Chapter 53:
– Gasper –
Gasper walked quietly through the moonlit streets of Kuoh Town, his heart thudding nervously inside his chest. He, Rias, and Akeno made their way toward the old, rundown church at the edge of town.
Thinking back, he realized they really should have checked here first for any signs of Freed. It seemed so obvious now, especially since they'd already wasted around an entire hour with no results.
He swallowed, anxiously sneaking a glance at the two beautiful girls walking calmly on either side of him. Despite the seriousness of their "mission," he found his thoughts drifting back to their earlier conversation, the unbelievable talk about marriage and proposals. Gasper's heart jumped at the mere thought.
Could it really be true? Was he really going to marry Rias-senpai?
His eyes subtly drifted to the red-haired devil walking beside him. Under the gentle glow of the streetlights, her crimson hair looked soft and glossy, cascading elegantly down her shoulders and back. His gaze involuntarily lingered lower, his breath hitching slightly as he took in the perfect swell of her large breasts beneath her snug Kuoh Academy uniform. His cheeks flushed warmer, eyes slowly traveling down those impossibly long legs.
Realizing where his thoughts were heading, Gasper hastily looked away, only for his eyes to immediately catch on Akeno instead. The Japanese beauty met his gaze, her pretty violet eyes glittering knowingly, a sly smirk forming on her full lips. He gulped nervously. Akeno was just as captivating as Rias, her curves equally mesmerizing in the tight school uniform, every movement graceful and effortlessly sensual.
She caught him staring and winked teasingly, making his heart race even faster.
Rias noticed as well, letting out a soft, amused giggle. "It's alright, Gasper," Rias purred playfully, leaning slightly closer. "We don't mind you staring a little."
Akeno nodded. "Ara ara, Gasper-kun~ You're so adorable when you're flustered."
Gasper blushed furiously, nearly stumbling on his feet as embarrassment flooded through him. "I-I wasn't–! I mean, s-sorry…!"
Both girls laughed warmly, clearly entertained by his reaction. Yet despite their teasing, their presence made him feel strangely happy and safe.
After a few moments of comfortable silence, Rias sighed softly, her blue eyes turning gentle and regretful as she gazed warmly at Gasper. "You know," she murmured softly, her voice genuinely remorseful, "I've been thinking… Valerie was right. I've really been a terrible king to you, Gasper. Keeping you locked away like that…" She hesitated, pain flickering briefly in her gaze. "I'm truly sorry."
Gasper stopped immediately, shaking his head rapidly. "N-No, Rias-senpai! Please don't say that! You—you were only trying to keep everyone safe! I never blamed you, not even for a moment."
"Ara ara," Akeno said. "Still, your big sister Valerie certainly had every right to be angry with us. She was honestly pretty scary earlier."
Gasper blinked, immediately defensive on Valerie's behalf. "No, Valerie isn't scary at all!" he said insistently. "She—she's nice, and smart, and really beautiful too…"
He trailed off shyly, his cheeks heating up even more as he realized just how passionately he'd defended Valerie.
Both girls looked at him, momentarily surprised, before Rias's lips slowly curled into a sly, mischievous smirk. "Oh? She's beautiful, is she?" Rias asked playfully, taking a small, teasing step closer. Gasper stiffened, heart pounding wildly as her gaze bore into him. She slowly ran her hands over the front of her tight-fitting uniform, drawing his attention back to her ample curves. "Tell me, Gasper-kun," she purred softly, "is Valerie more beautiful than me?"
Gasper's eyes went comically wide, his face burning crimson as he began waving his hands frantically. "W-Wait, no—I didn't mean it like that! You're really beautiful too, Rias-senpai! I mean, I—I have pictures of you on my PC and everything—!"
He froze, instantly horrified at what he'd just blurted out.
Rias's smirk only widened. "Oh, I know, you naughty little dhampir," she teased. "I'm well aware you have naked pictures of me on your computer."
Gasper nearly choked on thin air, sputtering helplessly, his embarrassment growing unbearable.
Akeno laughed softly. "Ara Ara~ Such a naughty little dhampir. Tell me, Gasper-kun? Do you have pictures of me too?" she asked.
