A Fool's Heart

by Nosferatu869

Ise's friends turned their back on him, didn't they? They didn't consider his feelings and selfishly pushed their own agenda. These actions have consequences. They will learn. Even if they don't want to. The road to becoming an adult is difficult, isn't it? But for the sake of the future, they ALL must mature. No more being stuck. Make your move, Ise.

16. Chapter 15: Errand Boy

Hellooooo lads, how's it going? Another while has passed since my last update, as has unfortunately become the usual. I wish this wasn't the case, especially considering that I used to be proud of how often I updated compared to most authors, but there's not much I can do about it. It is what it is. That aside, I'd like to thank everyone for their kind messages concerning what's happened with my life in the past months (or should I say these past couple years?) 2020 was a particularly bad year for everyone, I think we can all agree that we just wanted it to end and get at least a tiny bit better in 2021. And how was it? Eh… Well, it was whatever, I guess. Uneventful for me, for the most part, until the end. Towards the end it got just as bad again, but that's how it always is. If you wanna know more details, you can go read some authors notes from Lone Dragon Emperor, that's too much to explain. As for 2022, it was just a lot of me being extremely busy picking up the pieces of my life, which made it difficult for me to write anything. Well, aside from LDE. Yeeeaaah, hehe…. If any of you who don't read my other stories and mainly stick to this one have been wondering where I've been, it's there.. Clearly. I mean, just look at that update rate. Pretty much every other story fell to the wayside, since I only had enough time to focus on one. And now, it's another year. 2023, started off with a terrible cold snap the likes of which North America has never seen! And now summer is a record heat wave too. Man, we're so fucked..

Anyway, we have a new chapter now. Hope I can bring you guys some entertainment again in regards to this story. Was updating Lone Dragon Emperor a lot but this one was one of the ones on the chopping block for updates so here we go!

---

Part 1

"Psst, Ise! Check it, we've brought something good today!"

Matsuda said that very nostalgic phrase to me while whipping some random porno mag out from his bag, Motohama grinning next to him.

"Haaaa~"

Meanwhile, I just kind of let out a very tired yawn in response.

"Oy, oy, oy, what's with that reaction?! This is a limited edition, Ise!"

"Yeah, yeah! Look, it's [puri-puri waka-onna!] This stuff is like gold! Right?!"

What these two are doing right now is basically a tactic. They're trying to get me 100% back to my old lecherous ways. They've actually been at it for a few days now. It seems like now that we've rekindled our relationship anew, they want to get me to act like I always did. Of course, it's not going to work like that. I've learned to hold myself back in public.

"Sorry, guys. As I said before, I'm not really interested in that right now. And even if I was, I would just stick to doing it at home and not talking about it at school."

Matsuda and Motohama gave me just about the reaction I expected.

"Whaaaat?! You mean to tell me that the new hit series "puri-puri waka-onna" with limited edition blu-ray and director's cut doesn't interest you at all?!"

"Yeah, starring the great and illustrious Shiina-chan with huge oppai, from "Outerspace prisoner," that sort of production doesn't interest "Ise the oppai-maniac" at aaaaall?! Have you just sworn off women altogether?!"

I don't even remember that nickname. Though I still have to admit that it's entirely accurate.

"No, well, I'm obviously still interested in women. I'm just less interested in porn nowadays, I guess. I'm more interested in the real thing, obviously."

At that answer, they simultaneously slammed my desk.

"Obviously, we feel the same, that goes without saying! But it's not like we have the popularity to even interact with girls so this is the best we can do!"

"Yeah, that's right! We aren't all as popular as some people around here, haaa!? Iseeee!"

At this point, they were kinda getting in my face. Well, it's not like I don't understand their frustrations… From their perspectives, it does look like I'm popular. They couldn't be farther from the truth though…

"Ok, ok, calm down. I get the message, alright? But at the end of the day, I'm not getting as much action as you think I am. In fact, I don't get any action at all…"

Now the two of them really are getting in my face.

"Ah, is that so? Is that the truth?!"

"Yeah, you're not lying to us?! Are you, ah, Ise?!"

Geez, if these guys were cops, they'd already have guns up against my face. While the boys and I were bantering, the rest of the classroom was having their daily whisper fests.

"Hey, look, the perverted trio is arguing. You think they'll split again?"

"I heard that Hyoudou's been denying their peeping offers. Think he's tryna' get back into the kendo clubs good graces?"

"I think it's an act."

"I think this is finally his acceptance of his true nature… In other words, Yuuto X Hyoudou will become a reality! Banzai!"

So that's what they're muttering about today, huh? Always have something to say, don't they? High schoolers really must not have anything interesting to talk about. Well, to be fair, if I didn't have this devil lifestyle, I'd probably be the same. —Wait, what was that thing that the last girl said?!

Beep, Beep!

My phone made a notification sound in my pocket. When I looked at the screen, there was a message from someone named "sensei." Obviously, it's Azazel. The message read… [I've done it, somehow. We should head out by tonight. This is a huge violation so you better thank me when you see me. And it better work out, or else it's both of our asses.]

I smirked.

"Oy, oy, Ise. You've suddenly gained a creepy look on your face. What's up with that?"

"Sorry, guys. Looks like I'll have to deny your blu-ray offer again. I've got plans for tonight already."

The two idiots recoiled in a comically angry manner.

"Whaaaat?! Don't tell me, it's a daaaaaaate?!"

"Ise, you bastaaaaard! Are you leaving us behind after all?!"

I sighed, but the grin on my face never left.

"Haha, well, something like that.."

A date with danger, that's what you could realistically call it.

---

After I got home, I finished changing out of my school uniform and put on a different uniform instead. It's my uniform from my time at Grigori. Haven't worn this since the rating game with Sairaorg. I feel confident whenever I wear this thing so it's basically become like my battle suit. It feels natural. Plus, it's far more durable than any of my other outfits. Usually, before battle, we hex our clothing with magic to make it resistant to damage, but magical reinforcement is woven into the fabric of this uniform so it's way better to use it, in my opinion. I'm also somewhat biased after having worn it so many times..

When I went downstairs, the residents in my house were hanging out, doing their usual activities. My parents sleep earlier than us so they likely went to bed already. Xenovia noticed my attire and was the first to comment on it.

"Hmm? What's with the get-up, Ise? Are you training tonight?"

"I guess you could say that."

While Xenovia and the rest of my friends had question marks on their heads, there was a ring at the door.

"Ravel, could you get that? It's Azazel."

Ravel was confused, but she listened to me anyway and went to let Azazel in. Rias asked me while we were waiting for them to arrive.

"Why is Azazel here, Ise? Did you call him?"

"Yeah, we have some business together."

"This late at night?"

Ravel returned with Azazel shortly after.

"Yo, brats, how're you doing? I've come for you, Ise."

"Alright, let's get going then."

I stood up to leave and Rias unsurprisingly started questioning me at that point.

"Wait, where are you going? What's going on, Ise?"

"Oh, I just have some business to get to. It's nothing serious, I think."

I smiled at Ravel who looked somewhat concerned.

"I'll be back."

"...Okay. Have a safe trip."

Ravel still seemed worried but she didn't try to stop me. I guess it's my fault that she's concerned. I didn't even tell her where I was going either. I simply told her that I was going to do another one of Azazel's trials. Which, now that I think about it, would obviously be a cause for concern considering his track record… But hey, it's nothing like with Atlas! For the most part, that is… Truth be told, I just didn't want to worry her.

"I took a transportation circle to get here, but to arrive at our destination, we'll need to switch to regular transportation after we enter the country. We can't just use transportation circles to enter unknown territories. That's something reserved for those assembling an attack and it would probably get us in trouble. Especially someone in your position right now."

"We used magic circles to get me everywhere during the original trials you put me through."

"Yes, but that was because I was already breaking the rules just by having you undergo them in the first place. Private business. This time, it's sort-of "official," so no messing around, got it?"

"Got it."

So it is like the Atlas situation after all. Well, from a political perspective, at least. I assume it isn't to that level of danger though. That event was what you would call "sort-of official," considering that it had the involvement of the Greek gods instead of just being a solo operation in unknown territory.

"Ise?"

While Azazel and I made our way to the exit, Rias and a couple other members of my group came up behind us.

"Azazel, where are you taking Ise?"

"Uh, well, Ise has some work to do so I'm going to be escorting him to his destination."

"Work? What do you mean "work?" And at this time of night?"

"Actually, I think it might already be morning where we're going."

To that, Rias's eyes widened. She now has a similarly concerned face like Ravel. Uh oh, here we go..

"Don't tell me… You aren't taking him to another far away place for something dangerous again, are you? Do you even remember what happened the last time you made him do something reckless like that?! No, I won't allow it!"

Yup, that's just about what I expected to hear. It makes me want to sigh. Though, I guess I can't blame her for that reaction, honestly. At the very least, she's concerned about my safety. And considering what happened with Atlas, yeah, I get it..

"Actually, Azazel didn't force me to do anything. I'm the one who asked for this. In fact, all of those trials were technically my idea in the first place. I might not have anticipated a fight with a god, but that's irrelevant now. What's important is that I know what I'm getting into this time. Kind of... Either way, I certainly won't be entering any situations that'll put me in the same level of danger as that, so it's nothing for you to worry about. Just have some faith and leave it to me, yeah?"

I was trying to be reasonable. I do understand her point, but again, it's not like I'm facing off against something I know nothing about. I have a general idea of what's gonna happen here. Although, I probably should've studied more on Celtic mythology…

"But we've only just gotten you back, Ise. Doing something reckless like that again... Do you have any idea what it was like watching that video..? If you were to get hurt like that, I…"

Rias's body started shaking.. I can't say I'm not sympathetic. I wouldn't want to go through that again either. Ravel was also justifiably horrified (and angry) at that time, and I definitely don't want to make Ravel see me go through that again. That being said…

"Look, this sort of thing is important for me. No, not just for me, it's important for the world even. You don't know it now, but this is something which will have a positive effect on my reputation and with our faction's foreign relations. It's not something I can just look away from because it makes you uncomfortable. Understand?"

"Foreign relations..? But, Ise, what in the world are you..."

Rias looked like she was having trouble coming up with a retort. In the past, it would be Azazel who would cover for me with an explanation like this, but I have to be self-sufficient. I have to speak for myself; be independent. I can't just keep letting people take care of me forever. Even when I was "on my own" at Grigori, I was still constantly relying on Ravel (and even Azazel) pretty much everyday. It's good to rely on those I trust when I need them, but I need to rely on myself when I can too. Otherwise, I'll just cripple myself, metaphorically speaking.

Despite what I said, Rias still appeared to be hesitant about conceding to my point.

"..But, Ise… This… I don't even know what you're going to… What if.."

"—Rias."

Rias's eyes shot up with full attention. Even now, Rias seems taken aback whenever I say her name seriously like that. But at times like these, it's important to emphasise it.

"Sorry, but I have to go. I need you to trust me. Understand?"

From the looks of it, Rias couldn't think of anything else to say. It doesn't seem like Akeno-chan or anybody else behind Rias can think of anything else either. In fact, it seemed like they felt even less qualified to say something in this scenario. Azazel put his hand on my shoulder.

"Now, now, Ise. Let's be sympathetic, yeah? I'll tell you what, Rias. Why don't all of you come along with us to our destination? You can observe Ise while he completes his task. How's that sound?"

"Wait, huh?"

I pulled Azazel in closer by the collar to whisper to him.

"Azazel, what are you thinking? They can't come along, what if they're endangered?"

"It's fine, Ise. You may have surpassed them, but don't forget, they can still take care of themselves. Besides, the two of us will be with them. I don't think it's a bad idea. At the very least, it might let them understand your intentions without needing to explain them here, right?"

Uu, I guess he has a point there…

"Well, what do you say? Would you like to come along?"

Rias glanced at me for a moment, but I looked away awkwardly. Was she trying to see if it was okay or was she just gauging my reaction?

"...Well, Ise is my servant. It's my responsibility as a master to keep track of what he's doing, just so he doesn't get himself caught up in anything dangerous like before... Although, around a sensei like you, that might be impossible."

You can say that again.

"That's harsh. I'm only ever looking out for you brats, y'know?"

If by looking out for me you mean watching me get myself killed, then yeah, you're always looking out for me, uh-huh. Haah, whatever. Since everyone is obviously going, I called out to Ravel who I noticed was peeking around the corner leading into the main living room.

"Ravel!"

She noticeably flinched, probably not realizing that I knew she was there.

"Come on! We're heading out! Tell everyone else!"

Ravel nodded and went back into the living room. I'm sure this'll turn out fine...

---

Part 2

"Here, Ise. Your transmitter."

