A Nascent Kaleidoscope

Chapter 554: + Looking Glass Part 8

Artoria POV

The destruction wrought was surprising, but not unexpected in hindsight. I stepped over a wooden beam that seemed to belong to a homestead that once existed within the walls of this castle.

It was odd; everything about this place was odd.

I knew that beforehand. Merlin's lessons involved the queerness of the Fairfolk. Along with the stories and lessons that even regular people in my time spread, I still felt the oddity rather bluntly.

The handful of times that I was forced to deal with one of their kind in a personal capacity was... different. Of course, when I received my armaments from the Lady of the Lake, however, she was more...human-like, as Merlin said, and not to base my opinions on the outlier.

If possible, I always let Merlin handle it, as he was able to navigate the situation properly without any major concerns. Of course, due to certain situations, the walls of Camelot were tended to by some of their people, but rarely did I, or my people, directly interact with them.

However, there were times where Merlin wasn't present, or it was abrupt, and I was forced to draw my blade.

Once such an occasion where one of my knights turned out to be a Fae in disguise. They were loyal, studious, and honorable. Yet, once their identity was discovered, they transformed into something resembling a werewolf, yet not. They rampaged, killing several of their former comrades without hesitation before they could be killed by my own hand.

To this day, I don't know why they reacted that way. It was a surprise, one that needed words spoken, but their actions had proven themselves, and I would have gladly kept them within my ranks.

It was not as if there were no non-humans under my banner. I, myself, was perceived as more Dragon than human by many phantasmal species within the lands.

Merlin told me not to overthink it and that their minds simply worked differently.

The wood was not wood of this 'home'. It magicked dirt into the form and shape of wood, but it would crumble if I exerted my magical energy to dispel the constraints.

One of the walls that remained partially, there hung a painting... upside down. It appeared to be a painting of what the interior of the home looked like before it was destroyed.

There were other things, small things, that spoke of the strange nature of this former residence. It was as if they merely mimicked the outer layer of a human's cottage and were content with that.

I put my hand into the fireplace where the firewood sat, and I couldn't feel any residual heat nor see any ashes or coals. Not only that, but the chimney, or what remained, had no signs of smoke or fire upon the stones.

I brushed my hands off and stood up as I noticed my companions approaching. The sun peeked over the sheared top of the castle, and I squinted my eyes upon their arrival.

"Mordred, Agravain, and Kairi, thank you for coming." I greeted them each.

"Of course, your Majesty." Agravain bowed his head.

I was still not quite comfortable with their reverence, but I accepted the polite intentions regardless.

"How was the fight, Father? Did you see any action?" Mordred kicked over the remains of a stone wall. "Doesn't look like any actual fighting took place."

"Other than the demolished village and castle." Kairi grunted.

"Yeah, I meant like fighting, not blowing them the fuck up." Mordred huffed.

"The weapons Caster created were impressive." I said simply.

I had the chance to speak with the magicians I brought along to witness the 'fight'. They only had praise for her creations and were in awe of her crafting ability.

When further questioned, they admitted that such 'siege weaponry' does not exist in practice. When a group of magicians could accomplish somewhat similar feats without the additional 'cost' of creating such things, why would they use them? However, the benefits were rather obvious as they were operable by non-magicians and opened up the original magicians required for other purposes.

They also spoke that it would require quite a few powerful and skilled magicians to match the feats that Caster's work showed.

Then there was the matter of quick output. The 'machines' could be fired four times in quick succession before it required a short rest.

"Father, I brought two hundred knights with me like you asked." Mordred spoke up. "Doesn't look like anything needs killing though."

"Mordred, could you please secure the walls and sweep the entire stronghold? I spoke with Yasaka; we are commandeering this 'castle' while the Youkai situate themselves at the portal."

Mordred's eyes lit up. "Nice, a proper castle! Even if it's a bit torn up... but nothing we can't fix!" He happily ran off to presumedly where the Knights were.

"I do not mean to question your decisions, your Majesty. But is it wise to separate ourselves from our allies in such a way?" Agravain asked with clear concern.

