"No. If I am the open book you say I am, then the answer should be clear to you, elder."
Magari only smiled and did not intrude further.
[You would be a good father, Summer. If you were not, Shirone most certainly would not have sought you out.]
.
..
…
|DxD|- Chapter 122- Beyond The Veil
…
..
.
Sairaorg had very few things he valued in his life. His mother, his brother, and his dreams were amongst the highest. Igor could've made the list if he weren't so fast.
[I'll break his knees after this.]
Sairaorg clicked his tongue. All around him was forest, forest, and more forest. It had been a few minutes since he'd run into the forest after Igor, and it hadn't taken long for him to figure he had been caught in an illusion.
He calmly sat on the ground with his back against the tree. He snapped a blade of grass and stuck it between his teeth.
"Granny Cat. Igor has never been faster than me, you know?"
He stretched out his arms and yawned. Since this was an illusion, he'd fulfil a desire of his without guilt. It was the perfect opportunity…to lie flat!
"I'm intrigued."
"Ahh!"
Sairaorg was startled out of his wits. He'd only closed his eyes for a moment, only for Magari to appear before him.
"Oh? From the way you called out, I thought you had sensed me. Don't tell me I was mistaken?"
"..."
Magari was mocking him, wasn't she. That had to be the case. Sairaorg refused to believe otherwise, not with that subtle grin she had.
"Come, Fish. I've learned what I need from you."
Magari turned and walked away, and Sairaorg quickly got up and scampered after her.
"Hold on, Granny Cat. What do you mean? I haven't told you anything."
"You didn't need to."
Magari looked at him as she walked.
"The great Sairaorg Bael has three things he cherishes: his mother, his brother, and his ambition. Quite strange for a devil, but a pleasant strangeness nonetheless."
"Wha—…huh?"
Sairaorg paused with a questioning finger raised. He struggled to form words, because he was absolutely sure his mind wasn't read.
"How…when?"
"Don't be surprised, Fish. This is merely one of the many things sages can do. I'll teach you slowly, so do not worry."
"..."
A hint of wariness crept into Sairaorg's eyes. The possibility of his mind being a stalk to be picked clean was nothing short of concerning.
[No. Thinking upon it, only surface thoughts should be vulnerable.]
Thoughts were still thoughts, and Magari was also an Ultimate-Class. Rather than hold his guard against such a person, it was best to train as hard as he could. That way, he could be sure his thoughts would be protected.
Sairaorg followed Magari until they walked past the tree line into a very wide field. Far at the centre of it was a massive tree, and the small figure sitting cross-legged beneath its shadow was Igor. There was an aura of peace around him, one of a master who'd weathered many storms without fear.
"Tch. Acting cool…"
Sairaorg grumbled to Magari's amusement. The odd relationship between these two boys was odder in how natural it seemed.
There wasn't a lick of malevolence in Sairaorg, and Igor seemed to see him as a true compatriot. She was curious to see how the coming century would fare if these two boys were given the chance to grow.
[Perhaps they will be the sun after the storms.]
.
..
…
|DxD|
…
..
.
Magari lay beneath the shade of the night tree. Beyond where its shadow ended, soft grass continued unimpeded towards the circumference.
Igor and Sairaorg towered before her as warriors who had no doubt seen their fair share of blood. They were imposing as they were powerful, a rather proud achievement for boys their age.
[Diehauser really gave me a monumental task. No wonder he insisted I train them.]
Diehauser gloriously called them anomalies, and rightfully so. These boys would surely grow to surpass her generation if given time.
"Alright then, you two. Before I shed a single word of advice, I want to know more about my potential pupils. Consider it as satisfying this old woman's curiousity."
A tail rose and pointed at Sairaorg.
"Let's start with you, Fish. What is your biggest aspiration?"
"Sheesh. More questions?"
Sairaorg mock-complained, but Magari's tail remained pointed at him without a reply. He got the point and chuckled to himself.
"Alright, Granny Cat. Listen closely. It might sound stupid to you, but it's something I'll chase until I achieve it or die trying."
Sairaorg punched his palm and pointed at himself with his thumb.
"Take a good look, Granny Cat. You're looking at the future Satan of the Underworld."
He proclaimed with a confident grin. Magari saw only pure resolve without a hint of doubt in his eyes. He strongly and firmly believed in his goal.
"Ahh. You wish to be a paragon amongst men?"
"And more than that. I'll surpass the current Satans and become the strongest devil in the world. You can count on that, granny!"
Magari smiled fondly. Devils were tricksters often more conniving than foxes, but for such exuberance, there was no faking it.
"With such passion, what room is there for me to doubt?"
"You got that right, granny. There's no room to doubt!"
Magari kept Sairaorg in her eyes. He did not possess the typical temperament of devils as she had come to learn, but of the simple-minded and thirsty desire to succeed through his merits. For a devil who had awakened touki, there was no need to doubt their will.
"Then I look forward to your future, Sairaorg."
She shifted her attention to Igor, another future paragon of this generation.
"And you, Summer. What is your aspiration?"
Chapter 122
END