Chương 34: The Princess of Crimson Hair

Physically, Tsubaki was stronger than Sona. Magically, however, she fell behind. That made sense—she had always leaned more toward close combat. System, what exactly is her Sacred Gear?... [Mirror Alice] The user manifests a mirror capable of reflecting incoming attacks back at the attacker with double the original damage. However, it cannot be summoned consecutively without a cooldown. With evolution, the user may create multiple mirrors simultaneously....

So essentially, a Sacred Gear version of Meliodas' Full Counter. Interesting. Sona stood in front of me and gestured toward the chessboard.

"Care for a game?"

"Let's." We took our seats. As she set up the pieces, Sona spoke again, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Gilgamesh, if you don't mind me asking… why return to regular school? From what I've heard, you studied at home and had excellent grades. I also heard you already possess two college degrees."

"Well," I replied casually, moving my first piece, "I was curious about what normal school life feels like. Besides, my mother studied here." Sona nodded.

"I see. Given who your parents are, that makes sense. Still, it's nice to have someone like you here, Mr. Gilgamesh. Even if your name is…" She hesitated.

"Exotic," I supplied. She smiled slightly.

"Exactly."

"My parents enjoy unusual names. I assume you know the Epic of Gilgamesh."

"Yes. A remarkable story," she replied.

"I just hope you and your friend don't cause trouble." I nodded lightly. The match progressed. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. At first glance, it appeared Sona was steadily building toward victory. After several exchanges, she leaned back with confidence.

"Well, Mr. Gilgamesh… this should be checkma—" She froze. Her eyes widened. She finally noticed. I had guided her straight into a trap.

"The Art of War, Sitri-san," I said calmly.

"One of the simplest strategies—appear weak, let your opponent lower their guard." Then I made several precise moves. Her king fell.

"I believe this is checkmate." Sona stared at the board in disbelief.

"You… you deliberately made poor moves early on just to make me careless. And you accomplished this on your first game against me?"

"That's correct." She slowly raised her gaze to meet mine, eyes filled with shock.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I'm nobody special," I replied evenly.

"Just Gilgamesh." She searched my face, realizing I was being sincere.

"…If you're going to examine me that closely, you should have brought a camera." She flushed at once and quickly looked back at the chessboard.

"You're the first person who's ever beaten me," she murmured.

"I even rejected my former fiancé because he couldn't defeat me." She glanced up again, feeling her heart accelerate.

"Well, I suppose it's time for me to go." I stood, collected my schedule, gave her a small wave, and left. Sona leaned back in her chair with a quiet sigh. That man was anything but normal. When she'd first heard a student named Gilgamesh was transferring in, she had immediately gone on alert. That name carried enormous weight in the supernatural world. A few years ago, a descendant of Gilgamesh had appeared—defeated Sairaorg Bael in combat, and possessed a Longinus.

Naturally, she had been cautious when she learned someone bearing that name was enrolling at Kuoh. She hadn't expected it to be him. But the moment she laid eyes on him, she knew. The way he spoke. The way he walked. The way he looked at her. Everything about him radiated quiet majesty, as though authority itself was woven into his existence. Standing near him made her feel small. Every cell in her body screamed to kneel and pledge loyalty. She sighed.

The thought of recruiting him into her Peerage crossed her mind—but she knew reincarnating someone like him would be impossible. She only hoped Rias wouldn't do anything reckless. Sona was aware of her friend's issues, which was why Rias had attached herself to Issei Hyoudou, a boy with a powerful dragon aura—likely [Boosted Gear] or possibly [Divine Dividing]. Sona absolutely did not want to imagine what would happen if Rias tried to manipulate Gilgamesh the same way.

An angered descendant of the King of Heroes, wielding a Longinus? That was a nightmare scenario. Deep down, Sona wished she was wrong. That he was just a normal human.

"I just want one normal day," she murmured softly......... With Gilgamesh I continued down the hallway. My class assignment was 3-B. Mordred had been placed in 3-A, so we split up. Entering my classroom, I took a seat near the window, ignoring the openly lustful stares of nearly every girl present. Closing my eyes, I waited in silence. Then—"KYAAA!" I turned toward the door. Two girls had just entered. The first was immediately recognizable. Pale skin. Blue eyes. A voluptuous figure.

And long crimson hair flowing all the way to her thighs, crowned by a single ahoge. Rias Gremory. The sister of Sirzechs Lucifer. Heir to House Gremory. Princess of the Crimson Ruins. The current successor of one of the 72 Pillars of the Underworld. Daughter of Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory. Aunt to Millicas. Cousin to Sairaorg Bael. The clan that produced Lucifer himself. The Gremory bloodline was known for its powerful demonic energy and its unusually compassionate treatment of servants.

Their territory rivaled Honshu in size and wealth, filled with castles and advanced industries. And now… She had just walked into my classroom.