Political Aftermath
"Issei Hyoudou" - Talking
'Issei Hyoudou'- Thought
"Issei Hyoudou" - Communication circle/phone
*Sounds*
[ Issei Hyoudou ] - Inanis
"Issei Hyoudou" - Draconic voice
-VIP Lounge-
Both Lord Gremory and Lord Phoenix stared at the screen as if they couldn't believe their eyes, while Venelana appeared to be quite cheerful from the surprising victory that her daughter pulled. Serafall and Sona were just as shocked from the accomplishment, as it was thought to be impossible for her to win. It's not every day someone can claim to beat a rumored immortal in battle.
"Well, that was certainly a surprise." Sirzechs quipped, breaking the silence in the room. All the monitors were replaying the transformation of the Black Dragon Emperor. Naturally, when it was revealed, every backup camera they had in disposal was activated attempting to get a good shot of the rare Longinus.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but this would be the first Longinus ever to be revived by the Evil Piece system, correct?" Serafall questioned turning to Sirzechs.
"Yes, I do believe it is. I'm sure Ajuka will be most interested with this development, along with the press." Sirzechs chuckled. "Speaking of which, would you mind helping with that Serafall," asked Sirzechs, giving her a faint smile.
"Aww, but that's so boring," Serafall whined, swinging her legs in the chair that she sat in as if she was a child. "Fine, but only if you agree to introduce me to that servant your sister has, he's quite interesting," She chirped, hoping to get an agreement.
Sirzechs gave a light laugh in response to her. "We'll see, let's go. I'm sure we don't have much time to waste," Sirzechs spoke, standing from his ornately furnished chair. "That you all for having us, I do hope you two can come to some form of mutually benefiting agreement," Sirzechs spoke to the two lords before leaving.
-Hospital-
Rias, Akeno, and I were currently in the expansive waiting room of the infirmary to check on Wytner, Kiba, and Koneko who were injured by the burnt chicken and his servants. Asia was currently helping them by healing them with her Twilight Healing, although it would take extra time for Wynter and Kiba who had their lungs damaged.
A familiar, rather homey scent filled the room, cherries and hearth fire. "W-Well, it seems we underestimated you this time, Lady Rias." a voice spoke behind us. Turning around Rias and I found Ravel, looking rather pissed at her loss.
"Indeed, however, it appears that I underestimated them as well." Rias calmly spoke. "They did much better against your forces than I ever could have asked," she spoke, her voice was filled with a proud attitude, and her face showed that she was quite pleased.
"True, I didn't expect them to take out as many as they did," Ravel begrudgingly admitted. "Although, I must admit. I'm more curious about this one," She pointed her finger towards me, narrowing her eyes slightly as she observed me.
"Well, if you want more info you'd have to ask him yourself. He's sort of a special case when it comes to my little family," Rias spoke, glaring at me from the corner of her eyes. I guess she wasn't too happy that I lied about going all out against them.
"That's not very respectful. Hiding things from his master, as well as saying such things during the Rating Game, even if they are true, there is a time and a place." Ravel lectured. Rias turning a light shade of red at me declaring our relationship to such a broad public audience.
"Out of curiosity, hows your brother holding up. I didn't want to kill him, I mean that wouldn't be good for Rias," I questioned. In reality, I wouldn't have been able to care less if he were alive it wouldn't have to affect Rias.
"My brother is fine, he's been asleep ever since he was eliminated. They have him in the infirmary to keep an eye on him as his Phoenix power slowly heals the damage your flames did," Ravel spoke. "But don't get too confident! You may be powerful, but your still just a low-class devil" She quickly spoke, switching back into her tsundere mode.
"Well, when he wakes up, tell the burnt chicken I'll accept a rematch any time." I mockingly spoke. Ravel let out a humph and turned away, walking to where her brother and peerage members were getting their injuries treated.
"My my Issei, despite how tempting it is, your going to get our King in trouble if you keep mouthing off to upper-class devils like that you know?" Akeno spoke, she probably wanted to say as much as I did, she just had better self-control with that than I did. "Besides, didn't you tell her that it wouldn't become a habit?"
My eyes widened as I remembered saying that in the ORC room after we first met Riser and his Peerage. "Oh yeah, I apologize I completely forgot about that," I sincerely spoke, giving Rias a small bow.
"Don't worry about it, I just can't stay upset with you," Ria sweetly spoke as she leaned over on to me, our arms entangling as she rested her head on my shoulder. "By the way, Akeno and I wanted to ask you something."
"And what would that be?" I questioned, looking down into her beautiful blue eyes.
"Well, Asia is living at your place, and I was wondering if it was all right for us to move in with you as well," Rias spoke, her cheeks flushing a slight red tinge.
"I'm okay with that, but I don't have any spare rooms so I'm not sure where you'd sleep at," I mentioned, already having an idea of what they would say.
Akeno let out a sly giggle as she wrapped her arms around mine, pulling my arm between his breasts. "Well, Rias and I were hoping to get a little more skinship with our precious Pawn," She spoke, her violet staring intensely into my own.
The thoughts of what she just said ran through my mind, my face turning a small shade of red from her directness. It felt as if a lump formed in my throat, making it harder to talk in a composed manner.
"I-I don't have any objections to that. However, we should probably inform Asia of the new arrangments to the living conditions," I said, my eyes quickly darting away from them in slight embarrassment.
