Here I am again with another translated chapter!
I remind you again that whoever wants to be my beta reader to correct the translation errors before uploading the chapters please send me a private message, it would help me a lot to update faster.
Without anything else to say, it's time for the reviews:
Guest: Remember that this is a translation, so I can't make adjustments to the story for that kind of requests. The romance is just now going to start in the untranslated story, so you can imagine that it's still a long way off. Personally I see that I have made some mistakes regarding the delay, but the reality is that I can't change that at this point (mainly because it would ruin many events that will happen in the future). I hope you understand and I apologize.
Cobin Michael: I'm very glad to see that you're liking it. That's a point I thought of when I saw certain FanFics where certain characters became evil without any explanation or were just introduced like that, ignoring all the previous events that happened in DxD. Personally I wanted to create a creative and realistic concept to evolve the plot, and I'm glad to see that there are readers who like this.
Now that the reviews have been answered, it's time to begin.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 22: DEPRESSION...
As usual, Tannin was on top of the mountain, watching Issei's training that was about to begin. Although, something strange was going on with his face.
Tannin looked at Tiamat as if she was crazy, then wiped his ear with his pinky finger.
"Sorry, I think I misheard..." The dragon commented, then raised an eyebrow. "What was it you said?"
"I..." Tiamat's voice came out as a whisper, as she couldn't contain her restless movements from the awkward talk.
"I... I'm in heat... for Issei..."
"But, it was my understanding that you and the Ddraig bearer were not a couple." Tannin clarified quickly, trying to understand the situation.
"And we are not." Tiamat replied instantly.
"It has to be some kind of mistake..." Tannin commented, rubbing his hair as he thought of a possible solution. "Have you entered Mating Period with your previous mate?"
"No..." Tiamat lowered her head, remembering the past. "I have never entered a Mating Period directly."
"Then perhaps your feelings are playing tricks on you." The dragon commented.
"Are you telling me that I was touching myself in Issei's bed for over five hours, just because of my feelings?" Tiamat asked, only to quickly cover her mouth as she realized she said something she shouldn't have said.
"Wait, what?!" Tannin widened his eyes in complete disbelief. "For more than five hours?!" Seeing that Tiamat started to get too embarrassed, the dragon decided to deflect that information for another time. "But, I don't understand... A dragon's Mating Period begins when they have a mate. Besides, you weren't even in heat with your ex-mate." The conversation started to become quite heavy for the beautiful woman, causing her to lower her head even more, as she started to shiver. "So how come this came up now, for no apparent reason? Why is it that you're in heat with Issei, if he's not even your mate?"
"IT WOULD BE BECAUSE I LIKE ISSEI SO MUCH MORE!" Tiamat covered her mouth again after her outburst, causing Tannin to look at her with great surprise at such an open confession.
A huge blush shot across the dragoness' face as she tried to cover it with her hands.
"he is extremely affectionate... and, I think the rapprochement we've had... has been... too much for me..."
Tannin put a hand to his chin, thinking carefully.
"And how are you feeling now?" the dragon asked.
"I'm fine, for now." The dragoness replied, beginning to control her blush.
"Very well..." Tannin nodded, not removing his hand from his chin. "I guess the relationship you two built is too special for you to have awakened that side of you just by having him around." Tannin looked intently at Tiamat, finding an answer. "I think the best thing you can do is walk away to calm your libido."
"Walk away?" Tiamat asked, clearly reluctant to do so.
Tannin watched as Tiamat put a hand to her chest, indicating that the dragoness had felt a great prickling in her heart.
"Sorry, it was a silly idea." Tannin dismissed the possibility quickly, seeing that his friend was going to get hurt badly if she went that route. "Then I guess you only have one option left..." The dragon commented, looking at her very seriously. "You'll have to explain the Mating Period to him."
"Explain it to him?!" Tiamat blinked in utter disbelief. "Are you crazy! If I explain to him how it works, I'll also have to tell him that...!"