Gasper's heart nearly stopped, face feeling like it was on fire. "I—I might," he mumbled shyly, staring intently at his shoes. It wasn't his fault they walked around the old school building naked all the time!
"Ara ara~" Akeno giggled delightedly, leaning even closer. Before Gasper could react, she suddenly tilted his chin gently upward with her fingertips, placing a quick, feather-light kiss directly on his lips.
The soft touch of her lips sent electricity through his whole body. His mind blanked completely, heart hammering as warmth spread through every nerve. Had he not gained recent control of his Sacred Gear, he was certain time itself would have frozen completely in that instant.
Akeno drew away slowly, smiling softly at his dazed expression. "How cute~," she whispered teasingly.
Rias immediately pouted, blue eyes narrowing jealously at her best friend. "Hey, no fair, Akeno!" she protested adorably, stepping closer and cupping Gasper's flushed cheeks in her hands. "I wanted Gasper's first kiss!"
Before Gasper could recover from the first kiss, Rias leaned in, her full, soft lips gently pressing against his own. His heart fluttered uncontrollably as she kissed him sweetly and slowly, sending a delicious shiver running through his trembling body.
When she finally pulled away, Rias licked her lips softly, eyes half-lidded and curious. "Mmm… How was that, Gasper?"
"Awawawah…" Gasper stammered weakly, eyes unfocused, his mind still lost in the softness of her lips. He blinked rapidly, forcing himself back to reality. "I-It was really nice," he admitted shyly.
Both girls giggled softly, clearly enjoying his embarrassment. Gasper quickly shook his head, desperately trying to regain his composure.
"B-But we still have a mission to do!" he insisted weakly, attempting to sound firm despite his shaky voice.
Rias and Akeno exchanged amused, affectionate glances. "Of course," Rias agreed, smiling warmly. "Lead the way, Gasper."
As they resumed walking up the winding hill toward the old church, Gasper moved a bit ahead, still blushing fiercely. His thoughts swirled wildly, trying desperately—and failing—to push the kisses from his mind.
Behind him, he heard Akeno whisper softly to Rias, voice teasingly amused. "Ara ara, our Gasper-kun is becoming so dependable, isn't he?"
Rias chuckled softly. "He certainly is."
Gasper's heart leapt nervously, but he couldn't hide a shy, secret smile forming on his lips. Despite everything, tonight had already become one of the best nights of his life.
—
"I've got this!" Rias declared boldly, stepping forward. She dramatically raised her leg and kicked the worn, wooden front door right off its hinges with a loud crash.
Gasper's mouth fell open slightly as he watched Rias's skirt flutter upward from the force of the kick, flashing him a brief but clear glimpse of her soft, lacy green panties.
His cheeks flared red immediately. "Oh my…" he whispered softly to himself, trying and utterly failing to tear his eyes away from the unexpectedly sexy sight.
Akeno, noticing the entire exchange, laughed softly behind one hand. "Ara ara~ Buchou, quite the bold entry," she teased gently. "Though I'm not sure you needed to give Gasper-kun quite such a lovely show in the process."
Rias's cheeks immediately flushed a deep pink, her confident aura slipping for a brief instant. She hastily smoothed down her skirt, shooting Akeno a mock-glare. "Hush, Akeno!" she huffed. "It—it wasn't intentional, you know!"
Gasper chuckled shyly, offering Rias a soft, understanding smile. Despite her embarrassment, he felt certain she'd wanted to kick a door in like some cool anime protagonist for a long time. Honestly, Gasper kind of wanted to try that himself….
Before he could voice that thought, however, hushed voices echoed from within the church's darkened interior, suddenly snapping Gasper back to the reality of their mission.
His heightened dhampir senses picked up multiple faint whispers, harsh murmurs, and the unmistakable scent of fallen angels.
Lots of fallen angels.
"Wait," Gasper said suddenly, his shy voice turning tense. He sniffed the air again, eyes widening nervously. "There's…there's a lot more people here than just Freed Sellzen! Dozens, actually…and fallen angels too!"
