Link to the new Discord server: discord .gg/xEApPAS
Check out the bottom A/Ns for details about the new server and why am I changing it. Thanks.
Hey guys! Xeroz here! I hope you all had great days so far and I hope for them to stay that way!
First of all, thank you guys for the support and for not getting too mad with me for not updating frequently. As I stated in the last chapter, life is a b #*h. Things keep popping up and I have to deal with it. The fact that I'm lazy doesn't help. At all.
Nearly an year passed and I know that you guys don't like it when I take so long to update. Trust me, I don't like it either, but sadly, there aren't many things that I can do. Writing is not my top priority. Never was, never will it be. I'm doing it for fun.
Your support is honestly what is still keeping me around. If it wasn't for you, I'd be still writing for myself and a small number of people that like my stuff. You guys are awesome and your support is deeply appreciated!
Again, I apologize for not updating too much, I have my reasons. I began yet another story, this time a Pokémon one that has barely anything to do with Pokémon… If you're interested, you can check it out. I have 3 parts out and the updates for it should be a bit more consistent since it's a bit easier to write…
I also had a summer job for some additional money so that I could get some stuff that I wanted. Took some time off my summer break, but I'm not complaining since, well, I got money for it. I've also been getting back into art, if I can call mine that way… And I'm also starting to take animating more seriously again, so yeah. Lots of things to enjoy, little time to do so.
Anyways, with my boring life and nagging aside, let's take a look at some reviews.
Hyperion52 – You bet it is!
diablokz – One of the editors who I never hired decided to fk around and released chapter one once again. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
GoodOldInstinct – I blame my young cousin. He decided to fk around. I left the PC alone with him… Grave mistake… He also deleted some other stuff I was working on, so yah, I don't love him no more! :c He also made me watch the Emoji Movie recently. He's not my relative anymore! D:
NinjaFang1331 – Thank you!
MedicusAestus – Hehe, sounds pretty good, doesn't it? ^^
Ricc850 – Lamb sauce? Yes please!
ShamastusXGaming – Thanks for stopping by! Always happy to see kinda-familiar faces. Sorry for not dropping by your story for a while, I was a bit busy. Thanks for the kind words, I'm trying to improve my writing a bit, so seeing that you enjoyed this chapter makes me happy. By the way, you are far ahead of me. You surpassed me long time ago. This isn't surprising, you have talent. Keep up the work with your stories man! ^^
Phoenix Champion – Soon.
Xerzo LotCN – She is, probably. Dunno, have to give her a reason and whatanot, but I'll probably make it work somehow… Also, yeah, about the fight, let's not forget that Vali is awfully strong, okay? It's not exactly shown well in the anime, nor in the LNs, and I'm pretty sure I myself wasn't able to show it well either, but just remember – Vali is strong. He is the descendant of Lucifer himself after all. It makes sense why Issei would have difficulties. But, even with that, Issei was still holding back. :P
Butterman247 – Thanks! ^^ Sweet profile picture btw.
Mike Kromer – Wish I could give ya some faster… But, well, nothing I can do about it sadly… ;-;
ItsEizanAgain – If it'll help ya in any way, sure, go ahead. …Dunno why you ask me though, I'm not really interested… ^^;
percy zoe and artemis fan – Thanks! Also, yah, she is.
darth56 – Nothing I can do about it buddy… Still, thanks. It's nice to see you guys enjoy my free-time random thoughts. (This story was created that way, no joke.)
Guest – The thing with Raynare was a close to that ritual, no? Although, without the part where he has to 'help her out'… Yeah, that ritual is nuts, man.
trey dragneel – I'm very glad to hear that! I'm still here, so don't worry about it!
NARUMOKA – So be it.
AZOLucifer – I appreciate good puns mate, so yours were definitely good. Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate them!
Before I proceed, I would like to bring up a certain guest's review. He made some pretty fair points in just two badly structured sentences (OMG Xeroz, as if you're the one to talk! You can't spell for sh!t). The guest goes by 'Shi' and I would like to address his point personally.
Shi basically said that Issei is way too weak and pathetic at this point. Easily obedient, weak, etc. I agree, I indeed haven't shown him in the light I want to present him.
However, there's a reason for that.
I won't give you the reason why he's sorta weak right now, since I'll spoil some stuff. Trust me though, he'll become much stronger later. I guarantee it.
I agree that I wrote Issei poorly from the start and although I don't want to do it, this can be easily fixed with a rewriting of the first couple of chapters.
I won't do that though.
As I established above, I have no time for this. I shall consider rewriting the first couple of chapters if I manage to get more free time.
Until then, I hope you guys understand my reasoning and will enjoy reading even though I haven't done my justice in writing Issei properly.
But, as I stated above, I'll give it my all to write the oncoming chapters way better!
Thus, the reviews end. Thank you guys for stopping by!
Now then, as you guys probably remember, I had a poll in my profile in which I asked you whether you would like lemons written for this story or not. Well, it's chapter 25 and as promised, the votes after chapter 24 won't be counted down.
The votes are as follows:
Yes – 155 (92%)
No – 1 (8%)Yaaah, the one person that voted with a 'No' will be disappointed… The majority has decided. Therefore, lemons shall be!
However, I want to make something very clear: I won't release the lemons until I decide that it's time for them to be released. They will also be used as a way to advance the plot and the relationships between characters.
Also, I have to get out of the way that I have zero experience with writing a lemon, so I'll probably be executing them poorly at first. But I guess I'll learn as I go.
That was for the poll.
Without further ado, let's proceed with the story!
Key:
"Speech"
'Sacred Gears, Magical items, Group/Organization name, Nicknames, etc.'
"Chants"
'Thought'
"Unknown"
[Ddraig talking out loud]
[Ddraig thinking]
[Ddraig talking to Issei in Issei's mind]
{Albion talking out loud}
{Albion thinking}
{Albion talking to Vali in Vali's mind}
[Figure name]
(Author remarks, rant, whatever)
:Phone, telepathy:
*Action, Background action, Ability action*
{[Flashback/Dream Start/End]}
{[Scene Break/Start/End]}
Disclaimer: I don't nor will I ever own Highschool DxD or it's characters. It belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.
ENJOY!
{[Scene Start]}
Everything around him was total and utter darkness. An endless void destitute of light and sound. It was vast and empty, seemingly infinite. Yet he could feel the ground beneath him. He could feel the chilling cold around his body, sending shivers down his spine.
Where was he? Was he in some strange dark room? A house, maybe? He had absolutely no idea, but there was one thing he was certain: He most definitely did not like it.
He began walking forward while looking around. Maybe he could see something that would hint where he was. He kept walking and walking but there was nothing around him, not a wall to come contact with.
The silence was unbearable. He couldn't even hear himself. He tried to speak aloud to himself, just to escape the deafening scream that the silence was. Alas, this didn't help him at all. No sound came out from his mouth. So he was left alone with his thoughts.
Suddenly, the silence was broken. A loud, deafening scream was heard. Although it was just for a second. He quickly began running towards the place from where he heard the scream. Upon arriving, he was met with a horrifying, fright inducing scene.
Rias Gremory, his 'Master' was drowning in a puddle of her own blood. Her eyes were widened, eternally shocked by whatever that has harmed her. Multiple cuts and bruises were present on her body, and her academic uniform was cut and torn apart.
Not to mention, the enormous gaping bloody hole that replaced her lower torso.
Such a sight forced him to take a few fast steps back until he eventually tripped and fell. He tried to scream, but no sound came out of him.
Another scream was heard from nearby. He didn't want to know what was going on, but his curiosity got the best of him as he began walking towards the source of the scream. Another horrible scene revealed before him.
