[Issei's POV]
After that, we made our way to the underground chamber where Gasper's father was said to be. We were able to hear his story there.
From what we gathered, Gasper's father used to be part of a neutral faction closely associated with the former leader of the Tepes family—the one who had fled. As a result, he had been kept in what was essentially house arrest in this underground room.
Though, calling it "house arrest" feels a bit misleading—it was a lavishly decorated room, definitely fit for nobility.
That's where we learned the secret of Gasper's birth.
Gasper's father consistently referred to him as "that thing." He told us that when Gasper was born, he came into the world as "some writhing thing of darkness." The shock of it killed his mother on the spot. As if that wasn't enough, everyone who had been present at the birth died within a few days—likely due to a curse Gasper had unconsciously released as a newborn.
He claimed that Gasper was neither vampire, human, nor even a half-blood—just something completely outside the realm of definition.
But to me, there's no question about who Gasper is.
He's a reincarnated devil, my junior—Gasper Vladi.
Apparently, Rias said something along the same lines, which honestly made me happy.
Gasper's father said he couldn't understand our reaction, but I wasn't about to outright condemn him for that.
I don't know exactly how he felt about Gasper's mother, a human woman—but he must have loved her, at least a little. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had a child with her. If she died—accidentally or not—because of their child, then I can understand the torment he must feel.
Of course, that doesn't excuse how he abandoned young Gasper to suffer alone, but... it's not something you can just categorize as black or white.
Still, our answer remains unchanged. If he can't love Gasper, then we—his comrades—will cherish him in his place. That's all there is to it.
Even though they weren't there, Ikkki and Kuroka wouldn't flinch at learning Gasper was some monstrous entity born from darkness. Honestly, I've fought Fenrir—who literally put a hole in my gut—and even I wouldn't want to pat him on the head right after that.
And if Gasper's curse is the issue, well, we've built up some resistance thanks to Ikki.
In our sparring matches, just being near him in close combat brings an overwhelming sense of fear and mental pressure. Even Draig's armor starts getting corroded by Ikki's miasma, so I constantly have to purge and rebuild it mid-battle.
It was a similar situation when I fought Cao Cao—his petrifying Medusa's Eyehad a comparable effect. My fighting style relies on overwhelming power, which drains stamina to begin with, so adding that pressure only worsens it.
Still, if I want to beat him someday, I've got to keep training.
I mean, as the Oppai Dragon, I can't keep losing! What kind of role model would that be for the kids in the Underworld?
After that, we returned to our assigned room—only to find Ikki lying on a luxurious sofa, resting his head on Kuroka's lap.
"Whaaaaat?! Ikki, you said you had something to investigate, so I figured you were sneaking into town or exploring some hidden part of the castle—but you're just enjoying a lap pillow!? We've been having this deep, serious talk about Gasper, and here you are basking on your girlfriend's thighs!?"
I couldn't help but yell, but Kuroka shot me a sharp glare.
"Can it, nya. Ikki's used up all his energy. He's recovering with senjutsu right now, so keep your voice down."
"Ah—sorry, my bad."
I bowed my head. Guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Still... for Ikki to be totally drained like this? That's not normal. What the hell happened?
Well—I do know one technique he has that burns through his power in a short burst.
And since his other option, self-destruction, is obviously off the table, that leaves only one explanation.
"Um, Kuroka-san... judging by his state, Ikki used Ittou Shura, didn't he? What happened? It wasn't an enemy attack, right?"
Ittou Shura—a technique that multiplies his power many times over for one minute by burning up all his energy.
Yet there's no sign of battle, no traces of a clash… honestly, if Ikki had gone all-out, the castle itself would probably be a crater. And if he'd released any battle aura, we definitely would've noticed.
"Hmm… it's a tricky issue. Azazel-tchi told me not to talk about it just yet, so I can't say anything, nya. Shirooto, help with his recovery."
"Y-Yes, Sister!"
