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Chapter 18: Anonymous Sender
🕑 Added 2024-08-19 01:14:23 +0000 UTC10+ Advance Chapters: patreon.com/Accel14
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"How's he doing?" Takauji approached Sword Birth's wielder with a wry smile on his face, some of the excitement from Akeno's attempted advance still present inside him.
"Issei-san's definitely become more… motivated, that's for sure." The audible pain Issei's voice had expressed on the day he had lost Asia still lingered in the minds of the entire Gremory peerage.
Who could forget such emotion coming from one of their teammates?
If only they knew that they were training the perpetrator behind Issei's anguish. Takauji couldn't wait for the day he revealed everything to them, just what kind of reactions would they bless him with?
He truly awaited the moment with bated breath.
"Are you working on his stamina?" He asked the Knight while watching Issei run laps around the grass pitch, a look of sheer focus on his face as he did so.
"Yeah, the Boosted Gear is heavily dependent on the physical strength of its wielder, so in order for him to make any strides. Conditioning is paramount."
Originally, it had been assumed that the Pawn was in possession of Twice Critical. But Rias had a hunch that it wasn't the case, how could such a low-end Sacred Gear require 8 whole Pawns for reincarnation?
Once his Sacred Gear had evolved, the truth had become clear. Issei was in possession of a mid-tier Longinus, one of the original thirteen Sacred Gear's said to have the potential to slay even the Gods themselves.
The Boosted Gear in particular, held the spirit of the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig inside it. One of the Two Heavenly Dragons, and arch-rival to the Vanishing Dragon, Albion.
But that was a story for another day, whether Issei would come face to face with his fated rival remained to be seen.
"He has one of the strongest Dragons in existence on his side, I'm sure he'll be fine." It took genuine effort for the Magician to hide the trepidation in his voice.
Ddraig had been such a threat during his lifetime, that the Three Factions decided to band together against him and Albion in spite of being at war with one another.
Just imagining it filled him with elation. To be so powerful, that even those who hate each other with every fiber of their being would be willing to join forces just to defeat you.
Legendary, there was simply no other word to describe the feat.
Obviously, they hadn't actually succeeded in killing either of the Dragons, which resulted in them being sealed instead into the Boosted Gear, and Divine Dividing.
"Indeed, though he isn't exactly much of a Dragon just yet, I'm sure he'll blossom in due time." The confidence Kiba held for his comrade was resolute.
Rias, I thought you already had more on your plate than you could handle before, but to think you would end up even obtaining the Red Dragon Emperor.
My goodness, talk about flying too close to the sun. You'll get burned at this rate.
"But that's enough talk about Issei-san for now. What brings you here? Takauji-senpai."
"I'm sorry to pester you all the time, but I need your help with practicing another skill I've obtained."
"I don't mind," he waved off his concerns. "After seeing your performance during the raid on the abandoned church, I can say with confidence that training you is worth every effort."
"You overestimate me, but I'm thankful for your praise nonetheless." Takauji straightened his arm out, clasping the hilt of his sword as tightly as he could.
He proceeded to cast Umbral Rope, activating its close combat form as he endured the mild pain its forming process caused him.
"I see, I can already guess what you're struggling with."
"You can?" When it came to swordplay, Kiba's level of perception was truly respectable even by his standards.
"Mhm. You feel like your balance is off don't you? Despite there being no actual weight difference between your left and right arm."
Takauji exhaled.
"You're spot on. Mind helping me out?"
"Sure, actually the problem you're facing isn't nearly as complicated as you think. What you're feeling isn't a weight imbalance, but rather a strength imbalance."
Kiba pointed at his temple with his finger.
"You see, your mind feels disoriented by the sheer difference in power your right and left arm display when you have that technique activated. So basically you've self-deluded yourself into thinking something's wrong with your body, when in actuality there isn't."
His student couldn't help but sigh at the revelation.
For someone who uses illusions, to fail to notice an illusion of my own mind. Haha, it's so ironic I want to laugh.
