DxD: DO System Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Jobs of a Devil (2/2)

"Is this really necessary?" Koneko sighed, trying to keep a straight face. "We're devils, not ghosts."

“This is what we were hired to do,” he shrugged, using his <<Dragon Breath>> to scorch the fence of a fancy mansion.

"And we agreed to this why?" she asked, her irritation sneaking past her usually deadpan expression.

"Because it’s not hard, just time-consuming," he replied. "And the client’s loaded with political connections. That’s a huge help for Rias."

Not the money, but the politics.

"Couldn’t we just pay our way out of this?" Koneko asked. "You asked Rias for cash to buy that figurine, right?"

"With figurines, you can pay the right person at the right time and get limited editions for a steal. Way cheaper than those inflated prices." He paused, hanging from a branch and watching a woman panic inside. "But this situation’s different. Rias is rich, but if we had to buy our way out of every contract, we’d drain her dry."

After wrapping up the first job, Issei picked up a second one. Rias wasn’t thrilled with the first job’s methods, but it turned out to be one of the quickest tasks her peerage had ever completed. And Issei managed to pull it off for a fraction of the cost Rias thought it would take to just buy the figurine directly.

"So, how are you planning to get her out of there?" Koneko asked, eyeing the mansion.

The current job? Getting a woman out of a wealthy man’s house.

This mansion belonged to a powerful guy with enough political sway to influence local politics. But after a nasty divorce, he lost the mansion — a family heirloom that went to his ex-wife. Despite offering her a pile of cash, she refused to leave. The guy who hired them wanted her out, no exceptions — and definitely no murder. He couldn’t afford the scandal.

So Issei and Koneko were tasked with getting the mansion back.

Rias reluctantly let Issei take charge. He promised her that he'd handle it, so she wouldn’t have to call in favors from her family. If she had to rely on her family connections, the outcome would benefit the house, not her. And while she loved her family, she couldn’t always ask them to fix her problems. To make her mark in Kuoh without always falling back on them, she needed this to work.

"Koneko," Issei called from his perch, noticing the woman inside frantically trying to put out the fire he’d set on the wooden fence. "Remind me to sign a prenup if I ever get married."

Koneko muttered something under her breath, and though Issei didn’t catch it all, he was pretty sure it was something like, ‘As if.’

For now, though, Issei had pulled it off.

He’d used his <<Hokuto Shinken>> shockwaves to smash vases from a distance, set the fence on fire with his <<Dragon Breath>>, and scattered talismans around the house to make the woman think it was all a supernatural event. Well, it was, but he wanted her to believe it was ghosts.

He thought about swooping in out of nowhere with devil wings and scaring her, but Rias had already warned him that kind of stunt was against the rules. Plus, if the woman tried summoning devils to counter him, things would get messy real fast.

So, he stuck to the petty stuff.

"Alright, just rinse and repeat for a week, and this house is as good as sold." Issei chuckled. "The only catch? Rumors of it being haunted will spread like wildfire. The price will tank, and our client will snag it for pocket change."

"And how does he plan to recover the value?" Koneko asked, curiosity lighting her usually blank expression.

"Time, patience, and a little marketing magic. A few high-profile parties, some charity events, maybe even a movie or two filmed at the mansion—it’ll bounce back."

Koneko shook her head, unsure if she should be impressed or annoyed by his scheming. Truthfully, she already knew the answer.

"That’s it for tonight," Issei announced, hopping off the tree branch. He made sure to snap it on the way down, startling the woman they’d been messing with. "I should probably warn the client about the ‘minor damages’ around the house."

‘Kid, I swear,’ Ddraig’s voice boomed in his head, a mix of disbelief and laughter. ‘You’re more of a devil than the actual devils.’

‘I’m just petty,’ Issei replied, smirking to himself. His habit of having mental conversations with Ddraig often made Koneko wonder if he was losing it.

The two walked back toward the club. Not because teleporting wasn’t an option—Koneko could teleport, Issei still couldn’t—but they had patrol duty. And with the Fallen Angels still MIA, Rias was on edge, her paranoia rubbing off on everyone.

Even Sona was losing her usual cool.

‘You know where they are, don’t you?’ Ddraig asked.

