[From now on double chapters for this fanfic!!]
The moment the blood wine was swallowed, Genichi clearly felt two new connections take root deep within his soul.
It was a strange sensation, as if something had extended from his own soul and linked itself to two others.
Through those invisible threads, he could sense the states of Rias and Akeno—the fluctuations of their magic, their vitality, even their emotions at that very moment, all falling within the range of his perception.
Rias's emotions were steady, though there was a faint ripple beneath the surface, as if she were still digesting some important information. Akeno's emotions were far more active: curiosity, excitement, and a hint of anticipation Genichi could not quite understand.
Genichi closed his eyes and carefully felt the connection.
This was Schrift.
He had once used this skill to grant Demeter magic, to grant Astraea resurrection, and to grant Haruno Yukinoshita an ability.
Every time he engraved a Schrift, he could feel the other person's soul establish a connection with his own.
But this time was different.
This time, he vaguely sensed something else—something that felt like a resonance stirring deep within those souls.
He carefully distinguished the source of that resonance, and a guess flashed through his mind.
Perhaps Schrift was not merely a simple act of bestowal.
Perhaps, during the process of engraving a Schrift, he could also gain something from the other party.
He remembered that when he engraved a Schrift for Astraea, Astraea's power seemed to become more solid and condensed.
When he engraved one for Haruno Yukinoshita in the vengeful spirit world, his own control over magic also seemed to become more refined.
Those changes had been tiny.
So tiny that he had not noticed them at the time.
But looking back now, those changes had indeed existed.
Perhaps the true nature of Schrift was a form of exchange.
He granted power to others, and in return, they fed something back to him without either side realizing it.
The connection between souls had never been one-way.
He opened his eyes. Rias and Akeno were both looking at him.
"There are some things I need to tell you," Genichi said calmly.
He decided not to hide anything anymore.
They had already drunk the blood wine and placed their lives in his hands.
If he still could not trust them after that, then there would be no one in this world he could trust.
"I'm a transmigrator."
The instant those words left his mouth, Rias's expression changed.
Akeno's smile also froze for a moment.
"I'm not from this world. My soul shattered into countless fragments and scattered across the many worlds. Each fragment crossed into a different world and became another version of me."
"Every so often, I'm dragged into a place like an arena, where I have to fight those other versions of myself. The winner plunders everything from the loser—power, memories, abilities, all of it."
He told them his origins in full.
From his first transmigration into the vengeful spirit world, to being sent into the arena and killing the version of himself from the DxD world, to being reincarnated as a devil by Rias.
He told them the story of the DanMachi world, the revenge in the female-oriented world, and his training in the vengeful spirit world.
He did not hide anything. He laid everything bare before them.
The room fell so quiet that even the drop of a pin would have been audible.
Rias sat there, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, the tips turning white from the force.
Akeno's expression had also grown serious. Her usual smile was gone.
After a long silence, Rias finally spoke.
Her voice was a little dry.
"When did you transmigrate here?"
"When Raynare stabbed me."
Genichi looked at her, his eyes as calm as still water.
"That is why you felt I was different from the person you knew."
Rias froze.
She remembered the period right after she had reincarnated Genichi as a devil.
He had always been quiet, indifferent to everything, completely different from the ordinary high school boy she had known.
She had thought it was trauma from nearly dying. She had thought he needed time to adapt to his new identity.
She had never imagined that the "Genichi" she thought she knew had already died.
The person standing before her was a stranger from another world.
"That person…"
Rias's voice was very soft. "The Genichi who was killed by Raynare…"
"He died."
Genichi's voice was calm. "He was already close to death in the arena. I simply watched him die, then received everything from him—his body, his identity, his relationships."
Rias lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.
She was digesting this information and redefining the relationship between herself and Genichi.
The "servant" she thought she had gained had never existed from the beginning.
The Genichi she had come to know had always been the person in front of her.
After a long while, she raised her head and looked at Genichi.
"Then when did you decide to start trusting us?"
Genichi was silent for a moment.
"From the moment you drank the blood wine."
The corners of Rias's lips lifted slightly. That smile carried a trace of bitterness, a trace of relief, and an emotion Genichi could not quite understand.
"So before that, you didn't trust us at all?"
"It wasn't that I didn't trust you."
Genichi shook his head. "It was that I didn't dare to."
Rias fell silent.
She remembered those mornings when she had slept beside him, and he had carefully pushed her away.
She remembered all those little tests, and how he had always kept his distance.
She remembered those hints, and how he had always pretended not to understand.
It was not that he had been unmoved.
It was that he had not dared to be moved.
Because once he allowed himself to care, it meant handing his back to someone else.
A complicated emotion surged in her chest—heartache, relief, and a faint guilt she could not quite put into words.
She wanted to say something, but Genichi had already changed the subject.
"After a Schrift is engraved, you can obtain one of the skills or spells I possess."
His voice returned to its usual calm. "So, is there any skill or spell you want?"
Akeno's eyes lit up.
Rias also set aside the thoughts in her heart for the moment and began to consider it.
"Devour?" Rias asked after a moment of hesitation.
Akeno rejected it immediately.
"Rias, I think it would be better if you didn't choose that one."
Her voice was very serious.
"The existence of that skill may not be a good thing for us. Genichi most likely has it because he needs to devour other versions of himself to replenish and strengthen himself."
"In other words, that skill belongs specifically to Genichi. If we use it, there's a good chance it could create other problems."
Rias was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Akeno was right.
A power that strengthened oneself by devouring another person's soul truly did not seem like something an ordinary person could endure.
Perhaps only Genichi could truly control it.
"I want the Seven Deadly Sins skill."
Akeno looked at Genichi, anticipation shining in her eyes.
Genichi nodded.
"That's fine, but you can only choose three skill effects. Rias gets two."
Akeno tilted her head.
"Why?"
Genichi fell silent for a moment and carefully considered his wording.
"Perhaps because…"
He did not finish, but Rias and Akeno already understood.
Rias lowered her head, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
Of course she understood.
Because she could only choose two.
Genichi looked at their reactions and sighed inwardly.
He tried to phrase it more carefully. "The reason is probably…"
"Enough. You don't need to say it."
Rias cut him off, her voice tinged with indignation, though she sounded helpless.
She had already guessed the reason.
There was still a difference between a full step and half a step.
She had wanted the full step too, but she still had an engagement hanging over her. She could not go that far.
Rias felt wronged, but there was nothing she could say.
This was her own choice. She could not blame anyone else.
She could only accept the fact.
Genichi looked at Rias's defeated expression and found it a little amusing.
This young lady was usually so calm and composed. It was rare to see her like this.
"Then Rias, what do you want?" he asked.
Rias was silent for a moment.
"Shadow Monarch."
Genichi nodded.
"That works."
"In that case, I'll choose Shadow Monarch as well," Akeno Himejima said after glancing at Rias.
(End of Chapter)
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