DxD: The Sorcery System Chapter 41

Chapter 41: The Preparations

[Unknown Time — Unknown Location, Dimensional Gap]

{Kuroka}

"It's so boring out here." 

My legs dangled from the only surface around us, pointing straight into the empty void of no return.

"Things will start moving soon," Arthur said patiently, as always. "Just don't wander into enemy territory until then."

But it was boring. Sitting here and spying occasionally was no fun.

"Vali~"

It doesn't matter what they say—if the boss-man agrees, they can't stop me from going out.

"Don't cause trouble," our leader warned. "I don't care what you do outside, just don't draw attention to us."

I couldn't help but smirk as I glanced at the annoyed Arthur.

"You spoil her too much, Vali," he grumbled. "Her going out will draw attention, and don't forget the last time she wandered into devil territory."

This little...

"It's fine," Vali said, seemingly unbothered. "She's smart enough, and I have other things to deal with than taking you all on a picnic."

Was he mad?

He seemed upset about something.

"Are you alright, Vali?" Le Fay finally asked, "You seem a little angry."

Vali could be extremely rude at times, but Le Fay was the one person he never dared to speak to in an angry tone.

"Not angry, Le Fay," he assured her. "Just a little disappointed."

That made everyone serious.

"Is it something important?" 

"Do we need to be concerned?"

Bikou and Arthur asked, almost simultaneously.

Vali reassured us. "I'll handle it. It's a bit of an annoyance, but I’ll take care of it."

We immediately knew it wasn't something trivial. But if Vali said he would take responsibility, we had no reason to pry.

He was our leader, and he always dealt with every issue.

"And Kuroka," he then turned to me. "I know you're planning to go to Kuoh again."

How did he...

"You went there last time too," he continued. "I won't stop you, but I want you to do something while you're there."

Everyone’s attention shifted to us.

"The devils are dangerous, but they're no match for your strength. With your abilities, you can easily fool them." I knew where he was going with this. "So... keep an eye on them."

This made me wonder if whatever was bothering him had something to do with the devils.

"As you wish," I replied.

Since I was already planning to go, it wasn't a big deal.

…

…

[Evening — Outskirts of Kuoh]

Sitri and Gremory.

I still don't know how powerful these two families truly are.

Given their connection to the Satans, they must be incredibly strong, but I still can't accurately gauge the extent of their power.

<<Wind Blade>>

As the translucent wave of air sliced through the trees, leaving a solid mark on the massive rock, I pondered.

They say the Underworld is similar to Earth, only with a larger landmass and artificial water bodies.

I need to improve my strategies and spellcasting before the Rating Game. My magic is certainly strong, but I still haven't mastered its full potential.

At least with the Advanced Sixth Sense, I can control and scale my magic better—though I'm still not at the level I consider comfortable.

<<Aqua Field>>

This was a combination spell I’d been practicing. It didn’t do much on its own, merely creating a massive puddle around a target, which slightly restricted their movement.

However, its true power shone when combined with other spells.

For example—

<<Aquatic Tentacles>>

Multiple whip-like tentacles made entirely of water sprang from the puddle, latching onto the target and fully constricting their movements.

This was a safer and more convenient trapping mechanism compared to the earlier, more hazardous spell I’d created.

The downside was that it required two spells and was much slower.

The advantage was that it could restrain multiple targets without causing harm.

Additionally…

<<Tazed Bolts>>

Bolts of lightning shot at the puddle, each one stronger than the last.

This was an effective way to target multiple opponents simultaneously while controlling the intensity of the shock.

“Pretty good.”

Focused on practicing my magic and confident in Rias and Sona’s magical barriers, I had forgotten to remain vigilant of my surroundings.

Big mistake.

“But you’ll need stronger spells to deal with devils, meow~”

I knew that voice.

“Kuroka?”

A black cat sat peacefully atop a low tree.

“Yes, it’s me, meow!”

She jumped down, landing right in front of me, and all my active spells dissipated.

“What are you doing here?” I was surprised to see her.

I knew she was incredibly strong, but to walk into the territory of two devil heiresses and slip through their barriers—that was a risky move.

“I was bored, meow.” Even in her cat form, I could see her grin. “So, I came here to have fun, meow!”

Fun?

Here?

“And… how do you plan on having fun, exactly?” I asked, stepping closer.

“I don’t know, meow!” she replied, “But I know being with you is fun!”

I mean… I still don’t know much about her. Though I don’t dislike being near her.

She doesn’t cause harm, and last time, the only issue was that she ate all my food.

But the situation is different now.

“Do you know the Sitri and Gremory heiresses are keeping a much closer watch on this place, especially after the Fallen incident?” I had to ask.

