Some time had passed since the battle with Riser. With no enemies surfacing, Jeanne Alter was growing bored enough to sprout weeds.
Though she had mocked him mercilessly, Riser still belonged to the famed "immortal" Phenex clan. Even though his power level was only that of a high-class devil, Jeanne Alter had remained wary.
When hearing "immortal bird," her first thought was the one from the comic Zombie Brother, where the phoenix race dominated the universe, feared by nearly every other being. Even the Corpse King Long You had obtained his immortality from the phoenix's blood, triggering countless problems.
Then there was Phenex, one of Solomon's 72 Demon Pillars, which had caused her considerable trouble.
After Demon King Goetia's defeat, five Demon Pillars escaped. The most embarrassing, Zepar, created the Beast of Lust, Sesshouin Kiara; the eccentric Raum attracted the gaze of Yog-Sothoth; Phenex was among them, attempting to erase its existence through endless resurrection at the Subspecies Singularity Agartha.
Jeanne Alter couldn't memorize all 72 pillars—that would've been impossible—but thanks to Agartha, Phenex stuck in her mind. Seeing Riser Phenex had jogged that memory.
Thus… she had respectfully opened with her Noble Phantasm!
The Phenex flames indeed boasted powerful healing, allowing Riser to withstand Jeanne Alter's fire far longer than expected. Unfortunately, their wielder was too weak-willed. In contrast, Jeanne Alter had found his sister much more intriguing; that girl had silently endured the pain and even begged mercy for her brother, earning Jeanne Alter's respect.
Afterwards came dull days of peace. She'd dearly wanted a worthy opponent, yet after spending so much time in this world, the only suitable match she'd encountered was Sirzechs.
Unfortunately, she couldn't casually seek out Sirzechs—he was the Maou, a devil lord occupied constantly with who-knows-what.
Surely he wouldn't wander around proudly displaying photos of his adorable little sister? A creep like that couldn't exist in reality, right?
It was under these circumstances that Freed Sellzen, the rogue priest who had escaped Jeanne Alter after she annihilated the fallen angel Raynare, returned. Although Freed had fled last time, Jeanne Alter had memorized his magical signature, waiting patiently for his reappearance.
Against the overwhelming disparity in strength, neither tricks nor external assistance could help. Jeanne Alter effortlessly eliminated the psychotic priest on sight. Freed even dropped loot—a disappointing "common-tier" holy sword. Considering her own Noble Phantasms, Jeanne Alter found it worthless. She considered gifting it to Rias's group. After all, she certainly couldn't give it to Asia—someone who would mourn even stepping on an insect could hardly wield a sword in battle.
Today's weather was clear, the sky a pristine blue scrubbed clean by yesterday's rain. Puffy white clouds drifted leisurely overhead, while vibrant greenery glistened beneath.
It was the weekend, so Kuoh Academy was closed. The campus, deserted of students, posed no barrier to Jeanne Alter's casual entry.
Asia had stayed home with Ophis, leaving Jeanne Alter to visit Rias. The Occult Research Club remained Rias's stronghold; even on weekends, Rias and her peerage usually spent their time there.
"I haven't been to this grove in a while… Actually, scratch that, I came just yesterday."
Walking casually through the shadowed grove, Jeanne Alter muttered to herself.
Recently, despite meeting often at school and Toujou Koneko returning to Jeanne Alter's home nightly, Jeanne Alter and Asia rarely visited the Occult Research Club.
After all, Jeanne Alter wasn't even part of the club—or even a devil. Constantly dropping by felt odd.
Moreover, Kuoh Academy was preparing for a sports festival soon, and Rias's peerage had been busy training. Jeanne Alter couldn't help but scoff at that idea: Wasn't it completely unfair for devils to compete against ordinary humans in physical contests? Even without magic, devils possessed far superior physiques.
Although she visited the club less frequently, Jeanne Alter often accompanied Asia to this grove.
Asia had been invited here countless times by boys confessing their love. Letters constantly appeared in her locker and desk.
Asia's responses were exceptionally gentle. Though she always declined their feelings, she politely met each confessor in person to reject them kindly.
"I'm truly grateful they like me, but I have no intention of accepting their feelings. They showed sincerity in confessing, so I want to decline respectfully face-to-face."
There was no mockery, only sincere and gentle rejection.
Unexpectedly, Jeanne Alter learned Asia's gentle refusals only encouraged more confessions. "Even if she rejects you, Asia never looks down on you and genuinely appreciates your affection—she's like an angel!" one rejected boy had said. His words had spread, causing Asia to receive even more confessions.
