Here I am with a new chapter!
Before we start, let's answer some reviews:
Vanhellsing9000: That's easy to deduce, since the conflict has been going on since the moment Ross was introduced, although there were only subtle hints at the time. I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much, and I hope you like this chapter as well.
Cobin Michael: As long as you read all the chapters and find a way to enjoy this, that's enough for me. Thank you so much for still being here, and I hope you continue enjoying the next chapters.
Now it's time to start with the chapter.
Enjoy!
Gasper fell onto his backside with great exhaustion. His gasps accompanied his eyes as he raised his gaze, watching as a Tannin in his human form posed right in front of him with his arms crossed.
"That's all you can do? I know you have far more potential than you're trying to show." The Dragon King declared with a smirk. "Are you afraid I might get a little serious with you?"
"It's not that." Gasper replied quickly, standing up with some difficulty. "I can see that everyone is training with a lot of energy for what's coming. Even the Buchou managed to convince Koneko to use her true powers. But..." Gasper lowered his gaze slightly at his last word, managing to catch Tannin's attention.
"But what?" He consulted him, unable to help but raise an eyebrow.
"I think that learning to control my power a little bit will be more than enough to manage to bring us the victory." Gasper replied, then smiled at what he was about to say:
"After all, we have the boss on our team!"
Tannin looked at him for a short second, getting Gasper to quirk a little.
"So, that's what you think..." Tannin turned away, further confusing the vampire by his dismissive tone.
The Dragon King focused his gaze on the clouds of Hell's sky for a few seconds. Finally, his gaze softened slightly at what he was about to say:
"It is good to place that trust in someone, for it indicates the great bond that exists between us. But don't confuse trust with cowardice." Tannin's words confused Gasper.
"I'm sorry, but I can't understand you..." He commented with quite a bit of confusion behind his words.
"You know well what I'm talking about." The dragon clarified, getting Gasper to widen his eyes slightly. "Sneaking around behind Issei and thinking he'll always be there to solve all the problems is cowardly."
"I..." Gasper tried to speak, but found that he couldn't argue with even a word from his master.
"And I understand that on all occasions the problems take them everywhere together. But, I'm sure there will come a time when your paths are going to have to part for a moment due to some circumstance." Tannin turned his gaze to Gasper, watching as he stood with a dejected look on his face.
The Dragon King slowly approached, then placing a hand on the half-vampire's shoulder.
Gasper raised his gaze, watching as Tannin gave him a chuckling smile.
"I'm not scolding you, I'm just giving you advice. Think about it, okay?"
CHAPTER 65: THE TRUTH OF THE CEREMONY!
Rias was sitting in her typical place while looking at different papers. On those you could see that they were covered with information about Sairaorg's servants, along with statistics about Sairaorg himself.
"I think we won't have that much trouble with the others, as the format presented for this Rating Game favors us. As long as Issei is the one to give us the essential support against my cousin, I don't see any problems." Rias rested her hand underneath her chin, then let out a small sigh.
It was impossible not to sigh, as the memories of what happened yesterday were still haunting her mind.
"He's been acting a little strange lately." Rias thought, frowning slightly. "Come to think of it, he's shown a great evolution of his character and personality since the moment he met Tiamat, only now he's...I wouldn't know how to say it..." Thought the redhead, feeling like Issei actually had a quite noticeable development not only in his strength, but also in his mentality.
Evidently, this was not something she liked.
In order for the Sekiryuutei to follow his brother's plans, he had to become into her personal tool.
A person who is capable of reasoning like Issei is not someone who can be easily manipulated. Essentially, if we're talking about as much manipulation as she thought.
"I don't know if I should be more worried about my position in the Underworld or my brother's plans..." Rias gave a small sigh covered in annoyance, feeling that all this neglect of her simple job was leading her to carry a myriad of worries.
Worries that could eventually turn into big problems, if she didn't act fast.
"And to top it all off, along comes that stupid Asgardian God who just keeps flirting with every woman in the place. If it weren't for his high position and power, I would have already asked my brother to eliminate him." Rias rubbed her temple with both hands through more than palpable irritation.
"Buchou!" Rias emerged amidst her sea of unsteadiness as she watched Asia walk through the door, nearly breaking it in the process.
The nun looked rather elated, so it didn't take a second for Rias to get serious.
"What's wrong?" The redhead inquired, standing up quickly.
"It's that idiot Issei!" Asia clenched her fists tightly, getting her mistress to raise both eyebrows as she thought she was overreacting.
