High School DxD: Fox of Ill Omen

Yuki

[We will be arriving at the Gremory main residence shortly. We will be arriving at the Gremory main residence shortly. Thank you.]

When the announcement sounded I was sitting back in my seat thinking about the land that Rias had just given me.

I had selected something remote.

Once Rias takes over as the head of the Gremory family she will have less free time to spend with us, her servants, so I will be able to spend most of my time in my own territory.

That is unless Sirzechs-sama tells me to continue following his orders to protect Rias at that point.

However, it will be a long while before Rias takes over as the new head.

I wonder how many seals I will have removed by that point.

If Rias continues to keep her promise, by that time they might all be removed.

If they are all removed and I’m strong enough….

I looked out the window as I let go of that thought.

It wasn’t something I should be worrying about now. 

For ten more minutes after the announcement, the train kept moving through a world I knew and did not know at the same time.

The Underworld was not unfamiliar to me.

That was the problem.

I glanced at Asia and Issei who were looking out the windows with excitement.

Their faces were practically pressed to the glass as they spoke to each other with wonder.

Even Xenovia was glued to one of the windows, even if she wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic. 

It would have been easier if it had been wholly new for me, like it was for them.

Instead, the Underworld always carried two shapes at once to me.

The fantastical views with the purple sky, sprawling forests, small towns and villages, and fancy noble estates.

The one that Issei and Asia were seeing and experiencing. 

And the other one.

The one I knew too well.

The one that had buyers and owners.

Rooms doors locked from the outside.

High class Devils that knew they were above you and acted that way.

Servants expected to act with complete obedience.

The train passed through forests, rivers, and wide open land under the purple sky, and I kept my expression still while Issei and Asia reacted to nearly every new thing with the appropriate amount of awe and excitement.

It suited both of them.

Asia was innocent and sincere.

Her wonder at the views made her look adorable.

Issei was not built to meet new and exciting things quietly.

He reacted loudly and honestly with an infectious energy that made you smile at his reaction instead of being annoyed. 

That, perhaps, was one of the reasons people loved him so easily.

Across from him, Xenovia had shifted her attention back to whatever conversation Yuuto-san had let herself be dragged into earlier.

Gasper-kun had quieted after the excitement surrounding the territory map, though his fingers still tightened now and then at the hem of his clothes whenever the train shifted in a way he did not expect.

Koneko sat beside me, as quiet as she had from the beginning.

I still did not know what issue had been bothering her. 

Koneko was always quiet, but there were different kinds of quiet.

The calm quiet she wore when she was simply watching.

The clipped quiet she used when she was annoyed. 

The sharp quiet she took on when she was angry and ready to smack someone.

This was none of those exactly.

She had been even quieter since we passed the dimensional barrier.

She seemed more withdrawn than usual.

She had answered when spoken to.

She had not pulled away when our shoulders touched now and then with the movement of the train

But something in her attention was turned elsewhere, and I did not know whether the cause was the Underworld itself, this territory, or something older stirred the trip.

I did not ask.

I would be there if she needed me and intervene if it became an issue.

Issei leaned out the window to try and see where we were heading.

Then, almost at once, he made the sort of startled sound that instantly got the entire train car's attention.

He pulled his head back into the car.

“There is a huge crowd of people at the train station! And a bunch of soldiers too!” He said as he turned to us.

“That’s pretty normal actually. Buchou is very popular in her family’s territory.” Yuuto replied.

Issei still looked concerned despite the clarification.

It made me wonder just how large of a crow we should expect.

“Ise, shut the window we are nearly there.” Rias said.

He obeyed at once.

The train soon began to slow and eventually stopped at the station.

I rose with the others and gathered my bag.

Koneko stood beside me without speaking.

Yuuto helped Gasper-kun with his things before he could start worrying about them.

Asia checked once that she had not forgotten anything important.

Xenovia simply slung her bags over her shoulder and moved to leave.

Azazel-sensei remained seated.

“Are you not coming with us, sensei?” Issei asked.

Azazel-sensei waved a hand lazily from his seat.

“No, I've got a separate stop that I’m heading to. I have to head to the Maou territory to meet with Sirzechs and the others. Once I’ve met with them I’ll catch up with you at the Gremory estate.”

He sounded bored of whatever meeting he had already.

I glanced at Rias.

Her expression did not shift much, but she nodded.

“Say hello to Onii-sama for me, Azazel.”

He gave the same lazy wave again.

We moved to exit the train. 

Rias-Buchou moved at the head of the group.

She stepped towards the door with the natural ease of someone returning somewhere that had been hers long before anyone else in this carriage had entered her life.

