A New Motivation: Chapter 14

“You know, for a train these chairs are ridiculously comfortable.”

I snuggled into the plush cushions I was laying against, sighing happily as it molded around be perfectly. The train to the underworld was just as lavish as it was in the show, more of a home on tracks than anything resembling public transportation. In this car alone, there were at least four different tables and a fully functional bar though nobody was actually manning it.

Rias and Akeno were chatting quietly in a nearby booth while Kiba and Koneko were sitting right next to me. Kiba watched me snuggle into the cushions, “It's one of the perks of being a member of the House of Gremory. Not every family gets to travel in such luxury.”

“Oh yeah.” I laughed, “Sometimes it's hard to remember that Rias is absolutely freaking loaded. For a rich girl, she's pretty down to earth.”

“That's just how her family is.” Kiba laughed, “Compared to other devils, they're practically angels.”

“I see what you did there.” I chuckled. Kiba smiles unrepentantly, ignoring the dry look that Koneko was giving him beside me. I leaned over to the nearby window, watching the rushing void pass by just outside the walls. It was beautiful in a disorienting way, but it gave me an intense sense of vertigo so I couldn't watch for long.

If someone had told me before I got here that I would actually be excited to go to literal hell I would have called them nuts. But I was actually looking forward to seeing what the realm below had to offer on this training trip. Seeing it in a show was one thing, but actually being there first hand was sure to be an interesting experience.

Looking away before I got sick, I turned my attention back to Kiba, “Hey, so you’ve met Rias’s family, right? What are they actually like? I have some experience from what I saw in the show but that doesn’t really equate to the real thing, you know?”

I would admit to being nervous about meeting Rias’s mom and dad, not to mention Sirzechs. Like I told Kiba, I had some frame of reference as to what they were actually like thanks to the show, but watching someone interact with another person from the outside looking in was a lot different than actually meeting them face to face. As childish as it was to even consider, I was actually worried. What if they didn’t like me or had some sort of issue with me?

Unfortunately, it seems I wouldn’t have my answers just yet as Kiba smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry, Nero, but I’m not a good person to judge. I have met them, but only once or twice as Rias prefers to spend her time in the human world. I wouldn’t be able to tell you much.”

Koneko just shook her head when I looked her way, hoping that she might have something to say. I sighed, leaning back in my chair, “Well I hope I don’t completely mess up our first impression.”

“Rias’s parents are a lot like her.” Kiba reassured, “As long as you don’t insult them to their faces, I’m not sure that you could possibly mess this up.”

“I hope you’re right, Kiba.” I sighed, before blinking as something tugged on my sleeve. I looked over to find Koneko holding an empty cup out in askance, big eyes staring at me blankly, “More please.”

I smiled, “Sure, Koneko. But if you keep going, you’re gonna get a stomach ache.” I chided lightly as I took the cup from her hands, placing it on the table. I reached towards the nearby pitcher of milk, pouring it into the cup and filling it up, being careful not to spill any.

Kiba chuckled as I placed the pitcher back on the table, “That will be the day. I don’t think she's even reached the amount of sweet treats that she can’t stomach. I'm beginning to doubt it even exists.”

“That much milk can’t be good, even for a cat Devil.” I responded as I held my demonic hand above the cup.

Kiba gazed at my demonic limb curiously, “By the way, have you told the others about your hand yet?”

I shook my head as I concentrated my magic. A blue flame appeared just underneath my palm, heating the milk quickly, “I’m keeping it a secret for now. Specifically for Akeno. I’m planning on surprising her during the training trip and I want to make sure its good when I do. Serves her right for all of her teasing.”

The milk bubbled as it reached a simmer and I pulled my hand away before I scorched it, reaching towards the small bowl full of chocolate treats sitting in the center of the table. Grabbing a handful, I dropped them into the milk, before grabbing the cup in one hand and, with a blue flash of light, combined the ingredients within using Synthesis.