Azazel handed me a communicator that I placed in my ear. I smiled wryly.

"So I assume that this means it'll get loud, huh."

"Loud? Oh, well, maybe a little bit."

Right now, Azazel and I are traveling through a foreign country using a high-class wagon as transportation. Yes, a wagon. And also, my friends are all with me. Also-also, we're actually in Ireland.

"So if it's loud… then maybe my theory about this creature being a [banshee] is correct!"

Is what I said with a minor sense of excitement, but Azazel shot that idea down.

"Banshee? Ah, no. Well, I could see why you'd assume that. I did say that it had to do with "flying creature problems" so I guess that's on me. Anyway, this isn't a banshee problem. It's more...numerous than that."

"Numerous? So I'm outnumbered then? Great. Anything else?"

"Well, it's more amusing— I mean, it's probably better if you see for yourself."

Uh-huh, of course. That sounds about right honestly.

"How dangerous will it be?"

Ravel asked that question from my lap, where she was sitting.

Despite the room in this "bigger-than-average" wagon, Ravel still ended up sitting in my lap like she does in the clubroom. In the past, she and Koneko-chan used to fight over who sat on my lap, and sometimes they even each took an individual leg to sit on. Nowadays, Ravel usually sits down on my lap before Koneko-chan even gets the chance. Ravel used to be apprehensive about it too, feeling somewhat sorry for Koneko-chan, but it seems like she's effectively (and almost unapologetically) taken ownership of my lap at this point. Maybe she's gained a bit of confidence or something.

This doesn't even mention the fact that Koneko-chan doesn't really contest Ravel when she gets the upper hand anymore. Koneko-chan used to argue with Ravel and fight over "her spot" on my lap. Now if she sees Ravel on it before her, she sort of quietly surrenders and settles for the spot next to me. And if she catches my lap before Ravel, I usually ask her to leave Ravel some space to sit on like in the past. I'm sure even Koneko-chan has noticed this special treatment, since I don't usually ask Ravel to do the same for her. It makes me wonder what Koneko-chan thinks about it or how it makes her feel.

(...A part of me hopes that she feels bad about it.)

Uh, this time though, things seemed a little different. Koneko-chan is sitting on the opposite side of the wagon from me and she didn't even try to sit near me when we first entered. If I'm being honest, it felt like she was avoiding me this time, for some reason… It must have to do with why she's been so quiet lately.

Anyway, Azazel answered Ravel's concerns with a bit of a worried smile.

"Well, in terms of danger, I can't say that it compares to the likes of Atlas, haha."

"...That doesn't put me at ease, sensei."

Ravel's voice came out in a deep tone and her eyes were dark. She's worried about me. But she's scary..

"N-No, no, don't worry, Ravel! Trust me, Ise will be fine! It's nothing he can't handle! R-Right, Ise?"

Azazel was looking to me for back-up. What, me? I don't even technically know what I'm up against, I just know the most basic of details. But, I can't say I blame him…

"Yeah.. I may not know exactly what's coming, but I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle. Besides, there are no constraints for this event right? So I don't have to worry about not being able to use Balance Breaker or anything like that, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's right! That's how it is so there's nothing to worry about! N-Neh, Ravel?"

Ravel closed her eyes and brought down her creepy aura.

"Very well. If Ise-sama says so."

Uwaaah, Ravel-san is scary..

"Even if that is the case, don't do anything reckless, okay?"

That was what Rias said from next to me.

"Recklessness is a part of Ise's nature. We are the same in that aspect."

Xenovia said that with an iota of pride in her tone. She seems content with that similarity..

"That's not something to be proud of, Xenovia."

Irina replied. My thoughts exactly. Xenovia still had a big nose about it though.

"I'll be fine.."

I left my response with that. I still don't agree with bringing my friends along for this, if I'm being honest. But it's too late to turn back now, we're already deep into the heart of Great Britain. Or wait… Are we in northern Ireland? That counts as Great Britain, right? No, wait, isn't it super insulting to call Ireland "Great Britain?" Or is it okay? Uu, I really should've studied some more at Grigori after all…

Neigh~!

I heard the sound of the horses whining outside and the wagon came to a stop. Looks like we've arrived.

"We're here. Let's go."

With Azazel's signal, we exited the wagon and stepped onto the trail. Azazel gave our driver, who was wearing, um…. Amish (?) looking attire, a nod. The driver tipped his hat to us and started his wagon again. Why the heck is that guy dressed like…that style, whatever it is? Hell, why even come here in a wagon in the first place? I sense a theme here. It reminds me of the Greek men dressed in Grecian garbs during the Hydra incident. Like if it's a traditional thing or something..

Ah, I just noticed that the wagon was heading back in the direction we came from instead of going forward.

"Where's he heading?"

"Ah, probably to pick up the VIP. That wagon was never originally for us after all."

Oh, is that so? I guess that's why there was an extra wagon piece in the back that looked like a moving bed-mobile. "Bed-mobile?" Wait, what would you call those bed things that royalty use?

[The vehicles you're thinking of are called "litters," partner. And also, the attachment behind the wagon wasn't a litter, it was simply another wagon compartment with a bed in it.]

Man, I really should've studied more…. Wait, you said they're called litters? What a terrible name.

"So… This looks like it could be a battlefield, but I don't see any problems yet. Don't sense any either."

I prodded Azazel for some info while taking a look around. This place that we're at looks like a wide, green plain. There's a tiny bit of morning fog in the air, and with the early morning sun glimmering from behind the mountains in the distance, a beautiful scenery is created. It's open enough to fight in, but I can't tell what it is I'm supposed to "get rid of" here. Everything seems perfect. Are we gonna summon something?

"Well, Ise, the issue isn't really with this plain. The problem lies there."

Azazel pointed off to a forest about 50 metres away from us.

"The forest, huh. If the problem's there, why didn't we get closer? Too risky?"

"For the driver, yea, a bit. Though, the thing most at risk is the wagon. Damaging the vehicle would've been a problem considering that it belongs to the VIP."

Aha, so that's the concern.. Well, if it belongs to someone important, then I guess that makes sense. Speaking of which, I wonder who this VIP is.

"By the way, Azazel. Who is this VIP that Ise is working on the behalf of anyway? I know he's Celtic, but is he really that important? Is he a god perchance?"

Rias curiously asked that question that was pervading my mind as well. Azazel gave a pretty sly response.

"Ah, well, you'll understand when you meet him."

Yep, that's to be expected. At this point, I've gotten so used to Azazel's antics that I didn't even think to ask him that question. In fact, in a way, I've come to see that trait of Azazel as a part of his charm. He's not changing anytime soon after all so I might as well come to find it endearing. Otherwise, I'll blow his head up in frustration or something. I'd rather leave something like that up to Ravel.

"Alright then, wish me luck!"

I was about to head towards the forest, but when I took a step forward, Azazel stopped me.

"Calm down, Ise. I can tell that you're eager, but there's no need for you to rush in there blindly. In fact, it's best if you don't. That's "their" territory so it might give them an advantage."

"Them?"

Once again, Azazel pointed at the forest. This time, however, I noticed some movement within the still treeline.

Rustle..

The tops of the trees started moving side to side a bit… Yea, it's subtle, but they're shifting back and forth. The number of trees and their pace is gradually starting to increase too... In fact, it seems like the whole treeline is coming alive, rustling faster and faster by the second. The only problem is… there's no wind here.

Rustle! Rustle!

"Alright then, Azazel. Now do you care to tell me what exactly I'm facing?"

"The [Slaugh]."

Just as Azazel uttered that name, the trees started to rustle more and more.

"Slaugh?"

"It's an old Irish folk-tale. It was said that sometimes the malicious spirits of the dead would refuse to leave the earth and become something like demonic spirits. Taking the form of mutated birdlike creatures that resembled crows, they would hunt people that walked the forests or plains and devour their souls. They made no distinction between innocent or guilty. They'd hunt anyone, evil or good, wicked or saint. These sorts of dealings haven't been an issue for the last few centuries, but it seems like that's suddenly changed. Now, here in "Roscommon," there's an abundance of them within this particular forest, and the deaths of multiple humans has already been recorded. As you can tell, this presents a problem."

"Let me guess, the problem being if they spread out."

"Correct. So far, they are restricted to this forest. However, it's not known how long that will last. This is a road less traveled, but there's no telling when they'd move to a tourist location. The worst case scenario. And considering their numbers…"

"The worst case scenario.."

"Yeah. Troublesome, to say the least."

"These creatures sound like they're the type that should only be coming out at night."

"They are. And yet, they're somehow able to appear at early dawn like this. They've gotten braver. That's why it's best to exterminate them quickly, just to be safe."

"Huh, I guess that makes me the exterminator, huh. And that makes the pest problem I'm dealing with.."

As if to emulate some sort of comedic timing, I noticed something rising out of the tree tops. There was also a loud sound that would've no doubt been classified as "ear piercing" had it been any closer to us.

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW!

Just like that, a bunch of them popped out from atop the trees. Crows. Big crows, possibly the size of eagles. Lots of them. They rose from the forest and kept on rising into the sky above. But… The amount of crows coming out isn't decreasing. No, there's still more and more coming out. At this point, there's hundreds of them, all rising into the sky.

"Okay, Azazel… Anything final you want to add?"

"Yeah, one last thing. These creatures don't play any favourites when it comes to those they target, but there is one thing they seem to favor."

"What's that?"

Azazel gave me a cheeky grin.

"According to legend, they have a particular taste for those who have found true love."

….

I sighed before smiling.

"Haah… Well, I guess they'll like me then."

The beastly crows that were flying in the sky then started to close in, but in an "indirect" fashion. In other words, instead of flying straight down towards us, they're flying in the sky directly above my group.

"Alright, Ise. That's our cue. Fight well!"

Azazel made distance between us and called the rest of my friends back to his spot. The deal was that if they all came along, they weren't allowed to interfere. As my friends left my side, they gave me their well wishes.

"Good luck, Ise-kun!" "Keep your eyes open!" "Don't do anything reckless, Ise!"

It was Ravel and Rias who were the last ones to leave my side, unsurprisingly.

"Be careful, Ise-sama."

"I will, Ravel. Don't worry."

"Good luck, Ise."

"..Yeah, thanks."

The crows— or maybe I should call them the Slaugh? The horde (or "murder") of Slaugh that were coming out of the trees eventually stopped increasing in numbers. At this point, there's what seems to be almost a thousand of them flying high above me. They're circling the air like vultures. For a moment, they stayed in that tight ring-like formation, but then they started to spread out. But they're not spreading out horizontally, like you'd expect. No… They're spreading vertically! In other words, while maintaining some circular formation, they're also descending upon me! They're coming down to surround me in a vortex!

In a few seconds, they did just that, and I was surrounded by a "tornado" of Slaugh.

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW!

Ah! The sound of their screeching is right in my ears! It's insanely loud! And catching momentary glances at them from up close, these beasts are a lot uglier than regular birds! Their sharp talons are gnarled and prickly, like a black skeleton. And their wings look like they're made out of some sort of black smoke or dust that leaves streaks in the air behind them. It makes it almost impossible to see outside of this vortex.

Well, now's a good a time as any huh, partner!

[Aye! Let's rid the plains of these pests!]

"Boosted Gear!"

I summoned my gear, but the exact moment I did, Azazel's voice came in through the communicator on my ear piece.

[Ise? Can you hear me in there? If you can, try not to use your Boosted Gear, okay? This is Ireland. These beasts are from a time when dragons used to rule these lands. They're very familiar with such a threat, and if you activate your powers, they'll certainly disperse in a panicked fashion. And I don't think you want to go after them individually, even if you have your armour, do you? Same with Atlas's power. That'll cause too much destruction to the environment. We don't want to ruin our chances at a good impression towards the VIP. That's all. Good luck.]

…

…

"You lousy fucking governooooooooooooor!"

Due to the noise created from the Slaugh, it's probably difficult to hear me from the outside. But I yelled it at the top of my lungs in order to at least break Azazel's ear drums through the communicator.

"No constraints," my ass! Not being able to use my Sacred Gear sounds like a fucking constraint to me! So what, I'm just supposed to do this in base form?! You bastard, I even backed you up earlier! I hope Ravel does burn you after all!

"Ddraig, what's my best plan of attack here?!"

[Use Ascalon. Pests like these are easily dispatched with holy weapons. Fire works too, but they might spread out to avoid it. ]

Ascalon, huh. My sword skills still aren't really all that, but it's better than just crushing them all with my hands!

"Ascalon!"

I summoned Ascalon and wasted no time in slashing up all of the crows around me, but boy is there a shit ton of these things! Without my Sacred Gear, it could take hours to get rid of all these, couldn't it?! And to top it off, I can't even boost or they'll scatter!? I'm gonna need to do this at a speedy pace!

ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN!

While slicing and dicing up as many crows as I could with every single slash, I ended up having to dodge multiple attacks from the crows themselves. From time to time, individual crows would break formation and dart straight towards me who was in the center of the vortex.

Fast! These little fuckers are fast as shit! In my base form, I'm only narrowly dodging these attacks! If it wasn't for the training that I received from Sun Wukong-sama, I'd be screwed! It's only thanks to his "momentum training" and "body flow" techniques that I'm able to keep up without creating any serious openings!

[Ise, I'm sure you get this already, but you absolutely can't let the Slaugh hit you, got it? If even one of those things hits you, they'll start taking bits off of your lifespan. You're facing less than a thousand of them, so as a devil, it usually isn't that great of a threat, but you're a special case. Because of your circumstances with the juggernaut drive, your lifespan is not even a quarter that of a normal devil's, remember? These crows have gotten big so each one of them could potentially take off somewhere between a month or two, and in your case, it wouldn't even take half of them to kill you.]

Well, for demon birds that can steal souls, that sounds about right!

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

I continued my onslaught (or perhaps you could say the crows continued their onslaught on me), and I was left wondering why they don't all just completely converge on me or engulf me. They certainly have the numbers for it!

[These sorts of creatures usually engulf those who are of a larger size, in order to overwhelm them, but not smaller targets. Because if they did it to smaller targets, they wouldn't be able to torment them before taking their souls away. After all, if they're after souls, then tormenting them up until death will cause their captured souls to turn out just as sinister as them.]

Yep, that sounds like demon birds born from the spirits of evil men alright!

ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN ZIN!

I kept on attacking and counter-attacking, but thanks to how many of the little bastards there are, I can't even tell the difference in their numbers. At some point, I noticed that there was a momentary gap in the vortex and I could almost see outside. But how is that..?

"Kyaah!"

[—?!]

A shriek! That's Ravel's voice, isn't it?! I might not be able to hear that well in here, but I can at least tell that much! Wait! It took me a second, but I realised the reason this gap in the vortex exists is because a portion of crows split off and went to attack my friends!

"Azazel!"

[It's okay, Ise. We've got it under control.]

When I was able to take a glance through the gap in the vortex, I noticed that the section of crows that attacked my friends was completely obliterated. It was Xenovia's Durandal!

"I won't let you harm them."

Nice job, Xenovia! If it's that blockhead, she can hold off any stragglers easily!

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW!

Suddenly, I noticed a change in the horde's movements.

Ddraig, what's going on?

[It seems that you and your friend's holy-sword attacks might have irritated them, partner.]

Irritated? So they're angry now? What does that mean..?

—While I was wondering what would happen, the Slaugh unexpectedly broke formation.

They're starting to disperse?! No, but they're still maintaining a formation of some sort. They're all still travelling together… More than just moving together, it looks as if they're all smashing into each other to form a big clump in the air…. What the hell? Why are they…?

[Partner, those things are..]

Yeah… It looks like they're attempting to...combine? Which means…!

CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW CAW!

The giant clump of Slaugh started to morph together and take on a shape. As I thought, they're transforming! And the thing that they're transforming into…. Two large wings stretch out, as well as things like talons from under it. A head is starting to poke out of the mass as well. Scratch that, many heads. Although there's only one head of major size that takes priority, there seems to be a bunch of deformed heads of crows sticking out from various places.. And around the "chest" area of the thing, there was this gross, pulsing, yellow sore. It was making all sorts of grotesque sounds as the mass took shape. Yep, that appearance is undoubtedly…

Gogogogo..

The horde of Slaugh had combined to create a giant crow-like creature with glowing red eyes… Why am I even surprised?

CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!

The Slaugh (singular) screeched at me with seemingly all of its might, almost causing me to be thrown back by the sheer force. Who knew this bastard had this kind of ability!

[I've never seen this sort of phenomenon either, partner. At their worst, these pests could travel to other countries and cause trouble. In my days as a dragon, however, I never thought of these things as anything more than gadflies.]

So even Ddraig didn't know about this, huh! Well, I guess there's no helping it! The best thing we can do now is just figure out how to fight it as it is!

"Ise! Use your Balance Breaker!"

I heard Azazel's voice, not through the communicator, but just from him yelling. I guess he took his off now that we don't need it. How short lived that was. My ears are still pretty burned out from their screeching though, you know!

But, "use Balance Breaker," he says. So it's okay now? ..Actually, now that I consider the circumstances, he's probably right. If these things have combined into one, ugly bastard, then I don't really have to worry about them dispersing in a panic due to my power, do I?

That only makes things easier for me then!

[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]

I brought out my Balance Breaker and pointed my Ascalon towards the Slaugh itself.

"You little shits should've escaped when you had the chance!"

—The Slaugh then immediately attacked me by shooting some black substance out of its mouth.

CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!

This substance that I'm being enveloped by— it's like smoke! Black smoke, like the type that was coming off of the individual crow's bodies when I was surrounded by them! It's almost like they're shooting darkness itself at me!

[Partner, get away from this attack! As it is now, the armour is protecting you, but if any of this were to leak through, it could have drastic effects on your lifespan!]

Don't gotta tell me twice!

[Jet!]

I boosted out of the Slaugh's trajectory of attack and flew high into the air. I then boosted my power and transferred it into Ascalon.

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]

The Slaugh screeched its ear piercing shriek at me again as I quickly descended towards it. It tried to shoot its black gas at my face again, but I maneuvered around its attack and made my way to its body. Then, using the same technique that I used to attack the legendary dragon Yu-Long, I spun around the Slaugh at lightning speed, dragging my blade along its entire body as I moved. Doing this, I was able to cut all round the Slaugh's body, causing dark substances to shoot out as the beast screeched in "pain."

Kreeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

When I landed away from the Slaugh, Azazel shouted at me.

"Ise! I'm sure you're well aware of that thing's weakness, right?"

He asked me like he was wondering why I was prolonging this. In response, I shouted back.

"Of course I do! I'm not blind, ya old crow!"

I smiled beneath my mask.

"..But let me enjoy myself for a bit."

[Jet!]

I set off to attack the Slaugh once again. It seemed like the beast was trying to anticipate my attack and shot its black stuff right at me, but unfortunately for this big crow, I was flying low. In fact, my chest plate was almost touching the ground as I boosted toward the birdie. Why? Well, there's a place I didn't get to cut as much during my first spin. That's the underbelly!

Flying low, I made another spin attack on the Slaugh's body, causing more of its black stuff to fall out. And just like I planned, I ended my spin by flying beneath its belly. We know where this is going, don't we?

"Ascalon!"

[Jet!]

From underneath the Slaugh, I boosted my jetpack and shot straight up into the Slaugh while holding Ascalon. Suffice to say, I cut straight through the Slaugh's insides and burst out the other side from it, shooting up into the air.

Kreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Judging from the Slaugh's screeching, that one must've hurt. But I'm not done yet, birdbrain!

I flew over the Slaugh and went up into the sky in front of it, facing it directly now. I boosted my jetpack and began to spin wildly in midair like a spinning top. When I thought I had built up enough speed, I let go of the Ascalon that I held in my hand, launching it straight into the glowing, yellow cyst sitting in the Slaugh's frontal area. And of course, it screeched in pain again.

"I'm still not done yet, asshole!"

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]

Boosting my power up, I concentrated a flame in my new mouthpiece and built up its power. Once I had it, I released those flames straight at the Slaugh, causing its entire form to be engulfed by flames.

Foooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!

After being set ablaze, I could see the Slaugh was losing some of its physical shape.

[Partner, it's trying to disperse! The horde will eventually re-emerge one day if even one gets away!]

"It won't."

[Jet!]

Without hesitation, I shot towards the Slaugh and delivered the killing blow. I drove the Ascalon that was impaled in its vital area further in and transferred power to it.

[Gift!]

And with that, the Slaugh was at its limit. It lost form by suddenly popping like a balloon, and its scattered crows burned to a crisp all over the grassy plain.

Just like that, the Slaugh was defeated.

Clap, clap, clap!

I could hear my group congratulating me as I approached them and deactivated my Scale Mail.

"Well done, Ise. As expected, you catch on quickly."

"Shut up, you lousy sensei. You told me there were no constraints this time, but that was a complete lie. You can go back to hell."

"Harsh. Either way, I knew you'd handle it."

Even though I wanted to be mad at Azazel, I couldn't help but let it off with a sigh. After all, I should've expected this. That's just the type of guy he is. Besides, looking behind him, I could tell that there was somebody else who had words for him on my behalf.

"...Sensei.."

Azazel flinched at the voice behind him, but he certainly felt the threatening aura as well, I'm sure. Ravel was creeping up behind him with fire building up in her hands.

"You lied to me, sensei…"

Azazel immediately began taking cover behind different individuals, including myself, while avoiding Ravel.

"H-Hey, Ravel, come on! Let's not be unreasonable here! Ise's totally fine so it isn't a big deal, right? I mean, I knew perfectly well that he could handle it, and he handled it magnificently, wouldn't you say? H-Hey, Ravel! That's a lot of fire! You're going to end up burning something!"

In the midst of all the commotion, I heard the huff of a horse and the wheels of a wagon. When I looked over at the road, it seemed like someone had arrived in a magnificent wagon. They stepped out of the bed compartment of the wagon and began clapping. That's…?

"Yes, yes, magnificent indeed!"

The manly voice came from the beautiful looking man approaching us. The man had a regal appearance despite having attire that looked like it belonged far in the past. You could see his bare chest through his open shirt and he was wearing something like a quilt or skirt on his bottom half? He had long, dirty blondish hair that ran down past his shoulders and he also had a royal looking cape draped over his shoulders as well. And what beautiful green eyes. He looked to be in his early thirties..? Just based on his appearance, I could make an assumption of who he is. But in truth, his aura said enough alone... This man is undoubtedly a god.

"Well done, cousin-dragon! Excellent performance! Your reputation certainly precedes you!"

"Thank you. I do my best to uphold my reputation. My name is Hyoudou Issei. I am this generation's Red Dragon Emperor, as you already know."

I wasted no time in introducing myself, I need to make a good impression after all. Meanwhile, Azazel went ahead and introduced the god to the rest of us.

"Ah, our VIP has arrived. Everyone, this is [Lugus], the Celtic god of the arts. And by "arts," that means combat and warriors. It's because of him that we were able to enter this territory and allowed audience on the prospect of forming an alliance."

Azazel introduced the god in the most formal manner. So he's Lugus! He's a pretty significant god in the Celtic mythology, from what I remember. He's certainly a VIP in his own right. Now the amazing carriage makes sense.

"Oh, please, it's my pleasure! It's not often that you have the opportunity to have encounters between beings from such different mythologies! Not to mention, meeting the Welsh Dragon Emperor, our cousin-dragon, face-to-face again! It's a splendid day! Oh, and you can call me [Lugh.]"

All around, this guy seems like a pretty carefree fellow. A little more carefree than Zeus and Poseidon, even. Anyway, I've gotta make a good impression.

"Well, it's an honor, Lugh-sama.. I had no idea that you were the one who agreed to my proposition, but I'm very grateful that you did. Many of the other pantheon representatives we reached out to refused to meet with us…"

Which is sadly no surprise, considering my reputation…

"Of course! Fulfilling a favor like this in exchange for the consideration of an "alliance" between the Celtic and the Christian powers, it's a great deal! Centuries ago, I wouldn't have considered it due to the tumultuous history christianity has with many of our lands, but times have changed. It's time to move on from such things. If we remain with our eyes stuck to the past, we're certain to miss the future. Besides, if it's a request from our cousin-dragon, how can I refuse? Hahaha!"

He really is a jolly fellow. He seems pretty wise too. What a swell guy. Also, he speaks pretty clearly for a guy with an Irish(?) accent.

"So… The reason Ise was out here taking care of this situation… is because you made a deal with the Celtic pantheon that if Ise assisted them in this matter, they'd give you an audience regarding alliances?"

Rias put the pieces together and Azazel confirmed her theory.

"Yes, that's correct. In exchange for handling this situation, which was on the verge of becoming an issue for the gods of this land, we asked for an audience with one of the major gods of this pantheon. We asked them to hear us out on forming an alliance with the Three-powers, in the same vein as the Kyoto faction. A bold suggestion by Ise, considering that tensions are high right now. At first, we were worried that this might not have been a good enough deed for them to consider us, but it looks like that was just our cynicism. Well, my cynicism. But I guess it was no match for Ise's optimism."