Rias and Akeno exchanged wary glances, expressions sobering immediately. But after a tense moment, Rias squared her shoulders bravely, stepping closer and placing a comforting hand gently on Gasper's shoulder. "Don't worry," she said calmly, meeting his gaze warmly. "We'll handle it. After all, we've got our secret weapon, remember? Our adorable, unstoppable, time-stopping vampire hero."
She winked flirtatiously at him, making Gasper blush once again.
Akeno giggled softly. "Ara, exactly," she added teasingly, gently squeezing his arm. "Our brave Gasper-kun will protect us~."
Gasper smiled bashfully, feeling bolstered by their trust. Before he could respond, an annoyed and distinctly crude voice shouted from inside the church.
"Who the fuck kicked in our shitty-ass door!?"
Gasper turned toward the voice, his eyes widening in shock. Standing in the church doorway was a young man with wild white hair and crazed red eyes, his crazed grin flashing maliciously. Freed Sellzen. Behind him, dozens of rough-looking stray exorcists clustered menacingly, and hovering above were three fallen angels.
Freed's red eyes lit up in cruel delight when he spotted Rias, Akeno, and Gasper. He licked his lips hungrily, gaze openly lecherous. "Oh, fuck yeah! Is it my birthday or something?" Freed laughed maniacally, stepping forward eagerly. "I get to slaughter three sexy monster bitches all at once! Praise the Lord!"
Rias and Akeno both winced next to him. Gasper almost did as well but then he realized he wasn't a devil anymore. And then Gasper felt a spike of irritation, puffing out his cheeks indignantly.
"Hey! I'm a boy!" he shouted angrily, glaring defiantly at the crazed exorcist.
Freed froze in surprise, blinking in confusion. Behind him, the entire group of enemies did a double-take, their stunned gazes suddenly locked onto Gasper.
"What!?" shrieked a petite blonde fallen angel angrily, stomping her foot childishly. "How is that even possible? Why is some stupid boy cuter than me!?"
"It's because you try way too hard, Mittelt. Natural cuteness beats fake charm every time." The busty fallen angel beside her laughed openly.
Mittelt glared furiously at her companion, opening her mouth to protest further, but the third fallen angel, dressed in a long trench coat and fedora—for some edgy reason—suddenly snapped irritably at both women. "Enough!" he growled coldly. "The devils are literally at our doorstep, and you idiots are arguing? Just kill them already!"
With a sharp motion, he summoned a yellow lightspear into his hand, preparing to throw it directly at Rias and Akeno. Gasper's heart lurched sharply in panic as he saw the deadly weapon aimed at the girls. Even if he knew they'd probably be fine.
Without thinking, his red eyes flashed brightly. "No…!" Every exorcist, Freed, and even the three fallen angels stood motionless in mid-motion, completely trapped within his Sacred Gear's power. Carefully, he stepped forward, moving cautiously toward the now harmlessly frozen enemies.
Behind him, Rias and Akeno exchanged amazed glances before hurrying to join him, their eyes wide with surprise and admiration.
"Oh my," Akeno breathed softly, gently resting a hand on Gasper's shoulder. "Gasper-kun, you're truly incredible."
Rias nodded fervently, eyes sparkling with genuine pride. "That's right. You've gotten so strong. And… I was kind of expecting an epic battle just now, I didn't think it would be over so quickly."
"We should tie them all up before they unfreeze," Gasper pointed out. He walked over to Freed, the exorcist that threatened to kill his sister! Gasper glared at the man's smug expression frozen in time before he pulled his foot back and kicked Freed hard between his legs!
When time unfroze for him later—that was going to hurt a whole lot!
"Ara—I love tying people up against their wills~" Akeno winked at him.
– Valerie –
I let out a quiet, annoyed sigh as I sat sprawled on the plush leather couch in Rias Gremory's damned clubroom. Honestly, it felt way too soon to be back here, given how dramatically I'd stormed out of this place just hours earlier. At least the door to Gasper's old room was still smashed wide open.
Across the room, Grayfia stood leaning over the only large desk, her fingers glowing faintly with a soft, silvery-blue light. She hovered those glowing fingers carefully over the small green orb—the legendary Boosted Gear..