"Ahem," A voice echoed from behind us, causing the girls to quickly jerk away as they were startled by the unexpected company. Turning around, I spotted a signature crimson hue that could only belong to a member of the Gremory family. The Devil King, Sirzechs, dress in a more casual yet still heavily ornately decorated suit.
"Brot- I mean Lord Sirzechs, what are you doing here?" Rias questioned, Her eyes wide surprised that he showed up instead of working on some other matters that could concern the Devil King. Akeno was just as shocked as Rias to see someone with such a high position to be here.
"Ah if it isn't the Devil King himself, what does someone with such a high position want with a low-class devil such as myself," I sarcastically spoke, still giving the Devil King proper respect with a bow. I was slightly relieved that he arrived, due to him causing Rias and Akeno to back off slightly.
"Is it too much to see an old friend?" Sirzechs chuckled, Rias and Akeno both sat in the bat surprised by our casual actions to each other. They knew we trained together for a good while, but I didn't exactly explain that we were practically friends.
"Not at all, but we haven't spoken in quite some time, how is it going?" I questioned walking over to Sirzechs.
"It's going quite well, and I can see that you two are getting along together as well, it pleases me to no end," He pleasantly spoke, giving a warm smile. "I came here to congratulate you all on your victory as well as to propose an idea Sona and Serafall gave me while we finished dealing with all the press, as well as I have an important matter I need to discuss with you,"
"I suppose the reveal of a Longinus would have been quite a big deal. I apologize if I caused you any trouble," I sincerely spoke, genuinely apologetic that I caused the press to bother him, I know I certainly wouldn't want to deal with them.
"It isn't a problem at all, so don't worry about it. As one of the four Maous, I end up dealing with them quite a bit, so I'm used to it," Sirzechs insisted, waving his hand in a dismissive fashion.
"Well, I apologize all the same," I spoke. "Now, what is so important that it requires the Devil King to tell me in person?" I questioned, crossing my arms and pondering about what could be so important. I stopped taking personal contracts for stray devils since I joined Rias's peerage, so I don't know what it could even remotely be.
"Firstly, the Elder Council wants to talk with you directly along with a few other individuals accompanying the meeting," Sirzechs solemnly spoke, his expression no longer the laid back man I'm used to. Instead, it was replaced by a look of seriousness. The air thickened with a tense feeling as his words left his mouth.
I flared my eyebrows in surprise by such an outlandish thing to occur, the Elder Council of devils wish to see me right after my debut. Rias and Akeno were both shocked to an even higher degree than I was, their eyes widening and jaws dropping as the heard Sirzechs.
"Why would the Elder Council want to see Issei?" Akeno questioned, walking forward at a quick pace until she stopped by my side.
"The Elder Council told me, as well as the other Maous, that they have some concerns with Issei's allegiance to our faction, and they wished to gather a meeting to speak with him directly," Sirzechs spoke, maintaining the serious tone and expression.
"That's absurd!" Rias interjected, moving forward to my other side as Akeno did. "Issei is my Pawn as well as my mate, so there shouldn't be any suspicions to his allegiance to us."
"It's not necessarily that they think he would betray us," Sirzechs spoke, all of us listening carefully to his words as he began explaining the situation.
"It's more likely that they want to ensure he stays with us, by giving him an offering or something of the like. Not to mention that if it got out that we gained such a powerful new ally that wielded a Longinus, they would quickly become wary of us and possibly try to neutralize our new advantage, if not turn him against us," Sirzechs explained, informing us better to the situation.
"Tch, what would they even offer me? I already have what I want," I spoke, more annoyed that this was happening than anything. "All right, well I suppose I don't have a choice in the matter, so when do they want to do this stupid meeting? Also, who are the other party members?" I questioned. I was clearly irritated that they wanted to waste time with this, yet I couldn't help but feel slightly anxious, it's not every day someone has to talk to them.
"I'm unsure who the other party members will be, but the meeting will be three days from now. That should give you plenty of time to rest from the Rating Game, but judging from your current display I doubt you actually need the rest," Sirzechs spoke, chuckling lightly as he mentioned my lack of exertion during the Rating Game.
"Okay well, I'll deal with that later," I spoke, letting out an irritated sigh. "So I noticed you said firstly, so what's the other thing you wanted to talk to us about," I questioned, hoping it wasn't something too serious.
"Ah right, I wanted to know if you and Rias would like to have a celebration for your victory at the Gremory manor that you all spent the week training at," Sirzechs spoke in a much more optimistic tone, completely dispersing the tense atmosphere that was built by the last conversation.
My mood instantly switched to that of curiosity and slight excitement, as we didn't really have time to enjoy ourselves at the manor and I'm willing to bet that a place like that held quite a lot of options for activity.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Rias chirped in, clasping her hands together with a pleasant smile now dressed across her face. "When would the party be hosted, and who all would be there?"
"I figured we could host the party the day after Issei and I talk with the Elder Council, that way it would be a good way for everyone to relieve built up stress," Sirzechs happily suggested. "The people who would attend would consist of you and your peerage, Sona and her peerage, Serafall Leviathan, and myself,"
"I have to say that does sound like fun," Rias happily spoke, as she appeared to be quite warm to the idea. "What do you two think?" She asked, turning her attention to Akeno and me.
"I have to agree with you, it does sound quite exciting," Akeno chimed. Her face covered with a cheerful smile.
"I'd like to have this party as well," I spoke, looking at the others. "I'm interested in seeing what that place really has to do."
