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(TPD) Chapter 21: Ajuka’s Advice
🕑 Added 2024-12-15 02:33:19 +0000 UTCChapter 21: Ajuka’s Advice
(Third Person)
After giving Zekram a casual goodbye, Avalon had left the Bael Estate in the early morning to go meet with Ajuka as the moss-haired Satan had instructed.
“You can go ahead and take a seat there,” Ajuka said while he and Avalon were standing in his lounge. “If you’re wondering why I invited you in person instead of communicating with you over transmission, it’s because we not only have quite a few things to discuss, but some of it is also rather sensitive in nature.”
“That’s fine, I also have some things I’d rather talk with you in private about,” he gestured reassuringly.
“I see, would you care for some coffee before we begin?” Ajuka offered while preparing a cup for himself.
“Sure.”
Ajuka handed him the warm beverage and sat down in the snug looking chair opposite him.
“Alright then, would you like to start or shall I?” Ajuka asked.
“You can go first.”
“In that case, let’s start with the data I received from Pandorica about Misla Bael’s condition.” Ajuka conjured a hologram that was purely for his own convenience, seeing as Avalon was currently still blinded and all. “As you’ve probably been made aware of, the Underworld does not yet possess a cure for Sleep Disease. However, the timing of this data getting to me might be able to change that.”
“Really?”
“Really— this is the earliest a patient inflicted with Sleep Disease has been caught, since the disease directly attacks the brain of the afflicted, we're normally unable to do much testing on them because the risk of killing them on the spot is too high. Autopsies haven’t helped us out very much either since the sample isn’t nearly fresh or healthy enough at that point to tell us anything new or useful.”
Avalon wasn’t nearly well-versed enough in medical theory to understand most of what Ajuka had just said, but he understood the gist of it.
“So you can do something?”
“It’s highly likely, especially because your administering of Senjutsu to her has delayed the advancement of the ailment even further. If I can get her in a room with me and Lord Sitri, then the data we’ll get from testing her would prove invaluable.”
“But there’s no guarantee, is there?”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep, medical advancement isn’t my field after all. The only reason I have any knowledge of it to begin with is because I was asked to help build some of the tech used in our hospitals by Serafall,” he shrugged while taking a sip from his cup. “Anyhow, I’ll make sure Misla’s brought to Lilith so we begin researching a cure.”
Avalon sighed, knowing that there was little else he could do to contribute other than trust in Ajuka and Lord Sitri’s prowess.
If the smartest man in the Underworld, and the man in charge of the Underworld’s medical sector couldn’t find a cure, then all hope truly would be lost.
“Thank you,” he dipped his head appreciatively.
“Don’t mention it, I’m more than happy to get rid of such a blight on the Underworld,” he waved Avalon off. “Now before I move onto the next subject matter, I believe there was something you wished to talk to me about? Something which I’m presuming has to do with Zekram?”
“Yes— when I initially visited her estate, she made me a rather shocking offer.”
Ajuka sighed, leaning back into his chair. “Zekram and the word ‘offer’ never bode well in the same sentence.”
“I’m not really sure how to word this, so I’ll just be blunt. She offered me the position of Great King,” he swallowed a nervous gulp.
Ajuka groaned and pinched his nose-bridge, “So that’s why she didn’t oppose Wilbert’s enlistment, I should’ve deduced as much when she allowed Sylas of all people to assume the mantle of General.”
He didn’t even need an explanation from Avalon, clearly being familiar with how Zekram operated.
“I guess you’ve already pieced everything together?”
“Pretty much, the only thing that caught me by surprise is the fact that she went after you. I thought she would have approached your sister instead, no offense.”
“None taken, I thought the same.”
“Still— the position of the Great King huh?” Ajuka drummed his fingers against his armrest. “It’s far more logical to offer that to your sister-” He stopped midway through his sentence, his expression changing as if he had come to a realisation of some sort. “Avalon, is that all she offered you?”
He tilted his head, “Yes, that’s all. Is there something I’m missing?”