Yep, that's about it. That's what makes this situation similar to the Atlas one. As I told Rias, it's official business that would affect the world at large, as well as improving my reputation as an "arbiter" who assists other factions rather than threatening them. This sort of thing won't be enough to mitigate the damage caused by the "god-slayer" moniker, but it's a step in the right direction. As long as I can ease the tension between me, the gods of different pantheons, and their perceptions of me, it's a good thing. I'll do whatever it takes, even if it means becoming a simple errand boy for now…

(...Although a part of me enjoys the title of god-slayer..)

"Yes, well, usually a situation like this would be resolved by the descendants o' the hero of our lands, but…. Well, due to complicated circumstances, that wasn't happening. That's why it was such a help that you came in and assisted us! Otherwise, I or one o' the other gods of our group would have needed to come down here and handle it. Truth be told, I get mighty discouraged t' inking about fighting minimal threats such as these… For a god of the masters o' skills to handle a nuisance like this…. The idea depresses me so…"

The atmosphere around Lugh-sama changed completely. Now he seemed completely downtrodden. Wow, what a peculiar character this guy is. I'm starting to get the feeling all of the major beings of this world, especially gods, are really weird in their own right. Though, his mood switched back right away.

"Ah, well, thankfully, it didn't come to that! And for that, I thank ye, Hyoudou Issei! You'll have your audience with the gods! No, in fact..! Bollix to that! You'll have your alliance! Whatever it is, we agree to it wholeheartedly! You've got a deal!"

[—?!]

We were shocked to hear his sudden and nonchalant declaration. J-Just like that?! I mean, I'm not gonna complain..! But is it really that easy?

While I was wondering about it, Azazel asked the important questions.

"Are you sure about this, Lugh? Won't the other gods have something to say regarding such a vital topic? Wouldn't it be a better idea to have a meeting before jumping to conclusions?"

That was my concern too, but Lugh-sama seemed pretty relaxed about it.

"Eh, you'd be surprised, Azazel-lad. Lots o' the other gods couldn't be bothered to worry about such things. It's already hard enough maintaining our lands when we've got so little believers around. That's why it's important to take care o' the ones we have, and to that end, you've done a good service to us. Although, in a backwards sort o' way, the appearance of such creatures also helped our belief system somewhat. —Anyway, if I'm being realistic, gettin' a partnership with ye folks is probably for the best. As you know, we aren't as large or influential a' faction as the rest o' ya. Even a wee babee like yourself, Issei-lad, could do a lotta damage against us if ya found it so fit to. Havin' allies would be a great help in this day and age especially. As one o' the top brass, it'd be irresponsible of me not to take such a deal, all things considered, know what I mean?"

He certainly has a point. A lot of smaller and less influential pantheons have little choice in this situation. If Khaos Brigade were to launch a full scale attack against the Celts, it would do some serious damage, especially if they don't have any of their heroes around, or even worse, if they somehow ended up being recruited or stolen. Forming an alliance would lessen those risks. That fact was essentially proven by the incident in Kyoto since it only took a small group of the Hero Faction to abduct Yasaka-san and send the East-Yokai Faction into turmoil.

I looked at Azazel and he sighed, but inevitably, he smiled and nodded his head at me. With that, I smiled too and extended my hand for a shake towards Lugh-sama.

"Well, if that's the case, then you have nothing to worry about. As allies, we'll never leave you on your own and we'll always help you if a time comes when you need it. And even if somehow anyone else can't come to the rescue, I will. No matter what. I promise you that."

Lugh-sama smiled widely at my declaration and he took my hand.

"Aye, that's what I like ta' hear! The promise of a great fellowship, there's nuttin' more that fills my heart than that! It'll be a pleasure, cousin-dragon!"

With that, we shook hands and (somewhat unofficially) formed an alliance. Well, I'll let Azazel handle all of the finer details. I'm sure he'll figure it out. Also, I've noticed that the friendlier this guy gets with us, the stronger his accent becomes, it seems…

"By the way, Lugh-sama. Why do you keep calling me "cousin-dragon?" Is there some sort of meaning behind that?"

"Oh? Well, that's what I've always called ya, didn't cha' know? Maybe since y'ur not the red dragon y'urself, ya wouldn't remember, but since y'ur a dragon from the Welsh lands, y'ur sorta like a neighbour to us. In fact, by mythology standards, ye would be like a "cousin." That's why I call ya the "cousin-dragon," lad."

"Huh? Wait, what do you mean by "remember?" Have you met a Sekiryuuetei before?"

"[A], lad? Heh, I met the original dragon himself, don'tcha know!"

(—?!)

What he said shocked me. This guy met Ddraig when he was alive? Ddraig, is this true?

[Hmm…. Yes, I vaguely recall meeting a Celt once during my travels. If memory serves me right, he tried impaling me with his spear.]

Ddraig said it aloud so that Lugh-sama could hear him. Wait, this guy tried to kill you?!

"Hahaha! Oh, that was me alright! Tried to stick 'im right in the belly! Didn't quite work though, wouldn't cha know? Should've tried to do it in his sleep, but I was too proud back then. What a right gas that was!"

He just said it like it was some sort of funny nostalgic story!?

[I actually was asleep, at first. But then his rambunctious shouting awoke me. Seemed like he wanted to catch my attention.]

"What the hell?! That's insane, are you kidding me?! I had no idea this happened! Why did you even attack Ddraig in the first place?"

"I had heard that there was a dragon sleepin' somewhere out in the lands and causin' a fuss'. Offerin's were decreasing due to my people's cattle being "eaten by a beast." Lo and behold, there he was! That's when I tried to poke him with [Gáe Assail], my undodgeable spear! Still didn't hit him though."

He said it so casually!?

"The undodgeable spear of a god?! What the hell?! How did you get out of that, Ddraig?!"

[Since I couldn't avoid it, I used my power to tear a hole in the dimension right in front of me, causing the spear to land in the dimensional gap. It's a realm beyond space-time and logic which has no end or beginning, so the rule of "a spear that cannot miss" wouldn't be relevant there. Its effect would be rendered meaningless.]

WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF EXPLANATION IS THAT?! I don't even know what that means, how the hell did you think of a solution like that on the fly?! Geez, these immortal/godlike beings sure are something else!

"Hahahaha! What a right gas that was! I was wee and foolish back then so I remember being so scared to death of losin' Gáe that I begged the dragon to get it back for me. In exchange, I'd let 'im sleep and feast wherever the snake fancied."

[Yes, I remember heading into the tear to retrieve the spear as well. When I carried the puny weapon, it didn't attempt to seek me and when I emerged, the effect didn't return to me either. I suppose because the dimensional gap is the way that it is, its function was disrupted and didn't allow it to follow through until it returned to its master, so ultimately, my theory was proven correct.]

...I haven't a single fucking clue how to make sense of any of that, I'm way too dumb. Even with Shemhazai-san's mental training, that's still way too much of a mind-bender for a lowly human being like me…

"Yes, after that, I made sure to have the spear enchanted so that it would always return to me. I got the idea from our nordic neighbours, ya know. Heard that the son o' the sky had the idea with his hammer. Have ya met 'im? Great lad, could down a whole few taverns without bein' snattered! Nuttin' like me first son. Boy couldn't even down the black without bein' fucked off his head."

At this point, I had zero clue what he was even going on about anymore, but there was one thing that interested me in what he said.

"Hey, Lugh-sama. Earlier you said that a situation like this would usually be handled by one of your heroes, but because of some circumstances, that was "impossible." What did you mean by that? Are your heroes gone?"

I was worried that it could've been the worst case scenario and the Celtic heroes might have joined the Hero Faction…but it didn't seem that way. Lugh-sama looked like he realized something with my words and smacked his forehead. For some reason, he called out to the wagon on the road.

"Oh, shite! Almost forgot! Oy, lad! Enough nappin'! Come on out here!"

Huh? It seems like Lugh-sama was calling out to somebody. When I looked over at the wagon however, no one came out… It was quiet for a moment, but eventually, the wagon started moving a bit.

"...I...I-Is it safe?"

The shrill voice of what sounded like a boy rang out from the wagon as I saw a ginger-headed kid poke his head out. Lugh-sama motioned for him again.

"Oh, just come out here, ya dobber!"

After Lugh-sama says that, a scrawny, Irish(?) kid with glasses, who has the same build as gasper, comes out all wobbly from the wagon. With a glance, I can tell he's a scaredy cat, and he also has a huge book in his hands. Who the heck is this kid? He doesn't look much younger than me, but he can't be older than Gasper or Koneko either..

Once the kid approached us warily, Lugh-sama introduced him with a smack on the kid's back, almost causing him to fall over and pick up his glasses.

"This laddie here is named Aiden, but we don't really call 'im that 'round me lads. We call 'im "[Chulainn]!" Get it? It's because this wee laddie here is the descendant of me boy, Cú Chulainn!"

(—?!)

Lugh-sama's words shocked me. Wait, this kid is the current "Cú Chulainn?!" The descendant of the great Celtic hero?! This scrawny puke?!

"Wait, that is..! But, there's no way..!"

In response to my shocked attitude, the kid sort of retreated behind Lugh-sama. That's probably my fault for trying to inspect him with my surprised eyes.

"L-Lugus-san… W-Who are these people?"

"Oh, come on now, laddie! I've told you to call me "pops." Y'ur practically me boy anyway. And when y'ur speakin', ya need to speak loud enough for everyone to hear ya! Now introduce y'urself to the Welsh Dragon and the Arch-fallen Angel!"

After Lugh-sama's words, the kid went pale. Well, paler than he already is…

"...A-A-A-Arch-fallen Angel…? Y-You can't mean… The Fallen-Angel A-Azazel from the Christian bible…? And the Welsh Dragon…f-f-from the land of Wales…. The one on the flag..?!"

"Aye, that's right! Now stand proud! Y'ur the "Son of Lugus!" Well, maybe not the first son, but a son of Lugus nonetheless! Certainly not the only one either, but we've disowned the other criminal. So y'ur it!"

The kid didn't seem any less nervous… Actually, just looking at this boy, he looks so out of place here… He almost seems like...

"Hey, uh, Lugh-sama… This kid doesn't seem too used to this kind of situation. He kind of gives me, uh… Well, a "regular guy" sort of vibe, ya know? It feels like this is the first time he's ever been in this situation, like ever…"

I whispered that to Lugh-sama and he replied at a completely normal volume.

" Oh, well of course! This is the first time he's been like this, ya know! He just found out that he was me descendant a few days ago! That's the whole reason we couldn't have one o' our own heroes to handle this! This laddie's all we got, hahahaha!"

Say whaaaaaaaat?! Are you serious?! You're telling me this kid is the only hero descendant you've got active right now?! And he didn't even know about the supernatural world until a few days ago?! Is that why you agreed to let us help you with the Slaugh in the first place?! You looked for a hero and ended up only with this kid?! Oh man, I can't believe this! No wonder this kid is clutching his book so tightly and shaking in his boots right now! Actually, after a second glance, I can tell that the book he's holding is some sort of Celtic mythology encyclopedia or something… No, wait, looking closer at it, it has some interesting markings on the cover. And it looks super old too. It must be a text that Lugh-sama provided him with from some ancient library or something I don't know of…. Which means that he probably learned about all of this Celtic stuff through not only a primary source, but just this week?! Oh man, this poor kid… That's like the shock I went through when I found out I was a Devil times ten…

Because I felt sympathy for the kid, I patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, bud. It gets easier. Just… If you ever find yourself asking the question ["can I do this"], instead of telling yourself ["I can"], try telling yourself ["I will do this."] Trust me. It'll make things a lot easier."

I tried to give him advice, which might seem vague to him now, but should help him in the future. Unfortunately, the kid just kind of went pale.

"...P…Please don't eat me…"

Ueh, yeah, this kid's gonna have it rough for sure… Let's just hope it's not too bad.

In the middle of all of this bantering, Lugus made an interesting face and started to look around.

"Wouldja look 'a that. We've got an unwelcome visitor."

Unwelcome visitor? I questioned his perception until I suddenly felt something vaguely familiar in nature creeping up behind me.

《Wah! He noticed me! As suspected of the master of arts! Artemis would be pleased! Although I am not Artemis, so please don't misuunderstand!》

What the…?! A simultaneously ethereal and eccentric voice came out from behind me! But just when I thought I recognized that presence, I was proven wrong by the appearance of this person.

"Hermes! Or not…. You're…?"

What appeared behind me and my group with a bit of an ethereal glimmer was…a busty, blonde haired vixen with curly hair! She was wearing Grecian garbs that accentuated her bosom and a bronze helmet that fit her loosely, drooping atop her head. Wait, bronze helmet? That must mean…

"Ah, hello, Sekiryuutei-mon! It is so very nice to meet you in the flesh!"

