A New Motivation: Chapter 13

Small Update: There have been minor changes to the build of this story so a reread is encouraged. Dauntless's power has been removed and replaced with a skill called Degenerate. Earlier chapters have been altered to reflect this change.

~~~

Wisps of red light swirled around me as I stepped out of the teleportation spell, only stumbling slightly this time as I suddenly found myself in a place that wasn’t where I had been milliseconds ago. Even after doing it a bunch of times, teleporting never got any less disorienting. But considering the nature of the act, I supposed that was a given.

Shaking my head to get rid of the residual dizziness, I straightened as the sigil faded into nothingness behind me. I took in my surroundings, gazing around at the empty house I had found myself in. There were imprints on the ground where someone had recently moved out, but that was pretty much it. Even the walls were completely barren, not a painting or a nail with which to hang them to be found.

Hoping this wasn't my very own Freed situation, I looked around for the person who summoned me, before looking behind me as I heard someone shuffle nervously.

I was met with a thin, middle-aged man with glasses and hunched shoulders, staring at me in shock. In his hands was a crumpled leaflet with a red sigil on it.

I put a hand on my hip, giving the man a disarming grin, “I assume you're my summoner?”

The man stared at me blankly, and my smile trembled a bit. Oh no. Did he not know what he was doing when he summoned me? I was really not prepared to explain the supernatural to a newbie right now.

Deciding to break the silence before it got too awkward, I spoke, “You are the one who summoned me, right?”


He nodded absently, still apparently not believing his eyes, “I-I think so? I was just holding this thing that I got from some girl and thinking about how badly I wished I had help and then… you appeared.”

I sighed in silent relief, “Alright good. Yeah,that's how you summon us. The sigil on the leaflet responds to strong enough desires and one of us appear to fulfill them whatever way we can.”

“One of you?” He asked uncertainly.

“Devils. Though, not really the kind you're probably thinking of. There won't be any sucking of souls or killing of baby goats.” I paused, “I mean, unless that's what you want, but I'm not sure I'm really qualified, or willing, to do that.’

“Devil?” The man turned from fearful to skeptical in an instant, “Like, the one from the Bible?”

He didn't believe me, which was… somewhat understandable. Though I wonder what he thought about the literal magic circle I had just teleported in on. Either way, it looked like I would have to assuage his doubts.

With a thought, pitch black wings spread from my back, while at the same time my devil bringer appeared in a flash of light. The man flinched back at their appearance, before staring at them with wide eyes.

“Is this enough proof for you?” I asked, giving my wings a flap.

“Alright, I believe you.” He said distantly, staring at in stunned silence.

“Great!” I said cheerfully as I let the appendages disappear once more, “Now that we got that out of the way, what can your temporary demonic servant do for you today? I will warn you there are limits to my power and I’m not willing to do anything too freaky. Some Devils are cool with that, but I’m not one of them.”

The man’s eyes widened and he waved his hands, “Oh no! I don’t need anything like that! I just need help getting my furniture inside. When I moved, I had my uncle help me, but he’s on the other side of Japan.”


I blinked in surprise at the simple request, “Oh, is that all?”

He nodded, “I’m sure you can tell by looking at me, but I’m not really that strong. Not to mention, I don’t have any friends who are actually willing to help me. Or any at all, really.” His voice dipped at the end and my heart panged with sympathy.

“Well don’t worry, I’ll gladly help you out.” I said, patting him on the back, “You know, I actually recently moved into my own apartment and didn’t have any trouble at all with the furniture so this should be easy.”

He stared at me in surprise, “Devil’s live in apartments? I expected you to live somewhere much more expensive.”


I shrugged, “Some of us do. I can’t afford that, so I’m living in a flat. Honestly, once you get past our long lives compared to yours, you’ll find that Devils and humans are actually really similar. Heck, some of us don’t even live in the Underworld.”

“Do you?”

I ignored his question as we walked into his front yard, looking at the large truck carrying furniture that was parked in the front. There was quite a bit of stuff to move and a lot of it looked pretty heavy, so I did some quick mental calculations in my mind about how much work this would actually be.

“Alright. Judging by some of the stuff in here, I’m pretty sure that it should only take a couple hours to take care of it all. Maybe three if you want me to actually furnish the rooms, and less if I call in help but that’ll cost you more. That being said, I can move pretty much all of this by myself if you just want to relax, though that'll probably up what you owe a bit.”

The man’s face suddenly became extremely wary, “I-I’m not going to have to sell my soul just for you to help me move in, am I?

I gave him a reassuring smile, “Don't worry, we don't work for souls anymore. Now we work for things of equivalent value to the task being performed. Something like this could either be paid for with just money, or maybe something valuable like jewelry. It's up to you.”

He sighed in relief, “That’s good. Much better than what I was thinking.”

I giggled, “Yeah, we stopped doing that a while back. There’s not really much of a chance of repeat customers if we take their souls the first time.” I joked, “Now come on. Since this is your first time, we can discuss payment while I work so you know I'm good for it.”

We got to work and surprisingly, the man actually helped me out. He wasn't able to do much, but he put in an effort which was more than I could say about some of my earlier contracts.

When everything was said and done, I had to say it was one of the easier contracts I had done. Especially since, unlike my apartment, the man's house wasn’t up several flights of stairs.

