Here I am again, adding another translated chapter to the list!
This time I felt the need to update this chapter as quickly as possible to talk about the different errors that are present in the translation. Certainly I saw that the problem of pronouns has not improved much from the first chapters, so I will stick to the proposal of The Beast of Sanity. To be honest, another person had already proposed me to be a beta reader to correct those errors, but that happened in the first chapter and I must say that I didn't trust him too much because I was just starting and I didn't know if that person could be serious enough to continue with the revisions of the chapters until the end, and, above all, to be relatively fast in delivering the clean chapter (what scares me the most is to give him the translation and he takes 3 days or more to clean it up).
The truth is that this idea has changed a lot now, since all the people who read 20 chapters are present here, so I think I can trust you more and not be so stubborn about it. So, if any person is willing to be my beta reader to correct all those mistakes before posting the chapter, I'd like to hear from you.
Again, many thanks to all of you who are still reading this 19 chapters later. This was originally just a project to expand the languages of the story, so I was very surprised to see it get so much support. I hope we all continue together until a complete translation is achieved.
Remember, if anyone wants to be my beta reader and help me with this, send me a private message.
With nothing more to say, here is today's chapter.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 19: ISSEI'S SECOND TEACHER!
"As you know, my name is Azazel." The Cadre spread his numerous pairs of wings with a smile, as did Penemue who still continued to sit. "I am the Leader of the Fallen Angels. And this is Penemue, my secretary, a Cadre."
Issei was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to what he was witnessing. But, it was more than obvious that he was intimidated.
The protagonist could do nothing but take a step back, grabbing the doorknob, at the same time materializing his gauntlet.
"Easy, brat." Azazel tried to calm him down, putting his hands in his pockets. "We have no intention of hurting you."
"Why is the leader of the Fallen Angels here?!" Issei questioned him, indicating that he still hadn't calmed down one bit.
"Who do you think sent the White Dragon Emperor to save you?" Hearing this, Issei couldn't help but blink in surprise. "I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier what Kokabiel was up to, otherwise I would have stopped it from the start." The leader of the fallen apologized, taking a cup to offer him. "I know you still don't trust us. But don't you think we would have killed you by now, if that's what we were after?" Azazel narrowed his eyes with a very sly look. "After all, you know well the power a Cadre possesses."
"Ddraig..." Issei thought, looking at the cup with great seriousness.
"*Let's hear it. We lose nothing.*" The dragon declared earnestly, sensing no hostility from Penemue or Azazel.
"..." After a second, Issei finally grabbed the glass. "I hear you."
A big smile appeared on Azazel's face after hearing his response.
LINE JUMP.
"Sirzechs invited you here?" Issei looked at him in astonishment. "Why would the President's brother call him?" his thoughts tried to find an answer that did not appear.
"That's right." Azazel nodded, leaning back in the front armchair next to Penemue. "At first, I didn't see the interest in taking him up on his offer. But, when he told me you were here, the idea of coming became irresistible to me."
"Me?" Issei pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Azazel is a Sacred Gears specialist. He even has something of an obsession with them." Penemue explained, finishing her drink. "He's fascinated by their workings, and that's why he couldn't turn down such an offer when he heard that one of the 13 Longinus were here."
"Longinus?" thought Issei. "I remember hearing that name before..." His thoughts were quickly abandoned, when Issei came back at what Penemue mentioned to him. "Wait, you two are Sacred Gears specialists?"
"I never said I was." Penemue corrected him, looking at him with her stoic expression. "But yes. Being your secretary, your jobs always go through me? Though I shouldn't always have to." She concluded, giving Azazel an evil glare, which was ignored outright by the leader of the fallen.
Penemue abandoned his disapproving look, fixing his gaze on Issei with some curiosity.
"Why do you ask?"
Issei couldn't help but turn serious after the question.
"There will be a time when your body will no longer be able to improve, and you will become stagnant. When that time comes, you will have to focus on the secrets of Sacred Gear to keep advancing, and only then will you manage to become stronger. That time is still a long way off, but ideally, at one instance in your career, you should train both fields at the same time so that you can exploit your potential more quickly."
