Chapter Three "Investigations"
In a large room, Rias Gremory and Akeno sat down and reviewed the many papers before them.
"Is this all the intel we can gather regarding Issei Hyoudou?" Rias asked her friend.
"That is all of it," Akeno nodded her head. "I share the same thoughts, but it seems Issei has been hiding his true self incredibly well."
"What have my clan's intelligence network doing?" Rias sighed in frustration. "If Issei had been an assassin he could have killed me or as undercover agent collected crucial intel to be used against me…"
"No one is infallible…" Akeno shook her head.
"True," Rias agreed grudgingly. "I hate that this happened! Onii-sama will use this opportunity to strengthen intelligence and security groups that monitor and protect me…"
"Rias…" Akeno spoke in cautionary tone.
"I know! Onii-sama is doing it for my safety…" Rias sighed in frustration. "I just hate how I am treated like a defenseless child, who needs to be constantly monitored and protected…"
Rias cursed her luck. It was times like this that reminded Rias that the price of being the future clan leader of the Gremory clan and younger sister of a Great Satan. At this moment she wished nothing more to be born a common devil to get away from the constant monitoring and protection that followed her everywhere.
"Do you want me to try and talk to your brother?" Akeno inquired.
"No, it's not going to work." Rias sighed. "Onii-sama will not be swayed. He is too stubborn and even if he doesn't do anything, Otou-sama and Okaa-sama will increase the number of experts to monitor and protect me…"
"I'm sorry that I cannot help you, Rias…" Akeno made complicated smile.
"I appreciate the sentiment," Rias smiled. "What do you make of my plan regarding Issei?"
"It is certainly going in the right direction," said Akeno. "A Red Dragon Emperor is worth much more than the benefits that Raiser Phenex could ever hope to bring to the Gremory Clan. Your father would likely break your political marriage to Riser if it meant to bring Issei Hyoudou into the Gremory Clan."
"You are right. That is exactly what I thought when the idea to pretend to be Issei's lover popped into my mind." Rias spoke in cheerful tone.
"Do you think your parents will be convinced that you are truly in love with Issei Hyoudou?"
"Of course, not at first," Rias shook her head. "I will have to put some effort to make it seem real."
"Have you considered the possibly that you might actually fall in love with Issei?" Akeno asked in a concerned tone.
"If I fell in love with Issei let it be." Rias nonchalantly shrugged. "No one will make a fuss if my partner is the current Red Dragon Emperor."
"What if Issei is pretending to be your lover for nefarious reasons?" Akeno asked, playing the devil's advocate.
"I hope he isn't or I will personally kill him!" Rias shouted angrily as he gave off a murderous aura. The area around her started to glow red and black as her power grew in strength.
"Rias please calm down!" Akeno shouted.
"Alright…" Rias replied as she calmed down somewhat. "Now I am starting to feel paranoid after what you said. I want several more batteries of checks on Issei Hyoudou? For some reason I have a feeling that he might be connected to Hero Faction."
"Hero Faction? Are you worried at the possibility that Issei might have not been hiding his true personality or abilities, but changed drastic because he had awoken a spirit of a hero?" Akeno asked.
"Well if we look at history, those who have woken their dormant spirit of a hero undergo personality change and rapid gain in combat prowess. Those past examples exactly match Issei Hyoudou's case, and currently many of these humans that awoken a spirit of a hero are gathering in Hero Faction. So, I believe there is a chance that Issei may be connected with them, or at the very least will be connected to them in the future." Rias explained.
"Which spirit of hero do you think Issei inherited?" Akeno asked.
"Hard to tell. Heroic Spirits range from the most famous humans of all time to those forgotten by the sands of time. I have seen no clues to the spirit that he gained." Rias replied.
"Actually, we do have some clues. I investigated the scene where Issei killed the fallen angel. What I discovered was that Issei had used Kanshou and Bakuya."
"Kanshou and Bakuya?" Rias raised a brow.
"A pair of twin sabers from China. There were named after blacksmith couple that forged it. It was made during the Spring and Autumn Period of China. The legend about them is not noteworthy compared to other legendary weapons." Akeno explained.
"You are saying, Issei might have the spirit of a Chinese hero?" Rias inquired in a very interested tone.
"It's a possibility as there are few records regarding the two sabers that Issei used." Akeno nodded.
"I suddenly got the feeling that the spirit that Issei has might actually be very powerful," said Rias with a frown as she recalled her interaction with Shirou.
