Victim floated in a dainty manner behind a tea-table while the shrine maiden was beside him, and Issei found himself on the opposite side of the two as he had been guided to the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary of the Eighth Floor.

"Ahem, my lord… I shall be blunt and ask- Do you still have your memories?" The miko asked, making Issei freeze for a split second.

"I do not." Issei answered not-really-truthfully. 'Well, I have my memories from before I arrived here, but I don't have 'Momonga's memories…'

It looked like the maid saw through Issei's half-truth as she narrowed her eyes slightly, making Issei sweat internally.

"Hm… I see. Ahem… My lord, I hope that you have found the Eighth Floor's trap and environment related defenses adequate during your travel. Would you like it if some of the NPC's partook in your inspection next time by attacking you?" The miko seemed a bit curious, but overall Issei got a funky feeling from her.

It took him quite a while to nail the feeling down, as it was something fairly alien to the others in Nazarick- Namely, it was human. Or rather, it was lacking the eerie or unnatural feeling of the maids, the outright frightening designs, or deadly traps.

'She looks like a human as well…' Issei felt himself relax just slightly, specifically now that he realized that the shrine-maiden's tone was quite gentle even if it was a bit fragile, as if she was apprehensive of something. And then he remembered that she had asked him something. "No, no, everything is good. Don't worry about it. I was just… A bit surprised, that is all."

'...Hm, wait, the shrine maiden-girl is acting like how Rias would as far as team dynamics go, as like, she's leading the conversation while Victim is just floating there… Wasn't Victim the Floor Guardian and this girl effectively her subordinate?' Issei turned to look at the floating fetus who met his gaze with his big, almost comically large eyes that looked quite innocent and out of place in the grotesque body. '...I really need a way to ask about the people of Nazarick without coming off as too weak… Solution didn't know if there was an encyclopedia of Nazarick or anything… '

"Moreover, my lord, I detected an odd feeling in the inter-floor Teleportation Gates- Do you think that the Thief who stole your memories used the Gates to facilitate this crime? It would be the fastest way of traveling between Floors. I locked them down as soon as I realized something strange had happened, but… I fear I was too late." The maid continued. "Please forgive me for being too late. I fear that Albedo's response was also delayed because of this…"

"It's alright, I don't think that was what happened." Issei handwaved as he was fairly sure 'Momonga' had died in some experiment and Issei had just Isekai'd himself somehow into the vacated body- He had read the 'Truck hits guy who was saving a child from traffic'-manga's before, albeit he realized that in his scenario it was Issei saving Rias from Riser. 'Should I tell her that I'm not 'Momonga', actually, and I'm just 'Issei'?'

Issei thought about it for a moment…

Before he decided to not tempt his fate as he had too many close calls for one day already. 'Maybe tomorrow.'

"Ahem, you said that there were gates between floors and they were not active? They allow one to skip floors or something like that?" Issei focused back on the issue. 'I do not think that the Gates were responsible for what happened, so can you turn them back on? Also… I hear that Albedo was taken to something called 'Frozen Prison' when the Pleiades turned her over to Demiurge-san, but could I visit her? I believe there's been a misunderstanding or something, jail time for such a miscommunication feels a bit… uh, harsh." 'Also, while Albedo's breasts aren't Rias's breasts, they are still magnificent and I want to look at them again to bring my mind to balance and peace… I feel like I'm about to tilt from the terror of this place…'

"Ah, the Frozen Prison would be located on the Fifth Floor. Should I send a word in advance so Lord Cocytus can receive you once you arrive, or are you interested in inspecting the Fifth Floor's defenses like you inspected part of the Eighth Floor's defenses?" The shrine-maiden girl paused for a moment and then tilted her head as if she was listening to something. "Ah, Sebas? Yes, I am with Lord Issei- Hm? Wait, his assigned maid deserted her duties?! No, Lord Issei is safe, but- Um…"

'Solution? Ah- She must have stayed in the Shrine to think about my offer.' "No, Solution-san didn't desert her duties. She was thinking over an offer I made… Please don't punish her for something like that." Issei intervened instantly to prevent a misunderstanding from being made. "Anyway, I'd like if Cocytus-san met me at Fifth Floor- I'd like to proceed to the Frozen Prison as soon as I can."

"Ah- I see… In that case, I'll reactivate the Gate system. Sebas-san, could you please send one of the Pleiades maids to receive Issei-sama alongside Cocytus-sama at the Gate of the Fifth Floor? The Gates will be active by the time you've sent a word for them" The miko paused as she had clearly been speaking to someone else after nodding seriously to Issei's request. "Do you have a preference as to the maid who'd attend to you, Lord Issei?"