"What happened? Did he go back to his old habits and those bitches who are always on his side found out and punished him?" Rias scoffed, opting for a small chuckle at the end.
"Issei got into a fight with Thor in the middle of a hallway!"
At that moment, Rias' eyes widened to astronomical levels.
"WHAT?!"
Rias and Asia ran as fast as they could towards the place, and it was very easy to see for the redhead that her slave wasn't lying, as the crowd that had generated at the entrance of the Academy was beyond massive.
Somehow they made room between all the students, until finally standing in the front row.
"The tension in the atmosphere is really powerful." Commented Matsuda, who stood next to Motohama, Aika, Murayama and the remaining Gremory entourage.
A look of horror covered Rias' face as she saw how Issei was standing in the middle of the circle that the crowd had generated. He had literally stood right in front of Thor while holding one of his hands outstretched towards his chest, making it clear that he had recently pushed him, although the God had not even flinched.
In fact, Thor remained in place, with a smile on his face.
"I figured something like this might happen since this guy came in. He doesn't have a very good reputation to speak of." Declared Penemue, who was watching everything from afar, next to a somewhat animated looking Tiamat.
The Cadre couldn't help but look at her somewhat quizzically at the Dragon Queen's excitement.
"Are you not planning to interrupt this absurd conflict that will go nowhere?" She asked, receiving a quick shake of the head from Tiamat.
"Are you kidding me? This is going to be fun." The dragoness declared with a toothy grin.
"As long as Issei doesn't get hurt..." Penemue clarified with a simple tilt of her shoulders.
"Why do you think they'll be having that discussion?" Motohama asked rather curiously.
"I don't know, but Issei is not the type of person to create such a fuss over nothing." Matsuda stated confidently.
"I have to call my father." Rias declared, leaving the scene with clear haste.
Thor chuckled as he felt Issei's hand begin to squeeze his chest.
"I told you brat, there's nothing I want to discuss or talk to you about, so get lost before I lose my patience." God declared, only to have a rather dangerous gleam in his eyes.
"And by the way, I'm not a person who is known for having much patience, especially when it comes to ingrates like you." He concluded with clear airs of superiority.
"I'm just asking you to talk. I want to do it in the good way, and you're clearly behaving like a jerk." Issei took back the floor in the verbal argument, and the fact that Thor's fists clenched a little let it be understood that his words didn't sit very well with him.
Still, the incredibly impatient God did not lose his patience.
That was confirmed when his toothy grin widened a bit.
"So you say you want to do it the good way? And, if I simply refuse..." Thor's eyes darkened a little. "Tell me, what will you do to force me to talk, brat?"
Issei's eyes narrowed dangerously, though that was overshadowed by the cutting indifference his eyes gave off.
His hand tightened even tighter on his chest, to the point of being nothing short of tearing the man's suit.
His lips slowly parted, about to spew the insertion point that would unleash a wave of destructive events.
"You're a piece of..."
"PLAFFFF!"
The event was cancelled by the loud slap that echoed throughout the venue.
The next thing that could be witnessed was an Issei lying on the ground as he cupped his cheek which was red hot, indicating that he had been the one to receive the blow.
His gaze slowly lifted, watching as Rossweisse stood beside Thor as she remained with her hand raised.
"I made it quite clear to you to keep your nose out of what you don't care about." The Valkyrie clarified on the verge of tears, as it really hurt like hell to have had to hit him.
But at that moment it was the only option.
Rossweisse's hand trembled slightly as she watched Issei slowly stand up, opting for a shadowed face.
"Oh, I think I get it now..." Thor thought to himself, unable to help but sketch a mischievous grin at what was happening.
Once Issei finally pulled himself together, Issei came face to face with Rossweisse.
The Valkyrie shut her with great force as she saw Issei's hand rise up, thinking he was going to hit her back.
And all she felt was a caress.
She snapped her eyes open in more than palpable surprise as she noticed how Issei's hand was caressing her cheek as he gave her a comforting smile.
A smile that indicated that all was okay.
A smile that made it clear to her that he understood it wasn't her fault.
Rossweisse's eyes were covered in tears, but said tears failed to roll down her cheeks as someone interrupted the whole event unleashed because of Issei.
"Can someone explain to me what is going on in my institution?" The large crowd parted for Zeoticus to make his presence known, and from the look on his face it was clear that he was not at all happy with the current situation.
Especially since this situation had been created by a certain brown man, to whom he was now directing his gaze.
"Everyone to my office, now."
Silence took over in the small room as everyone remained static in their seats.
The round table was large enough to hold everyone present, being a total of 5 people.
