Deus.Ex.Machina Chapter 31

I walked away from the café with my fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white. Each step was asured, controlled, as if I was afraid the ground might shatter beneath my feet.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

One mont of anger. One slip of control. That's all it had taken to reveal everything I'd been trying to hide.

The cool evening air did nothing to calm the storm raging inside . My mana still burned through my veins, hot and volatile. Part of wanted to turn around, to go back and finish what I'd started. To make her pay for trying to manipulate like a puppet. To show her exactly what happens when you try to control sothing far beyond your understanding.

But I couldn't. Not with Sirzechs Lucifer in the picture. Her brother, one of the Four Great Satans, with power that made Azazel look like a child playing with matches. I wasn't ready for that kind of confrontation. Not yet.

I ducked into an empty alley and slamd my fist into the brick wall. The concrete cracked and crumbled, dust raining down as I pulled my hand free.

"Stupid," I muttered. "So fucking stupid."

I'd let my emotions get the better of . After all my careful planning, all my ticulous preparation, I'd blown my cover because a devil princess tried to hypnotize into a business deal. It was almost laughable.

But I wasn't laughing.

Rias Gremory now knew I wasn't human. Worse, she'd seen the dragon's essence leak through. There was no walking that back, no convincing her it was a trick of the light or her imagination. Devils were many things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

I needed to get ahead of this. Damage control.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, half-expecting to see a ssage from Rias already. Instead, it was Hayama.

"Young master, your 7 PM training session with Ishikawa-san has been confird."

Azazel. Perfect. Just what I needed right now—a smug fallen angel poking at my defenses while I was already on edge.

I texted back a confirmation and shoved the phone back in my pocket. At least Azazel already knew about my abilities. No need to pretend around him.

The walk ho was a blur. By the ti I reached the mansion, my anger had cooled from white-hot rage to simring resentnt. I was still furious at Rias for trying to manipulate , but I was equally angry at myself for losing control.

In my room, I paced back and forth, running through scenarios, calculating risks, and planning countermoves. The chessboard had been upended. The pieces were scattered. Now I needed to figure out how to turn this disaster into an advantage.

Rias knew.

But how much did she know? She'd seen the dragon essence, but did she understand what it ant? Would she connect it to the Dragon's Elixir? Would she realize it wasn't a Sacred Gear?

And what would she do with that knowledge?

Tell her brother? Probably.

Tell Sona? Almost certainly.

Co after directly? Unlikely. She'd been genuinely afraid. That wasn't sothing you could fake.

I checked the Workshop. Laevateinn was still progressing. It was comfort before, but now? Not so much now that I have a ticking clock.

My phone buzzed again. This ti it was a text from an unknown number:

"We should talk. Soon. -R.G."

I stared at the screen, a humorless smile tugging at my lips. That didn't take long.

How had she even gotten my number? Devil magic, probably. Or simple networking—I was the Mishima heir, after all. My contact information wasn't exactly a state secret.

I didn't reply. I needed ti to think, to plan, to get my own head straight before engaging with her again.

A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts.

"Enter," I called.

Hayama stepped in, his expression as professionally neutral as always. "Young master, Ishikawa-san has arrived early for your session. He says it's urgent."

Azazel was here already? That couldn't be good.

"Send him up," I said, resignation coloring my voice.

Hayama bowed and withdrew. Monts later, Azazel strolled into my room, looking amused and concerned in equal asure.

"So," he said, closing the door behind him, "I hear you had quite the little power display in a public café today."

My blood ran cold. "How do you—"

"Please," Azazel waved dismissively. "I felt that spike of draconic energy from across town. So did every other supernatural being with half-decent senses. You might as well have set off magical fireworks spelling 'not human' in giant letters."

I froze, my entire body tensing. "Draconic?"

Azazel's eyes narrowed slightly, studying my reaction. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face.

"Oh? Is that a surprise I see?" He tilted his head. "Did you think I wouldn't notice that your mana has distinctly draconic properties? It's quite obvious to anyone with experience in such matters."

My mind raced. He'd known. All this ti, he'd known about the Dragon's Elixir—or at least its effects.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I demanded.

Azazel shrugged, the gesture casual, but his eyes sharp and calculating. "I prefer to let people share their secrets when they're ready. Trust is earned, not demanded." He leaned against my desk. "I figured you'd tell when you trusted enough. Or when you slipped up badly enough that we'd need to have this conversation anyway."

He gestured vaguely in my direction. "Seems we've arrived at the latter scenario."

I sank onto the edge of my bed, running a hand through my hair. "That bad, huh?"

"Oh, it gets better," Azazel continued. "Sirzechs Lucifer himself has already called , asking if I knew anything about a 'draconic presence' that was apparently having tea with his little sister."

"Shit." The word ca out as a whisper.