"Hm… Yuri-san perhaps?" Issei felt a bit overwhelmed that he was even asked about such a thing, and it took his entire concentration to not overthink the offer in a lewd way- He was well aware by now that acting out without thinking could end up badly for him. 'Yuri-san seems pretty calm and collected, not to mention that she made crumpets when she thought I asked for snacks while the others made horror shows that only vaguely looked like they were intended to be edible, so Yuri is probably not going to jump into the worst conclusions if I mis-speak…'

"...Yuri had a nosebleed and fainted after she heard that Lord Issei had asked for her specifically? What is going on?" The shrine-maiden spoke to a finger that she held against her ear as if she was talking to a radio, and seemed to freeze while sending Issei a frightened look. "Um, my lord… Yuri-san…"

"Don't worry. Ahem… Just send whoever is closest, please."

"Right, Sebas-san, send Entoma-san to meet Lord Issei at Fifth Floor… And send Yuri-chan and Solution-chan over to my place. I want to have a talk with them."

"...Please don't be too harsh for either of them." Issei lifted his hand to stall the miko as her tone had turned quite strict at the end, making the woman release a breath that she seemed to have held in fright as soon as she heard of Yuri's reaction. "Now then… The gate, if you'd please?"

The shrine maiden nodded, and a swirling portal seemed to form at the 'exit' of the Japanese-style shrine-like building that was flanked by a vista of eternally-blossoming cherries, and hidden away in a clearing at the end of a long and treacherous tunnel.

Issei did his best to look confident as he nodded to both Victim and the mysterious shrine-maiden, but didn't say goodbyes to them by name as he had no clue what the shrine maiden's name was thanks to Victim's nonsensical way of introducing her.

'...Sheesh. I should probably be a bit careful around Albedo so that bedroom-thing doesn't repeat in a way that it almost did… She's super-pretty and everything, but she's really scary and since I don't have anything 'down there', her jumping on me would end up with a huge and potentially lethal disappointment…' Issei lamented his current state while he walked into the portal…

.

.

Aureole allowed herself to relax while feeling herself start to shake from the post-adrenaline surge.

"Ah… So that was Lord Issei…" The miko reached for a cup of tea with shaky hands and brought it up to her lips before taking a long sip to calm herself. "He… Didn't seem angry with me… And when Solution failed to do her duties, and when Yuri failed to heed his call… He said to not punish them too harshly for it…"

"eH si a eltneg drol. (He is a gentle lord)" Victim spoke while floating in the air with a slow and calm sway in his movements.

"This kindness… Ah, how deeply it hurts… Anger and fury are the flaming brands that clean wounds, but kindness and compassion are salt on festering and infected wounds, bleeding pus to the surface while the pain only doubles…" Aureole sat down on the tatami-mat of the shrine. "I am glad that Lord Issei absolved me from the guilt that plagued me, that the Gates were used against us, that I was used by our enemy without me knowing it… But… Nonetheless I have transgressed against him by trying to delay the inevitable instead of agreeing to go and meet him as soon as we knew he had entered the Eighth Floor. The kindness he showed… My guilt has doubled twice over, as befitting of my crimes against him."

"I tbuod eh sees ti taht yaw. eH detnorfnoc uoy nehw eh ,esohc dna evag uoy emit ot dnif ruoy evloser ni eht elihwnaem. (I doubt he sees it that way. He confronted you when he chose, and gave you time to find your resolve in the meanwhile.)" Victim noted. "ruO drol sees ruo straeh sa llew sa eh sees ruo .smrof evaH htiaf ni mih, ekil eh sah htiaf ni su. nevE fi sih yromem si enog. (Our lord sees our hearts as well as he sees our forms. Have faith in him, like he has faith in us- Even if his memory is gone.)"

"...Yes, that is true." Aureole looked at the outgoing 'gate use' that she monitored as part of her duties as the Guardian of the Teleportation Gates, and noted that a… mushed… name had gone to the Eighth Floor from the Fifth Floor using a teleportation gate. 'Hm… 'Momonga' and 'Issei Hyoudou' overlapped… Ah… It seems that Lord Issei has not yet completely forsaken his old name, but it is fading…'

'...But, I cannot afford to lapse into doubt. Lord Issei clearly has a plan, even if his lost memories are hindering him, and he is clearly already setting the pieces in motion to carry that plan out.' Aureole slapped her cheeks a bit to bring herself to focus as she realized that she had been quite fatalistic during the past day, when she had discovered the oddness in the transportation gates and had found out about the thievery that had happened in the Ninth Floor.