The girl spun around like a…well, not like a ballerina, per say… That would imply a level of grace in her movements, of which there was none… No, she just spun around enthusiastically and almost totally lost her footing when she did, and her helmet was falling off too… Yep, eccentric was right. And she confirmed my immediate suspicions about her identity soon thereafter.

"Your assumption is not entirely correct! But it is also not entirely incorrect either! For you see… I am indeed Hermes! But only half Hermes! For I am – [Angelia]! Daughter of Hermes himself! And I – am a virgin!"

[—!]

And so, the mysterious woman with god's blood revealed her true identity. She is the daughter of Hermes, Angelia! As I thought, she had a familiar presence and appearance after all! So this is one of Hermes' children? She looks quite young. Knowing gods, she's probably a few centuries old, but she doesn't look much older than Rossweisse-san, who is barely the oldest amongst us. Interestingly enough, her attire is sort of similar to her father's too. Actually, she doesn't seem that different in character either.

Wait, what was that last thing she said?

"And I — Am a VIRGIN!"

As if reading my mind, she needlessly repeated herself with almost comedic timing.

…

"...oh, well, nobody asked you about that.."

…

After what I said, Angelia covered her face, fell to her knees, and began weeping.

"Guuuuuuuuuu!"

[—?!]

Eh?! She's crying?! Why is she crying?! Was it something I said?!

"You shouldn't bully girls, Ise."

Eeeh?! Bullying?! I wasn't bullying her, you shitty lousy sensei! In fact, I don't want to hear you say that with such a straight face when you've got puffy hair and scorch marks all over you!

Feeling bad, I went over to comfort the girl.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. Um, I'm sorry if what I said made you sad. Uh, we also have a friend that hates being a virgin too. But there's nothing wrong with having been single your entire life.."

"SAD?!"

"Uwah!"

I was shocked when Angelia suddenly shot up proudly and started rambling.

"Who said I was sad about being a virgin?! That's impossible! After all, my chastity is the number 1 best thing about me as a creature! Chastity is the ultimate beauty! Nothing surpasses chastity, and in that sense, nothing surpasses me! Oohohohohoho~!"

She ended it with one of those haughty, stereotypical "hime-dere" laughs. But, I get the feeling that this girl doesn't understand her own emotions…

Like before, as if on cue, she emulated my internal thoughts perfectly and changed attitudes.

"...Yes, that's right… Chastity is a virtue, it's just like big sis Aphrodite said. It's not because I'm undesirable that I'm a virgin, it's just my greatest virtue, that's all… yeah, that's right. Virtue…. Besides, I'm so busy anyway that I couldn't find a partner even if I wanted to. Not that I want to or anything…."

Uwaah, now she's just crouching on the floor and mumbling about something with a depressing cloud over her head… Nevermind Rossweisse-san, this girl is beyond saving mentally. Speaking of Rossweisse-san, she appears to be the only person who is sympathising with this girl. She's got tears coming out of her eyes and is nodding her head with that "I get you" sort of vibe. These girls must have it rough. Well, it's not like I'm any different, I'm a virgin too..

"Um, so… Was there something you needed to tell me? Since you're Hermes's daughter, I'm assuming you have a message of some sort to deliver too, right?"

Suddenly, she shot back up and got in my face. Aah, that's too close too fast!

"That's exactly correct, God-Slayer, sir! In fact, what I came to deliver was not just any message, but a message from my father and the King of Olympus himself!"

She whipped out a scroll like parchment and put it in my face. Any closer and she would've broken my nose.. But a message from both Hermes and Zeus? This must be important! I took the parchment and opened it to read. Of course, it was a letter, and written by none other than the jolly speedster himself.

[Heeeyooooooo, Issei-boy! How are you doing?! Can you guess who this is writing you this letter?! I bet you can't, huh!]

No, well, it's super obvious… Like, extremely, intensely, stupidly obvious. You sent your own daughter to deliver it. No, even your own daughter said it herself.

[Hahahaha, that's right! It is I, Hermes, the messenger god of Olympus!]

Well, like I said, I already knew that…

[Ahaha, I got you good! Aaah~, anyway, how have you been? Has your new gift been serving you well? I bet it has, huh? Especially my blessing? Aw, you're making me blush! I knew you'd love it! I'm so glad to hear it!]

This guy… He really just loves to run his mouth. He's having an entire conversation by himself here… Out of pure curiosity, I inspected the parchment only to notice that both sides were filled to the brim! Are you joking?! I looked at Hermes's daughter with weary eyes.

"Hey, uh, where's the part where he gets to the point..?"

"...It's…after the part about uncle Dionysus's golden chalice competition…"

She answered me with a small voice. Uwaah, even she looks embarrassed by her father's antics. Looking at her the way she is now, she really does look like a pure maiden. Oh, well, I guess she is technically a pure maiden.

Skimming around the front of the page, I didn't find what I needed… Actually, the important stuff was just on the backside, bottom-half. Meaning that approximately 80% of the letter was a complete waste of time.

…Is this guy even real?

[And that's the reason why Dionysus's golden chalice competition was permanently banned from Olympus! Hahaha, pretty funny, right? So, what was I saying? Oh, right! The offer. Eek! I should get back on topic now. Zues is glaring at me pretty strongly! He seemed alright with me writing the letter at first though..]

He probably underestimated your chatiness…

[That aside, the main topic of conversation! The main reason we're writing this letter to you is to make you an offer! Tell me, Hyoudou Issei-boy… Have you ever wanted to visit Olympus..?]

(—?!)

Visit Olympus?! Is that what this proposition is about? They're asking me if I want to come to Olympus?!

[That's right, my boy! Olympus! The great capital of the Greek gods atop the mighty Mount Olympus! And we want you, dear customer, to come see it in person, for yourself, all expenses paid! How's that sound?]

That sounds fucking amazing! Are you kidding?! Me, visiting Mount Olympus?! That's a glorious honor! I would love to go! I mean, it's something that's already been offered to me once before, but if they're sending me this letter, that must mean it's official! They want me to go!

Wait… But why would they be asking me this now?

[Now, you might be asking yourself: "why would they invite me to visit now of all times?"]

Well, would you look at that? His chatty personality kinda comes in handy towards the end, doesn't it.

[Well, you see, my boy, the answer is quite simple. The truth is: we just wanted to! Or more specifically, many of the gods here wanted to. There's a lot of gods on Olympus who are particularly interested in meeting you in person. Zeus and Poseidon especially wish to see what kind of growth you've experienced in your short time apart, as well as observing how you've adapted to their "gift." Although if you ask me, I think they just want to see who gets bragging rights over whichever power you've adapted to or which god you've decided to honor next. They've even put bets on it, remember! You know mine so don't let me down!]

Why did he write that in a smaller font as if he was whispering? And why did I know exactly what he was doing?

Also, they're putting bets on my transformations? Ueeeh, I haven't evolved a single one of my other Triaina types yet..

[Anyway, there's also some official business that Poseidon wants to discuss with you and the Arch-fallen boss man so make him come along. In fact, I just got the thumbs up from Zeus that even your devil friends can come along too! All expenses paid! Ain't that generous? What a gallant king we serve! Of course, if you asked Hera, you'd probably get a - ]

What the hell happened with that last part? The writing turned into scribbling and kind of slid off the page for a second… I get the impression that Hermes might've stepped over a landmine and Zeus might've given Hermes a word or two about it….

[...Oww… Anyway, come one, come all… You're invited to the world above man…. Please bring plenty of strong friends who protect each other from harm… Specifically those who like to protect defenseless gods who are often abused by their…..]

And that's where the letter ends, abruptly… There was a lot of spacing in between those last few sentences and the font was much larger. There were even a couple of blood stains…. Can, uh…. Can gods sustain brain trauma..? I do wonder about that..

Anyway, I handed the parchment back to Angelia.

"Uh, is that all they wanted to say to me?"

"Yes, indeed! You can actually keep the letter by the way! Free of charge!"

"Uh, yeah, no thanks. Don't need it."

"Oh… W-Well, in that case, maybe you'd be more interested in this!"

Angelia brought out another letter? This one seemed smaller though. Looking at it closely, it only had a couple of sentences on it. It was basically a note, but for some reason formatted like a business card or something. And what it said was..

"...What…?"

I can't read this. No, literally, I can't read this. It's fucking unintelligible. I would say that if I didn't have Devil's ability to read or write any language, I'd barely be able to tell these were words, but scratch that, I seriously actually cannot read this.

"Um, excuse me, but… what does this say?"

Angelia answered with a confused expression.

"W-What do you mean? It's the number of years I've spent protecting my chastity. C-Coincidentally, it also happens to be the same amount of time I've spent alive, hehe."

Those are numbers?! Shouldn't they look like Roman numerals then?! Wait, did the Greeks use Roman numerals? Double wait, isn't it super offensive to assume the Greek gods would use those considering that the Romans tried to rebrand their entire mythology? Triple wait, even if the Greeks did use Roman numerals somehow, which probably didn't even exist yet, why would the Greek gods subscribe to some human convention like a number system of the Roman empire instead of their own thing?

—What was I talking about? Oh, right, the illegible text. Apparently, it's her virgin gamerscore. Amazing. It's enough to put Rossweisse-san to shame by at least a few hundred years. But, uh… for being the daughter of the Messenger god, she sure can't write for shit, huh? What irony...

"Uh, cool? Good for you, I guess… I don't know why you'd give this to me, though…"

After I said that, Angelia kind of awkwarday fumbled her words and snatched the note back from my hand.

"O-Oh, uh, yeah, right! Of course! Obviously, that has nothing to do with you whatsoever! Pfft! What a random thing to do, right?"

I was confused for a moment, but what she did next didn't answer any questions either. She just took a few steps back, turned around, tore the paper into pieces, and stomped it out on the ground. All the while, she was quietly cursing someone out underneath her breath.

"Stupid Aphrodite! [Advertise your chastity! It's your greatest virtue!] Dumb whore! Lying harlot! Put a rod in your ****! Cut your **** off just like Cronos did to your dad! Burn in Hades!"

Whoa, geez! She just blurted out a bunch of obscenities not fit for television! I think she also mentioned another goddess. Why do I get the distinct impression that she's the type of person to get pranked a lot by her fellow gods..?

"Well, anyway…. Thanks for delivering the message Angelia. You can go ahead and let Zeus or your father know that I graciously accept their offer."

To my confirmation, Angelia finally recomposed herself and shot me a goofy looking salute.

"Aye, aye, sir! Your undelayed response is much appreciated! I will fulfill my duty as the temporary messenger of Olympus and deliver word of your response to the King himself! Thank you for your time!"

"Aha, yea, no problem."

You know, when she actually takes her job seriously like that, she's actually quite a cute kid. "Kid" in quotations because she's very likely more than 10 times my age, but the point still stands. Honestly, she's immature enough that the gods probably think of her as a kid too.

"Anyway, goodbye for now then, I guess. Angelia, was it?"

"Aye, aye, Sekiryuutei-mon! A farewell to you too! It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"Um, sure… I guess I'll see you on Olympus then?"

Angelia then became bashful out of nowhere.

"W-Well, of course… But only if you'd like to…. Ah, b-but I can't invite you to my personal quarters or anything! I understand that it may be tempting, and it might be Greek tradition to appear before a fair maiden unannounced, but I'm afraid that I value my chastity just far too much! I'm sorry, Sekiryuutei-mon! Forgive me."

She started acting all dramatic there for some reason. Like, straight out of a soap opera level of "despair" acting.

"Oh, okay…. I can't say I really had any intentions of doing that in the first place though."

Like clockwork, she abruptly reverted to her depressed self and started mumbling to herself like a bipolar maniac with a heavy sigh.

"...Haaaaaaaah…. Yea, of course…. I mean, who the heck even wants to role-play those stupid traditions anyway…. They're just stories anyway and some of them aren't even true…. Well, except for Lord Zeus's, but who cares…. The men on Olympus always had it easier anyway…. Maybe I'll just become a hermit like Hestia-san and give up on everything else…. Haaaaaah.."

Yep, she's unsalvageable. I'm not even sure if getting laid would help her. It got the point where I just looked at Azazel and he just shrugged in response. Yea, I can't say much about it either.

Anyway, just like that, Angelia was gone with the wind. It's kinda cool how she and her father become sort of "translucent" when they speed off and disappear like that. Gives you the impression of real speed.

"I'm assuming that what you said about meeting her on Olympus means that you've volunteered me for an obvious field trip."

Azazel said that a bit facetiously. Yea, even without explaining, it is pretty obvious what we were talking about.

"Well, to be fair, they actually wanted you to come along. Or more like, they told me to bring you along. They also said that everyone else can come along too, if they want."

Rias raised a curious brow.

"Go where exactly?"