"I sincerely apologize once more, Lady Valerie," she murmured softly without turning, clearly sensing my lingering annoyance. "House Gremory's treatment of your brother was shameful and unacceptable. You have my personal word, we will make amends."
"Yeah, yeah, apology accepted. You're fine, Grayfia. You've done enough groveling today, honestly."
Her shoulders relaxed just slightly.
"So," I called casually across the room, tilting my head curiously, "what exactly are you doing to our loudmouth dragon friend over there, anyway?"
Grayfia glanced over her shoulder briefly. "I'm placing a sealing and concealment enchantment on Ddraig's energy signature," she explained calmly. "If we don't hide it properly, the second you try leaving Japan, you'll trigger alarms all over the supernatural world."
"Sounds annoying," I muttered dryly. "And of course it's somehow my problem now, too."
"Indeed." Her lips curled into a faint smirk. "Congratulations on your new Sacred Gear, Lady Valerie."
I rolled my eyes, blowing a frustrated strand of blonde hair from my face. "Don't congratulate me yet. I sure as hell don't want a loud dragon in my head forever. Seriously, that sounds exhausting."
"Oh, don't worry. Your head doesn't exactly seem like my ideal vacation spot either, Princess," came Ddraig's sarcastic growl from inside the orb, causing Grayfia's eyebrow to twitch in mild annoyance.
Ignoring the cranky dragon's commentary, I leaned back again, lost in thought. If not me, then who exactly should I saddle with this dragon-shaped headache?
My thoughts immediately wandered to Rose Potter—my beautiful, emerald-eyed witch girlfriend. Rose had been disappointed with herself ever since the attack back at the manor. It made me sad every time I saw her struggling with it. Something as powerful as a Longinus-class Sacred Gear could absolutely help her get stronger and quickly.
With a boost like this, Rose would never have to feel weak again. Ah, I didn't mean to make that pun.
But… Did Rose really want to have a sarcastic, war-loving dragon trapped in her head for the rest of what I hoped would be a very long life? All I could do was ask, I suppose.
Then again… "maybe I could just give the damn dragon to my father, Alucard?" I muttered to myself. The moment that thought entered my mind, I hesitated. Would giving a legendary dragon spirit to my chaotic, battle-crazed vampire father be brilliant—or utterly catastrophic?
"Please don't give it to Alucard…"
A soft voice suddenly whispered directly into my ear, tickling my sensitive skin and making my whole body jump in surprise right off the couch I was laying on!
I managed to completely lose my balance, flipping over the armrest and landing sprawled awkwardly on my back across the carpeted floor. "Ooof…"
"Hahahaha!" Ddraig laughed at me.
A pair of bright, beautiful blue eyes appeared above me, along with a delicately heart-shaped face framed by soft golden hair. A familiar, radiant smile curved the lips of a dangerously gorgeous woman as she gazed warmly down at me on the floor.
"Hello, Valerie~" Gabriel purred softly at me.
From across the room, Grayfia immediately snapped upright. "How did you possibly get in here, Archangel?" she hissed warily. "This room is warded against angels!"
Gabriel simply smiled serenely, straightening gracefully to her full height as her pure white wings fluttered gently behind her. She seemed utterly unconcerned by Grayfia's irritation. "Oh, Grayfia, Queen of Lucifer~" Gabriel replied sweetly. "You forget. As Heaven's messenger, there is nowhere I cannot go if my heart desires it."
Grayfia scowled! But before she could protest further, Gabriel smoothly returned her attention to me, her expression softening once again. Slowly, she extended a delicate hand toward me.
My heart skipped slightly, remembering the deeply awkwardness of our last meeting, when this infuriatingly beautiful angel had literally proposed marriage to me completely out of nowhere!
Honestly, I still wasn't quite over that one.
I eyed her outstretched hand suspiciously for a moment, internally debating. But looking up into those genuinely warm eyes my resolve softened. "Fine," I sighed dramatically, taking her hand and allowing her to pull me back onto my feet. Embarrassed, I brushed a loose strand of blonde hair from my flushed face.
