Chapter 100: Recuperation

Chapter 100: Recuperation

Long time no see, fellas. I am back!

When the news reached Sona, indescribable emotions wracked the usually-cool Heiress.

With her peerage behind her, she stormed into Serafall Memorial Hospital and rushed into the VIP section - the rooms were heavily guarded by Devil soldiers, but they gave way at the sight of Sona and her servants.

Behind those doors, Lord and Lady Gremory each laid on their beds, bandages and IV bags strapped to their bodies, a rare and terrible sight to see leaders of Noble Households succumbing to unexpected dangers.

Rias' Peerage was present, some of their skins were wrapped in bandages, with Lint Sellzen joining the bedridden Gremories with extra bandages wrapped around her.

The matriarch of the Hyoudous sat beside Lady Gremory, holding an apple being peeled until her attention turned to Sona.

Dread filled Sona's mind when she noticed the absence of a certain redhead, "...Where's Rias?"

With solemn looks, Zeoticus Gremory took it upon himself to explain what had transpired.

"I regret to say that the enemies left with her."

Zeoticus recounted the event to Sona to her curiosity and horror, the unknown enemies armed with Anti-Devil armaments that they had never seen before, made by those with excessive spite towards Devil as Lint liked to describe, and how they managed to abscond with Rias in a teleporting aircraft.

Sona did not think that there was an aircraft that could teleport in and out of the Underworld like that.

A few minutes before the mansion went up in flames - Zeoticus, Venelana, and Tosca reunited with Haruka, who was searching for Black Sperm; then they all decided to check on the household servants in the basement. Thanks to that, they survived the explosion that took up everything from the ground floor.

Sona took her glasses off to massage her face - even her mind could not process all of the new information.

"What is Black's current status?" Sona asked.

"That's what I like to know! Knowing him, he might be out there doing his own thing or something." Haruka scowled. "Honestly, thinking about it, he took his boasts of mansion security for granted... Zeoticus."

Haruka's eyes loomed at Zeoticus with a sharp, piercing gaze.

Zeoticus looked away, knowing that he did reassure Black that his surveillance was not needed under his roof and encouraged him to take an extended break for the night.

"What of Genos-sensei?" Sona remembered the cyborg.

"I didn't get the full details, but last time we talked over the phone that he is currently in Greece; meeting with some important figures there." Haruka shrugged.

"The Olympians.?" Venelana mused, "I see, considering what happened on Mt. Olympus with the Demon God and past terrorist attacks, I guess Genos is aiding their relief effort. Forgive me, Haruka. Can you give Genos a call about our current situation? As much as I hate to impede his current job, we are going to need all the help we can get."

Haruka nodded as she proceeded to step out of the room with her cellphone.

"And what about Rias? Please, tell me that they left a trail we can follow." Sona asked, fearing for her rival and closest friend's safety.

"We may have something." Akeno said. Her health was better than the rest despite receiving intense holy light burns from the anti-devil flashlights.

She turned to Yuuto, the lone knight sitting in the corner of the sanitized white room in a lotus position, meditating in a deep trance.

His eyes opened as he took a deep breath, meeting everyone's hopeful gaze.

"...Muramasa is currently being kept in their storage room, but she cannot move without alerting our enemies. Rias was unharmed the last time she saw her." Yuuto explained the situation.

"Where are they now?" Venelana asked.

Yuuto sighed, "Muramasa described the landscape as best as she could when they were still airborne, but I'm afraid I cannot recognize the landmark. They flew past a giant burning pit in the middle of a wasteland, or so she told me. Does it ring any bells?"

Rias slowly woke up, blinking her eyes open. The first thing she registered was mild vertigo, and her still blurry vision could not recognize her surroundings.

She looked down - and found her body was no longer naked as the last time she recalled before losing consciousness. She was wearing some kind of black tunic robe with yellow diamond patterns around the hems, which covered her arms, torso until her knees; and finally, she felt a small metal collar placed around her neck. A bit uncomfortable, but at least the collar was small enough not to restrict her from moving her head around.

Her hazy memories slowly unraveled, explaining the sequence of events that led her to this point. She held the spot where the syringe dug into her neck, frowning as she remembered the unpleasant sensation of foreign chemicals messing with her head.