Prompted by Kuroka, Shirone knelt down by Ikki and placed her hand on his forehead. A dual healing session from the Nekomata sisters… Tch. Not jealous at all. Nope. Not even a little.
"Oh my, ufufu~ Issei-kun, come here."
Hearing my name, I turned to find Akeno-san seated on another sofa, patting her lap invitingly.
"You need to stay well-rested in case a battle breaks out at any time, Issei-kun. Or… is my lap not soft enough for you?"
"Absolutely not! I would be honored to rest upon your heavenly pillow!"
With lightning speed, I slid onto the couch and gently laid my head in her lap. Oh man… it's soft, smells amazing, and I get a front-row seat to her ample breasts and smiling face. Lap pillows are the best.
"Ahh! I missed my chance again~!"
"Tch… As expected of the vice-president. Her speed in these moments might be unmatched among the peerage."
"If it helps Issei-kun recover his full power, I'll give him a lap pillow too—later! I mean, I'm an angel, so lap pillows won't make me fall, right!? I can't pass this up!"
Hmm… I can see where this is going. Looks like the Church Trio will be joining the lap pillow race later. It'll probably dissolve into chaos, but hey, maybe I'll get to enjoy each one. Here's hoping!
The next two days passed while we explored the castle town—under vampire surveillance, of course. Sometimes we did recon, sometimes we visited Valerie and kept her company.
At one point, I bumped into Lilith—Ophis's clone—outside a souvenir stall. She was staring intently at a red dragon accessory, so I bought it for her. Then she said she was hungry, so we went to a nearby café and ordered a bunch of food.
She's got the same innocence as Ophis, maybe even more naïve and childlike—makes sense, if she's just been "born."
Honestly, I don't care if I could beat her in a fight—I don't want to fight someone like that.
…Although after eating, she asked, "Do you have a banana?" So she likes bananas? The Ophis at home is obsessed with sweet things and recently bananas too, so maybe they share similar tastes because of their origin?
Asia once said, "Now that you mention it, when I signed my contract with Fafnir, Ophis-san was there the whole time, just quietly eating bananas."
So yeah—guess she really does love them.
I didn't have one on me, though, so I told her that. She responded with a blank, "…I see," but I'm pretty sure she was silently disappointed.
Then today, while Gasper stayed by Valerie's side as usual, Rias, Shirone, and I were chatting when that bastard Marius showed up.
He asked Gasper to hand over Valerie—said he'd set her free.
With a thin smile, he agreed.
Gasper was overjoyed… but I remembered something Draig once told me.
It felt just like the time that fallen angel Raynare tried to extract Asia's Sacred Gear.
When we returned to our room, Azazel-sensei was there, so I told him my concern. He gave Gasper a stern look and explained: if the Sacred Gear is forcibly removed, the host will die.
Gasper's joy turned into horror.
"T-Then, when Marius said he'd let her go…"
"Knowing that guy's personality? He definitely meant extracting the Holy Grail. Technically, that would set her free—from the Grail, anyway."
"What a textbook scumbag. If that's the case, we may need to help Valerie escape the country—even if it's risky. If he told us that much, it likely means they've already finished preparations for the extraction."
Yeah... the problem is how we get her out.
Valerie is constantly under guard by that Crom Cruach guy. We'd have to distract him and open a direct transfer gate out of the country.
But this place is sealed tight with barriers—it's not going to be easy.
As we were racking our brains over it, a sudden magical barrier enveloped our room.
We instinctively tensed—only for a teleportation magic circle to appear on the ceiling. From it fell Elmenhilde, Rugal-san, and Bennia—though Elmenhilde landed squarely on her butt.
She brought urgent news: the Tepes faction had entered the final stage of their plan involving the Holy Grail. Marius intends to extract it from Valerie and evolve the vampires of this town into beings without weaknesses.
Frankly, I don't care how vampires evolve. But if they're going to force Valerie to use the Grail—or use that newfound power to pick fights across the board—we can't just stand by.
And then... a massive magical circle lit up, covering the entire castle.