"There you go~" Gabriel said warmly. Then, without any shame at all, she turned gracefully and hopped onto the very same couch I'd just fallen from, settling herself comfortably against the plush cushions. Patting the seat next to her, Gabriel gave me an inviting smile. "Come, Valerie. Sit with me."
I huffed slightly, crossing my arms as if I were annoyed. But honestly, I couldn't resist for very long, not with Gabriel smiling at me like that. Trying my best to appear unaffected, I sat down on the couch, purposefully leaving a careful few inches of empty space between us.
Gabriel, of course, was having none of that. With a shameless little grin, she slid herself closer, deliberately closing the gap until I felt her warm, soft body pressing lightly against mine. Her warmth seeped into my side, making my cheeks heat up again.
"You could at least pretend to respect my personal space, Gabriel," I muttered half-heartedly, though deep down, I was enjoying the closeness.
"Ah, but I've missed you, Valerie~"
Across the room, Grayfia finally seemed to lose patience. She marched over to us! "Archangel Gabriel," Grayfia spoke firmly, "perhaps you would care to explain why exactly you have chosen to intrude uninvited into devil territory tonight?"
Gabriel blinked up at her innocently, looking not even remotely concerned by Grayfia's stern expression. She calmly raised one delicate finger, pointing across the room toward the obvious, glowing green orb that still rested on the large desk. "I'm here because of that, actually," Gabriel replied. "Heaven's sensors immediately picked up when the sacred gear of the Red Dragon Emperor was extracted from its current host. Naturally, as Heaven's messenger, I was dispatched at once to investigate." Her eyes narrowed slightly, turning sharp and protective. "If the Boosted Gear had been removed nefariously, my orders were quite simple. Smite whoever was responsible, retrieve the gear, and return it safely to Heaven's sacred gear reincarnation system!"
I gulped at that…
"Heh heh! She's guilty, she did it!" Ddraig's annoyingly cheerful voice interrupted from the orb on the desk. "Go ahead, smite her, Blondie!"
I turned toward the glowing orb, letting out a low, threatening hiss. "Oh, shut up already, you annoying lizard! Keep talking like that, and I'll bury you at the bottom of the nearest garbage dump."
Ddraig just chuckled smugly, clearly unbothered by my empty threat.
Gabriel gently placed a comforting hand on my thigh. "I would never harm Valerie." She huffed at the orb.
"Sappy and Boring!"
"So instead of taking a grumpy dragon's word, why don't you tell me what really happened, Valerie?" Gabriel asked me.
I began my explanation. "Grayfia and I stumbled onto some idiot teenager. He was being creepy, trying to grope a fallen angel who clearly wasn't into it. Well, she ended up stabbing him. He was going to die painfully and slowly," I continued. "I didn't want him to suffer, so I figured I'd just quickly drain him and ease his passing. I had no idea he had the Boosted Gear hidden inside him. Hell, I didn't even know drinking someone's blood could let me take their sacred gear. I literally ended up choking on it…"
"You…choked on it?" Gabriel asked with a small laugh. "In all my many centuries, I've never heard of any vampire—or dhampir, for that matter—having something like that happen to them…"
I practically felt Grayfia's irritation spike as she straightened her back and glared at Gabriel. Clearly, she wanted the gorgeous archangel out of here, right now.
The tension thickened palpably, and before I knew it, Grayfia had slid herself down beside me on the couch, effectively sandwiching me snugly between herself and Gabriel.
"Archangel Gabriel," Grayfia began crisply, leaning a bit closer into my side. "You've confirmed the situation. Lady Valerie did nothing wrong. Everything here is fine. You may go now. In fact, I kindly request you leave immediately, and refrain from entering devil territory without invitation again."
Gabriel crossed her slender arms over her impressive chest as she stubbornly tilted her delicate chin up. "No," she huffed. "I don't want to leave yet. Besides, I still have to properly speak with Valerie about—" she hesitated, cheeks turning pink as she glanced at me, lowering her voice, "—about last time. I owe her an apology."
"That's exactly what I'm here to do on behalf of my king, Sylvana Lucifer. You are unnecessary, Gabriel," Grayfia responded coldly.
