Chapter 71: Ancestral Grandpa
The instant I felt my composure return, I delved into my mindscape without hesitation, my fists clenched and my face warped into a livid scowl as I stared my dragon down.
"You lied," I declared in a venomous tone.
'First, you make that nonsensical suggestion about Martha, and now this? Even if you're a part of me, I have half a mind to ragdoll you across this leafy landscape like a crash test dummy!'
"How so?" He tilted his head, daring to feign ignorance.
"Don't give me that shit! You said that as long as I stuck to perception I—!"
"—wouldn't be in danger," he finished, slowly nodding to himself. "Yes, I'm well aware of what I said, and I fail to see why you think that statement's been proven false. You're still here, aren't you? Perfectly safe and sound."
He sat down on the floor, looking upon me with unmistakable boredom as he rested his cheek against his knuckles.
"You just experienced a little fright, that's all. How is your failure to maintain your composure my fault?"
'...Huh?'
He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.
"It seems you need me to spell things out for you… again. What you saw was the 'intent' infused into the Demonic Ki your mother implanted inside you."
"Intent?"
'Is that what those black threads were?'
"It spoke to you, didn't it? The first thing it did when it noticed you perceiving it was explain the fundamental concept of resisting the 'resentment' a Demonic Ki practitioner consumes, and why? Because that was what your mother wanted it to do when she injected it into you."
"Now, does that mean it doesn't pose any danger to you whatsoever? No, absolutely not. If you give it the opportunity, it'll infect every last nanometer of the Ki coursing through your meridians."
"If you prefer, you can view it in the same light as Dragonification. Should you falter, even for a second, everything you've built will come crashing down like toppling dominoes."
He flickered towards me, hitting me with a painful flick to the forehead.
"However, as long as you heed my advice and ensure that you never attempt to channel the Demonic Ki directly, your mother's intent won't have the opportunity. It'll be able to communicate with you like it just did, but nothing more."
My eyes came alight with realization.
"Those screams I heard… that was the 'resentment' Martha's consumed?"
He let out an amused exhale.
"Yes, though I imagine that's only a tiny portion of it, relative to the amount of Demonic Ki she imbued into you."
An ominous shiver crawled down my spine.
'Tiny? Those thousands upon thousands of voices were just a tiny portion of her 'resentment'? You've got to be shitting me…'
"Then… were all the hands I saw people she's killed?"
"I don't think so," he stroked his chin, deep in thought. "If your mother's body count was truly that egregious, don't you think an equally egregious number of people would still be cursing her name? I find it hard to believe even the most reclusive top-level existences would ignore a genocidal maniac of that calibre. Your mother's strong, there's no denying that—but there's always a bigger fish."
I nodded my agreement. Lord Lucifer might be a pacifist, but there's no way he'd allow someone with that much blood on their hands to remain in the Underworld.
"Think back to what Halibel said, the core component to wielding Demonic Ki is to 'consume resentment', does that necessarily mean you have to 'cause resentment' too?"
Ah, I think I understand what he's getting at.
"By that logic, if you went to the grave of someone who died bearing a grudge, would you be able to consume their lingering resentment? Even if you weren't the prime cause of their death or loathing?"
Just because someone dies doesn't mean the thing they end up loathing is their death itself. For example, someone could die thinking of a spouse who had cheated on them in their last moments, even if their death was totally unrelated.
"I think it's entirely possible," he smiled. "However, I have a feeling the 'resentment' one consumes differs in its 'quality'. I doubt the resentment absorbed from someone you directly wronged would be anywhere near as potent as the resentment absorbed from someone who's a complete stranger to you."
I blinked in confusion. "If that's the case, then why did she bother consuming that much of it?"
He hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's for the sake of substitution? As I said, there's no way your mother could've gone on such a historic massacre. So to facilitate her advancement, she made up for a lack of quality-focused resentment by focusing on mass quantity."
Hm. I suppose if you're trying to gather enough Demonic Ki to become a God, the amount would have to be nothing short of colossal.
I wonder how much of her life she spent gathering resentment?
I'm not sure how long she's spent trying to put together the last piece of her apotheosis, but based on what I've learned about the burden a Demonic Ki practitioner has to endure, it's possible she's spent more than half of her entire lifespan doing so.
