Chapter 917: Scáthach Arrives

Some time later, the situation had become considerably calmer.

Vergil was sitting in a broad chair near the mansion’s enormous kitchen table, with Yamato seated sideways on his lap, stiff as though the position were some particularly cruel form of torture. The former sword’s face had remained red ever since he had practically forced her to sit there, and the fact that Vergil was holding a plate in one hand and a small spoon in the other did absolutely nothing to help her newly acquired dignity.

"Open."

Yamato glared at him.

"Master, I can feed myself."

Vergil brought the spoon closer to her mouth.

"I know."

"Then give it to me."

"No."

Yamato closed her eyes for several seconds, breathing deeply in an obvious attempt to find within herself the same patience she had possessed during years of being used to cut demons, dimensions, and practically anything Vergil pointed her toward.

When she opened her eyes again, the spoon was still there.

Vergil was smiling.

"Open."

"Master, stop this."

Vergil did not stop.

The spoon remained in front of her lips.

Yamato stared at him for several more seconds, defeated mainly by an unexpected circumstance: Viviane’s cooking was simply too good for her to maintain enough pride to refuse.

She opened her mouth.

Vergil carefully placed the food inside.

Yamato chewed.

Her face relaxed almost immediately.

Vergil noticed.

"You liked it."

She looked away.

"It is acceptable."

"You closed your eyes in happiness."

"I did not."

"You did."

"It was a reflex."

"Of course."

Vergil took another small portion and repeated the movement. This time Yamato complained much less before accepting it, allowing him to feed her while keeping her arms crossed and trying to preserve some appearance of superiority.

"You’re a spoiled girl," Vergil commented, clearly enjoying himself.

"Master, stop this," Yamato repeated, now with considerably less conviction.

"Doesn’t sound like you want me to stop."

"I do."

Vergil raised another spoonful.

Yamato opened her mouth automatically.

Both of them froze.

Vergil raised an eyebrow.

She realized what she had just done and turned red again.

"Don’t say anything."

Vergil put the spoon in her mouth.

"I didn’t."

"Your face is saying it."

"My face is innocent."

Yamato looked at him with the exact same expression Vergil usually gave Katharina whenever she said that same sentence.

"You spend too much time around those women."

"Probably."

Yamato chewed slowly while observing the rest of the kitchen.

Everything was still new.

Smells, flavors, temperature, texture—things that for countless years she had understood only indirectly through her connection to Vergil now reached her through senses of her own.

The simple fact of feeling the warmth of food on her tongue seemed enough to distract her from the humiliation of being fed while sitting on his lap.

That was how Viviane found them.

The woman entered the kitchen carrying a small tray, took a few steps, then simply stopped.

Her eyes went first to Vergil.

Then to the absurdly beautiful woman sitting on him.

Then to the spoon.

Then back to Vergil.

"Who is she?"

Vergil looked at Viviane as though the answer were completely normal.

"Yamato."

To ensure there was absolutely no doubt about whom he meant, he gave Yamato a small slap on the side of her hip.

Yamato immediately turned toward him.

"Master!"

Viviane blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"Yamato?"

"Uh-huh."

Viviane pointed at the woman.

"Like... your sword?"

"That one."

Yamato crossed her arms and tried to recover some of her dignity despite still sitting on Vergil’s lap.

"I would prefer if he explained without hitting me."

"It was a demonstration."

"You knew perfectly well what you were doing."

Vergil shrugged.

Viviane kept staring at both of them.

"I leave for a few hours and your sword turns into a woman?"

"Basically."

"Why?"

"Niddrog."

Viviane nodded immediately.

"That explains more than it should."

Vergil had already lost interest in explaining the details and pulled closer the next plate Viviane had brought.

Dessert.

A generous slice of extremely soft chocolate cake with a thin layer of dark frosting.

Yamato watched it.

Vergil noticed.

"Want some?"

"I don’t know what that is."

"Cake."

"That explains a lot."

"Chocolate."

She tilted her head.

Vergil cut a small piece with the spoon and brought it to her mouth.

Yamato hesitated.

Then opened.

The moment the chocolate touched her tongue, her blue-violet eyes widened.

Vergil held back a laugh.

Yamato chewed slowly.

Then looked at the cake.

Then at Vergil.

"This is..."

"Good?"

She remained completely serious for several seconds before looking at the plate again.

"Now I understand why Roxanne loves sweets so much."

Vergil smiled.

"Dangerous, isn’t it?"

"Extremely."

Yamato grabbed his wrist and moved the empty spoon back toward the plate.

Vergil raised an eyebrow.

"Didn’t you want to feed yourself?"

"Don’t change the subject."

He laughed and started taking another piece.

That was when he felt something cross his field of perception.

Fast.

Very fast.

And furious.

Vergil raised one hand without even looking.

A black explosion shot through the open kitchen window.

BOOM!

Mjölnir stopped in his palm.

The shockwave made the curtains and smaller objects sway, but Vergil held the hammer with perfect calm while keeping his other hand near the cake.

Yamato looked at Mjölnir.