Gabriel bristled visibly as her wings puffed slightly in agitation. "Oh, I'm unnecessary now? Do you speak for Valerie now, Grayfia? Is your king the only one allowed to apologize and pursue her?"
Grayfia's eyes flashed dangerously. I sensed the storm brewing between the two beautiful, ridiculously stubborn women as they began glaring at each other over my lap.
Oh, hell no!
I wasn't about to sit here and endure another catfight. Once was already enough for the past month!
"Okay, enough!" I snapped loudly, startling both women out of their increasingly heated stare-down. Quickly, I wriggled my way out from between them, standing up and turning to face them both with hands planted firmly on my hips. Both Gabriel and Grayfia instantly went quiet, blinking up at me with matching expressions of surprise. I couldn't help pouting dramatically at them both, exasperated yet a little flattered—though I'd never admit it—that they were attracted enough to fight over me. "Look," I began firmly, shaking my head at them both, "I'm not about to sit here and watch two of the most powerful women in existence argue like children. You're both amazing, beautiful, powerful women—"
Gabriel's eyes widened hopefully at that, while Grayfia's cheeks turned faintly pink, though she maintained her composed expression.
"—but I'm serious," I continued clearly. "I don't want any potential women in my life fighting with each other over me. If you two can't at least try to get along, then…" I hesitated, sighing softly, giving each of them a pointed, meaningful look. "Then I honestly just can't pursue a relationship with either of you—or your king, Sylvana, for that matter. That's just how it is. Plain and simple."
For a tense moment, silence filled the clubroom.
Gabriel's expression immediately fell into genuine hurt. Her bright, playful smile vanished completely, replaced by wide eyes brimming with worry and sadness. Her beautiful lips parted softly as she whispered my name. "Valerie…"
My heart clenched guiltily at seeing her clearly heartbroken expression. But I stood my ground.
Grayfia was utterly silent, her silver eyes wide with something unreadable. Then she nodded slowly. "I see…" she murmured softly, almost to herself. "Perhaps I'll need to have a rather long conversation with my king tonight…" Her voice trailed off as she tapped a finger thoughtfully against her chin. "And maybe it's time to push those peace negotiations forward as well… yes, sooner rather than later…"
I raised an eyebrow, curious but deciding very firmly that whatever was currently happening in her head was definitely not my problem to deal with.
At least not tonight. Instead, I abruptly changed the topic. "Right," I cleared my throat firmly, catching Grayfia's attention again. "Enough of that. Grayfia, what exactly is happening right now with Gasper, Rias, and Akeno? Have you heard anything yet?" I quickly added, somewhat sheepishly, "I mean—I really only care about Gasper, but I suppose the others matter a bit, too."
Grayfia's expression softened slightly. "My familiar recently returned to me with a full report. Your little brother Gasper has proven himself remarkably capable, Valerie."
"Really? How so?" I grinned widely. Of course he did though, he was MY little brother!
"Gasper effortlessly defeated Freed Sellzen, and he wasn't alone. More fallen angels and rogue exorcists had secretly infiltrated Rias-sama's territory. Gasper single handedly stopped them all, completely neutralizing any threat. Your brother's mastery over his Sacred Gear seems to have made him exceptionally formidable…" she explained.
"You found your brother?" Gabriel perked up immediately. "I'm so glad for you, Valerie," she said, sounding sincerely pleased. "I know how worried you were about your little brother. How is Gasper doing, anyway?"
"I think he'll be fine soon enough." I admitted. "I managed to…well, free him from Rias Gremory's peerage."
Gabriel blinked in surprise. "Wait, really? You mean you actually undid his devil transformation completely?"
"Yep. Completely reversed it. I gave him Alucard's blood, and now he's returned fully to being a dhampir, like me," I told her.
Gabriel's eyes grew wide. Her lips curled upward into a mischievous smirk as she slowly turned her gaze toward Grayfia, clearly savoring the moment. "Oh my, Grayfia, did you hear that? That's huge news, isn't it?"
