Kuoh Academy.
"If what you're saying is true, then yesterday you ran into the Stray Exorcist Freed Sellzen — the one who slipped into the residential complex you live in using Excalibur's Fragments to kill a man who was drawing a magic circle for Devils out of curiosity."
The brown-haired girl with the twin tail stared, her eyes narrowing slightly in shock and panic. Although the Church tracked contractors who made pacts with Devils, they did not kill them immediately: first they would explain the whole situation, offer possible solutions, help them cancel the contracts, and finally erase their memories of the matter. If someone was classified as a danger, however, they would be eliminated without mercy.
But for ignorant people who attempted to summon a Devil out of curiosity, they would only be warned, stopped, and have their memories wiped; those who signed trivial pacts — like playing games or other meaningless things — were usually ignored.
Now, with the three factions moving toward peace, it was no longer the Church's job to deal with Devil-contractors, since doing so would undoubtedly affect the peace conference.
"I have no reason to lie to you," Ren shrugged indifferently and continued, pointing to the table between them. "Besides, the Church lost three Excalibur's Fragments — that should be clear proof I'm telling the truth."
The girl's eyes widened as she stared at the three fragments placed on the wooden table between them — shards that emitted a faint sacred gleam, evoking an undeniable sense of awe. Anyone from the Church could recognize that light — it was the light of Excalibur, without a doubt.
"Th‑... this really is...!" she muttered hesitantly, reaching toward them timidly before quickly pulling her hand back, as if afraid the light itself would reject her.
Ren raised his coffee calmly, took a light sip, then answered in a cold, flat tone:
"Yes, they're real. I reclaimed them after I cut Freed's head off myself."
The girl froze for a moment, then gasped audibly, her voice low but full of astonishment:
"You killed Freed Sellzen...? That defector from the Church who used holy swords against both humans and Devils...?"
Ren nodded lightly, his ash-gray eyes fixed on his cup, as if speaking of something trivial and unworthy of more attention.
"He made a lot of noise. I ran into him by chance, and it ended there."
'As expected of the warblood, they're truly terrifying,' Irina thought, swallowing a little in awe.
"It's not that we think you're lying, but I don't believe you came to us, Church representatives, just to return the shards — right?" asked the other girl, the blue-haired one with a green streak, her eyes blazing with a fierce fighting spirit.
"That is true, but I'm surprised your brain functions well at anything other than fighting," Ren said with a mocking smile as he glanced at Xenovia. This battle-obsessed girl never missed an opportunity to unleash her fighting spirit toward him; it seemed she always longed to fight him.
"Huh?!" — Xenovia raised an eyebrow, a challenging smile spreading across her face as she leaned forward slightly and slammed her hands on the table with a light force that made the cups tremble.
"Is that an insult, Ren? Because I can show you how skilled my mind is by cutting you in half."
Ren chuckled softly — not a loud laugh, just a scoffing sound through his nose as he turned his face away from her.
"Calm down. No need to draw your sword here. We're still in a public cafe, aren't we?"
"I don't mind," Xenovia replied without hesitation, folding her arms confidently, "as long as you fight me properly this time."
"Oi, Xenovia!" Irina cried quickly, waving her hands in the air to stop her friend. "We're not here to cause a scene! This is a civilian area!"
Then she turned to Ren with a serious look tinged with both confusion and worry:
"So... why did you come to us? I don't think someone like you bothers to cooperate with the Church unless you want something in return."
Ren stared at the two of them for a moment in mysterious silence before slowly setting his cup aside. The cafe lights reflected on his ash-gray eyes, making them look like cold glass devoid of feeling.
"True, I don't work for free. In fact, I came to offer you a deal."
"A deal?" — Xenovia responded with a frown, while Irina looked even more tense.
"Yes, a very simple deal," Ren said, resting his chin on his hand. His tone was calm but carried a faint hidden threat. "You want the Excalibur's fragments recovered, and I want something else in return... something I can obtain easily after delivering the shards to another party. But I think returning them to you and having you help me get what I want is better than going to that other party and getting what I want from them directly."
The two girls exchanged tense, silent looks before Xenovia spoke in a sharp tone edged with cautious wariness:
"You speak as if you're holding a fateful choice in your hands... are you saying there's another party interested in the Excalibur's fragments?"
Ren smiled faintly, raising his gaze to them while he slowly ran his fingers along the handle of the glass cup in a deliberate motion that made his voice mix with a faint scraping sound like a blade being sharpened.
"Of course. There are multiple interested parties. The chaos caused by the Church's loss of these pieces has attracted a lot of attention... Angels, Devils, even some humans from shadow organizations have started to move."
"Shadow organizations?!" — Irina murmured in astonishment, her eyes widening further.
"You mean those groups that traffic in holy weapons and sell them as power tools? That's insane!"
"Insane?" — Ren said with a crooked smile. "Maybe... but you know well that the world is no longer as pure as the Church imagines. There are always those who sell, who buy, and who make."
Xenovia slammed her palm on the table; the coffee cup in front of her trembled and her voice rose with impatience:
"Enough mystery! Say straight what you want from us, Ren. What do you want in exchange for handing over the shards?!"
Ren closed his eyes for a moment, as if weighing how much to reveal, then opened them slowly and said in a low, sharp voice:
"I want the materials and the manufacturing method for Evil Pieces from the Devils. I'm very interested in this. Although I could make a deal directly with the Devils to get what I want — they should be eager for an edge against the Heaven faction before the peace conference — I ultimately decided to come to you, representatives of the Church, to strike the deal."
"What?! You want the Devils' method for manufacturing Evil Pieces?" Xenovia exploded, shocked by the callousness of the request. Since the last war, Devil numbers had dwindled greatly, and Evil Pieces had become their lifeline — used to increase Devil numbers by reincarnating other races as Devils. Yet now someone sat before them demanding the materials and the method to make this sensitive thing.
"..." — Irina stared. Although she didn't erupt like Xenovia, her pupils constricted upon hearing Ren's request.
"I already know that, and that's why I want it. Or why would I ask for something I don't want?" Ren sighed in annoyance at the other party's words. "And know this: giving the shards to you rather than to the Devils directly shows my kindness and good intent. But if you cannot fulfill my demands, then there is no choice but for me to go to the Devils themselves and strike a deal with them directly."
"If you go to the Devils, I won't be the one who returns smiling," Ren said in a calm tone as if pronouncing a written treaty in advance, then his face darkened for a moment as if weighing his intentions on a scale. "I'll return either with an incomplete deal, or with a complete one... and that difference will determine many fates."
"If you want proof of my sincerity, I'm willing to return one of the three shards immediately; as for the other two, I'll return them when you bring me what I want," Ren said quietly, sipping his hot chocolate. "If you don't wish to make the deal, say so now, because I don't tolerate being deceived — even if it means entering a war against the Heaven faction or igniting another great war."
"We can't decide right away; we must speak to our superiors first. Can you wait a little?" Irina took a deep breath and tried to calm the fear and trembling sweeping her body, speaking in the calmest, most serious voice she could muster.
"It's fine; I'm not in a hurry either, but I hope to get an answer before the peace conference," Ren said calmly, sliding his hand into his pocket and pulling out some money which he placed on the table as he waved to the girls. "I'll leave now."
With those words, Ren blurred from sight and vanished from the cafe — and the Excalibur's Fragments that had been on the table vanished with him.
"..." — The two girls sat side by side, staring at the spot Ren had left with stunned, faint fear; their bodies were damp with cold sweat at the thought that he would not hesitate to start another great war simply because he didn't get what he wanted.
...
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