"Just lie to him." Tannin interrupted her, causing Tiamat to watch him intently. "He doesn't need to know that the Mating Period is activated when you're together with your mate. Just make something else up."
Tiamat lowered her head slightly, as she placed a hand on her chin.
"I see..." She nodded, already imagining how she should tell him.
"I'm just warning you that this won't be easy." Hearing Tannin's words, Tiamat looked at him intently. "From what you've told me, you sleep with him whenever you can. If you get horny when you're in bed with him..." Tannin couldn't help but chuckle a little at the possible situation. "I just hope you have enough willpower to control yourself, or you'll both be tangled up with each other until the next day." The dragon commented with utmost grace, which only helped to make Tiamat blush fiercely after imagining the situation.
"Don't worry, I can handle it." Commented the dragoness with utmost seriousness, though her serious face was completely overshadowed by her massive blush.
Actually, instead of delivering confidence, that image of her gave off quite a bit of cuteness.
Tannin noticed the latter, so he couldn't help but smile at her. He really felt very happy to see his friend after so many years, and to see her so happy. True, she could be infinitely happier with a certain brown-haired brat for a lover, but she would leave that discussion just for the two of them. At this moment, he could only be grateful to Issei for having made Tiamat recover one hundred percent, and even having the opportunity to see her much happier than when she was with her previous lover.
In fact, now that I was thinking about Issei, I can't help but remember something very important.
"The brat barely awakened the Boosted Gear, so his dragon attributes must still be growing..." Thought the dragon, watching as Issei and Penemue got into attack position. "That means his sense of smell is still not in its best condition..." A large, rather worried smile decorated Tannin's face. "That means that in a few days, Tiamat won't be the only one who will have to have iron willpower to avoid mating..."
"To close this first part of your training, I would like you to manage to hit me even once with your sword." Penemue commented, while firming her grip on her katana.
"Hit you once? But, aren't you wearing that ultra-heavy robe..." The protagonist commented, seeing that the chances weren't too high. Besides, he knew that if he overdemanded even a little, the armor would break.
Hearing this, Penemue lowered his gaze for a short second, thinking of a solution. He didn't want Issei to have second thoughts at this point, as they were very tight on time.
"If you manage to beat me, you won't just finish the first part of the training. I'll also do whatever you want." Penemue commented, thinking that the consequences would not be serious at all.
At those moments, Issei raised his gaze in great surprise.
"Whatever I want?" After that, a somewhat childish smile appeared on the protagonist's face as he wiggled his fingers as if he was a dirty old man.
Seeing this, Penemue couldn't help but look at him with slight disgust.
"I thought he wouldn't ask for something along those lines. I guess his wishes aren't that different from those idiots..." Penemue thought, remembering Baraqiel and the others.
"Very well!" Issei stopped his strange movements instantly, becoming completely serious. "I'll make you let me touch them..." The young man commented, narrowing his eyes with great resolve.
"Why is it that every man I come across is the same?" Penemue gave a small inward sigh at the thought of Issei touching her breasts. Still, she downplayed it quickly, as she had at least managed to get the doubts out of his head.
Issei looked back for a short second, watching Tiamat leave along with Tannin, and in those moments he remembered the dragoness' teachings.
"She taught me that I must use experience to my advantage. It's obvious that Penemue has been fighting for a lot longer than I have. But that means nothing when we're talking about a single blow..." The brown thought carefully, watching as the wind ruffled the Cadre's beautiful hair. "Chances are she thinks I'll just beat her like a normal duel..." Issei fixed his gaze on Penemue's katana, then sketched a small smile. "I think that's where I'll get the advantage I need. I have to be very precise though, because it will only work once..."
Issei proceeded to get into an attack stance, causing a large amount of flank to be perceived by Penemue with a simple glance.