As for her room, it was not something she expected It looked like a hotel room, with modest furniture, a clean bed with white sheets and pillows, and a window the window was reinforced by metal bars.

Walking to the metal bars, she reached it out of curiosity. The bars repelled her fingers as the arcane runes etched into the metal revealed themselves.

"Ack!" Rias hissed and stepped back, holding her hand as she inspected the glowing runes on the metal.

The runes looked like a form of arcane sorcery written in the manner of Angelic Magic, a seamless fusion of magical systems, and some Norse influence. This was very uncommon even amongst the modern magicians, however.

At least she could still get a glimpse of the sight beyond the window. She blinked at the familiar sky and buildings - the human world?

"I hope you had a good sleep."

Rias heard the thick door creak. She turned towards the exit, hearing a familiar voice spoken in english.

The thick, reinforced steel door opened.

A middle-aged man clad in a tidy suit - a white dress shirt, ashen-gray tie with a matching jacket, slacks, and shoes with a crop-cut hair, neatly trimmed beard and mustache, with his eyes speaking experiences, took a seat on a chair next to her. Even if he did not wear that creepy porcelain mask, Rias knew who that person was. If Rias had to guess, the man seemed from west or Central Asia descent.

Nonetheless, she refocused her mind on the current issue at hand, "...I assume you are the one in charge?"

Rias kept her composure while maintaining eye contact, taking her chance to hypnotize the man Only to blink when nothing happened whatsoever.

What is happening now?

Rias swore this had become a trend where her enemies would find ways to render her powerless.

"I am. Please call me John." The man in charge - John, noticed the subtle confusion in Rias' expression, prompting him to smirk in mild amusement, "...Do you always try to use your hocus pocus on ordinary humans when things don't go your way?"

In return, Rias scowled defiantly, earning a snort from the man.

"Us materialists and seculars would use words. Analyze the situation and choose our actions carefully. But I understand the appeal of magic"

John opened his hand.

Rias blinked when she saw the barest minimum of magical manipulation, a sphere of pure mana in his hand.

"But soon, you Devils won't be the only ones with access to magic. You didn't see us, mere humans, coming from below your feet, did you?" the man said as he closed his palm, dissipating the magical orb.

"...Where am I?" Rias decided to ask.

"Our base. As for the location, I'm afraid it's kind of confidential." John offered a small, apologetic smile.

"...Are you a mage?" Rias could not help but ask again.

"Not quite." the man replied, "It's quite interesting. I don't have the know-how on how to use it like you do"

Rias squinted at John. This was abnormal, magic being used in its most basic form yet this man clearly demonstrated a history of service in the military.

"Are you some sort of supernatural hunter?"

"Army - twenty years in the service, I went to Afghanistan and Iraq. That's all you're getting from me.. And that thing around your neck?" The man gestured between Rias and his neck, "It's keeping you from tapping into your magic. I won't bother you with details, but it blocks the connection between your brain and wherever your magic comes from. To put things simply; that collar is keeping you from Letting the devil out."

Rias blinked again, taking notes of the brief description of the man about the collar around her neck. True enough - she could still feel her demonic power in her veins, but somehow, she could not grab any semblance of reign over that energy flow, no matter how hard she tried. She could not even will her wings to come out.

A semblance of insecurity began to creep up on her. Rias then narrowed her eyes at John as she unconsciously scooted her body away.

Noticing her anxiety, the man sighed, "I understand. You're feeling quite vulnerable, not unlike when we first found you. But we are not savages like you think." He then tilted his head, offering her a lop-sided smile, "...And the ones who cleaned and clothed your body were female servants working here. I hope you are comfortable with our local clothes."

Rias looked down, relieved if John's words were to be believed, before she tapped on the collar, "If you just take this thing off my neck, I'd be most comfortable, I assure you."

John briefly chuckled, "Nice try. That collar is to encourage good behavior from our prisoners."

"...Plural?" She noticed.

"Ah well, there is one other actually, would you like to see him? He had quite terrible behavior before we encountered him, so my men have to. Get rough on his person."

Rias grimaced as John rose from his seat. He unlocked the reinforced steel door from his side.

"I hope you know the procedure." The man stepped out of the room and gestured to Rias to follow his lead.