"All right then. I'll tell Serafall that her plan was met with a positive reception, as well as tell Sona about the party," Sirzechs spoke. "Well, I should be going, can't shirk my duties for too long," He spoke, waving to us as he left the building.
"All right then, I'll see you at the party," I spoke, giving him a wave back along with the other girls.
Akeno, Rias and I sat back down in the quite comfortable chairs in the spacious waiting room, waiting for the others to all receive Asia's healing and be released. I flipped through a few magazines as we waited while Akeno and Rias chatted about what would be a good thing to bring to the party, as they were both excited to get some free time finally.
Hanging from the ceiling in the corner of the room hung a decent size monitor. The channel it was turned on to appeared to be that of a newscast, or something similar to that. In the center of the frame was four people sitting around a circular table, in the background was a picture of me in the Balance Breaker.
I knew I would cause a scene with the announcement, but I didn't imagine that it would be this big of a deal. This channel was a more popular one if I recall correctly, it has been a while since I watched the underworld's television. So even if people didn't see the fight, they will know about it.
'Damn, the media certainly is annoying,' I mentally thought, letting out an exasperated sigh as I heard their opinions on what happened which widely varied, from well received to indifference, and even some strong negative remarks from one.
[I wouldn't worry about them too much, the only people who should concern your opinion is whom you deem close to you.] Inanis mentally spoke to me.
'Well, that and those old bags of bones in the Elder Council' I sarcastically remarked, rolling my eyes as I spoke. Rias, Akeno, and the other peerage members were the only ones whom I cared about their opinions on me.
[Hmph, let them say what they want. Those geezers won't be able to understand us dragons.] Inanis snorted. A faint smile forming on my lips as he spoke, accompanied by a light chuckle.
My thoughts were broken as I heard footsteps walking down the hall from where Asia was healing the others. Turning my head, I spotted the four others walking towards those of us in the waiting room. They looked relatively fine, albeit from an apparent soreness. I lightly elbowed Rias next sitting next to me, causing her to turn her head and see the others.
Rias and Akeno stood up and walked to the others, assumingly to see how her servants were doing and of course I followed shortly behind the two girls stretching as I stood.
"You three are looking much better." Rias spoke, stopping a few feet away from the others. "How are you feeling?" She questioned, wishing to know if their appearance held.
"Well, I'm fine all things considered." Kiba spoke, stretching his arms a bit. "Aside from a slight amount of soreness I'm fine, just need a bit of rest is all." He chuckled, rubbing the area of his chest that Riser struck.
"I feel the same." Wynter spoke up. "Asia's Sacred Gear is quite useful, and she did a wonderful job healing us." she sincerely complemented. Asia's cheeked flushed a light red, surprised by the sudden compliment from Wynter.
"... I'm fine" Koneko bluntly spoke, clearly not in a good mood. We all noticed this. However, we didn't question it. We are in the waiting room of a hospital after all, so it's not like this is the right place for that.
"All right then, I'm glad to hear your all doing well." Rias spoke, turning her attention to Asia. "Asia, how do you think they are? You are the one who healed them after all."
"O-oh uh. W-Well, Koneko should be fine with some light rest. Kiba and Wynter will probably need to rest more since their lungs got hit." Asia nervously spoke, stuttering as she did so.
"That makes sense, you did good Asia. There's no need to be so nervous." Rias said, smiling and praising the nervous blond Bishop. "For now though, let's all go back to the clubhouse. We have a few things we need to talk about." Rias spoke, most likely talking about what Sirzechs told us.
Rias notified the staff of the occurrences, as to not cause panic when their patients just up and disappear. Afterward, we left the building, gathering outside the hospital, traveling through a teleportation circle to move back into the club room.
The crimson red light faded, revealing the quaint wooden club room just as we left it when we left. "All right, Akeno would you please make everyone some refreshments? After everyone has gotten comfortable, we'll discuss the important new" Rias spoke.
For the first time in forever, I didn't immediately flop onto the couch as soon as I saw it. Instead, I took my place leaning against the small amount of wall between the windows behind Rias's desk, since the others needed the rest much more than I did.
The others didn't vocally acknowledge this change in behavior, but they did get the message behind it, so they didn't question it. Kiba and Koneko sat down on their usual side, while Asia and Wynter sat where I typically laid down. Rias took her spot in the desk chair, and Akeno went to make everyone some tea.
Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes as Akeno was off preparing the tea. The duel wooden doors opened, echoing with a loud creaking sound revealing Akeno with a push tray. Akeno pushed the tray around, giving us all a cup of her delicious tea. She stored the tray away after we all had a teacup and took her place next to her king.
Rias took a sip from the steaming light brown tea. "It's just as delicious as always." Rias warmly spoke to our Queen, setting the tea back onto the desk.
Rias rose from her chair, leaning forward onto the wooden desk allowing her arms to prop her up. "All right, we have a few matters to discuss before I dismiss everyone." Rias spoke.
"Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you all on a job well done. I couldn't be prouder of my precious family members." Rias sincerely spoke, turning to each and every one of us with a proud smile.
Everyone wore a relieved smile to hear that she was happy with us more so than the others. The air of the club room lightened, as I'm sure the others were nervous since they got eliminated during the Rating Game against Raiser.
Koneko appeared to be slightly relieved hearing that, more so than the others, although I doubt that just magically fixed it. She wants to be strong, and she eliminated the least amount, that's a fact, and I doubt shes just going to let it go.