Just what on earth could drive her to desire that much power so badly?
"Whatever the answer might be, it's your job to figure them out, not mine. As long as you keep it, I'm sure you'll find them eventually."
///
A week had gone by since Alduin's break began.
"Whoa-hoh! Ya' almost got me there!" Halibel snickered as the wolfman narrowly side-stepped the thrust of a radiant, golden spear.
Alduin grinned, planting the tip of Downfall Dragon Spear into the ground and using it as a pole to swing himself horizontally and pummel his foot, enveloped in Fafnir's Enhancement, straight into Halibel's fluffy chin.
For some reason, the Dragon King decided now was a good time to grace Alduin with the knowledge of the Artificial Sacred Gear's transformative capabilities.
His exact words being, 'if you're going to force me to observe such shoddy spearmanship, you might as well ease my eyes with a weapon that doesn't look like it was made in a kindergarten's arts and crafts class.'
But Alduin was fairly certain Fafnir was acting out of plain pity, after all, he still couldn't crack the code to unlocking the Gigantis Dragon's power of Negation. A fact that Fafnir never failed to remind him of, much to the former's sick satisfaction.
"Oof! That one stung!" Halibel spat out a small sliver of blood, quickly regaining his balance after having his cranium rattled. "Ya' nearly knocked out one of ma' canines!"
"If you don't start taking me seriously, you might end up wearing dentures by the time we're done." Alduin exhaled, wondering what possible reason Halibel could have to hold back his arsenal of various poisons and Curse Arts.
"Oh, uh… right… about that." Halibel rubbed his nape with evident nervousness.
Alduin narrowed his eyes, translating the wolfman's silent unease.
"She told you not to use them, didn't she?" He breathed a deeply exasperated sigh.
He'd be an idiot not to notice how Roygun's protectiveness of him had heightened since his mother's surprise visit, even though Alduin had reassured her that the Demonic Ki on his face wasn't a threat to him, she remained unconvinced.
"Techically I'm not supposed to let you know that but… yeah, pretty much." He let out an awkward chuckle. "I know it might be a little redundant of me to ask this but… is the Demonic Ki truly not dangerous to you? You're not just saying that to ease the Lady's concerns, are you?"
With his understanding of Demonic Ki's terrifying, corruptive prowess, Halibel's worry was equal to, if not greater than that of Roygun's.
"See for yourself," Alduin dropped his guard, allowing Halibel to freely sense his lifeforce. "I've had it in me for a week now, and clearly, it hasn't impacted me in the slightest."
Halibel pressed his lips together.
'True, his lifeforce appears to be perfectly stable…'
"If a complication does arise later on… you'll tell us about it, won't you?" The wolfman was well aware of how much of an emotional pillar of support Alduin was for his Lady.
If anything were to happen to him… he didn't even want to imagine what would happen to her state of mind.
"No."
With his Ki completely exposed, there was no way for him to lie to Halibel, and if he decided to mask it again, the Knight would just assume he was lying anyway.
"Why not?" Halibel asked with dissatisfaction.
"Neither of you are capable of doing anything about it, so why would I needlessly worry you? I'd rather spend my time looking for a solution instead of plaguing your minds with an unsolvable problem."
"Even so, we could help you look."
Alduin shook his head, sighing in resignation. "I appreciate the sentiment, but with the backing of two Satans, I think I'm fairly sorted resource-wise. Besides, my mother didn't imbue her Demonic Ki with the 'intent' to hurt me."
Halibel's eyes widened. "You know about 'intent'?"
"Of course, my mother's 'intent' was for me to learn how to wield Demonic Ki for myself. Sure, the Demonic Ki in and of itself is dangerous, but as long as I don't overstep my bounds, it's incapable of harming me. All she really did was implant a learning guide in my body."
Ideally, Alduin preferred to discuss Demonic Ki as little as possible, but if it would stop Halibel and Roygun from treating him like a ticking time bomb, then perhaps a certain level of disclosure was warranted.
"I see… I suppose your mother has chosen a rather… forward method of teaching." There was still plenty of caution in his voice, but there were definitely signs of it starting to subside.
In the month and some change since meeting him for the first time, Alduin had gone from just about sitting on the surface of Ultimate-Class, to someone standing comfortably at the mid to high range of the realm.