Rias glared at the leader for a second before she walked out of the room, finding armed personnel had been stationed outside - a woman dressed in a sharp black-and-white suit with a submachine gun in hand. She was wearing a short black jilbab hood that covered her head save for her face.

The woman glanced at Rias before she procured a set of handcuffs from her suit jacket, only to be halted by the commander.

"Nat." John merely said while holding his hand up.

When the woman - Natalie, stopped herself while sporting a confused look, the commander simply smiled knowingly at Rias, conveying a silent message that it would be up to her whether she would be walking in chains or not.

Understanding the subtlety, Rias merely nodded at John, who then nodded at Natalie. The arrangement did not amuse the female soldier, but she did not say anything else as she put the cuffs away and began to walk.

"After you." The leader then smiled at Rias, gesturing to her to follow the leading woman.

Thus, Rias started trekking down the hallway, following the female soldier in front of her while John walked behind her.

Pincered and kept in line, unable to do much. She considered overpowering them physically, but she was outnumbered two to one; they were also armed and possibly better trained than her. Too little information was on them for her to take action.

Rias decided to learn everything she could from her surroundings. Looking back - not only she was most likely back in the human realm, but the room she was confined in was more like a hotel room repurposed into a holding cell.

The hallway looked too pristine and tidy to belong to a prison block, with a carpeted floor, ornate lamps and some doors with numbers on. To Rias' small surprise, when they were approaching an intersection - a maid, judging from her outfit, suddenly appeared and she was carrying a cleaning service trolley.

The said maid jumped slightly at the sight of the trio, before she quickly gave a small bow. "As-salamu'alaikum, sir, ma'am."

"Wa'alaikum salaam. What did I tell you about calling me 'ma'am', Arisa?"

Rias initially expected a reprimand to come from the armed woman, only to see a soft amusement on her face.

"S-sorry, um Miss Natalie." the maid - Arisa blushed. Her face was nervous, yet there was no trace of fear.

Natalie gave a light snort before she patted Arisa's head, "...Better, but we all are still on the clock. Run along now, I'll see you later."

Arisa bowed again and quickly pushed her trolley past Rias and John, who nodded at the maid with a fatherly smile.

Noticing the look on Rias' face, the man exhaled softly, "Don't mind her. She's one of the young bloods among our ranks."

The trio resumed their track, and Rias could confirm that she was inside some kind of hotel building. What is she, and an armed company doing in a hotel? Not to mention the way the maid acted in front of an armed person - they were clearly not strangers.

There was also another clue that Rias managed to learn. So far, John had been speaking to her in English, but that maid from earlier and the armed woman spoke in Turkic. Adding the islamic greeting they had - at the very least, Rias could deduce that she was probably somewhere in West or Central Asia.

Eventually, they arrived inside an elevator that was heading down. Rias learned that her room was quite up high, and the elevator did not seem to stop at the ground floor. While waiting inside the box, the leaders began a conversation.

"...I am curious about something. I heard that you Devils can turn into grotesque monsters. How does that work, exactly?"

Rias blinked at the sudden question, glancing at the man walking behind her. She would rather not talk with her captors, but considering her situation, she could use this talk as an opportunity to learn more about her current enemies and location.

Thus, she humored him, "Perhaps you are referring to Stray Devils. To put things simply, it's the case where absolute power corrupts absolutely. Servants grow more powerful in time, yet either they don't bother to learn or are never taught about how to control that surge of power, which removes both their physical and mental inhibitions. Some decide to run away, or in some cases, kill their masters - and they start a killing spree on innocent lives. Depending on their crimes, their sentences are either imprisonment or kill on sight."

"Doesn't that apply to natural-born devils?" John asked.

"That is under sporadic cases," Rias admitted.

"Such as?"

"There was one recorded case. A noble Devil from a long time ago turned into a mutant monster due to absorbing too much power from another source during the Devil Civil War."

"Wait, what's this about a civil war? Like, civil war among devils?" the female soldier in front asked skeptically.

Rias sighed.

"...It is a historical event in my society. The Old Satan Faction - Devils that still follow Lucifer, Asmodeus, Leviathan, and Beelzebub; fought against the Reformist Faction. My brother led the civil war to break our people free from the influence of the Four Satans. We won in the end but at great cost."