I followed with the others behind her.

The rest of us disembarked.

The moment my feet touched the platform, the world exploded.

[Welcome home, Rias-ojou-sama!]

The shout hit hard enough to vibrate in my chest.

Then the rest came with it all at once.

Fireworks.

Gunfire aimed upward by soldiers.

Music from a band that had clearly been waiting for the exact moment of our arrival.

A mounted soldier flying past on a winged creature while waving a huge flag.

My ears snapped down closer to my head

For one instant, the sheer amount of noise and display made put me on edge.

It was too much at once.

I did not move.

I felt my tails spread behind me.

I made myself not move.

Issei and Asia huddled slightly closer together in the middle of the spectacle, both visibly overwhelmed by it.

Xenovia’s eyes widened with the sort of rigid surprise she only rarely showed.

Gasper made a small, miserable sound and drifted at once toward Issei’s back to use him as a shield.

Yuuto leaned over towards me.

“Sorry about not warning you. We probably should have since this always happens.”

Akeno-senpai watched with a smile that made it clear this was familiar to her.

Koneko remained at my side, and though her expression did not change like usual, I could tell it’s because her mind was somewhere else.

Rias stepped forward.

The lines of butlers and maids bowed in near perfect unison.

[Welcome back, Rias-ojou-sama.]

The servants and soldiers said at the same time.

Together they made the whole scene feel carefully arranged to remind everyone present exactly whose daughter was returning home.

“Thank you, everyone for greeting me on my return home.”

Rias answered them with a smile that softened her entire face.

That was what struck me more than the welcome itself.

It was the way Rias smiled at them.

The scale of it was ridiculous and the excitement of the crowd was immense. 

And the smile Rias gave them held real warmth there too.

A familiarity that belonged to someone returning somewhere she had been loved openly all her life.

The thought arrived before I could stop it.

I frowned and cut the train of thought before I could compare her life to mine or think of what could have been.

There wasn’t a point to think that way and it wouldn’t be fair to Rias to be upset by it.

A silver-haired figure stepped forward then, and that shifted my attention fast enough to feel like a flinch.

Grayfia-sama

Her posture was flawless as always.

Her expression was composed, elegant, unreadable in the way it often was unless she meant you to see something else.

She brought everyone’s attention to herself as she stepped forward. 

I corrected my posture and schooled my expression immediately.

“Welcome, ojou-sama. Your train arrived earlier than expected. It is good to see that you’ve arrived safely.”

Her gaze moved past Rias and over the rest of us.

I kept my gaze slightly lowered as her eyes passed over me.

“Now then,” She continued, “all of you will need to board the carriage prepared for you. It will be your transport to the estate.”

She indicated the carriages waiting beyond the platform.

They were as impossible as everything else here.

Lavish, polished, perfectly maintained.

The horses in front of them were too large and too sharp-eyed to be mistaken for anything ordinary.

Even from a distance I could feel the pressure of demonic power from them.

Servants were already removing our baggage from the train.

They were thorough and efficient.

It was smooth enough that there was no point at which the transition from arrival to transport looked unplanned.

Rias looked toward the first carriage and then back to us.

“Since it is Asia, Xenovia, and Ise’s first time in the Underworld, I will ride with my servants.”

That matched what I expected of her.

Then her eyes flicked toward me for half a second.

A very small pause.

“And Yuki is one of my new servants as well.”

I kept my face still.

That was not because it was my first time in the Underworld.

But Rias seemed to have noticed that while I was composed, I was also slightly on edge in a way that had little to do with travel.

Grayfia-sama looked at me. 

“I had been informed that she is no longer going by the name Kusari. I will ensure that the rest of the servants are aware.” She looked back to Rias and nodded. “Very well only-sama. There are several vehicles prepared for you. Please use whichever you prefer.”

Rias gestured to Issei, Asia, Xenovia, and I to follow her.

In the end, I entered the first carriage with Rias-Buchou, Issei, Asia, Xenovia, and Grayfia-sama. The others took the next one behind us.

The interior was as luxurious as I expected but more comforting than cold.

I sat across from Xenovia and next to Asia, placing Grayfia-sama on the opposite corner of the carriage from me. 

I sat quietly, keeping my posture neat, my expression empty, and my thoughts on the window rather than the company.

The carriage began moving.

Outside, the road was immaculate.

The stonework was perfectly maintained, trees trimmed with care precise enough to border on obsessive, stretches of gardens and land arranged for display as much as beauty.

There was a massive building that we were moving towards. 

