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The next morning.
Jack slowly opened his eyes, got up, and walked to the window. He looked out at the rising sun and took a deep breath.
He hadn't actually slept at all last night. He'd spent the whole time training.
After fooling around with Rias for a while, Asia had walked in on them. The sweet little girl immediately got jealous, and in the end… the three of them ended up "playing" together for quite a long time.
After coaxing Rias to sleep, Asia stayed awake and accompanied Jack in his training.
With the support of Asia's Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, he was able to push himself much harder. He increased the intensity of the resonance, ignoring the sharp pain as his demonic power surged violently.
He realized something important: simply maintaining resonance with a Sacred Gear didn't mean he could keep improving indefinitely. As his strength and physical endurance grew, the intensity of the resonance had to increase as well.
If he compared himself to a lump of raw iron, then resonance was like purification. As iron is forged into steel, the force required for refinement keeps increasing.
And if one day he could fully withstand the backlash of that resonance… then it probably wouldn't be able to enhance him any further.
But by then, he'd likely be able to unleash the full power of the Benevolent King Sword and Shield.
Asia had only managed to hold on for three hours before exhaustion overtook her, and she fell into a deep sleep. Still, the results of the night's training were more than satisfying.
Looking at the two girls asleep in bed, Jack didn't wake them. He got dressed quietly and stepped out.
He went to buy breakfast, and by the time he returned, both Rias and Asia were already awake.
"Good morning."
Rias lay on the bed, smiling softly as she greeted him. Her graceful figure was on full display, and Jack couldn't help recalling the hazy, intimate moments from the night before.
"Get up and eat," he said gently. "Are you two coming with me for morning training later?"
"Oh, about that… you can skip it today."
Rias sat up, and she and Asia got out of bed, both girls casually putting on their clothes piece by piece.
"Something came up?"
Seeing Rias pick up her black bra, Jack stepped forward. She naturally turned her back to him, and he reached out to fasten the clasp for her, then glanced over at Asia.
"I'll need your help too," Asia said, blushing slightly as she turned around.
After helping her as well, Rias finished putting on her white shirt. She reached back and pulled her long crimson hair out from under the collar, then smiled as she explained:
"We've got a new commission today. It's a group job, a bit of an investigation. Once we finish breakfast, we'll head out."
"Got it."
The commissions Rias mentioned came from the Duke of the underworld. There were many types, like the previous mission to eliminate stray devils. This time, though, it was an investigation.
The exact details were still unknown. They'd only get a full briefing upon arrival.
After breakfast, they teleported to the school's clubroom to regroup.
Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou arrived shortly after. Then the group teleported together to an ordinary residential house.
A young man in a suit immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and placed a fist over his chest in greeting.
"Samuel greets Lady Rias."
"No need to be so formal."
As a high-ranking devil, it was only natural for lower-ranking devils to show her respect.
Jack and the others were her peerage, bound to her in a much closer relationship. Otherwise, they'd have to act just as deferential as Samuel.
"This is Jack, and this is Asia. They're both new members of my peerage. You probably haven't met them yet," Rias said casually.
Samuel quickly smiled and nodded. "I've heard that Lady Rias took in new servants, but this is indeed our first meeting."
"Nice to meet you," Jack and Asia said in unison. Samuel hurriedly returned the greeting.
"Alright, explain the details. What's this mysterious mission about?" Rias asked.
Samuel quickly set up a magic barrier before speaking carefully:
"It's like this… recently, our people stationed outside have been repeatedly attacked by fallen angels. We've already suffered quite a few losses. The Duke suspects they're plotting something again, so he sent scouts to investigate."
He paused, glanced at Rias, then lowered his voice.
"However… when our scouts reached a certain location, all contact was lost. Completely. The Duke has reason to believe they've met with misfortune."
He took a photograph from his pocket.
Rias and Akeno exchanged a glance. Akeno stepped forward, took the photo, and her expression sharpened slightly.
"This is the Asahi Building. It's about three kilometers west of Kuoh Academy."
She recognized it immediately. They could even see the building from school in the distance.
"Heh. Right inside my territory, isn't it?" Rias smiled.
"Yes. That's why the Duke thought of you," Samuel said. "He hopes you'll accept this commission and lead your peerage to investigate. Ideally, uncover what the fallen angels are planning."
"Understood. I'll take the mission."
There was no reason to hesitate. Kuoh Academy was essentially Rias's domain. Anything happening nearby was her responsibility.
After accepting the commission, she turned to her peerage.
"Have any of you noticed anything unusual about that building?"
"Not really. But fallen angels have never been the quiet type, right?" Akeno said with a gentle smile, clearly unconcerned.
"They're annoying," Koneko added simply, her dislike obvious.
Jack didn't speak. Instead, he glanced at Asia.
"Jack? Did you notice anything?" Rias asked.
"I did think of something…" he said, nodding.
He recalled the battle when they rescued Asia. From what those fallen angels had said, they seemed to be working on something big, and Asia's Sacred Gear had been important to it…
And now this sudden incident Samuel mentioned…
Could all of this be connected?
After hearing his thoughts, everyone paused.
"That's… definitely a possibility," Rias murmured, thinking it over. "If that's the case, then we really need to investigate this place thoroughly."
"..."
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