I originally wanted to bring over a [Ten] and another [Queen], but…”
Having mentioned the Ten and the other Queen, their reason for declining the meeting was that
“They presumably felt that their own ability was still insufficient.”
“Aren’t they also strong?”
Irina followed up for her comrades who couldn’t be here. After all, being given such important jobs, they presumably were rather incredible people. However, regarding the Aces of the Seraphim Metatron-san and Sandalphon-san, they had originally been invited to partake in the tournament…but because of their special tasks, their official entry would have to wait until the end of the qualifying rounds, so we wouldn’t encounter them in this match. There were also rumours of ‘another trump card’ — the existence of an Extra Joker that made Ravel quite concerned. But it didn’t seem like they were in Dulio’s team…. Xenovia let out a sigh after seeing the members in front of her. “No matter how you look at it, they’re all incredible. When I was a warrior of the Church, the few people who had earned a reputation for themselves have now been gathered here. If this was the previous era, they would be a fighting force capable of taking on ultimate-class Devils and their peerages.”
Just as Xenovia had said, all of the members who had gathered at my house were known to be powerful when they were Church warriors. Of course, that also included Xenovia and Irina. …If they’re members who can easily defeat high-class Devils, and if we were still in that era, then they’d be strong enough to launch an assault on the Underworld. After the Angels completed their self-introductions, Dulio clapped his hands. “—Anyway, that’s pretty much how it is. Before our supervisor arrives, why don’t we have a chat?”
Even if we were going to be opponents later on, Dulio was still so cheerful as a captain, and the atmosphere in the room remained vibrant. After we had been chatting for about ten minutes, there was a knock on the door. “Ise, a late guest has arrived.”
Kaa-san said to me through the door. It should be the supervisor who was mentioned earlier. In the instant that the door opened and we saw that person — the atmosphere immediately changed and became filled with tension. “My apologies. It’s because I’m not very familiar with the geography of Japan.”
That person — was an ultimate-class Devil. His silver hair was paired with a suit, a twenty-something year old man who appeared to be of European descent. His deep green eyes gave off an endless sort of feeling. The man revealed a thin smile as he introduced himself. “It’s nice to meet you, everyone of the [Sekiryuutei of Blazing Truth] team. I am the supervisor of the [Joker of Heaven] team — Rudiger Rosenkreutz. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
—Rudiger Rosenkreutz! …As a reincarnated Devil who was originally human, he had established many legends in the Rating Game of the Underworld! As an ultimate-class Devil, he was one of the strongest in the Game — he was ranked seventh. Even so…this man was the supervisor for Dulio’s team! It was quite a shock when we heard about the news. It wasn’t just me, even the Underworld’s media was in an uproar. This man had once served as a referee for my match against Sairaorg-san. …Moreover, the most crucial point was that he one of the reincarnated Devils that I saw as my goal. I stood up to greet him solemnly. “It’s nice to meet you, I am the [King] of the [Sekiryuutei of Blazing Truth] team, Hyoudou Issei. Thank you for serving as a referee of my match in the past.”
Rudiger-san waved his hand and replied with
“You allowed me to see a wonderful match back then, I was very satisfied.”
Diethelm-san, who originally sat beside Dulio, stood up and offered his seat. He probably took into account that Rudiger-san…the supervisor should be the one to sit next to the captain, Dulio. After Rudiger-san thanked Diethelm-san, he sat down slightly opposite me. —I could strongly feel his stateliness. His manner of walking and sitting were both like an art, and his entire body exuded a sense of dignity. Compared to the former human reincarnated Devils that I had met before, the atmosphere that he gave off was as far from them as heaven and earth—. At this time, Ravel said
“I never imagined that you would become the supervisor of this team, Rudiger-sama…”
Ravel’s words mirrored the opinion of the Underworld’s media. As a Devil of the Underworld, Rudiger Rosenkreutz had not registered to participate on his own, but instead chose to join the tournament as a supervisor!? —This staggering situation had caused a great deal of unease. In response to that, Rudiger-san smiled
“Fufufu, well, I should say that it was by chance, or an unexpected encounter. Since their aim and mine were the same, we decided to join hands in this tournament. In any case, it’s nice to meet you. —Hyoudou Issei-kun.”
The person that I saw as a target was trying to shake my hand! For the sake of etiquette, I immediately reached out and shook his hand over the table. “Y-Yes. The same goes for us, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Rudiger-san smiled cheerfully. “You don’t have to be so stiff, your opponent isn’t me, it’s Dulio and the others.”
Dulio also laughed
“That’s right, I’ll feel lonely if you only look at supervisor Rudiger, Ise-kun.”
Ah, to be able to meet a legend among reincarnated Devils, I couldn’t help letting my attention drift towards him! He was also the supervisor of the opposing team, so I’d still be worried even if not for the Underworld’s media. In order to turn the atmosphere back to how it was before their supervisor Rudiger arrived, Ravel stood up. “Since we’ve all introduced ourselves now, I think it’s time for some fresh tea. I’ve already prepared a cake for everyone, so we’ll also refill everyone’s tea.”
After hearing that, Irina also stood up. “I’ll go downstairs to bring the tea and cake up!”
After saying that, she left the room and went downstairs. Rudiger-san looked at each of us who were members of the [Sekiryuutei of Blazing Truth] team. Suddenly — his eyes paused on Bina-shi. Rudiger-san asked
“…Is the masked woman over there the one called Bina Lessthan?”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”
“…The same goes for me. Your match was very interesting. Perhaps you have some experience with the Rating Games? …Though, it is somewhat discernible that you are familiar with the rules.”
“Well, I wonder about that.”
…In that brief exchange, it felt as though he had discerned something. To be more exact, just by watching Bina-shi’s battle, he seems to have gained some kind of clue…? Ravel’s expression didn’t appear to change, but she was becoming nervous on the inside. Sitting beside her, I could clearly feel that. …If they were able to gain any information, they would be able to use that information in their strategy, was what Ravel was probably thinking. When Rudiger-san noticed Asia, he asked
“Oh, Asia Argento-san, your face seems a bit pale.”
“…Ah, please excuse me.