"And how would I go about fixing it?"
The Knight spent a moment in contemplation.
"Honestly speaking, I don't think there's any trick you could make use of to solve this issue of yours."
"There isn't…?"
"Not to my knowledge, your body just needs time to acclimate to your newfound technique. My advice is to just keep using as much as possible, even just having it attached to your arm passively should help."
Huh… I guess I should consider the possibility of me overthinking things at times. How quaint.
"I see… you probably need to go back to watching over Issei-kun for now so I won't get in your hair any longer. Thanks for the help as always." He bowed respectfully.
"Anytime."
As Kiba had instructed him, Takauji decided to keep the technique active. Taking full advantage of his wealth of Mana to keep it on for as long as possible.
Right before he was about to return to his household, he spared a glance to one of the windows of the clubroom. Noticing Akeno staring at him with a conflicted expression.
Hmm… it looks like she really doesn't have it in her to do anything, at least not in that way. Oh well.
The second she noticed that he had returned her stare, she scurried away with a mildly panicked expression. Possibly wondering if he had told Kiba about the encounter.
Let's see how our Primera is getting along shall we?
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Takauji returned home, glad to sense that Raynare was still training in the backyard. Her aura suggested that she was improving at an acceptable rate.
I guess it really was just her mindset holding her back. She's not terrible once she actually starts trying in my opinion.
But right as he was about to approach her, he noticed something sitting on his dining table.
What's this now?
He walked towards it, met with the sight of what looked to be a set of clothing in plastic packaging. A note attached to its front.
"Greetings, Ashikaga Takauji. I'm afraid I can't reveal my identity to you just yet, however I'd still like to get this message across to you nonetheless."
"I'm someone who has taken an interest in both the strength of you and your servant (congrats by the way). And I was hoping we could meet at the location I've attached on the back of the card tomorrow, but I know you wouldn't be satisfied with just an anonymous message."
"Therefore, I decided to give you a little gift as a show of goodwill. These clothes have been enchanted with the ability to improve your Mana circulation, and grant you improved defense should you imbue them with your Darkness Mana by yours truly. If you want me to make any additions to it, I'd be happy to listen to your requests once we meet."
"Oh, and I know you're after the Cursed Eyes–"
His eyes narrowed, bringing the paper closer to his face as if to confirm he wasn't seeing things. Whoever sent him this, clearly seemed to know a little too much.
"–and as you're probably thinking, I am indeed capable of acquiring it for you. Which is actually the subject of the meeting I want to have with you tomorrow. Oh, and bring Raynare along please, I haven't seen her since she was about as tall as my kneecap. They grow up so fast don't they?"
The statement suggested the anonymous sender was either a Fallen Angel himself, or at the very least was well-connected with them.
"Anyhow, I look forward to our meeting should you decide to accept. See you when I see you, Mr. Antagonist. Hehe."
He scratched his head, not exactly sure what he was supposed to make of the invitation.
"Oh… pant… you're back." Raynare approached him.
"Where did you get this?"
"I heard the doorbell ring all of a sudden, and found it on the porch. I didn't see anyone though, or detect any presence for that matter."
Odd.
"I see, did you read the note?"
"It's Mana encoded, so when I try to read it just looks like random scribbles to me. If you were able to read it then I guess the message was only intended for you. What does it say?" She corked her head.
"It's an invitation, and apparently it came from someone who knew you when you were little. Any ideas?"
She seemed a little taken aback by the question.
"I mean, a lot of people knew me when I was little. So just that alone doesn't really tell me much."
He tapped his lips in contemplation.
"Alright, what about anyone good with tinkering? The note says these clothes were enhanced with Mana."
"I'm from Grigori, everyone's good with tinkering. That doesn't narrow it down either, sorry."
Her master could only breathe a defeated sigh, it looked like he wouldn't be getting very many answers until he actually went out and met his secret admirer.