The extremely cutting silence might have lasted even longer, had two men not burst into the room, nearly breaking the door in the process.
"No matter what he's saying, it's false!" Matsuda accused Thor as he pointed a finger at him, causing everyone to look at the perverted duo with a large bead of sweat.
"We know perfectly well that Issei wouldn't set up any conflict unless he has a valid reason." Motohama seconded his friend's words as he adjusted his glasses.
Everyone stared at the duo for a few seconds, until finally Zeoticus cleared his throat.
"Please, can you two leave? This isn't something you guys are involved in." Rias' father clarified with a dismissive tone.
Just as the two friends were about to discuss his words, a somewhat angry Sona appeared and forcibly removed the two men from the door. The woman gave a small bow to apologize to those present and then closed the door.
Although it had been a rather curious intrusion and a very cheeky one at that, it was just enough to relieve some of the cutting tension among those present.
"Come to think of it, the two of us have nothing to do with any of this either." Tiamat stated as she crossed her legs after remembering everything that had happened recently.
"So you say..." Zeoticus couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"It was just a little tiff." Penemue bowed her shoulders, indicating that she cared little for all that had happened.
"And that's exactly why they're here." Zeoticus raised his gaze, denoting a rather serious expression. "They are professors at this institution. I understand that this is just an excuse to be able to take care of Issei because of all the background, but they still have to keep their roles in front of the students."
Both Penemue and Tiamat could do nothing but look away, as it was impossible to refute the Demon's words.
"Anyway, that's the least of it..." Zeoticus turned his gaze to Thor, who wasn't very interested in all this talk.
At least, that was until he watched as the Demon gave him a deep bow from his seat.
"I'm really sorry for all the trouble! Hyoudou is too impulsive and ungrateful and doesn't know what he's doing on most occasions!" Zeoticus blurted out, getting Penemue to raise an eyebrow and Tiamat to grit her teeth a bit.
They both had completely different thoughts.
"I know he's a guest and a very important God, but I'm surprised that even someone like him would stoop so low just to not bother him." Thought the Cadre as she folded her arms.
Meanwhile, Tiamat's thoughts were directed elsewhere.
"How could he possibly call Issei impulsive and ungrateful when he didn't even see how the event unfolded?" Tiamat's teeth clenched a little tighter as she saw the smirk with an air of superiority that emerged from the God.
"You can even tell who the real jerk is just by looking at his stupid face!"
An almost inaudible growl escaped the Dragon Queen's lips. No one seemed to hear it.
No one, with the exception of a certain brown man who was sitting next to her.
In fact, it was rather curious to see how calm Issei was, as he was being slandered to his face and he was the calmest one in this room. Being him, a person who had a reputation for getting worked up over anything.
But now he was letting it be understood that that was a thing of the past.
Does it really matter what people say or think about him?
The answer is yes, but not from people who don't even know him or who he doesn't care about, as was the case with Zeoticus Gremory.
"And as for you, Hyoudou!" The Demon's words made Issei turn his gaze towards him, noticing that he was looking at him with a blank face. "Don't commit any more such idiocies! I can put up with anything from you, but not this! You must know that Thor is a special guest to us and no one will tolerate any insolence directed at him!"
Issei brought his gaze to Tiamat, watching as the Dragoness gritted her teeth even harder.
Zeoticus was too focused on ranting at Issei, so he didn't notice Tiamat's growing fury.
The Dragoness' hands clamped down on the table so hard that she splintered the edge of the wood, implying that she was about to slaughter the man.
But just before she did so, she could feel a hand slide over her leg.
She lowered her face with a flash of surprise in her gaze as she watched Issei's hand caress her thigh lovingly and calmly. She looked up again to see her future lover, who was giving her a calm smile.
That act was more than enough to make her understand that there was no need to teach the insolent Demon a lesson.
The Dragoness simply smiled at her future lover, then resumed her attention to the man's words.
She only hoped that all this ridiculous moralistic fighting of Zeoticus would end as quickly as possible, as it was disgusting even Thor himself, who had already returned to his bored expression.
"How annoying." Issei couldn't help but give an inward sigh once he left the office.
The tired look left the protagonist's face after remembering everything that had happened these past few days.
"Apparently, neither he nor she plans to tell me what's going on. From Rossweisse I can deduce that she only cares about me, while Thor simply denies me answers because he's a huge jerk." Issei put a hand to his chin as he continued to think.
His pace slowed considerably until he was facing the stairs.