"How powerful are we talking about?" Akeno asked.
"Ultimate-class?" Rias made a wild guess.
"What?!"
- O -
"What the heck is this partner?" Ddraig asked in disbelief at the sight before him.
"Yea, I had the same opinion when I first saw it too." Shirou chuckled as he recalled that moment.
What sat before Shirou was a unique lab and workshop. The lab and workshop combined aspects of the past, present and future. Some equipment and architecture were a combination of eras. Others representing the technology and fashion of a particular era of human history. The lab and workshop were very large. It could easily house hundreds of scientists and engineers, and each workstation was distinct to its user.
"This is Chaldea's Research and Development Division." Shirou said in a reminiscent tone as he imagined people that had once worked in Chaldea passing by him, talking and working for the continuation of mankind.
"This is a separate Reality Marble from the one you call, Unlimited Blade Works. You should only have one, but I have seen two so far. I have a feeling you have more. How many more do you have?" Ddriag asked.
"How knows? It all depends on the legends associated with the Master of Chaldea." Shirou chuckled as he decided to keep the number a secret as future surprises.
"Why are we here?" Ddraig asked.
"I have noticed many abnormalities of the history of this world compared to the other worlds I have been. I want to conduct several experiments to validity some of my suspicions." Shirou replied.
"The hell? I thought you were a combat-orientated mage given the nature of Unlimited Blade Works." Ddraig commented in disbelief.
"Argh…" Shirou sheepishly scratched his head as what Ddraig said might have been true once upon a time before his time with Chaldea. "Well that is no longer the case. Why do you think I have a Noble Phantasm dedicated for research and development of new magic and technology?"
"This is a Noble Phantasm?! Partner, what did you do in your previous life for you to have this kind of Noble Phantasm?" Ddraig shouted in surprise.
"A magician never reveals their secrets." Shirou responded in an enigmatic tone as he started to grab equipment and material for his experiments.
Several minutes later Shirou looked at the results of his experiment.
"I thought it had been strange. My instincts were correct," said Shirou as he looked at a computer screen. "There are traces of True Ether in the atmosphere. It seems like this world is very similar to the Atlantic Losebelt, where the Age of Gods never ended."
"Partner, this current age is not the Age of Gods. Today's era known as the Age of Man." Ddraig replied.
Shirou pondered deeply. He recalled his memories of his current incarnation, Issei Hyoudou. Those memories recalled nothing unusual about the world at least in the non-magical side, it was nearly the same as his previous life. What he clearly knew was that this world wasn't the one he had lived in or the many other worlds/timelines had visited. Ddraig was a clear example. Alaya would never allow a powerful dragon such as Ddraig wouldn't be able to exist for any period of time on human-controlled Earth, they could only survive in the Reverse Side of the World.
"How is the Age of Man exist if Alaya would allow powerful non-humans that are not part of Gaia such as you to exist on human-controlled Earth?" Shirou asked.
"It is the Age of Man because the gods and magical beings cannot act as they wished without consequences. Since the birth of Alaya, which marked the end of the Age of Gods, she would tolerate the actions of non-humans within a certain limit. If anyone passed the limits, well they might wish they never crossed Alaya's bottom line… Gods have fallen as a result of pissing of Alaya such as massacring millions of humans through indirect or direct means." Ddraig replied.
Shirou sighed in relief to hear that this world was very similar to his past life's. He might have mixed feelings about Alaya, but Shirou couldn't deny that it had only humanity's best interest in mind.
"Well from the standards I am used, I would say we are in between the Age of Gods/Man." Shirou quipped.
"If you want to redefine a term, that is up to you, Partner," said Ddraig.
"Ddraig I have been wondering for a while. Since I have basically inherited you, are there any dangers that I might face? For some reason, I have a feeling that I need to regain the strength of my previous life quickly." Shirou spoke in agitated tone.
"Your instincts are really sharp, partner," said Ddraig in approval. "The danger you are feeling is likely to do with being this generation Red Dragon Emperor."
Shirou cursed his luck. He should have known that trouble would come after him when he had learned about Ddraig. Power tended to attract attention, and from the looks of things Ddraig likely provided incredible amounts of power to the dragon's host.
"How powerful are the enemies I should expect?" Shirou asked as he mentally prepared himself.
"The strongest are gods…" Ddraig replied in awkward tone.
