DxD: The Sorcery System Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Kyoto (½)


[A Week Later]


[Noon — Nagoya]


"And I still don't see why you couldn't come."


I had to wake up early, pack, and hop on this bus to Kyoto with the student council. But who would have guessed that the entire Occult Research Club would back out at the last minute, leaving just me and the student council for this little trip?


There were supposed to be more students, but this bus was reserved for the council and the Occult Research Club.


Now, it was just the council in this massive bus.


``I mean…``


I could hear her giggles through the phone.


``It was mandatory for the council, not the clubs. Clubs can opt out if they have other important tasks.``


So unfair.


But I couldn't really complain.


There was a lot of paperwork she had to handle after her broken engagement with Riser. These matters were very political and complex, requiring her to spend considerable time dealing with the aftermath.


Speaking of aftermaths…


“Riser.”


As I mentioned his name, Rias sighed. ``You don't have to worry about him. My brother dealt with it.``


That piqued my curiosity.


“Satan Lucifer did? But how? Was he able to remove the curse or whatever was preventing the healing?”


I mean, I didn’t even know what that barrier was that could stop the Phenex healing.


But it must be that strong, right? So strong that even the most powerful Devil couldn’t fix it?


``Well…``


Or maybe I was wrong.


``My brother said it was impossible to reverse.``


Huh?


“Wait, what?”


``It was almost like it ate through the Phenex ability, like it completely rewrote his biology in the area that got hit.``


I didn’t even know how to respond to that.


I was as surprised as anyone else. I had no idea what I had used; the system wouldn’t answer me, and I had no other way of getting answers.


But the bigger question was…


“Is he still suffering?”


I waited for a few seconds before she replied.


``It depends,`` she said. ``If you mean whether he's still in pain, then no, he isn’t.``


Oh? That’s interesting.


I thought he would still be in pain if the injury remained fresh.


``My brother couldn’t get rid of the damage you caused, so he had to find another solution,`` she explained ``Just like me, he also has the Power of Destruction, but his is at a much more unfathomable level.``


I could imagine.


Rias’ power could destroy even the hardest and most complex objects, and here we’re talking about Sirzechs Lucifer.


``The Power of Destruction can consume and obliterate anything, but even it couldn’t erase the injury you inflicted.``


I could only sit in amazement at the situation.


Just how powerful is this system?


``What he managed to do was destroy the cells, effectively removing Riser’s arm from a few centimeters ahead of the injury you caused. This prevents his healing ability from reaching the injured area and forces it to heal around the part my brother removed. Basically—``


“Amputation,” I sighed.


I didn’t want to make him disabled. Sure, I couldn’t stand him, but I only intended to humiliate him at that moment, not for life.


``It’s fine,`` Rias assured me. ``While Lord Phenex was furious, Riser’s older brother, Ruval, calmed the situation at their house.``


Ruval Phenex?


Rias did mention that Riser had two older brothers, and this Ruval guy was a big shot even within the intricacies of the devil world.


``He was watching the fight with his father and mine, and since he’s known for having a calm mind, he was able to explain that the situation wasn’t your fault. He said you were just defending yourself, which led to that outcome.``


He was still Riser’s brother, and no matter how good you are, brotherhood is stronger. So why did he help me?


``I don’t know what he did, but after that, Lord Phenex has been much calmer. Of course, my brother was also involved in resolving this issue.``


He did promise me that it wouldn’t be a problem for me anymore, and I’m glad he’s kept his word.


Which means, I have to keep mine too.


``Anyway, the issues here have been resolved, so it shouldn’t cause any trouble for you. Focus on the event, and more importantly, have fun in Kyoto.``


This made me smile.


After the incident with Riser, Rias had been calling me more often, meeting me more often, and even smiling in front of me more often.


Genuine smiles.


“Yeah, I will.”


``Do be careful though,`` she added. ``Kyoto is under different management, so you’ll need to keep a few things in mind.``


I had heard about this, but I didn’t have much information.


