Chapter 40: The Silver Wing Sanctuary and the Maid's Absolute Defense
The office of the Lucifer was, under normal circumstances, a place of quiet dignity and world-shaping decisions. Today, it smelled of burnt ozone and desperate frustration. Sirzechs Lucifer, the Crimson Satan himself, sat behind a desk piled high with reports regarding the "Collateral Gremory Branch"—a polite bureaucratic term for the headache currently known as Lucian Gremory.
A massive, flickering hologram erupted in the center of the room. Rias Gremory appeared, looking like she had just crawled through a coal mine. Her hair was frizzy from Akeno's stray lightning, her uniform was dusty, and her eyes were glowing with a light that suggested she was ten seconds away from glassing a continent.
"Brother!" she barked. "I am invoking the Heavenly Retrieval Protocol. I need full access to the Underworld's satellite tracking and the mobilization of the silver-tier gargoyle units. Now!"
Sirzechs leaned back, lacing his fingers over his stomach. He didn't look worried; in fact, if one looked closely, his lips were twitching upward. Lucian, you magnificent brat, he thought. You actually have Rias and Akeno collaborating on a search-and-destroy mission. I haven't seen them this synchronized since the Rating Games.
"My dear sister," Sirzechs said, his voice a smooth, calm baritone. "The Retrieval Protocol is for lost artifacts or dangerous fugitives. Lucian is just... taking a very long walk with his friends."
"He snitched on us to Asia and Inari!" Rias screamed. "He's been running for five days! He used a fox spirit to drain his own mana just to escape! He's out of control!"
Sirzechs glanced toward the corner of the room, where a shadow stood perfectly still. Grayfia Lucifuge, the Strongest Queen, was watching the hologram with a face made of marble. But at the mention of Lucian's name, her fingers twitched against her apron.
"Grayfia," Sirzechs said, his tone shifting to something more authoritative yet laced with hidden intent. "My sister is clearly... distressed. It seems our young Lucian and his companions are heading toward the Gremory grounds. Please go and 'soft cage' them. Do not let them escape the manor. Ensure they are isolated and... dealt with."
He gave Grayfia a very specific look—a long, slow blink. In the language of the Lucifer household, "soft cage" when applied to Lucian meant "Protect him until the storm passes and make sure he gets a nap."
Grayfia bowed, her silver hair shimmering. "By your will, Sirzechs-sama. I shall ensure they are... contained."
Act 2: The Strategist's Cold Play
Back at Kuoh Academy, in the Student Council room, Sona Sitri was the picture of calm. She was sitting at her desk, playing a game of chess against an invisible opponent. Across from her, the "Crucifixion Squad" was losing their minds.
Rias and Akeno were pacing like caged tigers. Asia Argento was sitting in a chair, meticulously polishing a three-foot-long silver cross with a microfiber cloth, her expression one of "merciful" slaughter. Beside her, Irina Shidou was running a whetstone over the edge of her sword, humming a hymn about purging the wicked.
"Sona, talk to me," Rias pleaded. "You're the best strategist in the territory. Where did he go? The trace ended near your border."
Sona didn't look up from the board. She picked up a white knight and moved it forward. "The energy signatures were chaotic, Rias. It's highly likely they fled into the Sitri mountain range to hide in the old limestone caves. The minerals there interfere with long-range demonic scanning."
"The mountains," Asia whispered, her eyes widening with a terrifying, saint-like light. "Issei-san must be so cold. He needs the warmth of the Lord's grace... and a thirty-minute soak in holy water. We must hurry!"
"Let's go!" Irina shouted, sheath-snapping her sword. "Purge the perversion!"
As the girls charged out of the room, the door slamming behind them, Sona finally looked up. She picked up her black queen and used it to topple the white pawn Lucian had occupied in her mind.
"Good luck, Lucian," Sona whispered to the empty room, a small, rare smirk gracing her lips. "But I suspect you're heading for the only person in the Underworld who can tell Rias 'no' and make it stick."