~~~

I hummed alongside the music playing softly through my apartment as I slowly made my way around my kitchen, preparing food for the guests that were due to show up in only a couple hours.

Rias had insisted on having a housewarming party to celebrate me getting my own place and I, like any normal person who enjoyed hanging out with their friends, had happily agreed.

Not to mention, it made for the perfect opportunity to introduce them to some of my favorite foods from my childhood. Namely, Kohlrouladen, a cabbage based dish that my mom used to make me all the time when I was younger. It had been a while since I had had a taste of home, and what better occasion than one where I could share it with all of my friends.

It wasn't the easiest dish to make, especially if it was your first time, but luckily I had plenty of practice, and a cheat code in Degenerate. What would normally be a full day of cooking was trimmed down to only a few hours as I buzzed around my new kitchen, preparation made easy as I used Separate and Synthesis to their full effects, cleaning, peeling, and even combing ingredients all without getting my hands dirty.

Sure, I had to fill the actual roulades themselves by hand, as well as take care of all the actual cooking, but magic somewhat helped with that. At the very least, it made keeping the food warm no challenge at all.

Taking a moment to check up on the roulades frying on the stove, I nodded happily as I saw they were browning evenly and not burning, before moving on to finish taking care of the sauce.

Rias had said that she and the rest of the peerage would be over by seven and it was already six fifteen, which gave me a little under an hour to finish setting things up. Luckily, I'd already made most of the other dishes that I had planned, and now all that was left was the Kohlrouladen and the Quarkbällchen, which were basically donut holes though the recipe differed a bit depending on who was making it. Mine were going to be sweeter so that we could have them for dessert, or just to satisfy a certain errant sweet tooth.

I checked the clock once more and smiled in satisfaction. If I had the math right, everything would be done right as they all got here. There was nothing better than eating a meal like this, served hot and fresh by one of your friends. I hoped they liked it.

Around forty minutes later, just as I had finished setting up the plates and silverware for use, there was a knock on my door. I smiled, dropping everything and making my way over to open the door and greet everyone waiting on the other side.

“You guys are early.” I said as I opened the door, letting them all inside, “I thought you said you'd be here at seven.”

“Well, we were going to, but Koneko was like a puppy waiting by the door so we decided not to make her wait any longer.” Rias giggled as they filled the room.

“I was hungry.” Koneko said unrepentantly,looking around at my apartment. She inhaled deeply, “It smells good in here.”

Everyone else followed her lead and took in the aroma wafting throughout my apartment, “It does!” Akeno said, looking around for the source of the scent, “What is that? I've never smelt anything like it before.”

