46 Beliefs

(A few months after Mike's meeting with Azazel)

It was a snowy forest in Europe. The church is running a project within a secret facility in this forest. The church gathered children without family and children with a special ability for their project to make them capable of wielding the holy sword Excalibur artificially.

Day after day, the children here went through harsh experiments. Since the children were told that they would become a special being that would one day be chosen by God, they didn't even have the slightest fear. But now, it was different. The researchers decided to dispose of the children. The children didn't know this yet.

The leader of this project, Valper Galilei, was smiling behind the mask he put on to stop breathing the poisonous gas they were about to release on the children. Once the children are dead, he will extract the holy essence and continue with his research. He is a maniac obsessed with holy swords. So, he will take any means necessary to make his research successful.

Valper Galilei signaled his men to release the poisonous gas from the pipe they set up. He waited for a while but the poisonous gas never came out from the pipe. He turned around and asked his subordinates about the situation. The children were just looking at them with question mark faces. The subordinates told Valper that the equipment is not working for some reason. "Of course it won't work. I stopped it after all", a voice came from the darkness in corner of the room.

Valper was surprised by the voice and shouted, "Who are you?!"

"Yare Yare, you can't even recognize your higher official huh..." Mike came out from the darkness. He's in his priest outfit and as usual, a mask to cover his face.

"Michaelangelo-sama?!" Valper was surprised. "Why are you here?!" The name made everyone in the room surprised, especially the children. Mike was their role model. Many of them vowed to become like Mike when they start wielding a holy sword.

Mike sighed, "Haa... It's your fault, you know. I have been keeping tabs on this project from the start. The experiments were harsh but I let them happen because none of them was life-threatening. But now, you actually plan to kill the children?"

The children were confused at Mike's statement. The researchers around Valper started trembling. They didn't inform higher-ups about it after all. On the other hand, Valper wasn't afraid. He just made a creepy smile. "It's necessary, Michaelangelo-sama! I can make this experiment a success!! All I have to do is to extract their holy essence. You agree, don't you, Michaelangelo-sama? They are necessary sacrifices for the sake of the church. They will definitely go to heaven because God will be pleased about their sacrifice!"

Mike silently stared at Valper. He said, "Valper Galilei, your experiment is a failure. If you have to use human lives as a sacrifice for your greedy reasons, then you don't even have the right to be the church's follower. I have to judge you including every researcher in here." Mike took out Ascalon.

And now, Valper started trembling. "Listen to me, Michaelangelo-sama!!" Valper tried to convince Mike. The other researchers tried to take children as hostages. As a result, their heads were sent flying. The children screamed. They heard the rumors that Mike is ruthless towards the devils but witnessing it was another story. Valper was shocked by the scenario. He felt something was wrong and realized that one of his arms was missing "AAHHHHHHH!!", He screamed and tried to stop the blood loss with his other arm.

Mike simply walked towards Valper. He removed Valper's 'poison gas protection mask' to see Valper's face of despair. "Valper, I understand that you are a maniac and tried to do something wrong. But, it's also the church's fault for appointing you for the project. So, I am giving you a chance. I will let you run away from here. It's a snowy forest out there. Run wherever you want. If God forgave you for your sins, he will let you live. Now, Run!!"

Valper was terrified and he ran away once Mike gave him the choice. After he ran away, Mike turned to the children. They were also terrified of him. Mike just smiled and bowed in front of them. "On behalf of the church, I am sorry for leaving you in the care of people like these. I hope you will forgive us. From now, you don't have to go through anything like this. I will transfer you to an institute run by the church. I promise that all the necessities you need will be provided to you from now on."

Mike kept bowing until one of the children spoke. They were still a little terrified but Mike's attitude made them relax "R-Raise your head, Michaelangelo-sama!! It's not your fault!! You saved us and we are truly grateful to you!!", Once one of the children said it, the other children also voiced their opinion even though some of them pissed in their pants because of Mike's actions.

"Thank you. Ah, one other thing, I am sorry. I don't have the means of transportation to take all of you from here. So, I need some time to arrange that. So, could you wait here for a while? It's cold outside. So, please stay indoors for a while." Mike made sure that the children have everything they need to stay there for a while and went outside.

Valper Galilei is running in the snowy forest. Blood poured out of his severed arm. He kept running looking for something or someone that would keep him alive. He can feel his body becoming weak and cold both due to blood loss and the weather. He sensed something behind him. He turned around to see a light. He gained hope and smiled. "Help!! Help me!!" He ran towards the light but he stopped midway because he was able to clearly see what that light is. The light was Ascalon's glow. "Yo, Valper," Mike said with a devilish smile.

