke and she released her Ki to pressure only the girl. "Why don't you leave?"

Instantly, the girl's expression changed and she seemed to have trouble sitting straight. It was easy to guess what a Low-Class (Low) individual would feel if the aura of an Ultimate-Class (High) pressed on her.

"YASAKA-SAN!" Nora who guessed what happened raised his voice.

His actions startled Shirone who was quietly and sneakily eating Kunou's share, despite the baby girl resisting.

Before he could interfere, Yasaka started to write symbols in the air with her left hand, along with some simple hand signs with her right hand. As soon as she finished, Nora's movements became sealed in place.

It was a spell that created invisible restraints, it could hardly work on someone of her level, but for the boy that was enough. Not only it would seal him in place, but she also used it to stop him from talking.

His vexed expression would amuse her any other time, but in this situation it made her feel terrible.

"I... am... Murmur... sama's... Maid... I... will... not... leave, unless... he says so!" The girl managed to squeeze out those words before passing out.

Biting her lips, Yasaka found it frustrating that she muttered that. Was she in the wrong? Did she-

"YASAKA! STOP!" Nora shouted.

Without her knowledge, the boy had already gotten rid of the spell's influence. She was not sure if the small lapsus when she questioned herself broke the spell or he did it on his own. His words made her unconsciously do as he said.

Nora swiftly moved to check on the girl, he looked worried until he finished inspecting her status that he sighed in relief.

"She just fainted; I guess it was too much for her". Nora muttered as he put the girl in a comfortable position on the tatami of the room.

"Nora-kun, I am sorry-". Yasaka felt that she should offer some words of apology but stopped when the boy looked at her.

It was the first time, the first time that his eyes did not look gentle when looking at her. He stared at her sternly.

"If you want to apologize to someone, you should offer her an apology when she wakes up". Nora muttered.

His tone lacked the usual lightheartedness that he uses to talk to her. It honestly made her feel uncomfortable, but the thing that bothered her more was that he did not add '-san' to her name, it was the first time it happened.

Shirone looked at a loss to what to do or act and Kunou looked like she would cry if someone raised their voice again.

"I went too far. Are you... disappointed?" Yasaka asked. "Do you dislike me now?"

She kept her head low and waited for an answer. If it was the usual Nora, he would probably say 'No' immediately. However, this time he might just do the opposite. It was normal, Yasaka was certain that a child might be disappointed in their crush if they saw them act differently from how they usually are. Nevertheless, she considered her words to be low-handed.

"I still love Yasaka-san, that won't change. I wouldn't stop liking you for your actions". Nora spoke. "Please don't make light of my feelings like that, I will get angry even if you are the one asking".

"Then, will you-". Yasaka tried to question him.

"However, I can't be content with what you did. Sorry, even though I know that you are only acting for my benefit, I can't help but feel complicated when I recall what happened. I might be contradicting myself, but Yasaka, I think it was too much. Despite her words, I am sure you could've sent her back even if she resisted". Nora said as he left the room after carrying the unconscious girl. "I think we both need some time to think about what we did and said, if we continue talking like this, it won't end well. I will take this girl to my property, she will remain there for the time being".

Shirone followed after him with an expression filled with unease.

Kunou tried to follow after him, but when she turned her head and saw her, she crawled to Yasaka and snuggled at her.

Gently patting Kunou, Yasaka remained silent. She could hear his steps as he walked away. Once more, she wished that Saya was here. Yasaka did not want Saya to punish him or talk some sense into him, what she wanted was someone she could talk to honestly.

"Now then, what do you think I should do?" Yasaka directed this question to her daughter but the baby girl just tilted her.

Smiling wryly, Yasaka continued to pat Kunou. There was a knot in her heart, this was the first time she fought with Nora, and she honestly never thought that it could happen.

3er Person POV

After putting the girl who fainted in a futon, Nora left the room to let her rest. The location was the property he acquired before, not the house built by Saya. Outside the room, Shirone waited for him, the white cat stared at him with her big round eyes, and some worry was reflected on them.

"Sorry, I guess it was scary, right?" Nora extended his hand to pat the girl.

Closing her eyes upon the contact, the little girl seemed to enjoy the caress.

