They didn't answer immediately. They looked at each other and debated whether to answer or not. Eventually, they gave up. "…Yes. Aside from us, there are two other Fallen angels. The rest are all excommunicated priests."
He raised two fingers, "Second, what is your purpose of coming to this devil's lair?"
Mittelt picked herself up, looking battered. Aside from the blood he drew with the knee, she was bleeding from her temples as well. Her twin-tails had come undone somewhat, and the wild strands stuck over her forehead through the blood. She pulled it aside with a swipe and looked up at him standing over her, tears prickling her eyes.
Issei winced slightly. Perhaps he could've held back a bit. Through trembling lips, the short girl garbled a protest, "What do you think?"
"…Hmmm?" Issei blinked
She jolted upright, lips pressing in a thin line. She looked unsure for a second, conflicted as to whether to continue or not. But then she mustered enough courage. "W-we aren't like you," She stuttered, getting a confused look from Kalawarna. "Y-You're the governor general's hound, aren't you…? The one he sends after every person he labels 'traitor'?"
Kalawarna's eyes widened proportionately to the blonde girl's voice, an expression of fear flashing in her eyes. She reached out and pinched her arm, hushing her. Mittelt freed her arm from the blue-haired girl and didn't even look at her. Her eyes remained focused on Issei's eerie, segmented ones, "What do you take us low-level grunts for? You think we castaways are like you heavenly-gifted folks?? That we can simply live our lives without some crazy priests chasing after us??? Don't make me laugh!!"
Her voice grew louder by the end. The more she spoke, the more tears flowed down her face. Issei kept listening. Before deciding that was enough. "You think I like-"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
But when things got too melodramatic, he raised his hand, making her pause. "I asked for you to answer why you're here, not for you to recite a drama."
His words caused the girl to swallow the rest of her words. Scratching his head, he continued, "If you wanna just say you're just working under another runt stronger than you, just say it. What is with the 'dear diary; everyone's so mean', recount?"
"Besides, I did not see any reluctance when you threw those light spears with the intent to make a human cheese." The tears streaming down her face stopped. As he stared at her, she looked more embarrassed and ashamed, with her legs curling around her chest, "In fact, I vaguely remember you smiling. Did the socio-economic condition make you do that as well?"
He was about to say more, but then felt another energy signature in the distance. It was faint, much less brazen than these two girls. He tilted his head to find the culprit standing with his arms crossed on a rooftop far to his left. He could not make out much of the features from this distance, but it appeared to be a man wearing a hat.
The fallen showed no interest in rescuing his partners. He appeared quite content just watching from afar. Issei's eyes flickered back to the two who were also peering in the same direction. Mittelt had a slight expression of hope, while Kalawarna seemed to have resigned herself to her fate.
The blue-haired girl noticed him looking and stared back up with a blank expression. "Are you not going to chase after him?"
"Nah. He's too far away. Besides, if I go after him, you two will just teleport right away." Pointing at the blonde-haired girl, he shrugged, "And I don't plan on letting her walk away after that pathetic attempt at guilt tripping."
Mittelt squeaked and looked away. Kalawarna, however, insisted that Issei chase after him, "You really should, though. His name is Dohanseek." Issei raised a brow, "Selling your comrades just moments after one of you was prattling on about freedom and shit."
Kalawarna ignored his jab, "He is closer to our leader than either of us, and has been managing complicated things for her. If information is what you're after, he'd be your much better bet torturing than us."
Issei gave a noncommittal hum. She was right. If her words were true, he had more to gain from pursuing that man in a hat, even if that led to these two slipping away. But that was if it were true.
He felt the hat guy disappear.
"Damn, didn't even try anything…" Issei muttered under his breath. "Oh, well…there goes your chance at escape," He said to the frowning girl. "What is your base of operation?"
Kalawarna looked down, her straight hair covering much of her face. After a quick second, she straightened her back, "What do you plan on doing to us once you have everything?"
Issei grinned merrily, "Well, you're not in luck. Had you met the real hound, you would've gotten off easily. But I am just a stand-in for him," He ended the sentence with a high-pitched laugh, thinking of the black-haired, edgy but kind protagonist template and his terrifying dog.
The two girls trembled, "T-Then…"
"But don't worry, I am still a stand-in." He added, "Just tell me everything. And I'd send you off to rehab. Don't, and well…"
He ended his sentence by conjuring a fire sword. One not made of simple human magical calculations, but rather siphoned off the very dragon taking residence deep in his soul. Using their soul corridor between himself and the red dragon as a conduit, he wielded one of, if not the most potent, of all magical flames in the world.
[You're really just role-playing the villain role you've had in mind since this morning, aren't you?]
'Haha, ain't it funny?'
To drive home his performance, he directed the concept of Ddriag's [BOOST] into the metaphorical hellfire and let its heat rise exponentially; its form burning brighter right before their very eyes.
'Now, if only you'd come up with a serious name for this tuff-ass fire, instead of a toddler's idea of what tuff is,' He lamented.
[Hey. Blazing inferno of scorching flames is very tuff.] Ddriag retorted awkwardly, still not completely comfortable with employing his host's strange vernacular.
Issei turned his attention back outside. He pointed the tip right before them, letting the heat of the blade roll over their skin. "You get it?"
"…We understand." Both of them whispered through parched throats and cracked lips.
"Alright, now how long are you two gonna sit on your asses in the middle of the road?" He extended his hand, "Just for the record, don't try any funny business."
* * *
Night had long fallen, and the crescent moon twinkled in the clear sky. Issei sat in his room by the window, overlooking the quaint town. He had returned home after squeezing every bit from the fallen angels and then sending them tied to the Gregory headquarters. Anything more was beyond his purview.
But from the information he got, a few things stood out. The fact that their leader seemed to have plans to extract a sacred gear from an excommunicated nun was definitely the most surprising one, however.
How did a low-level Fallen get their hands on such a ritual? Issei did not know whether it was rare or common, only that Azazel apparently knew of it. That only explains the presence of the physical form of Vritra's gears that he had lying in his collection.
But surely it wasn't so widespread, right? Had it been so, the various other factions would've already have hunted all of the previous incarnations of longinuses and given it to their faction loyalists. The boosted gear, for example, is perhaps the most volatile of the thirteen. All of its previous wielders were, without a shadow of doubt, a massive pain in the ass for every faction. They picked fights left and right and made enemies with almost everyone.
Add to that the general arrogant nature of those chosen by the Red gauntlet, and its relatively faster respawn time gave others the perfect excuse to attack his predecessors and take the gear for themselves. The reasoning of resting such immense power in the hands of longer living species breaks the cycle, and how foolish the human race is simply incompatible with such gracious powers, and is undeserving of it, and all that supernatural nonsense was not uncommon after all.
For him to still be here and continue to wield the boosted gear suggests that it isn't widespread knowledge. So, how? How did a low-level fallen acquire it?
Issei had an inkling. He was sent here to trace the warmonger's steps. It could've been that Kokabiel got his hands on Azazel's research. But still, why would he give it to a low-level? Something didn't add up.
"Well, whatever…" Issei rocked back in his chair and closed his eyes. For a silent moment, he let the night's tranquility wash over him.
[What are you thinking?]
Issei sighed, "Life sucks balls." He leaned over and put his head on the window. This starry sky was mesmerising. "Why can't things be easy?"
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