"Yes," Grayfia hissed through clenched teeth, "it is huge news. News that absolutely must stay quiet. Luckily, Gasper wasn't widely known due to his difficulty controlling his Sacred Gear, but the wider devil community in the Underworld absolutely cannot find out the truth. It could lead to chaos."
Gabriel playfully raised an eyebrow. "Oh dear, we certainly wouldn't want that. Imagine if all your adorable little devil slaves suddenly discovered there was a way out. Heaven forbid they seek freedom, hmm?"
Ugh, here we go again…
I loudly cleared my throat, interrupting their silent war of glares before it could escalate any further. "Ladies," I said firmly, my voice dripping with exasperation, "that's enough of that. Again. Please stop glaring daggers at each other, at least when I'm sitting between you."
Gabriel blinked innocently at me. "My apologies, Valerie. I was simply expressing my opinion."
Grayfia exhaled sharply, relaxing slightly beside me, though her eyes remained locked in a wary stare aimed at the beautiful archangel. "As was I. And my opinion remains unchanged—this must remain private, Valerie."
I nodded slowly, though privately I understood exactly where Gabriel was coming from. Honestly, the devil peerage system made me uncomfortable as hell. Binding someone to you permanently, even with their consent…it just felt off to me. My own history with vampires, the way Tepes had abused me, and even the darker parts of my own dhampir nature all colored my view.
…Not that I had much room to judge, considering what I was myself. Drinking blood, consuming souls… I wasn't exactly the gold standard of morality.
And I certainly wasn't about to forget my father—Dracula himself. Compared to most devils, he was infinitely more terrifying. At least from what I'd heard.
There was a sudden knock at the clubroom door. I turned my head just as the door swung open, revealing Gasper standing awkwardly in the doorway, flanked closely on either side by Rias and Akeno.
My eyebrow immediately twitched when I saw how close Rias was standing to my brother. The crimson-haired beauty had practically draped herself all over Gasper, one of her voluptuous breasts pressing against his arm, her soft curves clearly meant to distract the hell out of him.
"Oh, hey sis, we're back!" Gasper cheered innocently, clearly oblivious to Rias's obvious manipulation. Or maybe not, because his cheeks were adorably flushed.
Hmmmm…
I'd have to ask him what happened later. My "big sister senses" were tingling! Those two seductresses in school uniforms had definitely done something to Gasper!
Rias gave me a sheepish smile when she caught my glare, instantly recognizing my silent warning. She flinched slightly and then slowly—very slowly—slid just a few inches away from Gasper, still close enough to practically breathe into his ear though.
I sighed quietly, deciding to let it slide for now. At least she was pretending to respect my boundaries, even if only barely.
Behind them, Akeno strode in casually, as she effortlessly carried the limp, frozen body of Freed Sellzen. The same psychotic exorcist who'd threatened to chop off my head earlier that day.
He was tightly bound and clearly immobilized by something, his eyes wide and frozen in a permanent look of shock.
Akeno glanced at me with a playful smirk before carelessly dumping the creep's frozen body onto the floor.
"Oof," I muttered, raising an eyebrow as Freed's frozen expression stared up blankly at the ceiling. He genuinely looked like some kind of messed-up statue. "Gasper, did you…?"
"Yeah!" Gasper beamed proudly, puffing up his chest just a little. "I can control my Sacred Gear now, Valerie! I froze him in time myself! And all the other bad guys!"
I smiled genuinely, offering him a thumbs-up. "Good job, Gasper. I knew you could do it!"
His cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red, shy pride clearly radiating from his smile. My little brother was too adorable!
"Wait…hold on a second," Rias's surprised voice suddenly cut in. She froze beside Gasper, finally realizing that Grayfia and I weren't alone in her clubroom. "Is that…what the fuck is she doing here!?"
She was pointing at Gabriel of course.
Grayfia closed her eyes briefly, exhaling in irritation before giving Rias a very pointed look. "Lady Rias," she said coolly, "I truly must insist that you learn proper decorum when dealing with foreign…guests."
I couldn't help but snort, covering up a laugh at Grayfia's blatant hypocrisy. Her reaction to Gabriel popping up earlier had honestly been no better than Rias's.