``Sona will fill you in on everything. For now, I have to hang up,`` she said, sounding almost sad. ``Take care.``


I know she couldn’t see it, but it made me smile.


Her being worried about me.


And so, after saying our goodbyes, I finally hung up, taking a deep breath and relaxing under the bus’s AC.


It was a school-provided bus, not a train, so this journey was a bit longer.


But it seemed like we were almost there.


“We’ve finally entered Kyoto,” I heard Sona’s voice from the seat next to me. “We should arrive at the location in about half an hour.”


This whole time, she had been sitting in the seat to my left, reading a book, while her entire crew had been napping—except for Tsubaki, who was surprisingly knitting.


I didn’t know she knitted.


“Bobby Fischer?” I asked, noticing the picture of one of chess’s most legendary players.


When I mentioned his name, she looked surprised. “You know Fischer?”


“Not his games, but I do know his story.”


He was quite an eccentric player, to be honest. He got entangled in trouble countless times—not just media trouble, but deep political issues as well. His controversial opinions could have gotten him beaten by the public if he weren’t such a legend, especially his views on women.


“Well, I’m more interested in his games,” she said, removing her finger from the cover, revealing the title ‘Impossible Plays of Fischer’. She took a deep breath as she stared at the cover. “His personal life and views? I don’t like them.”


‘Women make terrible chess players because they aren’t as smart as men.’ Not my words—Fischer’s. Needless to say, many women were enraged by that and are still furious with him to this day. If he were alive now, he would’ve been a menace to society.


“But it’s still surprising that you know about Bobby Fischer,” she said with amusement. “Those who follow chess know him, because despite his odd views, Fischer is still one of the highest-rated players of all time.”


I suppose that’s true. Outside of the chess world, not many people knew of Fischer. At least, not in Japan; I can’t speak for the West.


“When did you first hear of him?” she asked, and I tried to remember.


“A while ago, if I’m not mistaken. It was back in middle school. I read about his life and struggles in a book about finding success or something. It mentioned Fischer, and I got curious about him, so I read several articles on his life.” He was an interesting man to read about. “That’s how I got to know about him.”


She sounded amused. “And you’re still not into chess?”


“Chess doesn’t entertain me,” I said honestly. “I know it’s one of the best and most challenging games for the mind, but there are other ways to improve critical thinking too. That’s why I never really got into chess.”


Chess seems to mean a lot to devils, especially to Sona. I’ve noticed that she’s very serious about studying the game, and despite all the matches she’s had in school, she hasn’t lost a single one.


“I guess…” she said. “For me, it’s possibly the best game.”


I wonder why, but I didn’t ask.


“I think we’re close,” I said, noticing some signs directing us toward the place we were supposed to stay.


She nodded. “We should be there soon.”


That reminded me of something.


“By the way, Sona,” I began, and she looked at me curiously. “Rias mentioned something about Kyoto being under a different jurisdiction than yours, and she said you would explain it to me.”


She nodded. “I’ll explain it once we arrive at the hostel. It’s a long story, and I don’t think it’s really necessary to go into too much detail.”


She did tell me not to use my powers much here, but other than that, she said it would be fine.


“I doubt you’ll get entangled in anything here. We’re only here for a few days, so it should be fine.” She smiled. “There are just a few rules you need to follow while in Kyoto, specifically because you’re part of the Supernatural. But as long as you follow these rules, you’ll be fine.”


I mean, yeah. I don’t see myself getting involved with or messing around with those in charge of Kyoto. So there shouldn’t be much to worry about, right?


As I was thinking about it, the bus finally came to a stop.


“Looks like we’ve arrived at our destination,” Sona said with a smile as her team slowly woke up. “Remember the only rule: don’t get into trouble.”


Not getting into trouble. Got it. Should be easy.


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[[A/N: Sorry about the delay, will try my best to post 2 chapters tomorrow.]]