Non Serviam Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Blessed are the Pure of Heart

“Guh!” Rias stretched, draping her sweat towel artfully over her shoulders. “You’re such a harsh taskmaster, Taylor!”

I folded my arms and shrugged.

“I appreciate the additional training,” Kiba said. He didn’t look nearly so worn down as his king. Instead, combat had seemed to reinvigorate him. I swore his hair was glowing gold.

The rest of the peerage, Mittelt included, lay across the padded training room in various states of disarray. Even Gaspar had joined us, looking breathless on his bench from practicing his sacred gear. Koneko had been throwing herself into it for the back half of this session, trying to tank through his time stopping power with bullheadedness and devil magic.

Her form, collapsed face down at his feet, showed exactly how successful that approach had been.

For my part, I had saved my own magic to speed up my recovery. Devils didn’t think much of building physical strength, but I was done being the weakest person in any conflict I stepped into. Unfortunately, while steeping my body in demonic energy did help my muscles heal faster, it also seemed to accelerate other physical changes. My hair had grown a full two inches in the past seven days. It was glossy and black and fell to my hips in umbral waves without the slightest hint of effort on my part.

I wasn’t sure which I trusted less: the devil magic, or my own self-image.

But, In the month since our rating game against Sona, I’d decided to try again. I wanted these stupid kids to be strong enough to survive. That meant working with them. It meant becoming part of a group again.

We’d all grown since then, so much.

“Ugh.” Mittelt took a moment to straighten her tailored work out gear. She wore haute couture even in the gym. “If I’d known this was my future, I would have just deep throated a light spear.”

“I’d be happy to assist you.” Akeno smiled, eyes narrowing. “Whenever that urge might take you.”

“Kinky,” Mittelt replied. “I’ll pencil you in after tomorrow’s orgy; devil boys have no stamina.”

Rias sighed. “How did this become my life?”

My own feelings, summarized.

“I’m going to spend a bit longer practicing some new spells,” I told Rias.

She frowned. “Really?”

“Need to budget my time now that classes have started.”

“Mou, Taylor.” Rias shook her head. “Breaks are important too, you know!”

I gave her a look, but she wouldn’t be swayed.

“No, in fact, I command it!” she said. “Instead of training until you pass out, again, I have a job for you.”

My look deepened into a frown.

“That nun, Argento-san,” Rias continued. “She’s due to land at Kuoh airport this evening. I think you should be the one to pick her up.”

“Me.”

“Yep!” Rias popped her lips.

“Why?” I asked.

“Your track record with adorable blondes is outstanding,” She said. “And I think the girl would appreciate someone who…could commiserate with her a bit?”

“Koneko and Gaspar aren’t blondes,” I replied.

Rias grinned. “So, you’re admitting to taming half my peerage?”

I sighed. “When does the flight land?”

“Yay!” Rias glomped onto me, arms pulling me tight. “Don’t be glum, Taylor. We can practice spells together tomorrow.”

“I’m trying to outpace you, Rias.”

“Then you shouldn’t have convinced me to try harder.” She gave me another squeeze. “Just you wait, I’ll be the bestest, strongest king in the underworld, and then you won’t even want to leave!”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll just ask for a chauffeur to the airport then.”

“Taylooooor!”

It only took me a little bit longer to extricate myself from Rias’s hold and go back to my room to get cleaned up.

When I opened the door, a fallen angel was lounging on my bed.

“Oh hey, Boss.” Mittelt smiled winsomely at me from beneath a provocatively-draped sheet. “Figured it was time for a little talk.”

My gaze flicked once to the discarded sports bra hanging from the bedpost. “Must you?”

“It’s my nature.” Mittelt giggled again when I grabbed my towel. “Oh, don’t be so antiquated, lovely. We’re all girls here.”

I rolled my eyes. “So?”

She hummed.

“What do you want?” I asked. “You don’t care for our little talks. Finally want to go back home?”

“Go back?” She lay back, arms tracing the fabric over her head. “Why would I want to go back to the Grigori, when I can live like a queen here? Rias is so adorable, and the vesting options? Mmmmm. I might switch teams just for those.”

I sighed.

“I just wanted to talk to you before you picked up another stray dove for your master,” Mittelt said.

“I’m ignoring your intentionally provocative phrasing,” I replied.

“But you can’t ignore the truth, darling.” Mittelt shifted, fabric rustling. “When you recruited me, I thought this was gonna be almost as cutthroat as the Fallen, but instead it’s my cushiest gig in centuries. I wasn’t kidding about the orgies either.”

I turned on the hot water.

“You should come, honestly. I know men only kinda do it for you—”

“What.”

“But the women down here are almost as gorgeous as Gabriel.” Mittelt sighed. “Though, devil transformation does ruin the fantasy a bit. Knowing that they’re all exactly as hot as they want to be, and that’s what they picked? The lack of imagination is staggering.”

“I’m not talking about sex or my sexuality with you right now.” I shut the door and got in the shower.

For a few seconds, I had silence, then Mittelt followed me into the bathroom and perched on the marble countertop. I saw her, distorted, through the frosted glass, a petite figure framed by black wings.

“Then what do you want to talk about?” she asked. “Because, when you recruited me, Taylor, I thought the plan was to leave.”

I frowned. “That is the plan.”

“Really?” She leaned back against the mirror, wings idly batting the humid air away. “You don’t need a minder to jump back to Earth anymore. I took a look at your expense account, after I optimized your portfolio some.”

“My what?”

“You’re welcome, lovely. No, don’t thank me.” Mittelt held up a hand. “I do it for the game. But you, you could take money and a car and be out of the country in two weeks. So why are you still here?”