“Strange, she should’ve put that on the table while you were there as well, or does she think the shock factor of telling you last minute would work better? No, that’s not how Zekram operates, maybe it’s to serve as a test of some sort?” he scratched his chin.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t keep me in suspense,” Avalon grumbled.
“I’m about 99% sure she’s going to want you to marry her if you choose to become Great King.”
“Marriage? Why would she-” Avalon’s eyelids lifted a considerable amount from beneath his blindfold, his mind replaying the conversation he shared with Zekram. “Oh, that makes sense.”
This time it was Ajuka’s turn to be surprised.
“You’re not as disturbed by that notion as I thought you would be,” he mused.
“While we were talking she went on quite the rant about how all her descendants were worthless, and the ones that aren’t are all either Gremory’s or a Satan. She probably thinks her offspring with me will be a lot stronger than the current members of the Bael Clan.”
“She wouldn’t be wrong, you’re a Super Devil, and she’s a Progenitor Devil. I trust you’re capable of putting two and two together?”
“Fair enough, I suppose having me marry her would also make it easier to bind me to not only the Bael Clan in general, but her as a person— making me Great King without any strings attached doesn’t strike me as something she would do.”
“Zekram is never generous when there’s no gain, trust me on that. Notwithstanding, I can’t help but feel you’re not thinking about what you should be at the moment,” Ajuka narrowed his eyes.
“Why’s that?”
“This is marriage we’re talking about, I’d have expected you to adopt a more sentimental perspective rather than going straight to a pragmatic one.”
Avalon’s strange reaction, at least from Ajuka’s point of view, had earned a great deal of the Satan’s intrigue.
“I doubt Zekram would be doing it out of sentiment, also— I’ve yet to actually decide whether I want to accept the position of Great King or not, tackling the issue of marriage is meaningless until I’ve handled that.”
Ajuka pursed his lips, still not intent on letting the issue go. “But if you hypothetically did accept, the marriage part wouldn’t bother you at all? Not even a little?”
Avalon on the other hand, had no clue why he was so interested in the matter. “I prepared myself for marriage back when my Father tried to get me married to Mio Valen, it’s bound to happen eventually. Whether that time is now or later doesn’t make much of a difference to me.”
“So you don’t have anyone you’re interested in now? Someone preferably not older than the combined age of your Mom and Dad?”
“No, I don’t.”
The truth was, the thought of an emotionless marriage actually comforted him a little.
He wouldn’t have to worry about being subject to the obsessive love that had tormented him so much in his past life, even if the nature of his marriage would be slightly dark, at least it would be done so honestly.
She would give him a title and influence, and he would strengthen her clan.
Also, having children wasn’t something he got to experience in his past life, maybe this was his chance.
Ajuka exhaled deeply, confident that Avalon had told the truth.
Maybe the boy in front of him shared his disinterest in love after all, something that would deeply dissapoint his Mother.
“It wouldn’t be immediate either, she’d first tutor me on everything I need to know before I assume the role of Great King, and I’m also fairly confident she’ll wait for the war to be over before everything is set into motion. With that said, the main question is still whether I want to become Great King or not.”
Taking the rate of his physical growth into account, he’d probably already look his older brother’s age by the time it happened.
“You want my advice?” Ajuka asked.
“I do.”
“Before I give it, you already understand the political advantages of accepting the position don’t you?”
“Mhm.”
“Very well then, I don’t really have much interest in politcking so I’ll keep this brief. Having you as Great King would be great for the Underworld, but I don’t think it would be good for you.”
Avalon perked up in his chair, listening attentively to what Ajuka had to say.
“Zekram is manipulative, conniving, cold, and calculated. Having her as an acquaintance is already bad enough, I can’t even imagine what having her as a wife would be like.”
All traits Avalon was all too familiar with, to a frightening degree some would say.
“Ah, truly the ideal woman.”