"His stance still has some errors." Cadre thought, then stared him straight in the eyes. "But that doesn't matter now. I know it's not something I'm going to master overnight."
The breeze drifted freely between them, making the silence that was in the moment even more palpable in the air.
After a few seconds, Issei suddenly widened his eyes and took a great leap forward, which generated a crater in his previous position.
Penemue saw him coming quite easily, as his speed hadn't improved much since the first time they faced each other. And well... there was also the fact that she was ridiculously strong for a Cadre.
Penemue dodged the lunge quite easily, making her body to the side and raising her arm. That way, Issei's sword passed under her armpit.
Penemue turned her katana on itself, then gave him a strong thrust in the abdomen that would pierce him again.
However, Penemue never suspected that everything was going second Issei's plan.
The protagonist had not looked away from the katana at any moment, waiting for the precise second.
Penemue blinked in slight surprise when Issei used his own hand to grab the katana, causing the gauntlet to be damaged beyond measure, while deflecting the attack into a direction where it could not harm him. When the Cadre tried to move, she realized that Issei still continued to firmly grasp the katana. By the time she wanted to let go, it was too late.
Issei twisted his hand, causing the wooden sword's attack to redirect and hit Penemue's ribs in a heavy impact.
The slow motion finally disappeared, causing a strong blizzard to shoot in all directions from such fast and powerful attacks. It was almost like a battle of the Old West, replacing revolvers with swords.
Issei's face visibly tensed as he felt the blood drain endlessly from his hand. But that didn't stop the smile from being wiped off his face.
"I won." He declared, with great conviction.
"I didn't imagine you'd use such a sneaky technique..." Penemue declared, though her smile indicated she wasn't angry about it. "If you didn't have your armor, I would have cut off your hand."
"That worked precisely because of the armor." Issei clarified quickly, pulling away from her as he made his armor disappear and grabbed his bloody hand. "Shit, I can't feel my fingers..." He commented, wincing slightly.
Penemue grabbed his hand without warning, seeing the large, deep gash in the middle of his palm.
"I should have said three strokes..." She commented to no one in particular, as she placed a phoenix tear to heal the wound.
Penemue broke away again, taking a couple of steps back. Issei noticed her nervousness, so he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The Cadre hugged herself under her breasts and looked away.
"If you want... You can touch them now..." She commented, as a blush appeared on her face and her eyebrows quivered.
She had never let any man touch her under even one parameter, and she had to say that this was something embarrassing and even humiliating for her. But a promise was a promise.
"Really?!" Issei quickly approached her, causing Penemue's eyebrows to quiver even more.
"I'm just asking you to... be... gentle. They are... too... sensitive..." Cadre commented with great shyness, causing Issei to look at her with great astonishment.
He never imagined they could be sensitive...
When the seconds passed, and she didn't feel Issei's hands on her body, the woman closed her eyes tightly and screamed:
"Are you not going to touch them?!"
"Hum, but, I still don't see your wings..." Issei's comment made Penemue look him straight in the face with wide eyes.
"Wait a minute... Did you always mean my wings?" the Cadre asked, beginning to feel very guilty for having thought Issei had problems with his libido.
"Of course I did." The protagonist commented very simply, then blushed slightly.
"What did you think I asked for?"
"I..." Penemue finally lowered her head, giving a small sigh. "I'm sorry." She whispered under her breath, causing Issei to look away as he rubbed his hair.
"Don't worry..." The protagonist commented, then widened his eyes slightly as he watched a huge amount of feathers shoot through the air.
Issei watched them in complete amazement, moving even closer to her. Penemue leaned her wings forward, giving Issei permission to touch them.
"They're amazing..." The man thought aloud, causing Penemue to blush slightly.
Issei began to delicately caress them, being amazed by the touch.
"They're so soft!"
"What do you see on them?" Penemue asked, causing the protagonist to look at her strangely after that question. "I mean, they're black in color. It reflects all the impurity that exists in my soul..." Penemue couldn't help but lower her head in some pain.