"To Olympus. We— or more like, "I've" been invited to Olympus. But Zeus said you guys can come too."

The rest of my group seemed pretty shocked to hear me say that.

"An invitation to Olympus from the King of gods himself?"

"That's right, Rias. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Greek gods don't usually open their doors to anyone, not for their glorious palaces above the skies at least. So what do you say? Are you coming?"

Rias glanced at me for a second, but I didn't pay it any mind. After a moment, she nodded her head.

"Abrupt as it may be, to refuse an invitation to Mount Olympus from the King of gods himself would be unbecoming of me as a High-class devil. Besides, Ise is my servant after all, so if he's going to attend then I must go as well. Wherever a servant goes, her master should follow. Although it's usually the other way around."

So that's her response after all. Yea, that sounds about right. I mean, I would've gone whether or not she wanted to anyway, but I'll keep that to myself. That aside, this means it's official! We're going to Olympus!

Ah, I got so caught in the flow that I completely forgot Lugh-sama was right here behind us the whole time.

"Ahaha, sorry about that Lugh-sama. We didn't mean to ignore you. Anyway, is that all that needed to be done for now? Are we all set to go?"

"Aye, Sekiryuutei-lad! A hundred thanks for y'ur help! The glorious god o' the arts appreciates it! Now, if you'll excuse us, this lad has got some toughen'in up to do!"m

Lugh-sama patted poor Aiden on the shoulder again, causing him to lose all the color in his already pale face.

"W-What? What do you mean by toughening? W-What's gonna happen to me?"

"O' don'tcha worry about that ma boy! We'll have ya "right as rain" soon enough! First, we've got'ta get some muscle on that throwing arm! Can't have one o' me boys too scrawny to even pick up a pike!"

Lugh-sama then picked up Aiden with one arm and held him at his side like you would a sleeping bag or something. That poor kid… He already looked like he passed out before they even reached the wagon…

"G-Good luck..!"

Gasper shouted that heartily. Ah, he must've found some solidarity with that guy. Yeah, I mean, I guess he was a little similar in his behavior. Different reasons for it though. Speaking of which, Angelia was also pretty reflective of Rossweisse-san too. Seems like the world is full of weirdos, especially amongst special existences. I wonder if there's a graph out there that details the ratio of "specialness" factor to "bizarreness" factor. If there isn't, I might be the first person to make one soon…

"By the way, Ise. There's something I need to mention. Come over here for a second."

For some reason, Azazel called out to me seriously. When I walked over to him, we stepped aside.

"What's up?"

"When do you plan on going to Olympus?"

When? That's a pretty bizarre question.

"I mean, I was planning to do it as soon as possible. They did invite us after all. It seemed like they wanted to discuss something important too while we were there. I don't see why we'd keep them waiting."

Azazel appeared bothered by that answer. He looks like he's thinking deeply about something.

"..Can you make it so that we can go the day after tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow? I mean, I guess I can… I don't really see why though. What's this about, Azazel?"

"Well, the truth is… There's someone that wants to meet with you. And as it turns out, this is kind of one of those "ASAP" situations. Even more so than taking a trip to Olympus."

I was baffled by what he said.

"Someone wants to meet me? And they're more important than going to Olympus, the glorious mountain peak that's home to one of the most influential pantheons of gods in history? I don't know about you, Azazel, but Hermes made it sound a lot like people don't often get invited to Olympus. Ever. And you're telling me that there's someone I should meet before going because it's more urgent?"

"Yes."

He answered with a straight face, not a shred of doubt present in his eyes. Azazel wouldn't act like this for nothing.

"...Is it a god?"

"...To be honest, I don't know if it can be classified as that. It's more so of a final boss type character. The type you might feel like fighting the moment you come face to face with them."

Just as my eyes were about to go wide with shock, Azazel put his hands up.

"I know. It might sound insane, but I need you to trust me on this."

"I don't know. There was this one time I trusted you and I ended up almost dying after fighting an Evil-god."

I hit him with an unexpectedly icy response, even for me. I could see the guilt in his face. Damn. Come on, Ise. He's already apologized for that. That wasn't fair to him….

"Sorry. That was wrong of me.."

"No, you're right… I haven't done a good job at all of keeping you out of harm's way.."

"You're wrong. I'm the one who's done that to myself. I was always just getting what I asked for those times. Try not to worry about it. Just…. Ugh, geez… Okay, in regards to this "person," can I at least ask who they are? Or get a hint maybe?"

Azazel grimaced. It's rare to see him this worried.

"Probably not, no.. Although, this time, it's not because of some cheeky undertone of mine. I just genuinely don't know if I'd be able to explain it like this. Or if you'd kill me once I tell you…. That's why, I'm asking you to trust me once again…"

I couldn't help but exhale through my puffed cheeks.

"Fuuuu, okay… Alright. I understand. I trust you."

"And I need you to promise me that you'll try to keep your cool in front of "them." Or at least, don't attack them out of nowhere and "hear them out" when the time comes."

"..Yeah, well, I'll try."

"..Good, good…"

After thinking to himself for a moment, Azazel sighed.

"Alright, that's all."

"Okay. So does that mean I can assume this will be happening "as soon as possible" after all?"

I asked about a possible time frame in an indirect way, and Azazel gave me an indirect answer. But that was sufficient enough communication between us to confirm what we needed.

"Just make sure to get a good night's sleep."

"Got it."

Tomorrow. Whatever it is, it's happening tomorrow. All too soon..

---

Part 3

Later that night, I was left alone in my room, reading up on some Greek mythology lore with a bunch of books I borrowed from Grigori. I briefly read up on some Greek myths during my stay at Grigori, usually during my free time. However, most of what I read was limited to subjects related to whatever was coming up in my trials. Or more specifically, I read up on the stuff I asked Azazel to assign for me in my trials. So it goes without saying that I didn't read enough.

I regretted not reading more since it left me feeling clueless in more than one situation. Hell, that was even apparent during the incident today in Ireland. I don't want that to be a continuous issue, so I'm aiming to correct that now. Considering all of this… yea, I should probably read up on other mythologies besides Greek soon too. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of any other future potential allies.

By the way, now that I think about it, it's kind of funny that I'm doing this right now. While I'm up here reading mythology, everybody else is studying downstairs together. Namely, Akeno-chan and Kiba are studying for the written portion of their test to become Middle-Class devils. Something that, if everything went as usual, I would also be doing…

…But I've got bigger things to worry about. What I'm studying isn't just for me or the peerage. I've got to know my stuff for the sake of maintaining a good relationship with other factions, and for building alliances. When you think about it, it's actually for the sake of peace itself! Yeah, that's why, even if I keep remembering Rias's disappointed face and Kiba or Akeno-chan's saddened expressions, I will keep studying! For the sake of peace!

….Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm doing my own thing.

"..Ugh, where was I?"

Due to all of the intrusive thoughts clouding my mind, I lost track of where my place was in the book. Man, how many of these books have I gone through already? I mean, it's only been a few hours since I started so I'm honestly impressed that I've read as fast as I have, but I've still only gotten through a quarter of my stack! There's like ten books here! Well, more like seven here and three laid aside on the bed. Hmm… I wonder if Azazel has any potions that can maximize reading potential? I'm at least glad that Ravel has been kind enough to bring me my meals and snacks. Man, I want to marry her already! Be patient, Hyoudou Issei! We have to confess first! Ugh, I've got so much on my mind lately, don't I?

"Hmm? What's this..?"

At some point, I realized that I was reading a section about the story of Medusa. Hmm… According to this text, Medusa was a priestess for Athena? Ah, at one of the temples that worshiped the goddess, it seems. And to be a priestess, a woman was required to be a "pure maiden" of "untouched beauty." In other words, a virgin. According to this, Medusa was the perfect priestess. She was a virgin who valued her chastity greatly and was beautiful beyond words. She was so alluring in fact that people confessed their love to her constantly, men and women alike, but she would always turn them down. [Some say that this planted a seed of jealousy within the goddess Athena, who believed that a majority of the visitors to her temple were simply there to see Medusa?] Huh… Well, I did hear that she might've been the one who cursed Medusa before. Apparently, one day, amongst the visitors, one man loudly proclaimed that Medusa's hair was [even more beautiful than that of the goddess Athena]? And that was a great offense because Athena was known for the most gorgeous hair amongst the gods. Huh… [Some say this is why she cursed Medusa, out of Jealousy for this slight.] None of this…..is true?

What the hell? The text literally says [however, this is untrue.] Well, that came out of nowhere. Oh, it goes on. Ahem. [Another more popular recounting of the story, the most popular in fact, states that it was Poseidon who caused the transformation of Medusa, as he sexually assaulted her before the statue of Athena in the temple. And out of her anger for the betrayal of her vows as a priestess, and her jealousy regarding Poseidon, Athena cursed Medusa.] Wow… That got dark quick. But yeah, that's the story I've heard too… Rias said before that Athena cursed Medusa out of jealousy so I guess that makes sense. But she also said that Medusa never birthed any children from any union of any sort, which can't be true because she had Pegasus, right? Or could mythical creatures just be born from getting your head cut off? I mean, these legends are pretty weird...

Let me keep reading… Okay, okay, blah blah blah, [the story of Medusa is wrapped in mystery, many sources don't agree on the origin of her powers or whether it was even a curse at all.] Really? [Even some of the accounts of the gods refer to her as being born a monster.] Whoa, wait, this book has accounts from the gods themselves? Who even wrote this? Looking at the covers, it seems like they were a few written by the same author at Grigori… Oh, I know that name, it's the guy who was in charge of the library of Grigori. Huh, didn't know he wrote this. He must've written a lot of these informative books. When did he write them…? Whoa! The year 10 A.D?! Holy shit! I mean, I guess he is a Fallen-Angel so he has been alive since forever. He must've been one of the original members of Grigori. Well, glad he survived the war.

Anyway! Continuing… [There is currently no true verified account of the story of Medusa, as the gods and heroes most closely associated with the incident have never given their full retelling of the events that occured in detail. The only remaining sources of information are the human retellings of the story, which contradict each other in a variety of ways. For example, the story of Medusa's assault by Poseidon, which was written by a Roman during..] Okay, okay, whatever, I get it. What this text is basically saying is that there isn't a TRUE version of Medusa's story out there, not that we know of. So the real story is still shrouded in mystery. Damn… And here I thought I could learn something more about my Familiar. Hmm… Looks like I'll have to resort to the hard way and ask her upfront about it after all.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's gonna be easy… She's basically a total fuckin' recluse. Especially after what happened with Perseus..."

I sighed as I laid down my text book. Right as I did that, somebody opened the door to my room. Actually, it was more like they threw the doors open instead.

"Whoa! What the..? Koneko-chan?"

The person I saw was somewhat unexpected. It was Koneko-chan. What is she doing here? She's been avoiding me for the past few days, hasn't she? And now suddenly, she barges into my room in her Nekomata mode with her ears and tail out… She's also wearing her thin robe that she wore whenever she gave me Senjutsu treatment for my lifespan.

Speaking of which, I haven't had any of those treatments in a while… Is that what she's here for? If so… honestly, I don't really know what to tell her. I mean, it's for my own sake, so it's not like I can really refuse. Not if I don't want my lifespan to return, at least… So in that case, I don't know what to do…

"Senpai.."

As I wondered that, Koneko-chan approached. When she got closer, I realized.. She's not wearing anything underneath her robes! Why is she naked? Even during regular Senjutsu treatment, she still wore panties. What's going on..?

"Issei… I…"

Uncharacteristically, she dropped the honorifics and spoke in a…sensual voice? She climbed onto the bed and began crawling towards me on all fours.

"O-Oy, Koneko-chan..?"

When she got close enough to make me uncomfortable, she tried pressing her body up against mine. I wanted to hold her back, but she whined as if in pain. As I thought, is she sick? Is she in pain?

"S-Sorry. What's wrong with you, Koneko-chan? Are you hurting?"

"Yes… I'm hurting inside.."

"What! Where? Where are you hurting?"

Even after everything that's gone down, I'm obviously still concerned for her. Expecting a regular response, I was taken aback by what she did next.

"Here.."

She grabbed my hand and placed it on her abdomen. A stomach ache? It's hot down here. Is it a virus? But just as I was theorizing on what the pain could be, Koneko-chan started sliding my hand up her belly, to the top of her tiny torso where her breasts were!

"Nggh.. And here.."

I pulled my hand away right before they made contact with her nipples. I didn't even have a chance to question her; she promptly attempted to grab my hand again, but I held it away, causing her to fall forward. Her head landed against my chest. Whoa! She's burning up! I can feel it through my shirt! Her whole body is on fire, in fact!

"Issei.."

"Y-Yeah?"