A string of cursed came out as Shirou bitterly groaned about his misfortunate. Gods, or Divine Spirits, he had faced gods in the past. A few had been even slain by him. At the beginning he had needed the help of Servants and at his peak with the magic and technology developed by Chaldea he had been able to slay lesser gods by himself. Yet that was all in the past. In his current state, he was weak as an ant. He needed to hurry to reestablish his former strength if he wanted to have any chance of surviving the enemies brought by having Ddraig.
"Ddraig I am about to conduct several experiments that cannot be interrupted unless it is an emergency," said Shirou as he grabbed the necessary material and equipment he needed to use.
"Got it, partner." Ddraig replied and he became quiet.
For several hours, Shirou conducted a battery of experiments. These experiments involved physical and mentally exercises of all sorts. He repeated the experiments not just once, but a minimum of three times because he wanted the most accurate data possible. Shirou was physically and mentally exhausted by the time he finished his experiments.
"Let's see the results," said Shirou as he tiredly walked over to a computer. "Hmmhhpphmmm… The results were much better than I had expected. My body seemed to have undergone a rapid transformation after regaining my memories."
"Partner, why does the data on computer screen seem something out of the Dungeons and Dragons boardgame?" Ddraig asked in disbelief.
"You know what Dungeons and Dragons is? That is completely unexpected." Shirou responded in surprise.
"My last host, the previous Red Dragon Emperor, was a passionate fan of D&D. That's why I have some rough idea of what the words on the computer screen mean." Ddraig explained. "Can you explain the scale used for these Levels and Stats? How do they translate to real life?"
Shirou smiled before even thinking about responding to Ddraig. What he was about to tell Ddraig was an accumulation of the brightest and wisest human minds from across multiple timelines and worlds. He looked around proudly as empty workstations where he could recall the sight of scientist and engineers working tirelessly to develop the magic and technology that had created the wonders that Shirou was going to describe to Ddraig.
"I need to make clear that there are certain terms displayed on the computer screen that are not the same as what is used in Dungeons and Dragons or any other RPG game. Intelligence is one such example. How to quantify how smart someone is both controversial and difficult to measure. So instead the word intelligence was used to describe it took a person to process data. Other traditional terms used in RPGs like Wisdom and Charisma are not measured at all for various reasons that I will not explain right now." Shirou spoke as he reviewed the data on himself once more.
Shirou Emiya
Age: 17
Level: 1
Stats:
Vitality: 1.0000321
Mana: 0.94512321
Strength 1.1586136
Magic Circuits: 0.82689521
Agility: 0.986256147
Intelligence: 0.7245672
Senses: 0.92686246
"I can understand why someone's willpower and charisma might not be measured. This is the real world and those two traits could easily fluctuate depending on the situation," said Ddraig in an understanding tone.
"Exactly as you said," Shirou nodded. "This is the real world so without a few rare situations people don't just go up a level unless of special circumstances such as undergoing a magic ritual, awakening a dormant bloodline or something similar."
"So how does someone Level Up?" Ddraig asked in a half-serious tone as he tried to hide amusement.
"As I said before special circumstance aside," said Shirou as he recalled the marvelous measurement system that Chaldea had invented. "When someone Levels Up depends on a variety of factors, but generally a Level is calculated by the total sum of Stats."
"Interesting," Ddraig mused. "Could you give me some examples of what people would be using this system you told me about?"
"Most humans will never surpass Level 1, and only reach very close to Level 2 at the peak of their lives. Humans with special training or talent can range anyway between Level 3 to Level 40. The peak of humankind usually ranges from Levels 50-70. Usually only Servants have any chance of reaching anything beyond Level 70." Shirou explained.
"What level would a god be?" Ddraig asked.
"On average the weakest god should be round about…" Shirou was cut off when he detected spatial distortion.
The Noble Phantasm, Chaldean Lab/Workshop, disappeared and Shirou soon found himself in the forest.
A handsome and lean-looking man, who seems to be in his early 20's, with shoulder length crimson red hair and blue-green eyes appeared. Besides him was a beautiful young woman appearing to be in her early twenties with back-length silver hair that features a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest is let down which ends in twin braids and red eyes.
"Oh, you must be Issei Hyoudou," said the crimson-haired man as he looked at Shirou. "My name is Sirzechs Lucifer."
"Are you related to Rias Gremory?" Shirou asked as he spotted a remarkable similarity Sirzechs had with Rias.
