“I was so happy when Odin chose me to serve him… He was a handful, but I felt a sense of purpose working for him… Even if he did leave me behind.”
I had personally heard that Rossweisse was the only one qualified to serve him—in fact, she currently held the record for his longest-serving attendant. Maybe that was why her successor was having such a difficult time stepping into her shoes.
Rossweisse stared up at the sky as she breathed a deep sigh. “I graduated early and never really had a chance to enjoy my youth. I was able to become a Valkyrie, but I couldn’t inherit my family crest. I wasn’t able to achieve anything important during my Valkyrie years. I was just Odin’s chaperone… Then, after coming to Japan with him, I ended up reincarnated as a demon, and now I’m a teacher in the human world… Looking back, I don’t really know what I’ve done, or what I could have been. It was all such a whirlwind…”
She certainly had been through a lot. In fact, every member of the Gremory Familia had had their fair share of ups and downs.
“…I do feel guilty toward my grandmother… I think I’ve failed to live up to her expectations…,” she murmured, staring at her feet.
…So she felt like it was a personal failing, her inability to carry on the family crest?
At that moment, she looked up with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry… I’ve ended up rambling about my life story… I try not to share this sort of thing, even to people I’m close to… It’s just, with my grandmother coming to visit, I felt like I needed to talk to someone…”
“I don’t mind,” I answered. “If anything, I’m glad. I feel like I’m getting to know you better now.”
Rossweisse wasn’t the sort to talk much about herself. I knew she liked hundred-yen stores and had a weakness for alcohol, but she tended to shy away from personal matters, so today’s outing was turning out to be a valuable experience.
She blushed in embarrassment. “I don’t regret becoming a demon, you know? The benefits are decent, and the pay is good. On top of that, I have better prospects than I did in my Norse days. Everyone in the Gremory Familia is great to be around, and it’s a friendly environment… It’s true things can get wild at times, but teaching at Kuou Academy is more rewarding than I expected.”
“You’re enjoying it, then?”
“Yes. I never thought teaching could be so much fun.”
Rossweisse was highly regarded by her students. As a civics teacher, she had a knack for the content and knew how to convey the important points clearly, which showed in her classes’ test scores. More importantly, she was a beautiful foreign teacher not much older than the students themselves, so she was popular with both boys and girls. She was attentive to her students’ performance and had a tendency to offer tough feedback, but no one ever pushed back against her for it.
On top of that, she seemed to be well-liked by the other teachers, and also had a reputation for being able to get through to Azazel, uninhibited and reckless as he was.
Speaking of teaching…
“Are you going to accept Chairwoman Sona’s offer?” I asked.
Yes, Rossweisse had received an offer to teach magic at Chairwoman Sona’s new school.
“I’m still thinking about it. Of course, I wouldn’t be starting for another year or so… We’ll be visiting it soon, so I’ll take a look while considering my options.”
Well, that was sensible. It would be rude to agree now and back out later if something went wrong. It was definitely better to see and judge it for yourself before making a commitment. Apparently, Sairaorg had also asked her to teach there, which spoke to how much her skills were in demand.
“I’m not really sure what I can do yet, but I do love teaching. No, I’ve grown to love it. So I’m looking forward to helping out,” she said with a smile.
There had been a lot going on recently, but it sounded like she was trying to find her own way through life.
“I’m here whenever you need someone to talk to. Even if it’s just to vent.”
“In that case, will you come shopping with me again? Another trip to a hundred-yen store wouldn’t be too bad. And it will help with my grandmother.”
Ha-ha… Another hundred-yen store…? It was probably fine. I was hoping to see a movie or do some sightseeing, but if she was enjoying herself, that was all that mattered.
“If you ask me, you’re every bit as impressive as your grandmother,” came an unknown voice.
…!
…I glanced around and noticed someone sitting behind us. I almost jumped from my seat. I hadn’t even noticed him sneaking up on us.
Rossweisse quickly adopted a defensive stance.
I recognized him at once, the sharply dressed, silver-haired young man. After all, we had traded blows just the other day in Romania.
The man—Euclid Lucifugus—flashed us an overly familiar smile. “Greetings, Red Dragon Emperor Issei Hyoudou. And greetings to you, former Valkyrie Rossweisse.”
…What was he doing in Tokyo, in broad daylight no less?!
I couldn’t activate my Sacred Gear here, not with so many bystanders milling about. This was no place for a fight.
I kept my guard up, glaring at him.
“I’m not here for you, Issei Hyoudou,” he said with a small, sly chuckle. “I have business with this one,” he added, turning to Rossweisse. “Let me cut straight to the point.” He paused for a moment to extend his hand. “Why don’t you join us, Rossweisse?”
…!
Wh-what on earth…? He was trying to recruit her?! Here, of all places?! Why?! Why now?! So many questions swirled through my head.
Rossweisse, meanwhile, turned deathly pale.
…Was there a reason Euclid was trying to recruit her?
“Here is wisdom,” he said, closing his eyes. “Let he who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.”
…666? Trihexa?
“A passage from the Book of Revelation,” Euclid said, pressing a hand up against his forehead. “As a demon, it gives me an awful headache quoting lines from the Bible.”
…He was giving me a headache. Seriously, I didn’t want to hear that from a demon!
The Book of Revelation… The one the Great Red was mentioned in? Come to think of it, Trihexa showed up in it as well.
“I understand you wrote a paper while you were a student in Asgard,” Euclid continued. “It was titled On the Beast of the Apocalypse.”
…Seriously? Rossweisse wrote something like that as a student?
…!
It suddenly clicked. Right. Matsuda and Motohama had mentioned seeing Rossweisse reading Bible-related books in the library… So this was why. All that talk about Trihexa in Romania must have jogged her memory.
“I—I had to scrap it,” she answered, her voice trembling. “I couldn’t come to a conclusion… But I submitted a different paper for assessment. How could you know about it?”
Euclid broke into a derisive grin. “We’ve been gathering every piece of intelligence there is to find on Trihexa. Even old, abandoned research papers. If it pertains to our goal, we’ll travel to the ends of the earth to retrieve it.”
Rossweisse shuddered. “My roommate was the only person I ever mentioned it to. Don’t tell me…?!”
“We delved into her memory, but we only managed to unearth a few small fragments,” Euclid said with a shrug. “Which is why we’re coming to you directly.”
Rossweisse’s eyes lit up in rage, and she lashed out with her right hand. “You attacked her? You’re despicable! The lowest of the low!”
Euclid snorted, then made a show of scanning our surroundings. There were more than a few people giving us odd looks… This was no place to get into an argument.
Reluctantly, Rossweisse lowered her hand. It was the right call. If we attacked him here, he wouldn’t hesitate to fight back—even if it meant dragging innocent people into the fray.
“I apologize for the disturbance. I’m leaving,” Euclid said, rising to his feet and bowing slightly to the onlookers. “The girl is safe,” he murmured as he strode past. “We aren’t holding her hostage, if that’s what worries you. However…” He paused to run his fingers through Rossweisse’s hair. “I want your abilities. You’re more incredible than you realize… And this silver hair of yours is to die for. Almost like…”
…
Without even realizing it, I lashed out with a punch.
Euclid, however, effortlessly avoided it.
“Good day to you both, Red Dragon Emperor, Rossweisse. We’ll meet again. Until that time, consider your response.”
With that, Euclid Lucifugus disappeared into the crowd.
…The second I got my breathing under control I pulled out my phone and dialed Rias.