"'Shit' indeed, Leon-kun." Azazel crossed his arms. "You want to tell what happened? And please, spare no details. I do so love a good story involving angry dragons and terrified devil princesses."

I looked up at him, finding no humor in his quip. "She tried to use her power on . To manipulate into agreeing to a business partnership."

Azazel's eyebrows shot up. "And that made you angry enough to break your cover? I've seen you shrug off worse provocation from ."

"This was different," I snapped. "She tried to take away my free will. To control like a puppet."

"Ah," Azazel's expression shifted to understanding. "Dragons and freedom. Always a sensitive topic."

He wasn't wrong. The Dragon's Elixir had changed in ways I was still discovering. The visceral, primal reaction to soone trying to manipulate my mind... it had touched sothing deep, sothing that wasn't entirely human anymore.

"So what now?" I asked.

Azazel shrugged. "Now? Now you adapt. Your carefully constructed 'normal human' façade is broken, at least where the devils are concerned. You can't put that genie back in the bottle."

"I know that," I said, frustration creeping into my voice. "I'm asking what my options are."

"Well, you could run," he said casually. "Pack up, disappear, start over sowhere new. Not my recomndation, but it's an option."

I shook my head. "I'm not running."

"Didn't think so." He nodded approvingly. "Option two: double down. Own it. You've got power. That makes you a player in the ga, not just a piece."

"A player with very powerful enemies," I pointed out.

"Potential enemies," Azazel corrected. "The devils aren't monolithic. Neither are the angels, the fallen, or any other faction. There's plenty of room for... negotiation."

I considered this. Then sothing else occurred to . Sothing that made my jaw clench again.

"Wait," I said, leaning forward. "What happens to Rias for this? She violated neutrality. The Mishima Corporation is neutral ground, right? That's what you told . And she tried to control the heir to that corporation."

The question hung in the air between us. Azazel's expression shifted, beca more careful.

"Leon-kun..." he began, then sighed. "Nothing will happen to her."

"Nothing?" I stood up, anger flaring again. "She broke the rules. She violated—"

"She's the sister of Sirzechs Lucifer," Azazel cut off. "Not just any Maou, but Sirzechs himself. Acclaid as the strongest devil in history. One of the most powerful beings in existence, period."

He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "At worst, she'll get a stern talking-to. A slap on the wrist. Maybe so extra training in diplomacy. But actual consequences? No. When you're that powerful, when you're that connected... the rules bend."

I stared at him, feeling sothing cold and bitter settle in my stomach. "So that's it? She can just do whatever she wants?"

"Welco to supernatural politics," Azazel said with dark amusent. "Where justice is relative and power trumps everything else."

Fuck.

The unfairness of it hit like a physical blow. Rias could have stripped away my free will, turned into a puppet, and she'd walk away with nothing more than a lecture. Because of who her brother was.

"That's fucked up," I said quietly.

"Yes," Azazel agreed. "It is."

"What would you do?" I asked.

I considered this. "What would you do?"

Azazel laughed. "? I'd probably make so ill-advised joke, then try to turn the whole situation into an opportunity." His expression grew more serious. "But you're not , Leon. And frankly, that's probably for the best."

He pushed off from the desk and walked over to the window, looking out at the city lights. "The Gremory girl will be curious. Cautious, but curious. Her brother will be concerned. The Sitri girl—well, she'll be calculating how this changes the balance of power at that little school of hers."

"And you?" I asked. "What's your stake in all this?"

He turned, offering a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm still deciding. But I'm leaning toward 'highly entertained observer' with a side of 'occasional ntor to a stubborn dragon-blooded human.'"

My phone buzzed again. Another text from the sa unknown number:

"Please. It's important. -R.G."

Azazel caught my expression. "The princess calling?"

I nodded.

"You're going to have to talk to her eventually,"

He was right. I couldn't avoid this confrontation forever. Better to face it head-on, control the narrative, set boundaries.

"I'll handle it," I said.

Azazel studied for a mont. "I believe you will." He glanced at his watch. "Now, shall we proceed with your regularly scheduled training? I think you could use a healthy outlet for all that pent-up draconic rage."

I stood up, rolling my shoulders. "Fine. But no holding back today."

"Oh?" His eyebrows shot up in amusent. "Feeling ambitious, are we?"

"No," I said, my voice hardening. "Feeling like I need to be ready. For whatever cos next."

As we headed down to the training room, my mind kept circling back to one thought: The ga had changed. I'd been knocked off balance, forced to reveal my hand too early.

But I wasn't out of moves yet. Not by a long shot.

Rias Gremory wanted to talk? Fine. We'd talk.

But this ti, I'd make damn sure she understood exactly who she was dealing with.

No more pretending to be just another human. That mask had been shattered beyond repair.

Ti to show the devil princess what the dragon could really do.

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