"I will not fault you for raising concerns over presumedly poor choices, Agravain. You have yet to hear the full breath of my reasoning and choice. For safety concerns, we did not wish to allow any teleportation near the portal. However, as our first 'conquest' we believed this place to be a rather good spot to set up a 'hub' so to speak of any future teleportation's required as the main stronghold is not far in distance." I explained to him. "Our magicians are much more experienced in such matters, which is why we are tasked with such."

"I see. I retract my concerns, your Majesty." He bowed politely. "Would you like me to begin preparing our magicians for this endeavor?"

"Nay, the fortress is not yet secure; such is pointless for such delicate work to commence if easily disrupted." I shook my head.

"You purposely sent Mordred away." Kairi, who had silently been standing not far away, had one of those cigarettes that Mordred started using in his mouth. 

I felt the corners of my lips twitch at the sight, and I wanted to offer a brief rebuke, but I held my tongue. He was correct, even if I felt guilty being called out on it so openly. "You are perceptive." Mordred had a good master.

"I had need of your expertise as a necromancer." I fully admitted. "If it's not too much, there are... troubling things in the basement of the castle."

He breathed out a breath of smoke. "Why didn't you ask your 'boyfriend'?" He raised an eyebrow, those magic glasses of his nowhere to be seen. "He's not a necromancer, but I couldn't really compete with his wide range of knowledge considering who he is."

I furrowed my brow, frowning slightly. "Despite... everything, Wilhelm is still young. If I can spare him such sights, I will do so."

I am much more accustomed to viewing such horrors in person compared to him.

"Alright, lead the way." He stomped his foot on the cigarette and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

I nodded in thanks for him not pushing the issue.

We walked up to the entrance of the castle; part of it collapsed, but there was enough room to duck under.

Two Youkai stood guard, and they stepped out of the way as I nodded to them as well.

It was... a typical layout, perhaps rather plain. Finding the stairs that led downward was not difficult, and I did not look forward to looking upon this scene again.

Torches lit up the dark hallways as we got into the area with holding cells.

"Jesus Christ." Kairi cursed upon witnessing the scene.

Agravain just as well had the same reaction. "I believe I understand your request for assistance, and reluctance to let others down here, now."

Opposite the cells, with what should be a stone wall, instead, it was inlaid with body parts.

It was not a mere 'trophy display' of someone hanging various dismembered body parts onto the wall. If it were such, I would have destroyed it even if it fouled my mood.

No, it was as if they were merged with the wall itself.

A fleshed arm and hand twitched, clearly still alive.

The back of a head could be seen up to the edge of an ear.

Some other, non-human pieces as well decorated the wall. Some of which still showed clear life in them against all logic.

However, the most horrific was the stomach of a pregnant woman that protruded from the wall.

Inside the cells themselves, there were a handful of humans; many of them were missing body parts, and they were replaced with various items or even stones from the very wall.

Their eyes were dead, which is why I had not called for any healers.

"Is there a way to undo this spell?" I finally asked. "And is it possible to save the unborn child within that mother's stomach?"

Kairi let out a sigh. "Fae Magic? I'll tell you right now, there's no undoing Fae magic like this, at least not from me. I'm not even sure it's magic. I've heard the myths, however short, about what they can do, and it's far out of my league. As for the baby..." He placed a hesitant hand on the stomach.

The skin was clearly still 'alive' as he pressed into it, and it was slightly indented like how skin does.

He stared blankly for a moment, pulling his hand away then silently shaking his head.

I did not ask him what he saw; I fear I would not like the answer.

"I can give them a quick and painless death. The humans, that is, a curse I can use. I'm not messing with anything I don't recognize." Kairi spoke again.

"Please." I was thankful. "Agravain, take note. This... Lord of this castle, he had the ability to swap things by touching them." Perhaps it went past merely 'things' and allowed him to swap the concepts of objects or people on a whim.

"I will make sure that everyone knows to be careful in the future." He nodded. "The Lord that you mentioned, what was his fate?"