Act 3: The Wall of Frost and Lace
The back entrance of the Gremory Manor was a hidden gate nestled between two weeping willow trees. Lucian, Issei, and Kiba stumbled toward it, looking like survivors of a plane crash.
Issei was limping, his "Red Dragon Emperor" pride currently somewhere in the dirt. Kiba was pale, his Knightly dignity replaced by the raw instinct to hide. Lucian was the worst off—his mana was flickering, his hair was matted, and his lips were still slightly swollen from Tamamo's "contractual obligations."
"We... we made it..." Issei wheezed. "The manor. We're safe. We're—"
The air didn't just get cold. It stopped.
The humidity in the air crystallized into tiny diamonds of frost that hung suspended in the moonlight. Standing ten feet in front of the gate was a figure that commanded more fear in the Underworld than the Great Red himself.
Grayfia Lucifuge.
Issei and Kiba hit the ground instantly. It wasn't a choice; their bodies simply refused to stand in the presence of that much condensed, frigid power. Kiba's hand went to his sword, but the metal was so cold it burned his skin.
"It's over," Issei whimpered into the grass. "The Silver Queen. We're dead. She's going to turn us into ice sculptures for Rias's garden."
Grayfia didn't look at them. Her cold, professional mask, which had stood for centuries, shattered the moment her eyes landed on Lucian.
"Lucian!"
She didn't walk; she blurred across the distance. Before Lucian could even say a word, Grayfia's silk-gloved hands were cupping his face. She tilted his head side to side, her eyes scanning him with the frantic intensity of a mother bird.
"You are shivering," she whispered, her voice no longer a sharp blade but a soft, worrying velvet. "And your lips... they are swollen. There is a spiritual residue here... Fox fire? Did that Fallen Angel do this to you? Or was it the Kitsune?"
"Auntie, it's—"
"Quiet," she hushed him, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw. "You look like you haven't slept in an age. You are pale. Your mana core is strained." She suddenly turned her head, her eyes flashing with a light that could have frozen the sun. She glared at Issei and Kiba. "Has this Red Dragon been keeping you up with his foolishness? Has he been dragging you into his tawdry little 'pilgrimages'?"
"I... I... uh..." Issei stammered, his face turning blue from the sheer pressure she was emitting.
"I will freeze the wings off every crow in the Grigori for causing you this much stress," Grayfia declared, turning back to Lucian, her voice softening instantly. "Come. You are going to the Silver Wing. Now."
Act 4: The Silver Wing (The "Soft Cage")
The Silver Wing was Grayfia's personal domain within the Gremory Manor. It was a place of white marble, soft blue silks, and a silence so profound it felt like being wrapped in a cloud. Not even Sirzechs entered here without an invitation.
Grayfia practically carried Lucian into the main parlor, ignoring his half-hearted protests that he was a grown devil. She forced him into a high-backed velvet chair by the fireplace.
"Kiba. Issei. In the corner," she commanded, not even looking at them.
"The corner?" Issei squeaked.
"Did I stutter, Hyoudou Issei?"
The two of them scrambled to the far corner of the room, standing stiffly against the wall like naughty schoolboys.
Grayfia ignored them. She picked up a silver-backed brush and began to personally brush Lucian's messy red hair. She didn't use magic; she did it by hand, her strokes slow and rhythmic.
"The girls are very scary this time, Grayfia," Lucian sighed, finally letting his guard down. He leaned his head back into her touch. "Rias was glowing. Asia had a cross. I think they might actually kill me."
Grayfia's aura sharpened so suddenly that a crack appeared in the nearest windowpane. "Let them come. I am the Queen of the Underworld. No one 'bullies' my Lucy while I breathe. Not even the Heiress of this house."
She snapped her fingers, and a table groaned under the weight of Gremory-tier delicacies: Wagyu beef sliders, golden nectar fruits, and crystalized mana-sweets.
Issei's stomach let out a thunderous growl. He looked at the food with the eyes of a starving wolf. He reached out a hand, creeping toward a sandwich.
