DxD : A New Hero : Chapter 64

"Ah, but do not worry my Lord." She continued, misinterpreting the cause for the distress on my face, "I'm certain your memory will return with time. And even if it does not, I shall continue to serve you faithfully." 

She saluted by banging her fisted over her chest, and if she wasn't holding a fork tipped with a piece of pancake on it at the time she would have looked rather chivalrous.

...

Going on nothing but pure desperation, even though it was becoming apparently clear that nothing I was going to say would get through to her, I argued, "Then if I was truly the King who pulled the sword from the stone, wouldn't I have Caliburn as well?"

She tilted her head at me, "And don't you?"

"Of course I do." I answered back without thinking, the pride in my swords shining through- the spatula slammed into my face as I attempted to face-palmed, forgetting that I still held it in my hands. You know, this would hurt a whole lot more if I didn't have my Queen's defense.

"My Lord!" Xenovia cheered out at the revelation, her eyes twinkling like stars.

I felt my patience with the entire situation reach its breaking point and I yelled out as my frustration got the better of me, "I came from another world!" before slapping a hand over my mouth, realizing the stupidity of my mistake as soon as I said it.

To my utter bewilderment instead of looking at me as if I was insane or even surprised at all, she simply nodded instead as if she knew all along. "I know my Lord," She confirmed, "you hail from the land of fair Avalon, the domain of the fairies, where you recovered from your wounds."

My mouth hung open like an idiot as I continued to gape at her ability to twist anything I say to fit her world view.

"This would also explain your lack of a past." She carried on speaking, although more to herself than to me. 

"When you first appeared and the Church learned of your existence, they committed a not inconsiderable amount of resources in an attempt to discover everything about you, but they failed. 

However if you were in Avalon this entire time it would make sense why no one could discover your past, not when you were in an entirely different world."

It was incredible how close to the truth she could get yet still be oh so very very wrong.

"But now," She held a fist in front of her, fork still clasped within it, eyes shining with excitement, "you have returned. Just as the legends said you would, to guide your people in our greatest hour of need."

She was so overcome with excitement that she was practically vibrating in her seat before, no longer able to contain herself, threw her arms up into the air with another exclamation of 'My Lord', before she leapt out of the chair and knelt at the ground.

"Please, grant me the honor of serving under you." She pleaded with her head lowered reverently to the ground.

It was a good thing that she was looking down towards the ground rather than at me or else she would have witness her precious 'Lord' repeatedly bashing his head onto the wall.

"You know what?" I threw my hands up in surrender before turning back to the stove. "Fine, I give up, you win. You can join me."

"Thank you my Lord-"

I cut her off before she could finish, "And stop calling me 'my Lord' all the time."

"Yes, my King!" She immediately complied without actually doing so. Why do I have a feeling that this will be a common occurrence from now on? "I promise you, you'll not regret your decision." Her expression did a one-eighty then as her excited smile disappeared from her face only to be replaced by a troubled expression.

"However my King." Her voice was filled with trepidation as she spoke. "I regret to inform you that I no longer have the Durandal." I turned to look at her at that but she looked away, unwilling to meet my eyes. 

"I gave it to Griselda to take back to the Church. Chosen wielder or not, they would never let me keep it. 

Not without a fight, so I thought it best to avoid any trouble by handing it back now rather than waiting for the Church to send someone to forcefully retrieve it." She shrugged, "The Church has always been rather zealous in their insistence on always having all of God's Holy Swords under their control."

"Still," She quickly added, turning her eyes back to me as a small hint of panic entered her voice, "there is no need worry. Even without Durandal, I'll be sure to be of use to you my King. I promise."

"It's fine," I reassured her, "it doesn't matter to me whether you have the sword or not." And it didn't. I could simply project a copy for her whenever I wanted to. Though going by the expression of surprise and relief on her face, she didn't seem to think of it as unimportant as I did.

I didn't understand why she was making such a big deal out of it. It wasn't like she would still be able to wield the sword as a Devil. Other than me, I don't think it was possible for and Devil to wield a Holy weapon. Speaking of which.

"Are you willing to become a Devil?" I asked her with all the gravity the situation deserved, "If your serious about following me, then the only way you can realistically do so I by becoming a Devil. Are you still willing to follow me even if it means giving up your humanity to do so?" Giving her one last time to back out.

She did not hesitate.

"So long as you lead the way," her expression solemn, resolved. "I'd willingly follow you to Hell itself my King."

I looked at her, and I mean really looked, as I wondered where the sudden devotion came from. Then something clicked in my head as the pieces came together and I understood. She had nowhere else to go, did she?

With God gone, the purpose that she dedicated her entire life for was gone as well. It's not that she had no place to go to, I'm sure the Church will have no problem taking her back, it's that she had nothing to live for.

This girl, she was born in the wrong age wasn't she? She was the type who needed a cause to fight for, a just King to serve under. She needed a purpose in her life other than simply living, something to give her life meaning. 