Did it remind him of the unpleasantness that occurred in the Pendragon castle? His gaze hardened, and there was a clear desire for blood that I would not find fault with.

"He is currently being questioned, quite thoroughly, by Yasaka's people." The corners of my lips curled up. "He seemed to be under the impression that as a 'prisoner' he was to be treated as a guest."

"Oh?"

"He was quickly disabused by that notion."

While it is proper to treat prisoners of war with a certain decorum, that was only for those that deserved such things. Just as Yasaka executed the 'messenger' with proper cause, so too was the thorough interrogation of someone with such horrific practices 'allowed'.

"If all goes well, we should have a map or the closest approximation of such about our current location. We know that we're just barely in the domain of the Winter Court, such that luck was on our side in a way. After procuring a map, we can begin to push outwards."

A proper campaign begins with terrain knowledge. An army that marches into the unknown is led by a foolish leader.

It was always acknowledged that our spearhead would be a bit muddy upon movement; however, it was a known priority to ascertain our footing before pushing forward.

The happenstance of being so close to an acknowledged foe was attributed to fortune.

The bodies in the cell began to wither away; it looked painless even if their minds were gone; it was proper that they be dealt with in a respectful way.

"Agravain, can you please call some people to take the bodies back home and bury them?" I did not know where they hailed from, but they should return and rest eternally among their own.

"I will see to it." He bowed and moved to leave.

Kairi also stood up, looking as if he wanted to leave. "Call me if you need me again. Or... if you need me to put a bullet in one of their brains." He said it in a low voice.

I nodded to him as well.

I had reservations about using my blade against them, against the creators of it in the first place, but all my reservations had been removed.

Regardless, I let out a breath and kept my expression from faltering as I left the basement and made my way outside.

It was only when I got back under the strange sun that I found myself smiling, seeing Wilhelm not far away.

This war had just begun, but we already entered a short lull in combat. I was allowed a few dalliances while we prepared further.

He noticed my approach, smiling back at me, and it never failed to make my heart flutter like a young maiden.

"I thought you would have followed Yasaka back to camp." I moved to his side, noticing he had a book in one hand and a wand in the other.

He mentioned his new wand; it was quite the artifact to see in person. Without being a Magus, I could recognize its quality at a glance.

"They didn't really need me. And after she told me that the Pendragon family was going to set up camp here, I figured I would help clean things up." He smiled still.

"I will not reject assistance." I looked around at the clear mess we needed to clean before this place resembled a proper stronghold again. "Those weapons destroyed most of the foundations; the castle barely stands, and large gorges now split this village."

"We could always get those Fae we captured to clean it." He offered.

"Despite my growing dislike for their kind, I do not condone slavery even in jest." I lightly chided him, even if he was joking.

They did not put up a fight once several blasts of those weapons were released.

Of the few hundred that were assumed to live here, a small fraction remained after the bombardment.

They are now being imprisoned back at the foothold and possibly taken back to Kyoto for proper holding.

"Don't worry, I can help quite a bit here; watch." He held his wand up and closed his eyes for a moment as his magical energy gathered. "Reparo."

Dozens of stones swept up into the air and seemed to mend back together as they formed back into the shape of the castle wall... only for it to fall over a moment later because it lacked support from either side.

"Yes, I saw." I deadpanned.

He coughed awkwardly. "Right, it's a work in progress." He cast again, intoning the incantation. "Reparo!"

This time, a bit more of it was gathered and shaped back together, but rather than falling over, it seemed enough of it was pulled back together to retain its sturdiness.

"I am impressed." I fully admitted.

"Right!?" Wilhelm also looked excited; I enjoyed seeing him like this. It happened often when playing around with various magics. "While the magic from the world Medea is in isn't... well, it's not the most powerful, it has an insane versatility that I've been reading about. This spell actually touches on the concept of time from what I understood from the texts. Basically, it forces the objects to 'remember' a previous time that they existed in 'another form'. Obviously that requires quite a bit of finagling, but it works fairly well."

"Are there limitations?" I asked.