Then, without any concern, stole a spoonful from the plate using Vergil’s hand.

"She’s back."

Mjölnir vibrated violently.

Then spoke.

"NOW THAT I CAN TALK TO YOU, YOU—"

A blue light appeared.

Niddrog materialized beside the table and simply extended one hand.

The sound disappeared.

Mjölnir kept shaking.

No voice came out.

Niddrog closed her eyes, clearly tired before the argument had even begun.

"Please be quiet."

Mjölnir vibrated so strongly she looked ready to explode.

Yamato ate another bite of cake.

Her expression was extremely satisfied.

Vergil noticed.

"Don’t provoke her."

"I didn’t do anything."

Mjölnir began shaking even harder.

Niddrog looked at the hammer.

"I’m putting this thing away."

Vergil raised an eyebrow.

"You’re doing what?"

Niddrog simply took Mjölnir from his hand.

The hammer tried to escape.

Failed.

"Stay quiet."

Mjölnir vibrated furiously.

Niddrog disappeared into blue energy.

The hammer went with her.

Silence.

Viviane spent several seconds staring at the place where Niddrog had been.

Then slowly returned her attention to Vergil.

"Should I be worried about another unknown woman appearing from your body?"

Vergil shrugged.

"Don’t worry. It’s temporary."

Yamato looked at him.

"She lives inside you."

"Temporarily."

"She eats roots from the World Tree."

"Unfortunately."

"She turned your sword into a woman."

"That was useful."

Yamato turned red.

Viviane looked at her.

Then at Vergil.

Then at the possessive way he kept one arm around Yamato’s waist.

"I have questions about what temporary means in your life."

"So do I."

Vergil pulled Yamato slightly closer against his chest, keeping her comfortable on his lap as he continued feeding her.

Yamato let out a small complaint but made no attempt to leave.

Viviane noticed.

"She looks pretty comfortable."

"I am not," Yamato answered immediately.

Vergil offered another spoonful of cake.

Yamato opened her mouth.

Viviane smiled.

"Of course."

"Don’t say anything."

"I didn’t."

"Your face did."

Vergil started laughing.

For a few minutes, the kitchen remained relatively peaceful.

Viviane took the opportunity to ask exactly how Yamato had acquired that form, and Vergil summarized the situation in the simplest possible way: Niddrog had decided the problem would be solved by breaking the sword and pouring enough energy from the World Tree into her to accelerate a manifestation that would eventually have happened anyway.

Viviane listened to all of it.

"So your sword got jealous of a wooden sword."

"Yes."

"Destroyed it."

"Yes."

"Threw Mjölnir into another country."

"Possibly."

"And now you’re feeding her on your lap."

Vergil thought.

"When you put it that way, it sounds strange."

"Because it is strange."

Yamato discreetly pointed toward the cake.

Vergil took another spoonful.

Viviane watched that and decided she had probably received enough information for a single morning.

That was when Vergil stopped.

The spoon remained a few centimeters from Yamato’s lips.

She frowned.

"Master?"

Vergil slowly turned his head toward the mansion’s main entrance.

A familiar presence had just crossed onto the property.

Sapphire.

That was not strange.

The second aura was.

It was not demonic.

Not divine in the conventional sense.

It was extremely compressed, controlled, and sharp, like someone who had refined their own existence around combat for so long that even their presence seemed to know exactly where to strike.

Vergil narrowed his eyes.

"She’s here."

Viviane immediately understood.

"The guest?"

"Probably."

Yamato looked toward the door.

"Who?"

"I don’t know."

Vergil finally placed the spoon in her mouth.

"But she seems strong."

That immediately got Yamato’s attention.

A few seconds later, footsteps sounded in the corridor.

The kitchen door opened.

Sapphire appeared first.

Vergil looked at his wife.

Then at the woman beside her.

Long red hair.

A body toned by real training while still carrying distinctly feminine curves.

Relaxed posture, but absolutely no opening in her guard even while standing in a kitchen.

There was something in her eyes that Vergil recognized immediately.

Experience.

Not simple power.

Experience accumulated for far too long.

Scáthach entered beside Sapphire and was clearly about to ask where the man she had come to meet was.

Then she saw Vergil.

Sitting calmly in a chair.

With an absurdly beautiful blue-violet-haired woman settled on his lap.

Feeding her chocolate cake.

Yamato was still holding his arm.

Viviane stood in front of them.

And a small scorch mark near the window made it obvious something had happened only minutes earlier.

Scáthach fell silent.

Looked at Sapphire.

Then at Vergil.

Then back at Sapphire.

Sapphire crossed her arms.

"So?"

Scáthach returned her attention to Vergil.

He raised an eyebrow.

Yamato, still chewing cake, stared at the redhead with obvious suspicion as well.

Scáthach studied the two of them for several seconds.

Then sighed.

"Okay, Sapphire."

Vergil frowned.

Scáthach smiled.

"You convinced me."

Vergil immediately looked at Sapphire.

"Convinced you of what?"

Sapphire smiled.

And that smile made Vergil immediately realize he probably should have stayed in the bedroom with Katharina, Ada, and Roxanne.