That is why she dedicated her life to the Church so fiercely, and why she was so ready to dedicate herself to me even though the last master she served betrayed her.

Like the boy who dreamt of becoming a Hero this girl dreamt of becoming a knight.

And who was I to refuse her?

"Very well." I put down my cooking utensils and took the frying pan out of the fire before reaching a hand out into the air. A small magic circle that held the Sitri crest at the heart of its design appeared over my hand before disappearing after depositing a knight chess piece onto my palm.

I walked over to where she was still kneeing before I knelt down myself in front of her and held the chess piece to her chest, over her heart.

"To become my sword is no easy task, yet do you still swear to become it? To take my cause up as your own, to fight my enemies as you would your own? To follow me down the path that I walk, though it is filled with nothing but hardships and the only thing that may awaits us is our deaths, yet will you swear to willingly follow me down that road for no reason than I deem it Just?"

The words, while formal, did not truly matter so long as they spoke the truth. The bond cannot be forged properly with lies, deceit will do nothing but make the bond that binds us fragile.

Golden eyes peered back into eyes equally gold as she intoned, "So I do swear, my King."

The world around us erupted under a crimson light as the Knight piece floated out of my grasp and into her chest, which rippled like water as it accepted my piece.

"Then bare my name as your own and become my Knight. And just as my causes became your own, yours shall become mine in turn, your enemies I shall take on as my own. 

Now come, be reborn into this world as the sword that shall strike down the enemies that dare bar my path! Become the blade that cuts the chains that try to bind me! So that at last we may stand victorious under the blue skies of the coming Dawn."

With the final words slipping clear from my mouth the crimson light disappeared as the ceremony was complete.

And like that, in the middle of my kitchen with her face covered in maple syrup and fork in hand, Xenovia became the first Knight of Emiya Shirou. My Knight.

After a moment of silence as we took everything in, I rose to my feet and wiped my knees, "Well, now that done," I looked up towards the ceiling, "it's time to deal with you guys."

They hung like bats off the ceiling of my Kitchen, crouching upside down yet somehow managing to hang off the ceiling with nothing but the flat of their feet making contact with it. It was as if gravity had no effect on them.

Despite their size they still managed to appear inconspicuous, blending into the surrounding of the kitchen like they belonged there. How was that possible I did not know, but they somehow managed to pull it off.

"I swear are you guys like Ninja Fallen or something?" I asked as I stared up at the four of them.

The one who I mentally dubbed the leader of the group, for no other reason than he stood out in front while the other three lined up behind him, stared back at me with startling blue eyes before he slow raise a fist before his masked face, extend the index and middle finger straight out before solemnly intoning with one of the most serious tone of voice I had ever head, "Nin-nin."

The other three Fallen turned to look at one another before shrugging. The looked down at me, and just like the first, they raised they hands before their faces set in a ninja hand seal I had seen once, before they too intoned as one, "Nin-nin."

…Serafall is going to love these guys. I can tell.

I just shook my head at their unexpected antics. Really? Who would have guessed that Ninja Fallen apparently have a sense of humor?

"Ok, seriously." I looked back up at their leader as I spoke. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Orders." The leader answered. "Kokabiel-sama's final commands were should he fall, we are to protect you and thus safeguard humanity's future."

"Even if that means becoming Devils yourselves?" Even with their stealth abilities, there is no way they can follow me down to the Underworld and remain undiscovered. Not for long anyway.

A shrug was my response. "We already fell from Heaven to complete our duty. What is descending to Hell compared to that? At least it will be warm down there."

I stared up to them, and was stared back in turn by four pairs of eyes ranging from sky blue to forest green. Not one of them looked away or even reluctant.

What is with these Fallen Angels and why did they all have to be so damn likable?

"Very well," I sighed out and scratched the back of my head, "if you're so determined I won't try to dissuade you." I'm probably the worst person to try to talk people out of following suicidal ideals after all.

"Well, now that's done. It's time to deal with you." I turned to look at the final occupant on the ceiling. "Gasper, what are you doing?"

There hanging upside down from the ceiling next to the Fallen, like the bat that he was still dressed up as, was Gasper.

"Hanging out." And I swear he was being utterly serious as he said that. I decided not to comment on it as there was something far more unsettling I had to deal with.

I pointed up to him and asked, "And what are you wearing?"

"A Bat-Girl costume." He answered as used a hand to hold down his short skirt and by doing so prevented the rest of us from being traumatized for life by flashing us.

"Why?" Somehow knowing I wasn't going to be satisfied with his answer.

"It's cute." He chirped, sounding oddly happy for some reason.

At that moment I seriously considered praying to God for help for the first time in my life, but then I realized that God was dead and I was on my own. Deciding to take the tried and true method of ignoring everything I turned back to the stove and began cooking a large enough breakfast to feed the lot of us.

And that was how I used up all my pawn pieces and found myself with four new Pawns in addition to a Knight in my Peerage.

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Hey guys I really need you to throw some power Stones ;)

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