(Your POV)
It was the day after my return, and I was currently in my backyard, which was a half circle shape with the rounded edges having rocks to separate the grass from the actual beach. There was a path with wooden planks that lead to a dock and the beach that happens to be close by. I was sitting at one of those outdoor tables and chains, and I wasn't alone, Asger, Natalia, Azazel, Issei, and Dagda were here with me. Dagda moved to Japan because he was bored, and even brought the stone of destiny with him. On the subject of the stone of destiny, it was currently in the middle of the yard, just standing there. As for me, I was taking notes on Issei's sacred gear, trying to understand it's materials and how it works. I had a full lab out here with me, microscope and everything.
"So...are none of us going to mention the fact that some puta tried proposing to Asia?" Natalia was starting a conversation while I examined the boosted gear's green gem. "Also the fact that he's a noble and the drunkard over here tried killing him."
"To be fair, he was a bitch and I didn't do anything yet." Dagda defended himself, and he kind of looked funny sitting in that regular sized chair with his massive size. "That girl is a member of (Y/N)'s harem, and she likes (Y/N), end of discussion."
"Speaking of that guy, who was he?" Asger asked, he doesn't really know all that many things involving hell. "He didn't look familiar, but he looked like he knew Asia."
"According to what Asia said, she was the devil she healed that resulted in her getting kicked out of the church." Issei explained before flinching. "Hey (Y/N), be careful, I don't want you breaking this thing."
"Forgive me, but for now, understanding how this sacred gear works is my top priority." I commented, but actually I have four priorities. "Scratch that, my top priorities are creating a powerful magic similar to Rias' power of destruction, forging a sacred gear on par with Kiba's at least, deciding members for my peerage, and mastering the rest of the talents I obtained."
"So you don't care about Asia?" Issei asked, clearly pissed off, and I tried to quell his anger.
"Considering how intimidating Dagda is, I doubt Diodora will try to go after Asia at the moment, and if he does try, we have the advantage." I explained, and I had trouble containing my fears about Diodora, evident by the fact I was handling his sacred gear rougher. "I use ocean magic, and it gets stronger the closer I am to the sea. Not only that, I set up many anti-devil and anti-angel traps in the bushes around the house."
"That's his way of saying that he's concerned." Natalia pointed out while she read a magic notebook to try and help me. "He's a lot like his padre, when something really scares him, he doesn't like to talk about it."
"Speaking of Diodora..." Rias walked from the glass doors and placed a series of boxes and envelopes on them. "He won't stop sending things to this address, such as movie tickets, invitation tickets, chocolates, and some large items at the front door."
"Can I see the chocolates?" I requested, and Rias handed me a heart shaped box, then I ate one of the chocolates. "Thank you, now I can confirm if they're laced with something to influence Asia's mind in any way."
"You know, I'd prefer it if you DIDN'T just eat things that might be poisonous it's no big deal." Natalia sweatdropped, something tells me she's the only person here trying to be normal.
"Don't worry, thanks to Scathach's training, I am immune to all poisons, and can even identify what components they were made of." I explained, I was very proud of that power. "Good news, this chocolate isn't poisonous, bad news, there appears to be a love potion in here that will make it easier for Asia to be influenced in the romantic sense by outside influences."
"Will it affect you?" Azazel asked out of concern, and in response, I shook my head to signal that it didn't. "You hear that Rias? You can't take advantage of the love potion now."
"I would never do something like that!" Rias defended herself with a huff before I focused back onto researching Issei's sacred gear. "So what are we going to do with the letters?"
"I made a flamethrower I wanted to test out while (Y/N) was in hell." Asger announced, and all of us looked at him. "I made it myself, and I'm rather proud of it."
"If any of those larger gifts are made of metal or any useful materials, I would love to use them to make a mech or perhaps a very large gun." I thought outloud, and everyone looked at my father and I.
"I'm starting to see where (Y/N)'s love of firearms comes from." Dagda pointed out, and almost everyone agreed, almost.
"I like them because they're useful." I explained while examining the green gem on the boosted gear. "Almost no one wears any proper armor in the supernatural world, in fact, that Yuma girl wore a swimsuit. So firearms are super useful if they don't move at subsonic speeds."
"Now that he mentions it, in a fight, I think the scale male of the two dragons is the only proper armor we've seen so far but even they can only withstand so much from (Y/N)'s arcane bullets." Azazel pointed out, and I think Bikou also wears armor, but it's thin and easy to penetrate.
"So back on the subject of Diodora, it would be a bad idea if we relied on Dagda only, considering how he drinks more alcohol than your average college student." Natalia looked at the giant man, who was downing a bottle of sake. "So we need another line of defense."
"I could ask someone who wants to join my Peerage to come here and help us, like Oz or Black Beard, they're wanderers, so they could be anywhere." I suggested, but Dagda decided against it. "Why do you think that?"
"Oz is an inventor at heart, specializing in over the top gadgets and traps to be an effective unit, but his physical abilities leave much to be desired." Dagda explained. "As for Black Beard, his favored fighting style uses explosives. So long story short, Oz's fighting style uses up too much time that we don't have, and Blackbeard may damage allies as well."
"So who should we call?" Rias asked, and all of us were confused until we heard the doorbell ring. "Please don't tell me it's another delivery."
"I'll get it." I stood up from my chair to give Issei a break, and to also give myself a break because trying to understand his boosted gear has been giving me a headache.
I went through the sliding glass doors, followed by Rias. The sliding glass doors lead to the living room, where I saw Xenovia, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and Asia sitting on the couch, with the first four looking defensive of the last girl. All of them were watching an old samurai film as Rias and I walked past them. I opened the front door to see a massive pile of boxes. On the other side of the door, I saw some guy wearing a clown mask, and I recognized him right away as Kankuro, the Ultimate Jester. Kankuro was always wearing a black and white harlequin mask, making his face unidentifiable. The only thing I could tell was that he was rather thin, had black hair, and was a male, judging from his voice. I could also tell he wasn't alone.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Nico appeared from behind the mass of boxes, along with Onihime, Unohanna, and Ayako.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, I wanted to know why these people were here, and right now of all times.
"Yozakura told us Asia was getting harassed by some guy, who we came to help." Onihime explained, and I'm starting to see what Yozakura meant by helping us. "Yozakura is coming over with Tojuro Rengoku and Sarah Yui, and for the record, you owe us an explanation."
"(Y/N), what are they talking about?" Rias asked, and I remembered my promise to them, but is the number of people who got over their trauma really this low?
"He promised to give them an explanation as to why his talent changed and why he needed notes on everyone's talents." Yozakura joined in. "It's also the explanation as to why (Y/N)'s house suddenly became a mansion."
"I assumed he just won the lottery." Kankuro crossed his arms, and I opened the door wider, signaling for them to come in.
Tojuro and Sarah were first years like Yozakura, with Tojuro being the Ultimate Weapon Master and Sarah being the Ultimate Pyrotechnician, or arsonist in her case. Tojuro was rather muscular, but not as tall as I was, and he had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail. He also wore a bucket hat with a flame pattern on it, complimenting his eyes, which were a yellow, orange, and red colored mix. He was incredibly energetic and optimistic, which led to him being loud, but he was always supportive. Sarah on the other hand had short red hair that reached her shoulders, black piercings on her lower lip, right eyebrow, and ears. The piercings were supposedly full of gunpowder, and her obsession with fireworks and flames were evident from the various burn scars on her arms. I guided all of them onto the couch, where they patiently awaited an explanation. To help me out, Akeno turned off the television so all the attention was onto me.
"So, I would like to start by asking you guys to swear an oath of secrecy, what I'm about to tell you is incredibly classified to most people." I was serious, and Issei entered the room to see what was going on.
"Oh god you killed a man didn't you?" Onihime looked pale before Ayako nudged her in the side. "Well I suppose I can help hide the body."
"I won't tell a soul, and I'll dissect them if they find out." Ayako offered, and her glasses reflected light, making them pure white.
"I'm usually not the best when it comes to keeping secrets, but I'll do my best." Unohanna was always terrible at lying, so I'm hoping someone will at least help her.
"Oh, if we're killing someone, I wanna burn their corpse." Sarah offered, and Rias looked genuinely concerned.
"I've been practicing a new trick, so I can probably make a body disappear." Kankuro's expression was unreadable thanks to his harlequin mask.
"The fact we're speaking of disposing the dead has me concerned!" Despite his statement, Tojuro wore a triumphant expression.
"Guys I don't need help hiding a body." I sighed, I wasn't going to deny murder, since that priest I killed was a person, albeit a terrible one.
"Wait, are we talking about the fact you're a devil, that time you killed a priest, the burning of the church, or the time you entered the women's baths in hell?" Nico asked, and this shocked everyone because I never told her any of this.
"How do you know all this?" Akeno asked, and the people who don't know about the supernatural looked surprised that we weren't denying it.
"Nico knows all." Nico explained, which doesn't really help us understand how she knows but fair enough.
"Wait, so you're a devil?" Unohanna was taking this rather well all things considered, just being slightly confused. "So does that mean you eat souls and torture them in hell for eternity?"
"Um...what do we do exactly?" I asked Rias, and now that I think about it, we've just been fighting other supernatural beings.
"In the past, we fought angels and fallen angels, but nowadays, we've been ensuring the balance of the world isn't thrown out of balance by fighting-obsessed supernatural beings." Rias explained, and I know that's not all we do. "We also do some odd jobs from people in exchange for their souls, I think. It's been a while since we've done a job."
"Oh I got it, all of you in ORC are devils." Kankuro was unexpectedly sharp, especially for a jester. "So what does this have to do with Asia's harasser and talented course students who got over their traumas from the Killing Games?"
"For the talented course students, I'm obtaining a peerage in the future." I then explained to them what a peerage was. "A peerage is kind of like a small army that turns those I recruit into devils, except mine probably won't inflict much of a change given how there's holy magic involved. So I plan on recruiting those of you who have gotten over your traumas to join my Peerage and help ensure the balance of the world."
"What's in it for us if we join?" Sarah asked while she played with a black ring on her finger.
"My force will serve as a symbol for the union of angels and devils, meaning that you will be highly respected by both factions while also saving the lives of people." I decided to be honest. "What's more, you can combine your talents with magic to become more powerful and effective. More job opportunities will be open to you once you're part of the supernatural world."
"As for Asia's case, she's pretty much being stalked by a high class devil." Rias moved onto the next issue. "There's a boy named Diodora who wants to marry Asia, and given how polite Asia is, she wants to reject him but can't bring herself to do it. So now Diodora is effectively harassing Asia into marrying him."
"I'm in." Ayako was the first to join, and I honestly half expected her to reject it. "My talent, the Ultimate Vivisectionist, is cruel and I hate it. I can only do so much when it comes to surgery, but now that my talent may be useful, I want to do what I can."
"That's surprisingly thoughtful of you, Ayako." Unohanna said what we were all thinking.
"Besides, now I get to cut people open without feeling bad about it." Ayako held a surgical knife with excitement, which was hard to tell given how she usually acts pretty emotionless.
"There's the bloodthirsty psychopath we all know and are mildly scared of." Onihime chuckled. "In all seriousness, I would love to join you guys, but I'm a Daredevil, how can a showman be helpful?"
"Daredevils usually display some of the greatest mobility from what I've seen, so if you were to join us, you'd undoubtedly be one of the best scouts we'd have in all three fractions." I theorized, given how I've used the talent. "In combat, you may have to use firearms, but you can use your equipment to stay on the mobile side."
"Alright, if you say so, I'd be glad to help you all out." Onihime accepted the offer whilst looking around. "Also, where's Gasper?"
"Onihime, maybe now is not the best time, considering how he always ran away from you when you tried approaching him at school." Unohanna recalled, and Onihime looked slightly depressed. "Gasper aside, do you think I can be useful? All I can really do is knit."
"Actually, your talent might be the most useful when combined with magic." Akeno spoke up, and I have shared my notes with her at some points. "(Y/N) has held his body together using it and even climbed walls using your knitting talent. So if you master it, I wonder what you'll be able to do."
"Hold on, none of you better forget about me." Kankuro was balancing himself on the back of my couch. "I'll join since no one appears to be hiring jesters these days, so I'm not letting this job pass me by."
"Question; why are all the devils super hot?" Sarah asked, and all of us looked confused.
"Issei is a devil too, you know?" Koneko pointed at Issei, and Sarah just stared at him.
"Okay yeah, not all devils are hot then." Sarah continued playing with her lighter. "So what do you say, Yozakura, wanna help these guys out?"
"I already promised (Y/N) that we'd help, and it's unfitting for us to back out of a promise." Yozakura agreed to help us out. "What about you, Tojuro?"
"I have no clue what's going on!" Tojuro shouted ecstatically. "All I know is that Asia is getting harassed by Diodora, so I'll dispose of him! I'll also help you Sir (Y/N)! I have been bored lately!"
"Nico will also join!" Nico offered, and since when did she start talking about herself in the third person? "Nico wants to learn magic"
"Now that we have that cleared, is Nico a supernatural being?" Kiba asked, and all of us who knew the girl said 'no'. "Are we sure?"
"From a medical standpoint, she should by all means be dead, considering her diet, the fact she's able to slip through small cracks like she has no bones, and how she never appears to sleep." Ayako pointed out. "I tried getting x-rays or anything, but they always prove her to be human."
"So how do we join this 'peerage' thing?" Onihime asked, and I had to explain what mine was.
"Normally it would involve chess pieces, but mine is going to involve tarot cards, I haven't gotten my cards yet, so I can't recruit you guys yet." I rubbed the back of my neck. "So this all could have waited until I got my cards."
"No, it's better that you told us this now." Yozakura pulled out a pack of tarot cards and handed them to me. "We can use this time to learn basic magic, and train ourselves. As for you, you can decide what pieces we will be."
"Is it possible for normal humans to learn magic without demonic or angelic power?" Xenovia asked, and Yozakura nodded. "How is that possible?"
"It's unwise to underestimate us humans, in fact, I already know some spells myself." Yozakura bragged. "They do put a strain on my body, but they can drastically enhance my abilities as a spy, whether it's disguises, hacking, or martial arts. Plus Nico might be magic, so there's that."
"So...how do we learn magic?" Onihime asked, and now it was my turn to repay the favor.
"I'll text you all some notes on how to wield magic, Tojuro's Singing Predator style, Yozakura's magic, and Nico herself should qualify as magic already, so they don't need to develop much." I explained whilst getting out my phone. "For now though, create something only you can do, that is all I have to say."
"Looks like I'll be upgrading my armory!" Rengoku sounded excited. "I have heard there are some powerful weapons at Raizen thanks to a girl, I wonder if I can ask the person who made them to make them for me."
"I should also ask that mechanic with pink hair for an upgrade on my motorcycle." Onihime suggested, and I was glad to see everyone was okay with this.
"Well I ain't leaving." Sarah got comfortable on the couch. "My main girl Asia is getting targeted by a li'l shit, so I ain't leaving her alone."
"My partner in crime here is correct, Sarah and I will live here for now." Yozakura states, and we have enough rooms, so it should be fine. "I can help Sarah increase her effectiveness with her talent to the point of a supernatural, but everyone else is on their own."
"By the way, you wouldn't have finished your summer homework have you?" Onihime asked, and chances are she didn't. "I didn't do mine yet."
"With That out of the way, I need to continue making my sacred gear."
"What's a sacred gear?"
"Looks like I'll have to explain every little detail..."
(A/N: You know, I wasn't going to give this an MC a sacred gear in the first place, but you guys kept on giving me ideas so I decided 'fuck it, find a loophole' and I did. If he's given a sacred gear, then that would make people stop following him, but if he FORGES his own, then that will gain more followers. Confusing? Let me put it this way. Instead of a sacred gear, who do you think is smarter or more skilled? The man who got thousands of dollars from their parents and got their job through bribery, or the man who worked day and night to get through college to get that very same job. Just so we're clear, I'm not sure what I expected when you guys threw out people like Naofumi and Captain America to be my inspiration, but I'll see if I can weave the two together. Not saying it's a bad thing, but I am disappointed in my MYSELF for not thinking of those two when I wrote this book. Instead I was thinking of Mash (FGO) and Zeno (Yona of the Dawn).