And if her sisters saw her like that, they'd surely worry.

So, instead, Aureole let her old, high-spirited smile return to her lips, which gained a slightly sharp edge when the teleportation gate swirled again and deposited a pair of women to the shrine's porch.

Namely, Solution and Yuri, both of whom paled to the complexity of a sheet of paper when they saw that Aureole had crossed her arms and was tapping her foot against the ground while giving the pair the look of a proper lecture about the importance of duties.

Meanwhile, Victim had started to float off while camouflaging himself as one of the cherry trees by head-bumping into one so that the pink petals had formed a pretty and innocent-looking bush of sakura petals around his antlers.

Aureole felt as if everything was alright in Nazarick for the first time after the day of uncertainty.

.

.

"So…" Issei was instinctively feeling as if he should be shivering and hugging himself to brace against the storm, but since his undead skeletal body didn't seem to be bothered by such things as cold and wind, he managed to suppress the 'fleshy' desire on the account that he didn't want to give Cocytus the wrong idea.

The Fifth Floor was in a blizzard, with a deadly-looking past-frozen temperature fog floating about and covering everything in spiky rime-crystals while wind howled, and ice rained down less like snow and more like white rain. Issei couldn't tell anything past ten feet in front of him, and realized that he would have definitely gotten lost in an instant if Cocytus hadn't been there to greet him once he stepped out of the Gate.

The four-armed insect-looking guy, presumably, had been standing on the snow and had been waiting for Issei to arrive from the gate, a pair of halberds and katana's on both of the insect-warrior's sides as if he was preparing to draw his weapons and put them to use in an instant.

For some reason Cocytus seemed to be quite aggravated as well, if his constant clicking-sounds and deep panting was anything to go by- But then again, Issei had to admit that he was not exactly proficient in 'insect body language' so he didn't want to presume.

'... Not to mention Cocytus-san doesn't have breasts either, which would help tell his mood. After all, one's breasts are very honest! Albedo's breasts were practically screaming 'Issei-samaa! If you don't find your funny bone then you're going to dieeee!' and so forth…' Issei realized that his brain was slipping again so he quickly focused on the present after greeting Cocytus and Entoma.

"Ah… Are you cold, Entoma-san?" Issei noted that the maid in kimono who had been waiting for Issei was… well, not exactly looking like she was cold, but rather her chitin-like hair had started to grow rime and Issei swore he saw an icicle hanging from her jawline.

"Brrrrrr…." A faint shaking sound came from Entoma's direction and Issei figured that his deduction was correct… Although, it didn't look as if Entoma was in any danger, but merely feeling uncomfortable.

"Hm… I see. In that case- Cocytus-san. Could you show me to Frozen Prison? I believe that Albedo-san was held there. I'd like to talk to her… And if possible, negotiate for her release." Issei focused on the insect warrior, causing Cocytus to nod severely and grab his weapons to his hands, and then fell behind Issei as if he was expecting Issei to lead him. "Ahem… Cocytus-san. I don't know where the Frozen Prison is."

"But. my. lord. surely- Ah. Please. forgive. me. I. forgot. your. amnesia." Cocytus seemed to realize something and bowed slightly again. "Please. follow. me."

"Hm." Issei nodded and walked beside Cocytus, as he seemed to slow his pace so that while Issei was following Cocytus, the insect-guy was never truly in front of him. 'Is he trying to get into my blind spot? No, that is not the case… It's as if he's thinking that it's inappropriate if he walks in front of me and I follow him. Is that some kind of honor-thing? Cocytus-san seems really matter-of-fact and warrior-like, sorta like Yuuto-kun but more intense…'

The thought caused Issei a bit of conflicting emotions, as on one hand he was feeling a bit reminiscent while wondering if he'd ever see Rias and the rest of the Peerage again, but on the other hand… Issei re-realized that he was effectively unarmed and defenseless in Nazarick, and the last few near-death experiences told him that both of those states should probably be changed before his dumb luck ran out.

So, even though Issei was wondering if he'd pull a 'Solution 2.0 extra chitin edition' by asking, he turned his head towards Cocytus. "Cocytus-san."

"Yes! My. Lord. Please. order. me!" Cocytus scanned the blizzard-blocked 'horizon' while he was clearly tensed up like a coiled spring, ready to release and cut anything hostile that approached the trio into ribbons. "Has. the. Thief. returned?"

"No, ahem… I was wondering, are you skilled in using those weapons?" Issei asked, eyeing the ice-covered insect-warrior's halberds and katana's.