That may be beneficial for our magicians to learn.

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"Well… Magical and sufficiently 'powerful' things can't be 'repaired', which I think is obvious. But, uh, it's not omnipotent. Maybe back where it originated from, you would receive a bit of a 'hand' from the 'Magic' there, but here I'm forced to do quite a few calculations to facilitate it. Even so, it's saving an inordinate amount of time. Though, once I get it good enough, I can transcribe it into a magic circle and pass it over to anyone you want." He added with a smile.

Magus rarely gives up their mysteries, yet he understood my question and offered it up without hesitation.

I wonder if he knows how easily he makes my heart beat in such a way.

It's humorous.

I stand in a position I would have reviled upon my original summoning to Rin. I wanted to give up my kingship; I wanted to throw it all away because I had fallen in despair.

Now, I stand here willingly on a battlefield once more. I stand with knights who bear the names of my family and friends.

It was a strange reflection of my life.

And... I am happier than I ever was in life.

"Wilhelm." I looked up at him as there was no one around, and I felt comfortable being forward.

"Hmm?"

"I love – "

A splash of water down poured, hitting us and preventing me from speaking further. Wilhelm's wand jerked up, and I summoned my sword into my hands without thinking as we both looked at the source that slipped past our notice.

It was as if... a small body of water just spontaneously appeared above us.

Just as quickly, a person fell out of it, and my eyes widened because I recognized them.

"L-Lady Vivian!?" I blurted out in shock as they bore a striking resemblance to the Faerie who bestowed both Avalon and Excalibur on me.

"Waaah! Arthurrrrrr!"

My body refused to move; mayhaps it was the surprise of it all. She collided with me and knocked me to the ground.

I now had a ghost of my past clinging to me and crying uncontrollably into my chest.

Regardless of how unlikely or improbable, I somehow felt it was Merlin's fault.

@***@

Non-Canon Omake: Through the Looking Glass Part 8

"You smell weird." The small not-cat girl looked at me with her nose scrunched.

I responded with the grace and sophistication of an elder. "No you."

"Why do you smell like Issei?" The Little Nekoshou Youkai Devil asked.

"Well, he's my best friend, for some reason. Why is it weird if I smell like him? On that note, isn't it weird that you're smelling me so intently?" I proposed in response.

"Like a Dragon." She spoke again, ignoring my retort.

"What's wrong with dragons?" Kunou frowned.

"Yeah, what's wrong with dragons? You make it sound like bad things. Don't be racist." I followed up.

"I'm not being racist!" She nearly hissed. "You – "

The teleportation circle in the club room lit up, and a familiar face appeared. The young Phenex boy that I recalled from the Underworld get-together appeared.

Though he looked rather...different. And that wasn't because my last memory of his face was him screaming as I threw him out a window.

I think.

But he looked haggard and lifeless.

Like some oppai screaming idiot had somehow beat him up in front of the whole world.

Is it weird that I sort of felt bad for him?

"Where...who are you?" Riser Phenex looked at me, furrowing his brow. "Wait, are you the bast—Lucifer's Son?"

He caught himself; well, color me shocked. "I am indeed Takao Shimoda." I said without a hint of hesitation. "And this is Kunou."

"Hello!" Kunou waved.

"…okay." He didn't seem to care overly much.

"And these are the peerage members of my aunt Rias, Koneko, and Kiba." I made sure to introduce.

"I know." He deadpanned.

"Oh right, they did beat you in a rating game." I nodded.

"They didn't beat me; I won!" Rias seethed.

"Then how did the marriage get called off?" I questioned.

"Because….." Riser slumped his shoulders and seemed to lose all will to defend himself.

Right, I feel bad for him.

"Maybe we should deal with the main concerns of why Riser Phenex is here." Kiba spoke.

"Right, why are you here? If I got beat up by a kid who peeps on underaged girls changing and shouts about boobs every other word in front of the whole world, the last thing I'd want to do is show my face around here." I nodded along with Kiba.

"Eww, he lost to that person?" Kunou scrunched her nose. "That's sad…."