"Nora is not scary". Shirone replied.

With a wry smile, Nora kept patting her.

"I screwed it up huh. Yasaka-san only wanted to do what she thought was the best for me, but I just acted rudely to her. My actions might've hurt her since I took the side of an outsider". Nora commented.

Grabbing his hand, Shirone kept it in place.

"You did nothing wrong, Nora is a good kid". Shirone consoled.

"Haha, am I? If Shirone-chan says so I might be. However, Shirone-chan, I think that I could've solved it better if I had approached the topic differently. Maybe if I had left that girl here and I had gone to speak to Yasaka-san alone..." Nora muttered dispiritedly. "As the leader of the Youkais, she has many responsibilities that are a burden and I went a caused her more troubles".

*Sigh*

Sighing deeply, the boy looked sad.

His ears hung down, and it made the white-haired girl feel down as well.

"She was the one who did something wrong. Nora can't be in the wrong". Shirone insisted. "Nora just wanted to see us faster, right?"

"Shirone-chan, I am glad that you want to support me, but there is one thing you are wrong about. People, no, I guess it is youkais in this case, sometimes youkais are wrong or act wrongly. It might be difficult to admit it, and some might deny it, but it happens. It could be me, Yasaka-san... or Kuroka-chan as well". Nora used a very gentle tone to explain this. "I did want to see you guys, but that is no excuse either".

Shirone furrowed her eyebrows and seemed to ponder deeply about it.

"Just give it some thought. That said, I am thankful that you want to believe so much in me". The black-haired boy hugged the white-haired girl.

Not too strong, he just maintained that position.

Shirone understood one thing from his actions, no matter what his words were, he was feeling down, and when someone was like that they felt lonely. She couldn't usually do much for him, but in times like this, she was glad that being there for him was helpful.

Part 4

3er Person POV

"Yasaka-sama, I came to deliver something. As you had asked before, anything related to him will be delivered to you. Yasaka-sama?" Asamiya called out.

Normally Yasaka would reply at once when she called so the lack of response was unusual, entering Yasaka's office, Asamiya found her sitting close to the window and gazing at the moon, not in her usual spot on her desk. She had Kunou sleeping on her arms as she gently caressed her hair.

Asamiya found that scene rather odd. Yasaka looked to be deep in thought since she did not detect her presence, or she was simply not interested in talking to anyone. However, she would still follow her previous order.

"Yasaka-sama!" Asamiya called again.

This time, the blonde-haired woman reacted and turned to look at her.

"Oh, sorry, I was lost in thoughts. Was there something important to take care of?" Yasaka asked.

Instead of explaining, Asamiya handed her a document. Reading it fast, Yasaka took a deep breath.

"You just keep an eye on that girl. Prepare a permission ticket to allow her to remain in Urakyoto for an undefined amount of time". Yasaka said and handed the document back.

Asamiya furrowed her eyebrows at that.

"Are you sure? Shiki-sama took her to his property and has remained there along with Shirone-chan until now. We do not have any Intel on her and it could be-". Asamiya stopped midway her words since Yasaka gestured her to do so.

"I know about her. I will take responsibility in case something happens so prepare the permission for her. I already met her before, and her power level is not high. If he were to be attacked by her, he could easily pin her down so his safety is not at risk". Yasaka explained in a light-hearted tone.

There was something abnormal with Yasaka, she was very thorough with every individual that got close to the boy since he was found after his disappearance, she would investigate every single thing and remove any harmful individuals. One case was a drunk man that came complaining about Nora who was vanished from Urakyoto as soon as his misdeeds were known.

"However, this file was filled by him as the responsible for her. Shiki-sama was asking for a permission pass for a couple of days with his name. What should be done about that?" Asamiya inquired.

For a moment, Yasaka's expression faltered but she hastily smiled to hide it.

"I see. Then, just make it so in papers looks like he is responsible, but prepare a separate note where I am responsible. That must not be shown to him, ok?" Yasaka replied.

As her caretaker for many years, Asamiya could see that something happened and it probably involved that boy.

Shaking her head, she was not sure about what happened but she could not leave it like that.

"Understood". Asamiya said, but she remained in her spot.