I smiled, motioning to the sitting area where several plates were already set up, “Why don't you come and find out?”

~~~

A few minutes later, we were all in our seats and filling our stomachs with various amounts of meat and vegetables. As we tucked in, Rias looked around at the kitchen area, taking in the effort that I had made to spruce up the bare walls and lack of decorations, “Your apartment looks good, Nero. Much better than what it looked like just a few days ago.”

Akeno nodded in agreement, “Rias is right. The furniture you put in does a wonderful job of sprucing the place up.”

“Thanks, guys.” I said happily, “It's been a while since I've had the chance to decorate and I honestly forgot how fun it could be.” I frowned lightly, “And expensive.”

To alleviate the pain of my broken wallet, I took another bite of my food, humming happily at the nostalgic flavor. I looked at the other, happy to see them seemingly enjoying the meal just as much as I was, “How's the food, you guys? It's been a while since I had the chance to cook like this.”

“It’s delicious. For something so simple, the flavors are incredibly deep and savory.” Rias said. Nearby, Koneko nodded with a mouthful of sweet, sugary dough, having long since finished her main course and moved onto dessert.

“It actually tastes a bit familiar.” KIba said, wiping his mouth, “Is that… cabbage?”

I smiled, “It is! These are Kohlrouladen, a dish that my mom used to make for me all the time when I was a kid. One of the main ingredients is cabbage, but there’s a bunch of other stuff in there like onion and ground beef.”

“It’s delicious, Nero. I’ve never had something like this before.” Akeno took another bite, savoring the flavor, “The sauce is delicious as well. So savory and warm, if I had known you could cook like this, I might have enlisted your help making food for the club.”

“I think that’s a great idea. You’ll definitely have to cook for us more often, Nero.” Rias seconded, and I smiled widely, happy that they liked my food so much.

We ate while making some light conversation between bites. Koneko practically scarfed down all of the quarkbällchen, making me happy that I had made so many. I had a feeling that the Nekoshou would want something sweet to go with her meal and had made extra as a precaution. The fact that someone so small could put down so much would always mystify me.

After everyone was finished eating their fill, Akeno graciously made some tea for us using the ingredients that she had brought along with her. Apparently she had anticipated that I’d only have water or maybe she just brought tea anywhere she and Rias went, I wasn’t sure. What I was sure of though, was that I was grateful to have a delicious beverage to wash down the equally delicious food.

We all gathered around, out stomachs full and our moods content, and settled in for idle conversation as the night winded down towards its end.

“It’s almost time for spring break.” Kiba said as I cradled my steaming beverage, “We only have a couple more days of school left before we’re free for a while. Do you have any plans, Nero?”

I shrugged, “Not really. Though, since we won’t have school taking up so much time, I’ll be able to make up more contracts. I’ll probably focus on that and working on my magic for the time being.”

“Actually Nero, I’m afraid you won’t get many chances to do that this imtime.” Rias said, surprising me, “As a matter of fact, I actually have plans for all of the peerage that won’t leave much free time for us.”

Her words surprised us all, and it was clear that I wasn’t the only one who had been left in the dark about this, ‘What do you mean, Rias?” Kiba asked, curiosity plain on his face.”


“We’re going on a little training expedition. With my brother’s help, I’ve organized a little getaway for us all that will let us focus on our training. We’ll be going to one of my family’s estates, far away from Kuoh so that there aren’t any distractions while we’re working to get stronger.”


I shared a confused look with Kiba and Koneko. This hadn’t happened in the anime, or at least not this soon. “Where is this coming from all of the sudden?”

“From you, Nero.” Rias smiled at me, “After everything we've learned, it wouldn't make sense not to want to get stronger. I organized this trip so that we can be prepared for everything you told us about. I don't want my family getting hurt in the battles that are coming our way. We need to be ready.”

Akeno hummed, hiding her mouth behind her teacup as she gave her best friend and master a sneaky look, “And this has nothing to do with a certain perverted dragon who you know you're not strong enough to reincarnate right now?”

Rias’s face turned red as she was caught. She coughed, trying to save face by taking a sip of her tea, “W-well I won't say that Issei isn't a factor. But he's only a tangential objective. I still want to get stronger alongside the rest of you all.”

“Fufufu, I never thought I'd see the day that Rias willingly decides to push herself like this.” Akeno giggled at her friend's embarrassment, “You must really want him. It's like when you see one of those anime figures you like so much and just insist that you have to have them. It's always so cute how excited you get-”

“That's enough, Akeno!” Rias's face was glowing from the words uttered by her friend, “That has nothing to do with this!”

“Oh I beg to differ, Rias.” Akeno smiled as Rias glared daggers at her, “For you to want this boy so badly that it's driving you to put this much effort into getting stronger, you just really think he's something special. Does our Rias have a crush already?”

Rias grit her teeth, “Of course not! I haven't even actually met him yet!”

“Oh but Nero painted such a lovely picture! A pervert with a heart of gold that would stop at nothing to please his crimson-haired muse!” Akeno swooned as she really got in the teasing, “It's like something out of a fairy tale!”

Rias's face was as red as her hair as she floundered in the face of Akeno's teasing, “W-well I could say the same about you and Nero!” She pointed directly at me, making me choke on my team, “What's going on there!?”

Akeno’s eyes sparkled, “Oh my~ I didn't realize you were curious. If you wanted to know all of the juicy details, Rias, you know you only needed to ask.”

Rias immediately backpedaled, “I don't want to hear it, Akeno! And you need to learn when to keep quiet!”

It took me a moment to clear my pipes after that shocking statement, and once I did it was to find Rias and Akeno practically in one another’s faces as they exchanged barbs.

“I have a feeling this is going to go on for a while.” I said, coughing as I finally got my lungs back in working order.

Kiba nodded as we watched the two girls go back and forth, “They don't usually get this heated, though Akeno does sometimes take things a bit too far with her teasing. When they get like this, it usually takes them a little bit to cool off.”

“At least we got dinner and a show, I guess.” A tap on my shoulder made me look over, and I was met with Koneko's blank stare. She held out her plate, noticably empty of any sweets, and I chuckled pointing towards the kitchen.

“There's more on the counter. Just leave some for us, alright.”

“No promises.” Was all she said as she marched in that direction, looking to fill her seemingly endless stomach.

Kiba and I watched her go, before turning back to the show in front of us. “You realize she is going to leave exactly one for each of us, right?” He asked.

I shrugged, “I'm mostly full anyway so you can have mine. Or split it with one of them, though I'm not sure that'll get you anywhere in the stomach filling department.”

Kiba chuckled, “With the way things are going, I doubt either of them will be in much of a mood for dessert after this.”

He was probably right. Things were getting out of hand fast. I watched as crimson energy leaked out of Rias under Akeno's continued barrage of teasing remarks. Judging by the way her eye was twitching as well as the death glare that Akeno was pretending not to see, she was very close to losing her cool.

This wasn't really what I had in mind when I agreed to a housewarming party, but I'd admit, it was certainly just as good as the alternative and definitely more entertaining. Though, as admittedly fun as this was to watch, I… should probably hurry and stop them before Rias turned my furniture to dust.