"Secondly, this is probably the least important one. However, I wanted to let everyone know that Akeno and I are moving in with Issei and Asia." Rias mentioned. "It wouldn't do if you all needed to find your King and Queen, and you couldn't find them because they failed to tell you where they moved to." Rias justified, the others nodding slightly in agreement.
"Thirdly, Sirzechs is going to host a celebratory party for our victory. Serafall will be joining him, as well as Sona and her peerage members. It will be located in the manor we trained in for the Rating Game." Rias informed us. The others gained bright smiles hearing the words Rias spoke. I'm sure they were all happy to hear we had a vacation of sorts.
"R-Really? When do we get to go?" Asia quickly asked, her voice filled with eagerness.
"The party will be hosted four days from now, which also brings up my next topic." Rias spoke, her smile fading as a much more serious expression covered her face.
"Three days from now, Issei has been called to a meeting with the Elder Council along with my brother, the Devil King." Rias seriously spoke, dead silence following her words. The others quickly lost their smiles, the air thickening as they all turned to look at me.
"Why does Issei have to go see them? Did he break a rule or something without knowing?" Kiba questioned. His voice laced with concern for his friend, and his body leaned forward from its previous relaxed position.
"No, I don't think so at least." Rias spoke, letting out an exasperated sigh. "The Elder Council, according to my brother, has questions about his allegiance, among other things that they didn't tell him." Rias sighed. She must be just as annoyed as I am.
"My master's allegiance is in question? Who do those old fools think they are?" Wynter angrily spoke. Her hands balled into fists, gripping the cloth of her pants while emitting a low growl.
"I agree, but it's the Elder Council," Akeno spoke. "Even if we know he wouldn't betray us, they don't. Besides, if they call there isn't much, we can do besides listen." Akeno sighed. Everyone wore distraught expressions as they weren't any more thrilled about this than I was.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure it'll be fine," I spoke. "It's just a meeting, and I'll have Sirzechs on my side, so it should go rather smoothly."
"Yes, I do hope so, and I trust that you'll be fine," Rias spoke. "All right, let all head home and get some rest for the upcoming celebration." Rias loudly spoke to the rest of the class.
"Yes, president," We all spoke, gathering up our items to leave the class. Kiba and Koneko left rather quickly as they were both going their own ways. While Rias, Akeno, Wynter, Asia, and I all grouped up to head to my house as apparently the moving in started today.
We walked together on the way home. The girls started talking amongst themselves, while I stayed silent thinking about the meeting coming up for Sirzechs and me. It was a prominent display to them as I looked completely spaced out. They just kept me from walking into objects but didn't disturb my thought.
We arrived at my house, dull though it may be, it should have enough room for all the girls. Walking in, I made no delay in grabbing an extra set of clothing, as we all need showers after our match.
"I'm going to take a shower, you all can go after me if you want," I spoke, walking up the stairs to the shower room.
Once in, the shower was quite relaxing. The hot water rolling down my body, dripping off the tips of my wings. The warm steam floating in the air, fogging the mirror. It was quite relaxing, as my muscles were tense from the fight in the Rating Game.
Leaving the shower. I dried off by increasing my body temperature rapidly, the water turning to steam and raising off my body. I put on the new clothing I grabbed, which consisted of blue gym shorts and a white T-shirt with holes in the back for my wings. I proceeded to my room, lazily and tiredly stumbling in the hall.
As I entered my room, I instantly flopped down onto my bed, the sudden tiredness hitting me all at once as it was still late in the night. My face burrowed into my pillow as I slid into the sheets, all of my appendages outstretched. The bed felt so soft that it was as if I was laying on clouds.
I laid there in silence for around half an hour, nearly falling asleep, only to be woken back up by my door being opened. Glancing over, only one eye being viable from my pillow. From that small line of vision, I could see Akeno and Rias entering into my room, nothing covering them but towels.
"My my, is our little dragon tired?" Akeno teased while strutting into my room, her hips swaying as the towel barely covered her. Rias walked right behind her, a similar style gracing each step.
"Yeah, I don't know why they had to have the game so late." I moaned, my voiced muffled by the pillow covering most of my face.
"Well, then why don't we help you relax, and we can all get some sleep." Rias chuckled. Rias un-wrapped the towel, allowing it to drop to the floor, revealing her beautiful curvy body.
Akeno turned to lock my door, allowing her towel to drop to the floor as well. They made no effort to cover themselves as they wandered over to my bed. Instead, it almost appeared as if they were attempting to show off their bodies to me, perhaps hoping for a flustered reaction from me.
I flipped on my back, shifting my body across the bed to allow the girls under the covers. The gladly accepted the invitations with warm smiles, crawling in the sheets and snuggling up against me, my chest being used as a pillow for their heads.
"Not going to try and run this time?" Akeno teased, her eyes gazing up at me with a red tinge on her face. I gave a light chuckle followed by a sigh.
"I don't mind seeing you two naked, or being around you two in the nude either. It was more about the fact that every girl in the peerage was dragging me off the bath in a hot spring with them, so you can't exactly blame me for being a little panicked." I spoke. The girls gave a light laugh as they remember me trying to claw my way to freedom.
"All right, that's enough talk, the dragons sleepy now," I tiredly spoke. My wings curling up around the girl, bring us into an even tighter embrace. The three of us closed our eyes, the girls nuzzling into my chest as we all closed our eyes, drifting into our sleep and my MindScape.