“I’m being serious,” Ajuka admonished him.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but crack a joke. I understand your point, Zekram definitely doesn’t strike me as the loving type. I don’t think it’s that big a problem though, Mother and Father didn’t get married for love either did they?”
“It’s true that their marriage was a political one at first, but as you already know they’ve grown to care for one another deeply. Can you seriously say the same will happen between you and Zekram?” Avalon didn’t even need to answer that one. “And as much as I hate to say it, you’re stronger than them, much stronger. You’ll have more freedom when it comes to deciding your spouse than they did.”
It was a harsh reality, but reality nonetheless.
“I know, you don’t have to worry about me developing some strange form of Stockholm Syndrome. As long as me and Zekram can work with one another, that’s all that matters.”
To Ajuka, it felt like he was witnessing a completely different side of Avalon.
But to Avalon, this was exactly the sort of reaction he expected from himself.
‘I wonder— is it possible that I’ve given up on love entirely?’
He started to drum his fingers against his armrest like Ajuka had done earlier.
‘That’s a depressing thought, I shouldn’t brood on it too much.’
“Is it? You two will be together for longer than you can comprehend should that come to pass, adopt as much pragmatism as you want. You’ll be living, sleeping, and having children with her. Once you actually find yourself living in that reality, can you honestly say that your logic will remain stone-cold?”
“Of course not, no matter who I have them with, I plan to love my children unconditionally. Not that I mean to offend, but seeing as you’re not married yourself I don’t think your intuition here will be as sharp as it is with everything else.”
He still planned to take every word the Satan told him to heart, but one could only be so knowledgeable about a field they hadn’t experienced first-hand.
“None taken, at the end of the day this is your decision, and your life. I can advise, but I can’t make the choice for you, nor do I plan to force your hand in any capacity.” Ajuka rubbed his forehead. “Furthermore, Zekram wanting you to marry her is just a possibility, not a guarantee.”
“Indeed,” Avalon affirmed.
The atmosphere in the room soon tightened, Ajuka adjusting his posture a little.
“It’s probably redundant of me to mention this now, but you do know it’s probable that she was responsible for this war beginning in the first place, right?”
A claim that one should never make in public, and definitely not around a Bael.
“I know, it was just blind suspicion when it was their carriages that were attacked first all that time ago, but considering how much her clan has gained, and the revelation of Sylas’s true role. It’s hard to miss,” he folded his arms. “The Fallen Angels are our enemy, and have been since the dawn of time. If it’s revealed that the Bael Clan was responsible for the beginning of their end, they’d probably just gain even more support in the court of public opinion. It’ll be even tougher for you to act against her than it already is now if that came to pass wouldn’t it?”
Ajuka replied with a solemn nod.
Avalon’s mind flashed back to his fight with Armaros.
‘The worst part of it is, I’m actually enjoying this war. It’s given me a sense of both battle and strength that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve without it, at least not this early on.’
He closed his eyes and interlocked his fingers.
‘I’m sorry Lith, but you weren’t any different were you? You were waiting for an opportunity like this ever since the Civil War ended, I’m despicable for enjoying something that has resulted in the deaths of so many of the people I’m aiming to help. However, that hypocritical notion is the core of my being. I’m not sure there’s anything I can do to change it. Maybe it’s this exact quality that Zekram values in me.’
“Taking what you’ve just told me into account, would it be safe to assume you plan on accepting her offer?” Ajuka inquired.
‘You’re just like your brother Avalon, you’ve adopted ‘the strong should always protect the weak’ motto to near perfection. What you don’t understand is that your brother has Grayfia supporting him through his path, but Zekram… There’s no way she can give you the support you’ll need.’
“I am, although I still plan on sitting down with Mother, Father, and Brother before I give Zekram an answer.”
“They’re all going to vehemently try to dissuade you, especially your brother.”
Avalon sighed, “I know, I can’t find it in me to blame them for that either. It’s probably what I’d do if I were in their position.”
“At the very least, it’s good that you’re informing them in advance. I can’t even begin to fathom how they’d react if you sprung that on them last minute.”
