Game of Monsters - 96 (Patreon)

Disclaimer: I don’t own Highschool DxD.

You’ve Got a Lot to Learn

[Students of Davis]

“Ultimately, a lot of magic branches dip into others from time to time,” their teacher explained, drawing a simple circle on the board. “Take, for example, Neutral Magic,” he continued, writing the name of that particular branch inside the circle before proceeding to draw another that overlapped the first. “Now, can anyone tell me what can go here?” the man asked, turning to look at them as he waved his hand casually and casted a spell, the circle shining with the dull grayish-blue light of Neutral Magic.

“Shield Magic?” Meredith Ordinton answered, to the surprise of absolutely no one. If there were people that interacted the most in Davis’ class, everyone had learned that it was his group of star students. The ones that had earned themselves a spot in the class from the teacher himself.

Nobody could really begrudge this fact too much, at least not rationally. They were the ones most committed to the class, always answering questions, always asking questions and always ready to discuss any and all topics that were brought up. On top of that, they did well, even though Warding wasn’t even their main branch. It was galling as much as it was humbling for most of the other students.

“Exactly. And then Shield Magic can bleed, for example, into the Shield Ward,” Davis explained, continuing with his seemingly improvised Venn diagram. “Does that answer your question as to why people should look into branches that aren’t their own? Even if they aren’t actually looking to add it to their repertoire as a secondary branch, anyone can benefit from learning about other branches. Magic is interconnected enough that maybe you’ll find inspiration in other branches. Some calculation that you hadn’t expected, something that would fit your branch or maybe even something that will click with you and pull you to add even more to your arsenal even if it wasn’t what you were trying to do.”

There was silence then, as Davis stared at the man that had asked that question. A man that looked thoroughly tempted to continue arguing, even though his doubts and criticism had been destroyed completely. Besides, many of the other students didn’t understand what was the point of trying to antagonize the teacher.

Davis was a man that cared not for who you were and who was behind you. On top of that, there was already a very well-known story about what happened if one got on the man’s bad side. Many would have dismissed those as mere rumors, of course, if not for the very obvious reaction that most members of Golden Dawn had whenever the man addressed them or even stood close by.

“I’m waiting,” Davis urged when his question went unanswered, still staring straight at the student. A man that looked thoroughly uncomfortable under the focused gaze of their teacher. Not that anyone blamed him, it was a little unnerving even for those that weren’t the ones suffering from it.

The snake on the corner of the room adding her own glare to things didn’t help either.

“It does answer my question, Professor Davis. Thank you,” the student answered eventually, looking to all the world like he’d had to force the words out of his mouth. Unbothered by this, their teacher nodded and turned to address the whole classroom once more.

“Good. Now, any other questions regarding this? Anything to say on the matter?” he asked then.

“Ah, can you give me a second, Professor Davis?” someone called from the back of the classroom, making some people turn to see a student furiously writing down things on their notes. The rest of them paused then, blinked and then turned to do so too quickly.

“Sure thing,” Davis replied, apparently amused by the sight of his furiously scribbling students. With a shake of his head, the man then moved to where his familiar was coiled, rubbing the top of the snake’s head softly while they both waited for everyone to be ready again. It wasn’t a long pause, but most people in the room appreciated it nevertheless.

Most other teachers wouldn’t have cared enough to give them time to note things down if they hadn’t done so before. Not Professor Davis, however. If there was one thing that was said about the man, it was that he was a good teacher. One of the best, if not the best, as far as magicians were concerned. He was good at what he did, he was patient with them and he cared that they actually learn.

A combination that both of his classes weren’t sure was repeated on anyone else.

“Now, with that out of the way,” Professor Davis started then, when the sound of writing died down. “We move back to what we were talking about previously,” he announced, snapping his fingers and making what he’d written on the board disappear instantly. “We’ve gone over the basic theory of Ward Magic already, common calculations, uses, wardstone assessment and so on. Thus, we can move on to actual warding.”