"That is correct. I am Rias's older brother." Sirzechs nodded. "This besides me is my wife, Grayfia Lucifuge."
Shirou eyed the man suspiciously. The man was powerful. He was stronger than most gods Shirou had encountered in his time as a Chaldean Master. Sirzechs wasn't the strongest, but he was ranked in the categories of most powerful Divine Spirits that Shirou had encountered in the past. Shirou also kept an eye on the woman beside Sirzechs. The woman while not as powerful was a level below Sirzechs.
Partner, this is one of the four leaders of the devils, also known as a Great Satan. Ddraig informed Shirou.
So that explains the powerful people that I sense. They must be protecting Sirzechs. Shirou thought as he eyed the rough locations of several invisible people. "There is no point hiding. I know where you are and your purpose: to protect Sirzechs-san."
"Impressive. You might not be that strong right now, but your perception is beyond your strength." Sirzechs clapped. "You can show yourselves. We are all friends here since this young man might become my brother-in-law in the future."
Several people revealed themselves. All of them were male. There were three people. One strongly resemblance someone he knew. The two others carried an aura that Shirou recognized.
"Souji Okita and Surtr." Shirou guessed by the familiar auras he detected. "A descendant of Beowulf?"
"You know who the members of my Peerage are." Sirzechs noted in surprise. "That makes things easier. Everyone knows who the other is. There is no need for introductions."
Shirou looked at one of Sirzech's bodyguard with surprise. Souji Okita's appearance surprised him. He was vastly different from the female Saber-class Servant from Shirou's time as a Chaldean Master. Still the difference in appearance didn't trouble Shirou too much. It became something that he quickly adapted too. This was not the first time that he had met people that was the same person, but of different gender due to different timelines or parallel worlds (Arturia's male counterpart, Arthur Pendragon came to mind).
"May I know your name?" Shirou asked the man with striking resemblance to Beowulf.
"I share the same name as my ancestor, Beowulf," the man replied.
All of a sudden, Shirou had the feeling that the man before might not just simply be someone that had a striking resemblance to his ancestor and sharing the same name. The sheer chances of a descendant, several centuries later, looked exactly the same as their ancestor was incredibly unlikely. He had the feeling that Beowulf might not actually be a descendant, but a possible reincarnation of himself. That made Shirou make a special note to investigate later before he focused his attention on Sirzechs.
"Okita, Surtr, Beowulf, please give us some privacy. I want to talk some family matters with my sister's boyfriend," said Sirzechs. His friends nodded and left before Sirzechs returned his attention back to Shirou. "I will be blunt. Did you do anything to my sister? My younger sister suddenly announce she has a boyfriend when she had never shown any interest in any boys in the past."
Shirou weighed carefully how he should respond. He was quite confident that he could lie without giving himself away, but Shirou got the feeling that lying might not be a good idea even if he was able to deceive Sirzechs. After thinking about the matter for a while he quickly came to a swift decision.
"To be honest, I didn't even personally know about your sister until last night. Somehow Rias discovered my status as this generation's Red Dragon Emperor and wanted to use me to get out her politically arranged marriage." Shirou replied honestly.
"Oh, Rias… Is the pressure and stress of having to marry Riser Phenex that much that you would throw aside your reputation and that of the Gremory Clan…?" Sirzechs sighed. "Thank you for your honesty. I give you my blessing if this is what Rias truly wants. I hope you don't take advantage of my sister. If you do then I will make you regret it."
Shirou nodded. He didn't doubt Sirzechs would likely carry out his promise with devastating efficiency. The red-haired man seemed the type that was incredibly protective of his kin and would make the world burn if his family was harmed.
"I understand," said Shirou. "What personally brings you to my home? You could have easily sent a message or a representative, even talk through non-personal means."
"I wanted to meet my potential brother-in-law." Sirzechs replied and before Shirou could protest he interrupted Shirou. "Who knows about the future? You might actually make my sister fall in love with you. It wouldn't be the first time that someone has faked having a lover only to really fall in love."
"That…" Shirou at a loss of words. "…might happen…" He grudgingly ceded as it was not impossible that he or Rias might fall in love with him in the future. "So, you wanted to know what kind of person I am right? I hope I hadn't left any bad impressions."
"Your decision to tell the truth is appreciated," Sirzechs smiled. "You don't seem to be the type to take advantage of my sister, but what do you plan to do now?"