.

.

Cocytus's mandibles froze in shock.

'...Am… I skilled with my weapons?' Cocytus's thoughts ground to a halt. 'What… What is that question?'

'...I am a warrior, my training is constant, unending, unceasing, I live and breathe battle…. But… Am I skilled with my weapons? Lord Issei, what are you asking? That… that cannot be a question that was made at face value… can it?' Cocytus's thoughts, unlike his words, flowed with fluid ease- Simply because while his mouth was incapable of speaking in fluid manner, the same limitation didn't apply to his thoughts. '...I have trained extensively with all manner of weapons befitting a Warrior, and used all of them against target dummies… And against Supreme Beings during an invasion which penetrated all the way to the Eighth Floor, felling a score before I was slain in turn…'

Lord Issei seemed to be waiting for an answer, making Cocytus finally realize that maybe the question wasn't so much a point regarding Cocytus's skill, but rather his confidence.

"Yes. My. lord. I. believe. that. I. am. the. most. capable. swordsman. in. Nazarick." Cocytus spoke out. "Excluding. the. Supreme. Beings. of. course."

Cocytus braced for the follow-up question or a test, while he mentally prepared himself to take and succeed in any task or demonstration that was requested of him, be it related to skills, weapons, applications, enemy resistances or effective counters.

Lord Issei opened his mouth…

Cocytus's body tensed up in preparation, his mind racing and ready…

And Lord Issei spoke: "Could you train me?"

Cocytus's mandibles opened in preparation for an instant answer… Except, only a small cloud of water-vapor came out.

'W-what? Train Lord Issei? But… Lord Issei is a necromancer, no? However! If Lord Issei wishes then-!' Cocytus snapped out of his stunned state in seconds, however. "Of. course. my. lord. If. you. wish. then. I. shall. teach. you. all. I. know!"

"Great! In that case, I'll be in your care, Cocytus-sensei." Lord Issei seemed to be in high spirits after the answer.

'S-Sensei?! Me?! I…' Cocytus's mandibles had frozen still for the third time in as many sentences while he was trying to wrap his brains around what was happening. "Sen... sei…?"

"Well, you're teaching me and I'm your student, so it's natural to call you that… Cocytus-sensei." Lord Issei's reasoning didn't help the flow of thoughts inside Cocytus's head.

"I… see. In. that. case. I. shall. strive. to. teach. all. I. know! Please. tell. me. when. you. wish. for. me. to. start!" Cocytus was starting to feel quite… strange.

'Ah… I felt the same when I heard of what Lord Mo- Ahem, Lord Issei and Albedo-sama had attempted at the throne room, and I already saw myself tutoring Lord Issei's heir in the art of war and the way of the blade…' Cocytus's movements gained a degree of shakiness as he realized something. 'Or… Is this precisely what it is? Lord Issei is a necromancer, but… Perhaps Lord Issei realized from my pose and mental state that I had already prepared myself to teach the Supreme Being's heir in art of swordplay when I heard the news that Lord Issei sought to love Albedo-sama, only for my hopes to be crushed upon learning of the actions of the thief…'

'Even though Lord Issei no longer has memories of us… He knows how we feel… And he offered to give me a chance for me to teach the way of the blade, if not to his heir, then to him, in order to help me cope with my disappointment and rage… Ah… We are blessed with such a compassionate lord…'

.

.

Issei walked forward while he tried to not pay attention to the fact that Cocytus had covered his face with his hands and was crying small anime-like rivers from all six of his eyes. The rivers turned to ice as soon as they reached the snow, and then broke off as the insect-like warrior walked forwards with a newfound purpose in his steps.

"Um… Entoma-san, are you really alright? I can give you my robes if you're feeling cold. Freezing temperatures don't seem to affect me…" Issei turned to address the chitin-covered maid who by now looked more like a walking icicle than a girl.

"My- lord- I- am- perfectly- alright- please- do- not- worry…" Entoma's voice was clickety much like Cocytus's, making Issei sweatdrop internally as he realized that the small maid might not be as okay as she said.

'Entoma-san is speaking like Cocytus! She looks like she's about to freeze over and die- Wait, is Cocytus-san's paused speech a consequence of a super-bad frostbite? Or are their teeth just clicking really hard from the cold?' Issei nonetheless felt quite worried and made to loosen his robe so that he could offer it to Entoma… Only for Entoma to slap her sleeves over her face while buzzing a bit as if she was feeling embarrassed.

