I present myself again with another translated chapter!
I want to tell you how grateful I am to you, as this story has reached impressive numbers of over 200 followers and favorites in just 4 months. It's incredible, as this had started as a mere test project and the results were much better than I would have thought. In fact, it's the only story that has such a huge spike in the number of followers out of all the ones I've done.
Really thanks to everyone, and especially to all those who always give me advice and try to help in their own way with the translation and this project.
As always I insist at the beginning of each chapter for someone to be my beta reader, so that I can correct all the errors that still persist in the translation. Remember if you are interested in giving me a hand, contact me by private messenger.
As usual, I will answer some reviews:
The Beast of Sanity: The important thing is not how long it took you to read it, but that you enjoyed it, and I'm glad to know that you did. The first thing to note is that I'm very happy to see some improvements in the translation. Next, I personally don't think the DxD fandom didn't want to write anything that reflects the depression. Personally I think it depends on how each one wants to represent it, and I wanted to do it in a quite raw way, and maybe that's why it feels deeper. Lastly, I'm really glad you're liking the development between Issei and Penemue, I hope you can enjoy this chapter too!
Guest: Actually, I'm using that same application to translate. In some part it helps me a lot, but the main problem it has is that it doesn't detect gender changes correctly because in certain occasions I don't specify it in the original writing for the simple fact that it's obvious who is speaking. That's what mainly generates so many problems when translating it.
Cobin Michael: As I said above, the only and main problem with the translation comes with any kind of pronouns and genders, because sometimes it changes them and even though I try to correct everything, I always miss some. Keep in mind that per chapter I have to correct between 70 to 100 translation errors, it can be less, but it depends a lot on how long the chapter is.
Guest: Thanks for your interest in helping me with it, but as you can see I'm already on top of all these problems. For that very reason I'm looking for a beta reader, as I know it can be quite annoying for the reader. I try to learn and correct all these problems by myself and I think that lately I should feel some improvements, but at the moment it is impossible for me to pay so much attention to the correction due to time issues. After all, I only do one proofreading, and doing more than one would already take me about 3 hours, and it's not a time I can take, unless I have to delay a lot more to translate each chapter. Even then, I'm sure I'd still miss several mistakes.
Having answered all the reviews, it's time to get started.
Enjoy!
Issei opened his eyes slowly. The protagonist could not help but give a big yawn as he carved his eyes with great fatigue. It was only normal, considering he had fallen asleep at three in the morning.
Issei slightly widened his eyes after remembering everything that happened yesterday. The facts hit his head hard again as he felt how someone was hugging him tightly.
The young man removed the sheets in one swift movement, causing the huge silky locks of hair to shoot out all around the bed. Although this time, there was a big difference, as the hair was not light blue, but a deep black with small violet highlights.
Although Issei was wearing his clothes, and Penemue was wearing pajamas that covered her entire body, he couldn't help but blush as he felt how the woman was hugging him so tightly. It seemed like she was doing everything she could to keep him from running away, even though it was obvious he wasn't going anywhere. Issei could only divert his gaze to her breasts for a short second, as she wasn't wearing the blindfolds, and the front left a huge cleavage on display.
Penemue frowned, removing a hand from Issei's waist to cover her mouth from her prominent yawn. Her eyes opened, revealing that beautiful crimson glow in them, where they now seemed to be more gorgeous than ever. That was thanks to the flash of vigor they gave off with such intensity, something she didn't have before.
Penemue lowered her gaze, seeing that the prominent cleavage of her breasts was squeezing Issei's chest tightly, something that was quite normal, since she was attached to it.
Seeing her gaze, Issei thought she would immediately pull away, but instead of doing that, Penemue hugged him again and entwined her legs with his.
"Good morning." The Fall commented with a small blush on her face, as she snuggled her head into the protagonist's neck.
Penemue was totally carried away by her emotions, so she just wanted to be close to Issei right now, and keep enjoying that beautiful feeling that was gushing through her chest. That warmth made her wake up as happy as she had not been for centuries.
In fact, she had never woken up to this wonderful feeling before, and she wanted to make sure it wouldn't end so quickly.
"Hum, good morning." Issei replied, hesitating a bit at the slightly compromising situation. But he didn't plan on complaining.
Penemue lifted her face, giving him a cute smile between her teeth, something that took the chestnut by complete surprise.
"Thank you so much for yesterday. I mean it."
CHAPTER 24: THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALLEN.
"Is no one awake?" Issei asked in the main kitchen.
Penemue sat at the small round table in the center as she set up a chessboard.
