Chapter 17 - Rias and Akeno Walk in on the Most Unexpected Scene!

The sound of silverware clinking against the plate filled the room as Mittelt cut into her toast, deliberately ignoring me.

I had to hand it to her—she had adjusted to this life fast.

One day, she was hurling light spears at me.

The next, she was serving me coffee in a maid outfit.

Life was weird.

I took another slow sip of my coffee, watching her.

I had questions.

And now seemed like the perfect time to start asking them.

"So, Mittelt."

Her wings twitched slightly at the sound of her name, but she didn't look up.

"Why were you after my Sacred Gear in the first place?"

That got her attention.

She paused mid-bite, her golden eyes flicking up to meet mine.

For a split second, I saw something flicker there—hesitation.

Then—

She scoffed, leaning back in her chair, her expression turning mocking.

"Why do you think, genius? Orders from above."

I arched a brow. "orders?"

Her jaw tightened slightly, but she didn't deny it.

"Of course. You were supposed to be another disposable human with a Sacred Gear. If we got to you first, we'd either take it for ourselves or eliminate you before you became a problem."

She shrugged, but there was something off about her tone.

She wasn't saying everything.

"So what made you different?" I asked, tilting my head.

Her grip on her fork tightened for a second before she forced herself to relax.

"You didn't die like you were supposed to."

For the first time, she didn't sound smug.

Didn't sound mocking.

There was something genuine in her tone.

Something… bitter.

I stayed silent, letting her talk.

She exhaled, shaking her head. "Do you even know what it's like to be a Fallen Angel, Malrik?"

"Enlighten me."

She gave a short, humorless laugh.

"It's living on borrowed time."

Her golden eyes darkened slightly, and suddenly, she wasn't looking at me.

She was looking through me.

Like she was remembering something she didn't want to.

"Fallen Angels don't get second chances. If we fail, we don't get 'reincarnated' like devils. We don't get 'forgiveness' like some angels dream of. We're stuck in between—hated by both sides."

Her wings twitched slightly, as if the words physically weighed on her.

"Raynare promised us a place. Power. Security. Said that if we followed orders, we'd be untouchable. So, of course, I followed."

Her expression twisted slightly, her fingers tightening against the edge of the table.

"And look how that turned out."

I tapped my finger against my mug, watching her.

"You don't sound like someone who's upset she lost."

She frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I smirked. "It means, despite all that talk about 'orders,' you don't really regret how things played out, do you?"

Her wings bristled. "Tch. Don't be stupid."

But she didn't deny it.

She looked away, arms crossing, but I could see the way her fingers clenched slightly against her sleeves.

She was thinking about it.

And she didn't like that she was thinking about it.

She finally sighed, running a hand through her golden hair.

"Look. You're annoying, but you're not the worst person I could've lost to."

I chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

She clicked her tongue, annoyed that I was enjoying this.

"You would."

I leaned forward slightly, my smirk widening.

"You know," I mused, watching her sulk behind her coffee cup, "for someone who supposedly hates being here, you sure haven't tried running away."

She froze mid-sip, golden eyes flicking toward me. "Tch. Don't be ridiculous."

I smirked, tapping the side of my mug. "I don't think I'm the ridiculous one here, Maid-chan."

But the way she quickly grabbed her coffee, sipping from it to hide her face…

Yeah.

I wasn't buying her denial.

And I could tell—neither was she.

——————

The morning peace didn't last long.

Just as I was finishing breakfast, leaning back in my chair, savoring the last sip of my coffee—

Ding-dong.

I arched a brow, glancing at Mittelt, who had just finished setting the table.

"Expecting company?" I asked lazily.

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "Tch. I don't have friends, remember?"

Fair point.

I motioned toward the door with a flick of my wrist. "Then go see who it is, Maid-chan."

Her wings twitched violently, and I barely dodged the spoon she launched at my head before she stomped off.

I chuckled, leaning back again, completely unbothered.

Then—

The door opened.

A moment of silence.

Then—

"You've got to be kidding me."

Standing in the doorway, dressed in their Kuoh Academy uniforms, were Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima.

The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess and her ever-smiling, ever-mischievous Queen.

Rias blinked, her deep blue eyes widening slightly as she took in the scene before her.

She had expected to find Malrik.

She had expected to talk about his Sacred Gear.

But what she hadn't expected—

Was a Fallen Angel answering his door.

Wearing a maid outfit.

{Rias' Perspective}

Rias had already known Malrik had a Sacred Gear.

She and Akeno had watched his fight against Mittelt from a distance.

But what shocked her wasn't his power.

It was the sight of Mittelt, a Fallen Angel, acting like his personal maid.

For a moment, Rias just stood there, processing the absurdity of the situation.

{Akeno's Perspective}

Akeno, on the other hand, was far less reserved.

A slow, knowing smirk spread across her lips, violet eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Ara~ Malrik-kun," she purred, stepping forward slightly, "I thought we were here to recruit a new peerage member, not find you collecting Fallen Angels like trophies~."

Rias shot her a mildly exasperated glance, but the confusion remained.

{Malrik's POV}

I didn't even bother looking surprised.

Instead, I leaned back in my chair, giving them both a languid, smug smile.

"Ladies, if you wanted to see me first thing in the morning, at least let me finish my coffee."

I took another slow sip, watching them over the rim of my cup, completely unbothered by their scrutiny.

Mittelt, meanwhile, was not amused.

She let out a frustrated huff, crossing her arms as she glared at them both.

"What? Got a problem with it?" she snapped. "I lost, so now I work for him. Simple."

Rias and Akeno exchanged a look.

This was not normal behavior for a Fallen Angel.

At all.

Rias recovered quickly, her usual confidence returning as she met my gaze.

"I was planning to talk to you about your Sacred Gear," she said smoothly, "but it seems there's more to discuss than I originally thought."

I smirked.

"Oh, there's plenty to discuss, Gremory."