“Kurohime-”


    “No. I will no longer use that name.”


    She turned towards Yasaka and gradually, her luscious blonde hair turned white. Her true appearance which she had concealed for years revealed itself.


    “From today onwards, I am Aurelia, Aurelia von Drachenberg.”


    .


    |DxD|


    .


    Yasaka sighed when she heard Aurelia’s words. The moment her aide uttered her true name, she knew there was no stopping it. She could see it in her eyes that her decision was final, despite the dangers that came with her name.


    Aurelia von Drachenberg, a name which means ‘The Golden One From The Mountain Of Dragons’. The Drachenbergs were the royal family of the Aryans and their rule was solidified through their immense power. Having remained as the ruling family for thousands of years, their name was well known throughout the supernatural world that if Aurelia were to keep the name, she would no doubt be assassinated. Even her first name alone was risky given how significantly rare it was and although it was unlikely, there was a chance of her being investigated just from having the name alone.


    Yet even with all these risks, Aurelia chose to follow through. Whether it was because of no longer wanting to hide, Yasaka wasn’t sure.


    [Was she perhaps influenced by that boy?]


    She still had a very strong impression of him and how he didn’t falter in exacting his vengeance on the Himejima. It was the only reason she could think of that would make Aurelia dare to be so bold in a world of people that seek to annihilate her race right down to the last bloodline.


    But, Yasaka was sure that she definitely wasn’t suicidal.


    “I am sure you have your own reasons and I will not ask you why. However, what are you going to do now?”


    Aurelia looked at Yasaka and lowered her head in sincere respect.


    “Yasaka-sama. This one will forever be grateful for your help and will never forget your kindness. However, debts must be repaid and this one shall seek out the one who brought destruction upon the Himejima.”


    She had ingrained everything from his appearance to his aura in her mind. That red hair of his was something she would never forget. Although his power felt sinister, it might as well have been holy in her eyes.


    As such, she would find him, no matter what it takes.


    “I hope Yasaka-sama accepts this one’s selfish demands to seek for that man.”


    Yasaka smiled lightly at her words.


    “I understand, Aurelia. I shall also do my best to help you find him. He came from Kuoh so perhaps you should begin there?”


    Aurelia gave a respectful nod.


    “At once, Yasaka-sama.”


    With a starting location given, she wasted no further time. A golden magic circle formed beneath her before she vanished in a flash of golden light.


    Vwong!


    With Aurelia’s departure, Yasaka finally released a sigh she had been holding.


    “She really is no longer hiding her heritage.”


    Although Yasaka never vouched for the annihilation of the Aryans, she was no stranger to fighting them. As such, she was able to recognise that the dragon insignia on Aurelia’s circle was also the one used by some of the warriors from the Drachenberg.


    The memory alone made her look at the fallen Himejima.


    “Atleast she isn’t arrogant like her clan members.”


    .


    |DxD|


    .


    “Hey aunty. Are you done?”


    “Fufu~. Not yet, Dimori-kun.”


    In Shuri’s home, Igor was waiting for Shuri to change clothing after she had decided that she couldn’t go and meet Akeno dirty and in rags. The blonde acquiesced to her request and brought her here. However, what should’ve been an affair that shouldn’t last fifteen minutes had doubled and Igor was already getting tired.


    Sitting outside on the windowsill, the blonde was idly swinging his legs with his chin propped on his hand. He had already cleaned himself in the time chamber and swapped his bloody coat for a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants and black sandals. It was casual wear that was breathable and easy to maintain. The blonde had prepared himself quickly in order not to waste Shuri’s time, even going so far as to not eat. With the amount of blood dried blood on his body and his hair, he had to continuously scrub himself for just over three hours in the time chamber. But while he was rather fast, it seemed the opposite had happened in the real world. More than fifteen minutes had passed since he arrived and the blonde was lamenting the amount of food he could’ve eaten within that time span.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He peeled back the curtains to look into Shuri’s room. His brows scrunched up when he saw over a dozen dresses laid out on her bed. As for Shuri, she was covered by the closet doors and was casually observing dresses before throwing them on the bed.


    Such actions made the blonde scrunch his brows in confusion before he groaned.


    “Come on, aunty. Just pick a dress already. Anything is fine. ANYTHING.”


    Igor couldn’t understand what was so hard about choosing a simple pair of clothing. In his mind, it shouldn’t have taken more than ten minutes for her to shower and get ready. The only blood she had was on her clothes so she didn’t have to scrub individual strands of hair like he had to.


    In regards to his cry out outrage, all he got in response was Shuri peeking her head out. Her hair was wet with droplets of water flowing along her strands before toppling to the floor. Her face was flushed due to just having gotten out of her shower. Her collarbone was exposed, giving a teasing view to a part of her neck.


    Looking straight at the blonde, she pouted lightly.


    “Ara? Does Dimori-kun not want me to look pretty?”


    The blonde tilted his head in confusion. He closed his eyes for a bit as if trying to process her question. In the end, he looked at Shuri with an even more confused gaze.


    “What does being pretty have to do with your choice of clothes?”