There was a subtle shift in the class then and there. Some sat up straighter, some leaned forward, some readied their writing tools. The foundations had been laid, it seemed. It was time for them to actually get started on what they were there for.

“The first ward we’ll work with is the Detection Ward,” Davis announced. “It’s one of the easier ones, it’s useful and it’s – in my opinion the most important part – very versatile once you get how to modify it. Now, I know most of you aren’t in my Spell Modification class, but that won’t stop me from giving you an abridged version for some of the spells in this course.”

If there was any doubt in any of the student’s minds, then those were dashed at that very moment. There was nothing anyone could tell them that would change their opinion on things from then on. Not after hearing such a statement said so casually.

Professor Davis was the best.

[}-o-{]

[Joshua Davis]

Dealing with the Phoenix Spell’s issues was a pain in the ass, but at least the foundations were there. Taking care of one problem usually made a few others appear, but they became smaller every time, easier to deal with. One by one, he was taking care of everything, making the spell more energy efficient, attuning it to a more general target instead of just himself, making the impact on the foci softer and many other things. A lot of work was needed, but the finish line was in sight even if a little blurred.

He still wasn’t sure if he could manage to finish it before the Phenex decided to speed up the wedding though. He had around a month at best, if his guess of where he was in the timeline wasn’t wrong. He’d have two if the Gremory managed to stall better than in canon, with a better and more reliable solution to their problem in him and Rias’ training.

All in all, things were looking good, if not quite as much as they all hoped.

Tapping his pencil against the notebook he’d been working on, Joshua let out a breath as he let his focus slip. Burn out was a real thing, and he didn’t want to have to deal with that. That was why instead of forcing himself to focus on his work, he often let his mind wander. He found that a short break here and there helped a lot, so he tried to take some time off for those.

Idly, he let his mind check on the feedback he was getting on his house’s wards and hexes. He hadn’t been alerted of anything though, and sure enough, there was little of note going on there. Asia seemed to be studying instead of being in the garden. With the prospect of school in sight, the girl had thrown herself into preparations for that, which was cute as much as it was impressive. Margalo was keeping an eye on her too, just in case, it seemed.

The Fallen, for their part, were training. Kalawarna because she didn’t want to be left behind and suffer the worst of his training, and Raynare and Mittelt because they didn’t want to let the former catch up to them. They were spiteful and proud little shits, and as such they wanted the traitor to suffer while also keeping themselves on top. Joshua cared little for them, but he found it somewhat amusing and what the latter two were doing helped him take out his frustrations on Kalawarna, so he guessed it worked out.

Bleeding heart, he might be, but Kalawarna was part of the organization that had screwed him over more than once. Some might call him petty or something along those lines, but Joshua cared little. He still wanted the bitch to regret what she’d done, along with the rest of the wretched organization.

‘Never should have given her time to beg,’ he lamented with a sigh. Really, it was his own fault that he’d faltered. It had felt awful throughout the whole process but… But they deserved whatever they got… He just… He just didn’t have in him to torture them, even for the sake of learning.

Did that make him weak? A coward? Both?

He supposed it might, but that was him. Thus, the Season Projects had been moved from home testing to field testing. Next time he hit one of Hexxennacht’s bases, he’d hit them with one of those to check how they worked. It’d need more work and more wards in place, but if the last attack was any indication, it’d be easy. Even if the magicians were more prepared, he was confident.

After all, he’d barely had to do anything during the last attack and it wasn’t like they weren’t preparing too. The Fallen got stronger by the day, same as him and Jeanne and his familiars. A few more wards and hexes shouldn’t be a problem.

‘On that note, maybe I can do something to improve on that,’ he mused. His train of thought shifted then, from idle thoughts to working thoughts. ‘I already use Draining Wards and Parasitizing Hexes to fuel other spells, could I have some that cast spells? Can I have spells that do other things automatically? Can I…?’

His mind ground to a halt as an idea occurred to him.

