51 Azazel's Visit.

(The story will be quite fast-paced for a while.)

After exploring the old home that MacGregor had built over 80 years ago, everyone chose their rooms. Romonus picked the master bedroom which was quite small. He fixed the issue with a few spells. 

He cast a Space Expansion Spell and he turned it into a replica of his room in the Bael Castle. That reminded him that he should go back to remove his room and forge room from the castle because that enchantment had remained. 

He just hadn't bothered to get it, but since his room was protected no one he didn't want to could enter. Once he got his room set up, he noticed another problem most of the girls wanted to stick close to him.

 He had blamed it on his Demon Aura, but now that they were out of the castle Miria made it a rule that only she and Silvana could stay in his room with him. This did not go well with Shirone who liked to passively help Romonus deal with his mental issues.

Plus she was always processing his Demonic Aura because it worked like a good tonic for her. Vespera also did not want to be away from Romonus right now because he was the one helping her deal with her troubles. 

As such, Romonus decided to allow Miria, Silvana, Vespera, and Shirone to stay with him. That meant that Akeno and Itsuku had to stay in their rooms which they didn't like at all. 

They ended up accepting it because they didn't have any good reason to stay with him. It was annoying though so they stormed off to their rooms and stayed there. Gasper chose to stay with Valerie who was like a big sister to him. 

All in all, the attack had gone well and they had escaped with all of Romonus' goals accomplished. He decided to spend the rest of the day just relaxing as after a successful attack one should either celebrate or unwind.

---

The next morning, Romonus once again woke up with Shirone not in cat form, but in her Nekomata form. She was hugging his side as she was small enough to not bother him, but that was not going to last long. 

Since she was not suppressing her Senjutsu she was growing normally. Her body was passively using Senjutsu to draw away any negative thoughts he may have. Plus, the vast Demonic Aura radiating off him was drawn in by her and processed to grow her strength.

When he gazed at her soul he could see she was on the brink of reaching the next level of her species to become a three-tailed Nekushou. Meaning that she was almost as strong as the Shirone that Rias took under her wing. 

'Honestly, Rias is too kind for her own good. Only when the plot started did she and her original peerage start improving. That reminds me, I better intervene in the Holy Sword Project. Kiba and Tosca can be good members of Rias' peerage. 

I don't need them.' 

He didn't sit up but looked next to him where Miria was cuddled up to him. She was not the only one on him as when he looked at his chest he saw a small black bat with a streak of white fur on her head. Both Shirone and Vespera could turn into cute animals, but suddenly he heard an angry roar in his head.

Kharn and Grimaldus were both still inside his Familiar Space. He had forgotten about them after the attack and they wanted out. 

"Crap." 

He gently got out of Shirone's and Miria's holds and held Vespera to not let her fall. All three were woken up, but you did not want to keep Kharn cooped up. Romonus released both of his pets and watched as they fell onto the bed.

"Sorry about that, if you want to sleep more girls that is fine." 

Vespera flew out of his hand and landed on the floor before returning to her Vampire form. She yawned before wiping her eyes off. 

"I am tired, I need a coffin to sleep in." 

Romonus thought about it as he wondered what was it about Vampires and their coffins. 

"There are plenty of trees for you to pick from, just make one." 

Vespera nodded. 

"I think I will. I am hungry too." 

Romonus pulled his shirt out of the way for her to see his neck. 

"Come on then." 

She smiled as she walked over to him and bit down on his shoulder. The issue was that his body was so strong that she could not bite through his skin. She tried it a few times before pulling back looking annoyed. 

"You are like a metal plate." 

He released his control over his muscles and skin to weaken it. 

"Try it now." 

This time her fangs pierced through his shoulder and she started to drink his blood. Vespera's eyes went wide open as drinking his blood was like drinking several Energy Drinks. Watching her close her eyes and enjoy the experience made Miria wonder about something. 

"I have bitten the throats out of my foes before and their blood just tastes like iron, but what does your blood taste like?"

Romonus smirked at the idea. 

"Want to try it? Also, mind telling me that story when you get a chance." 

Miria was always up to tell an old war story. She smiled that her experiences were appreciated. 