[Huh.] Ddraig's voice echoed in my mind.

What's up, Ddraig?

[I think this is the first time a Phenex ever contemplated if they could kill themselves.]

Hmm.

Kiba cleared his throat. "One of the issues was settling the dowry."

Dowry? They still do stuff like that? Well, then again, it was an arranged marriage. It's kind of weird how ass backwards Devils can be in some aspects, but super progressive in others.

"You know what? Just keep the dowry; it's fine." I waived it off. Honestly, with the bullshit the Gremory family pulled, I think he deserves to keep that.

For some reason, Riser let out a sigh.

Kiba coughed into his fist. "The Phenex family were the ones who paid a rather large dowry to the Gremory family." Kiba then slid a piece of paper in front of me that listed the dowry and approximate cost of everything.

"…..oof."

That has to be rather emasculating.

Kunou looked up at me. "Why did they have to pay so much for him to get married?"

"Because some people are perceived as less desirable than the spouse to be." I responded.

Funny enough, Koneko was nodding along.

Riser Phenex had immaculate control of his emotions, it seems. Or he's just so heavily depressed right now that he couldn't be bothered.

It was certainly one of the two.

"Since your side were the ones to unilaterally break the marriage agreement, we are requesting the dowry back." Riser grit out.

I looked at the piece of paper that showed a few hundred Phoenix Tears listed as part of it. Don't those take a lot of time and effort to produce and are super expensive?

Yikes.

He suddenly blinked, looking around. "Wait, where is Rias? Why isn't she here talking about this with me?" His eyes darted everywhere, and he seemed to be experiencing an onset of fear. "Is the dragon around too?" He asked in a whisper.

I think he might have some lasting trauma.

"…..oppai." I whispered, and he visibly shuddered, taking a step back.

[Jeez, even I'm starting to feel bad.]

Are you sympathizing with him, Ddraig?

[I think I'm allowed to sympathize, considering.]

"Hey look, it's Issei." I pointed at the door, creating an illusion of the idiot for Riser to see.

Riser turned to look, his eyes widening, his mouth opened and he let out a very high-pitched scream before his eyes rolled back and he flopped down the ground.

"Pathetic." Koneko emotionlessly deadpanned as she nudged him with her foot.

Well, if he wasn't down for the count already, I think that would have been a K.O.

"I feel bad for him." Kunou voiced.

"He wanted to make all of us join his harem." Koneko hissed.

"I feel less bad for him." Kunou responded.

"Even the guys? There's Issei, Kiba, and... isn't there a dhampir?" I asked, trying to recall everyone who was in Rias's Peerage.

"He said that he wanted a 'femboy'." Koneko said dryly.

"….oh."

"What's a femboy?" Kunou looked at me.

"...ask your mother." I awkwardly replied before clapping my hands. "Alright, I know how to handle this."

"How?" Kiba asked.

I just smiled.

@***@

"What's this? Where am I?" Riser nearly shot to his feet because I had to put him under a little spell to settle everything..

"Calm down, Mr. Phenex." I tapped my pen against my notebook. "We're just going to have a little talk."

Riser shook his head like he was still muddled. "...where's the dragon?" Where are the others?"

"No one else here but you, me, and Ddraig." I assured him.

"You, me, and Who?" He squeezed out.

I gestured to Ddraig, rather, the Gauntlet sitting on the chair next to me.

"[Hello!]" Ddraig greeted.

Riser's eyes widened in a silent scream, and he fell over again.

I may have sent him a little jolt to wake him back up. His body twitched and his eyes snapped open again, and he immediately flew to the corner in panic.

"Where is he, the dragon!?"

"It's just us here; don't' worry. Ddraig here is my assistant. Let's start at the beginning. Where do you think everything went wrong in your life, Mr. Phenex?" I tapped my pen.

He seemed to calm down once he realized the Gauntlet wasn't moving.

"What do you mean when everything went wrong in my life? My life is great!" He defended.

"Is it? Is it really?" I think I'm supposed to ask questions.

