Chapter 138: Whatever is necessary
Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Whatever is necessary
The courtyard of the Gremory mansion stretched beneath the pale light of the Underworld’s artificial sky.
Koneko Toujou waited in the center, motionless, her golden eyes fixed on the red-haired god standing in front of her. She had not hesitated at all when Damon proposed that she leave with him, not only because he had offered her the chance to see her sister again, but because he had told her the truth. And to Koneko, that was far better than all the chocolate cookies Rias had ever given her, so she had no problem abandoning her.
She was not completely sure what came after this. But even if she did not show it, the neko trusted Damon because he had shown her more kindness than any other devil when he had nothing to gain from it.
To the side, Rias stood beside her mother, her arms crossed over her chest. Her jaw was tight. "What is he planning?"
"I don’t know," Venelana admitted, a little distracted.
Damon took a step toward the neko. As his hands began to radiate heat, his left hand shone silver and his right hand shone black, releasing a vibration that surrounded Koneko between both forces. "What are you doing?" Rias demanded, trying to show concern for Koneko. Damon ignored her completely while Venelana grabbed her by the arm and glared at her. "Rias, do not interrupt Damon-sama," the Bael said, already tired of her daughter’s tantrums.
Koneko felt a deep, resonant vibration in her bones. The silver-haired girl’s skin began to tingle as her muscles contracted and her spine arched. Damon’s power ran through the neko quickly, forcing her Nekoshou traits back into the light. Two white tails emerged behind her, fluffy enough to be obvious at a glance.
Koneko gasped, her small body trembling as the transformation finished.
Venelana’s breath caught when she felt the devil energy inside the neko disappear, leaving only pure chakra flowing through her veins. "By the Maou... he really did it."
Rias stared, her lips slightly parted. Koneko was no longer a reincarnated devil. The Rook piece was expelled from Koneko’s chest, fell onto the grass, and was picked up by Damon, who tossed it at Rias. It struck her on the forehead and snapped her out of her thoughts. "Ehhhh, hey," the Gremory complained with a pout.
Venelana, still in a daze, felt her thoughts racing. If Damon-sama could restore a Nekoshou to her original state... could he do the same with devils? Could he turn them into pure-bloods?
Venelana quickly realized the possibilities were immense, but she kept that thought to herself and said nothing. The shining light vanished quickly, leaving Koneko standing in the center of the courtyard, her two tails moving uncertainly behind her.
Damon knelt in front of her, smiling broadly. "There you are," he said softly. "Back to one hundred percent Nekoshou, just as you should be."
Koneko’s lip trembled, the silver-haired girl’s amber eyes growing wet, and without warning, she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Damon’s neck and burying her face in his shoulder. The sob that escaped her was broken and completely childish.
Damon was a little surprised by the neko’s sudden burst of emotion, considering how expressionless she usually was. But in the end, she was still a child who had never truly had a voice to say what she really wanted.
Damon’s arms wrapped around her gently and carefully. His hand held the back of her head. "There, there, calm down," the god murmured while stroking the little girl’s neko ears.
As for Rias, despite disliking Damon very much, and despite how emotional the redhead was, she genuinely found the scene difficult to endure. Mostly because she had never seen Koneko cry, not even when her brother had taken her in.
Venelana watched the god hold the Nekoshou girl with an expression she could not name, comparing the Damon she was seeing now with the Damon who had turned the entire Underworld upside down.
The thoughts of the two Gremory women were interrupted by a puff of smoke that burst beside them, revealing none other than Matatabi in her chibi cat form.
Venelana and Rias both stiffened as memories of the giant blue cat wreathed in spectral flames tearing through the streets of Lilith flooded their minds. Matatabi blinked at the group, then tilted her head toward Koneko with obvious curiosity.
Koneko separated from Damon, her eyes red, and stared at the small cat. Matatabi stared back at her, transmitting her words through her gaze instead of speaking out loud.
Koneko’s lips twisted into a smile, and she slowly crouched down, letting the miniature Nekomata sniff her fingers.
Matatabi’s two tails moved happily. Then she jumped forward, rubbing her head against Koneko’s palm, a low purr vibrating through her chest.
Something warm bloomed in Koneko’s expression. She lifted Matatabi, cradling her against her chest, and the chibi cat curled up in her arms with a pleased chirp.
Damon rolled his eyes as he looked at Matatabi. It was obvious the cat wanted to take advantage of Koneko’s petting. In his head, the laughter of the bijuu echoed.
Letting out a sigh, Damon stood up and brushed the dust from his knees. Koneko’s small hand found his, intertwining her fingers with his, and he looked at her with affection. He had to admit this girl awakened a paternal love for children inside him. Meanwhile, Matatabi, curled up in Koneko’s other arm, moved one ear and yawned. Damon began to walk.
Behind them, Venelana and Rias followed in silence. The mother’s eyes remained fixed on the back of the red-haired god, while Rias kept her gaze on Koneko, a little surprised by the unfamiliar emotions the neko was showing.
XXXXXXXX
The Sitri hospital wing smelled of antiseptic. Lord Sitri himself escorted Damon through the corridors, his face pale and his steps hurried. Venelana followed at a measured distance, her heels clicking against the polished floor.
"Lucifer is in the east wing," Lord Sitri said, his voice carefully neutral. "Serafall is in the west wing, together with Lord Beelzebub and Lord Asmodeus."
"Take me to Lucifer," Damon said.
Sirzechs had honestly seen better days. The Maou was lying against the pillows, his only arm resting over the blanket. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, reflecting on the life decisions he had made.
Damon entered without knocking. The door closed behind Venelana, who positioned herself near the door, observing the state of her son.
