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In just a single day, Adam's plans to stay away from the supernatural were completely ruined. First, the fallen angels would no longer leave him alone, especially after discovering Dohnaseek's death. And then, there were the demons.
Rias's group didn't seem hostile toward humans, and from the perspective of the anime, they even seemed like the "good guys." But unlike the fictional world, this was the real world. As someone with experience in war, Adam knew that things weren't black and white.
Especially since he knew that demons transformed beings of other races into demons.
That's how it was with Issei, and very likely with other members of her team.
As the father of humanity, he could tell who his descendants were. It worked like a "paternal instinct," and although he couldn't explain why in detail, it always worked.
That's why, being close to Koneko the previous night, he could sense that a bit of his blood ran through the girl's veins.
It irritated him that his descendants were being taken by other races. He never had a problem with beings of other races romantically involving themselves with humans, and that hadn't changed. But directly transforming them through some kind of ritual seemed unnatural to him.
Even if the fallen angels despised them, and Heaven had abandoned them, Adam had always been proud of humanity, so much so that he fought in hundreds of wars for them.
Of course, many humans chose to fall into sin. There were countless heinous criminals out there. Very different from how it had been in Eden, humanity was no longer pure, but should Adam abandon them just because a portion chose evil?
No, of course not. It was a promise he made to Eve long ago, that he would continue to fight for their children.
If one of them committed a crime, they would be punished accordingly. Adam was a just man, a trait quite similar to the Creator God.
In this way, it was impossible for him not to be irritated by all of this. He could thank Rias for saving Issei or other members of her group, but he would still feel uneasy about her taking advantage of the moment to turn them into demons.
'At least, I can take some solace in knowing that Lucifer's hands are no longer on humanity.'
With a sigh, Adam, who was grabbing a glass of water, shifted his gaze to his unexpected guest.
Sitting elegantly on the living room sofa, her blood-red hair swayed in the breeze coming through the window. Rias, with her sea-blue eyes, displayed stunning beauty, her stoic demeanor only enhancing her supernatural allure.
Many people would be unable to remain composed when alone with such a high level of beauty, but Adam, who observed her for a few seconds, could only shrug.
He couldn't deny his prejudice; it was too deeply rooted for him to simply set it aside. Rias was beautiful, no doubt, but Adam couldn't, even if he tried, fall into temptation.
The scent of a demon kept him too alert to care about that.
"Sorry, my previous guest ended up drinking all the tea I had left," Adam said as he brought the glass to the table, sitting across from her, referring to Koneko who had visited him earlier.
"Thank you very much, and no problem," Rias replied with impeccable etiquette, taking a slow sip before placing the empty glass back on the table, licking her lips with satisfaction.
'Is this seduction attempt some kind of passive trait?' Adam wondered as he watched, since he didn't feel that Rias was deliberately trying to seduce him.
"So, you must be here because of what happened last night," he said, getting straight to the point. If possible, he wanted to resolve this as quickly as possible so he could restore his home.
"That's right," Rias looked at him and nodded, her eyes closing as she bowed slightly. "I would like to apologize. This shouldn't have happened, but it seems some dishonest fallen angels are acting in the shadows."
Adam crossed his arms over his chest, listening to her with an impassive face. "Don't worry about it, it's not your fault. There was no way to guess that some fallen angels would be out there hunting people."
"..." Rias nodded, but her expression changed to one of curiosity. "You seem to know about demons and fallen angels, and my servant also told me that you defeated the fallen angel alone... Are you a priest?"
Adam, confronted with the question, fell silent for a moment. Not out of fear or hesitation, but because he didn't feel the need to reveal more than necessary to this girl.
If possible, he wanted the demons to continue doing their thing while he kept the spotlight away from himself, so keeping as much information hidden as possible should be ideal...
But at the same time, he wouldn't want a demon keeping an eye on him because Rias didn't trust him.
The last thing he wanted was to create an enmity with her, so despite that, honesty should be the best path.
This way, they could go their separate ways without worrying about each other.
So, without delaying too long to avoid her suspicion, he answered honestly. "No, I'm just a man who has lived too long. I've picked up some skills over time."
"I see," Rias nodded, but curiosity remained on her face. "If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me your name?"
"...Adam," he hesitated for a moment but decided to say it outright.
But Rias didn't seem to notice anything unusual, except that it seemed a bit strange for the region. Still, understandable, given that Adam seemed to be a foreigner. "It's a pleasure."
The two bowed slightly in respect.
"Would you mind telling me how you defeated the fallen angel?" Rias still seemed interested in him and didn't seem to hide it. Even if it bothered him, she seemed determined to find out more about him.
A human defeating a fallen angel was quite unique, especially a human who didn't radiate energy from a Sacred Gear.
There was something unique about Adam, something that piqued Rias's interest. Not only was the energy radiating from his body different, but everything about him seemed to be a mystery she couldn't fathom.
His apathetic demeanor, even in front of her, who could bring most men to their knees, his extremely relaxed way of speaking, and the feeling that his knowledge extended far beyond the basics of the supernatural...