"What even is this? What are you doing?"

"Therapy!"

"…. Do you even have any idea what you're doing?"

"Mr. Phenex, I've done this plenty of times before." I reassured him. "Ddraig can back me up."

"[Yup, the brat's been doing this for a long time.]" Ddraig metaphorically nodded.

"This is stupid." He stood up. "I'm leaving."

"You're welcome to leave. It's just... instead of me, you're going to have to deal with Rias, and Issei will inevitably be at her side."

He stilled and trembled with his hand reaching out towards the door.

Wow, Issei really messed him up, didn't he?

Rather reluctantly, he moved to sit back down. "What do you want?" He breathed out.

"It's not about what I want. It's about what you want."

"I want to leave." He deadpanned.

"Nonsense. Let's start over. Where do you think your life took a nosedive and you became a laughingstock among all Devil-kind, Mr. Phenex?" I questioned again.

"My life is fine! I'm Riser Phenex! I'm the third son of the Noble Phenex house, do you have any idea how many Devils envy me?" He huffed.

"And yet, you got beat up by a pathetic reincarnated Devil not even two months into his Devilhood without enough power to even Teleport on his own." I pointed out.

"That's—wait, he can't even Teleport?" Riser's eye's widened.

"Nope."

"But everyone can teleport! Even the most pathetically weak Devil can Teleport!"

"That is correct." I agreed.

Riser's jaw just hung open as he seemed to contemplate his life even more. "Jesus Christ, I lost to a Devil that couldn't even Teleport." There was a visible jolt as he invoked the taboo name from his own mouth.

"There there, it's okay." I made sure to get up and pat his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, he was thoroughly thrashed by a handsome and dashing rogue not an hour ago."

"...."

"Me. It was me."

"...didn't you say you were his best friend?"

"That's right, I—Takao Shimoda—am Issei's best friend for some inexplicable reason." I made sure to reiterate to keep my perfect fake identity concealed.

"And you kicked his ass?"

"Yup!" I nodded.

"I do feel better. Is this how therapy works?" He smiled for the first time since I've met him.

I shrugged. "Anyways, let's move on. You lost; you're kind of a laughingstock now."

His shoulders slumped, and he let out a sigh. "I won the rating game!"

"True. And everyone with sense knows that you were done dirty by the Satans. But that doesn't take away from the fact that Oppai boy kicked your butt in front of everyone."

"[It's really pathetic too. Why did you even accept a 'fight' from him? You already won; there was nothing to gain by it.]" Ddraig chimed in.

Riser opened his mouth. "What are you!?" He pointed at Ddraig.

"Listen, don't mind the small stuff." I quickly waived off his question. "Actually, you're looking at everything wrong. You should be thanking Issei."

"Why would I do that?" He hesitantly asked. "You realize that I lost all the prestige I built up? My confidence is gone, my peerage is... they're looking down on me now. My sister idolizes that idiot, and now my family is mad at me!"

"It could be worse."

"How could it possibly be worse?"

"You would have gone through with the marriage." I replied.

"...that was the whole point."

"Yes, but let me paint you a picture. You have a wife who despises you, that is higher socially ranked, and will utterly control you."

"But I'm stronger!"

"How much older than Rias are you?'

"A few years." He said.

"And you barely beat her in the rating game."

"I wouldn't say barely."

"Alright, true that you had a proper victory, but realistically, how much could things have turned around if given a different set of circumstances? Credit where it's due; the Power of Destruction isn't anything to scoff at, and you handled her tidily. But let me widen your perspective. First off, let me ask you a question: If you could describe Rias in a few words, what would they be?"

"Spoiled Princess." He answered without missing a beat.

"Right, that's a fair assessment." I acknowledged it fully. "Tell me, as a spoiled princess, how much do you think she 'trains'?"

"Minimally if that."

"How much do you train?"

"Less than I should, but more than her." He grunted.

"Yet, you almost lost. You're older, you trained more, and she had never participated in a rating game before when you had ample experience at that point." I spell it out for him.