"It's fine, I suppose we'll just have to go and find out for ourselves."
"You're going to accept the invitation?"
"Probably, it's for tomorrow and there's some pretty enticing stuff here. However, first I want to check out what the deal is with these clothes."
Takauji ripped apart the packaging, laying out the garments on his table as he admired the craftsmanship momentarily.
The clothing consisted of a Shihakushō with white lining and a black base, combined with a plain white Haori that had the Kanji "悪" on its back. The meaning of which caused him to roll his eyes and chuckle sarcastically.
"Evil." Seriously now?
Still, his interest in the first piece of enhanced clothing he had ever come by trumped his annoyance. Leading him to undress right in front of Raynare as he started to put the clothing on.
A sight she very much enjoyed, sporting a lewd grin on her face as she took it as a reward for her hard work.
"How do I look?"
"Not sure, maybe if you strip again and put it back on I'll be able to give you a more accurate review."
"Raynare," he said in a cautioning tone.
"Fine, fine. I was just messing with you. You look good, whoever this sender is has good taste in style." She said with mild disappointment, planning to get an even better reward when night came around.
Honestly, it's pretty darn comfortable as well. If not for the poor joke on the back, I would've given it full marks. Not bad, whomever you are.
But more importantly, I want to test the Mana-related properties of these clothes.
Takauji marveled as he started to channel his Mana, the difference in control being noticeable enough to the point where even Raynare could figure out the improvement.
"Woah, whoever gave you that must be a pretty big fan."
"Right?" He then tested out the defensive functions, noticing a set of black circuit-like streaks of Mana crawling up the fabric of his clothes as he imbued them with his Mana. "Raynare, hit me."
"H-Huh…? Where did that come from?"
"Just do it."
"I mean… if you say so I guess…"
She nervously inched closer, channeling her Light Magic into her fist as she landed a blow on his abdomen.
"Damn… maybe he's your biggest fan…."
The hit didn't earn so much as a wince out of Takauji, even though the attack came from Raynare, considering he had the body of a human it was a notable feat at the very least.
"Maybe," he admired his clothing. The sender had got on his good side successfully.
If this guy can actually acquire the Cursed Eyes for me, I might ditch the Gremory's entirely in favor of him. Especially if I could acquire more gear like this.
But to think all the plans I made to get access into the forest could be for nothing...
Hah, I guess life doesn't always go according to plan.
"Now that you've finished playing dress-up, would you mind helping me out with something?" The Fallen Angel asked.
"Be specific."
"Ugh, just follow me." She grabbed him by the hand, pulling him into the bathroom.
Really…? The sun's still out woman…
"It's not what you think," she undressed her top causing him to doubt her words. Followed by her dark feathery wings sprouted out of her back. "I need your help to wash my wings."
He seemed relieved.
"Sure," she sat down on the stool in front of him. Waiting patiently as he covered his hands in soap. "So… how exactly do you want me to do this?"
"You just need to massage my feathers with your fingertips, they're hard so you can be a little rough."
"Got it," he started to touch her wings. Gently caressing them with a touch she found extremely pleasurable.
"Ohh… Ahhhnnn… J-Just like that…"
Perhaps a bit too pleasurable.
"Are you alright…?" He felt the need to ask.
"Y-Yeah… mmmph… keep going…"
He could feel her chest heaving by his touch, but decided to continue anyway.
Are her wings sensitive or something? What a biological design flaw…
"Uhhhnnn… why does this… ahhh… feel so good…?"
She tried to cover her moans with her palm, but it was to little avail. Each time she felt his fingers run through her feathers, her wings would twitch just from his tantalizing warmth alone.
Should I… stop?
"T-Takauji-sama!" She suddenly fell backwards, her behind landing on his lap as she turned her head towards him.
"Raynare…? Are you sure you're alright?"
"S-Sorry but… I think I might need your attention… elsewhere…" She had a painfully familiar look on her face.
Yeah, I definitely should have stopped.
