He pondered just asking Igor if he were an Ariyan. Igor was far too young to lie. But where would the fun in that be? Getting answers in such an easy way would be an affront to his efforts. No. He had a much more interesting verification, one that might even help Igor as well.
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|DxD|- Chapter 51- Diehauser's Confirmation 2
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Kuoh Town, Japan
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Vitality was a very strange energy as Diehauser had come to accept. It was completely and utterly incompatible with current energy types. It corroded demonic energy, mana, light energy, and holy energy alike.
Once Igor began his career as Cleria's contractor, he periodically examined the corpses of the strays brought back. It was a shame vital energy rarely lingered for more than a few hours. Collection and housing was simply impossible.
[I'm curious to see what the reaction will be.]
The evening sun washed over Diehauser's elegant form. He was at the outskirts of Kuoh's forest. Before him, a giant barrier lay that domed a large area around Shuri's home. Behind him was the town of Kuoh that glowed ever so beautifully in the sunset.
But rather than the sights, he was more interested in his latest mystery walking towards him in nothing more than a long sleeve and pants.
[He's growing into quite the heroic figure.]
Diehauser kept his amicable smile. It'd been seven months since he last met with Igor. The boy was almost sixteen and still growing stronger.
[He's not too far from High-Class. Perhaps he might reach it before he turns twenty.]
Igor brushed aside the branches and from the shade, he stepped into the sun. He was the picture ideal of a hardworking young man with sun-kissed hair.
"Sir Diehauser."
Igor clasped his hands together in greeting and Diehauser responded.
"Good to see you're still well, Igor. Apologies if I disrupted something important, but this matter unfortunately could not wait."
Diehauser did not dally. He raised his hand and a simple rose appeared between his fingers. There was nothing special about it because it wasn't. On his way here, he casually plucked one.
"?"
Igor paused at the sudden gesture. His expression turned a bit ugly once he processed that what he saw really was a rose. He was no stranger to relations between men and women, but…
"Sir Diehauser. This rose…?"
…did Diehauser intend to court Shuri? Or worse. Did he intend to…court him? He shivered at the thought.
"Yes, Igor. This rose will be our little experiment. And please rest assured. I do not engage in sodomy."
Diehauser spoke behind a smile. A fair bit of ambiguity and teasing here and there did wonders to lighten the atmosphere.
"Now to the point of my action. What I'd like for you to do, Igor, is take this rose and gently channel just the faintest hint of your energy into it. Can you do that for me please? Try not to damage it."
Diehauser handed the rose over and Igor took it by the stem, still confused by this odd request.
"I'll try."
He wasn't a stranger to some of Diehauser's odd requests. But this was the weirdest one yet. Igor focused and slowly, infused the rose with some of his vitality.
Diehauser watched with glowing eyes. Igor's energy glimmered like a white hot lightbulb. The soft whine of his vitality coming to life was soothing to the ear. But predictably, the moment vitality entered the rose, it singed the stem like burning paper. Igor tried to stop, but Diehauser urged him on.
"Keep going."
Diehauser looked with increased scrutiny. The stem was damaged beyond recovery and the flower was following after. The rose soon burned into a dark flaky stem and the flower dissipated into ash.
Igor wanted to drop the stem, but he still held it. A few moments later, a teleportation circle formed beneath Diehauser.
"Stay right there, Igor. I'll be right back."
He vanished without waiting for a reply, leaving Igor in silent contemplation.
[I am so confused. What is he testing?]
He barely had the time to ponder when Diehauser appeared again. This time, he carried a plant that—from the single leaf to the stem—was darker than charcoal. Even the soil in its pot was lighter in colour than it.
"Drop that old thing and try channelling your vitality into this plant."
Igor wordlessly extended his hand and held the stem of this new plant between the tips of his fingers. There was an odd energy he sensed. It was…faint, and he was sure it was the first time he sensed it.
Diehauser still watched with rapt attention. Igor channelled vitality. But this time, the plant didn't singe. It bloomed. Right before their very eyes, it grew rapidly, sprouting over ten leaves in seconds.
Igor pulled his hand back out of shock. This plant sucked more energy from him than he planned to release. In this moment, the number of questions he had tripled.
"Sir Diehauser. What is this?"
Perhaps he should've asked sooner. But given the rapport they had with each other, it just seemed right to comply. How quickly that came back to bite him.
Diehauser didn't respond. His eyes still lingered on this tiny bush of a plant that grew from a single leaf. This was his proof, the proof that sealed everything.
"Sigh…"
Igor was an Ariyan. But instead of feeling immense jubilation at cracking this mystery, there was only…a sense of waste. Perhaps vitality was a mutation unique to Ariyans. They couldn't wield mana, but they could do much more, like harmonise with nature energy…just like how Igor's vitality triggered the dormant nature energy in this night flower.
[What a waste. The loss of the Ariyans was truly a great travesty to the world.]
Diehauser chose to keep his discovery a secret. At least for the moment. He most definitely did not want to communicate such a thing in open air.
"This plant here is called a night flower, Igor. It is used by the nekomata to train their young ones in senjutsu. It seems your vitality is compatible with it as well. As for whether you can train in senjutsu? Well, that remains to be seen."
He smiled and took back the plant.
"Until then, keep getting stronger, Igor. I truly look forward to seeing your growth."
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AN: Please support poor author on [email protected]/HolyGambler.
Chapter 51
END