"To be honest, it's not like I want to do this, but I might have to use the status as Rias's boyfriend… for selfish means…." Shirou replied.
"You feel threatened because there are several people out for you. There are many that have grudges against the previous Red Dragon Emperors who would wish to settle the score of with you. Others will feel threatened with the appearance of this generation's Red Dragon Emperor. You want to use your fake status to gain time and resources to grow." Sirzechs said in understanding tone.
"That is right," Shirou nodded his head. "I apologize if I have offended you with my words or intentions."
"Offend me?" Sirzechs started to laugh. "I am more than happy to help! It doesn't matter if you fall in love with my younger sister. To earn the favor of the current Red Dragon Emperor is more than enough for me to invest in you."
Shirou sighed in relief. He had been expecting this would happen, but he never knew if the future unfolded as he had wanted.
"How much support can you offer?" Shirou asked.
"I cannot offer too much resources at first." Sirzechs replied. "You understand why… right?"
Shirou understood Sirzechs' reluctance to provide him with so much resources. Sirzechs' decision was completely rational one. No sane investor would provide large amounts of funds to an unknown and new company. The Great Satan was going to play it safe and only invest heavily when he knew that he would get his investment, plus profits, returned in the future.
"Yes, I do." Shirou nodded. "What is the price?"
"At your current state there is not much you can do for me right, but there is one thing you could do for me right now. That is to monitor my younger sister and report back anything that might warrant my attention." Sirzechs replied.
A frown formed. Shirou found it very bizarre that Sirzechs was asking to spy on his younger sister. The intelligence network at Sirzechs' disposal would outstrip whatever he could possibly achieve.
As if reading Shirou's mind, Sirzechs started to explain, "My sister is very vocal about her privacy. She has made some extreme threats and nearly carried them out several times to keep my subordinates from secretly monitoring her. The closest a subordinate of mine can get to Rias to monitor her is a kilometer. So, I can only resort to you for that purpose."
"Why not get someone else from the family or Rias' friends to do the job?" Shirou asked in a very curious tone.
"Ahahaha…" Sirzechs laughed uncomfortably. "…Well it's not like I haven't tried… My family dotes my sister more than me. They would refuse to do the task, and Rias' friends loyalty lay solely with her. Her friends would never do anything like spying on Rias on my behalf…"
"I see…" Shirou muttered as he understood Sirzechs' predicament. "I can understand the reasons why you want to monitor your younger sister. You cherish her but are concerned about her safety, especially given her status as the future Gremory clan leader and younger sister of you, Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the four leaders of the devils. Still, I cannot in good consciousness betray your sister's trust, even if it is for good intentions by spying on her."
"That's what I wanted to hear. Someone that cares about the safety of my younger sister to monitor her…" Sirzechs sighed in relief. "I don't need you to 'spy' for me. I just want you to monitor her. If you learn anything unusual happens to Rias or around my younger sister please report to me."
Shirou stared at Sirzechs. He was no master, but he was good enough to call himself an expert at reading people. Sirzechs didn't seem the type to harm Rias, but it was quite common for family to betray each other especially when power and influence was involved. Shirou continued to stare at Sirzechs for several more moments before retracting his gaze.
"I can do that, but don't ask for more regarding spying on Rias." Shirou replied in a firm tone.
Sirzechs nodded happily. "What do you need?"
"These are what I need…" Shirou began as he started to list down equipment and material that he would need to strengthen his powers. "…was that too much? If you cannot remember I can write up a list."
"Pfftt… You have to be… kidding me…" Sirzechs guffawed. "That list was nothing compared what I have to remember everyday as part of my duties as one of the Four Great Satans."
"Whatever…" Shirou rolled his eyes. "How long do you think it will take to get the equipment and material?"
"Hmmphmm…" Sirzechs hummed as he telepathically communicated with his subordinate in charge of procurement. "Most of the material are already in stock or easily buyable so I could have them here within a couple of hours. The rest are going to take some time as either restricted or very rare."
Shirou was surprised. He had been expecting a very different response. What he been prepared for were delays and excuses to explain why his promised items was coming late, especially when he was weaker party. The times that he got paid in full before he carried on his end of the contract was rare, and a sign of Sirzechs' good will.
"Thank you," said Shirou gratefully. "I promise that I will carry out my end of the bargain."
"That is good to hear," Sirzechs smiled. "Can you answer a couple questions of mine…"
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