"Pure wings are much better..."
"What difference does that make?" Penemue couldn't help but raise her gaze in great surprise after Issei's comment. "From the first day I saw them, I felt these wings were great. Their color as dark as night matches your hair perfectly. Their softness, reflects the sensitivity of your skin. And most importantly, they are part of you. I think that's why it makes them so amazing, because they take care of reflecting yourself, and I'm not saying it reflects you as a Fallen Angel, but it reflects you as Penemue. That reflection is what makes you unique, and it's what makes these wings so beautiful. I don't know why you have so much hatred for them."
Penemue couldn't help but bring a hand to her chest after his words.
"I don't like them, because these wings make me remember who I am..." The Cadre looked with a look never seen before by Issei. A look that seemed to yearn for an answer. "I am like you, I hate the Fallen Angels. I hate myself..."
Issei looked at her with great shock after her last words, then slowly turned serious.
"...Who said I hate the Fallen Angels?"
Penemue couldn't help but scoff for a second at the question.
"When you went to Grigori, it was plain to see how repulsed you are of us."
"And that worries you?" the protagonist asked, causing Penemue to lower her head slightly.
Finally he smiled, positioning a hand on top of the Cadre's head. Penemue raised her head in great confusion after his act.
"That's right, I hate Fallen Angels..." Issei positioned his hand on Penemue's chin, forcing her to keep looking at his face. "They did many unforgivable things to me. But, to me, Penemue will never stop being Penemue."
Penemue blinked in great confusion at his words.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean I don't care if you're a Fallen Angel, I don't care if your wings are impure, I don't care what you've done in the past. Penemue will always remain Penemue. It doesn't matter if you are a Fallen Angel, or a Demon, or even a dragoness. I will always remember you as the woman who helped me, as the woman who trusted me for her last mission, the woman with whom I always share some games in chess. I will always remember you as Penemue, and I don't care if you are a Fallen Angel. I want you just the way you are."
Penemue could only open and close her mouth, unable to find a response to such beautiful words. She brought her other hand to her chest as she felt how the sensations that churned her stomach and left her breathless were beginning to fill her more than she could handle.
"So..." Issei took one of her wings and began to stroke it. "You should start loving yourself. After all, it would be a waste to hate such beautiful wings."
Penemue lowered her head with a huge blush on her face as she shivered slightly from the pleasant tingling sensation her wings were transmitting.
The Cadre finally looked down at her wings, then enclosed Issei in a tight hug with them. The protagonist looked a bit surprised, as he wasn't expecting that move from her.
"Seriously... I'm sorry for thinking badly of you back then..." She commented, resting her chin on his shoulder. "To be honest with you, I don't really like Demons either, but I also feel like I can't see you as part of that race. You're certainly someone very special." She commented, squeezing the hug even tighter with her wings.
A big, toothy grin graced the brown-haired man's face.
"Well, I'm not the only special one, you know." He commented, reciprocating the hug.
The next day...
Issei was already out of his armor, sitting next to Tannin around the campfire. The day had barely begun, but the haze indicated that it was a day with a rather delicate temperature.
Still, the protagonist seemed to be much more focused on something else at the moment.
Issei's leg twitched impatiently.
"I should have started my new training by now..." The protagonist commented, then looked back, searching for a specific person.
"What's taking so long?"
"It's strange..." Tannin commented, getting a bit serious. "She's never late..."
Hearing this, Issei couldn't help but look at the dragon with some concern.
"Do you think something might have happened to her?"
Right after that question, a sound was heard behind them. Issei quickly looked back to greet Penemue with a smile, but his gesture instantly dropped when he saw the Fallen's face.
Penemue had terrible tearing in her eyes, her face looked slightly haggard, in addition to the piercing marks her tears had left, indicating that she had been crying for a long time.
Seeing this, Issei and Tannin instantly stood up with great concern.
