Chapter 33

Beneath the skill there was a note that his LUK stat had been increased by 5 for pulling off Grade-A lying without a skill and successfully deceiving someone with INT more than 50 points higher than his own. Jeez! Sona Sitri had more than 73 INT?! Boy, was he lucky.

[Composure] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]

Used in concert with other skills, such as [Acting], [Dramatics], [Lying], [Bullshitting] and other deception-based skills, [Composure] allows you to seem cool and calm on the surface so that any unease or uncertainty are masked. Even the emotional responses of fear or anger are concealed before the activation of the [Gamer's Mind].

- +20 to any deception-based skill check.

A very good set of skills. Issei's head jerked up as the bell went off, signalling the start of lunch. Cursing, Issei beat feet to the cafeteria. He was hungry, damn it!

After School

Occult Research Clubroom

Rias Gremory stared into violet eyes as she asked, "Sona, are you certain that's what he said?"

The Sitri Heiress nodded once, sharply. "Hyōdō-kun said that the man who almost murdered him and his family was someone who seemed to despise the supernatural, races and humans with special powers alike. He was scared out of his mind at the time, but he recalled hearing him talk about Devils, Fallen and Angels as if they were real and Hyōdō-kun also heard the man say something that was similar to 'Holy Cogs' in nature."

"Holy…Sacred Gears." The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess realised quickly, "So then...that man was right. There is an organisation of humans out there that wants to eradicate supernaturals. Even their fellow supernaturally empowered humans."

"We know that it's an organisation. What we don't know if they are entirely human." Sona corrected her friend gently, "Nor are we certain of their goals. It could be that some humans are being used by supernaturals for some purpose and don't realise it. That seems a lot more likely that an organisation of ordinary humans flying under the radar for long enough to breed those…ratmen."

Rias nodded. It was a vastly more likely scenario. A supernatural or a group of them tricking a group of humans into steadily following their agenda by manipulating their hatred of supernaturals. It was a very cruel and despicable thing to do, something that was entirely the sort of thing humans did to one another…or that the Old Maō Faction did.

The redhead frowned as that thought seized her attention. The Old Maō Faction and its leaders were the remnants of the supporters of the original bloodlines of the first Four Maō. They sneered at and disdained the Evil Piece system, citing that it was disgraceful and contemptable to make beings into Devils. By and large, they hadn't been heard of for millennia, not beyond rumour and hearsay at least.

"You're the smart one out of the two of us; how long do you think it would take regular human technology to create those ratmen?" Rias asked slowly.

"At least two centuries." Sona replied instantly, "And they only developed the bare basics of the backbone of the technology needed in the last twenty to thirty years. Without the magical alchemy systems used in the forbidden cloning technique, it would take that length of time to experiment in order to have any chance of success."

"So they have to be using some sort of magic." Rias mused, "The man in the brown cape warned my Peerage and I not to breathe in a substance called 'Warpstone' as it would mutate our minds and bodies. It's quite possible that these…Purifiers…are using it as a catalyst to speed up their production of these ratmen."

Sona tilted her head to one side in thought. "A likely hypothesis. Shame we don't have any samples to send to Beelzebub-sama to confirm it. He was…curious when he spoke to me this morning."

"Oh?"

"Yes, he was very interested some sort of mutagenic substance in the ratman sample that we sent him. Apparently it was in every single cell of the ratman's body." Sona informed her friend, "Beelzebub-sama speculates that just being in close proximity with the stuff can affect people's minds, never mind getting in physical contact with it for a while! Whatever it is, this Warpstone has to be destroyed."

"Agreed." The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess nodded, "We might have to find our mysterious swordsman again. It's clear that he knows a lot about both the ratmen and the Purifiers."

"Yes." Sona agreed, "Speaking of the Purifiers, it worries me that they seemed to send someone to, rather pathetically, try to assassinate one of the two confirmed Sacred Gear Holders at our school. Do you think it was an actual assassination attempt or just coincidence?"

"Has to be coincidence." Rias said firmly, "Even the supernatural races can only detect the presence of a Sacred Gear Holder when we're within a few metres of them. Even then, it's very hard to determine what type of Sacred Gear it is. Besides, from what you said Hyōdō-kun told you, his attacker seemed to be arguing and falling out with whoever he was calling on his cell phone. It's possible, probable even, that this man was a rogue element in his organisation, which is raised to highly likely given the way that he was killed."

Both girls shuddered at the memory of the police report they had 'acquired' thanks to their connections. It had made for grisly reading.

"I am honestly disgusted by the way he was killed, but after what he tried to do to the Hyōdō family, I cannot say that it is undeserved." The Sitri Heiress sighed, "Having the safety and sanctity of your own home violated and having to watch as a madman tries to kill your son…no wonder Hyōdō Yukariko was so passionate in defence of her son."

They had spied on the meeting between the teachers and the older Hyōdō's and were rather impressed by the Hyōdō Matriarch's use of dry wit, sarcasm and logic, combined with a statement from the police in her son's defence, to utterly humiliate and humble the teachers. It had been highly educational.

"My Peerage was shocked about the actions of the teachers." Rias shook her head, still a bit shocked herself, "Akeno wanted to teach them a lesson herself, given…well, what happened."

The invasion of her home and the murder of her mother at the hands of the Himejima Clan. Sona winced. Yes, Akeno would have greatly sympathised with one Hyōdō Issei in this situation.

"I'm glad you talked her out of doing anything rash." She stated before changing the subject, "I'm planning on bringing in Saji-kun earlier than I had originally calculated. He's too exposed as a human and I am unwilling to potentially lose a Dragon-type Sacred Gear to these Purifiers."

"You do know that he has a crush on you?" Rias teased her friend.

"A feeling that is not reciprocated, I can assure you." Sona replied dryly, "Besides, I know for a fact that three of my Peerage have expressed interest in him. Once I bring him in, I dare say they won't hesitate to show him why female Devils have a lusty reputation."

"Good for them." Rias nodded approvingly. In her opinion, people should be honest with their emotions and desires, without being egotistical about it like a certain Phenex Scion was. It was for this reason she found the Perverted Trio amusing, especially one Hyōdō Issei as he was honest, wore his emotions on his sleeve and cute.

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