I handed the cup of perfectly smooth hot chocolate to Koneko who snatched it up, drinking it down eagerly. She didn care that she was practically scalding her mouth with the drink, and I watched in bemusement as she drained the hot chocolate without flinching.

“That ability of yours is very useful.” Kiba commented as Koneko finally stopped to take a breath, licking frothy chocolate from her lips.

I nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, “It really is. I don't even have to mix ingredients while cooking anymore. And don't even get me started on laundry or rain, a swipe of my hands and my clothes are clean and I'm dry like I just took a trip through the desert. It's pretty awesome.”

“Have you experimented with it in combat yet?”

“Funny that you say that actually.” I said as I leaned back in my chair, “I've actually been working on some ideas that I want to try out during this trip. “

“Oh? Were you planning on surprising me during our next spar?”

“Maybe~” I grinned, “You'll just have to wait and find out.”

Kiba laughed, reaching forward to grab a piece of chocolate from the bowl, “I'm looking forward to it.”

~~~

Just like most of the things that I'd experienced so far, the show didn't really do the Gremory mansion justice, inside or out.

I found myself just barely managing not to stare in awe at the sheer opulence around us. Just like in the show, maids were lining the halls, bowing to us like we were royalty as we passed them by. Was that something they did when Rias came home or did it have something to do with the rest of us also being with her?

The question remained a mystery as we reached the end of the hall where two people were standing. Rias's parents, Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory gave us welcoming smiles as we reached them.

“Welcome home, Rias.” Zeoticus said, smiling happily at his daughter as Venelana leaned in for a hug.

“We missed you so much, dear.” The older woman said as she embraced her daughter. Rias rolled her eyes but accepted the hug with a smile, squeezing her mother tight.

“We spoke just recently, mother.” Rias said as she stepped back. Venelana just giggled, watching her daughter with fond eyes.

“It's only natural for a mother to worry about their daughter, you know? No matter how long you're away, I'm always thinking about what you might be doing.” She turned to the rest of us, smiling at me specifically, “I heard you picked up quite the character recently. This must be the girl you told your brother all about.”

I gave her my most polite bow, “It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Gremory. I'm Nero Okita.”

Venelana held a hand to her mouth, giggling softly, “And so well mannered too! My my! You've managed quite the catch once again, Rias.”

As I blushed lightly in embarrassment, Rias sighed at her mother’s antics, before looking around for something that was missing, “Where’s Nii-sama? He said he would be here.”

“He’s in the garden with Grafiya and Millicas.” Zeoticus said, gesturing for them to follow him, “They’ll be joining us for dinner, so why don’t we go ahead and make our way to the dining hall?”

That sounded absolutely fantastic and my stomach agreed. The food on the train had been mostly snacks and junk food to tide us over on the journey here, nothing of actual substance. I hadn't eaten since we had been in the human world and I was more than ready to change that.

Together, we made our way through the massive mansion, listening to our host make idle conversation about the paintings and decorations around the halls. As we passed them by, I paused as I caught sight of one in particular, coming to a stop in front of it and gazing at it softly.

It was a hand painted portrait of a man with the signature Gremory crimson hair. He was standing imposingly in front of a moonlit sky, staring into the distance as his wings flared out behind him. Crimson energy radiated from him like smoke, an expression of the power he could wield. It was a very imposing picture, the kind that caught your eye and made you want to stare at it for hours just so you could take in every brush stroke that went into its masterful creation.

“Ah, I see this one caught your eye.” I turned to find Zeoticus standing next to me, gazing at the portrait as well, “This one is one of my personal favorites. It is a portrait of my father, the man who had a great hand in making the House of Gremory what it is today. Some of the deals he made with other families still stand to this very day, including our alliance with the House of Sitri.”

I stared at the portrait, taking in the man's striking appearance and prominent red hair as the rest of the peerage gathered around to look at it as well. I tilted my head, “He kind of looks like Sirzechs.”