With a snap of his fingers, he made a blank notebook appear next to the one he’d been working on previously. Quickly, he wrote down a title on the first page before pouring this new project’s concept into the paper. He looked at it intently after he was done. This was a big project, not unlike the Phoenix Spell or the Everchanging Spell.

Hell, maybe he could mix the latter into things? After all, the idea of making a spell that was always shifting how it worked, so it was unpredictable and unbreachable… That worked well with what he had in mind, right?

“Joshua?” a voice asked from his side, making him blink and turn to look at Kunou. His daughter gazed at him with wide, hopeful eyes that made his heart twist and his lips tug into a smile. “Fuyuko brought our tea,” she informed him and his eyes traveled towards the door. Sure enough, the youkai servant stood there with a tray in her hands.

Both, the yuki-onna and Joshua shared a roll of their eyes.

With an exasperated expression the man snapped his fingers and, in a flash of light, their cups appeared on the table. As expected, Kunou reacted to this with all the calm of a little girl that had gotten what she wanted and was properly delighted with that fact. She clapped lightly, beaming all the while.

“You should never have set that ward around this place, Joshua-sama,” Fuyuko told him and he shrugged, even as he lamented that fact. It was too late to change the past, sadly.

“Don’t I know it, Fuyuko?” Joshua replied with a sigh. ‘Project Law, the Switch and Teleportation Wards, a fearsome weapon, turned into entertainment for my daughter… Guess it’s not so bad though,’ he decided quickly when he regarded the girl once more. She was happy, and that was all that mattered to him in the end.

“Only yourself to blame, Joshua,” Yasaka told him from where she sat across the table in front of him. She was working on her own stuff, actually, an array of papers set in front of her as she looked them over. Quite the sight the three of them must have made, with books, notebooks and sheets of paper in front of them, all working on their own things. Joshua couldn’t say he disliked the picture, however. “Only yourself to blame,” the woman repeated, looking up and giving Kunou and him a kind smile that made him return the gesture.

“Sure, gang up on me, why don’t you? I didn’t see you disagreeing when I brought it up and was setting it,” he commented.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” she denied smoothly, lying through her teeth.

“Sure you don’t,” he commented wryly. Then he blinked as the expression on Yasaka’s face turned sour. “Something the matter?” he asked curiously, tilting his head.

“Nothing to concern yourself with,” she replied, waving him off lightly. “Just a prominent family that has… problems to deal with. Their heir seems to have fallen ill, a magical malady. Normally, these are no problem for us, with Senjutsu, but from time to time we come across something more stubborn, leaning more towards magic than nature. It’s always difficult to deal with,” she explained to him, making him hum. That sounded like a problem, but he wasn’t quite getting why it was her concern. “They are calling a favor and I’ll have to call one to have this solved in turn,” she said, pursing her lips.

To that, he blinked.

“Can I see that?” he asked, and it was Yasaka’s turn to be caught off guard. “You know what I’m working on, right?” he added, raising an eyebrow. The Phoenix Spell had afforded him quite a well of knowledge when it came to healing, after all.

“I’m well aware of how good you are with your magic of choice, Joshua, but I think this is a little out of your area of expertise,” Yasaka told him, even as she set a sheet of paper on the table and pushed it over towards him. “Do keep this a secret, yes? My people trust me with their information, with their problems. I don’t want to break that trust.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he replied honestly. She was already probably going to have to twist the truth saying she’d checked with him as an expert or as an advisor or something. He didn’t want to create problems for her, that was for sure.

“I know you wouldn’t but-”

“But you have to make sure. A formality of sorts, right?” Joshua finished for her, delivering a smile to tell her that he didn’t mind. In the first place, he’d only asked out of curiosity and a spur of the moment thing. He hadn’t actually expected her to tell him and even less for her to give him the file.

He was surprised, but also pleased to notice that she did answer and that she did let him read it.

Which was why he read intently, carefully. Yasaka had done a lot for him, some of it more evident and some of it more subtle. Some of it knowingly and some of it, he assumed at least, not so much.