Akeno Himejima, Rias Gremory's [Queen] was laying on the ground, laying on her stomach with a puddle of blood around her body. She also had multitude of cuts and bruises, as well as torn and cut clothes. Her head was barely attached to her body, by a few blood vessels and muscle and her neck was twisted in a rather forceful and deadly way.
He was too shocked to even move. He just stared at the lifeless body of his fallen comrade wanting to scream and cry, and he really wanted to, but the void didn't allow him. All he could do was stare.
But then he heard something else. It wasn't a scream. It was more of a pained groan, followed by a laughter. He began running towards the groan and was met with another scene, that wasn't all that terrible, but still hurt him to see.
Koneko Toujou, Rias Gremory's [Rook], who was also the girl he fell for was standing on her feet before him with her back turned towards him. As he approached her, he saw that she began to lose her balance as her legs began to give up.
He ran towards her and caught her just before she fell and turned her face towards him so he could check if she had any bruises or cuts.
And indeed she had. Her left hand had several cuts and her right hand had a burn mark that could be healed with a proper treatment. Other than that she seemed fine, but looked like she was about to faint.
She slowly turned her head towards him, her eyes struggling to recognize him. Eventually she gave him a small smile, a proof that she has indeed recognized who was holding her.
"…Issei-senpai…" she muttered as she laid on his hands. Issei once again tried to speak, only to find out that the silent barrier that was blocking him from speaking has disappeared.
"Are you…alright?" the boy asked the helpless girl.
Koneko gave him a light nod in reply but didn't say anything else with it.
"Who did this, Koneko-chan?" Issei asked her. She seemed like she struggled to answer, but not too long after, she did.
"…You…" she replied.
Issei's eyes widened. He had no memory of this. He would never do that! Not to Rias, not to Akeno and definitely not to Koneko. There was something completely wrong with this entire situation, and he knew it.
"M-Me?" Issei asked only to receive a weak nod from Koneko. "N-No, that can't be…"
"She's right, you were the one that did this." said a voice from behind him. Issei slowly turned towards the source of the voice, not expecting to see such a figure.
An exact same copy of him stood behind him and Koneko. He had the same hairstyle, the same face, the same body type. An exact copy of Issei. The only difference was in his clothing and in the dark aura that was engulfing the body of the 'other Issei'.
"Wh-Who are you?" Issei asked him while still holding Koneko in his hands.
"Isn't it obvious? I am you." the 'other Issei' replied with a smirk.
"No, no, no! You can't be me!" the 'real Issei' yelled out. "I'd never kill my friends like that! I'd never harm them!"
"I'd beg to differ." the 'other Issei' said as he took a step forward. "We both know you've been holding me down for a while. You're always holding back, always afraid to release your real power. What you saw is what will happen if you don't set me free. Your friends will meet the same fate as what you just saw. Do you really want this for them? Accept it, I am you and you are me."
"Shut up!" the 'real Issei' yelled out once again. "You can't be me! I refuse to believe it! I don't know who or what you are, but you are not me!"
"You want proof, then?" the 'other Issei' asked as a pair of red dragon wings erupted from his back and a pair of white cat ears appeared on his head. His white hair also had a couple of red streaks on it.
The 'real Issei' gasped in shock. Those were his wings and his cat ears! How could it be? Was his mind just playing tricks on him? Was this even real?
"Are you convinced already?" the 'other Issei' asked. "Or do I have to show you the birthmark as well?"
"This… This can't be real…" Issei muttered to himself. "There's no way this is real…"
"It will become real. That is, if you don't unleash your real power." the 'other Issei' said as the dark aura surrounding his body intensified. The aura covered everything in such a way that his body couldn't be seen anymore. His body deformed and now looked like a living shadow.
"I don't know what that means!" the 'real Issei' said.
"SoOn EnOuGh YoU wIlL."the living shadow said. Its voice was distorted and wicked, it sent chills up Issei's spine.
"Why you…" Issei muttered while gritting his teeth, until he felt something strange from his arms. Looking down, he saw that Koneko has begun to disappear, as her body began dissolving into a bright blue light.
"K-Koneko-chan…" Issei said while he watched her vanish. "N-No…please, don't leave me,"
"…Issei-senpai…I…believe in you…" Koneko said weakly as she tried to reach and touch Issei's face. "…You are stronger than this…I believe in your strength…defeat your inner demons…"
With her last sentence, Koneko's body disappeared in a bright blue light. Issei's now empty hands trembled as tears began rolling down his cheeks.
"Why…? Why did Koneko-chan disappear? Why did Buchou and Akeno-san die?" he looked towards the living shadow in front of him. "ANSWER ME! ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"
"YoUr OwN wEaKnEsS dId ThIs To ThEm. It'S aLl YoUr FaUlT." the living shadow said.
"SHUT UP WITH THAT ALREADY!" Issei yelled out as he quickly got on his feet.
He tried to summon his 'Sacred Gears', only to find out that he couldn't. He didn't care though. He didn't need them. His rage was enough at this point. Dream or not, he wanted nothing more than to punch the damn thing in front of himself.
"YoU'rE aMuSiNg… I'lL eNjOy WaTcHiNg YoU sUfFeR." the living shadow said. As it said that, it quickly lunged at Issei, catching him off-guard.
Issei fell on the ground, tackled by the living shadow that seemed to try to find its way into his body. His body began to hurt. His eyes began to close as ill and weird noises began to sound around him. He couldn't understand them, but they sounded abnormal.
He began to give in. He left the shadow take control. Everything became even darker than before. He couldn't hear anything else afterwards.
{[Scene Break]}
Issei suddenly woke up from his disconsolate nightmare, covered in his own cold sweat. His body instinctively tried to sit up after such a nightmare, but he found himself being pinned to the bed by an unfamiliar weight on his chest.
He had tears covering his eyes and a cold sweat running down his forehead. His hands were free, so he used it and wiped all the sweat off.
"Been a while since I had a nightmare…" Issei muttered to himself, his voice much deeper and coarse due to him just waking up.
He looked down towards his chest and found Koneko laying on it, her face barely showing from underneath the blanket that was covering her and Issei's body.
On his left side was his master Rias Gremory, and to his right was his close friend and the former nun of the Church, Asia Argento.
"At least they're peaceful in their sleeps…" Issei said to himself, glaring at their innocent faces.
He then felt movements underneath the blanket that was covering his body, until a familiar devil poked out from the blankets.
"I see you're awake too, ufufufu~" a familiar voice said.
"A-Akeno-san, w-why are you in my bed?" Issei asked as a blush formed on his cheeks. He then saw that Akeno rose from the bed just a bit to give him a better look of her naked body. Wait, naked?
"A-A-And why are you naked?!" Issei let out a silent scream. Although he was used to Rias sleeping naked next to him, seeing Akeno naked in his bed was a new experience. Pleasant, but new.
"Ara ara, I thought about forming a bit of a bigger bond with my dear kouhai, ufufufu~" Akeno replied teasingly. She began to slowly rub her naked body against Issei's, his face becoming redder than a tomato.
"B-Bond?" Issei asked as he tried to look away. "W-What do you mean?"
"I have yet to get to know you fully, Issei-kun, ufufufu~" Akeno replied as she raised her body a bit and hung over Issei, her black hair falling on top of him.
She began to lower her head closer and closer to Issei's. Her lips were mere inches apart from Issei's, the distance shortening as seconds passed by.
'Since when does Akeno-san tease like this?!' Issei thought to himself while Akeno's lips were almost on top of his own.
Just as they were about to kiss however, a certain voice interrupted them.
"Akeno, what is that you're doing? And when did you get in this room?" the voice of Issei's Master, Rias Gremory, rang through the room.
Akeno raised her body passively and looked at Rias who was glaring at both her and Issei at that time. She returned her glare with an innocent smile.
"I just decided to spend some time with my adorable kouhai." Akeno replied innocently. "After all, sleeping by himself in a bed is lonely."