The shape grew larger and larger until even Issei’s voice came out broken when he finally tried to speak.

“Bu-Buchou? What is that huge building? Is that a castle?

Rias smiled.

“That is my family’s main residence.  It is one of my homes.”

One of my homes.

After hearing about how large her family territory it wasn’t exactly shocking to hear. 

I looked out through the carriage window and let myself take the place in properly.

It was not merely large.

It was a massive building that surely took an army of servants to maintain. 

Even though it was much larger, it still managed to remind me of the estates and mansions I had been taken to before. 

It brought back memories that I didn’t wish to relive.

I remember being brought to a gathering of Devils by one of my [Kings].

Thankfully I was only brought to be shown off as an exotic servant and ogled.

I remembered other times when I was ‘lent’ to another Devil by one of my other [Kings].

I had never had a truely positive experience in the Underworld.

Even with other servants in the same peerage as me.

I was always singled out for being the weakest due to my seals.

Or any positive interaction I managed to build would fall apart eventually for one reason or another.

It became easier to simply quietly exist and only act when ordered to.

I closed my eyes and pushed away the memories.

When I opened them I saw passing fountains, flowerbeds, and stretches of stone walk broad enough that multiple carriages could have crossed them at once.

Fantastically colored birds moved between the branches overhead. 

“We are here.” Rias said as the carriage slowed to a halt.

The door opened from outside.

A butler bowed to us and Rias exited the carriage.

We followed her out and saw that the carriage the others had been riding in had arrived as well.

They started to exit the carriage as we turned to the entrance of the estate.

The servants stood in two lines.

A red carpet stretched toward the main entrance.

The gate opened with a heavy grinding sound that made my ears go flat again.

“Ojou-sama and her servants, please enter the estate.”

Grayfia-sama bowed slightly as she said it.

Rias-Buchou did.

We followed.

It didn’t seem like there was much of a choice.

So I walked where I was expected to walk, eyes lowered and forward, senses sharpened against my own will by old instincts I did not entirely want and could not fully command.

A small figure broke from the line before we reached the doors.

They ran straight to Rias.

I started to lift my hand towards him before I heard him speak. 

“Rias-nee-sama! You’re back!”

She laughed softly and caught him in an embrace that transformed her entire posture.

I had seen her kind smile and relax before, but this was softer.

I lowered the hand I had begun to raise back to my side.

“You’ve gotten so big, Milllicas! I’m back for my summer break.”

I straightened slightly at his name and immediately noticed the resemblance between the boy and his father.

He was a young boy with a soft, kind looking face and the crimson hair of the Gremory family.

“U-Umm, Buchou. Who’s the kid?” Issei asked.

“This is Millicas Gremory.” Rias replied. “He is my nephew.”

Issei immediately looked nervous.

“S-So he is Sirzechs-sama’s s-son?”

Rias nodded as Millicas-sama stepped back from their hug and started talking to Rias excitedly.

I watched him as he spoke.

Millicas-sama was beautiful just like his father,

Though his beauty was softened by youth.

He had neat and polite posture and mannerism that showed he had etiquette trained into him already.

Though his reactions and expressions were still genuine and not a project appearance.

It was strange to see the child of the man who held my leash act so young and carefree. 

“You should greet my servants, Milicas.” Rias said. “ I have a few new ones for you to meet.”

They started with Issei. 

“Hello, I am Milligan’s Gremory. It is nice to meet you.”

Isse bowed quickly.

“I-I am Hydouou Issei! It is an h-honor to meet you!”

Rias chuckled to herself at his nervous greeting.

Asia and Xenovia repeated similar exchanges with Millicas-sama.

Asia’s greeting was less awkward than Issei’s but just as nervous.

Xenovia’s was shorter than it should have been but Millicas-sama didn't seem to care.

When it was my turn I bowed to Millicas-sama, I bowed as I greeted him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Millicas Gremory-sama. My name is Shiramine Yuki. I hope that I can be of service to you.”

He looked interested as he saw my ears and tails.

“As you’ve already heard I am Millicas-Gremory. It is a pleasure to meet you, Yuki-san. I am sorry for staring but I have never met a Kitsune Devil before. Youkai Devil are rare and I’ve never met a Kitsune.”

“With reincarnated Devils being primarily humans, it is understandable that you have not met any others of my kind yet.”

“Now Millicas, you will have plenty of time to talk to Yuki later. You need to greet the rest of my servants.” Rias chided.

“Yes Rias-nee-sama.” Millicas-sama said

Millicas-sama gave me a short nod before moving on to greet the older members of the peerage.