Unfortunately, and much to his disappointment, the case Yasaka had to deal with was, indeed, outside his capabilities. The Phoenix Spell and all the healing he had learned to do was meant to deal with wounds that were more… spontaneous. Even Phoenix Tears couldn’t heal everything, in a world such as theirs. Otherwise, the Sleeping Disease wouldn’t remain uncured, for example. Physical wounds healed easily enough and so did most of the normal magical injuries. However, there were some that were more… complicated.

The magical version of incurable diseases, as it were. More troublesome and often truly incurable, even by supernatural standards. This one was not such a drastic case, but it was a difficult one, evidently. At least from the notes Yasaka had on the matter. He barely understood the text, and only in certain sections, due to his own studies. He wondered how much the youkai leader could understand herself but that wasn’t important.

The picture it painted was complicated indeed. No normal healing could cure whatever this youkai is dealing with. Nor would Asia with her Sacred Gear either. Nor would his Phoenix Spell, Joshua was pretty sure. At least not without doing a whole lot more modifications and making it into something that wouldn’t even be able to be called Phoenix Spell anymore.

That youkai didn’t have the time for him to do his spell crafting either. Time was of essence, both for the health of that person as much as for Yasaka, because if she delayed, then it’d probably look bad on her. After all, there were magicians out there that could probably deal with that without having to spend so much time preparing as he did. Branches of magic more suited for this kind of malady were out there already.

Fortunately for Yasaka, he knew one such person.

“I know someone that can probably heal this,” Joshua commented, with certainty. The word probably was there mostly just in case, but he was almost positive that he was right.

“Oh?”

“One of my students is from a family that specializes in Recovery Magic,” he explained, running his fingers through his hair as he considered that. “We made a few deals and he insists that his family and him owe me a favor so… I think I can call on that for this.”

“I appreciate it, Joshua, but I can’t just-”

“You can owe me a favor, if it makes you feel better,” he added then, giving her a grin. The youkai leader stared at him for a long moment before sighing.

“I’m not gonna convince you, am I?” she asked.

“Nope,” he confirmed with a chuckle. “Now, anything else I can help with?”

With another sigh, she gave him a suffering look.

“Is there something you want from me, Joshua?” she asked, but he could tell that she was mostly joking.

“Gotta give you reasons to keep me around, is all,” he answered as he turned back to his own work.

“I don’t need more of those, Joshua. Don’t worry,” he heard her say and his smile returned before he could even try to hold it back. Not that he’d have tried very hard, really.

“Thank you,” he replied simply, but no less warmly. The woman only hummed then before the room returned to the silence, only broken by the sound of paper sheets being pushed and pages being turned. That was fine, he was more than comfortable with things at that very moment.

Before he continued working with the Phoenix Spell though, he spared one last glance at his latest idea.

Project Intelligence.

[}-o-{]

[Aika Kiryuu]

“Yeah, I can see why everyone loves to come here,” she commented, looking around the cafe. It’d been the first time she went, since she’d never had an actual friend group to go with and going alone was… Not exactly something she wanted to do.

“I know, right?” Issei replied, preening the same way he always did whenever she paid him a compliment. He was obviously very proud of the place, as if it were his own, really, which was actually really cute, Aika thought. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell him that. She was sure that’d hurt his male pride or something and while that would be amusing, she didn’t want to tease him like that…

Too much, at least.

Not in there, at least. After all, Aika was very aware of the relationship Issei had with the owner, which turned out to be around and serving tables. If she were honest, after all that she’d heard about Joshua Davis, she was more worried about meeting him than she was about meeting Issei’s parents. Maybe that sounded silly, but her boyfriend really looked up to the man. Like a big brother, she supposed, and it made some sense.

Unfortunately for Aika – or fortunately, maybe –, she didn’t have much time to worry over that fact. After all, the man in question was moving towards them. ‘Hm, someone’s gonna make some lucky woman very happy,’ she thought idly, looking Davis up and down.