"It's normal for no one to be there." Fallen replied, arranging her wet hair. "It's very early, and no one here is known for having discipline." She explained, causing Issei to look at her with a small blush.
That was normal, since the woman was still in her white pajamas despite having bathed. Thus, her huge cleavage was still present, and worst of all, the small drops of water falling from her hair gave it a more seductive touch.
"It's a pity, because this place has everything..." The protagonist commented, sitting across from Penemue as he looked at the numerous kitchens and contraptions such as coffee makers, among other things.
"We'll probably have time to ourselves until noon." The Cadre's words caused Issei to look up at her, seeing that the woman was giving him a small smile.
"What would you like to do?" she asked, beginning to arrange her pieces.
"Hmmm..." The protagonist rubbed his hair as he mimicked Penemue. "After playing with you, I'd like to see the castle. I didn't get the chance last time I came." He raised his gaze with a big grin between his teeth. "And afterwards, if you want I can help you prepare lunch."
Hearing this, Penemue gave him a cute smile, nodding quickly, indicating that she really liked the idea.
After that talk, Penemue set up her last piece, causing the atmosphere to change dramatically. It was as if out of nowhere they were in the middle of a War, and they were in crossfire.
The game continued as usual. Penemue noticed a great improvement in Issei's ability to read the moves, but he still had a long way to go.
Penemue watched without a word as Issei moved a pawn to the front, covering the king from being killed by the rook.
"Is that the kind of move you would make? Doesn't that seem a bit cowardly to you?" Issei couldn't help but look at her in confusion, as he didn't understand exactly what she was referring to.
The Cadre just took the rook, and eliminated the pawn without further ado.
"You are the king. It is not right for you to sacrifice your subjects to survive longer." Hearing this, Issei fixed his gaze on the side of his board, watching as numerous pieces protected the King, at the same time as these pieces protected each other.
"You should always think carefully about what your next move will be. Not to keep surviving, but to make everyone survive." She commented, resting both hands underneath her chin. "The King who sacrifices his companions just to live a little longer is a bad King. It is natural for many of your companions to die in a real war, but you should always see to it that those casualties are as few as possible."
Issei could only look at her with great confusion.
"What is it that you are trying to tell me?"
"What I mean is that a good King is not one who sacrifices his comrades. A true King is one who carefully analyzes the situation, seeks a solution, and tries to ensure that the welfare of his servants is always on par with the victory of his Kingdom." Cadre explained, causing a small smile to appear on her face as she saw Issei's eyes sparkle at the revelation.
"Besides, the difference between the two Kings is crucial by a single point..." She commented, taking Issei's King in her hand. "The King who always sacrifices his servants to move on will never look at finding a broader solution. All in all, that King is most likely brainless and has no idea what the word strategy means." A somewhat amused look graced Penemue's face.
"For the moment, you are the Brainless King."
Hearing the last part, a small twitch appeared on the protagonist's eyebrow.
Had she said all that just to annoy him?
Or did those words have a deeper meaning that he couldn't quite decipher?
One question or the other, Issei knew he had to focus on one thing: Stop being brainless.
The protagonist's gaze focused on his pieces intently, while everything around him went black, except for the board. He had stood completely still, but his mind was going at a thousand engines per second, processing every possible move he could make with his remaining pieces, and also seeing how he could manage to move Penemue with such moves.
"Could I move my knight to the front?"
"What if I castled?"
"Would I have a chance of checkmate if I try to advance with my two knights and my remaining rook?"
"How do I go about defending the king if he planned to attack with a large part of my pieces?"
"How do I make it so that those pieces can defend each other?"
Thousands of questions began to fill Issei's head.
Penemue caught on to this quickly, causing a small discreet smile to appear on her face.
"That's right... You'll certainly never generate questions, and if you hardly ever ask yourself questions, the less prepared you'll be to find the answers." She thought, as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Think, and think. Don't stop until you find the answers. If they are negative, simply ask yourself another possible solution. Sooner or later, you'll get to what you're looking for..."
Issei's eyes twinkled slightly, then castled.
Penemue watched this move with a small smile.
"Now, your rook is quite unprotected. But you managed to protect the king, at the same time you didn't sell your knights." She commented, giving a small sigh. "There were better solutions..." She stated, killing the rook with her queen. "But for a first step, it's pretty good." She concluded, giving him a small smile that he instantly reciprocated.
"Wow, I didn't expect to find you two here." They both turned towards the direction of the voice, seeing that it was Azazel.
