My name is Hyoudou Issei, and my childhood friend, Irina Shidou, who moved abroad years ago, suddenly showed up.
Apparently, Irina became a church warrior overseas, a holy sword wielder affiliated with the Protestant Church. Meanwhile, I became a Devil as a servant of the Satan's sister, and my childhood friend is now an exorcist working for the Church. Talk about a weird twist of fate.
The reason Irina returned to this town wasn't just a homecoming.
Excalibur, a holy sword owned by the Church, was stolen by Kokabiel, a cadre of the Fallen Angel organization Grigori. Irina and her partner, Xenovia, came to this town to retrieve it.
Right now, in the clubroom of Kuoh Academy's Occult Research Club, they're negotiating with my master, Rias Gremory, a High-Class Devil who claims this town as her territory. Well, "negotiating" is putting it lightly—the room is thick with tension, ready to explode.
Excalibur is a legendary sword, but it was broken in a past war. The Church recovered it and reforged it into seven separate blades. The Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Churches each held two, with the seventh unaccounted for, missing for a long time.
Irina and Xenovia approached us—Gremory's peerage, who control this town—because Kokabiel was confirmed to be hiding here. They're demanding we don't interfere with their mission to take back Excalibur from him. I initially thought they were asking for cooperation, but it seems the divide between the Church and Devils is deeper than I imagined.
According to Xenovia, the Church's higher-ups suspect Devils are involved in this incident alongside Fallen Angels. Being told not to interfere by our enemies, the Church, and having our ties to Fallen Angels questioned has put President Rias in a foul mood.
The cause of Kokabiel's actions seems tied to a treaty regarding those strange monsters that appeared in the Underworld. Those grotesque pillars of flesh that rampaged and attacked the founders of the Seventy-Two Pillars. The earlier church attacks are likely connected to these same creatures. Since their identity is such a mystery, the three great factions—Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels—were moving to form a treaty to deal with them. But Kokabiel, apparently a war maniac, didn't like that. I can't understand it—peace is the best, isn't it?
If those monsters in the Underworld could be dealt with quickly, President Rias could continue attending school in the Human World without issue. So, I want them defeated ASAP, but Kokabiel's actions are dragging things out. Irina and Xenovia's demands likely stem from wariness since this treaty was about to be formed. They probably think, "Devils and Fallen Angels can't be trusted after all."
On top of the Church's high-handed demands and President Rias's bad mood, there's an issue with the Excaliburs Irina and Xenovia carry. Kiba, a member of our peerage, has a deep grudge against Excalibur.
The Church once conducted a secret human experiment called the Holy Sword Project, aimed at making people capable of wielding holy swords, which only a select few can naturally use. Kiba was a subject of that project but was deemed a failure and disposed of. President Rias saved him, and he now lives as a Devil. She wanted him to move past his hatred for holy swords, but now they're right in front of him. And it's not just the two blades here—Kokabiel stole four more, which are somewhere in this town. It's no wonder Kiba's hatred has flared up again. He's glaring at Irina and Xenovia with murder in his eyes.
Come on, Kiba, we don't need more trouble. Please, keep it together. Where's the cool, calm you?
While I worry about Kiba's overflowing killing intent, President Rias questions Irina and Xenovia.
"So, you're telling me the Church sent only the two of you?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"There were supposed to be several priests dispatched as well, but it seems they were taken out by Kokabiel's forces."
"What?! You're going up against a Fallen Angel from the Bible with just the two of you? Are you trying to die?"
"Don't mock our faith, right, Xenovia?"
"Well, yeah. The higher-ups decided to stop Kokabiel, even if it means destroying Excalibur. Our mission is to at least ensure it doesn't stay in Fallen Angel hands. We don't care about our lives for that. Only Excalibur can destroy Excalibur."
Is that what faith is? Man, I really don't get it.
"What about the Orthodox Church's envoys? They had two Excaliburs stolen, didn't they?"
"Yeah, they're staying out of it. They probably have forces comparable to Excalibur, but they don't want to escalate the damage further."
Right, the Orthodox Church lost both of its Excaliburs. One was stolen at the same time as the other factions' blades, and the other, apparently, just before Irina and Xenovia arrived at the clubroom.
"They timed it with our arrival in Japan. Kokabiel must be tracking our movements."
"Indeed. It's too convenient to think a third party, unrelated to Fallen Angels, would attack at the exact moment you're negotiating with me." President Rias replies with her tone dismissing such a possibility as absurd. Yeah, at this timing, it's got to be Kokabiel targeting the holy swords.
"Are you suggesting information leaked from us Devils?"
"I can't deny the possibility, my superiors say the mastermind behind the church attacks also rampaged in the Underworld against the founders of the Seventy-Two Pillars, which is suspicious. It could be a trap to ensnare us. That's what they think, anyway. I find it fishy too, but if it's the Lord's will, I'll follow."
The conversation with Irina and Xenovia ended there, but the real problem is Kiba.
After some complications, Kiba fought Xenovia in a secret mock battle. He lost. Unable to even touch the holy sword he despised, he looked devastated.