Ddraig's words came back to his mind.
"That's all the same." Azazel clarified, causing the two to look at him. "I guess what you really want to know, is the other reason I came here..." Azazel stood up from the couch, positioning his hand on his chin. "Oh am I wrong? Issei answered him with his very attentive gaze searching for an answer. "For starters, Sirzechs doesn't know that we were seeing each other for all these days, though I don't think that really matters to him either..." The Fallen Angel stated, looking away. "What really matters, is that his sister has no idea that I'm here."
"And what does the President have to do with this?" Issei asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Everything." Azazel fixed his gaze on Issei, causing the protagonist to be surprised at the answer. "Apparently, he wants to prepare Rias and his Sequito for the upcoming Rating Game. But he had already committed to helping another family, that's why he sought me out."
"You'll train us!" Issei widened his eyes as he found the answer.
Azazel bowed his shoulders with a smile.
"I must say that Kokabiel made things a lot easier having torn Kuoh Academy apart, because they can focus on training for a month and a half without any worries."
Issei lowered his gaze, starting to pull all the threads together.
"That's why they didn't fix the building instantly..." Thought the protagonist aloud.
"You can figure things out pretty quickly when you put your mind to it, huh?" Azazel commented with some amusement as Issei gave him a dirty look after his words. "Well..." Azazel rose from his seat. "That's all for today."
"Huh?" Issei did nothing but blink in slight surprise. "Already?"
"I called you here a day before the meeting to find out if you had any questions about Vali, but I see you don't." Azazel stated simply, causing Issei to become a bit serious.
"I've run into him before. I guess there's nothing I want to know about him..." Replied the young man, receiving a curious look from the Fallen Angel.
LINE JUMP.
Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou were watching in mild surprise as Tiamat had been engaging Issei in a rather friendly conversation throughout dinner, something I missed them terribly.
"Thank you for the meal!" The protagonist exclaimed, getting up from the table along with his now teacher.
They both went to the second floor, causing the parents to look at each other.
"... I never would have guessed that the teacher was the same young lady who visited Issei the other day." The mother commented.
"That's true." Father replied. "But I'm glad it's her, because this way we won't have any trouble with Issei. You know what kind of trouble I mean."
Mrs. Hyoudou fixed her gaze on her husband.
"Hey, don't you think...?"
"Of course not!" The man laughed. "This is our son we're talking about. Do you seriously think he could have any kind of intimate relationship with a woman of that caliber?" The father finished his drink, giving a sigh of satisfaction. "She must have hundreds of worthwhile suitors. You know... Businessmen, engineers, technicians, computer scientists, military men..." The man waved his hand, indicating that the list went on and on. "People who already have their lives figured out. Not a 17-year-old brat who has serious social problems, especially with the opposite gender. Omitting the fact that he's underage, of course." The father concluded, giving his point of view.
Mrs. Hyoudou just smiled at what her husband mentioned. She thought exactly the same as he did.
Neither of them thought about what was going on in Issei's room at the moment...
Tiamat caught Issei's cheeks with both of her hands.
"I don't like that at all." The dragoness stated with a very worried look on her face.
"You're not going to see any trouble." Issei sketched a silly grin at how Tiamat was taking such good care of him. "We were talking it over with Ddraig, and they don't seem like dangerous subjects. Besides, they could have hurt me a lot sooner, if they wanted to."
Tiamat fixed her gaze on Issei's face, showing him all the internal conflicts she had right now.
"Huh?" Issei couldn't help but be surprised, when Tiamat positioned her forehead against Issei's affectionately.
"Take care..." Tiamat's worried tone intensified. "Take good care of yourself, please." Tiamat parted her face slightly, denoting how her beautiful pure light blue eyes shone with great concern.
"If you're so worried, you can watch the trainings with your own eyes." Issei smiled at her, causing Tiamat to glare at him. "That way, you won't be so worried."
"I'll take your word for it." The dragoness replied quickly, sketching a small smile that denoted her cute little fangs.