"Why?! You gave me a chance to run away, right?!" Valper desperately screamed.

"Yeah, I gave you a chance. But it looks like God didn't forgive you. If he did, I would have never found you." Mike casually said.

"That kind of reasoning is absurd!" Valper shouted. All Mike had to do is follow Valper's bloodstains and footprints on the snow after all.

"Well, like I care. Pray for God again. He might show mercy for you this time." Mike said and slowly started walking towards Valper.

"Stay away!!" Valper ran again. Mike was deliberately walking at a slow pace because he wanted Vasco to suffer as much as possible. Valper ran as fast as he can. But after a moment, his legs gave out and he fell on the snow. And then, he saw another ray of hope. He found a crimson-haired little girl staring at him. "H-Help me..." He pleaded.

"Yare yare. You dedicated your life to create people who can kill devils and yet, now you are begging a devil to save you. What an irony, Valper." Mike's voice came from his back. He was walking towards Valper while casually swinging the Ascalon.

"A... A devil?!" Valper didn't understand why he was being given hope and it was being taken away in the next moment again and again. Meanwhile, Mike was not surprised by the appearance of the devil. He was rather intrigued. The devil was mentioned in Raynare's story after all.

The crimson-haired girl looked at Valper and back at Mike. "What's going on here?" She asked.

"Help. Help me! I will become useful if you saved me! Please!" Valper begged even though he found that she's a devil. He just needed to live. He doesn't care about anything else.

"This is church's business, miss devil. Please don't interfere and go away from here." Mike said to the crimson-haired girl.

The girl looked at Valper's desperate face once again and shifted her gaze towards Mike again. "May I know the situation?" She asked.

Mike sighed and said, "Haa... It's punishment. This guy is supposed to researcher leading a project. He used little children as his test subjects. It isn't a problem if the tests weren't that harmful. But today, he tried to kill all the children with the poisonous gas to advance his research without even informing the higher-ups. So, I got angry. Would you please not interfere?"

Valper desperately begged the girl for help again but the next moment, Valper was disintegrated. The little girl used her power on Valper with a furious expression. She looked back at Mike "It was unfortunate for him to come across a devil before you could kill him. I hope we can calmly go our separate ways." She said to Mike.

"Well, that's not a problem. I am gonna kill him anyway..." Mike didn't really care about Valper anymore. He was more curious about the devil in front of him. "Crimson hair, the unique trait of the Gremory clan. You are a Gremory, aren't you?"

The girl's eyebrows twitched. "Nice to meet you. I am Rias Gremory, the heiress of the Gremory Clan. You must be the Cardinal Bishop Michaelangelo, the child prodigy that wields Ascalon. I heard a lot about you." Rias calmly stated. "Well, the rumors stated that you are completely ruthless to devils. I guess they weren't true."

"I am ruthless only towards the bad people, and I know that not all of the devils are bad. A coin has two sides, after all. It doesn't mean someone is bad just because they are devils and it doesn't mean someone is good just because they are associated with the church. The guy you disintegrated is a live example." Mike casually said.

Rias laughed. "Fufufu... It's funny how your belief is the exact opposite of what is taught in the church. Aren't all devils enemies to the church? Does one of the highest officials of the church not agree with the teachings of the church?"

"Well, my beliefs come from my experience. The teachings come from the church, not from God himself. So, I would rather believe what I experienced. If my beliefs were wrong, God would have punished me a long time ago. Even if God punished me now, I will never regret my choices." Mike casually told a lie and made it look dramatic.

Rias was surprised for a moment. She then smiled. "You have my respect, Cardinal Bishop Michaelangelo. Even though we might be of the same age. Allow me to take your leave" She slightly bowed and turned around.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. If the war ever stopped, let's become friends." Mike said.

Rias made a sarcastic smile, "Even if the war stopped, an exorcist and a devil can never be friends."

"Hmm... That hurts my beliefs. Okay, how about this? Let's become friends right this instant, Rias Gremory." Mike said as if it's a normal matter.

"Huh?!" Rias turned around unable to believe what she just heard.

"Wanna be my friend?" Mike asked again. This time, Rias was convinced that she heard it correctly.

"Do you even realize what you are saying?! You want to become friends with a devil!! What would you do if the church ever found out?!" Rias started to question if the person that she started to respect was sane or not.

