3rd Person POV
Raynare and Kalawarner walked up the narrow staircase, the candles mounted along the walls serving as their only source of light in the darkness.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Kalawarner suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Raynare," she said. "Where's Freed? I didn't see him when you came back."
The question was enough to make Raynare pinch the bridge of her nose.
"I don't like him..." Raynare said with a tired sigh. "He's too unpredictable. He causes chaos wherever he goes, and he seems to enjoy hunting Devils."
"Isn't that dangerous for us?"
"Of course it is." Raynare continued climbing the stairs. "But he's also useful."
"How?" Kalawarner raised an eyebrow.
"He's dangerous enough that the Gremory and Sitri Clans can't afford to ignore him. Whenever he causes trouble, they'll naturally focus their attention on him."
Raynare paused for a moment.
"And despite his recklessness, he's smart enough to return to the base without leaving an obvious trail."
She glanced toward Kalawarner.
"That gives us time to operate while they're busy dealing with him."
"So Freed is basically a distraction."
"Yes." Raynare's expression remained serious. "His actions make the Devils think they're dealing with an aggressive unknown threat. After all, he's a human with no obvious connection to the Fallen Angels."
She paused.
"That makes it harder for them to connect his actions to us. Meanwhile, we're free to work on our actual objectives."
However, Raynare's expression soon darkened.
"But we can't rely on him forever."
"Why?"
"Gremory and Sitri aren't stupid."
Raynare narrowed her eyes.
"They'll eventually notice the pattern. If Freed keeps causing trouble in the same areas, they'll start connecting his movements to the Fallen Angels operating in Kuoh."
She stopped halfway up the stairs and looked toward the darkness above.
"And once they realize that..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"...this church will be surrounded by those damn Devils."
Kalawarner's expression became slightly more serious.
"Then we should probably prepare another base."
"Eventually. That's the plan." Raynare resumed walking. "But for now, we still have work to do."
Her expression became cold.
"Asia's Sacred Gear..." She paused. "...and Kazuki Sakuragi."
Timeskip
The old building remained illuminated despite the late hour, its windows glowing against the darkness surrounding the school grounds.
Inside the Occult Research Club room, Rias Gremory sat alone on one of the sofas.
A large map of Kuoh Town had been spread across the table in front of her.
Several locations had been marked with red X's and XX's.
The single X represented incidents where the victims had survived an attack.
The double XX marked locations where the victims had been killed.
Rias stared at the markings for several seconds before letting out a heavy sigh and leaning back against the sofa.
"This is becoming troublesome..."
The door opened quietly.
"Coffee, President."
Akeno entered the room carrying a cup and offered it to her.
"Thanks, Akeno."
Rias accepted the cup and took a sip.
She wasn't particularly fond of the taste, but at this point, she needed something to keep herself awake.
Akeno walked over and took the seat across from her.
Her eyes drifted toward the map.
"Another attack?" Akeno asked.
Rias responded with a nod, causing Akeno to frown slightly.
"They're becoming more frequent... especially since Issei-kun joined our peerage."
"That's what concerns me." Rias set the coffee down and rubbed her forehead. "And it's not just us..."
She pointed toward several markings on the map.
"Sona's peerage has been attacked as well."
Akeno's expression became more serious.
"But they aren't specifically targeting Devils?"
"That's the part I don't understand." Rias shook her head. "From what we've gathered, Devils seem to be secondary targets."
She tapped one of the markings.
"Their first targets appear to be our human Contractors. However..."
Akeno's eyes narrowed.
"It could be an attempt to use them as bait and make us lower our guard," Rias said with a sigh. "Or perhaps they're targeting our influence over the people of Kuoh."
Rias looked over the map again.
"Whoever is behind these attacks isn't simply hunting Devils."
Suddenly, the door burst open.
Kiba and Koneko entered the room, both breathing heavily from rushing through the school.
Rias immediately stood up.
"Did you get what I asked for?"
"Yes, President."
Both of them answered at the same time.
Kiba and Koneko then took their seats while Akeno quietly handed each of them a glass of water.
"Kiba, you're first."
"Based on my investigation..." Kiba said after gulping down the water, "the culprit appears to be a single man."
"One man?"
"Yes." Kiba nodded. "His name is Freed Sellzen. He's one of the survivors of a Holy Project. I don't know which project he was involved in, but at some point, he became a stray and turned into a rogue exorcist."
"The Church, huh..."
Rias placed a finger against her chin, thinking carefully.
"If Freed is deliberately attacking Devils, then he might be trying to lure Church investigators into Devil territory."
"I don't think that's the case, President."
Rias raised an eyebrow.
"How so?"
"If that's what he wanted..." Kiba narrowed his eyes. "All he would need to do is report the incidents he caused himself to the Church and request legitimate exorcists. It would be like fishing... use the attacks as bait and wait for the Church to take it."
He placed his empty glass on the table.
"But instead, his attacks are extremely visible and chaotic, yet no reports of these incidents have reached the Church outside Kuoh."
Kiba glanced toward the map.
"The pattern is almost as if he wants us to notice him."
Rias' eyes narrowed.
"You mean..." She paused, realizing the implication. "This kind of attack is meant to distract us from something else?"
"That's my conclusion," Kiba said, finishing his report.
Rias nodded slowly before turning toward Koneko.
"I searched the areas you mentioned," Koneko said in her usual quiet tone. "But I didn't find any caves or buildings that could be used for a hidden operation."
"I see..." Rias sighed in disappointment.
Koneko noticed her reaction and lowered her gaze.
"No, Koneko. You did a good job."
Koneko raised her eyes again before giving a small nod.
“You confirmed something important for us,” Rias continued. “If Freed's base isn't in the mountains, then he must be operating somewhere closer to Kuoh.”
Both Kiba and Akeno tilted their heads, clearly confused by the exchange.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Rias said, realizing she hadn't explained the whole investigation to them. "The culprit seems to be using the same herbs to mask his scent and hide his trail. That's why Koneko had such difficulty tracking him."
Rias leaned over the table and began circling the mountains surrounding Kuoh on the map.
“That means...” she continued, “his base of operations probably isn't in this area.”
She crossed off the locations Koneko had already searched in the mountains and forests around Kuoh.
“If Freed is using them, then he needs a steady supply.”
She paused, staring at the map.
“But if he's collecting them himself from the mountains, then there's no reason for him to leave a financial trail.”
Akeno nodded slightly.
“So searching the shops wouldn't help us.”
“Exactly.” Rias tapped her finger against the map. “And Koneko already searched the areas where those herbs grow naturally and found no trace of a base.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Which means he's probably taking the herbs from the mountains and bringing them somewhere else.”
Rias slowly drew a larger circle around the surrounding area.
“He still needs to remain close enough to Kuoh to carry out these attacks so frequently.”
Her finger stopped over the map.
“Then his base is most likely somewhere within this area.”
She looked at the map for several seconds.
“We still don't know its exact location...” Rias said, closing her eyes for a moment.
Then she opened them again.
Her expression hardened with determination.
“...but waiting any longer will only give them more opportunities to strike.”
Rias stood from her seat and looked at Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko.
“We will make our move.”
“Yes, President!”
All three answered simultaneously.
Rias gave a small nod.
“Let's find their base before they have the chance to move again.”