"My? Since when did you become his master?!" Rias asked as she narrowed her eyes.
"Even if I'm not his master, I'm his senpai." Akeno replied. "It's a senpai's duty to be affectionate with their kouhai, isn't it?"
"Senpai? I see. So that's your reasoning." Rias said as she drew closer to Akeno. "Despite that, you still cannot enter here. Aside from Asia, only I have the right to sleep here."
"Uhm, that's not exactly-" Issei tried to speak up, only to be interrupted by Akeno, completely ignored by both her and Rias.
"Ara ara, so Buchou has a strong desire to monopolise, doesn't she?" Akeno said with slight amusement in her voice. "Are you perhaps afraid of me stealing him?"
"Looks like I'll have to repeat myself." Rias said as her body got enveloped in a bright red aura.
"Ara ara, you're getting quite heated up for a discussion, Buchou. Well then, in that case…" Akeno replied as her body got enveloped in a bright yellow aura.
By the looks of it, both of them were getting ready for a fight, and Issei didn't like this. Not a single bit.
"*Yawn* Is it morning already?" came Asia's tired voice. She sleepily rubbed her eyes while slowly lifting herself up from the bed.
"Asia, I think it'll be for the best if you go back to sleep." Issei said as he gently stroked her head.
"Then, I'll go back to sleep while hugging Issei-san!" the half-awake Asia said as she embraced Issei and tried to go back to sleep.
Issei breathed out a sigh of relief. Asia wouldn't be involved in whatever that was.
*Plumpf* The sound of a pillow hitting a target rang softly through the room. Issei sighed and braced for whatever was to come next.
The argument between the two busty beauties just got to a new level.
"To begin with, I really hate how you immediately try to claim my servant!" Rias yelled out as she threw the pillow at Akeno's face. Even though it was a direct hit, Akeno's smile was still evident and she still looked as calm as ever.
"Ara ara, can't you share? You're so stingy, Rias!" Akeno replied as she picked up the pillow that just hit her face and hurled it at Rias, resulting in yet another direct hit.
Rias' body began to shake in anger. She reached for the pillow and removed it from her face, grasping it in her right hand.
"The house was just renovated, so I won't let you do as you please, Akeno!" Rias threw the pillow at Akeno again. She didn't hit however as Akeno was quick to dodge.
"Didn't Sirzechs-sama say that we should live together and get along with each other? You have no right to argue when it comes to Maou-sama's orders!" Akeno retorted calm as ever.
The quarrel between the two beauties kept escalating further and further and Issei didn't have much to say. Why were they fighting over him anyways? It doesn't work like this, does it?
A thought suddenly struck him though. Something that Rias just mentioned.
'The house was renovated?' Issei thought to himself. He then looked around himself.
His bed was now huge. Currently there were five people on it, but it was evident that there was enough space for at least 20 more people on it. Speaking of sizes, his room was now much more spacious as well. It was hard for him to measure the size of his room in the position he was currently in, but his best guess was that his room was at least six times bigger now.
The setup in his room was also greatly improved now. His computer stood exactly where it was supposed to be, but right next to it stood a shelf that had all kinds of game consoles arranged on it. Right next to the shelf stood a huge new model flat-screen TV.
Issei wasn't sure what to say or how to react. He laid there completely silent for a short while until he finally got back to his senses and spoke quietly.
"Buchou, what has happened to my house?" he asked as he turned towards the still-fighting Rias and Akeno that were using not only pillows, but also their own powers.
The response didn't come soon though as the two beauties still had to settle down their little argument.
Sighing, Issei wrapped his free hand around the still-sleeping Koneko and stared at the ceiling.
It was an interesting morning.
{[Scene Break]}
After the short but violent fight between his master and Akeno, Issei and the rest of the now-enormous house sat down to eat breakfast together.
Since Sirzechs' orders, Issei had to live in one house with all the female members of Rias' Peerage and Raynare who was now serving him. So, he had himself and six other girls living in one house. Basically, he was living every teenage boy's dream.
"What exactly happened while I was asleep?" Issei asked while he sat on the table that was at least ten times bigger than his old one. They were all currently eating breakfast that consisted of pretty much everything anyone would like.
"Onii-sama said that it'd be better if we have a bigger house so that we have more comfort living here." Rias replied. "He planned to make it way bigger at first, but I convinced him out of it."
"Way bigger, huh? When you said that you'll ask him to renovate it, I just expected new paint and a couple of rooms added." Issei said. "What about the neighbors then?"
"What about them?" Came Rias' answer.
"What happened with their homes?" Issei asked. "Were they destroyed?"
"Ufufu~ We moved them so that we could make some space for this one." Akeno replied with a light giggle. "Don't worry, we've wiped away their memories and they're completely safe. Their homes are okay too."
"Well, that's a relief." Issei said. "Still, don't you think this house is a bit too much for six people?"
"Not at all. The extra space just grants us more comfort and freedom in here." Rias claimed. "Besides, your parents' house is way bigger than your house."
"Yeah, but I haven't really lived there for long. I was busy training most of the time so I was away from home." Issei responded.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it quickly." Rias said. "Take this new home as a sign of appreciation and gratitude for all you've done ever since joining my Peerage."
"I'm not too sure I've done too much, but, uuuh…" Issei reached and scratched the back of his head. "I-I mean, I'm grateful. You've seriously outdone yourselves here. But I'm pretty sure I'll need a map for here or something,"
"Ara ara, we have one right there." Akeno said as she pointed towards a huge door, leading to the room they were all currently eating breakfast in.
Looking towards the place Akeno was pointing at, Issei also noticed that an enormous Full HD TV covered over the half of the wall of the room.
"W-Well, I'll certainly need some time to get used to that…" Issei said.
"You'll get used to it rather quickly, I think." Rias replied. "Anyways, eat up now. Once we finish breakfast you'll be free to explore as much as you want."
"Yeah, sounds good." Issei said as he resumed eating his breakfast in silence with all the others following suit.
{[Scene Break]}
After the breakfast, Issei and the rest began exploring the now-enormous house that was in Issei's possession. After studying the map they set out to explore the rooms and floors with their own eyes. Thankfully the house now also had elevators, so going through the floors was not an issue.
On the first floor were the guest rooms, the living room, kitchen, and Japanese-style rooms. On the second floor were Issei, Rias and Asia's rooms. Rias and Asia's rooms were adjacent to Issei's room.
The third floor consisted of a study and a storeroom. On the fourth floor were Akeno, Xenovia and Koneko's rooms. The fact that Koneko's room was so far away from Issei's did irritate Koneko, but she didn't dare to tell anyone.
The fifth and sixth floor's rooms were empty though. They were vacant, begging to be used or filled so that they might not be so empty. For now they didn't have any use, but Issei was sure that they could use them as guest rooms or transform them into something entirely different.
At the very top of the house itself was an open-air garden, planted with beautiful flowers.
"There are also underground floors that are not listed on the map." Rias said as they were done looking around the floors.
"For real?" Issei asked. "There's even more?!"
"Absolutely." Rias replied. "We have three more floors, all of them underground."
"And what, if I dare to ask, is their function?" Issei asked.
"Well, we have the first underground floor. It's a huge spacious room. Not only can it be used as a training room, it can also be used as a movie theatre. It's also equipped with a large indoor bath." Rias began.
"Well, it's useful, I'll admit that." Issei said. 'Why a movie theatre though? We already have that one enormous TV in the living room…'
"The second underground floor is used entirely for an indoor pool. It can also use warm water. In the third underground floor are a library and a storehouse." Rias said as she finished listing off the rooms.
"Ah, so my house now has an indoor pool too…" Issei said quietly. "I don't even know what's what anymore…"
"What's wrong, Issei?" Rias asked him. "Aren't you happy?"