"Well, I would like to keep it a secret from the church. But if the church ever found out, I will just say that I did nothing wrong. I am a guy who follows his own beliefs after all. I won't ever regret the choice. That's for sure." Mike extended his hand.

Rias still has her doubts. "What is a friend to you?" She asked.

"Well, I am not good with definitions... Friends are friendly with each other?" Mike tried to define it.

"Hmm yes, the floor is made out of the floor, and also, people die when they are killed" Rias made a sarcastic comment and giggled.

"As I said, I don't know how to define it! Let's just say it like this. I like to talk to my friends and have fun with them. I will help my friend if they are in trouble even if I have to go against church and I will try my best to stop my friend if they are making a wrong choice. So, would you like to be my friend?" Mike presented the offer again.

"I am sorry but I can't trust you to be my friend. You are from the church. I can't believe someone from the church not just because I am the heiress of the Gremory clan but I am also a little sister of Maou Sirzechs Lucifer-sama. You might use me to harm them. As such, I can't accept it." Rias humbly declined.

"Hmm... That's true. You need something to trust me first. How about this? Since I want us to become friends, it would be unfair if you don't know my face." Mike removed his mask.

"You are actually crazy, aren't you?!" Rias shouted at Mike. "How can you trust a devil that easily?! Do you know how many have a grudge against you in the devil society? What would you do if I told them about your appearance?" A lot of people who hate Mike doesn't know his appearance. If they found out Mike's identity, his normal life will be affected drastically.

'Sirzechs will take care of it if you tried to do something like that.' Mike internally thought. "Well, I hope this gives you enough trust in me," Mike said.

"Why go this far just to become friends with me?" Rias questioned.

"As I said, you hurt my beliefs. An exorcist and a devil can never be friends? I want to prove you wrong!" Mike said with a serious expression.

Rias sighed and smiled. She took Mike's hand, "Then I will become your friend on those same conditions as yours. I swear it in the name of Gremory. Let's see how long we can manage to stay as friends."

They exchanged contacts and Rias went away from there. And the next moment, Mike sent a message to Sirzechs, [I met your sister today in Italy, Sirzechs. She is a well-mannered child. You guys raised her well.]

**********************

Rias Gremory is the sole heiress of the Gremory clan. After her brother Sirzechs lost his right to be the heir because of becoming a Maou, her responsibilities and burdens increased. One of the main problems is Riser Phenex. Her father was worried about the pure-bloods of his clan going extinct. So, Rias was made to be Riser's fiance and her father also made a deal about Phoniex tears as a bonus. Rias doesn't like it at all. But she couldn't say anything against her father. She wants to end this agreement, but she doesn't know what to do. So, she gave up for now.

Rias is a Japanophile. So, she prefers to stay in Japan. But one day, she decided to have a tour and visited Italy. In Italy, she was walking in the snowy forest not knowing what to do. Suddenly, A man without an arm came running and fell in front of her, and started to beg her for help. Rias didn't understand the situation. After a moment, another person appeared. That person is a child in an exorcist outfit and wears a mask and he was holding a holy sword. Rias heard a lot of rumors about this child. The youngest wielder of a holy sword, Michaelangelo.

Rias heard the rumors about him being ruthless to the devils. So, she was afraid he might kill her. But surprisingly, he asked Rias to go away. Rias was curious about the person desperately begging for help. She asked about the situation before deciding to help the person. The boy told her about the situation. And Rias became furious. The reason is simple. Using children for their own selfish reasons was something that her father did to her. She doesn't hate her father but she still doesn't like what he did to her and she also didn't like how helpless she is. So yeah, out of her frustration, she killed Valper with her own hands. It's just a child's frustration for being so helpless.

Rias believed that some things can't be changed. The devil society, the strife between the three races, and her helplessness. So, when Mike told her about his beliefs and how he sticks to them even though they are against the church's teachings, she envied him and started to respect him. But she still believed that there are things that can't be changed at least for her. So, when Mike told her about being friends when the war is over, she said it's impossible.

And what happened next was a surprise. Mike asked her to become his friend. She started to doubt him and asked what is a friend for him. Rias couldn't believe him. And considering her position, she doesn't want it to become a problem for her brother and her clan. So, she declined. This is simply her way of saying to Mike that there are things that he can't change.