"That's what we should say." The protagonist commented. "I'm beginning to suspect that you're taking my companions' training not so seriously..." He stated, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Remember today is a special day for the Fallen, brat." Commented the leader, wiping his ear with his little finger. "As their leader, I can't miss the ceremony." He explained, then fixing his gaze on Penemue. "Besides, I'm here because I need Penemue's help."
"Special day?" Issei wondered, trying to remember.
"You need my help?" Penemue rose from her seat, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Can't you summon the necessary materials through the magic circles?" She asked, causing a somewhat nervous smile to appear on Azazel's face.
"Well... The problem is that I can't summon said materials, if they don't exist in the first place." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
Hearing the answer, Penemue put both hands on his hips and let out a big sigh.
"I should have figured... Always everything at the last minute."
"By the way, did you get a mate?" Azazel's question made Issei remember the event that was being celebrated today.
A dangerous look decorated the Cadre's face, indicating not to speak any further or she would punish him.
"Hmmm..." Azazel simply looked at her. "I think you'll miss another year..." He commented, looking at her with slight seriousness.
Penemue just looked away, lowering her head slightly.
Azazel and Penemue watched with slight strangeness as Issei rose from his seat, stepping in front of the Cadre.
"I'll go with her."
Penemue's eyes widened like saucers after hearing the statement, while Azazel blinked a couple of times, thinking that he had not heard correctly.
Seeing the two's reaction, Issei couldn't help but get a little nervous.
"Well... If she wants to, and if a Demon can participate, of course."
"No, of course you can participate..." Azazel commented, still a bit surprised. "But, I don't think she..." The Cadre interrupted himself when he saw how Penemue tugged Issei's manga with utmost shyness.
He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing...
Issei turned his gaze after sensing her calling out to him, only to be slightly surprised when Penemue lowered her gaze with a small blush on her face.
The grip on his manga intensified, at the same time Penemue raised her gaze to look him directly in the eyes.
"Seriously... You really want to come with me?" she asked, again averting her gaze as she was unable to hold eye contact.
Seeing how she was acting, Issei could only think that she looked very cute. This facet was new to her, and he had to say he rather liked it.
"Of course!" He exclaimed, giving her a bright smile.
Hearing the response, Penemue looked up at him, giving him a small, but cute smile.
"Thank you..." Penemue let him know how grateful she was when he felt the grip on his sleeve intensify even more.
Azazel could only stare at this with wide eyes.
"She hasn't acted like this since..." He thought with great disbelief, then sketched a big smile. "Seriously... That brat has more potential than I had imagined. I should thank him for making Penemue show her affection again, even if it's only to one person."
Azazel's thoughts were interrupted as Penemue grabbed him by the shukata to drag him outside.
"Let's get to work. We can't waste time." A glint full of conviction graced Penemue's eyes.
"Hey, wait!" Azazel exclaimed, as he was dragged away by Penemue. "Where did you get so much energy?!"
Issei could only stare at the scene with a huge bead of sweat.
LINE JUMP.
"How do I look, Ddraig?" Issei asked, adjusting his black jacket.
The protagonist was in Penemue's room, trying on a somewhat casual outfit to go out with the Cadre tonight.
Issei caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, seeing that his outfit consisted of an all-black garment, except for his shirt, which was of a white color.
"*You look phenomenal, partner*" The dragon commented through the gauntlet, giving a small nod to himself.
"Perfect." Replied the protagonist with a small smile, then looking towards the window. "Afterwards we'd have to thank Azazel for lending me these clothes. I was very nervous at the thought of going to such an important moment in my academy clothes." He commented with slight trepidation, as he watched as numerous colorful lights decorated the bridge, at the same time as many decorated boats were entering the cave. All that only indicated that the celebration was about to begin.
Issei heard someone knocking on the door, so he turned around to greet the person.
"If you're looking for Penemue, she's making final preparations for..." Issei's voice became increasingly inaudible, as said person had entered the room.
She looked much more beautiful than usual, as she was wearing a maid's outfit, something that was impossible for her to go unnoticed by Issei.
Penemue stared at him and intertwined her hands under her breasts, giving her an even more adorable look.
"Do you like it?" The question made Issei wake up and stop staring at her so intently.
"I-I didn't know you'd come in a maid's outfit..." The brown commented, rubbing his hair as a small blush decorated his face. "It looks great on you." He finished, delivering her a tone with complete sincerity.
This made Penemue happy, and she didn't mind showing it to him openly.
"You told me a while back that a maid's outfit would suit me quite well." She commented, walking over to him to take his hand.
"Did you remember that?" thought the leading man with slight surprise in his gaze.