“Even if I didn’t, you’d just tell them yourself wouldn’t you?” Avalon said with a knowing smile.
“That’s a possibility,” Ajuka chuckled. “Oh, I also meant to talk to you about the information you sent me about Sairaorg.”
“Is it a mutation?”
“It is, albeit not nearly at the same level as you and Adaloth. However, his mutation is in fact the first of its kind. If you could invite him to-”
“Testing can wait until he’s a little older,” Avalon’s current expression reminded Ajuka of Souji to an extent. “I just wanted to know what I was working with, do you have an estimate on how potent his mutation would become at his current rate of growth?”
Ajuka waved his hand, causing the display on his hologram to shift. “Currently, his physical constitution might grow to be about a third as powerful as Adaloth’s current constitution once he’s matured. But since you plan on helping him awaken his Ki, I’ll need another report once that’s done to get an updated reading.”
Avalon hummed, tracing the ring of his cup with his finger.
Seeing as Adaloth was currently capable of manhandling Sentinels and blocking full-powered Cadre attacks like it was nothing, Sairaorg achieving a third of that strength was a lot more impressive than it sounded.
“Then I’ll make sure to do just that, he has a lot more potential than the short-sighted perception of his clan would like to believe.”
“The Bael Clan adores clinging to outdated traditions, something I hope you’ll change should the day ever come where you’re Great King. Although, I doubt Zekram will be too happy about that.”
“If she’s prepared to make me Great King, then she’ll be prepared for me trying to change a thing or two I find unsatisfactory. If she can’t put up with that, then she’s at fault for her lack of foresight.”
“I for one certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Zekram finally experience some backlash for her actions,” Ajuka grinned. “You could be Sairaorg’s permanent teacher as Great King as well, so I suppose that’s an added bonus.”
“Indeed,” Avalon finished the rest of his coffee. “It was good talking with you, but I think it’s time for me to go face people who are going to have a much— louder reaction than you.”
“Good luck with that, you’ll need it.”
“I don’t think luck is going to be enough,” Avalon grumbled.
---
(Third Person)
“Absolutely not!”
“Even as a joke this is going too far!”
“He must’ve endured some sort of brain damage during his battle with Armaros! Grayfia! Go check his head for lasting injuries!” Sirzechs stood up and yelled while sitting on the couch opposite to Avalon in the Gremory Household.
“There’ll be no need for that Lord Lucifer,” Grayfia reassured, daggers suddenly appearing in between her fingers. “As long as we get rid of Zekram, the problem will be cut off from the root.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” her husband affirmed, part of him prepared to raise the Bael Estate to the ground that very second.
‘I think I gravely underestimated just how much of a sibling complex my older brother has,’ Avalon could already feel a headache building up from his brother and his parent’s screaming.
“Before you start planning to assassinate our Ancestor, just keep in mind that I discussed this with Ajuka before I came here.”
“That’s definitely a lie, if you discussed it with Ajuka then he would’ve shot the idea down that very second. Zekram is-”
Avalon stopped his brother mid-sentence, “Manipulative, conniving, cold, and calculated. I know, we’ve already been over that part. Also, the marriage thing was just a possibility we brought up. It’s becoming the Great King that’s the real focus.”
“I’m not worried about the marriage, because you won’t be accepting her deal.” The Crimson Satan’s attitude lost all of its usual softness. “Zekram is beyond foolish for thinking she could try to pressure my little brother just because I wasn’t looking.”
He had defeated a fragment of a Malebranche during the Civil War, where did this puny Ancestor get off thinking she could try to coerce his brother into doing anything?
Clearly, it was time for Zekram to meet the same fate as her Father.
“If there was only stuff to lose, then neither of us would have even considered the offer.” Still, Avalon wanted to try reasoning with him.
“Closing the rift between the Great King Faction and Four Great Satans? Give me a break,” Venelana intervened. “I’d sooner get on all fours and kiss her feet than let her get married to you, just the thought of me being her Mother-in-law is enough to make me want to vomit.”