Issei grabbed the dragoness' hand that was still still on her cheek, chuckling lightly.
"I think you should start trusting others a little more. I know what they did to your kind, but everyone deserves a second chance, don't you think?"
Issei couldn't help but widen her eyes when Tiamat squeezed her cheeks even harder.
"Do you really think they're good people?" the dragoness asked with great seriousness.
"Hum, yes. Of course." Replied the protagonist with complete naturalness and assurance. "Ah my eyes, they are very good people."
"That's what your eyes see..." Issei blinked in astonishment as Tiamat's eyes shone brightly. "But are your eyes capable of distinguishing reality?" Tiamat broke away from him, sitting down on the bed.
"Don't you think you should give them even a chance?" Issei asked, rubbing his cheek nervously.
"I'll only give someone a chance, if I think they really deserve it." Tiamat fixed her gaze on Issei, giving him a small smile. "You, for example."
Issei could only smile at her last words, remembering how their relationship had started with her wanting to kill him, and in fact, almost did.
"Besides..." Tiamat couldn't help but lower her gaze with a hint of pain, causing Issei to flinch. "It's not just that I can't trust them. Because I was completely blinded by anger back then, I let many classmates and friends who really cared about me die. Finally, the only one left alive was Tannin, and I haven't even visited him yet."
"Make new acquaintances." Tiamat couldn't help but widen her eyes at the protagonist's words. "You know, you can make some friends at the academy. Take advantage of the fact that you're starting over now. I'll support you in everything you need."
Tiamat could only clasp her hands together with some nervousness.
"But... I'm not good with that kind of thing." Issei laughed, causing Tiamat to look at him with a small blush of embarrassment on her face. "What's so funny?"
Issei leaned against the door, crossing his arms with a big toothy grin.
"Are you kidding me?"
Tiamat couldn't help but blink in confusion.
"What?"
Issei's face grew serious from one second to the next.
"Tiamat, you are a wonderful woman." After hearing her words, the dragoness could do nothing but lower her head so Issei wouldn't see her big blush. "I'm sure all people would be as happy as I am to have you so close." Tiamat's hands tightened for a second. "What's more, I'm sure you could find the love you so desire." Tiamat's hands clenched even tighter after his words, though this time it wasn't because it felt so good, but quite the opposite. "As beautiful as you are, you could select a man who would truly love you, and..."
"I don't want another man!" Tiamat's outburst, made Issei blink in great surprise. "I had already made up my mind. I don't want to be in a romantic relationship again." She concluded, handing him a smile.
That's right...
The only man who had any chance with her, was Issei...
She didn't want any other man, other than Issei...
She only wanted Issei...
"And you... Would you like to start a love relationship?" Tiamat returned the question, making the protagonist surprised.
"Would you die for me?"
At that moment, Issei felt like a complete idiot to have said all those things to Tiamat without considering her feelings. Especially, being that dragons feel 10 times more than humans.
If he feels sadness, he feels it 10 times more. And as a Ddraig bearer, those characteristics became part of his body.
So, with Tiamat's question, he now knew exactly what she had been feeling right now.
"Well?" Tiamat raised an eyebrow, waiting for the answer.
"I..." Issei's mind began to grow fuzzy.
Tiamat was the first thing that crossed her mind, sketching that huge, cute smile she saw on her face for the first time. When they first met. When he decided to stay with her.
"You're incredibly idiotic, boring and desperate. Someone who really sucks, do you really think any woman would be interested in you, I pity you!"
Raynare's words coupled with that memory, making Issei remember his misery.
Tiamat did nothing but wonder at what she was seeing. It didn't take her a second to feel very guilty.
"Huh...?" Issei widened his eyes as tears streamed from his face without his consent, starting to wipe them away as quickly as possible so Tiamat wouldn't see them, but it was too late.
His face quickly twisted into a very damaged expression, letting himself be carried away by what his heart was feeling. Those last words of Raynare's had been the ones that sentenced him completely, and he didn't need to be reminded of something so sad.
Tiamat stood up and came to him in an instant.
