Chapter 179 Investigation in Progress
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I’ll handle it,” Aki volunteered. “If they’re truly plotting something, I’ll at least be able to send word back.”
Though he said as much, in reality, this long-overdue injury reminded Aki of a notion he’d entertained some time ago. He still hadn’t managed to acquire a powerful, healing-type Talent or skill. Perhaps that slightly airheaded, blonde Little Nun might be among the large influx of Fallen Angel and subordinate personnel who had arrived in Kuoh Town.¹
The² Sacred Gear³ Twilight Healing was top-tier in terms of pure recovery ability, and it was exceptionally convenient to utilize, boasting an incredibly high healing velocity. Furthermore, that Little Nun’s mana aptitude was extraordinarily high, making her a perfect fit to fill the Bishop position in Rias’s Peerage. Aki’s orchestration of Rias’s request to notify Grayfia, and his own decision to proactively accept this investigation, were all calculated moves to verify if Asia Argento had indeed arrived in Kuoh Town.
If the Little Nun had truly arrived, he would need to ensure she became part of Rias’s Peerage before Grayfia was ever notified. He had already accepted all three of the Amano Yuuma (Raynare) trio; taking in one more Little Nun who had been abandoned by the Church would be no problem at all.
The others stood by in silence. If they uncovered something suspicious during the recon, it would be fine if Azazel remained oblivious, but if they were discovered, they likely wouldn’t even have time to react, let alone relay information back.
Thus, the choice for the investigator was made.
On March 9th, after a day of rest to bring his physical state to its peak, Aki began his operation. He was tasked with infiltrating the church for reconnaissance, while concurrently having Takamine Mother and Sakuramachi Touko mobilize local girls to keep a constant watch for any priests or nuns appearing in town.
The Cathedral base lacked living supplies. It was impossible for such a large group to survive without food or water, and the Fallen Angels certainly wouldn’t have bothered bringing low-value supplies all the way from headquarters. While Azazel kept the Fallen Angels under strict confinement, the duty of procuring daily necessities fell to their underlings.
That afternoon, Aki finished surveying the church higher-ups and then, using concealment magic, took cover in the nearby woods. To properly investigate the underground, he either needed to wait for Azazel to depart or play a waiting game—lying in ambush for a Fallen Angel who couldn’t stand the isolation to step out, so he could capture and interrogate them. Even for Aki, at such close quarters in the underground zone, it was impossible to avoid being detected by Azazel.
He pulled snacks and drinks from his inventory, stretched out on a sturdy, thick branch, and began scrolling through his phone while monitoring the comings and goings of the Cathedral base. With his Insight Eye⁴, even at a distance of over a kilometer, he could clearly discern the faces of everyone entering and leaving.
He couldn’t, however, decipher what they were saying. Aki had never learned to read lips; even with a clear view of the speakers’ shifting mouths, he couldn’t interpret their words. Since he couldn’t descend for a direct investigation and didn’t want to risk missing vital intelligence, he was forced to maintain a twenty-four-hour watch on the Cathedral base. Fortunately, he no longer required sleep after reaching A-rank, otherwise, not even the vast store of snacks and toys in his inventory would have made this task feasible for a lone operative.
Time passed until March 12th.
Aki had spent three full days in the tree. His inventory was empty of snacks and drinks, yet he still hadn’t found any significant leads. Just as he was considering returning to resupply and reporting back to Rias, he received a LINE message from Sakuramachi Touko:
[Discovered blonde nun. Carrying a suitcase, asking for directions. Destination is the Cathedral base.]
When Aki had initially deployed the mission, he’d provided a general description of Asia and used his sketching skill to draw her from memory. Given the amount of time that had passed, he hadn’t been certain of the accuracy, but it seemed he could still reliably identify her.
Aki quickly cleared away the trash he’d accumulated, then flew rapidly toward the location Sakuramachi Touko had indicated. As he arrived, he caught sight of another figure, looking somewhat familiar, approaching Asia.
It was the white-haired stray priest, Freed Sellzen. Once a direct exorcist under the Vatican, he had been systematically exterminating Youkai and Devils⁵ since the age of thirteen. In truth, he was a paranoid battle-maniac without a shred of faith, a man who wouldn’t hesitate to discard his own comrades. After his true nature was exposed, the Church had handed him over to the Fallen Angels to serve as their tool.
”Asia Argento, come with me. Lord Azazel is waiting for you.” Freed spoke to the blonde Little Nun, his face devoid of a smile. “Lord Azazel intends to study your Sacred Gear afterward. He might even have you serve in his bed, so prepare yourself.”