"Interesting. So why is it that Chimeras these Stray devils seem to still flock to our world despite that?"

Rias gasped at the sudden resort to violence.

"Strike one." John aimed the gun closer to the fishman's head. "Do you want to have strike two to three?"

"P-Please, Lord Bael! Save me!" Forneus begged.

In return, Mordax's expression did not shift.

[I must say, I am disappointed. Is this how professionals are supposed to conduct themselves?]

"This is how we handle those with a history of deceit. But if this one doesn't faze you" John slowly aimed his gun towards Rias'. "...I heard that her brother would go to war on anyone that harms her I wonder what would happen if we sent her corpse to him with your name carved into her.

Rias held her breath. On the other hand, Mordax's eyes narrowed.

[I advise you to consider your next action very carefully. I may have bad blood with her family, but her brother, as emotional as he tends to be sometimes, is far from foolish. I will probably suffer some damage, but eventually you people will be the ones to perish under the might of the 72 Pillars in the end. Kill her, and you will plunge yourselves into a war you have no hope of winning.]

"I will count to three. If I don't hear what I want, we will all go to hell together. One" John tightened his finger on the trigger.

"Two"

Rias kept her breath in as she looked at Bael.

John looked away from Bael and moved closer to Rias, whose heart pounded in her chest at the sight of death in that barrel which was pressed against her temple.

Mordax simply tilted his head up, his eyes taunting the man to pull the trigger. Rias bit her lip as she closed her eyes, surrendering herself to fate.

Only to feel the cold steel of the gun barrel leave her temple. Rias opened her eyes and saw John putting the gun safety back on.

"...Well, I'll be damned." John gave a lop-sided smirk towards Mordax, "You seem to have grown some balls. What did you kill to get that kind of testosterone?"

Rias gasped for breath she had been holding in, relief was palpable on her sweaty face as her body slumped back against her seat.

"How about this? If death and war don't scare you Say, little missy. You think you can buy us out?" John asked Rias.

"W What are you talking about?" Rias returned with whatever composure she managed to salvage.

"In case you don't know, we are mercenaries. Our employer offered us many valuable artifacts and magical items as payment for our services So, tell me. Can you outbid him?"

Schooling her beating heart, Rias narrowed at John.

"...While my family possesses a considerable fortune, do excuse me that I am reluctant to strike a deal with my captors. I don't know who you are, nor your goals, and any intention to play along with your games. If you are willing to return me back to my family, then we can talk business After putting you people through trials for your transgression."

"My, and I thought you were raised to be the smart one Well, no matter." John then shot Forneu's shoulder.

"AGH?!" Forneus cried out. "S-Stop! Please"

"Might as well take out my frustrations on the other one. Who knows if he'll last. It seems our negotiations have been put on hold, Mordax. We can't get the other girl yet, and we've lost our element of surprise. There's no way they'll let us break into her house like the others, so you either have to make do, or suffer the consequences for playing games with us. Your choice, Mordax."

Mordax was not amused.

[It seems I have overestimated you lot; one misstep and you lose your mettle. But I suppose I can be lenient; half payment after you hand Rias Gremory over to me, and the other half after you capture the Sitri.]

"Hmmmmm a hard bargain." John twirled his gun around the trigger. "But I'm afraid we have to double the price on the Sitri. We need to prepare and resupply for this one. We'll send the dead drop location for the first half. We expect advance payment up front."

Mordax paused as he watched the commander play with his gun.

[...If you need time to prepare for your next assignment, then I need time to prepare your payment. What is entailed in our agreement is not cheap whatsoever.]

"Buying for time, eh? Fine." John scoffed. "We'll keep in touch to talk about the time and place for the exchange."

[Then our business today is concluded.]

The transmission was cut.

John sighed and muttered under his breath, "Overprivileged fucker" His expression softened a little as he turned to Rias, "Now, I hope this explains enough of your queries."

"What do you benefit in the long run? Something tells me that fortunes are not your only goal here." Rias asked while glaring at John.

John looked like he was pondering for a moment before replying, "...Loosely put? Justice. Ponder on what that means for your kind." He replied before the guards went to escort Rias and Forneus back to their respective quarters.