"No, it's not that." Issei shook his head. "It's very thoughtful of you to ask Sirzechs-sama to renovate the house and make it so spacious. It's just that… yesterday it was a small, two-story house. And now, it's a six-story mansion with elevators and massive rooms in which at least 5 people can live freely."
"It's a bit too much to take in for a morning, isn't it?" Rias asked.
"Yeah." Issei replied with a nod. "Still, I appreciate it. There was no need, really."
"Even Onii-sama agreed that you deserve a reward after all the work you've done. Not just for me, but for all of us." Rias complimented. "Personally, I don't think I can repay you in any way, but I guess this renovation is a start."
"I already told you, there's no need to repay me." Issei stated. "I was doing it out of my own consent. Besides, I also benefit from this."
"How come?" Rias raised a brow, hearing Issei's statement.
"Don't worry about it…it doesn't really concern you," Issei replied, turning his glare away from her blue eyes.
Rias didn't get any further response.
{[Scene Break]}
After the long stroll around the newly-renovated house ended, Issei and the rest of Rias' Peerage went to the living room, awaiting for Kiba, Gasper and Azazel's arrival.
"So, why are we waiting for Kiba and the rest here?" Issei asked while he was sitting on the sofa with a certain white haired Nekomata sitting on his lap.
"Onii-sama said that, for our own safety, we will be using the house as the place to hold our meetings." Rias replied.
"How is that house safer than the ORC room?" Issei asked. "I thought you put some defenses in there or something."
"Ufufufu~ We did, but the defenses here are way better." Akeno replied as she brought a tray with tea for everyone. "Not only have we put a barrier around the whole house, we also have defenses on the inside and summoning spells that will call in soldiers if needed."
"Just what the hell were you all people thinking?!" Issei almost yelled out. "This is a house, not a military base!"
"Better safe than sorry." Rias said as she took a sip from her tea.
Right after Rias said that, the ringing of a bell echoed through the entire house.
"Ah, they're here." Rias said as she put her cup down on the table.
"I will go let them in." Akeno said as she went to open the front door.
"You know, you could've asked before doing anything here…" Issei said quietly after Akeno left. "I ain't saying the house is worse now, I'm just saying I'd like to have a saying in this."
"I insisted. And besides, we knew you would've most likely declined." Rias said as she took a sip of her tea.
"Perhaps I would've. But that still doesn't mean you can do it without my consent. It is my house after all." Issei snorted.
"You're right. I apologize." Rias said as she looked down.
"Just to make things clear, I'm not mad or anything." Issei said. "I'm just saying this for future reference."
Just as Rias was about to reply, Akeno returned to the room with Azazel, Kiba and Gasper following her. Rias turned to look at them and smiled.
"Ah, everyone's here then." Rias said. "We can now begin our meeting."
Issei sighed and leaned back into the couch he was sitting on. It was going to be a long day.
{[Scene Break]}
"The Underworld?" Issei asked.
After Azazel, Kiba and Gasper arrived and all of them were seated, Rias began explaining about the ORC's plans for the summer. The mention of the Underworld was a bit weird for Issei, so he wanted to find out the reason for it.
"Yes. I will be going home for the summer holidays." Rias nodded her head. "I usually go every year. Is that much of a surprise for you, Issei?"
"Not really." Issei replied. "I was just curious."
"As a matter of fact, I won't be going there alone." Rias said. "All of you will be accompanying me."
"Eh? We'll be going to the Underworld too?" Xenovia asked.
"That's right." Rias turned towards her. "After all, you're all members of my peerage, therefore all of you will be coming with me to my home in the Underworld. Come to think of it, that will be the first time for you, wouldn't it be, Xenovia?"
"Yes. I've been interested in the Underworld for a long time. However, for the sake of going to Heaven, I had to serve the Lord…" Xenovia said. "But now that I'm a Devil, there shouldn't be any possibility of me going to Heaven… I feel irony in setting foot in the same world as those who have been sent to Hell as Divine punishment. Hell, huh. It suits a former believer who became a Devil."
"I think you've been a bit too devoted…" Issei quietly murmured.
"We will be staying in the Underworld until the 20th of August." Rias explained. "We'll be training various events there, but we'll also get to relax."
"W-We'll be training?" Asia asked.
"That's right." Rias nodded. "After all, I can't have you all slacking off. All of you need to be in top shape."
"And, by Sirzechs' orders, I'll be accompanying you guys as well." Azazel said as he sipped from his tea. "He wants me to look after you and make sure you're all doing your exercises right. After all, it is my job as your sensei."
As Azazel said that, Rias looked at Issei who seemed to be staring at the nothingness, as if lost. He seemed different ever since the morning. She couldn't explain why, but she didn't like that. She wanted to find out the reason for this.
"What's wrong, Issei?" Rias asked, successfully grabbing Issei's attention. "Are you not excited?"
"Wha? N-No, it's not that." Issei shook his head.
"Did I ruin plans that you've made for the summer?" Rias asked again.
"No, not at all." Issei said. "I have no plans. I-I'd love to go to the Underworld."
"It is settled then." Rias clapped her hands. "We'll make preparations for our departure immediately."
After hearing Rias' words, all the members of the ORC began packing their bags for their trip to the Underworld.
{[Scene Break]}
The first thing that Rias' Peerage and Azazel did after packing their bags was going to the nearest station. This was a weird choice of location for Issei, since he had travelled to the Underworld in various ways. 'Magic circles', griffons, teleportation spells, etc. But he has never ever gone to the Underworld via train. At least that's what he assumed they'll be going with.
Once they were at the station, Rias' Peerage split into two parts and every part got into an elevator, with only two floors available. Strangely enough, the elevators were only able to move up, but not down.
"I don't get it." said Issei while standing in one of the elevators with Rias, Asia, Koneko and Xenovia. "This elevator can only get us to the above floor and back to this one. What are we even doing in here?"
Rias didn't answer right away. Instead, she pulled out a keycard from her skirt and turned it towards the electronic panel that let the people choose the floor. Once she turned the card towards the panel a beeping noise was heard and the elevator began to descend towards a non-existent underground level. Rias then turned towards Issei and put her card back into her skirt.
"Beneath this station, there is a secret level that is only usable by Devils and Fallen Angels." Rias explained. "As long as they have an authorization, they can use the underground level as they see fit."
"Sirzechs-sama never told me about the existence of this secret level." Issei replied. "Then again, the whole point of me going to the Underworld was to train, so it makes sense he wouldn't tell me about it. It would've been way too easy for me to go back and forth."
After a minute or so, the elevator stopped descending and the doors opened. Upon exiting the elevator, Issei, Asia and Xenovia found themselves in an enormous artificial space that was structured like a station platform. It looked fairly similar to the stations in the human world, but there were a few differences here and there.
Not too long after, the second elevator also came down and Akeno and the rest of Rias' Peerage, as well as Azazel and Raynare walked out of it. Seeing Raynare, Issei narrowed his eyes and turned towards Azazel.
"Why is she here?" Issei asked him.
"Well, because she's your servant, duh." Azazel smirked. "She's supposed to follow you, so she had to come. Besides, she herself said that she wanted to come along."
"She did?" Issei raised his eyebrow as he looked at Raynare or a brief moment. Upon noticing Issei staring at her she perked up and looked elsewhere, trying to avoid his gaze.
"How come?" Issei asked as he reverted his gaze back at Azazel.
"I'm just as clueless as you are." Azazel shrugged. "But she wanted to come, so here she is. Trust me, she won't cause drama. If she does, you have every right to punish her."
"I'll need some time to get used to that." Issei said with a scratch of his head. "But I guess it's alright."
"Let's go, we'll have to go walk to platform three." Rias said after Issei and Azazel's conversation ended. "Our train is there already." she finished, confirming Issei's suspicions.