Venelana was usually the most rational out of the bunch, the fact that she wasn’t at the moment spoke volumes to how this was affecting her.
“Listen to your mother and brother Avalon, I’m already against you just being acquainted with Zekram on any level whatsoever. She’s the worst of the worst, there’s nothing to gain from getting involved with her.”
“There’s a lot to gain from getting involved with her, but you all already know that.” Avalon pushed. “What you’re concerned about is whether I’ll be safe or not after I accept the offer.”
A very, very, reasonable concern for all them to have.
“I’m not the strongest Devil out there, I’m aware of that. However, I don’t think I’m exactly much of a pushover either.”
“Dealing with Zekram takes so much more than just physical strength,” Zeoticus continued. “I’ve only been in the same room as her once, and it felt like I was fighting for my life with every word I spoke. She’s just trying to entrap you so she can make her clan stronger, that’s all.”
“Do you honestly believe I haven’t considered that?” Avalon’s tone darkened, as if he had just been insulted. “Of course she’s trying to make her clan stronger! She was making an offer to me, not presenting me with a gift,” he scoffed.
“You’re not making any sense Avalon,” Sirzechs pinched his nose bridge. “If you’re as aware of Zekram’s nature as you claim, then you wouldn’t be considering this deal whatsoever.”
Avalon took a deep breath, “Who would you rather have as Great King? Me? Or Sylas?”
“This isn’t what this is about-”
“This is exactly what it’s about, brother, I know you’ve been trying to implement changes to better the lives of our common populace for quite some time now. Remind me, who is it that’s standing in your way and insisting on maintaining complete noble superiority?”
Sirzechs sighed, “The Great King Faction…”
“Zekram wants a better Bael Clan, and I want a better Underworld. What she’s offering me here is a compromise that’ll give both of us what we want, just think about what a unified Underworld could achieve!”
Everyone in the room flinched, Avalon’s voice just now had sounded a little— manic.
Noticing their reactions, he cleared his throat and settled down.
“Alright, I can’t believe I of all people are going to be the one asking this, but for a decision of this caliber I feel obligated to,” Sirzechs steeled his gaze. “Avalon, why do you even want to help the Underworld so badly? I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing to want, but I’d like to know what’s driving you to go this far.”
“Because it’s meaningful,” he replied without hesitation while clenching his fists. “I’m good at fighting, and it’s something that’s brought me immense enjoyment but… I refuse to believe that’s all I’m capable of, I refuse to settle on just being the Blindfold Devil and nothing more. I can do more than that, I…”
Realising that he had gone on a tangent, he paused.
He had so much more to say, but most of it related to his life before this one.
His existence would be meaningful, he needed it to be, he couldn’t let anyone take that away from him.
If it wasn’t meaningful, then was there even any point to him getting a second chance to begin with?
As much as he admired Lith, he didn’t want to end up like him. Someone just waiting around for the next big fight, idling as if they were passing wind until that moment came. He didn’t mind embracing his love for battle, but he couldn’t allow it to engulf every aspect of him whole.
So what if his wish could be considered childish? It was his wish, that’s all that mattered.
After observing the stunned silence in the room, Avalon stood up.
“I’m going to give Zekram my answer, I know you’re all just concerned for my well-being, but this is what I want… If you’re not alright with that then I also understand. I don’t expect any of you to believe an 8 year old child is capable of making such a choice with sound reasoning, but for what it's worth… I think my reasoning is pretty sound.” He breathed a dry chuckle.
Great King Avalon— it had a nice ring to it.
---
AN: Avalon’s a better man than me, if I were in his shoes I’d just see the tiddies and go absolutely RAVENOUS.
Anyhow, I guess we’re about to find out in the next chapter whether Ajuka’s assumption about Zekram requesting a marriage between them was true or not.
If it is, I have a feeling a certain someone won't be too happy about it.
Also, let me know if I should have more AN’s like this at the end of each chapter, I thought they’d be a fun addition.