But then, Mike showed his face. Rias was surprised by how far Mike is willing to go for his own beliefs. She started admiring him more and she realized that she wants to be like him. So, she took his hand and decided to fight her fate.

She went back to her private residence in Japan after that. But she gained a friend. She and Mike messaged each other occasionally. After a few days, Rias went back to the underworld to see her family. She can't contact Mike from there, so she started wanting to go back to Japan as soon as possible.

Rias greeted her mother and father and it seems that Sirzechs also came back to the mansion, so she went to his room to greet him. She opened the door. "Oh, Rias! I was waiting for you!! How was the tour? Did you take some photos so that I could add them to my personal imouto collection?" Sirzechs is a siscon.

"Onii-sama, please remember that you are the Maou. It's good to see you after a long time, onii-sama. Have you been well?" Rias tried to maintain a dignified appearance.

"Not at all. I missed my family a lot, especially my cute imouto. So, I am depressed. Come on now, tell your brother 'Onii-sama, daisuki!!' so that your onii-sama could become happy again!" Sirzechs is still in his siscon mode.

Rias sighed. "It's good to see that you are doing well, onii-sama. I will take your leave then."

"Wait, don't just go like that, Rias! Fine, tell me about what you did in Japan." Sirzechs gave up and changed the topic.

Rias told him that it was good. She enthusiastically explained to him the things she saw and learned in Japan. She told him about her trip to Italy and the places she visited and the dishes she tried. Sirzechs heard everything with a bright smile. After Rias was done, Sirzechs kept the same smiley face and asked, "So, did you meet anyone interesting in your trip to Italy, Rias?"

Rias froze for the moment but immediately maintained her composure and answered "Not at all, onii-sama. The places I visited were far more interesting than the people I met." She lied.

Sirzechs's expression didn't change. He kept his smiley face and said, "I see. Well, I am glad that you enjoyed it. See you later, Rias." Sirzechs sent Rias away and immediately made a call.

*********************

It's been a few days since Mike became friends with a devil. So far, he could say that his relationship with Rias was good. The reason Mike became friends with her is simple. He wanted to become friends with a devil of similar age. After he established peace, he needs to show that all races can coexist. So, he needs friends from all three races if possible. But first, he needs to know who he can trust. And so, he gave Rias a test to see if she could do it.

Just at that moment, Mike's phone rang. He looked that the caller was Sirzechs. He picked up the call.

(( Uwaaah! Mike, Rias has entered her rebellious phase! She started lying to me and keeping secrets from me. She didn't even say a thing about you. Could you believe it? She actually lied to her onii-sama! ))

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Mike asked. Sirzechs sounded like he was crying. But Mike was happy that Rias passed the test.

(( It's your fault! This is the first time she lied to me, you know. She looks more enthusiastic too! It must be because of you. What did you do to her? ))

"I think I already told you about what happened back then." Mike sighed again.

(( Are you sure you didn't use any charm magic? ))

"You know that I can't use magic, right?" Mike casually replied.

(( Whatever you did, take responsibility and marry her, you bastard!! ))

"How the hell did it come to that?!" Mike shouted.

(( Wait, she already has a fiance... How about you elope with her?! ))

"Oi! I am trying to bring peace between the races! Your plan will start a war!" Mike was getting impatient.

(( Then, how about this? Marry one from each race and you can be the symbol of peace. I will send my sister from the devils' side. Hmm... I can use that. I can just say that my sister fell for a stronger guy and also this marriage will become a symbol of peace for future generations! ))

"Your sister didn't fall for me! Let her make her own choice, you idiot. And I already have someone I like!" Mike yelled.

(( Alright then, I will call you when she falls for you. And it's okay if you have someone you like, harems are accepted! Bye! ))

"Wait!" Mike tried to explain to him but Sirzechs hung up the call. Mike sighed. "Why does everyone want me to make a harem? Onee-chan is more than enough for me!"

Mike sighed again, "Haa... but really, Sirzechs is one hell of a siscon, isn't he? Well, it's not like I can say anything about him. When compared to him, I think I am the bigger siscon. I am actually dating my own sister after all... Ah, right. I have to get ready for my date today."

*******************

(Author Note: I think this is the longest chapter I have ever written. I was also busy with my academics. That's the reason it's been so long. Most of you would have already forgotten that this book is in your library. Anyway, with this, I yeeted Kiba and Mike established a relationship with Rias. Anyway, I will never drop this novel but my academics take priority. So, I can't say when a chapter will pop out. I should mostly be able to manage to do one per week.)