"Come on." Cadre ordered in a sweet tone, giving him a smile.
Issei could only look at her with even more surprise at her lively attitude. Finally, he reciprocated that attitude, clutching his hand tighter as he followed her happily.
A few minutes later...
"Is this the place?" Issei asked Azazel, receiving a nod from him. "Everything is completely dark..." He commented as he squinted his eyes to try to make out something.
"That's the idea. Even your Demon eyes aren't going to help you." Azazel pushed him into the swan-shaped boat, falling in beside Penemue.
"Have a safe trip." Commented the leader with a slight playful tone, as he went to sit in one of the rear boats.
"We're lucky to be the first." Penemue stated, causing Issei to look at her quizzically. "As we leave the cave, we'll be able to see and hear the fireworks being set off."
Although he couldn't see her, Issei was sure that Penemue was very excited. Probably, seeing this always from her room hurt her a little, no matter how cold she was about such matters. A millennium of suffering is hard to face for anyone, and he knew all too well about that sort of thing, since he knew Tiamat (though in the dragoness' case, it was almost two millennia).
Finally, the swan began to mobilize, causing Issei to become slightly excited. He had never participated in an event as such, but he always saw some that were shown on TV, and they seemed entertaining.
The brown-haired man waited anxiously, until finally the exit of the cave began to come into view.
Out of nowhere, numerous lights came on, completely blinding the protagonist for a few seconds.
Issei opened his eyes wide as he felt a large blizzard run through his hair. His eyes finally adjusted to the hanging lights, at the same time as numerous fireworks began to burst in the sky just above the castle, giving a mind-blowing colorful image.
"Amazing...!" Was all he could think, watching the play of lights with wide eyes.
His attention was pulled elsewhere when he felt Penemue tug on his sleeve shyly.
Issei turned to look at her, and in that moment...
In that single moment...
He had felt that time had stopped...
Penemue's smile...
Her hair fluttering with complete freedom...
Her crimson eyes shining brightly in the evening light with great joy...
She was...
She was simply beautiful...
They both intertwined their hands without even realizing it, letting themselves be totally carried away by the beautiful moment they were living right now.
Instead of paying attention to the fireworks, they were looking at each other at all times, as if one was the most precious attraction in sight for the other.
They both only wished that this precious moment would last forever.
LINE JUMP.
"It's been a lot of fun..." Penemue stated with a small smile.
Issei just nodded in complete agreement, as they walked up the stairs together.
They were still holding hands. By now, they should have realized it, but it seemed that neither of them felt uncomfortable at the other's touch. In fact, they both felt really good about it.
Since the party was still going on, the vast majority of the Fallen were outside, so they didn't run into any of them.
Finally, they both stopped in front of Penemue's room.
"Tomorrow afternoon I would like to start making preparations for your training. I need to talk to Tiamat and Tannin, so I'll come by after lunch." Cadre commented, receiving a nod from Issei.
Just as the protagonist was about to say goodbye, he could feel Penemue tighten her grip on his hand even more.
"I... I'd like you to stay with me another night, please." Penemue lowered her head slightly with a slight blush, surprising Issei by the proposal.
"I'd love to." The protagonist commented, receiving a smile from the Cadre.
Issei sat on the bed and looked away in slight discomfort as he listened as Penemue began to remove her clothes.
"I'd like to go together next year as well." Cadre commented, causing Issei to look sideways at her for a second.
He could see Penemue's bare back as she pulled on her white pajamas, while wearing only black lace panties.
"Y-yes!" he stammered, unable to help but blush and curse himself for turning his gaze away without thinking it through.
"Why are you getting nervous?" Penemue asked with a hint of amusement, finishing putting on her pajamas, and sitting down on the bed.
Issei took this as the green light to turn his gaze.
"Sorry, I can't help it..." Commented the protagonist as he rubbed his cheek with a finger.
"Just kidding." Cadre said with a teasing tone, causing Issei to deliver a small pout.
Without even giving him time to reproach her, Penemue pounced on him, giving him a big hug. She snuggled into Issei instantly, then kissed him on the cheek.
"This day has been magnificent." Cadre commented, cupping him by the cheeks and staring at him. "I owe it all to you. That's why tonight I won't let you go. Tonight, it will be just the two of us." She concluded, giving him another tight hug, this time wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him lovingly.
Their legs were soon entwined together, making Penemue's feet move with great happiness.
"I don't plan on going anywhere." Issei replied, reciprocating the embrace instantly, at the same time taking the opportunity to stroke her hair.