With Rias and Akeno leading, Issei and the rest began walking towards the platform. After taking passages left and right, they finally reached another vast open space. This time however, there was a train in front of them.
The train itself was massive. It had many Devil-representing patterns all over it and the Gremory family crest. That could only mean one thing…
"This is the train, owned by the Gremory family." Rias said. "This will be our private transport to the Underworld."
As she said that, the train's doors automatically opened. With Rias in the lead, Issei and the rest all got inside the train with its doors closing behind them.
Seconds later, the departure whistle sounded and the train began to move.
{[Scene Break]}
Issei and the rest all took their seats in the now-moving train. As their [King], Rias was sitting in the first train car, while Issei and the rest of her Peerage alongside Azazel and Raynare were in the train car behind Rias'.
Issei looked around the train and immediately noticed that the train car was a least three times as big as regular trains'. Not to mention that it was quite luxurious with sofas and couches around several coffee tables. He had never traveled to the Underworld with a train before, so all of this was new to him.
"How long will it take for us to get there?" Issei asked Akeno.
"About an hour." Akeno smiled. "This train passes through the dimensional barrier using official means before arriving to the Underworld."
"Why didn't we just use a 'Magic Circle'?" Issei grumbled. "Whenever I've gone to the Underworld in the past I always used a 'Magic Circle'."
"Usually that's fine, but if the new household Devils don't enter at least once by the official route, you'll be punished for illegally entering." Akeno explained. "That's why you all have to properly finish the official entry procedure."
"I see." Issei said with a nod. "Though, I'm quite surprised I haven't heard about this rule. Sirzechs-sama explained to me how the transportation works back when I was training here."
"Perhaps he didn't think you'd ever join a Peerage, ufufu~" Akeno covered her mouth as she giggled. "Perhaps there are some more rules you don't know about. Rules about Peerages that Buchou never told you about."
"Come to think of it, all I know is that usually I'm supposed to obey. Though, you already know my situation…" Issei said as he looked outside the train car's window. "Regardless of that, what other rules are there?"
"There is one rather important one that you need to remember, ufufu~" Akeno said as a slight smirk appeared on her face. "Sexual contacts with the Peerage master are punishable, unless the master says it's okay."
Hearing this, Issei's face immediately turned red.
"W-What brought this on?!" Issei asked with his face red and his eyes as wide as saucers.
Akeno didn't reply immediately. Instead, she got closer to him and sat on his lap that was not occupied by Koneko at the moment. Once she was seated on Issei's lap, she giggled once more before finally answering.
"Ara ara, you wanted to know more about the Peerage rules, ufufu~" she said as she leaned into him. "I'm just educating you, ufufu~"
"Y-Yeah, but I didn't ask about that!" Issei replied. "B-Besides, why would you mention that one rule exactly?!"
"Ara, it's quite an important one, Issei-kun, ufufu~" Akeno kept teasing him as she kept leaning into him. "After all, I wouldn't want my cute kouhai to get punished for doing something like this, ufufu~"
"W-Why would I be punished for that? I-I would never think of it!" Issei averted his gaze as he desperately tried to defend himself.
"Now now, no need to be embarrassed, Issei-kun. After all, we're in that age, ufufu~" Akeno said as she grabbed Issei's hand. "However, skin-ship between the said master's servants is okay."
Saying this, she brought Issei's hand to her thighs and then began to slowly move it across her legs, all the way to her skirt. Just as Akeno was about to bring Issei's hand underneath her skirt, Asia quickly grabbed Issei's hand and pulled it away with a tug. Issei looked towards Asia. Her eyes were teary as her mouth pouted.
"Akeno-san's influence is too strong!" Asia said. "Issei-san will become a pervert!"
"Ara ara, what's the matter, Asia-chan?" Akeno asked as she looked towards Asia. "Isn't it normal for young men to be perverted?"
At this point, Issei didn't think that it would be healthy for his face to turn even more red, so he decided to avert his gaze and focus on something else. He began looking around the train car once more, desperately trying to get away from the conversation Akeno was forcing him in.
Looking around the train car, he noticed that his fellow Peerage members didn't really pay mind to the little situation that was playing out, save for Azazel who was smirking with his eyes closed. The rest of the Peerage all seemed to be busy with doing their own stuff.
Kiba and Gasper were gossiping among themselves about something, Xenovia was reading a book, Raynare was sitting next to Azazel while staring at some point blankly, and Koneko was sitting near the window of the opposing side of the train car. She was staring outside of it, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing her like that, Issei's concerns immediately grew. Ever since he confessed his feelings to her back at his parents' house, Koneko was always near him and always taking her favorite spot in his lap whenever the situation allowed her to. However, seeing her like this, sitting away from everyone while not saying anything and being even more quiet than she usually was… It was bothering him.
Issei was lost in his thoughts while staring at Koneko that he didn't even notice Rias entering the train car after hearing Akeno and what she said to Issei. Her body was being enveloped in red aura.
"Look who's talking, Asia." Rias said as she entered the train car, pulling Issei out of his thoughts and interrupting the conversation between Akeno and Asia. "Generally, skin-ship between master and servant are quite natural."
"Ara ara, weren't you supposed to stay in the front train car, Buchou?" Akeno asked as she grabbed Issei's free hand and brought it to her thighs.
"I was, but your weird explanation of the rules got me curious, so I came to see what's happening." Rias narrowed her eyes. "Mind explaining yourself, Akeno?"
"I was just explaining the basic rules to Issei-kun, Buchou. Ufufu~" Akeno said as she put her hand over Issei's. "He was having some trouble understanding them, ufufu~"
"Sure doesn't seem like it to me." Rias kept glaring at her. "In any case, I think it will be better if you allow him to stand up for now. Reynaldo will come any second now to scan him, Asia and Xenovia."
"Of course, Buchou." Akeno replied as she stood up from Issei's lap and sat on her previous place. Although she was smiling as ever, Issei could feel a hint of sadness coming off of her. Although he felt it, he couldn't really explain it.
"Reynaldo?" Xenovia asked as she looked at Rias. "Who is that?"
"He is the conductor of the Gremory private train." Rias replied. "He has to scan you, Issei and Asia since you're new members of my Peerage."
"What's the scanning for?" Issei asked.
"It basically just checks whether you're the real members of my Peerage or not. It also creates records of you." Rias explained. "Your records give your piece designations, and when transmitted it is registered as data in the Underworld. That's why Reynaldo has to scan you. There's no problem. Since everyone here is who they say they are."
"W-Will it be painful?" Asia asked soon after.
"Not at all." Rias assured her. "The whole procedure is completely harmless."
Though, Asia had to admit that she was still not convinced with her master's words.
{[Scene Break]}
Not too long after this conversation, the conductor that Rias spoke of entered the train car. He was an elderly man wearing a conductor's outfit. After a short introduction, he carried out with his scanning and registering Issei, Asia and Xenovia.
After their registration, Rias decided to stay with her Peerage members in the second train car. Since there was still some more time until the train's arrival to the Underworld, Rias and the rest decided to kill some time by playing card games.
While playing, they heard an announcement ringing through the train's cars.
"We will momentarily be breaking through the dimensional wall. We will momentarily be breaking through the dimensional wall." the announcement said.
"So that means we're close now?" Issei asked.
"Try looking outside." Rias said to Issei, Asia and Xenovia.
The three of them did as told and looked outside through the train car's window. What they all noticed at first was that the pitch dark scenery they were passing through before has changed. In its place was a beautiful purple sky. There was also a quite sizeable portion of land, that didn't look that much different from the Earth's cities. Although far away from it, the trio could easily notice the mountains, forests, rivers and the enormous buildings.
Asia and Xenovia sat there with their mouths agape in awe, while Issei just smiled slightly. What they were currently observing was the Underworld.