“Finally decided to bring your girlfriend around, huh?” the man asked Issei then, a grin on his face. “Here I was, starting to think you’d made up an imaginary one.”

“Joshua-sensei!” her boyfriend whined, quite pitifully at that. Aika did her best to hold back a giggle, but she failed miserably, resorting to hiding this fact behind her hand. Of course, it was useless, but that was all she could do. If anything, the hurt expression on Issei’s face only made things worse. “And you wondered why I didn’t bring her here,” the boy grumbled then, glaring at their waiter.

“I never said I wondered,” Davis commented. “Say, the Kendo club is gonna come here soon. I know you are on a date and all but-”

“Yeah, I’ll help,” Issei readily agreed. “Ah, um, you don’t mind, right?” he asked a second later, realizing that maybe he should check that with Aika before committing. She just smiled and nodded though. After all, how could she say no when he was looking at her with such an adorable expression, like a pleading puppy. On top of that, she knew how happy working at the cafe and preparing things made him, how proud he was of his job and being able to be good at something.

“Thanks for letting him,” Davis said then, following her boyfriend with his eyes until the teenager entered the kitchen area. Aika was just starting to wonder why he hadn’t gone too, but before she could ask that, the man took the seat Issei had just left vacant. “I’ll go in a bit,” he added, noticing her questioning look, smile still in place. “I just wanted to talk with you about something.”

“You are a bit too old for me, sorry,” she replied, drawing a surprised laugh from the man.

“And you are a little too young for me, don’t worry,” he shot back, still chuckling. “No, I just wanted to talk to you about Issei.”

“Going to give me the shovel talk?” Aika asked then, raising an eyebrow at the man. He seemed to hold back another laugh at that, shaking his head.

“I mean, if you want that,” he answered with a shrug. “No, I just wanted to thank you. The little pervert has been really happy as of late and I gather that’s because of you. He really likes you,” Davis told her and Aiki would have liked to say she took that in stride and with pride. What really happened was that she was quite caught off guard, her cheeks heating up as the man so bluntly delivered that information to her.

Of course, she knew that Issei was happy with her and she was happy with him. It was quite a different thing to be told that to her face, by someone else no less. Someone that was also quite close to her boyfriend to boot.

“Ah, thank you,” she mumbled, cursing herself for suddenly acting so shy. “I like him too,” she added, feeling incredibly lame. Surely she could have come up with something better than that, right? Or at least say it better.

“I can tell,” he told her, as if it were completely obvious and she had that fact written on her forehead or something. That only made her blush harder, really, which was all sorts of unfair. Why was he taking her schtick? Making others turn into tomatoes was supposed to be her thing! “So, yeah, keep doing whatever you are doing and if you need anything, just call. I might be a cafe owner, but I’m not just a cafe owner.”

Well, wasn’t that mysterious?

“I’ll… keep that in mind?” she replied hesitantly, receiving a nod from the man.

“See that you do,” Davis told her with a grin.

“Thank you, Davis-san.”

“None of that, call me Joshua,” he waved off instantly.

“Thank you, Joshua-san,” she corrected, smiling slightly. “Ah, um, I… didn’t introduce myself, did I?” she realized then, eyes widening and feeling mortified. Way to make a good impression, huh?

“Better, and don’t worry, Aika Kiryuu. Issei won’t shut up about you, honestly,” he told her with a chuckle. “Speaking of, I guess I should go and help him before he gets suspicious, huh?... Before that though,” he commented, standing up before leaning down. His warm blue eyes suddenly weren’t warm at all. “Do try not to hurt Issei, yeah?”

She could only shakily nod her head before the man left.

She’d been right, meeting Davis had been much harder than meeting Issei’s parents.

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How’s it going?

Well, a calm chapter, I gotta say, but this story is all about those at this point. I am a little nervous about that last part, but I think it might be just me, as usual. I’m sure I’ll hear about that if it is a problem.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

Discord Link: discord.gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: What color are your socks? I’m currently bare foot so… Yeah.

See you.