She looked up at me with a longing gaze. Her cheeks are completely flushed and her eyes are cloudy. Then, she said the most shocking thing that made me pause.

"...I want a baby.."

—.

"...What?"

Because of the shock, I was caught off guard, and she started liking my neck!

"H-Hey!"

As a reflex, I pulled her head away from my chest by tugging her hair, causing her to let out a squeal that sounded inappropriate. I jumped, realizing that I might've hurt her.

"S-Shit! My bad! You okay?"

She just looked at me with a shadow in her eyes.

"...Please, Issei… I want your baby... Don't forget me.."

—For whatever reason, hearing that snapped me into a different mindset. I used just the right amount of force to knock Koneko-chan out with a chop to the back of her neck. With that, she lost consciousness in my arms.

"...Sorry, but that's..."

I whispered under my breath, but it went nowhere. I'm not sure what I was going to say in response, but… Let's just forget it for now. What matters is assessing her condition.

"Ise? Is something wrong? I think I heard someone shriek."

Rias stepped into the room and saw me sitting over my unconscious Kouhai.

"Something's wrong with Koneko-chan."

To my surprise, Rias rushed forward immediately and started inspecting Koneko-chan by placing her hand over various parts of her body. Seems like she has an idea about what's going on.

"Do you remember Abe, from the Tennis club?"

"Kiyome-san? Yea, why?"

There was just the shortest hesitation she had before responding to what I said.

"I'm going to call her. She'll know more about treating a Nekomata than we do."

Just as Rias pulled out her phone, I retrieved my own from the nightstand beside the bed.

"Hold up. I'll call her. It's pretty late so she might not answer just anybody. She should still be studying for exams though. She's better at studying when it's last minute, by her own words."

Rias looked at me in bewilderment.

"You have her contact information?"

"Yeah? She requested it after that stuff with her dad."

"I see. I didn't know that… How are you so sure she'll answer you? Have...the two of you been speaking ever since then?"

"Hm? Oh, nah, we only started talking after the festival really."

I looked up Kiyome's contact in my phone and tapped it. As the phone dialed, Rias muttered something I couldn't hear over the ring.

"So it wasn't just Ravel accompanying you.."

The dialing ended as quickly as it started. History repeats itself as I hear crashing and sounds of panic.

[ H-H-Hyoudou!? W-What's going on? I-I mean! Ahem! W…What could possibly compel you to call me at this hour of the night..? ]

"Hey, Kiyome. Are you busy right—."

Again, sounds of crashing. Actually, it sounds more like she might've slammed her head into the desk she's studying on.

"...now? Uh, you alright?"

[ O-Of course! Obviously! I'm fine! S-So, what's up? ]

"[What's up?] Aha, doesn't really sound like you're used to that kind of talk. I guess that's to be expected from a "princess" like you. Makes you sound nervous though."

[ SLAM! — And whose fault do you think that is?! —Ahem. I-I mean, you still have yet to answer my question. What is the reason you've called me tonight? ]

"Yea, uh, I was trying to ask if you were busy or not?"

[ N-No, not particularly. I'm just studying for the exams, obviously. ]

"Right. Um, in that case, would you mind if I asked you to come over to my place for something?"

Again, crash.

[ R-R-RIGHT NOW?! F-F-For what reason?! ]

"Actually, it's pretty serious. Koneko-chan has come down with something and we're not sure what. We thought you might know something, being a beast tamer and all."

[ Oh… Wait, the Nekomata? What are her symptoms? ]

"Uh, right now she's got a fever, I think. Her face was kind of flushed too. And um… Well, she was acting somewhat…deliriously."

[ Delirious..? —! Hold on, I'm on my way. For now, just stay away from her Hyoudou. Have one of the women in your house look after her. ]

"Huh? Oh, alright.. Uh, thanks. I'll see you when you get here then, I guess."

Kiyome-san was the one who hung up first. Huh, sounded like she was in a rush during that last bit… That doesn't bode well… I already have an inkling of what might be going on, but…I shouldn't jump to conclusions yet. I don't know anything about Nekoshou so I'll just leave it to Kiyome-san.

"What did she say, Ise?"

"She sounded like she's getting ready to head over right now. But for now, she said that I should keep my distance from Koneko-chan. She told me to let one of you girls watch over her until she arrives."

"I see. Alright, in that case, I'll supervise her. You can go, Ise."

I went to leave the room, but Rias whispered something that I did catch this time.

"..."Kiyome"…."

I don't know why, but I responded.

"What's that, Rias?"

"Eh? O-Oh, it's nothing, Ise. Don't worry. It's nothing to be concerned about…"

"Oh, okay."

Rias went back to tending to Koneko-chan, and for some reason, my gaze lingered on her.

(...Somewhere, somehow, I felt this thumping coming from inside my heart…. It was as if I was "itching" to say something…)

…

At some point, I left my room and waited for Kiyomi to arrive.

---

Part 4

—VIP room, Hyoudou Household. Here, everyone in the Gremory Familia was gathered (+Kiyome Abe.)

"So it's Nekomata mating season, is it?"

Azazel crossed his arms and stood with his back against the wall. Ah, it's his signature analytical posture.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. Her behavior was almost exactly like Yorimitsu-san's back in Kyoto."

The girls looked at me weirdly.

"Yorimitsu? The Kitsune who accompanied Kyuubi-sama during her stay in our home?"

"Kyuubi-sama stayed in your house?!"

Kiyome-san exclaimed in shock, but the rest of us ignored her. I replied to Rias in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, the white haired one, Kunou's cousin. Apparently, she had it back in Kyoto too. That's why she apologized for us getting off on the wrong foot initially. But the thing is… Her "heat mode" seemed way different from Koneko-chan's… Unlike Koneko-chan, Yorimitsu-san seemed completely aware. I mean, she and I were able to hold an entire conversation properly enough. Hell, she was even lucid enough to trick me into eating alcoholic chocolates just so she could get the jump on me! Just like a sly fox! In comparison, Koneko-chan didn't even seem like she could finish a proper sentence."

[ WHAT?! ]

"Ouch!"

The girls yelled in unison loud enough to hurt my ears, Rias and Ravel being among the loudest. Oh yeah, now that I think about it, not a single one of them knew anything about that whole thing…

Xenovia looked over at me with a concerned expression.

"That fox lady tried to assault you and you let her stay in our house..?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do, kick her out?! She was Yasaka-san's guest! She was my guest! I couldn't just as well tell her to leave, could I?! Besides, it was my fault anyway since my aura was what set her off in the first place thanks to the training I did with Oji-saru— Sun Wukong-sama."

"That's victim blaming, Ise-kun.."

"Right, sorry, Irina. Or, sorry to me, I guess..?"

To be honest, I think that's the one assault I wouldn't have minded becoming a victim to.

"Ise-sama.."

Ah, I heard Ravel's angry voice from the left of me. When I looked down at her, she was glaring at me.

"Oh, Ravel… Uh, are you mad at me for not telling you or for what I was just thinking right now?"

She pouted, crossed her arms, and cutely turned her head away.

"Both!"

To my right, Rias scowled also.

"Looks like you didn't tell anyone about it then. Just your little secret, huh.."

"A sacred secret between you and a dirty fox..! Hmph!"

Ravel huffed in agreement with Rias!? I definitely fucked up.

"I-I'm sorry, Ravel-san.. Please forgive this stupid Sekiryuutei. Please don't be mad."

I tried apologizing, but Ravel wasn't having any of it. If worse comes to worst, I'll have to take my own life in atonement…

"Ahe—hem!"

Kiyome-san cleared her throat loudly to catch our attention.

"Anyway… Hyoudou is right. Toujou-chan is in heat, but she indeed appears to have a fairly bad case of it. There's plenty of Yokai that have mating seasons of the same kind, but her own seems especially debilitating. Not to mention, it's premature. This shouldn't have occurred for at least two more years or so. I'm not sure if it's because of her nature as a Nekomata… or if it might've been provoked by "extenuating circumstances" of some sort…"

"Extenuating circumstances? Like what?"

Apparently, I was the only one in the dark there, since everyone else's expressions seemed to change at the mention of that. In confusion, I looked down at Ravel, who simply looked back at me knowingly.

…Oh, right… Of course… What else could it possibly be..? In the end, everything just circles back to that... to me...

"So… does that mean it's our fault?"

Xenovia asked that hesitantly, which no one answered. I'm not sure if she's referring to everyone besides me or if she means us as a collective group, but either way, it's enough to make everyone start acting awkwardly...

Azazel noticed it and broke up the tension with a clap.

"Alright, let's not go around placing blame on anyone. This isn't the time. What matters here is getting Koneko the right treatment. And for that, we need to understand the affliction."

"Right. Regardless of blame or all of that… what you're saying is that circumstances like what we went through are enough to trigger a heat cycle prematurely, right?"

To my question, it was Azazel who replied with a hand to his chin.

"Well, if I had to take a guess, I'd say that it's more likely because of the "stress" that arose during that time that brought this about. It makes sense if you think about it. Once their bodies have developed sufficiently enough, Nekomata and Kitsune start going into heat at certain intervals. When time comes for them to go into heat, their instincts begin to take over and compel them to mate. In the case of Nekomata and even many Kitsune, this translates to pursuing a male of another species. Usually, the one they're most interested in or have taken a liking to."

Naturally, all eyes were on me as a result of Azazel's assessment.

"..Ah, guess that puts me in the hot seat, huh.."

"Well, at least he acknowledges it."

Xenovia said that as if she was pleasantly surprised. Yea, yea, I know already. I'm well aware of Koneko-chan's feelings towards me. Of course, that doesn't mean I need to do anything about it… Although, considering the amount of eyes on me right now, the rest of them are probably wondering if I know of theirs too… Let's not open that can of worms though...

"However, like Abe said, Koneko's cycle seems to have been triggered prematurely. If we do assume it was because of the situation from recently, then it would make sense that it was the stress of it all that triggered it. After all, if Ise is the focal point for Koneko's attraction, then the entire scenario of having him abruptly "torn away" from her everyday life probably caused her a great deal of anguish. And upon his return, that anguish re-manifested itself into "desperation." A desperation to become closer with him, undoubtedly borne from the fear of potentially losing him again."

Now that he says it, yeah, that makes perfect sense… If Koneko-chan likes me, then the situation with everyone obviously stressed her out. Well, apparently, it stressed everybody out. But for Koneko-chan, who is a Nekomata, her fear combined with her desire and triggered her heat cycle prematurely.

"..And either from the overwhelming fear of losing me or because of the depth of her attraction to me, the heat she's experiencing right now ended up being more severe."

"Wow.. He really is aware of it..."

Xenovia said that one quieter this time. Whatever, I'll just ignore it for now.

"Yeah, that's a solid assumption to make. I think that's probably the case too."

Azazel agreed with my assessment. Kiyome also nodded her head.

"That's pretty much it. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot we can do. She's sleeping soundly right now thanks to the tonic I prepared before I came here, but that's only a temporary solution. Suppressing her instincts using medication is a huge risk because it might have permanent side effects, namely, there's a possibility for them not to return after maturation. And knocking her out every time she spikes isn't a good idea either. If she constantly loses consciousness every time she reaches the height of her "heat," it could start negatively affecting things like her heart or her hormones."

I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment.

"That's my bad… I uh, didn't know what else to do. That's kind of how I solve problems, sadly."

"It's okay, Ise. I'm the same way."

"Xenovia, the fact that you say that only confirms how correct Kiyome is about me having done the wrong thing."

"Hey!"

Azazel clapped again.

"Anyway, the main point is, there isn't much that can be done about Koneko's condition right now. She's too underdeveloped physically to bear any children and we can't use meds to suppress her either. All you can do is ride out the storm. Which basically means that you just need to hold yourself back for the time being. Or well, more like keep your distance while she holds herself back."

"That should be easy enough."

Rias and the others seemed to be giving me a worried look.

"Are you sure that's something Ise is capable of?"

"Yeah, it might not be possible for him."

That's what Rias and Xenovia said!

"Ha! You all must not know who I am anymore. I might be a pervert, but I'm also the one and only God-Slayer. If you think I can't keep myself from one little Nekomata, you're wrong. Even if she might be someone I'm acquainted with, it won't change my conviction. Besides, I've discovered the best method for deflating my perverted urges."

I smirked confidently and winked at Ravel while looking down at her from the corner of my eye. Unsurprisingly, her cheeks turned red and she looked away. Yes, I was able to charm her without anyone noticing! Now that's what I call "slick," Issei Hyoudou!

Azazel reaffirmed my proud proclamation.

"Have some faith in Ise. Don't you remember his match against Sairaorg's Bishop? They attempted to seal Ise's perverted techniques by having her strip in the middle of the battle. Didn't really work out for them though, did it? I thought I mentioned his training then?"