“Eh,” she was nonchalant. “It’s no issue, meow!”

And with that, I saw her transform into her humanoid form.

Long black hair, black dress—a sort of kimono robe.

And just like last time, I was breathless at the sight of her.

“They won’t notice me, nya!” She sounded confident. “They’re still too weak to sense Ultimate Class magic, and we can easily suppress our power, nya.”

I’d heard that the higher your class, the better your control over magic, and better control meant you could easily hide your magic too.

Anyway…

“Just make sure not to get into trouble.”

Rias was extremely sensitive, and Sona was super strict about rules. This could turn into a mess if they sensed anything amiss.

“Don’t worry,” Kuroka reassured me. “I only entered after the boy keeping an eye on you left, nya!”

Kiba.

I was now at a level where I could sense supernatural beings like him easily. And if someone stronger tried to harm me, my Sixth Sense would warn me a second beforehand.

“But how have you grown so strong, nya?” She seemed amused. “I haven’t seen anyone progress so fast, not even the Longinus users, nya!”

This caught my attention.

“You’ve seen Longinus users?” Not just seen them—the way she spoke suggested she’d been in contact with one or observed one long enough to know their progress.

“Besides the point, nya!” She argued. While her constant ‘nyas’ might annoy someone who just met her, I was starting to find it endearing. “Tell me how you grew so strong, nya!”

Honestly, even I didn’t know I was progressing so quickly.

I thought this was normal in the supernatural world, as everyone I’d encountered so far had been monsters.

Then again, they were also hundreds or thousands of years old.

Does that mean I’m a genius?

No.

Don’t get too cocky, Reo.

Pride kills.

“I mean…” I looked at my palm. “I don’t know. I’m just figuring out different ways to cast magic, and maybe that’s why you think I’m stronger.”

She shook her head. “That’s not it, nya.”

She stared at me for a while, considering the possibilities before coming up with a somewhat agreeable one.

“Maybe it’s your weird magic of imagination that makes you so strong. Maybe it’s growing stronger as your imagination grows wilder, nya.”

Wild, huh?

I hadn’t done anything impressive in my opinion—certainly nothing wild.

If not for the magic being of basic grade, limiting the scope and strength of my spells, I could have summoned meteors of flame or altered the air’s composition to wipe out a large population.

But my elemental magic was still at the basic grade, and I didn’t have control over the different forms of those elements yet.

I’d expected to control ice or lava since I could control water and fire, but when I tried, I failed.

Which probably means they’re considered entirely separate elements and will be part of higher-grade elemental magic.

“But why are you suddenly training your magic so much, nya?” She was curious, and since I’d been training for a while and was also tired, I decided to entertain her.

“Because I’m helping a friend with her Rating Game.”

This immediately confused the cat-lady.

“Why?” She asked, “Humans can’t take part in Rating Games, nya.”

She took a deep sniff and muttered ‘still human’ under her breath.

“Well, it’s the Gremory heiress, and you must know she’s related to Satan Lucifer, so she somehow got an exception.”

Surprisingly, she still wasn’t convinced.

“I don’t think even a Satan can bend those rules that easily, nya.” She seemed amused. “Interesting, nya.”

Hmm, was it really that complicated?

Was it not easy for a Satan either?

Or was she underestimating the political power of a Satan, especially Lucifer?

Probably the former.

But let’s focus on the main topic for now.

“Are you… going to be hanging out?” I looked around us. “Around here?”

And she immediately shook her head. “No, idiot. I’ll be hanging out with you, nya!”

This…

Wasn’t this an issue?

“Tell me all about your adventures, nya!” She demanded, rather cutely, to be honest. “And I’m hungry too, nya! I want to eat your mom’s cooking, nya!”

“I’m not taking you near my mom,” I said sternly. “I don’t want her involved with the supernatural.”

“She won’t know, nya!” Kuroka assured me, but I found it hard to believe her. “I’ll just eat her food, nya!”

I immediately pointed at her ears. “Those cat ears. I don’t think humans have them.”

Surprisingly, she grinned.

“Cat ears? What cat ears, nya?”

“Those—”

Wait a second…

Where… did those cat ears go?

“So, now can I go have some food?”

Not only had she hidden her ears, but she also didn’t use ‘nya’ at the end of her sentence.

“I—err…”

Is this a good idea?

Probably not.

But it wasn’t the worst idea either.

Because if she wanted to cause harm, she would have the first time I met her.

“As long as you make sure my mother isn’t made aware of the supernatural, I… I’ll let you have dinner at our place.”

This made her put on the widest grin I’d ever seen on anyone.

“Sure thing!”