“The resemblance is striking, isn't it?” All of us turned in unison as a voice came from further down the hall. Walking towards us, the man I had just mentioned smiled as he stopped to gaze at the painting we were looking at, “I actually took quite a bit of inspiration from his attire in this portrat when I had my Satan robes designed. He was a bit of an inspiration for me when I was younger.”

He turned to me, smiling softly, “But where are my manners? I haven't properly introduced myself. Sirzechs Lucifer, at your service.”

“Glad you could join us, Nii-sama.” Rias smiled at the man, immediately gaining his undivided attention.

Sirzechs's face lit up as he noticed his beloved younger sister, “Rias!” He said as he wrapped her in a tight hug, “It's so good to see you! Why don't you ever visit your older brother? I could use the break from all the paperwork and meetings to talk to my favorite sister!”

Rias's face flamed as brightly as her hair as we all watched the scene with great amusement, “Not so tight, Nii-sama! And I'm your only sister!” She said, her voice slightly irritated.

“Perhaps you should let Lady Rias go before the fragile works in this hall are damaged, my lord.” Another voice joined the pack as Grafiya joined her husband alongside a happy redheaded child, “You seem to be getting on her nerves.”

Looking down at his sister, Sirzechs pales as he saw the glare that Rias was giving him through the blazing red blush on her face. He let go of her like she had burned him stepping away from the irate girl and towards the relative safety of his wife.

As he regained his composure, Sirzechs turned his attention back into the rest of the peerage. I straightened as his eyes found me and I became the object of his focus, but any tension I felt at the attention went away as he smiled softly.

“You must be Nero. It's a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance. You've made quite a splash in the supernatural world, you know?” He said, eyes twinkling in amusement.

I laughed nervously, “Is that so? I didn't realize that people were interested in me.”

“Well of course they have! We're all very appreciative of all of the information you've given us.” He said, “With your help, we'll be able to prevent quite a few disasters in the near future. That kind of information is invaluable. You have my sincerest thanks.”

I smiled, “I'm glad that I could help. I couldn't just hold on to all of that knowledge when I knew it could help people.”

“And I'm glad that you didn't.” Sirzechs smiled, “With your help, we may be able to save countless lives if we play our cards right. It is truly invaluable.”

Grafiya cleared her throat and Sirzechs smiled sheepishly, “Ahem. But that's a topic for another, much more serious time. For now, allow me to introduce you to my wife and Queen, Grafiya, as well as my son, Millicas.”

Grafiya gave a picture perfect bow in my direction “It's a pleasure to meet you.” She said, her voice the picture of politeness.

Millicas followed his mother's lead, bowing just as she had, though more eagerly, “It's nice to meet you!” He said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear. Clearly he got his personality from his father rather than his mother.

Grafiya sighed at her son's lack of decorum while Sirzechs smiled, “Why don't we continue to the dining hall? We can continue our chat there.”

A few short minutes later, we were all sitting at the biggest table I had ever seen in my life. I stared down at the absolutely gorgeous spread of delicious looking meats and vegetables, my mouth watering at the sight and smell of the food.

“Please, enjoy to your heart's content.” Zeoticus said at the head of the table, sipping a glass of red wine, “The chefs worked tirelessly on this meal. I'd hate to see it go to waste.”

He didn't have to tell me twice. I immediately dug into the meal alongside the rest of the group, cutting off a nice sliver of the succulent roast and shoving it in my mouth. The flavor that filled my mouth was indescribable, spicy and heavy and absolutely delicious. Who knew they could make food this divine in hell?

As we tucked into our meals, we made polite conversation with those around us. The dining hall was filled with the warm atmosphere brought about by comfortable conversation as everyone enjoyed the meal and the company around them

“So I think we're going to spend the night here and head to our other home in the morning. Since it's already rather late, I see no reason why we can't take the day to rest before we start training.” Rias explained her plan to her brother, who nodded at her words.