"A-Amazing!" Asia exclaimed excitedly. "It looks so beautiful!"
"I never imagined the Devils would live in such a beautiful city!" Xenovia said with her eyes gleaming, captivated by the view of the city.
"This area is within Gremory's territory." Rias explained. Asia and Xenovia both looked at their Master in shock.
"A-Amazing, Buchou!" Asia exclaimed. "You're way richer than what I've imagined!"
"Just how large is the Gremory territory?" Xenovia asked as she looked at Rias.
"If I recall correctly, it's about as big as Honshu in Japan." Kiba replied.
"The Underworld has the same amount of surface area as the human world, but the population here isn't the same as the human world." Rias explained. "Even with Devils, Fallen Angels, and other races, it isn't that high. And since there are no oceans, the land is also spacious."
At that point, Asia and Xenovia were at total loss for words. Both of them have imagined that Rias would be a wealthy princess with lots of territory, money and whatanot, but all of this really surpassed any expectations.
As for Issei, he wasn't that surprised since he knew some things about the Underworld already. As a matter of fact, Sirzechs have explained to him just how big the Gremory territory is, so all of this was not news for him.
"Oh! That's right!" Rias suddenly clapped her hands as she remembered something. "Issei, Asia, Xenovia. As my servants, you will all get pieces of the territory, so please tell me what places you want."
"W-We get our own territory?!" Asia squeaked in surprise.
"You're all the servant devils of the next family head. Living in my territory as part of the Gremory group is permitted." Rias explained. "Akeno, Yuuto, Koneko, and even Gasper possess land within my territory."
As she said that, a map suddenly appeared in front of Rias. The map seemed to be hovering by itself. On it was the whole territory, controlled by the Gremory. There were some parts of it that were colored in red.
"The parts of the map that are colored in red are already claimed, but anywhere else is okay. You can choose either now or later."
At this point, Asia fainted.
{[Scene Break]}
Ten minutes later, with some help of Issei and Xenovia, Asia was back on track. Fortunately for her, it was just in time for the second announcement that rang through the train's car.
"We will soon be arriving at the Gremory main residence. Everyone, thank you for riding this train." the announcement speakers repeated.
Issei looked out the window and what he saw was a huge crowd of people. Among all the people, there were soldiers mixed in the crowd. By the crests present on their armors Issei remembered that they were a part of the Gremory family's troops.
"Ah, we're almost there." Rias said as she also looked out of the window. "Everyone, prepare to get out of the train."
The train began to gradually slow down until it eventually stopped. After the train stopped, Rias and her Peerage all began to leave through the open door. Just as he was about to get out, Issei noticed that Azazel didn't even move from his place.
"Aren't you getting off, Azazel-sama?" Issei asked him.
"Yeah, I plan to keep going through Gremory territory like this and go to the Maou's territory." Azazel said. "I have a meeting with Sirzechs and the others there. A so-called "invitation". Since it faces the main residence of the Gremory's, I'll come after I go see them and finish my greetings."
"I see." Issei replied. "What about her then?" he asked as he nudged his head towards Raynare that was walking right next to Asia.
"Right, I spoke with Rias about her." Azazel scratched the back of his head. "She's your servant, so she's coming with you."
"Are you sure she won't cause any trouble?" Issei asked him.
"Even if she does, she's all yours." Azazel smirked. "Scold her, punish her, I couldn't care less."
"I… see." Issei nodded. Afterwards he turned around and began walking towards the train's door. "Well then, see you later, I guess."
"Of course, of course. I'll see you all later." Azazel said as he sat back down at his place. He then waved at Rias and the rest as the train's doors closed.
The moment Issei stepped his foot outside the train, the sound of numerous voices rang all around him.
"Welcome home, Rias-ojou-sama!" the enormous crowd that was gathered around them all yelled out.
Just as they shouted those words, fireworks were set off, and the soldiers aimed their guns at the sky and fired. Several people that looked like as if they were an Orchestra band began playing simultaneously.
Issei, Asia and Xenovia saw themselves in wonder, as they could do nothing but stare in awe and blink.
"Uwaaa, so many people!" Gasper whined as he swiftly hid behind Issei.
Issei took a better look at the crowd and noticed that there were lots of butlers and maids as well. The moment Rias approached them, they all bowed their hands and welcomed her to her home.
"Thank you everyone." Rias smiled as she waved at the crowd. "I'm home. I've returned."
"Welcome back, Ojou-sama." a familiar voice was heard. As Issei turned towards the source of the voice, he noticed that Grayfia has appeared from somewhere.
"Ah, Grayfia, you're here." Rias smiled as she saw her. "We've finally arrived."
"I'm glad that you were safe while travelling." Grayfia said. She then turned towards Issei and the rest of the Peerage. "Now then, all family members, please board the carriage. We'll be going to the main residence with it."
Saying that, Grayfia led Rias' Peerage to a gorgeous-looking carriage. The carriage itself seemed large enough for at least six people. The horses in front of the carriages looked almost like the ones on Earth, but slightly bigger and a sharper glint in their eyes.
"I'll go with Issei, Asia and Xenovia, since they seem a little anxious." Rias said.
"Understood." Grayfia nodded. "I've prepared a few vehicles, so please board whichever pleases you."
Saying that, the Peerage divided into two parts. The first part consisted of Rias, Issei, Xenovia, Asia and Grayfia which boarded the first of the carriages, while Akeno, Kiba, Koneko and Gasper boarded the second carriage.
Once both the carriages were boarded, they began moving towards the main residence.
{[Scene Break]}
The ride to the main residence took a bit longer than Issei expected. While the carriage moved through the enormous Underworld city, Issei noticed the beautiful scenery – a side of the Underworld that he had seen only once before.
Beautiful flowers, paved roads, fountains, colorful birds – all of it in plain sight for Issei to see while riding in the carriage. While observing his surroundings, he noticed that the carriage was in some sort of enormous garden, which he could only assume belonged to the Gremory family.
Although Issei had met Sirzechs and his father before, he had never went to their main residence as they called it. In fact, he never really even gets to know anyone else besides Sirzechs, his father and Grayfia.
He felt slightly embarrassed that although he has been in the Underworld couple of times, he could never put two and two together and find out that Rias was Sirzechs' sister.
His little train of thoughts was broken a second later, as an enormous castle came into view and Asia's surprised squeak brought him back to the world of living.
"B-Buchou, what is this huge castle?!" Asia asked as her eyes nearly leapt out of her sockets.
"That's the main residence of one of my homes." Rias replied. "We seem to have arrived." she added after a short pause.
Seconds after Rias said those words, the carriage's doors began to open, revealing a butler-like figure.
Rias got out of the carriage first, followed by Issei and the rest. As they all got out, the second carriage arrived and Akeno and the rest of Rias' Peerage all got out.
With all the members of Rias' Peerage present, Grayfia began leading the group towards the castle's main gate. Butlers and maids were stood on both sides of them, creating a path. When they neared the gate, a red carpet was stretched out towards the castle as the gate slowly opened.
"Ojou-sama, and all the members of her group, please advance forward." Grayfia said as she bowed and urged the group to go forward.
As the group proceeded forward while walking on the red carpet, a silhouette soon broke out from the line of maids and butlers. The silhouette began running towards Rias while a childish voice was heard.
"Rias-nee-sama!" a small, red-haired boy appeared before Rias and quickly hugged her. "Welcome back!"
Rias smiled and knelt down until her and the boy were on the same level. "Millicas! I'm back." Rias said as she hugged the boy back. "You've gotten bigger since the last time I was here, haven't you?"
"Umm, Buchou, who is this?" Asia asked as she and the rest watched Rias lovingly hugging the small boy.
"This is Millicas Gremory." Rias replied. "The son of my brother – Sirzechs Lucifer. He is my nephew."