Three days have passed, and it was now the day of the meeting. The last few days were spent in relaxation. I didn't have any contracts, so it was just our typical day. I didn't have to go to school either as Rias has our club excused until after the day of the party, which we will start it back up again.
I slowly opened my eyes, the sunlight flooding through the cracks of my window shades. A pleasant aroma filled each room of my house. I sluggishly sat up from under the covers, just now noticing that the girls weren't hugging on my side. They typically sat in bed with me until I awoke.
I let out a big yawn, light amounts of smoke leaving from my mouth. Looking around the room with my squinted eyes, I noticed that the door was slightly opened, and I could hear the three girls talking about something from downstairs.
I begrudgingly left my bed to grab some proper clothing for today's meeting with the Elder Council, as I don't know when Sirzechs is supposed to show up and get me. I don't even know if he's doing that, I just assumed he was since I don't know how to get the Elder Council room.
I put on the most formal clothing I had, which was my combat outfit. Admittingly, it wasn't a very formal look. However, the rest of my attire consisted of tank tops, T-shirts, and gym shorts, so the combat gear was my best choice.
After getting dressed, I made my way downstairs, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I made my way down. As I turned the corner, my eyes landed on the three girls in the kitchen, except Wynter who was asleep on the couch. Akeno and Rias were dressed in my two favorite aprons, as per usual. Asia was covered in one of my mother's old pink frilly apron.
In contrast to Rias and Akeno's rather sexy appearance, their aprons clinging to their body, showing off their curves. Asia's appearance gave a refreshing, and much needed, presentation of adorableness.
"You girls gonna claim those aprons as yours? Not that I'd mind, you all look pretty good in them." I spoke as I proceeded into the kitchen where they were cooking.
The girls all turned around with gleeful expressions. Their looks quickly changed to slight confusion as they spotted the attire that covered my body.
"I-If you don't mind me asking. W-Why are you wearing that? Isn't that the clothes you wear for fighting?" Asia nervously asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know what time I'm meeting the Elder Council today, and my other clothes aren't exactly formal," I responded. Rias's face lit up with excitement with an idea upon hearing my words.
She turned her gaze to me, looking me up and down. I raised an eyebrow at the sudden examination, clueless as to what idea she managed to think up this time.
"Hey Akeno, don't you think Issei here would look quite appealing in a suit?" Rias gleefully spoke with a sly smile. Akeno quickly jumped aboard with Rias's idea, no hesitation in her thoughts at all.
"My my, we could have our own little Dragon butler fantasies." Akeno seductively spoke, licking her lips as her cheeks heated up, turning a light pinkish color.
"The day I wear a suit will be the day I die." I scoffed, crossing my arms and dismissively turning my head away from the girls.
The girls let out a little whine, shortly after turning back to put all the food that they prepared on a plate. The food looked delicious, consisting of bacon, eggs, and sausages.
"Here you go Issei. We made all this for you to be prepared for today, it will be busy after all." Rias spoke, her and the others laying the platters of food on the table.
Looking down at the food, my mouth instinctively began salivating. We managed to work out a plan that they would cook, and I would wash the dishes, mainly because I sucked at cooking compared to those three.
"Aren't you guys going to get anything?" I questioned. I didn't want to eat and then them not have anything left.
"Don't worry about us. Wynter and the three of us had some Miso soup before you woke up, so don't worry about us." Akeno spoke, her and the rest of the girls wondering over to the living room to watch T. V.
As soon as they were out of sight, I stopped holding myself back. I quickly began devouring the substantial amount of food that they prepared for me. The food was terrific, just as I came to expect from their cooking.
I quickly finished up their delicious meal, letting out a sigh of pleasure as I leaned back in the chair. Raising from the dining table chair, I collected the dirtied plates to wash them with the cook wear that was dirtied with the preparation.
It took a few minutes to wash the dishes thoroughly, as I preferred to do them by hand over using the washing machine. There was no real particular reason for it, just how I was raised.
As I finished up with the process, I began putting the dishes in the drying rack. I was able to overhear the girls laughter in the living room, the T. V. was covered up by them, but I managed to hear that it was playing one of my favorite shows.
After putting the last dish in the drying rack, I hastily turned around to make my way to the living room, as to not miss the show. As I quickly made my way to the living room, I accidentally knocked a picture off a counter with the point of my wings.
'Ah shit, haven't done that since I was a kid.' I thought to myself. As I bent over to pick up the knocked over picture, I noticed something interesting. In the corner of the frame, the picture managed to slip out, revealing black scribbles in a list like manner.
Flipping over the image revealed that the photo contained my mother, father, and I standing together. I was still a baby in this photo, so it makes sense that I don't remember taking this photo.
I flipped the image back over to read the writing. My eyes widened in surprise at what it was. The black writing was a list of names, my family members names.
Issei Hyoudou
Grandum Hyoudou
Vylora Dracul
I never knew my mothers maiden name, she never told me, but now it's right here in front of me. Maybe with this, I could find some information on the devil house my mother originated from before meeting my father.
[If anyone had information about this, it would be the Elder Council.] Inanis mentally spoke to me.
I silently nodded, still stunned by the information that was revealed to me. My thoughts were interrupted by a crimson light emitting from my room. Sirzechs must be here, and so is my time for some answers.
Turning the corner of the living room, I spotted the redhead Sirzechs standing in the center of my living room. He was dressed in his ornate Devil King clothing, or armor might be more appropriate, considering his massive spike pauldrons.
