We led Rossweisse’s grandmother—Gondul—to the VIP room, where we served tea and snacks and introduced ourselves properly.
“Gondul will be attending the upcoming mage gathering in the Agares’s territory,” Rias explained.
Apparently, a group of well-known mages were holding a conference in a town in the Agares territory. The fact that non-demons were even being permitted to enter the underworld spoke volumes about their standing. We were demons, and thanks to the efforts of a former governor of the fallen angels and some favors from Heaven, we were permitted to visit various places relatively freely—but that was highly irregular. A mage of average standing would have zero chance of entering the demon realm, the fallen angel territories, or Heaven. For ordinary people, places like those were simply off-limits.
Anyway, these renowned mages were supposedly going to discuss rare spells, ancient magic, and forbidden techniques. It was a major event, and there were even researchers from demon institutions attending.
“This is off the record, but it seems practitioners familiar with ancient magic—what they call forbidden techniques—have been disappearing across all the major factions,” Rias added.
…
What…? Was that bastard Rizevim behind this?
“Has that terrorist group gone after them?” I asked.
Rias didn’t give a clear yes, but she didn’t deny it either. “It could be stray mages acting on their own, or the Khaos Brigade could be pulling the strings… Either way, the various mage groups feel it’s necessary to discuss the situation in person.”
With that, Rossweisse’s grandmother, Gondul, until now listening on in silence, spoke up. “This information hasn’t been widely shared, but the different schools of magic are planning to temporarily put a hold on our research areas—the techniques we all specialize in.”
“Your techniques…? You’re going to seal them away?” Ravel asked.
Gondul nodded. “If there’s a risk that techniques we’ve spent our whole lives developing might be misused by some unknown villain, we would prefer to keep them under wraps until this situation blows over.”
Well, no one wanted to see their powers abused. And on top of that, there could be liability issues if someone got hurt. Forbidden techniques had a dangerous ring about it. No doubt they would cause a real mess if they got out.
“I’ve heard that the fallen angel organization—the Grigori—has been heavily engaging in research on anti-magic,” Gondul continued. “We intend to entrust them with the task of placing our techniques under seal.”
…The Grigori’s anti-magic? That superhero-loving Almaros flashed before my eyes… No, he had to have done some actual research, too… There was nothing to worry about. Right?
Gondul folded her hands over her lap. “If we sealed them ourselves, there’s a risk they could be released if we were kidnapped or hypnotized. Asking another mage to seal them raises concerns they could be stolen. The situation being what it is, working with the fallen angels—who have expressed a desire to build trust with those from other mythologies—seems like a sensible compromise.”
Wow. So Azazel’s people were starting to gain a good reputation? They had been widely regarded as an evil organization before the alliance between the three great powers, but now they were all about promoting peace and sharing technology. They even promised to help those vampires with their Sacred Gear research just the other day. This newfound trust must have been the inevitable result of all those small wins. It was an impressive feat over such a short period of time!
“We need to discuss several concerns before we seal them,” Gondul continued. “Some mages have opted not to join this conference… Regardless, it should still be a valuable occasion. I’ve expressed my willingness to participate. And Sona Sitri invited me to her school, as well.”
Ah. So now we were back to the new school in the underworld.
“That’s right,” Rias said, picking up from there. “Gondul will be giving talks both at the mage conference and at the school Sona is building.”
She went on to give us a quick rundown of our upcoming schedule.
The plan was for Gondul to spend a few days looking around town, and then we would head down to the underworld as a group over the weekend. Fortunately, the mage conference coincided with our time off.
We all understood, implicitly, why that was. In any event, I would have to fill in Kiba and Gasper later.
From there, the conversation took a more casual turn.
“Rossweisse’s grandmother was a Valkyrie herself, you know,” Rias said.
Whoa! So it was her grandmother’s example that set Rossweisse on her path, was it?
“I warned her over and over again she wasn’t cut out for it. She could never get the hang of it,” Gondul joked.
Faced with her grandmother’s sharp tongue, Rossweisse blushed and stared at the ground.
Gondul set her teacup on the table before addressing her granddaughter directly. “You’re one of the main reasons I came here, Rose. You understand why, I hope?”
…So Rossweisse’s nickname was Rose?
“There’s only one man here… Am I to take it he’s the one?” she asked, glancing my way.
Rossweisse rose to her feet and took a deep breath. “Yes. This is my boyfriend, Issei Hyoudou.”
…
…Th-the moment was finally here… Her bathroom confession the other day was meant to lead up to this moment.