CHING.
A tiny needle of ice shot from Grayfia's fingertip, pinning Issei's sleeve—and nearly his hand—to the mahogany table.
"That is for Lucian's recovery," Grayfia said, her voice like a winter wind. "You and the Knight may eat the leftovers once Lucian has had his fill. And only if you remain silent."
Kiba sighed, looking at Lucian, who was currently being hand-fed a peeled grape by the most terrifying woman in existence. "You really are a wildcard, Lucian," Kiba whispered. "You have the most powerful shield in the world, and all it cost you was your dignity."
Lucian just chewed the grape and leaned further into the velvet. "Worth it."
Act 5: The Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Maid
Five hours later, the peace of the Silver Wing was shattered by the sound of the front gates being blown off their hinges.
Rias, Akeno, Asia, and Irina marched up the driveway. They were covered in mountain dust, sweating, and absolutely vibrating with unspent rage. They looked like they had been through a war, primarily because they had spent three days digging through limestone caves based on Sona's "advice."
"LUCIAN!" Rias roared, her Power of Destruction melting the gravel under her boots. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
The massive oak doors of the manor swung open. Grayfia stepped out. She was back in her professional maid outfit, her hands folded neatly in front of her. Her expression was a void.
"Lady Rias," Grayfia said calmly. "You are making a significant amount of noise. The gardens are sensitive to such... vulgarity."
"Grayfia! Move!" Rias shouted, pointing a trembling finger at the house. "He's in there! He snitched! He ran! He's been hiding for a week! Give him to me!"
"I am afraid that is impossible," Grayfia replied, her voice unmoved. "Lord Lucifer himself has issued a high-priority 'Soft Cage' order. Lucian Gremory and his companions are currently in a high-security isolation chamber for processing."
"Isolation chamber?" Akeno stepped forward, her sadistic smile flickering. "Then why do I hear a fox spirit giggling from the second floor? And why is the air smelling like expensive men's cologne and fresh-baked tarts?"
Grayfia didn't blink. "That is the sound of... demonic psychological warfare. It is a very complex interrogation technique. They cannot be disturbed for at least forty-eight hours."
"Forty-eight hours?!" Asia cried out, clutching her cross. "Issei-san will be a hollow shell by then! He needs his purification!"
"Please leave, Lady Rias," Grayfia said, her eyes turning into shards of frozen steel. "You are upsetting the garden's feng shui. And if you attempt to force your way past me, I will be forced to inform Sirzechs-sama that you are interfering with a direct Satanic Order."
Rias ground her teeth so hard it echoed. She knew the game. Grayfia was using bureaucratic immunity to dote on Lucian. It was a stalemate, and they all knew it.
Inside the Silver Wing
Lucian was currently sprawled across a long silk couch. His head was resting in Grayfia's lap—she had returned to the room the moment she finished "negotiating" at the door. She was currently feeding him chilled grapes with a small silver fork, her fingers occasionally running through his hair.
In the corner, Issei was sitting on the floor, chewing on a dry piece of crust he'd managed to scavenge.
"This is unfair," Issei whispered, tears of jealousy streaming down his face. "We ran through the same woods. We hid in the same caves. Why does he get the 'Interrogation via Grapes' while I'm over here contemplating my life choices?"
Kiba, who was leaning against the wall, gave a small, tired laugh. "Because, Issei... Lucian isn't just a Gremory. He's the favorite. And right now, the only thing more dangerous than Rias's anger is Grayfia's doting."
Lucian looked up at Grayfia, who smiled down at him with a warmth that would have shocked the rest of the Underworld.
"Do you want another grape, Lucy-kun?" she asked softly.
"Yes, Auntie," Lucian smirked, glancing back at the fuming silhouette of Rias outside the window. "I think I'm going to need a lot of grapes to get through this 'punishment'."
The "Buddy Day" arc was ending, but the real war—the one inside the Gremory household—was only just beginning.
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