The blonde Little Nun showed no reaction to the first half of his sentence. The inborn Sacred Gear had initially brought her minor benefits, but ever since she had healed a Devil, the gear had become the catalyst for her tragedy. Just a short while ago, the village church had finally driven her out. Lost and without a means of survival, she had been contacted by the Fallen Angels, who instructed her to come to this church in the city to continue her work as a nun.
Naive and lacking either kin or trade skills, Asia had simply followed their orders. She could cooperate with the study of her Sacred Gear, but the sudden mention of serving in bed left her flustered and bewildered. Asia had grown up in the Church; given how information was restricted and the relatively sheltered environment, she was entirely innocent regarding the meaning of such a phrase.
”Father…?”
”Freed Sellzen,” Freed said, his tone indifferent. “Just call me Freed. Like you, I’m a member of the clergy who was cast out by the Church and joined the Fallen Angels.”
”Father Freed, I’m only sixteen… isn’t that a bit early for serving in bed?”
Raised an orphan, Asia was conditioned to be submissive, but when it came to her purity as a nun, she couldn’t help but protest. “Besides, I’m a nun. I can’t do things like that.”
”A former nun. Lord Azazel is a Fallen Angel Governor General; it’s your good fortune to serve him.” Freed said, growing impatient. “I only said it was possible. With a plain, lackluster figure like yours, Lord Azazel might not even be interested.”
The blonde Little Nun tried to speak again, but Freed cut her off, reaching out with a clawed hand to drag her toward the church.
Aki watched it all from his vantage point. So, Asia hadn’t been in the Cathedral base all this time. No wonder he hadn’t seen her despite days of surveillance—he had seen Freed and the other lackeys plenty of times, but never her.
The blonde Little Nun scrambled backward in a panic, trying to dodge Freed’s grasp, but with her combat ability near zero, she was no match for him. Before Freed could even land a strike, Asia stumbled in her fright and fell hard to the ground. Her suitcase knocked against the cobblestones, and her clothing spilled out across the path.
Aki caught a glimpse. Her undergarments were simple, pure, and classic white—it really did fit the nun persona. Not a hint of sexiness.
Just as Freed was about to fly into a rage, Aki suddenly appeared at Asia’s side, asking with concern, “Are you alright, Miss? Shall I take you to a hospital?”
”Hey, who the hell are you? Get lost, now!” Freed glared at Aki with malice. This was a valuable piece of ‘kit’ he intended to use to butter up Lord Azazel; he couldn’t have it soiled by some other man.
Aki ignored his bluster, deliberately leaking a faint trace of Devil aura.
Freed had never met Aki and possessed no intelligence on Rias’s faction. The moment he sensed the Devil aura, the facade of normalcy he’d been maintaining shattered. His mouth stretched into a wide, grotesque grin that seemed to split his face, his eyes bulging as he cackled madly. “A Devil, huh? To think you’d show your face in front of me in broad daylight… Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish.”
Freed manifested a handgun and a sword—his Sacred Gear. It possessed immense destructive power, and when combined with his own combat prowess, he was effectively invincible against B-rank, low-level Devils.
(Hmm, not bad. Decent power, and it looks pretty cool too.)
Aki muttered to himself, feigning a look of intense, life-or-death anxiety to goad Freed into striking first.
—
Summary:
Aki initiates a stakeout of the Cathedral base to locate Asia. He maintains surveillance for three days before receiving word of her arrival. Upon meeting, he intervenes when Freed attempts to forcibly abduct the nun, leading to an imminent clash.
—
Trivia:
- Aki has been operating for three days straight without sleep due to A-rank status.
- Freed Sellzen’s dual-weapon Sacred Gear is highly effective against B-rank targets.
- The Cathedral base does not produce its own supplies, forcing the Fallen Angels to rely on subordinates for logistics
—
Character Insight:
Aki demonstrates cold utility in his treatment of Asia as a strategic asset for the Peerage rather than a person in distress. Freed’s stability shatters immediately upon sensing a threat, revealing his predatory and unstable nature.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Aki – Uesugi Aki is a 177cm Kuoh Academy student, S-Rank Gremory leader, and host of the Boosted Gear with a secret Fallen Angel bloodline, black wings, a barbed tail, and crimson eyes. Pragmatic and possessive, this Martial God-level human commands azure flames, Dual Cultivation, and a Juggernaut Drive. Currently paralyzed and unconscious, he is the central object of desire for his harem and allies.
• Grayfia – A high-ranking figure in the Underworld serving the House of Gremory. A powerful devil known as the strongest queen, currently acting as a medical examiner for the party. The strongest queen of the Underworld and secretary to the Demon King.
• Asia – A gentle and naive 16-year-old blonde former nun who possesses the healing Sacred Gear “Smile of the Virgin.” After being displaced from her church upbringing, she joins the Occult Research Club as a Devil and Peerage member. Now supporting the Gremory household, this kind, blond Little Nun is adjusting to life at Kuoh Academy despite initially lacking professional survival skills.
