Shiromuku: A traditional Japanese wedding gown for brides. As the name suggests, it is a completely white kimono, and often has an elaborate headpiece as well. Part 1
The evening of the day that we had been attacked by the Grim Reapers—.In the VIP room that was situated on the top floor of the Hyoudou residence, all of the members who could make it here had gathered. This was mainly centred on the Gremory peerage, and those who lived at the Hyoudou residence. However, Kuroka wasn’t here because she had gone off to join Vali and the others, and it was also difficult to get in touch with them. We had told Rias that Koneko-chan was targeted by the Grim Reapers, and everyone was quite surprised. It was also a serious matter since they had invaded despite the presence of a barrier, and in response to this attack, Rias said
“…The sudden attack of the Grim Reapers may be related to the case that Sairaorg and the others are dealing with right now.”
The case that Sairaorg-san is dealing with…? It was the first time that I had heard of this. Ravel asked Rias
“Is that story true?”
Rias nodded. “Yes, Sairaorg also contacted me to tell me to be careful.”
“What happened?”
I asked again, and this time, Ravel answered my question
“—It is said that there are some unidentified Devils who are rioting in various territories.”
…A group of unidentified Devils are going on a rampage!? W-What’s going on!? Could it be possible that remnants of the Old Maou Faction are rebelling again? No, there were rumours that [Khaos Brigade] and the Old Maou Faction had already ceased their activities due to the dissolution of Qlippoth…. “In some territories…and Devils with unknown identities. But, are they really Devils?”
Rias made a difficult expression upon hearing my words. “Their origin seems to be completely unknown. In the Underworld, unlike long ago, even ordinary members of the public will have ID cards issued to them. But these completely unknown Devils have appeared in various territories such as the Bael territory.”
Devils with unknown identities huh. No matter how deep the foundations of a class society are, it’s still possible for Devils of unknown origin to appear out of nowhere…. After all, the Devils’ society is still a bit undeveloped in some aspects, and there are still many ancient Devils hiding around in the far corners of the Underworld. “Could it be possible that…there are descendants of some clans who have refused to register their identity, and now they’re unleashing their dissatisfaction at the current government?”
Rias’ expression turned complicated upon hearing my words. “…If that really is the case, then things would be easier to resolve…”
If they really were descendants of older Devils who had refused to register their identities, then that would actually be easy to deal with huh…. Irina said with a puzzled look
“Reincarnated Angels have also received orders to crack down on suspicious individuals. Could it be related to this incident as well?”
“Have there been any movements in Heaven?”
Irina nodded in response to Xenovia’s question. “Within our religious jurisdiction, there have been several incidents caused by suspicious people. All of the reincarnated Angels led by Joker have gone to deal with it. Though they said it was fine even if I didn’t go out…”
So there were also various incidents in the areas governed by Heaven and the Church! Everything seemed to be getting more and more suspicious. Combined with the fact that the attack of the Grim Reapers could be related, it was possible that this was exactly as Rias had suspected. “……”
Koneko-chan’s face was filled with unease. After all, she had been targeted all of a sudden and she didn’t even understand the reason why she was being targeted either. Anyone would definitely feel uneasy if they were targeted without knowing the reason for it. —Just as a wave of anxiousness began to surface upon all of our faces, Akeno-san received a message via a magic circle. Akeno-san sighed after comprehending the information. “There’s news that has arrived that may be relevant to the topic that we’re discussing.”
After saying that, she picked up a pen and began to scribble it down on a piece of paper before passing it along to Rias. Akeno-san said
“—[Slash Dog], Tobio-niisa…Ikuse-san has sent through a message. He says that he’ll tell us about it at the designated place. …Does anyone know that address?”
A report from Ikuse-san? By the way, Akeno-san is Ikuse-san’s relative, so that’s why she calls him ‘Tobio-niisama’. The [Slash Dog] team was the Grigori’s special forces squad, and they also acted as logistical support within [DxD]. They lurked around in various places and shared various intelligence reports with us. …So they’ve already obtained information on the situation that we’re concerned about huh. Rias stared at the address of ‘the designated place’ and said
“I don’t really know.”
I also looked at it…although it wasn’t very far from Kuoh Town, I’d never been there before either. Where exactly is it? After Rossweisse-san saw it, she exclaimed ‘Ah’ as she raised her hand
“…This bar, I seem to recall that I’ve been there whilst accompanying Odin-sama before. Azazel-sensei has also taken me there…so I think I know how to get there.”
Surprisingly, it looks like there is someone among us who knows the location. The evening of the next day—.Our party of four which included me, Rias, my manager Ravel, and our guide Rossweisse-san made our way towards the place that had been specified by Ikuse-san. Rias had delegated the task of ascertaining the reason why Koneko-chan was being targeted to Akeno-san and the others. Rossweisse-san drove us to the designated place in her car. The bar was situated along a bustling downtown street which was two stops away from Kuoh Town by train. Because we had come to visit a place like this at night, we didn’t wear our school uniforms. We came here in our personal clothes instead. After all, there were still a few problems in us coming here since we were still minors. It would be quite troublesome if we got caught by the police. The signboard on the outside had the two words ‘Black Dog’. Rossweisse-san spoke as if she had fully remembered
“That’s right, it’s on the second floor here.”
At the shop where the signboard was displayed, we went up the stairs to the second floor. The first floor appeared to be an ordinary restaurant. After opening the rather stylish and modern door—. “—— ♪”
We were instantly captivated by the wonderful and magnificent singing voice that filled the shop. Looking closely, there was a small stage in the depths of the shop, and a blonde beauty in a white dress was singing with her splendid voice upon the stage. All of the guests also paused their conversations to listen to the song. …Judging by the lyrics, it sounded like a foreign ballad that I had never heard of before. But, I was very familiar with the beautiful woman who was on the stage!