"Sorry for the delay." Penemue commented with her usual stoicism, something that only worried Issei and Tannin more. "I didn't sleep very well today." She explained, then sat down at the nearby table and picked up a book.
Issei slowly approached Tannin, causing the dragon to whisper in his ear.
"'She hasn't even given you the following instructions for your training...'" He commented with utmost seriousness. " Her body is clearly here, but her mind is far, far away."
"What could have happened to him to look like this?" Issei asked with great concern, causing Tannin to stare at him.
"I don't know." Tannin closed his eyes sincerely. "She's never told me anything. Even you are closer to her." Tannin positioned a hand on the young man's shoulder, looking intently at the woman. "We're abandoning training for the day. With that attitude, we won't be able to do much."
Issei's face became very serious, turning away from Tannin. The dragon eyed him with great curiosity after this move, taking him by the hand.
"Where are you going?" the dragon asked with a raised eyebrow.
Issei looked at him, causing the dragon to be surprised by his gaze.
"You said it yourself. I'm closer to her. I'll try to help her."
Tannin watched him with slight surprise, then turned serious.
"Good luck." The dragon commented, receiving a nod from his pupil as he released him.
Tannin spread his wings, taking off to leave the two alone, hoping that everything would be sorted out soon.
Penemue found herself looking intently at the sheets she was supposed to sign. She hadn't even dipped her quill yet. The woman finely did so, only to have a small drop of ink fall onto the sheet.
Penemue watched the drop intently, and slowly, her eyes began to twitch. The black drop began to transform into a red drop. A drop of blood.
Numerous screams began to be heard in the Cadre's head, while the sound of flesh being cut by metal could be heard throughout. Vision began to become blurred, at the same time as her pulse began to shake too much, causing the pen to smear all over the blade.
The ghostly screams intensified even more, and after a few seconds, she could hear a girl's whisper...
"'S-sister...'"
The shadowed face of the blonde girl appeared in his mind for a split second, as a large amount of blood emanated from her mouth.
"PLOMP!"
The chessboard fell heavily to her side, causing the Cadre to awaken from her long nightmare.
"Do you want to play?" Issei asked, receiving a small nod from the Cadre.
The first movements began. Issei watched her throughout, seeing that her expression was quite droopy, something he couldn't overlook.
The protagonist continued to play with her throughout the day, hoping that at some point she would say something. But not a word left her lips. The silence throughout the day was quite killing for Issei, while Penemue didn't even take any notice of it, and it was surely due to the fact that she had her thoughts elsewhere. In fact, that was reflected in the game, as Issei not only beat her for the first time but won absolutely every game.
Out of respect for his privacy, Issei didn't want to ask her anything, but he was starting to run out of time, and the fact that Penemue got up to leave for Grigori without even eating dinner was only the tipping point to what would come later.
The protagonist quickly got up and followed her into the darkness.
"Do you want to walk for a while?" He asked. Penemue stopped to look at him. Her beautiful crimson eyes glowed brightly in the absolute night as she stared at him.
After thinking about it for a bit, Penemue ended up agreeing.
Issei quickly joined her and they went for a walk along the edge of the stream.
The walk was long and silent, even quite tense and tedious for our protagonist. He was already fed up with such a curt and uncomfortable situation, so he finally decided to speak up.
"When will you leave?" he asked, walking beside her.
"I think it's already too late." Was Penemue's simple reply, implying that she already wanted to leave.
"Then..." Issei took several steps forward, standing in front of the Cadre. "Are you planning to just leave, and not tell me what's happening to you?" the young man asked, blocking Penemue's way.
The Cadre looked down at the stream for a few seconds after Issei's question with a melancholy that was not the least bit normal for an ordinary person. In fact, it could be seen to be sickly.
Seeing that he received no answer, Issei slightly gritted his teeth.
