DXD: Catalyst of Legends

He still looked like crap, but he would be passable in public now.

Checking the clock on the kitchen wall, he noted that there was still plenty of time to wrap up his morning routine and head for the academy with a few minutes to spare. A simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and leftover genmai, then quickly suiting up in the school uniform and packing his lunch.

On his way out the door, he made sure to take an assortment of runestones as well as a few mana storage gems from the end table at his bedside. He refused to be caught off guard like last night again.

(1)

The walk to the academy was uneventful, which gave him time to think about how this whole ordeal would play out. Doubtless, people were going to stare.

It's not every day you see someone with a patch over his face, partially covering one eye. For the next two weeks or so, though, he'd just have to deal with it.

Had he been paying attention to anything but directly in front of him, Connor would have noticed the pair of grey eyes casting a curious gaze his way from a nearby street vendor.

Kuoh Academy's old schoolhouse, a two-story wooden building with a third-story clock tower and seemingly overtaken by trees and vines, stood as a stark contrast to its newer, more lavish counterpart. If one were to venture inside, however, they would find that the interior of the building was surprisingly well-maintained.

Refurbished wooden walls and paneling, fully restored meeting and guest rooms, and atmospheric lighting arrangement gave the impression that the building was never truly forgotten. How fitting, then, that the abandoned dormitory was considered the home and base of operation for its full-time inhabitants of the Occult Research Club.

Rias Gremory, club president of the ORC and heiress to the Gremory household, sat at her desk in the main meeting room, deep in thought about recent events.

She liked to consider herself a reasonable Devil. Not like the ones from the days of old whose cruelty and intolerance drove her brother and his allies in the New Satan Faction to remove them from power in the Underworld.

With the Four Satans in charge and keeping the peace, the Devils had a chance at saving themselves from extinction through Lord Beelzebub's Evil Piece system.

There were rules in place for the use of Evil Pieces –written, unspoken or otherwise self-imposed– but there was also room to abuse the system as well. Forcible reincarnation often led to servants rebelling and turning Stray, something the Gremory fought tooth and nail to prevent happening for its entire history.

Yet, despite her confidence in Issei's ultimate choice, given his personality, she found herself dreading the upcoming conversation regarding his new life.

She tapped her finger against the desk as she thought back to last night's discussion.

–––––

Her plan hadn't turned out the way she wanted.

Rias had just finished healing the fatal wound on her new Pawn, Issei Hyōdō, and was gathering up her belongings to head back to the club room. The circumstances behind his reincarnation were horrible; he'd been outright assassinated by his supposed date, and unknowingly summoned her with his last conscious thought.

She would have preferred that he join her peerage of his own free will. This situation reminded her too much of what had happened with her other servants: near death and desperate for somebody –anybody– to save them.

She didn't hesitate to use her remaining Evil Pieces to reincarnate him. It was her fault that he died, so she owed him that much.

To her surprise, however, it ended up requiring all 8 of her pawn pieces for the ritual to take effect. Whatever his Sacred Gear was, it had to be enormously powerful.

She couldn't deny that underlying sense of giddiness at the prospect of having a powerful new member of her little family.

While she had gotten a new servant, however, she now had another issue to consider. Connor, the exchange student that had become something of a minor celebrity at school, was engaged in battle with a Fallen Angel, and was apparently adept in magic.

In the time she had stayed to watched the fight, it looked like Connor even had the upper hand. Upon reincarnating Issei, she had contacted Akeno and ordered her to see out the remainder of the fight, then report back at the club room.

As she activated the Gremory family circle to begin her transit, her mind was still ablaze with questions. How much did Connor know about the supernatural? What kind of a sword was that? Why were the other Fallen just staying back? What else was he hiding?

Rias emerged from the teleportation circle moments later in the corner of the club room, finding Akeno seated comfortably on one of the two Victorian-style couches in the center. For as calm as the Queen appeared, it must mean good news.

Her Rook, Koneko Tōjō, sat opposite to her on the other couch, chowing down on a bag of sweets in her hands.

"Well, Akeno? What did you find?"

"Oh my~ Cut right to the chase, Buchō. Not even going to ask if I'm alright? Or tell me about Issei?"

"I know you well enough to know you would be fine, Akeno. And Issei will be fine, too.

He's settled in for the night, and I'm going to give him time to adjust to things as a Devil before bringing him here. " The heiress took a seat at her desk while Akeno watched with a calculating eye.

She had mixed feelings about Rias' plan. On one hand, she trusted Rias with her life and knew that she never meant for harm to befall Issei.

On the other, she didn't like how much room for error there was with baiting the Fallen this way. Her fear that her adorable junior could be hurt or killed had come to fruition, and she felt more than a little guilty for not doing more to prevent it.

"Just as well, I only arrived at the scene just as the Fallen were leaving, anyway. "