"Yeah, but.. how were we supposed to take that seriously? Ise's always been the king of perverts. There's no way we would've believed that he developed a technique to suppress his pervertedness. It's more like a super power if anything."

I'm not surprised that was Xenovia's response. I mean, to be fair, that's probably the first reasonable thing she's said all day. Rias also echoed her doubts.

"You seem to be very confident in whatever training you provided him with during his time in Grigori."

"Of course. Although, I didn't technically help him develop his secret "method" to suppress his urges… It was still my training regiment that brought it about! Grigori's training is absolute! I mean, if Ise was able to resist the wiles of the most beautiful Fallen-Angels in Grigori, a Kitsune Bishoujo, and even a Succubus, then that just proves our organization's methods' effectiveness! It's fool-proof!"

Ah, in the midst of his bragging, Azazel essentially spilled the beans on how he trained me. Surprisingly, it didn't cause as severe or loud of a reaction as I expected. Come to find out, through Xenovia of course, that it was because nobody believed it.

"Haha, yeah, right. That's funny, Azazel. The day that Ise is able to resist the temptation of a succubus of all things is the day that the world has come to an end."

Azazel and I shared a knowing glance. He just shrugged. I slapped my knees and got up from my seat.

"Alright, well, I guess that means this meeting is pretty much adjourned."

I walked over to Kiyome and held out my hand.

"Thanks for coming out this late to help us, Kiyome. I appreciate it."

"What? O-Oh, right. Yes, of course. I wouldn't be a very good f-friend if I refused to assist at a time like this after all. It wasn't like I was doing you a favor or anything.."

"—Hey, do you happen to have any selfies you can send me?"

Because of the abruptness of my question, Kiyome paused. Maybe I didn't ask that in the best way….

"...W…What..?"

"Oh, uh..! Well, what I mean is..! Uh, you see, I don't really have a contact icon for you on my phone so I thought, you know…that I'd ask for one.."

Now that I'm saying this out loud, I realize how odd it sounds…

"W-What kind of question is that?! Isn't it more reasonable to just ask for someone's LINE account?! That already has a profile photo of me!"

"Well, yeah, maybe, but I obviously didn't think of that! Besides, isn't LINE usually considered kind of a downgrade in terms of an intimate form of contact?!"

"Don't call it "intimate!" Just— Ugh, just take out your phone! I'll send you my LINE contact!"

I did as Kiyome said and she quickly sent her LINE via QR code.

"There! That's me, see! If you want to look at my face so badly, you can just look at that! Happy?"

"Oh, that's actually a really pretty picture. Was this at a regional competition or something?"

To my bone-headedness, Kiyome frustratedly turned to walk away.

"Shut up! I've had enough of your teasing for one night! If that's all, I'll be heading home now! ….Mumble, mumble… Maybe if you message me often enough, I might send you a selfie one day…."

"What?"

"NOTHING! Good night!"

She started walking down the hall toward the elevator with a stomp. Since I had my phone in my hand, I looked down and realised what time it was. Whoa, it's already half past midnight! Good thing tomorrow is a free day. Oh, wait, now that I mention it….

I shouted to Kiyome who had already stepped into the elevator, from down the hall.

"Hey! It's pretty late! You sure you don't wanna just spend the night here?"

"NO! THANK! YOU!"

The doors closed and the elevator ascended. I grumbled while putting my phone back in my pocket.

"Geez, I was only asking… It's not weird or anything, we have like a hundred guest rooms."

I waved Ravel over to my side without a word, to which she basically rushed over to my side in response. Apparently, that must've been the cue for everyone else too since they all started getting up to leave.

"Hey, that thing about Ise facing a succubus was a joke, right? I mean, there's no way that could happen.."

Xenovia asked again unassuredly. Azazel and I shared another knowing look. Azazel uncrossed one of his arms and held his index finger up with a smirk.

"Grigori's methods are fool-proof."

So he says confidently, leaving everyone in my group awestruck.

Yea, sure, even though it was all my hard work? Ah, well, I just can't stay mad at this Sensei. I also can't leave him hanging, so I exchanged his inevitable fist bump. Yep, this guy has way too much pride in his organization. They're smart, but they're really a den full of weirdos. Well, since I'm now considered an honorary member of Grigori, I guess that includes me as well.

By the way, did you know that Grigori has multiple walls of plaques with portraits of notable members of Grigori on them? The biggest and most sought after wall to be on is the "greatest scientific and magical breakthroughs" wall. Second to that is the "greatest technological achievements" wall. If you're curious, Azazel is on both. Shemhazai-san is also on the "greatest breakthroughs" wall. Apparently, it's just because he's the first pure Fallen-Angel to have ever married a pure Devil. According to Azazel, they met hundreds of years ago, during the war, meaning they were likely the first Fallen-Angel/Devil relationship ever recorded in history! They kept it a secret for that long and only just got married after the peace treaty made it possible! That's insanely impressive! They must've been crazy in love in order to keep that up! No wonder Shemhazai-san told me he was so adamant about protecting the ceasefire between the Three-powers against Kokabiel, as well as suing for peace! However, he still seems to think the other Grigori members are mocking him by placing him on the wall with the others. I don't think that's true though. I just think those antisocial insomniacs don't have any self of social awareness..

You know what is mockery?! The fucking wall they put me on! I was placed on the smallest and most neglected wall on the entire base! My plaque was placed on the "strongest members of Grigori" wall. You'd think that'd be a big deal, right?! But no, it isn't! That wall is so out of the way compared to the others, and not to mention, it's covered in dust! Only my spot was freshly dusted! Plus, there's not even a portrait to go along with it! There aren't any portraits for any of them! Mind you, there's only 3 plaques on there. It's just Barakiel-san, myself, and that weird Armaros guy. —I know right, that's all?! Azazel isn't even on it! And when I asked him why, all he said was "oh, that thing. I forgot about that." Seriously!? I guess that goes to show how much Grigori values brute strength! Damn nerds!

"Grigori's methods are fool-proof… Maybe I should…"

Seems like Gasper was whispering something underneath his breath about Grigori. Don't do it, buddy. Since you have an interesting Sacred Gear and anatomy, they'll probably dissect you and put you in a glass case exhibit…

"Excuse me, Ise-sama…"

Hmm? Ravel called out to me. When I looked at her…she was wearing a really scary expression!

"These fool-proof methods involving Grigori's most gorgeous women and Succubi… What exactly were they, if you don't mind me asking..?"

"Eek! Uh, uh! D-Don't worry, Ravel! They were just tests of endurance! Nothing weird!"

"..Endurance..?"

Her voice got deeper and aura poured out of her body! Bad phrasing!

"No, no, no, no, not that kind, not that kind! I'm still a virgin! What I meant was..! Um! Uh! Well, good night, everyone!"

I was about to run away from the situation, but Azazel caught my arm and started talking seriously.

"Ise. Tomorrow's the day. Don't forget."

I couldn't help switching tones after that.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Yes, I know."

"Alright. With that being said, get some sleep, you guys. You're going to need it."

Azazel departed after that, leaving my group confused.

"Ise, what is he talking about? What's happening tomorrow?"

Rias asked curiously.

"..We're going to be having some visitors tomorrow."

I explained it the only way I knew with what little I knew.

"Visitors? Like with Kyuubi-sama and her guests?"

"No, not like that.."

I gave my last response as I walked out of the VIP room.

"These are sure to be unwelcome visitors…"

---

DING!

The next morning, I heard the intercom ring. The members of my group and I, who had already gathered in the main hall, prepared ourselves.

"They're here."

I went to open the door. Whoever it is, keep your cool…

Dakun…

"A-Ah, good morning, Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei-san! Or, um, would it be more respectful to call you Mr. god-slayer?"

"Ohayo Gozainyan~"

The two people I was greeted with were the sister of Arthur Pendragon, Le Fay Pendragon, and the sister of Koneko-chan, Kuroka. I'm not shocked by their appearance. In fact, I'm more worried that I recognise them, because they are surely not the issue Azazel was referring to yesterday.

"And where's the guest of honor?"

I asked Azazel, who was accompanying them off to the side. He's probably here to make sure things go smoothly.

"Right here…"

He moved to the side, revealing the obscured figure behind him and Kuroka. A small figure.

"Hello. It's been a while, Ddraig."

—The small girl in Lolita clothing greeted me casually. But my shock couldn't be understated.

"You're…! Ophis!"

Before me stood the God of Dragons, the Ouroboros Dragon, "the Infinite."

---

EXTRA

---

"Like this…? No, no, that's not right.."

Kiyome Abe sat in her bedroom alone, using only the lamplight on her bedside as a source of light, snapping pictures using her cellphone. However, she was trapped in a constant cycle of producing and deleting countless photos with different poses.

"...M-Maybe a peace sign would be okay..?"

She took the pose and snapped the photo, but ultimately deleted it.

"Ugh, too tacky! Who even poses like that for real? Geez… I wish I could just use my tennis portrait like on my LINE pfp.. I mean, why am I even taking pictures for that guy?! ...How about "blowing a kiss" pose….? No, there's no way I'm doing that…"

Then, Kiyome Abe was struck with an unorthodox idea, even by her personal standards.

"...W-What if…I pull at my top a little bit here, and…"

She lightly tugged at the opening brim of her shirt, emphasizing her cleavage and allowing it to be presented in full view of the camera. The dim light of the lamp beside her unintentionally accentuated the roundness of her breasts.

Snap!

After taking the photo, she paused.

"..."

She then proceeded to toss her phone onto the pillow behind her, stood up, walked over to her work desk, slammed her face onto it, and calmly returned to her bed with a bruised forehead.

"...I'm going to sleep.…"

However, when the girl lifted the cellphone from atop her pillow, she noticed something.

"...Eh?"

The message prompt read [sent.] She had been using the camera through the messaging application after all.

She froze.

…

Until a moment later, the message prompt in the bottom corner read [seen.]

"KYAAAAAAH!"

A banshee shriek trembled her lavish bedroom. The speed at which she deleted the message and powered off her device entirely cannot be understated.

From that point, she had resigned herself to the night and laid in the darkness of her bed, mostly silently.

"...I'll never be married…."

And so, she stared aimlessly into the ceiling above her, wondering whether or not the person she sent the photo to truly had enough time to view it, ultimately not earning a wink of sleep that night.

---

End

And there it goes! Okay, so, without spoiling too much, yes, some things that happened in Canon are still going to occur. However, it will be as natural of a blend of original content and Canon stuff as I can make it. In terms of the ratio of the overall blend of content, I'd say it's going to be 50% Canon and 50% original. It sounds a little weird now, but it'll all make sense the more it goes on. Of course, the visit to Olympus will be 100% original.

By the way, all of my OG Red Dragon of Golden Light fans, you're probably getting Deja vu right about now, huh? Lol, well, yeah, you can predict what this visit is gonna be like a bit. Well, not as insanely chaotic though. I've had to do a fuck ton of research into Greek mythology for this story and especially for the upcoming Olympus chapter. I was never too well versed in Greek stuff, I was always a bigger fan of Norse myth. But I've learned a lot of interesting stuff in preparation, and I've had to do a lot of work to integrate what I know as well as modify it enough so that I can make it work in the context of this story. You can see some of that with the stuff in this chapter, obviously. I don't wanna be 100% accurate to the myths after all, otherwise it'd be too boring. That's why "Medusa" is shrouded in mystery.

Anyway, I'll be working on the next chapter after this one. I want to put out chapters whenever I have ideas so I don't forget them. Otherwise my ADHD will win and I won't remember any of my initial plans lol. Honestly speaking, I had no idea how long this chapter was going to be when I started writing it. I reached a point where I kept getting writer's block as to where to go next and kept halting the process, which made me consider leaving it at less than 10,000 words. But you know me, I hate doing that. In fact, I still don't think I've done it..? Idk, fuck my weird perfectionist standards. They get in the way more than they come in handy.

So, with that being said, what'd you think of the chapter? Did you expect Issei to take it into his own hands and reach out to other pantheons for alliances? How did you like the Slaugh and my own weird take on them (if you even recognized them)? How'd you like Lugh-sama and Angelia, and their interactions with the group? Lotta comedy this chapter, huh? (Not for long…) What are your theories regarding the mystery of Medusa? Issei reacted differently to Koneko than expected, but he's got other things on the back of his mind. (Quiet, lingering thoughts..) What's going on inside his head lately? Is this something to be worried about? Is it a sign of things to come in the future…? (...The confrontation is inevitable…)

Anyway, let me know your thoughts!

Read, Rate, review, go crazy!

Stay frosty (it is literally impossible, the world is melting.)