"It's not that I'm nosy, nor do I want to know about your life just because." A very worried look graced the protagonist's face. "I really am very worried about you, from the bottom of my heart. I want to help you, I want to be able to do something for you." He commented, only to see that Penemue still remained completely motionless with the same torn look she had all day. She still continued to stare at the water, looking like she hadn't heard a word from Issei.
The protagonist's face became completely serious, determined to throw away his last card.
"Remember when you hugged me that day?" Penemue's eyes widened slightly at the memory. "I said you could cry all you want when you're by my side. The problem is, I can't help you, if you don't want to be helped first." He commented firmly, making Penemue turn to look at him again.
Just when he thought he had finally gotten a reaction out of Cadre, Penemue passed by his side and whispered in his ear:
"I remember that day perfectly. I also remember when I told you that this problem was none of your business..."
Penemue passed by his side, closing her eyes as the blizzard made her hair flutter violently.
Issei could only stand there, his serious expression slowly fading into a sad one, as he put his hands in his pockets and walked off in the opposite direction.
LINE JUMP.
Issei dropped into his sleeping bag without much energy. The brown looked up at the sky, seeing how the night seemed to be even more noticeable thanks to the passing clouds.
Issei stood there for several seconds, simply, thinking. Thinking about everything that had happened recently.
"*Are you alright, mate?*" As was customary, Ddraig always appeared at the most delicate moments for his bearer, trying to support him.
This time, though, the dragon received no response. Issei simply stared at the night sky for a few more seconds...
Soon, that dazzling darkness served as a window to his restless soul...
Memories with Penemue hit his head sharply.
Her cute and sincere smile...
Her beautiful black wings...
Her always seriousness, and her imposing aura of a hard worker. ...
Her imposing and beautiful figure...
Her beautiful bright crimson eyes... Those same eyes that have cried more than they should in such a short time...
This brought back memories of when she hugged him tightly.
He remembered her tears of venting...
He remembered the hours they spent together. ..
He remembered when she winked at him. ...
He remembered when she blushed for the first time...
A few hours passed...
They were many memories. They were all very pleasant, but painful at the same time. That made the protagonist think...
Why couldn't they just have a nice moment?
Penemue's last words to him before leaving today came back to his head after asking himself that question.
Finally, Issei raised his hand, only to clench his fist tightly and sketch a small smile.
"You know something, Ddraig?" The dragon looked surprised by the sudden change of attitude of his bearer. "You always say that I'm someone very stubborn, and that I don't know when to give up? You're absolutely right. I will never go backwards, not until I get everything I want." He concluded, jumping to his feet.
Ddraig could only laugh, seeing that he had worried unnecessarily.
LINE JUMP.
Penemue's room was completely silent. In it, the Cadre was sleeping peacefully on her bed, or that's what she should be doing.
The pillow was completely soaked from her tears, which had been flowing all night long. Penemue's eyes were a little red from crying, and if it weren't for her tears, it would be impossible to guess that she would be so sad right now.
Yes, even at times like this, she always tried to maintain that unchanging attitude...
Keeping that attitude allowed her to close her feelings, and that was why she always did it...
Even, she did it with someone like Issei, who was the only person who saw her real cry...
Penemue finally sat on the edge of the bed without even wiping her tears. She turned her gaze to the clock, seeing that it was 1 o'clock in the morning.
"I'll go get some coffee..." She said to herself without much encouragement.
Thinking that no one would be around the corridors at this hour, Penemue came out with her all-white pajamas covering her entire body.
The woman opened the door, and headed for the stairs. As she turned to go down them, her gaze was filled with surprise.
Light was streaming in through one of the windows, hitting Issei's body perfectly. The protagonist carried his katana over his shoulder. The night light gave it a divine touch, and his completely serious look only helped to further dazzle that fact.
"We need to talk."
END OF CHAPTER!
As this was not such a long chapter, I will try to bring the next translation sooner.
I hope you liked it, and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Thanks for reading!