"Was there something else you wanted to report?" Yasaka curiously asked.

Shaking her head, Asamiya put the file on the desk and walked beside Yasaka.

"Yasaka-san, what happened?" Asamiya used a gentle tone, the same time she used when Yasaka was younger and got in trouble because she caused mischief.

Widening her eyes, Yasaka seemed surprised. Asamiya had not called her like that in many years. However, she later smiled bitterly.

"Do I have to tell you?" Yasaka questioned.

"You are free to do as you please". Asamiya answered back.

From an outsider's perspective, her words could be taken as allowing Yasaka to remain silent, but the blonde-haired woman knew that she could only speak. Staying silent was never an option.

"*Sigh* You are still such a bully". Yasaka complained but a slight smile hung on her lips. "I guess I should start with..."

...

...

...

"That is what happened". Yasaka finished explaining.

Asamiya had limited herself to listen to Yasaka in silence, nodding now and then to gesture the blonde-haired woman that she was listening to her.

"I will go and beat him up for a bit". Asamiya commented.

Her words made Yasaka panic.

"Please don't! I was in the wrong and he is a kid". Yasaka hastily spoke.

Shaking her head, Asamiya smiled wryly.

"I know, I know. Look at you, worried about something like that". Asamiya looked outside the window. "However, I can tell that you are in the wrong too, not only him".

Yasaka hung her head down.

"You don't need to tell me that. I know I went too far". Yasaka muttered.

"That is an understatement. The usual you wouldn't try that". Asamiya said. "Anyways, my thoughts are that you should both talk after reflecting on your actions".

Taking the earlier file, Asamiya prepared to leave.

"I will watch out over him for a bit. I am sure you are worried, but you can't go to meet him, right?" Asamiya spoke as she left the room. "You shouldn't delay that talk, I think it will be good for both if you solve this as soon as possible".

With a sleeping Kunou in her arms, Yasaka smiled wryly at the words of her caretaker.

3er Person POV

On Nora's property, everything was quiet given the late hour of the night.

Sleeping in one of the bedrooms, the maid girl stirred in her sleep, until she finally woke up. With her eyes gazing at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment, she sat up and started to look at her surroundings. One hand checked the state of her clothing and she sighed in relief upon finding it in perfect state. The girl felt silly for checking that, but she heard stories from her sempais at the Guild.

Recalling the events that lead her to be laying here made her shudder. An Ultimate-Class being only tried to intimidate her and she couldn't even resist, it was probably because that woman held back but it was still enough to force her into that state.

Shaking her head, the girl tried to forget about what happened. She was curious about the place she was so the girl stood up and left the room.

...

...

...

After many turns around the property, the girl found herself in some sort of yard located in the middle of the property, the place was surrounded by several rooms from all sides so it was still inside. It was a small yard that was filled with a small pond that had a bridge build over it, around it there were flowerbeds with different kinds of flowers growing in them.

Feeling a bit attracted to the flowers she tried to get closer, only to notice a figure nearby stopping in place.

Warily, she scanned the figure, until she sighed in relief again. It was the boy whom she was sent to serve. His eyes had become, or rather, turned back to green color, his cat-like pupils were one of his racial characteristics along with the cat ears and tails growing out of him. The boy was sitting in what she recalled to be called engawa, and he had a small white cat curled on his lap. Not paying g attention to his surroundings, he was staring at his hand. Suddenly, she could see a whitish aura appear on his hand, it was shapeless at the beginning but he started to control it until it covered his hand and formed a claw. Sighing, the boy shook his head, he did not seem satisfied so he dispelled the previous form and began to experiment.

Curiosity got the better of her and the girl walked closer to get a better look.

The boy tried to give it a different shape and he ended up with something like a sword growing out of his hand, nodding he dispelled it. Turning his sight away from his hand, he gazed at the garden for a moment before tilting his head. Pondering for a long time, the whitish aura in his hand began to wriggle, with knitted eyebrows, the boy focused all of his attention on his hand. Seconds went by, or perhaps they were minutes until the boy grinned, in his hands, the whitish aura had taken the shape of a flower, the same flower that was growing on the flowerbeds.