"Um… Cocytus-san, how far away is the Frozen Prison?" Issei realized that he had probably come across as lewd by offering the maid his clothes, which would have left him naked (or rather, as naked as a skeleton can be), and instead turned his attention to the insect-warrior in order to try to sweep the rising embarrassment on his own part under the rug.

"Roughly. Five. Hundred. Feet." Cocytus pointed in a direction, which didn't show much as the whole place had been engulfed in a blinding blizzard from the moment Issei had arrived.

However, the blizzard seemed to wane just slightly, showing the outline of a mansion-like building in the distance.

Issei sent one last worried look at Entoma before deciding to keep going.

"In that case, let's continue walking, Cocytus-sensei."

"Yes. Issei. sama."

.

.

A ahoge rose up like an antenna, swirled around… And pointed to a direction, which to the ahoge's owner's point of view would have been blocked by a rime-encrusted wall.

"I can feel it. I can feel him approaching… haa… Haa…"

"...Sister. Do try to contain yourself. You're acting lewd again."

"I… I can still feel his hands… His eyes… that bold declaration ringing in my ears… My blood is boiling…"

"Sister. Your skin is steaming. You'll melt the rime on the walls if you keep that up, and then we'll have nasty-looking streaks. Think about Lord Momonga- You wouldn't want to receive him in a dirty cell, no?"

"Ah- You're right. I need to clean up before Lord Momong… Haa, Lord Issei comes to see me… I can feel myself heating up… Maybe, just maybe, he's come to continue where we were left off at the Ninth Floor? Ah- Hand me a broom, please. I have to sweep up my cell- Or do you think that it'd look better if I made myself look miserable with chains around my body and ripped clothes and all?"

"I truly do not know… However, I can lend you a broom on the promise that you won't try to pick the lock with it."

"Uuu… Fine, I promise."

Nigredo sighed at Albedo's unconvincing tone, but nonetheless handed her a broom that was more akin to a branch with smaller branches tied to one of its ends than an actual broom. Nonetheless, Albedo began to sweep her cell instantly once she had received the item past the bars of her cell. "Very well, please don't make me regret this… Now then, it's been a pleasure to have tea with you, sister, but I need to go and greet our lord, so excuse me."

"Uuu… Haa. very well. Please tell him that I love him, and that I hope he'll forgive me for my impulsive action if you meet him." Albedo calmed down by breathing out and putting her hand on her chest, albeit her wings twitched a bit nonetheless.

"...I'll be sure to tell him, if he doesn't wish to see you in person so that you could tell that to him yourself." Nigredo noted before leaving the Succubus to her cell. '...Sister, it's clear as day that your balance is altered… I remember that you were a loose slut before yesterday, yet now you fixate on Lord Momonga- ahem, Lord Issei. Did you fall in love? Or is Lord Issei just your obsession of the hour? What is going on…'

"AAAAH! LORD MOMONGAA! PLEASE COME SOOOoonnnnn!" A shriek of a banshee echoed in the halls of the Frozen Prison and Nigredo felt a bit exasperated that Albedo's 'proper' acting had lasted as long as it took for her to walk to the end of the hallway.

Nonetheless Nigredo sighed at the oddness of the past day, the events of which she had heard from Albedo, before Nigredo reached her own 'prison' and felt herself sink to her familiar 'role' as soon as she saw her cute and innocent baby, who was sleeping soundly in her crib inside Nigredo's prison. "Haa… Don't worry, my child. It's alright, mommy loves you… Sleep…"

The crib creaked a bit as Nigredo began to push it gently back and forth…

.

.

Issei looked at the dark yet rime-covered manor that screamed 'haunted house'.

Normally Issei wasn't particularly fond of haunted houses or other spooky amusement park features unless the girls who played ghosts left seductive boob-windows, which didn't' exactly happen often. Or at all..

However…

Issei contrasted the spooky-looking house's appearance to the horrors that he had seen already in the Eighth Floor, as well as what he had glimpsed when Sebas had guided him to the Sixth Floor, and realized that the manor in front of him was quite likely literally a haunted house.

'Er…'

His will was already wavering, and as soon as Issei had started to gather his courage to enter, he heard a faint screech that was like that of a dying woman's curse or a howl of a banshee echoing faintly from within the manor…

'...Is it already too late to go back to Ninth Floor and hide under my bed?'

However, Issei recalled the reason for his trip to the Fifth Floor in the first place, and his courage swelled.

'...Get it together, Issei! I won't break like this! No horror or spooky house can force me down, not when my prize is to see Albedo's breasts once again!'

"Let's go in."

"Yes. my. lord."

"...Coold…" Entoma sneezed a bit.