Sirzechs turned his head. His gaze was hollow as it moved from his mother to Damon. "Did you come to end my life?" the Lucifer asked.
"Nah, don’t worry. I won’t kill you. Your mother convinced me not to," Damon told him, giving the Maou a smile. Sirzechs turned his gaze toward his mother and received a nod from her.
Without another word, using his domain of Creation, Damon quickly healed the ruined tissue in a way magic and medicine never could. At the same time, he restored the Maou’s wings. Sirzechs released a trembling sigh when the painful emptiness in his back finally ceased.
Damon stopped there, leaving the stump as it was. Sirzechs looked at the empty sleeve, then at Damon, his jaw tightening.
"You’re keeping that," Damon said. "As a reminder of what you tried to do against me. Every time you look at it, remember who was the person who did it to you." Damon’s words struck the bitter face of the red-haired Maou like a slap that never physically landed. Sirzechs said nothing. He simply clenched his remaining hand around the blanket and shifted his gaze toward the window.
Venelana exhaled slowly, truly grateful for Damon’s mercy. He had no reason to do this, but he had done it anyway. Venelana blushed a little as she remembered that she had needed to earn that mercy in questionable ways, but even so, she was happy.
"Thank you," the Bael said quietly. Damon answered with a simple nod, winking at her as he left the room, allowing her to have her own moment with her son.
The silence that followed was dense. Once the door closed with a soft click, and Sirzechs waited three seconds — three heartbeats — before all his rage came out of his lips.
"Fucking son of a bitch," the Lucifer spat, "I hope you rot in the abyss you crawled out of."
Venelana felt her blood boil. She took a step forward, her heels striking the floor. "Sirzechs." The name fell like Damon striking him..... His mother’s tone was one he had not heard since he was a child, when he misbehaved during important dinners.
"How dare you?" Venelana advanced, her violet eyes fixed on his. "How dare you curse him when he spared your life? When he had the magnanimity to heal you after your own stupidity, I thought I’d taught you better..."
Sirzechs opened his mouth to respond, but Venelana raised a hand, cutting him off. "No. Do not say another word. You are going to listen to me, Sirzechs Gremory, and you are going to listen well."
She approached the bed, her fingers gripping the metal edge. Her face was a mask of cold fury, the years of noble bearing and aristocratic grace hardening around her.
"Look at what you have done. Look at the state you have put this family in. Because of your pride. Because of your need to prove that you could stand against a god. You did not think about the consequences. You did not think about your son above all."
The mention of his son struck Sirzechs like a punch to the stomach. Venelana saw the flinch in his jaw and clenched her teeth.
"Do you have any idea how Millicas felt when he learned that his father had been defeated? When he learned that you might not come back? I have been awake without taking breaks or sleeping, organizing everything and taking care of a thousand things. And Rias? Rias is completely destroyed by your condition. Do you think she is happy to see her brother in the state he is in? I warned you many times not to fill her head with nonsense. Satan only knows what thoughts are now running through my poor girl’s mind."
Venelana’s voice broke at the end, completely filled with the anger and rage only a mother could give.
"You are Lucifer. But before that, you are my son, and you are Millicas’s father, and you are Rias’s brother. And you have failed in all those roles because you thought you were untouchable."
Sirzechs kept his gaze lowered. His hand trembled over the blanket. "I know," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I know, Mother."
"You know?" Venelana laughed without humor. "Do you truly know? Because if you did, you would not be here cursing the man who spared your life. You would be thanking the Satan— or whatever deity you want to name — that Damon-sama had more mercy than you ever would have had in his place."
Sirzechs closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and when he spoke, his voice was heavier than before. "You’re right."
Venelana looked at him, waiting for more.
"You’re right about everything," Sirzechs repeated. "I have been a fool. I have put our family at risk. I have put the Underworld at risk." He opened his eyes, and they met his mother’s. "I will have to fix this. The negotiations with the Greeks, everything."
Venelana tilted her head, her fingers loosening their grip on the bed. "That is the least you can do."
"I am going to need help," Sirzechs admitted, the pride hurting in his throat. "I cannot present myself before the Greek pantheon as the one-armed Lucifer who tried to kill their god and failed."
Venelana straightened her back. Her expression changed, her fury giving way to her diplomatic side as Lady Gremory. "I will handle the negotiations with Damon and the Greeks."
Sirzechs blinked. "You?"
"I am a Gremory and a Bael. I have more years of diplomacy in the Underworld than you have years of life, Sirzechs. And besides..." Venelana paused, her face softening into something that looked like genuine concern. "I care about this family. If there is anyone who can repair the bridge you burned, it is me."
Sirzechs studied her for a long moment. His mother had always been like this — noble, intelligent, firm when necessary, and warm when it mattered. If anyone could navigate the turbulent waters of diplomacy, he had no doubt she was the right person.
"You have no idea how grateful I am to you, Mother. I trust you," Sirzechs said, exhaling. "Do whatever is necessary."
Venelana nodded, and for an instant — a fraction of a second — her lips twisted into something that was not exactly a smile. "Do not worry, my son," she said, placing a hand over his. "I will do whatever is necessary. I will make sure Lord Damon is more than pleased with the devils."
And while Sirzechs nodded, relieved to delegate that burden to his mother’s shoulders, Venelana felt a different heat move through her stomach. Images from the previous night — Damon’s hands on her hips, her name being growled against her ear — flashed behind her eyes.
Speaking with the Greeks... and negotiating with Damon... Venelana subtly rubbed her thighs beneath her dress.
Yes... 😇 She was definitely going to enjoy her new duty.
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