"Aren't I kind of amazing? How about it, Shirone-chan? Ah! You fell asleep huh". The boy muttered with a wry smile. "I guess no one saw my amazing display".

"I watched from the beginning to the end, Murmur-sama". The girl said.

At some point, she had reached behind him to see what he was doing.

Her words startled the boy, his tails stood straight for a moment.

"Do you have to kill your presence? Can't you make sounds when you walk? Geez, cats have seven lives, now I got six because of you". The boy complained in a low tone of voice. "You are awake huh, are you hungry? I could make you something for dinner, it is late, but something light won't hurt".

She didn't particularly hide her presence or kill the sound of her steps, she just followed the lessons taught at the Guild about how a maid should act.

Shaking her head, the girl denied the offer.

"It is a maid's job to cook, and I don't feel hungry". The girl said.

Shrugging his shoulders, Nora softly caressed the cat on his lap.

"Sorry about today, Yasaka-san isn't usually like that. She is a very kind woman so please don't think she is a bad person. I know that she went overboard, but there is surely a reason". Nora spoke.

Listening to him, the girl could see that he cares deeply about the leader of the Youkais.

"It is ok. It is not unusual to be disliked for several reasons in my line of work, that said, this is my first time getting employed". The girl confessed. "I might be getting fired on my first day so I will be getting employed a second time soon though".

"Do you want to leave?". Nora asked. "If that is the case, I could arrange so that someone takes you home".

"Are you firing me?" The girl asked.

Shaking his head, the boy pulled a blanket from the pouch he carried and use it to wrap the small cat.

"I don't mind your presence, although I personally don't know what to do now that I suddenly got you to work as my attendant". The boy replied. "I am not sure how hard it will be to get involved in the devil's world on my own, so a helping hand sounds nice. Venelana-san, Grayfia-san, and Rias-chan offered their help, but that won't be possible all the time. I am sure that it will cause frictions if they get involved more than necessary with the Great King, and at some point, I will have to act without their support".

"Then, I would like to remain here. I was sent here for that reason". The girl said.

Staring at her, the boy hesitated for a moment before talking.

"Why do you insist on working for me? Did the Great King force you? He did mention something about someone from the Phenex Clan interested in you, would you prefer to go there? If I ask Sirzechs-san, he could help you even if the other party was that man". Nora offered.

The girl sweated coldly at the way the green-eyed boy nonchalantly mentioned one of the Maou like it was something normal.

"N-No, I was not forced by anyone. The matter with the Phenex Clan only got to the point of getting acquainted with the head maid that was scouting new personnel. However, the requirements were rather strange". The girl muttered with her head tilted.

She seemed to be recalling something as her expression kept changing.

"O-oh, I see. It surely wasn't for something bad. Probably". Nora said.

The corner of his mouth was twitching a little, but the girl was too busy thinking to notice it.

Nora had paid attention to her words so he was aware that she avoided answering, however, he did not push the topic. They were not that familiar with each other.

"Don't worry, if Yasaka-san says that you can't stay here, I can get you some apartment in Kyoto, and I will also take care of your living necessities". Nora changed the topic.

The girl finally paid attention to him and nodded at his words.

"A maid always follows the master arrangements so I would not complain even if I had to live in the streets". The girl said with a smile.

"No, I wouldn't do that, you know?" Nora wryly smiled.

"Fufu, I was just joking, Murmur-sama". The girl giggled.

"The name is Nora, pleased to have you around". Nora extended his hand for a handshake.

The girl found his actions strange but she followed his example and introduced herself one more.

"I am called Marion, pleased to make your acquaintances". The girl shook his hand with hers.

When they were both focused on their actions a figure extended her hand a put it on top of theirs.

"I am Shirone, nice to meet you". Shirone, who woke up without them noticing, said. "It is no good to leave me out".

Sharing a look, the boy and girl laughed.

...

...

...

Sitting quietly on the engawa, Nora had Shirone on his lap, she had taken her cat form again and was playing yarn ball that Nora pulled out of his pouch. The boy had a phone in his hand and was reading something on it. Beside him, Marion was doing the same, waiting in case he needed something. The girl was already prepared to start working as his attendant and maid.

"Do you happen to know how to knit, Murmur-sama?" Marion raised a question.

