"Again, I apologize for my queen's… bluntness." Tenma said with a soft smile as he scratched behind his head.
"There is no need for apologies, I can understand why she was so agitated about Gasper." Rias said with a smile as she pretended to ignore the glare Valerie was giving her. "But... I am sorry to say this but arranging a meeting between you two and Gasper might not be possible."
"You!" It looked like Valerie was about to jump from her seat and attack Rias, prompting for Kiba to create a blade and for Akeno to raise her hands in preparation for casting magic, but stopped as Tenma simply raised his hand. His smile still on his face, as if the negotiations hadn't just come close to becoming a real battle.
"Can you please explain the specifics? If there is a problem that keeps us from meeting him then I am willing to offer my help to solve it." He said before putting a hand on Valerie's shoulder and pushing her back to her seat, making the members of the Gremory peerage stand down as well.
"Not to toot my own horn, but I'd like to think that I am very good at solving problems."
"The issue is, Gasper is currently sealed in his room." Rias started to explain, but not without giving a small appraising look at glaring form of Valerie. "Gasper possesses a Sacred Gear that is... not yet fully under his control. That's why it was decided to keep him from interacting with anyone who is not a part of my peerage in order to keep his powers from hurting someone."
"Hmm." Tenma gripped his chin while looking up before looking back to Rias with a smirk. "Then I guess the rumors about one of your peerage possessing Forbidden Balow View is true." He said, making Rias' eyes widen as she clenched her hand over her thigh, forcing herself to calm down.
"...I was not aware there being such rumors."
"There are all sorts of rumors, as long as you know where to look and keep your ears open." Tenma said with a chuckle before leaning down. "Would there be a problem with me at least taking a look at the seals? If there is no way for us to meet then I will give up on it, at least for now."
Rias took a moment to gather her thoughts. Pondering over her guest's proposition and weighing the positives and negatives of allowing his request.
On the one hand, she was not entirely comfortable with allowing them anywhere near her cute little bishop. Especially considering his social anxiety.
On the other hand, if Valerie was actually telling the truth about her relationship with Gasper then she just couldn't turn them away. Not to mention the chances of them managing to bypass the seals were not something she considered to be high anyway.
"Very well." So there was no harm in it. Rias rose from her seat, her crimson hair glinting faintly in the dim light of the clubroom. "Follow me. But understand, if you try anything that can be dangerous…"
Tenma gave a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it."
They left the clubroom together, Valerie walking close behind Tenma, her expression cold and unreadable. The rest of Rias' peerage followed a few paces back, cautious but alert. The hallway of the old school building was quiet except for the soft echo of footsteps and the faint hum of demonic wards woven into the walls.
"So…" Tenma said lightly, hands in his pockets, as if this was a casual stroll and not a delicate political meeting. "You sealed him in personally, or was it outsourced to someone you know?"
"It was my brother's bishop, Macgregor Mathers, who crafted the barriers. Which is why I can not allow you to meet him." Rias said with a sigh, her grip on her arm tightening. "I do not know how the barrier works and I do not have the key. The only reason I can check on him is that we are allowed inside by the barrier." She said, very much aware of the glare Valerie was sending to her back.
They kept walking a bit longer, with the only sound being the echo of their steps, till they finally reached a huge set of oak doors with the sigil of Gremory family carved on them.
Rias stepped before the great oak doors. The intricate crest of her family shimmering faintly in the dark, surrounded by a subtle lattice of magic that pulsed like a heartbeat. The air was thick around it, not with the weight of demonic power but with the intricacies of the formulas that made up the barrier.
"This is it." She rested her hand against the door and crimson sigils briefly flared beneath her palm before settling back into dormancy. "This is the barrier."
"Barriers, actually." Tenma stepped forward and flicked the doors, making the demonic magic spark out violently for a short burst. "A very simple idea that makes things complex through its simplicity. I have to give it to mister Mather, he does know his spell matrices."
"What do you mean?" Rias asked with a frown, this was the first time she heard anything about there being more than one barrier.
"It's quite clever. You see, barriers are all about putting conditions on an isolated space. The barrier that you touch is very basic shit, just powerful. It's a barrier that only let's through those who are keyed into it. It's the second barrier inside the first's perimeter, placed almost on the same space as the first, that's really interesting." Tenma said with a chuckle and walked back to them, putting an arm around Valerie's shoulder. "It's a barrier that ignores everything except Gasper Vladi, which includes the effects of his Sacred Gear since those trinkets are so close to their owners' souls. So this barrier sees the effect of the Sacred Gear to be an extension of little Gasper, it's more similar to sealing magic rather than a barrier. Very clever."
"...how did you get all of that?" Rias asked, her hands trembling, genuinely unnverved by the ease this devil analyzed a barrier that she hadn't even realized the existence of in three years.
"I've met many magicians of great abilities. You pick up a thing or two around them." Tenma said with a chuckle as he raised his arm off of Valerie and walked back to the door. "Even things like this." He then flicked the door twice, getting no reaction from the barrier this time, and opened the door.
Rias took a step back in shock, an act that was repeated by the rest of her peerage, but before she could gather herself and try to make sense of what happened or demand some sort of answer; Valerie dashed into the room.
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