Sensing this, Penemue began to caress Issei's back with her hands.
They both felt incredible with such direct touch. After all, that somewhat indiscreet contact made their breasts even hotter than they already were before. They knew that this heat was just a sensation, that it wasn't real. But, that sensation of their breasts burning with every loving feeling felt too cool to give up. It was so great, they could perfectly feel each other's heartbeat slowly start to speed up because of all the conflicting emotions.
Yes, a really comforting feeling...
A unique sensation...
A unique sensation, which can only be produced by that special person...
LINE JUMP.
After having slept with her for two days, Issei began to think that he could get used to this. After all, it was quite nice to sleep next to the Fall, and it was something he couldn't deny.
In fact, it was so much so that they both woke up quite early, and still stayed in bed, as they felt too good to get up. Besides, the fact that their bodies always dawned so close together didn't help them feel like getting up either.
Unfortunately for both of them, duty always called sooner or later. Penemue had to get up reluctantly to continue with her work that she had left a little bit behind yesterday, while Issei decided to take a little walk with Azazel, who was still at Grigori. The aforementioned offered him a tour of the entire castle.
Issei already had a good image of Azazel from the time he defended him from the other Cadres, but he managed to be even more impressed by the routine and informal, even somewhat elevated, chats he sometimes made. At the moment he didn't like him as much as Penemue, but he proved to be a pleasant enough Fallen. The fact that he would be the one to command the Gremory group from now on only made him think that they would probably become close friends in the future.
When the long talk with Azazel was over, Issei went to Penemue, seeing that she was already waiting for him to do the only cooking practice they could do in a long time.
And so, that's how they got to this situation...
A somewhat delicate situation for Penemue...
The Fallen tried to put a couple of potatoes in a pit that hadn't even boiled the water yet, causing the protagonist to stop her instantly.
"You have to boil the water first." He commented quickly, then looked back to the pan.
"The oil has already been steaming for several minutes, you have to hurry to put the meat in, unless you want to die of food poisoning." The protagonist quickly stopped her again. "Don't do it with your wet hands! You could set the whole damn kitchen on fire!" He exclaimed in great fright.
Penemue placed her hand on her chest instantly, as a cold sweat and a look that reflected too much unease glimmered on her face. Luckily for her, Issei had caught her expression instantly.
"She's being completely overwhelmed..." The protagonist thought, then shook his head with a small smile.
Penemue blinked in slight confusion as Issei landed behind her. The Fall looked at him intently, indicating that she was looking for an answer.
That answer came in the form of a small whimper from her as Issei attached to her body and took both of her hands, beginning to show her the way she should go.
Penemue watched every movement with a huge blush, which grew more and more intense as she felt Issei's breath catch on her neck.
Issei began to control her as if she were a robot, putting everything in order. The only thing left to do was to put the pot on the fire.
Unfortunately, Penemue got carried away by the overwhelming situation, causing her hands to slip on the handles, and as a result, the pot fell to the ground and wet the two of them a little.
"S-sorry!" Penemue apologized, quickly bending down to pick up the pot.
"Don't worry about it. You need to relax." Commented the protagonist as he did the same.
Their hand collided against the same handle, causing them both to raise their heads to look at the other.
That alone triggered a somewhat delirious situation for both of them...
As they raised their heads, they were both immensely surprised to hold each other close.
VERY close.
In fact, they were so close that their lips were brushing.
A small blush appeared on both of their faces as they seemed unable to stop staring deeply at each other.
Instead of separating, they both continued to crouch in exactly the same position, without making any movement.
Somehow, their hands holding the hole ended up intertwining.
Silence graced the room, as Penemue slowly closed her eyes while that small blush on her face intensified in time with the increase of her heartbeat.
"Guys, I'll be right back. Remember, we still have 27 days to rebuild the Academy." Azazel's voice coming from outside the kitchen caused them both to awaken from their trance.
They quickly got up and put the pot back in its place.
"Don't worry!" shouted Issei, approaching the door. "We'll make us something to eat here and come back!"
Penemue just deigned to fill the pot without saying a word. She touched her lips for a short second, then continued normally.
END OF THE FIRST PART!
The next goal is to update 7 chapters per month at least, so I still have 6 more to publish.
In the next one you will see a little fight between Penemue and Tiamat, and the last part of the training. As I already formalized almost all of Issei and Penemue's relationship (there are still small and very important things that will be shown throughout the story), now I have to make a kind of weird Time Skip as I did with the previous long training, so it will end quickly in the next chapter.
Again, many thanks to all the people who continue reading this.
Have a nice day!