    Unabashed, Shuri giggled lightly.


    “Because clothes make a woman pretty, Dimori-kun.”


    “?”


    A part of him wanted to say that she never cared about clothes before, but he changed his words.


    “Aunty. You were pretty in rags. What you wear doesn’t matter. Just pick a dress already.”


    “Fufu~.”


    Shuri smiled at his answer and disappeared behind the closet.


    “I’m flattered that Dimori-kun thinks I’m pretty. But I think I just need a bit more time.”


    “EH???”


    Without hesitation, the blonde jumped into the room and strode towards her.


    “Nope. We’re leaving now.”


    Having picked up a random dress, he stretched his hand around the closet door.


    “Here’s a dress, aunty.”


    The dress was blue and the design was modest. Some decorative folds were there and upon closer look, there appeared to be a modest slit by the leg.


    Yet Shuri did not grab it.


    “My hands are a little occupied, Dimori-kun~.”


    With a teasing voice, she implied what the blonde had to do. But contrary to expectations, she heard him sigh.


    “Aunty. Don’t do this. I know I you like teasing people, but this is going too far. You have a husband. It would be disrespectful both to you and the old man if I saw your body instead of him.”


    Shuri was silent. It wasn’t because she felt offended, but because she couldn’t help but wonder about that “husband” of hers.


    “You say he is my husband, Dimori-kun. But where is he?”


    Her fists clenched yet there was no sign of anger in her voice.


    “When his family was being hunted, where was he? When Akeno almost died, where was he? When I died, where was he?”


    “...”


    Igor couldn’t answer. Even now it made no sense that Baraquiel didn’t arrive. With the ability to teleport, it simply didn’t make sense that the fallen couldn’t come to Kuoh.


    But Shuri wouldn’t wait for him to ponder.


    “I may have lost my memories, Dimori-kun. But I have my knowledge. Did you know that there are barriers and wards protecting this house? There are barriers that cover both the forest and this house as well as several different wards.”


    Her voice then turned icy.


    “He is linked to them, Dimori-kun.”


    “?!”


    Igor sharply raised his head, his eyes darkening as he gradually understood what Shuri meant. Although he didn’t pay much attention to it before, the blonde knew that the barrier surrounding the house and the forest were all broken with the latter having been broken by him. By all rights, Baraquiel should’ve received some sort of magical notification informing him of these barriers being broken. But he couldn’t accept the worst possible truth.


    The blonde knew Baraquiel loved his family too much to abandon them.


    “Maybe something held him up, aunty. The old man is a warrior like me. Maybe he was injured or unconscious when everything happened.”


    A part of him wanted to rationalise this, to lean onto the scenario that some sort of circumstance held him back from protecting his family.


    But Shuri wouldn’t accept this excuse.


    “No. Too much time has passed for that excuse.”


    Pushing back the door of the closet, she revealed her towel-covered form. Contrary to how lean she appeared in her normal clothes, Shuri was generously gifted in all the right areas. But right now, her aim wasn’t to tease the straight-faced blonde who still kept eye-contact without flinching.


    Taking a step forward, she gently cupped his cheeks with a gentle expression on her face.


    “He wasn’t there, but you were. I saw it in your memories, Dimori-kun. I saw how you tried to hard so find us. I saw everything and felt everything. When Akeno almost died, you were there. You protected my daughter and insured her safety. When I was in my final moments, you were there with me. You insured that even if my body couldn’t be saved, my soul would pass on safely.”


    She rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs, her face inching closer.


    “Did you know, Dimori-kun? In our culture, we believe that a soul that passes on with grievances will not be able to reincarnate. They will turn into lingering spirits that would exact vengeance on the living. This is what would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t come. If you hadn’t stayed with me until my final moments, offered me comfort, warmth, and safety, I would never have been able to pass on in peace. This means that Amaterasu-sama would not have been able to revive me.”


    She leaned in closer, their noses nearly touching.


    “Do you understand, Dimori-kun? In our darkest hours, you were the one who saved us.”


    Shuri looked into those blue eyes of his. She could see them sparkling, almost as if the layer of darkness covering them had retreated. In the short time she spent with Igor, she understood that sincere words alone would never resolve the guilt he kept hidden in his heart. Only words with tangible proof of action and results could ever hope to dislodge that lump of regret in his heart. And with how his eyes lit up, she knew it was working because in them…


    …she could also see relief.


    “I see. So I’m not a failure?”


    Shuri smiled lightly before kissing him on the forehead.


    Chuu~


    She then brought him into her embrace.


    “No, Dimori-kun. You’re not a failure at all.”


    “...”


    Igor closed his eyes, as he laid his head on her chest.


    [I feel…warm.]


    .


    AN


    .


    I’ve read some comments asking why Aurelia or Igor couldn’t sense each other like how the blonde could sense Asia. Unfortunately, any sort of explanation I try to offer would count as a spoiler. So…bear with it for a bit until they meet.


    If you’re interested in reading ahead, here’s the link:  <u>patreon.com/HolyGambler</u></a>