YM778.TV Chapter 28: The ‘Heroes’
The green-haired young man, now a bit calmer (or at least pretending to be), took a step forward. "Look, we didn\'t mean to offend any of the Demon Clans. We just thought something interesting was happening here and decided to check it out. We didn\'t know you were so... important."
"Important, huh?" Katharina asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "And what exactly did you find important?"
Katharina\'s smile was playful, as if daring him to explain her significance to Vergil. Even Vergil noticed, giving her a look that clearly said, \'Show-off.\'
"Well, it\'s not every day we come across the daughter of the strongest Demon Queen, and at least three high-ranking demons at our school. We figured it might be worth our attention since we wouldn\'t want the daughter of the most dangerous woman in the world causing chaos in our city, right?" the green-haired youth explained, still defensive.
Katharina glanced at Vergil, a knowing smile spreading across her face. "Looks like you\'ve got some solid sources of information. However, the fact that you were caught off-guard by our barrier shows you\'re not as experienced as you thought. What\'s wrong? Slacking on the job?"
The brown-haired youth sneered, visibly irritated, and gave a broken, forced smile. "So what now? What are you going to do with us? We weren\'t planning on causing any trouble. Just curiosity and self-preservation."
Katharina tilted her head slightly, as if considering their predicament. "Well, if you weren\'t planning on causing problems, perhaps we can come to an agreement. What do you plan to do now that you\'ve been caught? Keep spying or do you have another plan?"
The green-haired youth exchanged glances with his companion before responding. "Honestly, we were just trying to figure out what was happening. We didn\'t want to start a fight. If we want to leave here alive, we won\'t report to our superiors about the existence of a new Agares member or the fact that you, Princess, were here."
Katharina gave a small smile, clearly pleased with the response. "That\'s an acceptable answer. However, keep in mind that any further attempts at spying or intrusion will be dealt with more severely. Now, please leave before I change my mind."
The two young men exchanged looks, then agreed without further protest. The green-haired youth gave a dismissive gesture before disappearing with his companion, both leaving the battle dimension swiftly.
As they vanished, Katharina visibly relaxed, the demonic energy surrounding the sphere slowly dissipating. She turned to Vergil, her mischievous smile returning. "Well, we\'ve just managed to stir up some trouble right from the start… ugh, being famous is such a hassle. I wish I weren\'t the heir."
Vergil raised his eyebrows and sighed. "You were a lot calmer than I expected. And besides, they didn\'t mention—"
"They\'re lying. Well, not completely, but I can already feel someone powerful watching us. It\'s probably their boss... Those two were weak, you could have easily dealt with them yourself," Katharina commented nonchalantly.
Vergil felt a sting in his chest. "So cruel!" he muttered. She was essentially saying, *They\'re so weak you could handle them*.
Katharina chuckled softly, her hand trailing along Vergil\'s arm. "Things might get complicated quickly, but don\'t worry, I\'ll protect you."
"Hmph," Vergil huffed, "I want to get stronger."
"Hmm, really? Why? You\'re not even—" Katharina started, but Vergil cut her off.
"I enjoyed the fight. I want to meet stronger people," he said firmly, clearly frustrated by how his battle with Leon had ended. Katharina had noticed his frustration, but she hadn\'t realized just how deeply it ran.
*Damn it... if he starts liking this...* Katharina muttered to herself, thinking of one specific woman she would absolutely hate to see getting anywhere near Vergil.
"Well, we can figure that out later," she murmured softly, "But truly strong people only exist in the Underworld. Here, only low-caliber exorcists have shown up, and a few idiotic Heroes." Katharina emphasized "idiotic" with a hint of disdain.
Vergil nodded, "If you can keep those situations under control, we can focus on enjoying our time together until we find those stronger ones." Katharina said with a smile.
"Of course," Vergil replied with an affectionate grin. "And speaking of enjoying our time together, I have a few ideas on how we can spend the rest of the day," he added with a mischievous smile.
Katharina glanced at Vergil, recognizing the tone in his voice, and rolled her eyes, still smiling. "You really don\'t miss a chance, do you?" she teased, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder, her expression alternating between amusement and a subtle concern she tried to hide.
Vergil chuckled, pleased with himself. "What can I say? Seizing the moment is important."