When she returned slowly to consciousness, the first thing Roygun Belphegor registered was the brief discomfort coursing through her frame before a sudden sense of comfort enveloping her, followed by an unfamiliar ceiling above her.

She slowly sat up on her bed, massaging the phantom pain of her headache - trying to remember what happened after she escaped Mordax's mansion.

"Ah, good morning, good morning! How are you doing?!" A chippy unfamiliar voice greeted her ears.

Roygun slightly jumped before she turned towards the opened door - where a young woman stood. She appeared to be around twenty years old, with large bosoms which Roygun could see through her dress. Her face had a soft expression, with droopy eyes and her crimson hair was tied backwards in a ponytail.

It took a second for Roygun to recognize the features, "...Chysis Gremory?"

"Indeed." Chysis nodded before she stepped in while carrying a tray of tea set. "I am honored that the second ranker of Rating Game recognizes this old lady. Well your new status not-withstanding."

Roygun blinked, "Um, new status? What do you mean? Can you tell me how long I have been asleep? What happened?"

Chysis tapped on her chin, "Ummmmm One moment." The Gremory closed the door on her sudden exit.

Roygun was left alone in the room, pondering over what could have possibly happened when she was unconscious. Is Mordax still chasing after her? What of the rest of her clan? Did they make it to their safe house?

Roygun then was snapped out of her musing when the door was slammed open, revealing another redhead - a young looking woman with transcendental, unequaled beauty including a huge bosom and appears to be around teenagers, her height being shorter than Chysis. Her eyes were pink and upturned, giving a strong-willed vibe compared to Chysis' gentler ones. Her crimson hair was styled into a two-sided updo and a small crown-like accessory on top of her head. For some reason, she was wearing what Roygun believed to be a female school uniform from the mortal realm.

"Aha! So you are awake! Excellent!" the newcomer remarked with an exuberant tone.

Roygun blinked twice this time, her mind was unable to recognize the new redhead, aside from the assumption that she was another member of the Gremory clan, "Um. Who might you be?"

"Umu! I'm glad that you asked!" The newcomer gave a proud smile while folding her arms under her breasts, "I am Runeas Gremory, the founder of the Noble House of Gremory! Pleasure to meet you, Roygun of The House of Belphegor!"

To be Continued..

Omake: Girl's Kitchen

"Welcome to my manor. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Hyoudou."

"Call me Haruka, Sona. I think we've known each other a tad too long to be so formal."

"If you say so Auntie Haruka."

Haruka smiled as she was sitting together with Sona within the living room of the latter's house, and a maid came to serve them tea before leaving them alone.

They enjoyed the company, the drinks and the small talk for some time until Haruka spoke, "While I am more than happy that you invited me here, Sona Something tells me that this is more than just a social invitation."

"You are correct, ma'am." Sona nodded as she schooled her features and straightened up, "I. want to ask you a favor."

Haruka took another sip of her tea, gently beckoning Sona to elaborate further.

"The truth is, I've been picking up cooking as a small hobby, as well as for me to reward my servants and friends for their hard work. So far, I've had my sister and Saji to taste my cooking, but Despite their positive opinions, I'm not convinced yet."

"Because they might be biased, being your sister and your Pawn." Haruka nodded in understanding, before she gave a sly smile, "So you want me, who can give a more objective opinion, to taste-test your poison?"

"Please don't call it poison, and If that's too much trouble, I will not force you." Sona quickly rebuked.

"Calm down, sweetie. I'm just kidding with you." Haruka giggled, "...I'd be happy to help."

Sona smiled in relief, "Then I hope you are not full at the moment, because I've already prepared a cake beforehand. Would you like to have some?"

Haruka nodded and soon enough, a small plate with a slice of dark-chocolate cake was served before her. She then took the plate to have a better look as she analyzed every nook and cranny.

"Looks presentable" Haruka muttered under her breath before she leaned closer to take a quick whiff. She blinked when her nose caught something faint that should not belong to a cake.

Furrowing her eyebrows slightly, Haruka decided to take a small piece into her mouth. A few seconds later, her face went stiff for a brief second before she turned to Sona with a strained smile.

"Sona, dear? Why don't you have a bite yourself? Humor this old lady."