Even if it was primarily thanks to Tiamat's blood boosting his draconic constitution, strength was strength. Showing too much concern for him could come off as patronizing, regardless of how well-intended said concern was.
"That's just how she is," he shrugged, twirling the weaponized Dragon King into position. "Now then, are you going to put a little elbow grease into it, or am I going to have to keep pushing you until you do?"
Alduin wasn't at the absolute peak of Ultimate-Class like Halibel, but like the wolfman, he too possessed a wide arsenal of troublesome abilities. Not to mention that he was perfectly capable of maintaining a drawn-out battle with Partial Dragonification active.
"Nah, I know better than that."
For Halibel to use anything other than his best against him would be naught but a waste of time.
Wordlessly, the Knight brandished a kunai and cut off a handful of fur, tying it around the weapon's handle.
A semi-translucent, dark-purple smog covered the armament as Halibel activated his Curse Arts, his hand arching backwards in preparation to throw it.
'Eh?'
But instead of hurling it at Alduin, he tossed his kunai to the side, letting it land underneath the cherry blossom tree closest to them.
"But before we continue, I think we ought to deal with that unwelcome spectator over there." Halibel's golden pupils contracted, focusing on the tree's shadow, or rather, a separate shadow that attached itself to it.
It took a strange, humanoid shape and was frantically moving all over the place, desperately attempting to escape, only to be held in place by Halibel's kunai.
"How long have they been there?" Alduin asked in an even tone. Their presence was certainly a surprise, but his senses didn't see the bizarre two-dimensional creature as much of a threat.
"No clue, I only noticed their presence when they hopped over from that tree's shadow." He pointed to the second-closest cherry blossom. "If they had stayed here, I doubt I would've noticed 'em at all."
Granted, it was hard for both Alduin and Halibel to pay attention to their surroundings while they were sparring with one another.
They both walked over to the tree, looming over the creature with immense intrigue.
'What exactly is this thing supposed to be?' Alduin crouched down, wrapping his index finger in a thin layer of Ki and poking the shadow. 'Huh, it's like dipping my finger in a cold puddle of goo.'
Through the creature's aura, Alduin could tell that it was deeply panicked and afraid, but other than that, he hadn't the faintest clue what he was looking at.
Halibel pressed his foot atop the embedded kunai.
"Oi, whatever you are, you better start talking before I toss another curse at you, and trust me, the next is going to do a lot more than just hold ya' down." He breathed a sinister chuckle, flaring his canines.
The shadow's erratic movements came to a quick halt, all the panic in its aura quickly being swallowed by unparalleled dread.
Slowly, the shadow started to recede as a dark, murky liquid lifted upwards from its position, coming together to form a three-dimensional, faceless humanoid figure.
It made no sound, simply staring at the kunai nailed through its foot.
"I think it wants you to let it go," Alduin inferred.
"Yeah, I got that." Halibel stomped the ground, kicking the kunai upwards and sheathing it back into his kimono. "No funny business, alright? Intruding on the Lady's territory and spying on her fiancé ain't somethin' I can just overlook."
"Hey, we don't know whether or not he was spying on me."
Once the kunai was removed, a mouth formed on the shadowy figure's face.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry for spying on you Lord Alduin! P-please accept my deepest apologies!" The creature got on all fours and prostrated himself before Alduin, planting his forehead against the grass.
"You were saying?" Halibel grinned.
'Good grief…' Alduin facepalmed before crouching down and leveling with the creature.
"Three questions. One, who are you? Two, what are you? And three, why were you spying on me?"
The creature stood up straight, firmly planting both arms at either side like a soldier called to attention.
"M-my name is Alvus! A Shade sent by His Majesty to notify you of his invitation!"
"His Majesty?" Alduin tilted his head.
Alvus' eyes shimmered with pride. "Yes! I serve as the humble attendant of His Majesty, Lord Ze—!"
Swiftly, Alduin's hand shot out and covered Alvus' mouth, his eyes darkening as he predicted the Shade's next words.
"Halibel," he lowered his tone. "Could you give us a moment alone? I'd like to speak with him in private if that's alright."
Halibel paused, carefully scrutinizing him.