'S-Sirzechs-sama's son?!' Issei facepalmed himself. 'You're a bloody genius, Issei! You could come all the way here years ago and train with Sirzechs-sama, but never ask him about his family?! Stupid! Stupid! STUPID!'
"Come on, Millicas." Rias said as she stopped embracing the boy and stood up. "Greet them. They are new members of my Peerage." she said as she pointed at Issei, Asia and Xenovia.
"Yes!" Millicas said as he took a step forward. "I'm Millicas Gremory. Nice to meet you!" after Millicas' introduction, Issei, Asia and Xenovia all introduced themselves, but Issei seemed rather tense. He still felt bad about not knowing who the young boy was despite knowing Sirzechs for a long time.
"Come on, let's go into the residence." Rias said as she grabbed Millicas' hand and led him and the rest of the group into the residence.
Upon passing through the main gate, the inner gates also opened one by one, allowing the group to finally get inside the enormous residence of the Gremory. Not too long after, they finally got the entry hall. The entry hall was quite spacious and had stairs that led to the second floor of the building.
"Ojou-sama, I'd like to show everyone to their rooms at once." Grayfia said as she raised her hand. Upon doing this, several maids gathered around the group.
"You're right, I have to go greet mother and father after coming home as well." Rias said.
"The master is out at present. He's expected to return by this evening." Grayfia explained. "He said that he would meet together with you while dining with everyone together at supper."
"I see, I understand, Grayfia." Rias said. "Then, I suppose we'll let everyone rest in their respective rooms for now. Has the baggage been carried in already?"
"Yes. There should be no problem with using your room right now." Grayfia replied with a nod of her head.
Just as Issei and the rest were about to walk towards the staircase, an unfamiliar voice was heard.
"Ah, Rias, you're back." a woman's voice was heard from above Rias and the rest.
A beautiful woman wearing a white dress came down the stairs. She had long brown hair and violet eyes. The dress she was wearing looked fancy and extremely expensive. Her attire was being completed with expensive earrings, necklaces and rings.
The woman also looked fairly young. Almost as old as Rias, to be exact. They also looked quite alike. This made an immediate impression to Issei, leading him to believe that the unknown woman was Rias' sister.
However, as soon as Rias spoke, all of Issei's assumptions and theories were crushed.
"Mother, I've returned home." Rias said as she walked to the woman and embraced her.
'M-Mother?!' Issei thought to himself. 'But she looks way too young for being her mother!'
[Did you forget that the Devils can change their appearance, Partner?] Ddraig's voice suddenly rang through Issei's head.
'W-Well, no, but I mean, I didn't think that they could change it that much!' Issei replied in a sense of shock.
"Oh? Rias, is that the boy I have been hearing so much about?" the woman asked as she turned to look at Issei.
"Yes. He is my new [Pawn]." Rias replied. "And these two girls are my [Knight] and my [Rook]." Rias said as she pointed at Asia and Xenovia respectfully.
"W-Wait, you know about me?" Issei asked as both Asia and Xenovia finished introducing themselves.
"Of course I do." Rias' mother smiled. "You used to visit the Underworld quite frequently years ago. Besides, Rias has told me a lot about you."
"S-She did, huh…?" Issei muttered as he scratched the back of his head. Rias' mother nodded and spoke again.
"I never had the chance to see you when you were coming here years ago." Rias' mother frowned. "But from what Sirzechs and Zeoticus have told me, you are a nice and powerful boy."
"I-It's not your fault." Issei shook his head. "It's mine, since I didn't ask Sirzechs-sama or Zeoticus-sama anything about your family. I even thought that Buchou was Sirzechs-sama's daughter at first."
As he said that, Issei bowed his head in an apologetic manner. "Please excuse me for my lack of interest at the time. It was extremely rude of me."
Rias' mother smiled as she took a step forward towards Issei.
"You don't have to apologize about something like that." Rias' mother said. "You were younger at the time and I am certain that you were nervous just being here." Issei raised his head to look at her. "You were young, so it's understandable, please don't blame yourself for it."
"But, I…" Issei began, trying to argue, but was interrupted by Rias' mother once more.
"But nothing. It's not your fault and you shouldn't feel bad about it." Rias' mother said. "What matters now is that I can finally meet you myself, and not just hear about you."
"Ri-Right." Issei nodded as he then bowed again. "My name is Hyoudou Issei, Rias Gremory's [Pawn]. Please take care of me."
"I'm glad to finally meet you, Hyoudou Issei-kun." Rias' mother smiled once more before introducing herself as well. "My name is Venelana Gremory, Rias' mother. Please treat me well."
The words that Rias' mother (Venelana) said did ease Issei a little bit, but he still felt guilty about it. After the introduction, all the members of Rias' Peerage went into their respective rooms, resting after the events of the day.
{[Scene Break]}
Ah hour later, Issei was laying on the bed in the room, provided by Rias' family. It has been a long day, but it wasn't over yet. He really needed to rest, but he couldn't relax no matter how hard he tried. There were couple of reasons for that.
First off, the room provided by Rias' family was a bit too spacious for him. The bed alone was large enough for at least 40 people to sleep on, so it was kind of off-putting.
Second off, he was still concerned about Koneko and her being way more quiet than usual. What was odd was the fact that she was completely fine a day or so ago. It was really weird for her to suddenly become like this.
Lastly, he was still disappointed in himself about his behavior all those years ago, back when he was visiting the Underworld to train.
Despite Venelana's kind words, Issei still couldn't forgive himself for being so rude and stupid at the same time. The thoughts about it just didn't leave his mind.
[You're overthinking it way too much, Partner.] Ddraig said aloud after reading his thoughts. [You already heard the Gremory's mother. She doesn't hold a grudge against you.]
"I know that, Ddraig." Issei replied with a sigh. "But I still can't forgive myself. I mean, mom and dad taught me better than that!"
[The entire point of you coming here was to train and gain power, not to build family connections.] Ddraig said. [I fail to understand why you keep beating yourself up about it, Partner.]
"Because I'm disappointed in myself, Ddraig."Issei replied. "I mean, even when Buchou first came to me I still couldn't make the connection between her and Sirzechs-sama. Am I really that stupid?"
[Partner, you had no way of knowing who Rias Gremory was when your first met her.] Ddraig said. [Quit moping about something in the past and focus on your current situation. Knowing the Devils, you're not here just to spend your Summer break and have a vacation. You're most likely here to train.]
"Guess you're right…" Issei nodded. "Thanks Ddraig, I needed that."
With the conversation in his head over, Issei took a deep breath and closed his eyes as his mouth curled into a small smile.
{[Scene Break]}
Several hours later, Issei and the rest of Rias' group, as well as Rias' parents and Millicas were all in the dining room of her family's residence.
The room itself was enormous and in the middle of it stood an enormous, expensive-looking table. Around the table were placed chairs, all of which were covered in expensive-looking ornaments. Extravagant chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling over the table and chairs, illuminating the whole room.
The dinner was already served on the table and it was the biggest amount of food Issei had seen so far. The extravagant enormous meal was piled on top of expensive-looking plates. Even with his dragon's appetite, Issei was unsure if he could even eat his whole portion of food.
Still, it'd be rude not to eat, and after all he was hungry, so it was worth a try.
"Ahem, members of Rias' group, please think of this place as your home. Having just come to the Underworld, you're in an environment you don't understand. If there's something you want, please say so to the housemaids without reserve. They'll prepare it right away." Rias' father said. "Please enjoy yourselves without holding back."
And with his words, dinner began. The food was amazing, it was perfect in any way Issei could describe it. He had forgotten the taste of the food prepared in the Underworld and the perfection in every single aspect of the meal that they were putting. It has been so long since he tasted something like this and it was definitely something he could get used to.
"Issei-kun." Rias' father suddenly spoke out.
