If you all didn't hear me the last time.
'WHAT. THE. SHIT.'
What do you mean by "Stray Devil"? What kinda rom-com academy anime has fucking devils!!! And if there is a stray does that mean there's some have been domesticated?!? I have so many questions and ZERO answers.
I'm having a panic attack at my front door trying to make sense of all this when I hear Tiche's voice beside me.
"My lord, what seems to be the issue?"
That's right! I have the amazing assassin from Elden Ring!
"Tiche, if you had to fight a devil, would you win?"
"It depends on the type of devil, my lord."
It wasn't a no but it wasn't a yes either. "Tiche, there's a devil nearby; please be on alert."
That instantly brought her to a combat-aware demeanor that I can only admire. "My lord, please do not leave my side until it is safe."
While I do admire it, I'm in desperate need of Gacha Tickets now that I know there are devils around. "Tiche, if possible, we need to defeat that devil quickly, and if I'm correct, it should be coming straight at me due to my vitality."
"My lord, you cannot act as bait!"
When the hell did I say that?!? But... it is a good idea. Tiche is an assassin, and making the possibly OP stray devil die in a single hit is the best possible outcome.
"If there was any other way, Tiche, I would, but I'm the target, and you are my sharpest blade." I almost physically cringe at my own words, but for some reason, Tiche looks touched.
"My lord! I will not let you down!" And she disappears from my sight, and no, not like a high-speed rush away; she seems to fade out of existence. Maybe it's because I'm weak and she moved fast, but I'm 80% sure she cast magic to do that.
I begin my walk to Kuoh Academy while taking deep breaths. I have faith in Tiche, but the fear that the "Devil" gives me is also greater than I thought.
After about 3-4 minutes, I hear the skittering of what seems to be a large insect in the passing alley. Pretending to be a fool, I go to investigate it.
In a blur of movement that I missed in a blink, Tiche stands over the corpse of a larger-than-horse-sized bug-human monster as I hear two separate dings in my mind.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Quest Completed: Detecting the successful slaying of Stray Devil with 04:17 remaining on the timer. Optional objective completed.
You have obtained a 1x Advantage Silver Ability Ticket.
Ding! The host has killed a Stray Devil as a regular human—what a tremendous achievement!
You have obtained 1x Gold Trait Ticket.
Would you like to use the tickets now?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Holy shit, I got two rewards for doing this? And it happened in the blink of an eye! The result is a jackpot! My gaze towards Tiche actively makes the latter flinch.
"My lord, is something wrong?"
I cough to cover my loss of composure. "It's fine, Tiche; it just seems there is a way for me to get stronger. Would you mind covering for me?"
"Of course, my lord."
'System, use both tickets.'
-----------------------------------------------------------
Rolling Advantage Silver Ability Ticket...
You have rolled a common ability!
[Common - Sprout]
You can communicate with and control plants in your range to a minor degree. You can order plants to start growing faster and imbue them with your energy to make them grow even faster. You can also change their general shape slightly.
Or
You have rolled an Uncommon Ability!
[Uncommon—Lightning Claws]
Create claws of violent lightning on top of your regular hands to sever and electrocute enemies at the same time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
'Minor plant magic is not going to help against these devils, and I need something for myself, so Lightning Claws it is.'
-----------------------------------------------------------
Rolling Gold Trait Ticket
You have rolled a rare trait!
[Rare—Hero Candidate]
You are a hero in training. Whether you are fit to take on the title of a real hero is to be seen. All holy and light abilities are slightly enhanced in strength, and the duration of blessings is extended.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Did I just get plot armor? HELL YEAH!
As I was internally rejoicing for my newfound plot armor (?), my overflowing energy of vitality seemed to subtly shift as a newer, smaller energy made its home inside my body.
'That's... a pitiful amount of hero energy.'
Okay, maybe not plot armor? But plot relevance! If I'm able to sense it, maybe the main characters of this anime will as well. Surely with devils running around, I'll meet the modern equivalent of the Hero's party, right?
As I was lost in thought, Tiche spoke up, "My lord, there seem to be multiple stronger individuals approaching; I suggest we leave immediately."
That brought me back to reality. "Right, Tiche... Could you carry me for the time being? Unfortunately, the boosts in strength were extremely pitiful."
"Of course, my lord."
And to my horror, she picked me up in a princess carry, and before I could properly protest, we were moving at high speeds.
"Tiche, stop!" After about thirty seconds, my body couldn't take the rough ride, and I ordered Tiche to stop, and she obliged.
"My lord, it seems they did not follow."
I held up a single finger to tell her to wait as I tried stopping myself from hurling my breakfast. After a moment to gather my bearings, I replied, "We should be safe, right?"
Tiche nodded, and I let out a breath of relief. "Good, good, now to get to school and start this journey! The third years at Kuoh Academy won't know what hit them!"
-----------Rias's POV ------------
As I landed in the alley, I immediately spotted the corpse of the stray devil my peerage had been tracking the last few days.
"Now what could've tempted you to come out of hiding this early in the day..." I mumbled to myself as I heard another person land behind me.
"Ara, ara~ Rias, speeding up to take the Stray by yourself, that's not like you." The newcomer said, obviously knowing Rias.
"Akeno, someone else was here, and they seemed skilled," I said while pointing at the only wound,
"There's an enchantment attached to this that enforces death; it's not too strong, but the fact it's an enchantment is concerning and very deadly. We'll need to coordinate with Sona and her peerage."
Akeno seemed to drop her playful expression as she took in Rias' words.
"That's not all, Rias; there seems to be another energy in the air... It's faint but unique; if they keep this up, it'll be a matter of time before they expose themselves."
I simply nodded along, only now noticing the odd energy in the air. It seems I was too focused on the corpse in front of me, a foolish blunder I should correct in the future.
"Let's go, Rias; the two top idols of Kuoh Academy can't be late on the first day."
Looking over the scene, there was too little information to make a guess, so for the time being, I'll let this go.
"Fine, Akeno, but remember to pass the message to Sona about this."
"Of course, the ever-faithful Queen of Gremory is the epitome of reliance."
Akeno's playful banter made me chuckle, a rare thing nowadays with the recent events going on in my life.
------------- Sam POV -------------
"Listen, mister guard, I swear I'm a student here! Look at my school ID and my uniform!"
As I argued with the guard, it now occurred to me that there is a stigma against foreigners here. But the crazy thing? I just saw a very non-Japanese chick walk past the guard without so much as a word... I can't believe this is happening to me.
"Mister Guard, do I have to call the school to get past here? I don't want to be late."
All I was met with was a cold stare and him blocking my way. I swear I've never been so frustrated in my entire life.