It was either that, or he carried that yarn ball to entertain the cat girl when she was bored.

"Yes, I was taught by Kaa-san when I was little. However, I don't do it that often, only when I have free time". Nora replied with furrowed eyebrows. "Excuse me for a moment".

After directing those words at Marion, Nora dialed a number on his phone, and one second later the call connected.

"Suzaku-san, are you sure? It is not a joke, right? Ok, I will get there as soon as I can. Thank you for the information". Nora spoke and ended the call.

Biting his lips, he pondered in silence for a moment. Marion did not dare to interrupt him, and Shirone had long stopped playing with the yarn ball.

"Shirone-chan, I will leave you-". Nora lowered his gaze to match the white cat, but Shirone had already reverted to her human form.

"Don't abandon Shirone; I will be a good kid". The white-haired girl begged.

*Groan*

With a complicated expression, he could not reply at once.

"Murmur-sama, I have no knowledge about the situation but if I could offer a word, I would like to ask if you are heading to a dangerous place". Marion commented before Nora opened his mouth.

"No, however..." Nora replied in an uncertain tone.

"It shouldn't be a problem if you let her tag along then. I would take care of her needs so you don't get distracted". Marion suggested with a smile.

Tilting his head, Nora was baffled. Shirone looked happy at those words.

"You would take care of her needs? You will tag along too?" Nora inquired.

Marion found it amusing how the boy's tails formed a question mark, but she decided to keep it a secret from him for now.

"I am Murmur-sama's attendant and maid, wherever you go, I go". Marion said in a serious tone. "That is the way of a maid".

*Sigh*

Shaking his head, Nora did not think deeply about it.

"I honestly don't want to part from this girl so I will accept your suggestion". Nora said. "We will depart at once, I will make some arrangements first so think about anything you might need before we leave".

Standing up, Nora swiftly left. He seemed to be in a hurry.

3er Person POV

"Yasaka-sama! Nora-sama left Urakyoto!" Asamiya entered Yasaka's office yelling that.

The blonde-haired woman reacted at once to those words.

"What is going on?" Yasaka questioned.

Shaking her head, Asamiya handed a letter to Yasaka.

"He delivered this to one of the guards and they just handed it to me. I check and he apparently bought several things and left Urakyoto already". Asamiya explained.

Asamiya expected Yasaka to be angry but she just bitterly smiled.

"What a hopeless boy, were you scared to meet me before I had time to reflect on what happened? You don't have to apologize so much in the letter for that if you want to solve this by talking in person". Yasaka muttered. "So he doesn't hate me, huh".

Yasaka left the letter on her desk and pondered for a moment.

"Do you recall the people who offered a hand last time Nora had some business? Let them know that he is headed to Tokyo for something important. I am sure that most of them will come running to help him. Have the people I have there to check on Nora". Yasaka ordered. "I am glad I left those people there. After he insisted on going to Tokyo last time, I thought that it might happen again".

Asamiya could be wrong, but Yasaka looked energized after she read that letter. She could ask later, for now, she limited herself to nod and leave the office to contact the people Yasaka mentioned.

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Author Notes

This time's chapter was finally delivered, I will post next two weeks later, for now, I will follow that schedule for reasons.

Anyways, I wonder if you guys liked the interaction with the Great King. I also added many third person pov so I wonder how did that go, was it good or bad? Share your opinion on that.

Finally, it happened. Nora and Yasaka had a little fight. This could be said to be their first fight so it made both sides sad. That said, it is not like Yasaka is already in love with Nora, she is sad because he is someone who is very close to her, one of those few people, and they fought, so of course she would be sad. Don't forget that she had never fought with him as Nora pretty much would accept whatever Yasaka asked so it came as a shock as well. However, I will say that he is becoming more important to her as the story progress. He is too young for her to consider him a love interest.

Something else to mention is how I added Marion to the story, you could say that she never worked in the Phenex House so she doesn't even knows about Raiser, she is not in his harem either. The Maid Guild… I will explain in later chapters, but we aware that such a place will be important.

Zekram… well, I made him slightly unafraid of death giving the question he asked, you need guts to ask to a married woman and several other women at the same time. Regarding him, leave your impressions.

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