He stood up, too disgusted to remain in this room of sullied honour. Many of his men floundered like drunks on their chairs and the floor. He vanished, unable to withstand the humiliating sight of his disgraced council.
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|DxD|- Chapter 131- She Has A Name
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The passage was long and bright with chandeliers lighting the way. Mittelt followed behind Igor with shallow steps. Her head hung low, her brows creased in thought. Her shoulder still buzzed from Igor's iron grip, and her eyes blurred with slight double vision from the speed. It was a dangerous mix of nausea and confusion, because what she witnessed defied everything she thought she knew about him.
"The moment we reach the end of that passage, you won't have much time to ask questions."
"?"
Mittelt looked up. Igor hadn't turned an inch towards her. His mask plastered firmly on his face, and his shoulders were as straight as his authoritative voice.
Her mind quickly cycled through many thoughts, but the scented candles weren't helping with her nausea.
"You were supposed to be Mid-Class…"
She muttered with uncertainty, and her heart almost stopped when she realised what she said. She warily glanced at him for a reaction. He didn't break a step.
"Your 'supposed' is a few years too late."
Mittelt couldn't figure it out. The records didn't say Baraquiel's disciple had a sacred gear. So it made no sense for his power to advance so far that even the vampire king could only stomach his rage.
"If I was Mid-Class, I assume you would be my insurance?"
Mittelt replied quickly.
"Yes. If Cadre Baraquiel did not accompany you, I was meant to step in on his behalf."
She stammered nervously.
"I-I'm not much, but I'd prevent the vampires from acting outrageously."
Igor didn't reply. He turned into a corridor that led to a set of stairs. He stopped before them and placed his hand on the polished wood rail.
"What's your name?"
"Mittelt, Sir Grey."
"?"
The name was new to his ears.
"For what it is worth, thank you, Mittelt."
He vanished from sight. Mittelt dropped her shoulders like boulders. She was nervous through the entire walk, tense against the slim possibility he might harm her. It…wouldn't be the first time it happened. Too many High-Class beings found it insulting for a low-class to speak to them casually.
She breathed a sigh of relief and walked away.
[I have to be careful around him.]
She walked several steps, then paused.
[Wait. Does he know the way?]
She looked up the stairs in rising panic and decided to run away. If he got lost, she did not want to be his tool to release his anger.
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|DxD|
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Igor walked the upper floor without hurry. A long, velvet carpet interspaced the many doors in this hallway. He walked slowly as he brought himself to accept his new reality. He was to help Valerie for the next thirty years.
That was a long time, long enough that certain feelings would get in the way of his greatest desire to resurrect his mother…through any means necessary.
He brushed his fingers against the hard surface of his mask. It was the barrier that would keep his relationship with Valerie from ever trespassing beyond clinical. He had one job: revitalise her body with senjutsu. Nothing more than that.
Nothing.
His steps echoed as he walked across the carpet. Slowly and steadily, he gathered nature energy into his body. He was cautious of Vladimir and did not put it above the man to try 'certain' means. Vampires were very, very prideful—more than devils. And he stabbed that pride in the heart.
He reached the end of the hallway and stopped before a simple door. He breathed in and exhaled deeply.
[This is it, Igor.]
He briefly closed his eyes and prepared himself. He sensed lots of movement inside mixed with various energy signatures.
He raised his hand to knock, then lowered it to his side. There was a presence behind him.
"I'm impressed. My brother took on a very interesting disciple."
He heard the lovely feminine voice. He looked over his shoulder at the tall woman. Her purple hair told him her identity.
"Lady Penemue."
"And you must be Igor. You look better in person."
"..."
Could she see through his mask? Was she insinuating something else? He wasn't sure.
"Likewise, Lady Penemue."
"Oh hush. I'm half an aunt to you, so call me Penemue. Come. Let's talk."
Penemue walked out to the balcony. Igor followed shortly after and stood next to her. Dark coloured vines crept on the walls, and strange, potted plants edged the door frame.
For a moment, no one said anything. Penemue blatantly observed him, and Igor showed nothing before her unflinching gaze.
"I heard the commotion down there. Is everything fine?"
"..."
Her concern would feel genuine if it weren't for the smile she didn't hide.
"I handled it gracefully and made my terms clear."
"Which are?"
Igor paused momentarily.
"I'm here to work. Whatever politics happen between the fallen angels and the vampires is something I want to stay out of. My only concern is the Sephiroth Graal."
"A wise choice. However…"
Igor caught a hint of seriousness in her eyes.
"Please don't see only the sacred gear. She has a name, you know?"
"..."
Igor looked away from her into the horizon. The skies were dark with blood. The earth was coloured like rusted iron, and the rivers ran rancid with waste. But in this cesspit of a realm, there was light. It was a smidge, a tiny ray that barely pierced through the mist, but it was there.
"I will take care of Valerie to the best of my capability."
He looked her in the eye.
"You can trust me on that."
Chapter 131