"Any time. As for your blood, no thanks. I am no Vampire."

By this point Vespera had drank enough so she pulled away from Romonus while licking her lips. Instantly, she began to turn less pale than a regular Vampire and her Demonic Energy began to rise rapidly. 

Because of her soul which was formed of the union of a Devil and Vampire this solely vampire body needed time to convert. She had to turn it into a perfect vessel for herself. 

"Go on without me, I will be needing regular feedings." 

Romonus did not mind it at all as he already regenerated the blood he had lost. 

"Right then. The first item on the docket is breakfast." 

Instantly Shirone and Miria were out of bed as both of them liked to eat. Silvana leisurely got up as she didn't need to eat and anything she did eat was just burned by the soul fire on her neck. 

"Guess I should be there too." 

He nodded. 

"You should." 

Romonus chuckled as he left his room with them. Kharn chose to stay behind while Grimaldus began to explore the house. MacGregor had spoken of a few of his safe houses and told Romonus to feel free to use them if he needed them. 

When they got downstairs they went to the living room where a giant table for many people was set up. 

"One of you set the table, I will start getting breakfast ready." 

Shirone decided to do that herself. 

"I got it."

Miria smiled as she tied her hair up with magic back into its large purple braid. 

"I will help you. Silvana, what do you want to eat?" 

Silvana raised her hands as she didn't need it. 

"I don't need to eat at all so-" 

Miria raised her hand to stop her. 

"Don't start now. You don't need to eat, but you can right?" 

"I can, but-"

Miria felt that was enough reason to eat. 

"Then just enjoy a breakfast."

Romonus smiled as he walked over to the kitchen and placed on an apron. When Miria saw how he was dressed she laughed at the sight. 

"Wow, a man of many talents. You can even cook?" 

"That I can. I felt it is a good thing to know." 

Though it just reminded him of his past life.

'That and Carla made me do all the chores.' 

He shuddered thinking of that woman. He was just glad that he was here and she was alone again. Romonus turned on the stove which burned magic rather than anything else. 

He started to place a couple of pans on the stove, but Miria had a question. 

"Is there a cellar?" 

Romonus shook his head as he walked over to the closet. When he opened it up, there was a whole bunch of food items all preserved for decades with magic. It was a giant walk-in closet that MacGregor made decades ago. 

"MacGregor took me here once, he said to use anything. I am making an English Breakfast just with Pancakes."

Miria hummed. 

"I have never eaten an English Breakfast, or made one." 

"It's nothing tricky, I will show you." 

While they both got to cooking, the smell of cooking food started to wake up everyone. Akeno and Itsuki didn't even care about being kicked out of his room and sat down for breakfast. As for Valerie and Gasper, they came down together.

Romonus was already secretly judging Gasper. He was dressed in a skirt and a blouse which was because of Valerie. She found boys in skirts to be cute which made him remember someone.

'She would get along with Bukubukuchagama from Overlord. She was the one who made Mare who also crossdresses. Honestly, Mare and Gasper are quite alike. Just that Mare is strong so he gets a pass.' 

Valerie suddenly looked down as she looked at Romonus' soul. It was such an incredible skill to use when your soul told everything about you. 

"You hate it?"

He didn't deny it though. 

"It's weird, but I not going to tell you to stop. I do have bad news for you two. You two are going to be separated." 

Valerie already suspected that as she managed to gaze a little more into his soul when he dropped his guard. Part of his memories were heavily protected, but she saw his surface thoughts. 

He only wanted to train her because of her Longinous. Gasper despite having a High-Level Sacred Gear didn't have the correct mentality to make it through his extreme standard. 

"Already? I thought we had more time." 

Gasper suddenly looked up at Valerie worried. 

"Do we have to?" 

She smiled as she patted his head. 

"It won't be forever. You will be going to someone safe, someone who will look after you. Your sister right?" 

Romonus nodded. 

"Correct. You are in luck, Gasper. She is much nicer than I am. Take some time to discover your powers. When you come back, Valerie will be a different person. You can stay for breakfast though."

Gasper sadly sat down at the table as Romonus and Miria brought out the English Breakfasts. He had made them with Fried Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Beans, plum tomatoes, and pancakes. 

Itsuki was already drooling so she got her fork and started eating. 

"Damn, this is good." 

Romonus laughed as he sat down to eat as well. 

"Thank you, me and Miria did the best we could." 

Miria smiled as she took a bite of the eggs. 

"Well, now and then cooking is fun." 

Romonus could agree to that, but just as he was going to continue the conversation he felt two people teleport nearby. Valerie, Miria, Ddraig, and Shirone instantly noticed them, but Romonus was unworried. 

"My guests are here." 

Romonus walked to the door and opened it before they could even knock. Outside was Azazel in a suit with a small girl with white hair and hazel almost yellow eyes. She was a bit young as she seemed to be about 11. 

She was dressed in rock-style clothing with what seemed to be several chains hanging off her neck. 

"Azazel, glad of you to come by?" 

Hearing what he said Akeno jumped a little as she wondered if her dad had come too. She was not sure if she was ready to see him still. Azazel merely shook Romonus' hand. 

"We did have a deal, didn't we? Viviana, say hello?" 

She looked up at Romonus with crossed arms. 

"What are you anyways? You're too strong to be a normal devil." 

He looked down at her and held his hand out. 

"Romonus Bael and I have evolved from a Devil into a Demon. Don't ask me how?" 

She smirked. 

"How?" 

He chuckled as she was feisty. 

"Since you are here you might as well join us for breakfast." 

Azazel nodded.

"Don't mind if we do." 

Romonus stood aside and let them in. All eyes went to them with Itsuki and Viviana already locked on each other. The Boosted Gear appeared on Itsuki's left hand while the Divine Dividing appeared on Viviana's back. 

Both Heavenly Dragons instantly started to exchange words. 

[White One, it appears we were both blessed with extraordinary hosts.] 

{It appears that way Red One. Be that as it may, your host will still lose.} 

[Don't count Itsuki out for the count already, if not for that one being the descendent of Lucifer, she would be weaker.]

{She is so much more than just a Lucifer descendant.}

Romonus raised his hand to stop the two bickering dragons. 

"Time and place guys." 

[True.]

{Appologies for the shameful display.}

Both Sacred Gears vanished after getting their words in. Azazel chuckled as he pulled a chair out for himself with Viviana actively choosing to sit next to Itsuki. Once they were seated Romonus got back up to go and serve them food as well. 

He still could see into the kitchen so he started to talk to Azazel. 

"Nice to see you in person again Azazel, been a little over a year right?"

"Yes, it has. You saved Akeno from the Himejima Clan by sending them flying with that reverse gravity spell of yours. Akeno, I know this might be hard to hear coming from me, but your Father is happy to see you improving. 

He did ask me if he could come, but I told him to hold off." 

Akeno looked down at her plate before asking. 

"How is he?"

"Holding in there. He is managing Shuri's grave by himself and wanted to ask if you would visit it with him. If you can't he at least wanted you to call him at least once to hear your voice." 

Akeno had been texting her Father from time to time but never had to courage to call him. Hearing what Azazel said made her want to change that. Azazel though did not rush her. 

"Take your time, Baraqiel is wounded and so are you."

Akeno still wanted to say one thing. 

"Azazel, you kept me safe right?" 

"That I did, I would use magic to nudge you in the direction of safety." 

"I wanted to say thank you. I was a deserter and a half-breed, but you still helped me stay alive."

"Of course, you are the daughter of my friend. I owed him that much." 

Viviana looked back to Azazel with a smirk. 

"The Governor General is a big softie. He can't stop helping people." 

Azazel did not correct her that he was far from soft. He just knew when to be kind and when to be cruel. By that point, Romonus was halfway through the cooking when he spoke about why they were there.

"Valerie, that is Azazel The Govenor General of Grigori. He should know more than I do about your Sacred Gear. Though, since yours is a Sub Species it might be more tricky to find out proper information."

Valerie turned to Azazel before bowing slightly. 

"Greetings."

He observed her before thinking out loud. 

"I see you are a Dhampir, a damn good thing or you would already have gone crazy. The original Sephiroth Graal has the side effect of forcefully teaching you the secrets of how Life and Souls are made. 

The issue is that the human mind is not supposed to understand either so they begin to go mad. Thanks to the fact you are a Dhampir of Noble Blood, your resistance is much higher than average. I have recordings of several past users who never went far. 

None of them ever so much used a Balance Breaker either. How are you holding up?" 

Valerie sighed as she explained her state.

"I constantly see the dead speaking to me. Sometimes in a language I can't even comprehend. I constantly am told as you said the way Life and Souls are made. I know how they work, but I couldn't tell you as I lose it when I think about it." 

Azazel nodded as he pulled out a set of papers from his Spatial Ring. These rings were so convenient when they were first made by Chinese Cultivators. While he was flipping through them Romonus waved his hand and placed a plate of food in front of Viviana and Azazel. 

The former started to eat instantly while Azazel slowly picked at it. 

"That sounds about right from the interviews I have had with previous wielders. None of them can explain the process of Life and Souls at all. Even when their memories were probed it was ununderstandable. Can you try to Manifest it?" 

Before she did anything Romonus walked over to her and placed a vial of his blood in front of her. 

"Here, drink it."

Valerie looked at his blood and was mesmerized. Normally every time she saw blood she knew how it lived, but Romonus' blood was beyond strange. Demon Blood especially that of Sparda was like the blood of a god. 

She reached down and took the vial into her hands. 

"Your life is beautiful Romonus."

Gasper recoiled a little as he hated blood. Valerie though opened the vial and drank it on the spot. When she did so, her eyes instantly opened as she felt her body surge with Demonic Mana. 

Her own Vampiric body began to actively feed on the power in his blood which caused her strength to rise rapidly. Vespera was undergoing the same process as Vampires drew power from what they drank. 

Enough time and she would turn into a Demonic Vampire with a Relic as Holy as the Sephiroth Graal. She would be as much a monster as Akeno, but that power caused her Longinous to activate. 

In front of her three Golden cups appeared with a great Holy Aura, but it did not seem to harm any of the Devils around. Even Romonus as a Demon did not feel off put by the aura in the cups. 

Azazel was instantly shocked at the sight of the three Grails. 

"A Sub Species indeed." 

Valerie calmed herself down and felt something odd. She touched her head as the thoughts of the dead were weaker now. Her mind felt clear and her soul didn't feel as heavy. 

"Why do I feel so fuzzy?" 

Romonus sat himself down and started to eat. 

"Because I am that strong. Azazel, any clues on how she should go about controlling her Longinous?" 

"I got a couple of working theories in mind. Since Sephiroth Grall tells about Souls and Life why doesn't she do what the previous wielders did? Most of them went mad because they overused their abilities in tampering with life. 

Resurrecting the dead brings the biggest toll on the user, but that shouldn't be a problem with Three Grails and regular ingestion of the blood of a Demon like you. Although you do not want to rush anything as even with your Vampire side you still have limits.

For now, see if you can't send them back." 

Valerie nodded as she focused and her Longinous vanished. 

"I can do that, while it sounds frightening I know that anything can be done. Right?" 

Romonus chuckled as that sounded like him. 

"Right. On another note, when you get done eating we got a lot to discuss." 

Azazel agreed with that. 

"True." 

As everyone resumed eating Viviana turned to Itsuki next to her. 

"When you get done, fight me? I want to see how good you are." 

Itsuki smiled. 

"Alright, if you want to lose be my guest." 

Viviana grinned at the idea. 

"Tough talk." 

Itsuki quoted Romonus making him laugh. 

"You can talk tough if you can back it up, Romonus' words. Can you?" 

"I will show you." 

Much like their Dragon partners, the two girls were bickering. Azazel and Romonus just found that adorable. Regardless, once the meal was over Romonus let Gasper stick around for the upcoming spar between Itsuki and Viviana. 

Then he would send him to Rias who would be better suited to his weak will. He was a harsh trainer as he was hard on every member of his peerage. Didn't matter their gender, age, or mental state. You were going to train and train hard. 

If you couldn't then you might as well not be around him, that was his motto. Now, it was time to see if Itsuki could defeat Viviana now. 

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