• Rias – Rias Gremory, 17, is an authoritative, crimson-haired high-class devil, princess, and next head of the Gremory family. As President of the Occult Research Club, she wields the Power of Destruction while expertly managing administrative duties. A powerful and possessive leader, she is deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of her peerage and subordinates within supernatural factions.
• Amano Yuuma – Yuuma Amano, a.k.a. Raynare, is a Fallen Angel disguised as a transfer student tending to Aki. Possessive and assertive toward her partner, she is a member of Rias’s Peerage and a subordinate sent to support barrier maintenance. She has long black hair, white skin, a slender waist, and black feathered wings, wearing a revealing black leather outfit that exudes a glamorous, provocative aura.
• Raynare – Lady Raynare, alias Amano Yuuma, is a voluptuous A-rank Fallen Angel wielding obsidian wings and light spears. Shifting between an innocent schoolgirl guise and a predatory form, she leads a cadre, mentors Aki, and clashes with Mittelt. Concerned about her standing within the club, she actively orchestrates high-stakes rituals to secure a dangerous Sacred Gear, possessing critical intel on its host.
• Amano – Raynare, a fallen angel masquerading as schoolgirl Yuma Amano in Kuoh, is a striking woman with long black hair. A member of the Occult Research Club with a history of betrayal, she uses her alias to hide her faction ties. After reaching A-Rank with Aki, she developed a deceptive, black-belly nature and instant clothes-changing abilities, while struggling with guilt and fear of being abandoned.
• Yuuma – Amano Yuuma, known by her fallen angel identity Raynare, is a striking, curvaceous beauty with long black hair and violet eyes. A petite, tsundere former Grigori operative and master of light magic, she is now a devoted Pawn in Rias Gremory’s peerage. She serves Aki with obsessive, yielding devotion, sharing a profound physical and spiritual bond through their frequent dual cultivation.
• Y – The first initial/part of the name Y Ddraig Goch.
• Azazel – A decadent, arrogant fallen angel and former Governor General, this middle-aged man pairs a carefree, rogue personality with immense power. Wearing a neon hot-spring yukata, he aggressively pushes for deeper involvement in Occult Research Club affairs. While acting as a formidable antagonist and combatant, he retains his influence to pursue a relaxed lifestyle and research Sacred Gears.
• Sakuramachi Touko – Sakuramachi Touko is a tall, voluptuous, red-framed glasses-wearing succubus and pure-blood mental mage. Disguised as Aki’s intelligent, cool-demeanored classmate, she uses calculated manipulation and keen observation within his social circle. After climbing from C-Rank to B-Rank through dual cultivation with Aki, she now finds other men repulsive, displaying deep, genuine attachment to him.
• Sakuramachi – Sakuramachi Touko is a tall, voluptuous, long black-haired succubus and pure-blood mental mage who hides a cold, expressionless interior behind an intelligent, cool classmate persona. As a key strategist, administrator, and leader for Aki, she uses keen observation and manipulation. Now B-Rank, she finds other men repulsive, remaining deeply submissive, physically expressive, and devoted to Aki.
• Takamine – Kasumi Takamine, a widowed matriarch, mentors her adopted son Aki in magic mastery. Alongside her tall, voluptuous daughters Ayame and Sayuri—now Gremory corporate partners—she helps Aki lead their organization. Together, they have transformed their household into a liberal, emotionally charged sanctuary where magic and intimacy intertwine, deeply rooting her influence in both family and leadership.
• Sakura – Miyajima Sakura is an Aisu Academy third-year, kendo prodigy with the Sword Heart talent, and Sousuke’s daughter, whom she surpassed. Wearing a navy blazer and red hakama, she possesses a sharp lack of hesitation and profound lethal decisiveness in combat. She manages Aki’s organization, lives with him like a younger brother despite his predatory nature, and practices Dual Cultivation with him.
• Touko – Sakuramachi Touko, a pure-blood succubus and B-Rank mental mage, poses as Aki’s classmate. Striking with bluish shoulder-length hair, she masks an icy, eerie demeanor with a demanding, outgoing personality. An observer who grows aroused by intimacy, she eventually joins in. She shares a complex, intense bond with Aki, having advanced her powers through their specific form of dual cultivation.
• Freed – A white-haired stray priest who acts as a tool for the Fallen Angel faction. He is a sadistic combat-maniac with no genuine religious faith who wields a dual-weapon Sacred Gear. A white-haired priest with a bloodthirsty nature and manic tendencies. He carries a silver pistol and a sword, engaging in the slaughter of Stray Devils with fanatical zeal.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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