"No way they'd show up in Tokyo. I was careless."
Back home, Rossweisse and I explained the situation to Rias.
Rias narrowed her eyes at the mention of our encounter with Eugrid.
I hadn't expected to run into that guy in broad daylight either.
"Those Khaos Brigade guys don't seem to care about causing trouble in the human world," I said.
"It's all for their goal," Rias replied.
I nodded at Irina's words.
From now on, we'd need to stay vigilant not just in this town but everywhere, or something like this could happen again.
Easier said than done, though. Manpower's an issue.
A detection network across regions would be ideal, but they'd likely slip through anyway.
Juna spoke up. "This intrusion has raised our alert level even higher. It was already high, but now we're on edge. At the very least, their next attempt to infiltrate Tokyo will be tougher."
One breach tightens security, making a second one harder. They'd probably find Tokyo trickier to move in now.
Obvious enough.
The real issue was…
"They took a risk to approach Rossweisse," Rayvel said, glancing at her. "That means the paper she wrote in her student days is that valuable to them, right?"
Exactly. Eugrid risked exposure to recruit Rossweisse. Her paper must be worth a lot to them.
Rias agreed. "That's the logical conclusion. Azazel's regular call is due soon. Let's ask him. Rossweisse, talk to him."
"Yes," Rossweisse nodded.
Since meeting Eugrid, she'd been lost in thought, her expression troubled.
A few minutes later, Azazel's call came through.
He's currently in the Underworld, discussing artifacts and Khaos Brigade movements with Grigori researchers. So, he's not in town—contact's via video.
We explained everything to Azazel, projected through a magic circle.
He rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes. "So, Rossweisse was targeted."
"You don't seem surprised," Alice said. "Did you expect this?"
"Not quite," Azazel replied. "I'm surprised, but it makes sense now. You all know about the missing mages, right?"
"Yeah, we've heard the reports," I said. Gendul mentioned it when she visited.
Azazel nodded. "Those mages have one thing in common—they were all researching the 'Number of the Beast,' 666, but from unconventional angles. The ones gathering at the assembly are studying it too."
It clicked. Eugrid said Rossweisse wrote a paper on 666 in her student days. The missing mages were researching 666 too.
In other words…
"They're kidnapping anyone with knowledge of the 'Number of the Beast,'" Rias said.
"Exactly," Azazel confirmed. "If you know the Book of Revelation and the God of the Bible, you can deduce the sealing techniques He likely used. We've identified 23 powerful seals Khaos Brigade is struggling to break. We're estimating how much time we have before they revive Trihexa. We don't want it revived, but we need to plan for the worst. If Trihexa wakes up and fights Great Red, it'll be chaos."
A global catastrophe, no doubt.
Amid the tension, one person smiled brightly. "Come on, no need to stress so much!" Ignis said, cracking open a beer and chugging it.
Talk about carefree…
"You're too relaxed," I muttered.
Ignis grinned. "The world's not ending today, right? So, we do what we can. If it all goes south…" She paused.
"Then what?" I asked.
She smirked. "I'll step in. Just give 'em a quick squeeze, right? Leave it to me. Might set the world on fire, though♪ First, I'd undo my seal—"
"Sensei, we have to stop this!" I shouted. "There's a third force right here! This useless goddess might do anything!"
Azazel's face twitched. "Yeah… Great Red, Trihexa, and this goddess? That'd end the world for real."
The occult research club members paled. Ignis's eyes were dead serious.
Her full power as 'Ignis' is already insane, and that's just a fraction of her true strength. If she unleashed her real name… who knows what'd happen?
This goddess is too unpredictable.
"Oh? Alice-chan, have your boobs gotten bigger?" Ignis teased.
"Hey, stop—Issei, she's drunk! Drunk!" Alice yelped.
"Hehe, isn't this fine? Just fine♪" Ignis giggled.
"Help!" Alice wailed.
Poor Alice, caught by Ignis, who was now groping her in a drunken frenzy.
This goddess is a menace in every way.
"You're not gonna help?" my sister asked.
"I'd get caught too," I replied.
Alice was half-undressed, Ignis's hands all over her. Everyone else backed away, prioritizing self-preservation. Sorry, Alice, you're on your own.
Azazel sighed. "It's too early to panic. We're preparing contingencies."
Contingencies? Does he have a secret plan?
"We're not sure how reliable our conclusions are," he continued. "We don't know how much the captured mages' knowledge affects Trihexa's seals." He looked at Rossweisse. "One question. How did you approach the number 666?"
"I studied it as 616," she said. "I built equations and techniques around that number, cross-referencing texts and historical events."
"I knew it," Azazel muttered.
616? I'd heard 666 was an ominous number, but 616 was new.
Seeing my confusion, Azazel explained. "Most Revelation scholars study 666 as the standard. But some, like the kidnapped mages, approach it through the variant 616. If Khaos Brigade is targeting them, it suggests the God of the Bible used 616 for Trihexa's seals."
He muttered to himself, piecing it together, then addressed Rossweisse. "Write down everything you remember from that paper and send it to us. We need to see how much it touches on Trihexa."
"I've already started," she said, holding a stack of papers filled with complex magical symbols and equations.
So efficient. She'd barely been back long.
She sent the papers via a small teleportation circle. They appeared in Azazel's hands with a flash.
He flipped through them. "Impressive. You were researching the same thing as your grandmother. Blood runs deep."
Right. The upcoming mage assembly is for those studying 666. Rossweisse's grandmother, Gendul, was researching it too. That's why Rossweisse looked so troubled.
Azazel shifted topics. "Let's set Rossweisse's paper and Eugrid aside for now. About the mage assembly…"
Rossweisse stayed silent, her expression heavy.
After the meeting, everyone returned to normal, but Rossweisse locked herself in her room, likely re-examining her 666 research, poring over Bible-related texts.
Who'd have thought her student paper would matter like this? Probably not even her.
"Tea's ready, Onii-chan," Miu said, setting a cup before me.
"Thanks."
She sat beside me. I sipped the tea and sighed. "Eugrid ruined my date with Rossweisse. Next time I see him, he's getting a beating."
Miu laughed. "Pretty intense complaint. How was it before he showed up?"
"Fun, I guess. Didn't expect to spend ten thousand yen at a 100-yen shop, though. A hundred items are arriving tomorrow."
"She really loves 100-yen shops," Miu said. "They're cheap and useful, but…"
I got it. Rossweisse's obsession was next-level. Beautiful, talented, but… such a shame.
"She also asked for life advice," I added.
"Life advice?" Miu tilted her head.
"Not a big deal. Just listened to her past and gave some advice. Though, it was mostly stuff I heard from Maurice."
If she wanted real advice, Azazel's better. He's seen it all and knows how to guide people. Me? I'm just good for listening to complaints.
Miu smiled. "Even if it's borrowed, passing it on matters. That's from Dad, by the way."
We're just recycling advice, huh? Fair enough.
A thought hit me. "Hey, Miu, got any dreams for the future?"
"Why?"
"Rossweisse said she didn't know what she wanted to do or be. Most people are like that, I guess. I've just been living without thinking too hard about it."
Miu nodded. "Before coming here, I was a demon princess, focused on mastering my powers. Never had a specific dream. Thought I'd succeed Dad."
Her powers were tough to control as a kid, and as a princess, she didn't have much freedom.
"But now?" I asked.
She beamed. "Being your wife. Staying by your side, supporting you. That'd make me happy."
Blushing, she giggled. My wife, huh? That's her dream?
I'm flattered.
"That's… kinda already happening. You're supporting me plenty."
"Really? I think I'm still not enough. I want to grow, become someone worthy of you. That's my goal."
Man, Miu thinks so highly of me. Like with Gendul before.
Am I that great?
"Hey, Miu-chan," Mom called, appearing suddenly.
"Mom? What's up?" Miu asked.
"Got something to show you. Come on♪" Mom beckoned, her voice oddly cheerful.
Miu and I exchanged puzzled looks, but she followed. Mom was practically skipping. What's going on?
An hour later, Miu returned.
"What did Mom want—"
I turned and froze. She was sobbing.
"W-What's wrong!?"
"Onii-chan… I… I…" she wailed.
"What happened!?"
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