Issei couldn't help but widen his eyes as he felt his dragoness' lips press lovingly to his forehead. His sadness was quickly transformed into a great fascination for what Tiamat was doing, and his eyes reflected it very clearly.
After a few seconds, Tiamat finally stopped kissing his forehead, lowering her gaze to look at him intently.
"I didn't want to make you remember something so sad..." Tiamat's gaze softened greatly. "Can you forgive me?"
Issei could only smile at her words.
"Of course I can." The protagonist positioned his face between her breasts, feeling absolute comfort.
Tiamat wiped away the last tears that streamed from her face with her hand, making Issei smile even wider.
"We'd better each go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a very tiring day, don't you think?" Unable to speak between her breasts, Issei just nodded, causing his dragoness to position her hand on top of his hair, stroking it lovingly.
LINE JUMP.
Issei had been lying down for a while now, his eyes wide open, indicating that he couldn't sleep at all.
Issei couldn't help but frown as he felt a strange pressure in his chest. A pressure that never left since the talk with Tiamat, though the dragoness managed to calm him down a bit in those moments.
"Ddraig, are you still awake?" Issei called out to his partner, causing a droopy look to decorate his face.
"*I'm here, mate*" Ddraig stated earnestly, knowing what his friend was feeling.
Issei put his hand to his chest, causing his gaze to turn sad.
"...*Can you tell me what's happening to me?*" He asked, his voice sounding rather droopy, as if he was suffering from a major depression.
"*You need to hold back those bad thoughts, partner*" the dragon stated with slight concern. "*You're going through a trauma. But, having your emotions so intensified, having to deal with one trauma, it's like having to deal with 10 traumas at the same time.*"
"I knew that all along..." Ddraig couldn't help but be surprised at his response. "What I want to know, is why this pain has intensified so much lately, being that I only think about Tiamat." Issei squeezed his chest tightly, feeling tears about to come. "She hasn't done anything wrong to me. In fact, quite the opposite. She's the best, she's wonderful... she's someone beautiful." The first tears began to well up in the protagonist's eyes. "Then why?" Issei's broken voice, made Ddraig feel pity for its bearer. "Why is it that every time I think of all the beautiful moments I was with her, this pain intensifies?" Issei positioned his hand over his eyes so as not to see himself in such a pitiful state.
"*... That's an answer you must find on your own, Issei.*" The fact that Ddraig had called him by his name let Issei know he was very serious, so he clenched his fist tightly.
"I'll find that answer." Issei replied, his tone of voice much more recovered.
Ddraig just sighed internally, unable to help but worry for his partner.
"I thought it might end this way..." Ddraig thought seriously. "At first I was afraid Tiamat would become obsessed with him. But, now... I just feel sorry for both of them..."
LINE JUMP.
"Wake up, wake up. Please." The alarm clock blared throughout Issei's room, causing the protagonist to give a small yawn. "I-if you don't wake up... I-I'll k-kiss you..."
Issei couldn't help but be surprised when a hand with a very creamy and refined skin rose up between the sheets, turning off the alarm clock with her hand.
The protagonist pulled the sheets back a bit, causing Tiamat's light blue hair to glare easily, spreading all over the bed, something that was becoming a habit by now.
"At what point...?" Issei couldn't help but wonder, though he downplayed it when Tiamat hugged him tightly, at the same time a small pleased smile appeared on her face as she leaned him tightly against her chest. "She turned off the alarm clock in her sleep?" Issei thought, fixing the dragoness' tousled hair, to see that her eyes were closed, releasing a cute image of inner peace.
Finally, Issei stepped out of bed with great care, making sure not to wake the beautiful woman. A small smile appeared on the protagonist's face as he finished tucking her in and handed her a small pillow, as the dragoness instantly embraced him and turned around, her smile intensifying a bit more.
"This is the first time I've seen her smile when she sleeps." Issei thought, looking at her with great attention as he put on his clothes. "I wonder what she's dreaming..."
Issei gave her one last glance before leaving, then closing her door with great silence.
Tiamat again shifted on the bed, only to strengthen her embrace on the small cushion even more. Her cheeks slowly tinged in a pinkish hue, while the smile seemed to intensify even more.