“Hey Buchou, if he is Sirzhechs-sama’s son, why is his last name Gremory?” Issei asked Rias quietly.

“Only the current Maou can take the names related to their station. Because of this Millicas is a Gremory, not a Lucifer. He is also second in line for succession as head of the family after me.”

After explaining that to Issei, Rias noticed that Millicas-sama had finished greeting the rest of the peerage.

“Lets head to the residence to greet my parents.” Rias said.

She took Millicas’s hand and began walking again.

Multiple gates opened and gave way to the entry hall.

The interior was enormous.

The chandelier overhead seemed too large to be held by the ceiling at all.

There were stairs in the center of the hall leading up to the next floor..

The floor gleamed.

The walls rose and rose.

I had seen noble residences before.

I had lived in parts of them.

But this-

This was not the same.

The scale couldn't compare at all.

“Ojou-sama,” Grayfia said, raising one hand slightly. Several maids moved in at once. “I’d like to show your servants to the rooms they will be using for your stay.”

The maids were all beautiful and neat.

That did not surprise me as I had expected that in an estate like this.

What did surprise me was how welcoming the atmosphere around them seemed.

Rias-Buchou considered that, then nodded.

“Very well. I would like to greet Mother and Father by myself first.”

Grayfia answered immediately. “The master is away at the moment, but will return for supper to meet you and your peerage.”

“I see. Then we’ll let everyone rest in their rooms for now. Has the baggage been carried in already?”

“Yes. All luggage has been delivered to its respective room.”

That got a visible reaction out of Issei and Asia both.

The tension the two of them had been holding eased after hearing that we would be able to rest. 

Gasper-kun was clinging to Isse’s back since we had entered the hall.

Yuuto and Akeno both looked completely at ease in the massive hall. 

Xenovia was looking around the hall with mild interest.

Koneko was still quiet. 

She stood a little behind Yuuto and Xenovia, looking up only once before her gaze lowered again.

Rias noticed her acting differently as well.

She would glance at her almost like she was checking on her every now and then. 

She looked concerned when she watched Koneko. 

Then a voice came from above.

“Ara, Rias. It’s good to see that you’re back.”

Everyone looked up.

A woman was descending the stairs.

For one second, the resemblance confused even me.

The woman held a striking resemblance to Rias to the point that they could have been siblings.

She had flaxen colored hair and there were slight differences in her features as well.

And since Rias didn’t have a sister I assumed that it was her mother and she had altered her appearance to look younger with Devil magic. 

I noticed that Issei was not subtle about his staring.

“Mother. I’ve returned for my summer break.”

Hearing that seemed to cause him to come crashing to a stop.

He whipped his head towards Rias.

“Mother!? How?” He asked. “She looks like she is the same age as you, Buchou. You look more like sisters than a parent and child”

No one else was quite shameless enough to say it aloud, which was likely why it became funny instead of insulting.

Venelana Gremory touched her cheek lightly and smiled.

“Ara, it makes me happy to hear that someone thinks I look that young.”

Rias answered him with the ease of someone who had been giving this explanation for a very long time.

“Ise, Devils can use thier demonic power to adjust their appearance how they please. And my Mother likes to adjust her appearance to match my age.”

Hearing that did not truly help Issei.

 It only made him stare harder at Rias’s mother.

I watched Venelana as she came closer.

Beautiful.

Softly smiling.

And sharper than she first appeared.

The kind of woman who could afford to let warmth show because she knew precisely how much power sat underneath it.

The kind of woman who notices everything in a room even while appearing to only give you a warm smile.

I did not like that I understood the type on sight.

Rias pinched Issei’s cheek after his stare lingered too long.

“…You know that I can see you giving my mother a pervy look, right?”

Issei did not even try to defend himself as Rias continued to pull on his cheek.

Then Venelana-sama’s eyes moved over us.

She was taking inventory of Rias's new servants.

Judging and evaluating.

And then they settled back on Issei.

“Ara, Rias. This boy is Hyoudou Issei, right?”

He was startled immediately.

“You know who I am?”

Her smile did not change.

“Yes, I was at Rias’s engagement party that you crashed. I was able to get a good look at you even though I did not get a chance to speak to you.”

Issei’s panic was immediate and obvious.

He had marched into that engagement party, ruined it, and taken Rias away.

Even if he had been right to do it, meeting the mother who had been present for it was not a comfortable prospect.

Venelana-sama, however, only smiled slightly more.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Rias’s mother, Venelana Gremory. Please treat me well from now on, Hyoudou Issei-kun.”

And now we were going to not only have to deal with a High Class noble Devil, but one of Rias’s parents as well.

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