“That's a good idea. Waking up with a fresh mind that's already geared towards training will allow all of you to maximize your time spent there from the first day. I'd also recommend taking a day or two to rest at the end in time for school to start back up so that you can get out of that headspace. It'll make it easier to adjust to a normal schedule.” Sirzechs advised.

Being the King of the strongest peerage in the underworld, it only made sense that Sirzechs would know exactly how to maximize the results of training one. Rias was clearly taking her brother's advice seriously as well, nodding along as he spoke.

“I wonder what we're going to focus on while we're there.” I thought aloud, staring down at my food.

“I believe Rias has called in some outside help for us.” Akeno said beside me, making me look at her. She smiled lightly, “We all have things we need to work on, especially since every member of our group except you is quite specialized. I believe that she wants to round us out a bit while at the same time helping us improve what we're best at. It should make us much stronger in the long run.”

“Strong enough to recruit a pervy dragon?” I joked, and Akeno giggled.

“That's the goal for one of us at least.” She said, glancing at me slyly, “Personally, I've got my eye on a Pawn much closer to home~”

I blushed at her tone, looking down at my food before she noticed. Her giggle let me know that was a lost cause, and I felt my lips twitch as I dug into my meal once more.

“So Nero,” Sirzechs broke off his conversation with Rias, giving me a smile, “How are you enjoying your stay in our world? From my understanding, it's a great deal different from your own world, is it not?”

I nodded, wiping my mouth clean with a cloth, “Yes, it is. Though the biggest differences are with myself, if I'm being honest. I'm sure Rias already told you that I wasn't always a girl, right?”

“Yes, I believe she mentioned that.” Sirzechs nodded.

“That's the biggest change I've had to deal with in my opinion, alongside the magic. Back in my old world, I was just some random guy in college and here, I'm a girl who can throw around magical spells like I'm straight out of an anime.”

“Fascinating.” Zeoticus said, an intrigued look on his face, “I can't imagine it was an easy change, was it? Suddenly changing gender like that must have been quite jarring.”

“Not as much as you'd think, actually.” I said, “Sure, it was shocking when I woke up and it took some getting used to, but after a few days it was like nothing had changed at all. Like I'd always been like this.”

I gestured with my demonic hand, holding it up for all to see, “Really this was the biggest thing I had to deal with. Believe it or not, in my old world I didn't have a hand that looks like it used to belong to a dragon or something.”

A light smattering of amused chuckles followed my attempt at a joke, and Sirzechs nodded, sipping his wine, “No, I imagine not…. So the tell me, Nero, would you say you prefer your old world to this one or vice-versa? Or is it pretty much the same to you either way?”

I blinked at the sudden non-sequitur, unsure how to respond at first, “Umm… that's honestly a hard question. There's a lot I miss about my old world, especially my family and friends, but I've made some good friends here too even though I haven't been here that long. It feels like I've known everyone for years.” I looked down at my plate thoughtfully, “If I had to choose whether to stay or leave them behind… I'm honestly not sure I could.”

Even though I'd only been here for a short while compared to how long I'd lived my old life, I had gotten extremely close with all the members of my peerage. Kiba, Koneko, Rias, and especially Akeno, all of them were practically my best friends at this point, bordering on family. It was astounding how quickly those bonds had formed but now that they had, there was little I wouldn't do to keep them.

Sirzechs smiled softly, “That's good to hear. I'm happy to know that you've managed to find a place to call home so quickly, despite your strange circumstances.”

I looked around at the rest of the table. Rias was smiling softly at what she just heard, as was Kiba. Koneko was still eating, and she gave me a thumbs up as she continued stuffing her face.

Akeno, on the other hand, was just staring at me intently. And as our eyes met, something seemed to pass between us, a spark of emotions without name, shared through a single glance.

“Yeah.” I said softly, feeling warm emotions well up in my chest. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I looked down at my plate, trying to ignore the warmth in my cheeks, “Me too.”