Gabriel, meanwhile, was completely unfazed by Rias's reaction. Instead, the beautiful archangel smiled playfully, waving cheerfully toward Rias, Akeno, and Gasper. "Hello everyone! It's so nice to meet you officially, Gasper." Gabriel chirped sweetly.
Rias bristled, clearly wanting to say something else, but then Gabriel's gaze settled sadly upon Freed's frozen form. She sighed heavily.
"Another hidden shame of the church," Gabriel murmured softly.
I tilted my head curiously.
She gave me a soft, melancholic smile before looking down at Freed again. "Freed and his 'brothers' are actually clones, copies of an ancient, powerful warrior who I won't mention more," she explained quietly. "Long ago, the church tried creating disposable shock troops in secret, without Heaven's knowledge or consent. When we angels finally discovered it, of course, we shut the entire project down immediately." She paused for a second before continuing. "But some of the subjects…managed to escape. Many weren't right in the head."
Just as Gabriel finished speaking, Freed's eyes abruptly snapped open! He glanced rapidly around the room, looking like a feral animal just set loose.
"Fuck!" he shouted hoarsely, panic and fury mixing in his voice. "What the shit just happened!? Where am I? I'll kill every single one of you devil-worshipping fucks!" Freed continued screaming, spitting obscenities and gruesome threats so graphic even I cringed slightly. "I'll rip your heads off and skull-fuck your worthless corpses, you goddamn monster sluts!"
I scowled darkly. Well, wasn't he just a ray of fucking sunshine?
But suddenly, Freed's entire body stiffened, his face twisting into an almost comically shocked expression of agony.
"OW! OW, FUCK!" he shrieked, doubling over awkwardly as tears of pain filled his manic eyes. His voice came out as a strained whimper, almost pitifully high-pitched. "My fucking balls! Holy fucking shit! Why do my balls hurt so fucking bad!?"
I blinked. "What… just happened to him?"
And then Gasper stepped forward proudly. "Take that, you big meanie!" Gasper declared triumphantly!
…And then, a couple seconds later, the closet door–where we stuffed the body earlier–immediately swung open! The perverted teenager that I may or may not have accidentally turned into a vampire came stumbling out with pale skin and red eyes. Red eyes that widened dramatically as he took in the sight of everyone in the room. "Holy Oppai Paradise! Is this Heaven!? So many sexy and busty babes in one room! This is amazing!"
Rias, Akeno, Gasper, and Gabriel all stared at the perverted teenage vampire with looks of confusion and disgust as his eyes continued lecherously going up and down everyone's bodies. Except for when his eyes got to Gasper and then he declared that "small ones were great too!"
Watching my adorable little brother freeze in shock was pretty funny, I'm not gonna lie. But I wasn't letting him hang around another pervert vampire who could potentially rub off on him.
"Ewww… Who is this guy?" Rias asked me and Grayfia. "Why was he in my closet where I keep my figurines?"
Grayfia just facepalmed, choosing not to answer right away.
I gave Rias a playful smirk, one that made her flinch by the look in my eyes. "He is officially your problem now!" I said smugly, grabbing Gasper's hand and leading him right back out the door. Rias could officially deal with Freed and… whatever the other guy's name was. He never woke up until now because he was transitioning.
"Wait!? Val—Valerie, who is this creep!? Valerie!?"
I could hear Rias calling out to us from behind but I just quickened mine and Gasper's pace as we left the building, heading back to our hotel for the rest of the night. He and I had some important talking to do anyway! Gasper needed to learn to not give into the temptations of sexy bitches so easily—not like his big sister at least!
XXX
Thanks for reading!!! You can check out more of my stories on my profile.
Wanna read more of my stuff ahead of regular release? You can Support me on Pat-reon.-com / Starwaves
Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters on there:
The Fallen Gamer ch 338-342
Thunder and black wings 31
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 24
The Blood Queen 55
The Fox Hole 102
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 23
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 22
The Fox Hole 101
Thunder and Black Wings 30
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 21
The Blood Queen 54
The Fox Hole 100!! O_O
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 20
Thunder and Black Wings 29
The Fox Hole 99
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 19