Sona raised her eyebrows at the request, but did so nonetheless. Taking a small piece of her cake, Sona ate and chewed for a couple of seconds before she lurched into a coughing fit.

"W-what was that?" Sona asked as she spat and cleaned her mouth with a napkin.

"Your cooking, apparently. Did you taste this. Cooking yourself before serving this to anyone?"

To her credit, Sona looked a bit embarrassed, "Um, no. I thought it'd be rude if I were to have a taste first before anyone else."

"Dear, all chefs taste test their food before serving others for a reason. It's even ruder to serve garbage to your guests." Haruka retorted, causing Sona to blush in shame.

"But at the same time, you still managed to make this look presentable, so I don't think you messed up that badly. Why don't we take this to the kitchen and retrace your steps? We can figure the rest out from there." Haruka proposed.

Seeing a woman with more experience in the kitchen, offering help to improve her culinary skills - Sona's face brightened up and she bowed to the older woman, "Yes, I'll be in your care, auntie Haruka."

OxO

When Rias and Akeno dropped by the Sitri manor to check on their friend, the servants in the house pointed them towards the kitchen, where they took a peek and saw something. Bizarre.

The kitchen was a mess; grease and sauce were plastered and spilled over the walls and the floor. Various ingredients - or what was left of them, were all over the tables and floor as well. Dirty pans and pots were placed on the stoves. Where some of them had something still on fire.

"You're getting your knickers in a twist! Calm down!"

Following the voice, Rias and Akeno's eyes trailed towards the source. In the middle of everything stood Haruka and Sona; both of them were wearing aprons covered in dirt and stains, with the latter sweating while working on her next dish, while the former was seemingly on the verge of meltdown.

Then, Sona seemed to have fumbled over something, she hissed in frustration while Haruka groaned, "What the fuck are you doing now!? Now there's too much salt and pepper; I can hear the dish singing 'Push It'!"

"S-Sorry!" Sona quickly moved on and grabbed the next ingredients.

"Get your shit together! No, no, no!" Haruka intervened and took what appeared to be an oil bottle away from Sona's hands, "The fuck do you plan by adding a garlic oil!? There's already enough garlic in that thing to kill every single vampire in fucking Europe! And this dish has already enough oil that the U.S. wants to invade the fucking plate!"

The ladies never saw Sona this whipped before, especially from Haruka's verbal tirade.

The way Sona scrambled to follow her instructions did not match the image of a cool-headed president; who was having problems working on the veggies and fishes with the knife.

"You know what, instead of fucking around - you might as well put that knife on my throat and finish the job!" Haruka scolded as she went into another tirade, much to Sona's chagrin.

"Akeno, do you think we should-" Rias trailed off when she saw her Queen was recording the whole scene with her smartphone, "...Really?"

"When else can we have something this good to hold over Sona's head again?" Akeno merely retorted, sending Rias a knowing look, "Come on, Rias. You want this, I know."

Rias held Akeno's stare for a few seconds, before she glanced at the unfolding scenery in the kitchen, where Sona was working on the frying pan when its contents caught fire, causing the heiress to jump and use her spatula to abate the blaze somewhat.

"Oh, for the love of-!" Haruka threw her arms up in exasperation, "That one's burnt! You're cooking on a burning pan, you fucking cunt!"

Rias then returned to her Queen, "...Hold your phone horizontally, so you can get a full view of this spectacle."

"Will do!" Akeno giggled, watching Sona become more panicked at the fire on her pan growing bigger.

"Leave it, just fucking leave it!" Haruka stepped in again, took the pan's handle and turning the stove off, "You nearly got a fire blowing up your face, you fucking donkey!"

Haruka then took two pieces of toast from a nearby table, and pressed them against Sona's temple, sandwiching the heiress' head in the process.

"Look at me! WHAT ARE YOU!?"

"A-an idiot sandwich, ma'am!" Sona stammered.

"Good! Now fuck off to that pantry and start over! We don't have all night here!"

As Haruka pushed Sona towards the direction where the pantry was located, the latter's cooking class was far from over.

Yeah, sorry about the rather short update. But the next chapter is where things start to get cookin' again, you can have a look on my P treon

Btw, for those who want to have a better visual of Rias' outfit in this chapter, you can have a look in my AO3 counterpart.