"I suppose it's time to head off?" I rhetorically asked the Devil King.
"Indeed, from what I heard, the Elder Council is already discussing some options behind closed doors, so we shouldn't keep them waiting for too long," Sirzechs spoke, gesturing for me to walk over to him as he created a crimson teleportation circle beneath him.
"Yeah, we shouldn't let those grumpy old dude get too many ideas before we arrive." I chuckled, walking over to take my place next to Sirzechs.
"Rias, Akeno," Sirzechs spoke, turning his attention to them. "The Elder Council decided that you two would be permitted to witness the meeting, as this does involve both of you. However, you won't have any say in the actual negotiations, you'll just be observing."
"Well, that's better than being excluded entirely," Rias spoke, standing from her chair, and taking her place next to me in the crimson circle.
"My my, I think we should have a say, we are his mates after all," Akeno sighed, clearly upset with what they decided.
"Yes, I do agree with you both, but I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice," Sirzechs spoke, slight disappointment in his voice. "All right, let's go," He spoke.
The crimson circle enveloped us in a blinding light. The light died down, revealing us to have been transported into a large and ornate hallway. The floors covered by a red carpet, and the walls decorated with several gold objects.
Turning around reveal two large dark oak wood doors, the doors appeared to quite thick and heavy. I felt Rias and Akeno grab my hand lightly, their palms are slightly sweaty, they must be nervous.
I squeezed their hands softly to try and comfort them, giving them a warm smile. It seemed to work, as their once tense bodies visibly relaxed, even if it was only a little.
"All right, here we go," Sirzechs spoke, bracing us as he pushed on the large oak doors.
The doors slowly slid open, a loud groan leaving the hinges of the door. The room was quite expansive, almost looking like a courtroom from the human world.
The back wall sat a large podium that held several chairs, each one filled by the Elder Council members. The podium was elevated off the ground, setting in a much higher elevation above the others in the room. In front of them was a second long podium facing the elder councils, it held several seats for the other members of the meeting.
The Maou Serafall Leviathan was already seated in her chair next to where we would be. She turned around as we entered the room, giving us a big smile and a wave, to which Sirzechs responded with a wave of his own.
We enter the room, taking our seats in the lower podium in front of the Elder Council Members. It seemed as the members didn't notice our arrival as we managed to overhear the ending of their discussion.
"That only leaves one option, and that's to capture and imprison the dragon before he even gets the chance to turn against us!" An older man was ranting to the others, flecks of spit leaving his mouth. "This dragon defeated an IMMORTAL. He's too dangerous to allow him to remain free!"
The girls were appalled by the words they just heard leave from the Elder Council member, but before they could speak my aura spiked. Everyone in the room felt the sudden pressure of my aura increasing. The surge in power immediately silenced the old ranting geezer.
Sirzechs delivered a quick chop to the back of my head, his eyes narrowed, giving me a stern look. I understood his silent meaning and begun reeling back my aura. With the intimidating presence now fading, an older woman of the council cleared her throat, gathering the rooms attention.
"As you just saw, and as was demonstrated in the Rating Game, imprisoning the boy would be near impossible." She sternly spoke. "Do you honestly believe you could hold him against his will?" She questioned. The old man was about to speak only for the woman to interrupt him.
"This dragon leveled the entire campus of a rather large school, not to mention that his damage was kept from spreading out due to the alternate dimension's barrier." She continued, her voice speeding up with frustration as she spoke.
"If that attack were used in a city, he would not only have vaporized a large amount of the area in its direct path, the amount of heat and flames would most likely burn the city to the ground after a few hours. So, what prison in the underworld do you think he couldn't blast his way out of?" She questioned, concluding her small little rant to the old man.
The woman's words echoed throughout the now dead silent room. The old geezer and the people who sided with him clearly hadn't thought of that problem.
"Imprisoning the dragon is far from our best interests anyway," Sirzechs spoke up, grabbing the attention of the Elder Council.
"If we even managed to imprison him, we would be losing a key power source that would greatly bolster the defenses of the underworld," Sirzechs spoke, clearly displeased with his reasoning, yet he had to appear that he wasn't taking my side, so he didn't have a choice.
"Well, in that case, why don't we give him an Ultimate Class promotion?" A man spoke, the youngest of the elder council. "I do believe there is a precedent for unique individuals to receive this promotion shortly after being revealed."
"Forgive me, but I must disagree with such an action," Sirzechs spoke. Sirzechs rose his hand, silencing the whispers from the Elder Council.
"While many of you would believe that I would want the boy to serve the Gremory family as an Ultimate Class, the issue still remains that he serves under my sister, Rias Gremory. An Ultimate Class cannot bow down to one of a lesser rank than their own. At the same time, my sister is not strong enough to receive such an honor as to have an Ultimate Class under her wing." Sirzechs justified.
"That's quite humble, coming from the family who holds family bonds above all, and from the siscon himself." One of the oldest Council members spoke. "One would've thought that you of all people would be strongly advocating for this advancement, especially in your sisters nigh unprecedented success."
"Believe me, no one is as proud of her and her family as I am. However, I will also be the first to say that she isn't ready for such a position." Sirzechs spoke, restraining an annoyed looked from the siscon remark.
"While being humble is a virtue, this has lead us in a circle," grumbled a member of the Elder Council. "If I recall, the Void Caster hosts the soul of the Black Dragon Emperor. I don't suppose he would have any thoughts on the matter?"
