[262] Apologize

In the afternoon, August first took Rias shopping at the mall.

He accompanied Rias as she tried on numerous outfits and also bought several for her. Not only for Rias but also for Sona, Tsubaki, Hilda, Yolda, and all others, August bought clothes.

As a responsible man, it was only natural for him to know the sizes of his women.

In the afternoon, the relationship between the two progressed rapidly, and Rias seemed to have forgotten all the previous unpleasantness.

Women could be incredibly stubborn at times, but conversely, they could also be easy to please.

As for the rest of their plans, August had run out of time because tonight was the trilateral meeting of the three factions, and as the Red Dragon Emperor, August, and Rias, as the head of the Kuoh Town, had to attend.

With the night falling, in the evening, August brought Rias here.

At the Kuoh Academy, all the students had already gone home, and the surroundings were shielded by barriers to prevent any accidents and keep ordinary people from intruding.

Outside the meeting hall, Rias's peerage, Sona, and her peerage were all present.

The only change was that Xenovia, who was originally a Holy Sword wielder of the Church, became Rias's knight. Meanwhile, Irina had returned to the church. August had no interest in either of these two, so he hadn't contacted them.

"You finally came back. Everyone is here, except for you two."

Seeing August and Rias walking in hand in hand, Sona understood immediately that these two must have had a great afternoon.

Although she was prepared for it, seeing it with her own eyes still made her feel uncomfortable.

"Everyone's here?"

"That's right, Satan Lucifer, Azazel, along with Michael, they're all here now."

"Inside?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm honored to have such distinguished guests waiting for me."

Saying so, August pushed the door to enter. Sona and Rias subconsciously wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

With a creak, the door opened, and August walked in.

Inside, there was a moderately-sized round table, with Sirzechs, Serafall, Azazel, and a handsome man with golden wings behind him seated around it.

Behind Azazel, Vali, disguised as a male, leaned against the wall, and behind Michael was Irina.

The moment Michael saw August, his brows furrowed, giving August the feeling that they were enemies.

Not only Michael, but August himself felt the same. Upon sensing the holy power emanating from Michael, he felt a sense of disgust.

Light and darkness were inherently opposing forces; light judged darkness, and darkness consumed light. It had been this way from the beginning and would remain so forever.

"You finally came. Everyone's been waiting for you."

Azazel was the first to speak, gesturing to a chair beside him.

On the far left of the round table were Sirzechs and Serafall, and in the middle was Michael. As for the far right, there was only Azazel himself. At the same time, directly opposite Michael, there was an empty seat.

This was August's seat. Although he wasn't the leader of any faction, as the Red Dragon Emperor and the Lord of the House of Demon, most importantly, as a Satan-class being, he was qualified to sit with them.

Identity and other factors were just supplementary; what mattered most was August's strength, his Satan-class strength, which was the best proof.

August wasn't the least bit intimidated and sat down directly.

Because he was facing Michael, both August and Michael were looking at each other, and although they didn't speak, there was an eerie atmosphere in the room.

"Cough, well, now that everyone's here, Rias, Sona, please come in." Sirzechs coughed lightly and beckoned to Rias and Sona outside the door.

Following his call, Rias and Sona, along with their peerages, entered the room. However, they all stood against the wall, as being allowed to attend as spectators was already a great honor.

"I presume this must be August, the Lord of the House of Demon, and the current Red Dragon Emperor."

"And you must be the Archangel Michael, right? What a pity. If you were a woman, I'd definitely snatch you back to the underworld."

The two exchanged words with smiles, but there was an underlying sense of antagonism between them.

"So, you think the same, August? Let me tell you, I've always thought that Michael isn't a man, but a woman."

"Are you asking to be judged by me, Azazel?"

"After all these years, your confidence has grown. Care to test it?"

Azazel's carefree nature clashed with Michael's strictness, and even though many years had passed, they remained the same. This was still the case even though both had restrained themselves somewhat.

Sirzechs hadn't expected the atmosphere to become so tense right from the start.

Michael shot Azazel a deep look but ultimately chose not to continue the argument. These two had been at odds for centuries, and continuing wouldn't lead to any resolution.

This gathering was for a serious matter.

"August, this is the first time we've met, isn't it? Why do you harbor such animosity towards me?" 

"It's nothing, just feeling displeased on behalf of my little nun."

"Are you referring to Asia Argento?"

"Exactly. Thanks to you, this lovely nun is now under my protection. However, I couldn't turn a blind eye to the bullying she suffered."

"I admit fault in this matter. Here, I apologize to you." Michael bowed his head. This scene surprised Azazel. Was this still the same Michael who refused to yield even to the gods themselves during the Great War?

If Asia were here now, she would forgive him instantly. Because she was Asia, a kind-hearted little nun who made people's hearts ache.

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