"Too many secrets ain't gonna do your health any favors," he said without elaboration. He'd be an idiot not to know the name Alvus was about to drop. "I would know, half a Shinobi's job is to hold onto them for dear life."
"I'm aware."
'Are you really?' Halibel sighed, raising his hands in a surrendering motion before flickering elsewhere.
Alduin snapped his fingers, erecting a silencing barrier around himself and the Shade.
"Don't answer, just nod or shake your head." Slowly, he withdrew his hand from Alvus' face. "Were you about to say Zekram?"
Stiffly, Alvus nodded.
'It looks like you were right after all, Lady Venelana.' He grumbled inwardly.
"Does this 'invitation' have anything to do with my mother?"
"I don't know… I was simply instructed to invite you to His Majesty's castle. I wasn't made aware of any other details." The Shade swallowed a nervous gulp, deeply intimidated by Alduin's eerie, fixed stare.
"I see, it doesn't seem like you're lying." Alduin hummed, the metaphorical gears in his mind turning at full speed. "When does he expect me?"
'There's no way a political snake like him isn't aware of my relationship with Serafall and Lord Lucifer, so it's unlikely he'll do anything to me… but 'unlikely' isn't an absolute guarantee, now is it?'
Alduin doubted almost everything that came out of his father's mouth—except for his training advice and his words of caution regarding the den of vipers that was House Bael. Those were 100% genuine.
"He would prefer you arrive today or tomorrow morning."
"That's a little sudden, don't you think?"
"...Should I inform him that your arrival will be delayed?"
Ideally, Alvus wanted to say something along the lines of, 'How dare you make His Majesty wait! You should be honored to receive his invitation at all!'
But the Buné's eyes were just too damn terrifying… so he couldn't muster up the courage to do so.
"You can tell him I'll be there at my earliest convenience," Alduin snapped again, dispelling the silencing barrier.
If the invitation had something to do with his mother, then she'd probably just scoop him up and drag him over to House Bael herself, so there wasn't any need to rush.
"Understood," the Shade replied with a firm nod, returning to his two-dimensional form and tree-hopping into the distance.
'I should probably tell Roygun in advance before I head off, happy wife, happy life and all.'
///
"No," Roygun replied emotionlessly while sitting down at her study, refusing to even glance at me as she sorted through an assortment of government-issued files regarding land allocation—presumably for House Belphegor's relocation into the territory of the 72 Pillars.
"No?" I repeated, assuming a tone that conveyed both displeasure and puzzlement. "I don't believe I was asking you a question. I'm not sure why he invited me, but I think it's only right that I at least see what he wants as a courtesy—"
"This isn't open to discussion, my love." She didn't hesitate to cut me off, still refusing to look me in the eye as she spoke. "Zekram is a venomous, shrewd snake of a devil, and that trait of his hasn't diminished in the slightest with age. Those black veins crawling all over your face already have me worried enough, the thought of leaving you in that man's presence on top of that would turn my hair gray within seconds."
'What's with her? Her protectiveness isn't anything new, but there's definitely something suspicious about how quickly she's trying to dismiss this.'
I took a mental step back, focusing my everything onto her aura and reading her emotions.
There was plenty of concern for my safety, which was to be expected. There was also a heapload at the mention of Zekram himself, which is also perfectly understandable. But there's something else underneath that.
A different kind of fear, one I can't quite put my finger on. After all, I'm no mind reader—I can only interpret the cause behind someone's emotions based on the context of the discussion.
As I stood in perplexed, pondering silence, she put her papers down and finally looked up at me, wearing a painfully obvious faux smile.
"The chefs will be preparing lunch soon, is there anything new you'd like to try today?" She attempted to veer the conversation elsewhere, focusing on the fact that I've been taste-testing Extra Demon cuisine throughout the past week.
My gaze steeled. "First of all, I know for a fact that Halibel's already assured you about the non-threat my mother's Demonic Ki poses. And secondly," I took a firm step forward. "Am I supposed to find your dismissal amusing?"
Her smile vanished just as quickly as it had appeared, the corners of her lips drooping into an honest frown.
With an exaggerated sigh, she pushed her files to the side and folded her hands beneath her chin, a distinct coldness flashing through her hot-pink irises.