“I told you what the plan is,” I replied.

“Ugh.” Mittelt hopped off the counter. “God save me from tsunderes. And darling, I don’t want to be a bitch, but you’re more bi than Sodom and Gomorrah.”

I slipped in the shower, hand slapping the wall.

“Get it?” Mittelt continued. “Because they went bye-bye?”

I whipped open the shower door to glare at her. “If you don’t get out of here, you’ll be the one wiped out in a blast of heavenly fire.”

Mittelt just put a hand on her collar. “Oh, yes. See, that’s what I want.”

Before I could begin to process that statement, she waved her dainty little fingers at me. “Try to figure yourself out, lovely. Rias is a snack, but she doesn’t have that edge. I’d prefer a king that I can trust in a fight.”

I stared at her silently, but that was all she wanted to say. With one last flounce, Mittelt pulled the door shut behind her. I remained unmoving, half out of the shower, until my hair had dripped a puddle onto the floor.

In the end, it was my phone alarm buzzing on the counter that jolted me back into motion.

Even that gave me pause.

Why was I jumping to pick up this poor girl from the airport? I’d been told that the Grigori had extracted an ex-nun from the Vatican, and then handed her off to Rias as a form of reparations. I could imagine the shame and humiliation of being traded from the Fallen to the Devils like a used toy, but that didn’t justify my involvement.

I paused after dressing, fingers seeking out the Psalm of Beelzebub where it sat on the nightstand.

When I’d recruited Mittelt, I’d felt something from the book, the way the pages fell open to the perfect passage. Since then, I’d tried exploring it more, but to no avail.

All I’d got was a headache from reading through Leviticus.

Now, I was just using it to distract myself. Was Mittelt right? I’d agreed to work with Rias, but now that my restrictions had all been lifted, I could leave. Right now, I could maybe just book a ticket at the airport and leave. I could take this poor adrift girl with me, even, and save her.

But from what? What could I offer a fugitive that Rias wouldn’t provide without recourse, and without asking for anything in return?

I took a chauffeur to the airport. It was an admission of my own weakness, an acknowledgement that I wouldn’t be running away at this opportunity. I’d made a promise to Rias, to do things a certain way. I wouldn’t break that faith before her.

I was better than that.

Besides, staying with Rias had worked out well enough for Mittelt. Her nonsense about ‘edge’ aside, Mittelt was clearly enjoying her time in hell. Rias would keep this new girl safe and happy, I was sure.

And if she didn’t, then I would take action, but for now, I was growing stronger. I was growing faster than Rias and the rest of the peerage, even.

I was going to be a different person in this life.

I clutched that thought tight as the car pulled into the airport. Normally, I’d been more impressed with the clean, expressive edifice of Kuoh Regional Airport, in sharp contrast with the urban decay of my home town.

Today I just pulled on my suit vest and held out the sign. I’d written Asia Argento in a clean hand.

I held it in my hands, standing beside the car. Now wasn’t the time to drown in my own existential crisis. Asia was a literal refugee, washing up in my part of the world after being discarded and discarded again. I’d let Mittelt distract me from what really mattered in this moment.

Protecting someone who needed it.

I really talked myself up about that thought. It would have served me right if this Asia Argento turned out to be some twisted mockery of a nun, like Freed Sellzen. But I caught sight of her before that thought could fully form.

Asia stepped out of the airport with no luggage and no escort, nothing but a plain white habit covering her golden blonde hair. She paused, blinking in the evening light, before her eyes caught my sign. I saw her face switch guilelessly from surprise, to shame, to fear, before finally settling into a deep resignation.

Let it not be said that she hesitated.

Asia Argento walked toward me like a woman on her way to the gallows, hands folded in front of her, repentant. It hurt to watch. Had I looked like that, at my lowest point? I realized that this might be the worst day of her life.

“Are you here for me?” she asked.

It was then I decided. Forget Mittelt’s ridiculous statements, or whatever Rias’s plans might be. I knew what I was about.

“Yes,” I replied. “I’m here for you.”

I folded the sign away behind my back, vanishing it with a flash of magic. For her part, Asia just nodded silently, eyes flicking to the car.

“Are we—are you going to take me…to h-hell?”

“No.”

She blinked, a spark of life returning the green to her eyes. “What?”

“I’m not going to take you to Hell,” I told her. “Or anywhere that you don’t want to go. I promise.”

“What do you mean?” Asia asked. “I was…I was told I—I’m being given to the devils. Y-you are…?”

“Yes,” I said. Her face fell. “But right now, I am here for you. Not for whatever game that sent you to our doorstep.”

“I don’t understand.” Asia shook her head.

I knelt so that I could meet her face to face. “I mean, that I am here for you, Asia. So, if you don’t want to go to the hells, we will not. If you don’t want to get in the car, we will not. If you want to return to Vatican City, we’ll go back inside and I’ll buy you a ticket right now.”

Confusion warred with hope on her face, but then it crumpled. “No, I—I can’t. I can’t go back.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Her eyes blinked rapidly. “Why are you, why are you doing this for me?”

Doing what, offering kind words? Again, I felt for her. At once, I knew the perfect response.

“Because He said ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’,” I said.

She did start to cry then, half collapsing onto me. She clutched at the white fabric of my sleeves and didn’t protest when I gently bundled her into the car.

It was only then I realized that the Psalm of Beelzebub was warm in my pocket.

A/N: Is Mittelt being an ass or is she clocking Taylor? Who knows. Because it needs to be said, Adoni didn’t include functioning gaydar when making his angels.