…The next day, I never would've imagined seeing Irina and Xenovia begging on the streets. Apparently, Irina was tricked into buying some scribble of a painting. I wanted to bang my head. I ended up treating them to a meal at a family restaurant, but my wallet's feeling a lot lighter now…
In a lake in Britain, far from the promised utopia, a sword is cast into the water. The blade, gleaming with radiant beauty, pierces the lake's surface tip-first, as if drawn in, and sinks to the bottom.
The one who threw it was a knight.
A blonde youth with a tall, masculine frame, yet a beauty that could be mistaken for feminine. His demeanor is gentle, but his eyes burn with resolve. Most striking is his right arm—seemingly a silver gauntlet, but in truth, a prosthetic of extraordinary significance.
This knight was the perpetrator of the recent Orthodox Church attack. The sword he cast into the lake was Excalibur—stolen, or rather, reclaimed. If others were present, they might have questioned his actions. But he would have answered with pride: "This is just."
Outnumbered, even a Servant with strength far beyond human limits found it grueling to face an entire organization alone. His reluctance to harm recklessly added to the difficulty.
Compared to the barbarians the knight fought in life, this was nothing. The Roman legions and Picts were far more savage.
It was fortunate that no high-ranking angels arrived in time. Had the "Knight of the Sun" or the "Knight of the Lake" been present, he might have managed, but facing a Biblical abomination alone was impossible.
Exhaling with fatigue, the knight murmurs.
"Six more to go."
He recalls the Orthodox Church attack. From their response, it's clear another Excalibur, meant to be there, was stolen by someone else. Not just the Orthodox Church—Catholic and Protestant holy swords were taken similarly. Though he himself stole one, making him hardly one to judge, what a disgrace. To wield the King's sword so shamelessly and fail to protect it.
The knight gazes at the now-still water's surface.
"Once more, I will kill my King."
His name is Bedivere, a Heroic Spirit summoned from another world, a Knight of the Round Table who stayed with King Arthur until the end. He is said to have returned Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake.
The history of King Arthur in this world diverges sharply from what Bedivere knows. The Pendragon family still exists, and Caliburn is preserved. Yet Excalibur, which he returned, was split into seven blades, divided among three church factions, with one missing entirely.
It's not hard to imagine the emotions that flared in his heart upon learning this.
He understands this act may be excessive, unsure if it's truly just. But any Knight of the Round Table, even the rebellious one, would likely do the same in this world. If so, he cannot refuse to act.
Though diminished in power, those swords were undoubtedly Excalibur. He doubts the lake's spirits would negotiate with the Church—they aren't that kind of entity. Did this world's Bedivere fail to return the King's sword? Did he hesitate, like himself, at the third return? Or did he perish before completing it? Either way—
"In place of this world's me, I will return the King's sword to the spirits."
If it's split into seven, he will return it seven times. This time, without a single moment's hesitation.
"Report from Amon, representing the nine pillars of the Gazing Star. The entity called the God of the Bible is likely weakened or deceased. Despite the three great factions moving to form a treaty against us, there's no sign of God's intervention. If God were active, no treaty would be needed or even possible."
"Directive from Goetia. The validity of this hypothesis will be clear once the treaty is formed or war begins. Further speculation is wasted effort. Thus, the special task of the nine pillars of the Gazing Star is lifted. Resume suspended operations."
"Report from Gaap. Confirmed the presence of Bedivere, Knight of the Round Table. The Orthodox Church attack was his doing."
"Speculation from Malphas. His goal is Excalibur. Given his legend and this world's circumstances, no other motive fits."
"Proposal from Shax. Kokabiel's actions align with our plan, but this knight's interference may cause discrepancies. We should neutralize him before he disrupts us."
"Counterargument from Halphas. Kokabiel's value is spent. War is inevitable. There's no need for us to interfere with the knight."
"Agreement from Uvall. To assess the three factions' capabilities, we shouldn't intervene. Whether Kokabiel fights or falls, it's unlikely to affect our plan."
"Proposal from Gremory. Considering his goal, I may encounter him during operations. I'll handle him if so."
"Decision from Goetia. Gremory will handle Bedivere. The outcome of negotiations is irrelevant."
"Proposal from Allocer. Florence Nightingale is performing admirably but straying from our original intent. We need a Heroic Spirit with a broader perspective. We should prepare for the next summoning."
"Concern from Ipos. It's settled that Heroic Spirits are necessary for our plan's success, but reckless summonings should be avoided. They could jeopardize the plan."
"Proposal from Eligos. Then summon a Heroic Spirit of wisdom. Not on the level of the King of Magecraft, but a philosopher or thinker from that planet."
"Proposal from Haagenti. To save this era, we should avoid ancient or near-ancient Heroic Spirits."
"Request from Baal. I have a technique I wish to test."
"Decision from Goetia. The next summoning will prioritize a modern or near-modern Caster. Baal will oversee the summoning."
"Goetia, we need to talk."
"…Ophis. As you can see, we're busy. Go practice the Reality Marble I taught you."
"I mastered the Reality Marble. Got a new silence."
"…What did you say?"
"Ahem!"
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL