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Chapter 127. Somehow, A Duel Was Decided

"...Can my Grimoire talk?"

[No idea.]

Even though we were inside the ancient library, I casually took out Raziel and tried talking to it. Watching me, Elixira looked puzzled, while Lucifer dismissed my question without a moment's thought.

As she'd said before, my Grimoire was apparently closer to a demon’s Grimoire. So... does that mean the ancestral power in my blood is Yaldabaoth and Demiurge? That’s... kinda weird, isn’t it?

"Hmmm..."

"Hey, what kind of guy was Raziel?"

"I'm curious too. Not all celestials were troublemakers like you, right?"

[They only labeled me as such because they feared my overwhelming power. In other words, they cowered before me.]

Yeah, yeah.

Lucifer had no problem calling Princess Elissa a brat, but she’d react immediately when provoked. Talk about a fragile ego—it’s such a typical, arrogant Lucifer move.

[Now, Raziel... He was driven entirely by intellectual curiosity. Collecting magic and recording it in books was just a hobby for him. He actively fought demons, but even that was just so he could document their magic.]

"Sounds like a magic nerd."

"In a way, isn't that similar to Elixira?"

"Huh? I'm not nearly that reckless!"

[Well, spending all day holed up recording things in books... you might share that habit.]

See? Told you.

"Grimoires definitely have a huge influence on their user’s personality, don't they? It's not just that the user already has that kind of personality—it's like the celestial behind the Grimoire shapes the user’s nature too."

"...Somehow, that’s a little upsetting."

Who wouldn’t be? Imagine being told your personality is shaped by some being you've never met. It’s one thing if it’s your biological or adoptive parents, but this is a different species—one you’ve never seen or even heard the voice of. It would feel unsettling. Personally, I think "shaped" is the wrong term, but maybe it makes sense that humans with celestial Grimoires would feel that way.

"So, was Gargaliel some carefree celestial who couldn’t face reality?"

"Oh... now I see what you think of me, Theodore."

But it’s true!

[Gargaliel was... how to put it... rather robotic most of the time. He was caught between two bosses: Raphael, as the third-rank throne, and Michael, as the solar envoy. A corporate drone, really. He had a lot of subordinates, too.]

"......Sorry, Princess Elissa."

"Don’t apologize. It just makes it worse."

Souls bound to Grimoires reincarnate... If that’s true, then maybe Elixira was like this in her previous life too. Same with Jeremiah. Still, there’s one thing that bugs me.

"If Grimoire-bound souls reincarnate, wouldn’t that mean there should be records of them appearing throughout history? Like Jeremiah’s [Michael]—it must’ve had a previous owner, right? But I’ve never seen any documents like that."

[Of course not. Even if they reincarnate, the shortest gap I’ve seen between users is about 3,000 years.]

"Oh, yeah. That’s impossible, then."

Humans can’t accurately pass down information for 3,000 years. Even now, most historical records date back only 2,000 years—those destroyed by Cladius. Anything older is speculative at best, and we can’t even confirm how old those artifacts really are.

"Wait, then isn’t it suspicious that all Seven Great Celestials ended up in the same era? That has to be intentional, right?"

[Maybe. But if you want answers, ask the parties involved.]

The parties involved... But Jeremiah has Duke family duties today, Ivy’s off doing her usual intelligence work, and Riester-san’s busy as a squad captain. Oh, wait—Gabriel/Hilalda is around.

"Alright then, let’s duel."

"Why!?"

When I asked Hilalda if I could see [Gabriel], she somehow demanded a duel instead. Even Princess Elissa, standing behind me, looked bewildered at this sudden proposal. Still, she didn’t try to stop it. At this academy, stopping a duel is considered rude, so I can’t blame her.

"Why? Because I’m ranked third, and you’re second."

"Oh, that’s why... But seriously, what’s the point if the result is obvious?"

"Bring it on."

Once she gets like this, there’s no stopping her. Better to just go along with it—it’ll make things smoother afterward.

[Gabriel, huh... Not interested.]

"Hey."

Stop judging people based on their Grimoires. If this were Jeremiah, you’d be nagging him to use his Grimoire’s.

"Sensei."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I’m dueling him now. Please act as the judge."

"Oh... Ohhh!? The second and third ranks?!"

Well, of course the sensei would react like that. It’s not every day the second and third ranks duel. Top-ranking changes usually happen through test scores, not duels. That’s because top students already know each other’s strengths and calculate the outcome, which usually favors the higher rank. So dueling is seen as pointless.

This time, though, we’re not dueling for rank. Still, Hilalda demanded it, so I’ve got no choice. Might as well see it through to the end.

"The last time we fought seriously was... during the entrance exam."

"Yeah. I’ve been looking forward to this."

Back then, Hilalda was strong but relied too much on her Grimoire. It’s been over a year since then. I’m curious to see how she’s changed, both as a fighter and as the wielder of [Gabriel], one of the Seven Great Celestials.