To finish, she uttered a single word with breathtaking tenderness and affection:
"Issei..."
LINE JUMP.
"Where are the others?" Issei looked in several directions, seeing that only he and Rias were outside the old Academy building.
"Kiba is having certain problems, while the others are helping Xenovia control her Demonic Corruption." Rias replied completely matter-of-factly, ignoring the fact that Issei was looking at her with wide eyes.
"...Xenovia became a Demon?" Issei asked in complete disbelief.
"Correct." Rias answered again as if it was completely natural. "She asked me when we met yesterday." She clarified, looking at her nails carefully.
"But... She always said that Demonic Corruption disgusted her." Issei raised his gaze a little hesitantly.
"That's true. When we met, she had mentioned that Demonic Corruption did disappear, because of meeting you. You know, because of the generation that came after the Great War, and that whole thing..." The redhead remarked as if it was nothing, causing Issei to look at her with wide eyes.
Suddenly, a somewhat distrustful and disapproving look graced Issei's face.
"You lied to her..."
"What?" Rias finally abandoned that casual tone, and stopped staring at the perfection of her nails to look him in the face. "I didn't lie to her. She never asked me in the first place."
"But, she did believe it." Issei narrowed his eyes with great suspicion. "At the very least, you could have told her before you acted..."
"Why do you care so much?" Rias folded his arms, unable to help but raise an eyebrow. "You should be happy that your mistress has a strong new knight in her ranks!" A small smile broke out on Rias' face. "Besides, you needn't worry. Akeno, Asia, and Koneko will make sure she gets the internal corruption under control."
Issei folded his arms, lowering his gaze.
"I see your point..." The protagonist recalled Asia's drastic change after becoming a Demon. "But, they'll never be the same..." He whispered under his breath, feeling bad for Xenovia.
Rias just looked at him in confusion, as he hadn't heard her last words.
"Oh, for...!" Kiba walked out of the old building, with two large pillows on his butt, as he walked in an awkward manner.
That caused the awkward moment between Issei and Rias to break completely, as the blond took all of the protagonist's attention.
Issei couldn't help but look at Rias with a raised eyebrow, as he pointed at the blond.
"What happened to him?"
"It was punishment for disobeying my orders." Rias replied with a small innocent smile. "The punishment was to slap him on the butt with the bonus of using magical power. Also, he is forbidden to be healed by Asia for three days."
Issei couldn't help but look at Kiba with wide eyes, then start giggling like an idiot, while pointing at the pillows on his butt.
"Issei, please don't be so cruel..." Kiba declared, leaning against the wall with much difficulty, while a nervous smile decorated his face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Issei clutched his stomach tightly, unable to stop pointing it out. "Even being a Prince Charming didn't save you from this one!" Issei exclaimed starting to cry from laughter. "President, how many slaps was it?" he asked, wiping away his tears, unable to stop laughing.
"It was about a thousand in total." The redhead replied with complete confidence and innocence.
"HAHAHAHAHA-WAIT, A THOUSAND?!" Issei shouted, her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "Don't you think you exaggerated a little?"
"That way, I make sure no one gets sidetracked and everyone fulfills their duties." Rias replied, with some seriousness in her words.
"... I guess you're right." Issei rubbed his hair, glaring at a strange look. "Still, that's too much. Especially, if we take into account the reason why Kiba left the President? In fact, I think I would have done the same thing." he thought, feeling a little sorry for the blond.
"Hey..." They all looked to the front, watching as a guy unknown to everyone appeared.
To everyone, with the exception of Issei.
"Hem, hello?" Rias couldn't help but comment with some uncertainty as he saw the man who appeared to be a bit older than his brother.
"I hope you're prepared for what's coming, brats." Azazel's gaze sharpened, causing Kiba and Rias to look at him with some distrust.
"...Who are you?" Rias asked, stepping forward, giving him a menacing, piercing stare.
Noticing this, a somewhat Machiavellian grin appeared on Azazel's face, causing a suffocating aura of a black color to emanate from his body.