"Are you seriously going to start an argument with me over this?" She cautioned, her demeanour gradually shifting from that of her bubbly, warm-self which I loved dearly, to that of a bonafide Satan-Class Devil exercising her authority.
"Maybe I am, you know how stubborn I can be." I crossed my arms, my posture tensing up ever so slightly in response to the tonal one-eighty she just performed. "It doesn't seem like you trust me to take care of myself in front of Zekram."
I expressed the same iciness in return.
"I'll have you know I'm perfectly aware of his nature, my father did a good job of ensuring that—despite all his many parental flaws. I'm not meeting him to engage in a political one-on-one, it's a mere conversation."
"What part of 'this isn't open to discussion' don't you understand?" What was once a frown morphed into a straight-up scowl. "I'm not just telling you this as your fiancée, but as your elder. I have experience dealing with Zekram in person, you don't. It's as simple as that."
"Besides, you promised me you would spend half of your break with me, didn't you? Don't tell me you plan on going back on your word only a week into your promise?"
The strange impression Roygun's words were giving me finally made sense, this wasn't a matter of mere concern—she was speaking with desperation.
"What are you hiding from me?" I said without skipping a beat, her split-second flinch serving as confirmation.
She was quick to reapply the demeanour of someone who only wanted the best for me, but it was already too late. Her emotions were now clear to me, and I would continue to press down on them until I uncovered their cause.
It's not the fact that she's keeping a secret from me alone that I find bothersome, after all, I'd be the biggest hypocrite in the Underworld if I did. The problem is that whatever she's hiding is related to Zekram Bael, not just herself.
I find that deeply disturbing. She must be delusional if she expects me to gloss over that, regardless of our relationship.
Or perhaps it's exactly because of our relationship that I can't let it go? Who's to say? Heh, I hardly understand my own mind most of the time.
"You've got some nerve speaking to me like that," with weighted steps, she walked around her desk towards me. Her posture was stiff as a board, and her eyes gleamed with ferocious insistence.
"You're deflecting," I met her imposing glare head-on with narrowed eyes. "Zekram's going to tell me something you don't want me to hear, isn't he?"
She clicked her tongue.
"Enough!" She grabbed my wrist, clenching with all her Satan-Class strength. "You're not going to see him, and that's final! If Serafall or Sirzechs were here, they'd tell you the exact same thing!"
"So what? They're not here. It's just you and me, and you aren't telling me the truth." Unfliching, I continued to press her. "If you don't want me to see Zekram so badly, tell me what it is you're hiding so I won't have to hear it from his mouth instead."
She ground her teeth together, looking at me with the burning desire for me to shut up and blindly obey her.
It was a disgusting, twisted expression. One I absolutely couldn't ignore if I claimed to actually love this woman.
"Alduin," her voice weighed down on my shoulders like a boulder, her desperation swallowing every trace of warmth. "Don't make me force you."
'Good grief, I wasn't expecting us to have a fight like this so early on in our relationship.'
With a weak, pitiful smile, I used my free hand to cup her cheek, slowly caressing my thumb against her skin.
"Don't worry, you won't need to."
After all, I'm not truly 'me.'
I'm just a Wood Clone left behind by the original, who switched me out the instant Roygun had started approaching me. At that moment, he already deduced that she wouldn't be letting him go, regardless of how he tried to sway her.
Of course, pulling a switcharoo like that and bolting away is a rather tall task when your target resides at the higher end of Satan-Class, even with our Partial Hypnosis.
Unless we could theoretically strengthen the power of that ability.
Perhaps with the help of an ability sourced from a certain Dragon King? One that could, theoretically, 'enhance' our abilities?
As I began to crumble to wooden flakes on the ground, I observed Roygun's expression of sheer, utter horror, like her entire world was about to come crashing down on her.
"There's no need to look so distraught, whatever I end up learning, I assure you we'll get through it—together." I offered a comforting smile. "Unless you're cheating on me of course, if that's the case, the real me will probably be coming back to kill you."
I'd advise vacating the Underworld before 'I' come back if that's true.
///
It's time for Alduin to finally meet his good ol' grampy-gramps Zekram Bael! The nicest old-soul of the Underworld who has never engaged in any wrongdoings whatsoever, contrary to the slanderous claims of the Four Great Satans! 😄
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