‘I have a hunch.’

As they passed a line of food stalls, Issei noticed Koneko sneaking glances at one in particular.

"Craving Taiyaki?" he asked. Her poker face didn’t crack, but he could practically see her hidden cat ears twitching.

Issei wasn’t a fan of the fish-shaped cakes himself—sweet bean paste wasn’t his thing. But seeing how her eyes lingered on them made him grin.

‘She’s pretty cute when she lets her guard down.’

‘I’ll never understand humans and their obsession with cats. They’re rude, high-maintenance, and did I mention rude?’ Ddraig grumbled.

‘You know most people don’t like lizards?’

‘I am not a lizard!’ Ddraig roared, making Issei chuckle. Watching Koneko munching on her Taiyaki, he decided it was worth the detour.

She didn’t say much, but the soft way she nibbled on the cake spoke volumes.

‘She really is adorable.’

…

…

[Same Time — Unknown Location]

Being buried under piles of paperwork was one thing. Dealing with the looming threat of a war breaking out on your watch? That was a whole different level of stress.

Azazel had always been careful, assigning the more troublesome members of his faction to branches and missions where they couldn’t stir up trouble. It was a delicate balancing act—keeping everyone in check while avoiding unnecessary conflict.

But he’d miscalculated this time. He’d overlooked something crucial about the Fallen Angels under his command.

They weren’t just divided into two groups—the ones who followed him out of loyalty and those who obeyed because of his strength and political clout.

No, there was a third group.

The ones with extremist views who pretended to be loyal, always keeping their heads down and acting submissive.

He knew they existed, but he never imagined Raynare would be one of them.

“I… I’m sorry, Lord Azazel.” Raynare’s voice trembled as she knelt, her forehead pressed against the cold marble floor. She didn’t dare lift her head to meet his gaze. “I miscalculated.”

Beside her, Mittelt and Kalawarner knelt in silence, their posture identical but their voices absent. They weren’t allowed to speak—only Raynare had been given permission to explain herself.

“You did miscalculate, Raynare.” Azazel sighed, rubbing his temples. “But not in the way that matters most. It could’ve been worse if you’d succeeded in killing or harming the devils. Your real mistake was going to Kuoh at all, thinking stealing Sacred Gears would somehow please me.”

She flinched.

Azazel wasn’t wrong. Raynare had wanted to impress him, knowing his fascination with Sacred Gears and his ambition to replicate them. But Sacred Gears weren’t easy to come by. Desperate, she’d listened to a certain Fallen who mentioned—offhandedly—that Sacred Gears could be extracted from humans on the verge of death.

That slip of the tongue had set everything in motion, and now, it had backfired spectacularly.

“You’re lucky you survived despite being so weak,” Azazel continued, his tone sharp.

The words cut deep, and all three of them winced. It wasn’t just an insult—it was the truth.

“And you’re even luckier that you are weak.” He leaned forward, his golden eyes narrowing. “If you’d been stronger—if you’d actually managed to harm or kill them—the fallout would’ve been catastrophic. Half the Fallen Angels would’ve been wiped out.”

Raynare bit her lip, refusing to believe the devils were that powerful. Sure, the Satans were strong, but she couldn’t accept the idea that the combined might of the Fallen wouldn’t be enough to defeat them.

The silence stretched until Kalawarner finally worked up the courage to speak.

“W-What’s going to happen to us, sir?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Azazel’s expression darkened. “Why don’t you tell me? What punishment do you think you deserve?”

None of them answered.

Suggesting a punishment felt like a trap—anything they came up with would either be too lenient or too severe. And none of them had the nerve to suggest death outright.

“You risked a war, endangered our faction, and harmed innocent humans,” Azazel said, his frown deepening. “Do you think I’ll let that slide? Oh no. Your punishment won’t be light. You’ll wish for death before I’m done.”

Their bodies shook, fear sinking into their bones as he delivered his final decision.

“It’s time I paid the devils a visit,” he said, standing up. “I’ll inform Penemue of my absence.”

That single sentence made their stomachs drop.

Because if there was one sin all Fallen Angels shared, it was pride.

And Azazel was about to exploit that to break them.