All eyes turned to face me in the smaller podium next to Rias and Akeno. I raised my arms into the air, allowing the two spikey gauntlets to form on my arms. The gem embedded in my hands began to glow a violet light.
[I have many on the subject, but not many in this gathering would agree with nor would they understand the reason behind them] Inanis's commanding voice echoed through the room.
"Please, Black Dragon." Sirzechs addressed Inanis with respect. "You are the Black Dragon Emperor, no matter where you are, your words will have merit. So I humbly ask you to enlighten us."
[I will do my best to explain this as simply as possible,] Inanis spoke, taking a moment to think of how to word his next sentence for them to understand properly.
[A dragon father raised my host, and after that, he grew in a dragon's territory, surrounded by other dragons. The boy may not consider himself a devil at all.] Inanis spoke.
The room was filled with a cacophony of objections from the words of the Black Dragon Emperor. Inanis let out a sigh, shortly after releasing a mighty roar, silencing the room of the Elder Council's objections.
[Now that you old geezers have shut up, allow me to explain. Your Evil Pieces added a shadow to his already small source of demonic power. Your demonic power is, for the most part, considerably neglected in its use, as we dragons cannot use magical powers effectively. My host is a peculiar case, as his one-quarter devil heritage, along with his extensive training, allows him to wield his demonic energy to a sufficient extent. The demonic power is viewed the same from every dragon that can wield it, no more than an accessory.
You may classify those dragons as devils, and by your definition, you would be correct. However, since the few who have demonic power cannot properly use it, what does that make them? They are still dragons, that is indisputable and will never change.
A promotion would mean nothing to him, and little do you have to offer that will interest him. Dragons do not inherently acknowledge titles or ranks that are given to us from others than our fellow kin, and what treasure could your race offer us that can match the value of our own scales? Nothing. There are only two beings in this world whom he will obey, and those are his mates. Even I can only make suggestions to the boy, not actual demands or orders. Issei is young and will answer the summons of a devil when the situation demands him too, but otherwise, he will live the life and dream of an unhindered dragon.]
"Ten were dealing with a rouge! A hybrid brat that isn't bound to any of our laws and with the power geared to destroy entire factions!" The old Devil resumed his raving with passion. "He wields flames that even the Pheonix cannot overcome, along with a power that has the potential to be stronger than the Devil Kings Power of Destruction."
"Those are fine points, but if I may," Sirzechs spoke, leaning forward in his chair. "I will be the first to admit, this boy is a prodigy. His flames can overcome the fastest healing factor known to our kind, and his Power of Extinction rivals my own power. However, regarding the subduction of the young dragon. Would you be willing to be the vanguard of his containment?"
The old man sat in silence for a moment as Sirzechs presented the painful truth that he didn't want to accept. The Elder Council member began stuttering for a response, being interrupted before he could adequately speak.
"If you were the vanguard, who would you send after him? Moreover, if he managed to escape, his vengeance would be directed toward you. Do you think you'd be ready to accept those consequences? The only two people in the underworld who could stop him is Ajuka Beelzebub and I, and what happens if he decided to release the seal on his sacred gear? He would go on a rampage destroying the underworld, and even with the two of us, we wouldn't be able to stop him."
The Elder Council went silent, as it was a reality that none of them wanted to accept. They simply didn't have the strength or numbers to stop the Juggernaut Drive if I activated it.
[I wouldn't consider him a rouge. He's had a month to escape and become a stray, no one was aware of his full capabilities then, so why would he remain for this long only to run now?] Inanis growled, his annoyance with the Council quickly becoming evident.
[Firstly, what has he done to suggest that he has any intent to abandon the devils? Secondly, what reason does he have to? It is the little heiress and her Queen that he is mated with, and I wouldn't be so quick as to denounce a dragon's loyalty. Unless the Elder Council is willing to break its own rules regarding Peerages, the odds of him leaving her service of his own volition, hers, or yours may as well be non-existent.] Inanis frustratingly spoke.
[I've said all that I've wanted to say. My host has the power to destroy the underworld. However, I do not believe my host will be a threat to you or your kind unless he is ignorantly provoked.] With those final words from Inanis, the gems on my gauntlets ceased its violet glow, the gauntlets dispersing from around my arms.
"And with that, there goes our most adequate expert on dragonkind. Unless Lady Leviathan, who has been silent up until now, has anything to say about foreign relations with their race?" The older woman questioned, rubbing her temples in frustration.
All eyes turned to the childish Maou, who just happened to be dressed in her typical magical girl attire and sitting cross-legged on her chair with a fountain drink filled with soda. Her face lit with excitement as she an idea popped in his head.
"We could get him to pledge his allegiance upon the Miracle Levia-tan series!" She shouted, raising from her chair and slamming her hands on the desk in front of her. Her voice was filled with excitement and sparkles almost visibly present in her eyes.
The room was silent for a long moment. Everyone could easily see the bliss that the exuberant Magical Girl was radiating. Everyone was attempting to process that fact that I could win the unconditional approval of the most excentric Maou by pledging on her T. V. show.
Sirzechs pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Issei Hyoudou has done nothing but reveal himself and his existence, and we're already making a big deal out of it. " His frustration becoming harder and harder to hide from the Elder Council.
"If it's such a problem, then why don't we send a third party member to attend their peerage meetings, and then they can report back to me?" Sirzechs suggested.