"Y-Yes?" Issei asked as he looked at him.
"Have your parents been well? I haven't heard from them ever since our short conversation during Parents' Day." Rias' father replied.
"You met during Parents' Day?" Issei was surprised as his parents didn't tell him. "I-I didn't know. Why didn't you come by? I would've loved to see you again."
"Unfortunately some urgent business came up for me, so I had to leave rather early, but I told them to deliver my best wishes to you." Rias' father, Zeoticus, explained.
"W-Well, the day was rather 'eventful', so they must've forgotten…" Issei said.
"I see." Zeoticus nodded. "Well, it's certainly understandable. I've heard about the case as well, I'm glad that it all ended well."
"Y-Yeah, I'm glad so too." Issei said as he scratched his head. "But, since you asked, they have been fine. They're very glad that the Peace Treaty has finally been signed and that the war between the Three Factions is no more."
"I see. That's wonderful then!" Zeoticus smiled as he returned to eating his food.
Issei did so as well, but before he did that he glanced at Koneko. She had barely even touched her food, which was weird considering she was the one that are the most from Rias' entire Peerage. He could sense that something was wrong ever since the morning, but he couldn't ask her the whole day.
Koneko suddenly looked back at him, which reminded him that he was staring at her for a bit too long. She blushed and averted her gaze, but didn't say anything.
The way she was behaving was troubling Issei, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Before he resumed eating his food, he looked at the rest of Rias' Peerage.
Rias, Akeno and Kiba were both eating their food with grace, which he honestly expected of them. Asia and Xenovia seemed to have some trouble just like himself, but they were managing just fine. Gasper was eating his food with watery eyes that were squeezed shut, but Issei honestly couldn't blame him. The day's been rough for the hikikimori.
He then looked at Raynare that was sitting right next to Asia. She seemed nervous, but she was also eating gracefully, just like Kiba and Akeno. It really surprised him that Rias' family allowed for a Fallen Angel to join the dinner, but he just assumed it was because she was his servant now.
"That reminds me…" Zeoticus suddenly spoke out once more. "Issei-kun, you will be staying for a while, won't you?"
"Uhm, yes?" Issei was confused. "What brought this on?"
"You see, as a member of my daughter's Peerage, you have to be trained." Zeoticus said.
"Yeah, I have been slacking off recently, some training would be good for me." Issei replied.
"That's the spirit!" Zeoticus jokingly said as he chuckled. "But I didn't mean that kind of training."
"What?" Issei asked in surprise. "Then, what do I have to train?"
"I have to have you acquire gentlemanly behavior while you're here, Issei-kun." Zeoticus said. "You'll study manners a little while here."
"I see. That's fine with me, Zeoticus-sama." Issei replied. "But why, if I may ask?"
"Well, you see, you are an extraordinary being." Zeoticus began. "Therefore, you are quite popular. You have a name for yourself not only among Devils, but also Angels, Fallen Angels, Dragon, Yōkai and so on. It is an honor for us that you became a part of Rias' Peerage, and thus, an indirect part of our family."
"Ever since the 'Rating Game' against Phoenix, you made an even bigger name for yourself in the Underworld. Women all around the Underworld have seemingly found quite the interest in you." Zeoticus continued his explanation with a slight smirk. "Consider the 'training' I'll have you undergo as a sort of 'practice' for when you get married."
"I-I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness Zeoticus-sama, but isn't this something that my parents should teach me?" Issei asked as he scratched the back of his head.
"Of course it is, that's why I asked them before hand, and they approved wholeheartedly." Zeoticus replied.
"I see. Thank you very much, Zeoticus-sama." Issei said as he bowed his head.
"While we're at the topic of the 'Rating Games'…" Rias' mother, Venelana quietly said as she put her utensils down and turned to Rias. "Rias, have you chosen your new groom yet?" Rias lowered her head slightly before silently muttering out a question in response.
"Are we going through this whole conversation again, Mother?" Rias asked, barely audible. "I think I already made it clear that I'm not in a haste to marry anybody and will do it when I feel like I'm ready to do so."
"You must not prolong it, Rias." Venelana said. "The fact that your father and Sirzechs permitted you to escape the marriage through a 'Rating Game' should be thought of as special treatment. How much effort do you think your father and Sirzechs had to put in in order to take care of things with the other high-class Devils? You may be the younger sister of the Maou, but there is still a limit."
Rias' face became twisted with anger before she spoke out.
"Onii-sama has nothing to do with-" Rias began, only to be interrupted by her mother, which was, by no means, done with her scolding.
"You mean Sirzechs is unrelated to what you do? Officially, that is true." Venelana continued. "However, everyone sees you as the Maou's younger sister. Right now, when the three great powers have formed an alliance, your position is known even by the lower classes of the other powers. You can't behave selfishly as you have in the past. And, above all else, everyone will pay attention to you from now on. Rias, you have been placed into that kind of position, you know? There will be no second instance of that kind of selfishness. Do not carry any spoiled thoughts. Understood?"
Rias was shook by her mother's words, but she couldn't respond with anything, so she sat back down on her chair as a sign of defeat.
After letting out a breath, Venelana turned towards Issei and the rest and smiled once more.
"I've shown something ugly to Rias' group members, haven't I?" Venelana said. "Please excuse me, everyone. But it's really hard for us to deal with our daughter at times. Please finish your dinner without worrying."
Saying this, Venelana resumed her dinner. Issei and the rest tried to as well, but it was a bit uncomfortable. Still, Issei's hunger demanded to be satisfied and the plate before him was still half full.
Devil food. Among the best indeed.
{[Scene Break]}
With dinner over and the fatigue generating activities getting the better of them, Rias' Peerage all went to their respective rooms and prepared to call it a day.
Issei was exhausted from all the happening today. Above all though, he couldn't sleep at all due to the weird dream he had in the morning. It got him concerned about himself and his friends, but he tried to shrug it off and put it in the back of his head.
He needed to rest now. He needed energy and strength for tomorrow, because he was sure of one thing…
That the stay in the Underworld would be quite eventful.
{[Scene End]}
This clinches it.
Greetings, everyone! Xeroz here, leaving a final message to all of you that care enough to read it.
First off, I wanna start by apologizing once more for the delay that was almost a year. School's been tough, and I suck at managing my time, which is basically a recipe for disaster. Add to the fact that I do other stuff as well and you get this – me, being lazy/busy to write. Sorry guys, I don't plan on giving up the story anytime soon, so just bear with me.
Second off, I'd like to talk about my Discord server. Some of you guys joined, and trust me, I'm very grateful, but it'll be closing down. I realized that I'm a bit too busy to run another server while having many more on my hands. Basically, I took a bite that was a bit too big for me.
My server is no more, but instead, a substitute is born.
The server is run by AZOLucifer, who have written a great story, called 'Revival of the Dragons' which you can totally check out. Anyways, Lucifer was kind enough to allow me to become an admin in his server and rule alongside him and couple of his buddies, so that means that all of you are invited to the server and we will welcome you with open arms!
Link to the Discord server: discord .gg/xEApPAS
Feel free to join us, guys, and we will be sure to welcome you!
The last thing I'd like to discuss with you guys is the reviews I'm getting. Although I already explained in the beginning of the chapter why I accept the bad comments, I'd also like to point out that the story is still in early stages. I have much planned for it, so I only ask of you guys to be patient and let me do my thing. Meanwhile, feel free to review! Always brightens my day!
I guess that's all for now! I'll try not to take too long with my next update, but you know – I can't guarantee anything. I'll try though!
Massive thanks to my Beta Readers: randomhairz, Agent of The Divine One and AZOLucifer! Thank you guys so much for your help!
Feel free to point out typos and grammatical errors.
'Stay awesome!'
- Xeroz/Xerozzuro