What needed to be said had been said, what needed to be asked had been asked; so where did the Champion go? “He forcibly transferred away. He must have used Rizevim’s power, or perhaps he used the power of that Evil Dragon who’s renowned for his magic, Aži Dahāka. He thought that if he stayed too long with me, it would be dangerous.”
Beelzebub-sama replied. However, my doubts still continued. “…But, why did that only happen with Raiser’s match? Would it not have worked if it was against other opponents…?”
Towards my question, Beelzebub-sama gently laughed. “You will soon know the answer to that question. He is unexpectedly wise.”
…? I didn’t quite understand. Did he have a reason for using Raiser or not? Azazel-sensei cleared his throat and said
“However, Ajuka. Since the video from the surveillance camera could be seen, then that means those old Devils would have heard your conversation with Emperor Belial. They might come over to question your negligence.”
“To some extent, what happened in that video has been tampered with. Right now, those old guys will be making the wrong move…”
Sensei shrugged. “I see. Even if the Champion did something, then there’ll be a reasonable response. Given that it’s you, you definitely would’ve made preparations.”
“That is the case for now. I am a Maou after all. It’s also something that Sirzechs can’t do, something that only I can do.”
“I see, you’re quite correct. —But even if a lot of things happen, we need to keep the number of casualties to a minimum.”
“Well, of course I understand that. I definitely won’t allow any of the civilians who are innocent to become victims.”
Azazel-sensei and Beelzebub-sama were able to speak to each other congenially. We couldn’t help thinking that these two people were indeed VIPs, and were truly worthy of being the leaders of their race. “Thank you again for the matter involving Ravel and Raiser, Ajuka.”
“Of course I’d do something of that level, Former Governor-dono. It’s quite rare for young people with such bright futures to appear, so how could I possibly let them die like that? The current Rating Game situation is a result my laissez-faireattitude. If possible, I want to purify the elements of the Game environment that I can. Raiser Phoenix as well as you young Devils could be the ones with the vital talent which is required to change the Rating Games.”
I took a step forward and bowed my head. “…I don’t understand the complicated issues, but I completely trust Azazel-sensei and the Maou-samas when it comes to the political aspect of things. But, please let me thank you. I am truly grateful that you were able to help Ravel and Raiser!”
It was a candid thought. Originally, the politics of the Rating Games and its darkness were too distant from us. But the person who saved Ravel was this man, so I thanked him for that. “…Thank you.”
“Ah, thank you!”
Koneko-chan stood beside me and also thanked him as she bowed her head. Gasper also copied us. For the both of them, since their friend was rescued, they expressed their thankfulness to Maou-sama. The members of [DxD] who were present also bowed in gratitude. A smile emerged on Beelzebub-sama’s face. “Well, you young Devils will face many troubles, but, please overcome them. The circumstances above you have the people above you to deal with them. Afterwards, no matter what happens, you should enthusiastically show your spirit, and protect the things that you should protect!”
Those were concise words! Ah, anyone who strikes out at us will definitely be repaid a hundred-fold. Anything that needs to be protected will be protected with all our strength. That was us. That wasn’t just something that we had been doing, but also that we’ll continue to do in the future. —While I was thinking like that, Azazel-sensei raised his index finger and asked Beelzebub-sama
“Tell me one thing. —How many [King] pieces currently exist?”
“The production was already stopped during the initial development stage. No one even knows the production method, and only I made them, so it’s not possible for new pieces to be made. To sum it up, only the few that I made during initial production exist. I’ve kept track of all of them; aside from the few that I have, there are nine in total. The Emperor gave his one to me. I now currently have four.”
I didn’t realise when, but Beelzebub-sama produced a second [King] piece in his hand. I was afraid that that was the piece which he obtained from the Emperor. After hearing this response, sensei had a grim look. “…There are five which remain in the hands of higher-up Devils. It’s surprisingly many. If worst come to worst, it’ll be enough for a rebellion.”
…The Devils who used those pieces were able to rival ultimate-class Devils, and even Maou-class Devils. As for the rest of the five Devils, sensei didn’t know what they would bring about. “I plan to spend a few thousand years reclaiming them. This is the responsibility that I should fulfil as the creator.”
The piece that he obtained from the Emperor could possibly be called reclaiming. If it was someone other than this man who obtained it, it was possible that they would do something unimaginably evil. In fact, it really is good that the Emperor’s piece was not taken by Rizevim…. Or would it have been useless to Rizevim? Perhaps sensing my thoughts, the Maou-sama said
“If the [King] piece is used by someone who is already too strong, or if it is used by someone who has a special ability, an overload may occur. In the worst case, it would endanger their lives. Even if they were saved…it wouldn’t be any better.”
So such a reason existed. It wasn’t something that could be used by the people who already possessed power. Perhaps that’s the reason why the Old Maou faction didn’t use it? If Rizevim used it, it was possible that he could die, so that’s why he didn’t use it…? There were still many questions which were left unanswered. Beelzebub-sama said to Azazel-sensei
“There is also something else, Former Governor Azazel-dono.”
“What is it?”
“It’ll be best if you can realise it. To be honest, if I were the enemy, in order to bring down [DxD], you would be the first person I’d target.”
—Mn. …No one expected such a statement from Beelzebub-sama, and everyone focused their attention towards those two people. Beelzebub-sama continued
“You are far too talented. Not only to this team, even for the various factions, you’re an outstanding consultant. The next time Indra and Hades aim for something, it will be you…I hope you realise that.”
Sensei shrugged as he smiled wryly. “…That’s the same as what that God of Destruction said. …But, I’ve more or less prepared some self-protection measures.”
…Target sensei huh. Sensei was our benefactor who had guided us. And as a bridge for the various factions, he was involved in VIP talks several times. Looking at the current state of things, the reason why the [DxD] team existed was also thanks to sensei.