To Rias, it was strange how this human, who didn't seem older than her, radiated an experienced aura. She felt as if she were in front of her older brother, with that always calm gaze and perfect words for every occasion.
It was strange, but also fascinating.
Could he be a magician? Magicians capable of extending their lifespan weren't uncommon, so there was a possibility this man was one of them.
Rias wanted to know... Perhaps he might even be willing to form a contract.
!
"Of course," Adam said without hesitation, expanding the sword of light in his palm.
And this, obviously, put Rias on alert, her body stiffening as the holy power discomforted her, her eyes narrowing cautiously. "Is that a sword of light?"
"The fallen angel's sword of light," he displayed the weapon for a while before shrinking it back to fit in his palm as a small glowing point. "I took it during the battle and infused it with some of my energy, making it mine."
In a way, it was true. Adam didn't know how he managed to steal the sword of light, but he felt he wasn't far from the correct answer.
"That's... impressive," Rias blinked, genuinely surprised by him. A human stealing a sword of light from a fallen angel? That was unheard of.
"I don't think so... I just got lucky."
'Luck? Does he really think that?' Unlike light weapons created for exorcists, which were just weapons infused with holy power, what she saw in Adam's hands was a true sword of light. Stealing them should be impossible, since fallen angels could dispel them whenever they wanted.
But shaking her head to refocus, Rias's face became serious as she looked at Adam.
Knowing who he was and how he had defeated the fallen angel, there was still crucial information. Adam, defeating a fallen angel, luck or not, was enough to be considered a threat to them. She needed to be sure he wouldn't try to harm them.
'It seems she's serious now,' Adam noted, but he didn't feel intimidated. He knew Rias wasn't the type to attack him just because she thought he was a threat or something like that... At least, she didn't seem that way when he watched her through a screen.
He just hoped he wasn't wrong. It would be bad to have to move cities.
"Can I ask one last question, Adam?"
"Go ahead."
"..." Rias fell silent, her blue eyes lifting to meet his as they emitted a rather intimidating glow, an indication of the seriousness of the question to come. "What do you think of demons?"
Adam wasn't surprised by the question. This conversation, in his eyes, was more of an interrogation than anything else, so he knew it was only a matter of time before Rias finally confronted him with this question.
And well, his answer was just one: He didn't care.
The war was over, and Lucifer was dead. He no longer had anything against demons, and he preferred it to stay that way. As long as they didn't interfere in his affairs, Adam wouldn't have to deal with them.
At the moment, Adam was a man seeking peace, so he wanted to avoid unnecessary fights.
"If your concern is that I might attack you, then you don't need to worry about that. I have no intention of starting a battle against demons or anything like that; I'm just a man looking for a quiet life."
"Is that so?" Rias's face softened, seeming to accept his words easily.
"Absolutely," Adam gave a thumbs-up and flashed a small smile.
"I understand," Rias nodded, seeing no dishonesty in his actions. "If that's the case, then I believe we're settled."
Adam nodded, and standing up, he offered her a hand, a chivalrous act that Rias accepted with satisfaction.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
As the two walked to the door, Rias stopped in her tracks, pulling a paper from a magic circle that formed in front of her, and turned to Adam with a small smile. "Please, accept this."
Adam, curious, took the paper to see some kind of rune drawn on it, his eyebrow raising in confusion.
"If you're interested, I'd love to form a contract with you. Just declare your wish with the paper in hand, and I'll appear."
"..." Adam nodded, his eyes scanning the paper with some interest.
He definitely wouldn't form a contract with any demon, but he felt he could learn something quite interesting from the demonic rune on the paper. 'A bit of reverse engineering should work.'
"Thank you," he said, pocketing the paper and guiding Rias to the door.
"Thank you for having me, Adam," she said, stopping in front of the door and bowing in gratitude, Adam returning the gesture with a smile. "I'd like to pay for the repairs to your house, if that's not too much trouble."
Adam's eyes lit up for a moment, satisfaction crossing his face. "I'd love that."
There was no denying it. The time when he didn't have to worry about money had been left behind millennia ago.
Rias seemed satisfied with the answer. "Alright, I'll send some people over tomorrow! See you later!"
And opening the door for her, Adam waved goodbye as she began to walk away, his eyes following her until she was out of sight.
Sigh. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but feel mental exhaustion. Rias didn't seem like a bad girl, but after thousands of years continuously eliminating members of her race, it was impossible to feel at ease around her.
When he showed her the sword of light, the thought of cutting her head off immediately came to him, but it was more like an intrusive thought than a real desire. A man affected by war... His two souls seemed to have something in common.
"Mm..."
About to head back inside, Adam blinked when a murmur sounded beside him, his head slowly turning to see a shy girl almost cowering by the door.
"Saki?" he asked, surprised she had been there the whole time.
Saki, who clasped her hands in embarrassment, seemed unable to look him in the eye.
What would he think after finding out she spent a full 10 minutes just gathering the courage to knock on the door?
Seeing a beautiful girl leaving the house only served to destroy her confidence even more...
. . .