Most boys didn't expect success; they just wanted the comfort of talking with someone as kind as Asia. Jeanne Alter considered burning their letters outright.
Reaching the old school building, Jeanne Alter's relaxed expression slowly faded.
A heavy atmosphere lingered here—a suppressed hostility on the brink of erupting.
Standing before the clubroom door, Jeanne Alter placed her left hand on the panel. Her golden eyes briefly flared before lowering calmly.
The door swung open. All eyes turned toward Jeanne Alter.
Rias and her peerage were inside. Jeanne Alter had wondered why Koneko rushed off without breakfast this morning; apparently, she'd come here.
Rias and Akeno sat on the sofa, their companions standing behind them. Jeanne Alter's attention focused immediately on Kiba Yuuto.
Always cheerful and polite, popular enough to make girls swoon, Kiba now wore a twisted expression, staring venomously at two figures sitting opposite Rias.
Kiba was the only one who hadn't glanced at Jeanne Alter when she entered.
Jeanne Alter instantly recognized that look—pure vengeance.
As an Avenger herself, she knew it all too well.
"…A human?"
One of the two girls in white robes, Irina Shidou, voiced her surprise. Xenovia Quarta stared distrustfully at Rias's group.
"This discussion is supposed to be confidential between us and devils. Why did a human suddenly barge in?"
Rias rubbed her temples slightly, troubled.
Why now, of all times…
"Jea—what are you doing here?" Rias asked, barely avoiding blurting out Jeanne's name. Revealing it now would be disastrous.
Luckily, Jeanne Alter didn't notice the slip, instead eyeing the two robed women irritably.
Looking at them stirred inexplicable frustration within her.
"Oh… Am I interrupting something important?"
She turned back to Rias, puzzled.
If they were having a serious discussion, why leave the door unlocked?
"It's a weekend, so no students or staff would normally come to school, let alone here. Even if there were a slim chance someone wandered over, we'd sense them approaching." Rias threw Jeanne Alter an odd glance.
Jeanne Alter habitually suppressed her aura, making her presence undetectable. Until she'd opened the door, none had sensed her approach. Her skill at concealment had led Rias's group to mistake her for an ordinary human for a long time, rivaling even experts like Zhang Huaiyi.
Rias sighed tiredly. "So, why did you, who normally stays at home, decide to come here today?"
"Nothing major," Jeanne Alter replied casually. "Remember that rogue priest who escaped last time? He foolishly came back last night. I killed him and picked up the gear he dropped. It's weak and useless to me, so I wanted to see if you guys wanted it. If not, I'll destroy it."
"A rogue priest's gear…" Rias's expression turned peculiar. "It's useless to devils since they use holy weapons infused with light. You might as well keep it yourself."
Jeanne Alter shrugged indifferently. "Then I'll destroy this holy sword."
Rias reflexively nodded, then froze abruptly. "A holy sword?!"
All eyes snapped to Jeanne Alter. Kiba's gaze burned with hatred.
"What? Why is everyone staring at me?" Jeanne Alter frowned, uncomfortable with so much attention—particularly from the two robed girls, whose unconscious arrogance annoyed her deeply.
"Did you say a holy sword?" Xenovia stood sharply, glaring at Jeanne Alter.
"Ha? Who the hell are you? Why should I tell you anything?" Jeanne Alter snapped irritably.
"Did you retrieve a holy sword from that rogue priest?" Rias asked seriously.
Jeanne Alter sighed, then produced the blade. Holy light immediately filled the room, unsettling the devils present.
Irina gasped aloud, "That's… [Excalibur Rapidly]?!"
"To think we'd find one of the stolen swords so quickly," Xenovia murmured solemnly.
Jeanne Alter raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by their reactions. She found the blade utterly insignificant.
Xenovia stepped forward confidently. "Our mission is to retrieve the stolen holy swords. Return [Excalibur Rapidly] at once. We appreciate your cooperation."
Jeanne Alter's eyes narrowed, irritated by Xenovia's arrogant assumption. A malicious grin formed slowly on her lips.
"How interesting. Just by flapping your lips, you claim ownership? Your name's not on it, and the sword doesn't answer your call. How can you prove it's yours? As far as I'm concerned, it belongs to me now."
She raised Excalibur Rapidly, pointing the blade at Xenovia's face provocatively.
"You know the rules—if you want it, come and get it yourself."
For a brief, surreal moment, Rias's group almost heard drums beating dramatically in the distance.