"Your look doesn't scare me, brat."
Rias reacted instinctively as he took a step back with his eyes wide open, while Kiba materialized his sword instantly. The other members of the Sequito came out of the old building, also prepared for battle.
Still, everyone was perplexed when the guy burst into frantic laughter, only to have his extremely powerful aura disappear.
"No doubt your reaction was as funny as I expected!" Azazel narrowed his eyes with a half-smile on his face. "How about inviting me in? After all, I am a guest of Maou himself." He commented, teasing a bit with his last two words.
LINE JUMP.
"I don't accept it!" Rias slammed her hands down hard on her legs, giving Azazel a dirty look. "My brother should have enough time to train us!" she concluded, watching as Azazel had usurped her seat.
"If you don't believe me, you can call him." Azazel commented to her, fiddling with the pencils. "He's very busy, training the other heiress' group."
Rias blinked in great surprise at what he mentioned.
"You mean Sona?"
"Well!" Azazel rose from his seat, opting for a bored look. "If it bothers you that much to have a Fallen Angel supervising your training, I guess I'll be on my way." Azazel took several steps, until he was about to leave.
A sly smile graced his face as he grabbed the doorknob.
"I wonder how much the Sitri family will be strengthened by the training of Maou himself? I'd be very happy to see it with my own eyes." He commented, causing Rias' eyes to twitch.
"Wait!" Rias jumped up from her seat with a leap.
Azazel turned his face away, smirking a small smirk.
"Do you have something to say to me, you proud brat?"
Rias shivered slightly at his words, but didn't let him tease her.
"Show us, please!"
A huge grin broke out on Azazel's face after her words.
LINE JUMP.
"Shall we train in Hell?" Issei had his face glued to the window of the subway train, trying to make out something of the place, but due to the great speed, it was impossible to appreciate anything.
"What better place to train, than a place where they can feel at home?" Azazel asked, leaning back in his seat very calmly. "And..." A mysterious smile appeared on the fallen man's face. "Here's the first stop."
Everyone couldn't help but look at him with a raised eyebrow, as they were on the outskirts of the Main City, according to them.
"What?" Rias was the first to ask, only to get a huge surprise when a magic circle engulfed almost everyone in it.
"AHHHHHHHH!" they all shouted out of fright, disappearing from the place.
"What!" Issei quickly turned around, seeing that everyone had disappeared, except Azazel.
"Well, Issei." Azazel fixed his gaze on the protagonist, giving him a small smile. "To be honest with you, I would have loved to supervise your training. But I think it would be best for you to train with someone stronger and more skilled than me, as well as focusing solely on your training." A magic circle appeared at Azazel's feet, giving a small military salute before disappearing. "Good luck with them 2. See you soon..."
"What the hell!" Issei watched with a pouty face as Azazel had left him alone, being that he had no idea when or how to get off. "Wait, he said there were 2..." A look full of intrigue covered Issei's face. "Who are those 2?"
It didn't take long for Issei's question to get an answer, as the door connecting to the other carriage opened, causing the protagonist to widen his eyes in utter amazement.
"You..." Issei commented, fixing his gaze on the hooded woman who had a height of 2 meters.
"We meet again, child." Penemue said, fixing her gaze on her potential student with her typical stoic expression.
LINE JUMP.
"I have already started the training. I decided to have Rias focus on her control over the Power of Destruction. While Akeno, let's say I tried to force her to awaken her true power, making her have no repulsion in using her Falling Power. Kiba is learning to control his Balance Breaker with Xenovia, making them both help each other. Asia is in charge of healing wounded animals all the time, to improve her effectiveness and speed in healing in the midst of battle." Azazel commented to Sirzechs, seeing that the Supreme Demon seemed to be waiting for someone else. "Regarding Issei, I left him in the hands of Tannin and Penemue. They are heading to the dragon territory at the moment, so he will be separated from the others for the time being."
"With Tannin? How did you go about convincing him?" The Supreme Demon asked with great intrigue. "After all, he doesn't allow anyone to enter his territory because of what happened a thousand years ago..."