"….oh." He quickly realized.

"Socially, she's above you. Strength wise, she would most likely have overtaken you." I held up two fingers. "Do you know what the third strike is?"

"What?"

"Her brother is the strongest devil to ever exist and would have erased you from existence if he could do so without causing any issues down the line because he's a major siscon."

"...isn't he your dad?"

"As my Father, don't you think I would know best?" I returned.

Riser's expression changed after several moments of silence. "Did...did I dodge a bullet?"

"You didn't dodge a bullet, Riser Phenex; you dodged a goddamn nuclear missile." I clapped my hands. "Look, now you can choose who you can marry, right? Rias was bitching and moaning about her arranged marriage, but you were the third son compared to her being the heir to the Gremory family. Who here was forced?"

"That's right! I was the one forced into an arranged marriage!" Riser clenched his fist. "I'm the one that's free, not her! I never wanted to marry her! Having to deal with a Satan siscon as a brother-in-law!? And having to deal with her as a spoiled princess for the rest of my life!?"

"There you go, see? Issei did you a favor."

"You're right!" He shot to his feet. "I need to do something... I need to thank him."

"[That's exactly what you should do. Go thank Issei for breaking the marriage arrangement publicly.]" Ddraig egged him on.

"Well... maybe you shouldn't quite do that."

"That's a good idea, Dragon!" Riser agreed.

"[I have those from time to time.]"

Well, I can say this isn't my fault then.

"Riser is going to go thank him personally!"

"Don't talk in the third person; it makes you look like a douche." I quickly chided.

"Too much?" He looked at me.

"Way too much." I nodded.

"Hmm." He stroked his chin. "I admit, I was skeptical, but you really are a good therapist."

"Oh, I'm not a therapist."

He paused. "what?"

"What?" I repeated, tilting my head.

"You said you had a lot of experience doing this."

"Yup."

"But you're not a therapist."

"Nope!" I just smiled. "I just have a lot of issues that I have to work through."

He blinked a few times and put his hands on my shoulders. "Takao Shimoda, you will forever be a friend to Riser Phenex. I'm free because of you, and I don't need to worry about some dragon and his spoiled princess anymore."

"What about the Dowry?"

Riser snorted. "It's a small price to pay for not having to marry her. Let them keep it." He said it nonchalantly. "As for the other stuff, it's not important. My parents gave me authority to deal with it myself, and I don't care anymore."

"I guess all's well that ends well."

Damn I'm good.

You know, I considered getting a Law Degree in my free time, but maybe I should go with being a Therapist?

"This human school... if I recall, it's also a human college?" He asked.

"…yes?" I vaguely recalled.

"Wonderful. I will see about enrolling. I'm curious about human society, and if my new friend goes to school here, I want to spend time as well." He smiled. "It will also give me the opportunity to thank that Issei Hyoudou properly for his help!"

….well then.

I'm sure it'll be fine.

"Where is he!?" I heard the distinct shrill of my alternate aunt's voice as the door was pushed open with almost all of her peerage in tow.

Specifically, Issei was there as well. And surprisingly, Riser didn't faint in fear at his sight like he did with a mere illusion just before.

I quickly scooped up the Boosted Gear as Riser walked over with confidence towards them.

"Riser, I don't know what you think you're doing." Rias was cut off as he ignored her completely, putting his hands on Issei's shoulders.

Issei seemed taken aback by this, just like everyone else.

"Issei Hyoudou, Thank you. Truly, I, Riser Phenex, thank you from the bottom of my heart for preventing my marriage to the Gremory. Know that this Phenex owes you a great favor that I will make sure to pay in the future."

I spied Kunou behind the group and realized this was a very good time to leave.

"What did you just say!?" Rias's high-pitched tone was rather clear even with my back turned.

A really good time to leave.

@***@

A/N

500 chapters woo woo! Feels like just yesterday that I released my first chapter for this and wow things took off.

There's another Looking Glass omake chapter up on P a t r e o n, if you're interested.

If you want to read 10 chapters ahead, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone

I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.