They walked together for a while, the battlefield Katharina had created gradually fading, the vibrant red of the world being replaced by the natural colors around them.
The silence between them was comfortable, though both knew that the issues they\'d discussed were far from resolved.
"So..." Katharina began, as if forcing herself back into a serious mindset. "Those two we encountered... they\'re just the tip of the iceberg, you know that, right?"
Vergil nodded, now more focused. "Yeah, but what do you think they really wanted? Why spy on something clearly out of their league?"
"They weren\'t there for us," Katharina answered without hesitation, her tone growing somber. "Maybe they thought you were someone worth keeping an eye on, or maybe it was something more..."
"More?" Vergil frowned. "Like what?"
Katharina sighed, stopping and turning to face him. Her eyes sparkled with worry. "Vergil, you\'re still learning about yourself, but you\'re not just any demon. There\'s something... unusual about you. And it\'s not just demons who notice it.
The exorcists do too. That guy... he wanted to annihilate you for a reason that wasn\'t just about taking down a problematic demon."
The mention of "exorcists" instantly reminded Vergil of Leon, the exorcist who had so easily defeated him. He clenched his fists involuntarily, still feeling the sting of humiliation from that battle.
"Leon..." he muttered, almost to himself.
"Exactly." Katharina crossed her arms. "You need to be ready for encounters with people like him. Leon wasn\'t just anyone. And he won\'t be the last you\'ll face."
"I know," Vergil murmured.
"It\'s fine," Katharina said, wrapping her arms around his in a hug. "I\'m by your side, and together we\'ll face whatever comes. Don\'t worry." She was truly adorable...
\'Come on, feminine charm, work!!\' she thought to herself. Internally... well, she wasn\'t exactly the most stable person.
As they continued walking, Katharina realized her mind was elsewhere. The appearance of those two young heroes had triggered something in her, a deep worry she couldn\'t shake. She knew those "heroes" weren\'t the real threat; they were just pawns. The real danger lay somewhere else.
"You\'re still thinking about them, aren\'t you?" Vergil asked, noticing Katharina\'s distant look.
"Not exactly about them..." Katharina replied slowly. "But what they represent."
"And what exactly do they represent?" Vergil asked.
"They\'re signs," Katharina replied, her voice lowering. "Heroes are rarely seen like this..."
As the two walked out of the barrier, the young men Katharina had intercepted finally managed to breathe a bit more easily.
"Damn, we almost died in there!" the brown-haired young man muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "What kind of monster is that woman?"
"I told you getting too close was a bad idea," the green-haired young man grumbled. "But you wanted to play the genius. I said it, you don\'t mess with an Agares."
"Don\'t mess with her?" he scoffed. "This is way bigger than the two of us."
The green-haired young man paused for a moment, looking back toward where Katharina and Vergil stood. "And did you see that boy?" he asked, his voice now lower. "He\'s different. Not like the other demons."
"I saw," the brunette nodded. "And that\'s exactly why we need to tell the boss."
"Are you sure that\'s a good idea?" the green-haired one asked hesitantly. "If they find out it was us who warned them..."
"They already know, they\'ll figure it out either way," the brunette replied, determined. "And if they do, well... let\'s just hope we\'re far away when that happens."
"You really want to raise an alert about them, Kayn?" the green-haired one asked. "Weren\'t you acting like the boss, Ezequiel?" He commented. "Anyway... we need to warn the group. Three super demons and one lesser demon, but that kid\'s aura was stronger than yours and mine combined, and he didn\'t even seem to know what was going on. He\'s a newborn..." Kayn said as he pulled out his phone.
"Well, if you say so." Ezequiel commented, watching as Kayn selected a contact.
"Elder... we have a problem here in the sector we\'re monitoring. It\'s serious," Kayn said, putting the phone on speaker so Ezequiel could hear.
[Katharina Agares, Ada Baal, and Roxanne Sitri. Yes, I\'m already aware. We\'ve been ordered to keep an eye on the three heirs of the Demon King clans...]
"Then add a new name to that list. Vergil Agares," Kayn said, staring directly at Ezequiel, who clearly still wasn\'t buying the idea
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<Author\'s Note>
Hey, remember to use your Golden Tickets and Power Stones to help the work reach new heights!