"I only had to tell him that Issei was the bearer of Ddraig." Azazel replied simply. "Remember that the two of them were close friends in the past, and he must surely be happy to see someone who at least has a little hint of dragon in him."
"I see..." Sirzechs rested both hands on his face, looking at him with great seriousness. "During training, won't Issei be able to visit Rias or vice versa?"
"I would prefer that he not come in contact with his companions for a while." Azazel explained seriously. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think hanging out with them would only distract him from his goal. And believe me, he'll need as much concentration as possible to deal with the training. Mind you, this is Penemue we're talking about..." He concluded, narrowing his eyes even more seriously.
"That's right..." Sirzechs closed his eyes, giving an inward sigh. "I was planning on getting Rias and Issei close during this month and a half, but I didn't count that Azazel would have a plan like that style." He thought with some annoyance. "Well, whatever. If he can become much stronger than I thought, this will end up benefiting us. The Rias thing can wait..." He concluded, fixing his gaze on the window of his room.
"Well, I'd better get going." Azazel rose from his seat, giving her a small smile. "I'll be taken for a bum if I don't supervise your training for more than eight hours."
Sirzechs just nodded with a smile.
LINE JUMP.
The wind whipped strongly through Issei's hair, as a full focus was made to all around, seeing a seemingly endless grove of trees, plus a huge, completely deserted mountain behind him.
"...Where am I?" Issei had a pouty face at what he was witnessing.
He hadn't expected his lodging to be in such a complicated place.
It certainly brought back some very pleasant memories with a certain dragoness.
His goofy expression quickly disappeared as Penemue took a step forward, unsheathing her sword which was a deep black color. She removed the hood of her huge black robe, fixing her gaze on Issei.
"Before I train you, I want to see if you're really what I'm looking for." Penemue fixed her piercing crimson red eyes on Issei, causing the protagonist to unconsciously take a step back.
"What you're looking for?" Issei asked her, raising both eyebrows. "Wait a minute, why are we going to fight!" Issei quickly waved his hands in defense, seeing that Penemue seemed to be too serious, despite it being simple training. Her look said so.
"If you force me to say that one of your attacks could do even a little damage to me, you approve." Penemue narrowed her eyes, clenching her sword tightly. "Otherwise, you fail."
"An attack that would hurt you?" Issei raised an eyebrow. "Are you out of your mind?"
Penemue positioned a hand on her waist, then raised an eyebrow.
"Does that mean you can't even give me a scratch?"
"What?" Issei's disengaged look changed completely, frowning slightly.
An almost indistinguishable smile appeared on Penemue's face, seeing that the protagonist had easily fallen for his provocation.
"I'm sorry, but I can't allow anyone to call me weak." Issei declared, causing his gauntlet to materialize. In turn, a proud smile appeared on Ddraig's face after his comment.
Penemue reaffirmed his grip on his sword, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"That's the answer I was waiting for..." One of the Fallen's legs came forward and her other hand locked onto the metal part of the sword, taking a samurai stance that intimidated Issei a bit.
Her long hair as black as the darkness itself along with its purple highlights began to wave in time with the wind, giving her a rather radiant and magnificent look to the woman, if you omitted the fact that she seemed to want to kill you.
"So... Let's begin!"
END OF THE CHAPTER!
In the next chapter a short fight is coming, and the beginning of Issei's training. I will also use this moment, not only to shape Issei and Penemue's relationship, but also for Tannin to become Issei's friend, for Tiamat to have a reunion with her old friend, the little conflicts that Tiamat and Penemue will have at first for obvious reasons, and then become best friends. I will also use this to intensify the father-son bond that Issei and Azazel will have, plus a full introduction to what Grigori is all about. That's right, Issei will travel to Grigori on certain occasions (I don't think it's necessary to mention that this arc will serve to give depth to Original Sin, which so far has been fairly unspoken about).
After the training sequence comes Gasper, and the arc-ending fight against Vali.
After giving you a little summary of how I have it planned, I think it's time to say goodbye.
I hope you liked it, and I'll see you in the next translated chapter!
Best regards!