The members of the Elder Council went silent, giving each other glances of consideration. The members gaze all converged upon Sirzechs and me after they took some time to discuss the subject with the other members.
"Such a suggestion could work, whom would you propose to be the third party member?" One of the members questioned.
"I figured a member of the Phoenix family would suffice. Perhaps Lady Ravel Phoenix would suffice, I overheard her mentioning the possibility of her going to Kuoh academy along with them to further her development and considering the recent events, I doubt she would give any false information in his favor," Sirzechs justified.
The members of the Elder Council began whispering to each other, most likely discussing the possibility and outcome of Sirzechs suggestion. After a few moments of discussion, they all turned back to us. Each one of them wearing a satisfied look, excluding the older man who wanted to imprison me.
"We have agreed that this is the best, and only, course of action that could adequately deal with the situation." The youngest of the Elder Council spoke.
"We will notify you all when the arrangement has been confirmed as well as when it will be put into action. We still must consult the head of the Phoenix family so it may take some time. Issei Hyoudou, we look forward to seeing how you will represent yourself, your master, and the devil community in the future, this concludes the meeting." He declared, probably because his voice wasn't old and rough.
Sirzechs and the others let out a quiet sigh of relief that we managed to get through this with relative ease. However, I still have questions.
"Excuse me, Elder Council members, I have a request I'd like to make," I announced, the members of the Council giving me intriguing looks. While Sirzechs and the others tensed up, worried about what I was going to ask.
"What is it? It will be a problem if you're rejecting the proposal Sirzechs made," The woman spoke.
"Its nothing of the sort," I assured them, granting my allies a small amount of assurance.
"My mother originated from one of the 72 pillars before the great war, but she never told me anything about her family, she didn't even tell me her maiden name. However, this morning, I found her name written on the back of a picture, and it said her last name was Dracul, so I was wondering if you had any information on a Dracul family." I questioned.
The members of the Elder Council sat in thought for a moment before responding. "Yes, I do recall them. Unfortunately, there isn't much known about the family as they were very secretive and... distant from the other pillars. I could do some research on them and send the information your way later," The older woman spoke.
"I would appreciate it a lot, thank you." I graciously spoke, giving her a slight bow to show my gratitude.
With that, the Elder Council left the room through a door that was placed behind their large podium. The girl's bodies visibly relaxed after they left, they must have been nervous.
"I apologize for suggesting we have someone watch you at the club meetings, but its the only solution that I thought would work," Sirzechs wholeheartedly apologized.
"Don't worry about it. I know you were helping and besides, that sounds way better than being imprisoned." I assured the Devil King, patting him on the back.
I felt a subtle presence of annoyance and anxiousness coming from Rias and Akeno's soul link. Turning my attention over to the two, I could easily see that they had mixed feelings about the events that just took place.
"You two ok?" I asked, giving them both concerned looks.
"Yeah, just a little annoyed at the Elder Council," Rias assured me.
"The ludicrous idea to imprison you, old fools," Akeno bitterly spoke, her soul link now sharing a feeling of anger.
I reach over, light squeezing her hand in my own. "Don't worry, that isn't going to happen. Even if it did, there isn't anything in the world that would keep me from you two," I softly spoke, trying to calm them down. Their soul links now emitted feelings of comfort and happiness, so it seems that it worked.
"Issei, about your family. I know you want to find out more, so I'll look into some time today ok," Sirzechs spoke, giving me a sympathetic expression. He wasn't wrong, it never was a big part of my life, but now I'm starting to get curious about it, especially now that I know her last name.
"Thanks, you always have looked put for me, haven't you," I chuckled.
"Heh, perhaps I looked after you a little too much. Well, how about I take you all home. You have to get ready for the party tomorrow." Sirzechs happily said.
"Yeah, I can't wait!" Serafall chimed in, jumping up behind us. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Serafall Leviathan, but you can call me Levia-tan" She gleefully spoke, her arm outstretched waiting for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Levia-" I was cut off by Serafall smacking my head with her Magical Girl staff.
"I said, call me Levia-tan" She whined, her cheeks puffed out, and tears bordering her eyes. She appeared as a child, except her breast was much more... uh... developed.
"Uh... all right then. Nice to meet you Levia-tan," I slowly spoke, shaking her hand and preparing to get hit by her staff again.
Her eyes lit up as a gleeful smile formed across her face. Sirzechs sighed at her overpleased display by simply saying her name as she wished. "Come now, Serafall. I need to take these three back to Issei's house. You'll have plenty of time to talk to them at the party,"
"Hmp, your no fun," Serafall whined, sticking her tongue out at the Devil King. She reluctantly left the room to let him take us home, per Serzechs request.
A crimson circle formed beneath us, enveloping us in its bright crimson glow. The glow died down, revealing us to have been transported to my bedroom.
"All right, I'll leave you three to relax for today and to get ready for tomorrow. I will go on to look for more information about Issei's family," Sirzechs spoke, turning to us, giving us a wave goodbye.
Tomorrow will be the day of the party, and the day I learn more about my family's pillar.
Well, that was it for this chapter.
I decided to make my name for Issei's family instead of using one of the original families. Mainly because it will be easier to write it in instead of have to research an extinct one.
There isn't, much to say about this chapter though, since it was relatively straight forward.
As per usual, feel free to leave criticism on how I could improve. As well as any questions you may have.
Thanks for ready :D