Hold on. Did she tell her grandmother back home that she had a boyfriend over here or something?!
“Rose,” Gondul began. “First you run away from home without telling anyone, then you get yourself reincarnated as a demon and start teaching in the human world without so much as a word… All you do is fill your grandmother with worry.”
“Ugh… Er…”
Rossweisse had no comeback to her grandmother’s accusation.
Rias intervened. “That’s partly because I invited her. Please don’t just blame Rossweisse.”
Gondul, however, wasn’t satisfied by that explanation. “Not at all, young Gremory. That isn’t the issue. Well, strictly speaking, it’s one issue, but I’m more concerned about my granddaughter making such a life-changing decision without even consulting me.”
“…That’s a painful way to put it,” I heard Xenovia mutter under her breath while munching on a cookie.
Honestly, she ought to be more careful about what she said in front of the old Valkyrie.
Perhaps realizing she had been somewhat brusque just now, Gondul cleared her throat. “Well, let’s leave it at that. I’ve already told Odin what I think about the way he abandoned you, so I won’t trouble you with that.”
It sounded like Odin had gotten himself in hot water, huh? Well, he did leave his entourage behind in Japan. That was low, even for him. And the next time we saw him, he had a brand-new Valkyrie bodyguard. That Norse god really ought to reflect on his actions!
“I’m worried about you,” Gondul said to Rossweisse. “You may be book smart, and you know a few magical techniques, I’ll grant you that—but you’re so scatterbrained you’re no doubt causing all sorts of trouble in this strange Far Eastern land… I know I’ve always said I’d feel much more comfortable if you had a boyfriend to look out for you. But to hear you’ve actually found one…”
…So that was it. She told her grandmother she had found a boyfriend to avoid worrying her… A-and that boyfriend was supposed to be me…? I knew it! She must have asked me on the spur of the moment when she heard Gondul would be dropping by. Rossweisse came across as so calm and dependable, but she was really just living life in the moment! I mean, that was a good fit for the Gremory Familia, but still… Did Rias just naturally attract strong-willed people to her side…?
Rossweisse leaned over next to me and grabbed on to my arm. “Issei is a dependable man. He’s the legendary Red Dragon Emperor, and he has a promising future as a mid-level demon!”
I—I was grateful for her kind assessment, but something made me uneasy…
I glanced across at Rias.
“…”
Her smile was frozen in place! What a shock! It was like her body couldn’t handle this situation; her thoughts must have been racing through her head!
“…Sorry! I’ll grab another pot of tea!” Akeno, looking just as worn out as Rias, all but fled the room.
“I—I’ll go help!” Ravel, attentive as always, raced after her!
But that left Rossweisse and me caught between the others.
“How long have you been dating?” Gondul asked.
“…A-around three months!” Rossweisse stammered.
“…So it’s safe to assume you’re already in a sexual relationship?”
Too direct! Far too direct! Even Rossweisse was frozen in shock, her face turning bright red! Yet somehow, she managed to hold it all together.
“…W-well… We’re not married yet,” she answered, a quiver in her voice. “A-and besides! You instilled a strong sense of chastity in me, Granny—Grandmother, I mean!”
“I never said you shouldn’t sleep with someone before you get married. I just warned you not to get tangled up with strange men and let your body go to waste.”
“Y-ya think I don’t wanna know what it’s like to get naughty?!” Rossweisse, still holding tight to my arm, shouted in her thick native accent!
“Then maybe ya oughtta hurry up and get yer act together!” Gondul yelled back, her own accent no less pronounced! Noticing the atmosphere in the room had turned awkward, she paused for a moment to clear her throat. “Ahem. I give you my permission to proceed.”
For the longest moment, Rossweisse was unable to respond.
“…Huh?” She exhaled in a daze.
“Not huh. I said all is good. You can show that man what you feel for him. Take him on a secret rendezvous.”
“B-but…!” Rossweisse was thrown into a fluster.
Gondul, however, fixed her with a hard stare. “I’ll ask you about it the next time I see you. You and your boyfriend, all right…? Thank you for today. I’ll get out of your hair now.”
With that, Gondul left for the accommodations Chairwoman Sona had prepared for her.
Even after she left, a tense atmosphere hung over the VIP room.
Rias was still frozen in place, while Asia and the others were watching on with visible apprehension.
“…Sorry,” Rossweisse said, grabbing my hand and pleading with me, her cheeks flushed. “I—I need your help… I can’t back out now…!”
…And so it was decided Rossweisse and I would go on a date.