"But, if she cares to the point of slapping me in the face it means the problem may be bigger than I first imagined." Issei stopped to think, but he was running into a huge wall that prevented him from discovering the root of all this conflict that was creating more and more problems.
He only knew that the root was linked to that shoddy god...
And as if summoned by his thoughts, said God appeared out of nowhere as he pushed Issei into a wall. The brown-haired man stood completely static as he watched Thor's arm land right in front of his face, denying him passage.
"Listen to me well, brat. I think I know why you're so interested in everything that's going on. I'm just suggesting you stay out of all this, or you might get hurt so badly you might not even be able to walk again." Thor brought his face a little closer to Issei's, breaking into a hardened smile.
"I suppose your animal brain can understand such a basic threat, right kid?" the God questioned with a laugh at the end that would annoy anyone.
And just as things were about to get more tense, another arm comes through to come between the two.
"I'm sorry, did I interrupt your conversation?" Tiamat declared with a bloodthirsty grin on her face.
That expression made Thor sweat for a short second, though his typical smirk covered in smugness soon returned to his face.
"Not at all, lady. We were done." Commented the God, stepping back from the spot.
"Are you all right?" The one who asked was Penemue, who approached the duo as she watched Thor walk down the stairs.
"Don't worry. I'm quite used to the chatter of people who think they're superior to everyone." Issei stated with a simple bow of his shoulders.
Several hours later...
The hours at the Academy went by as fast as lightning. Perhaps the only time that was slow for Issei was the swimming class, as Rossweisse was clearly uncomfortable with everything that had happened between them, so she couldn't even look him in the face.
Obviously there was no shortage of calls from Rias, who reproached him for all his attitudes to the point of boredom. She affirmed and reaffirmed that tomorrow night they would have the last meeting before the Rating Game, so she told Issei that he could not miss it under any circumstances. She also told him that she understood that he might be a bit stressed since he was facing a lot of threats these past few months, but that did not allow him to act like an idiot forever.
It should be stressed that Issei barely paid attention to the Gremory's words, as he was more focused on other matters that in his eyes were much more important right now.
Finally, a hint of joy shot across his drab face when he saw how Ophis was waiting for him at the exit of the Academy, ready to occupy his precious personal space: Issei's back.
As expected, the rest of the day passed rather quickly thanks to the pleasant time spent together with the last two dragons alive.
Still, all his worries came back to the night.
Even when he was being embraced by two beautiful and charming women, his mind was completely out of his body.
"What do you plan to do? It's getting close to the day for the Rating Games and you still can't find the answer to all this." Ddraig stated earnestly, causing Issei to widen his eyes.
"It's clear that I'm not going to be able to get anything out of Rossweisse, and I don't want to keep bothering her either. So, I'm just going to wait to talk to the old man after class. Depending on what he tells me, I'll see what my next move will be." Issei mentally spoke to his mate and brother.
"Remember that Demon brat demanded you go to the meeting tomorrow." Ddraig clarified with his usual serious tone.
"I already said that depending on what the old man says, I will or won't do what she wants." Issei replied matter-of-factly, indicating that he was little bothered by Rias' orders.
"I like the way you think, mate. Sleep well for now, and we'll sort all this out tomorrow." The dragon stated with a somewhat cheerful tone as he saw that Issei was revealing himself to his Buchou.
After all, it was no secret to either of them that Ddraig was not at all happy to be a servant of a Demon.
"Sleep well, Ddraig." Issei cut off his mental link. His gaze fell on the two women, causing a small smile to appear on his face.
Issei closed his eyes without first giving a few last caresses to the two women, who rejoiced at such subtle and loving touches, even when they were asleep.
The next day...
In the desolate field of what was once an area of the Cursed Forest stood a somewhat sleepy Tannin in his dragon form, who gave a loud yawn as he watched Penemue and Issei fight each other.
Though said fight seemed to be about to end.
Penemue was breathing in a rather prolonged agitation as beads of sweat slid off her face nonstop. In front of her, stood Issei in his new evolution, who seemed to be just as tired as the woman.
The only thing that could be heard on the large esplanade was the wind and the sound of the resounding violet beams surrounding the Cadre's katana.
After standing for a few seconds without making a move, Penemue finally sighed and dropped the katana, something that caught Issei's attention greatly.
"I give up."
If Issei was impressed by the Cadre's action before, what he felt now was not something that could be described with certainty.
"What-what did you say?" Issei took a step back, unable to believe what he had heard.
"It's more than clear that the Triana Evolution not only helped you achieve my powers, but that you were even able to surpass them." Penemue fell backwards onto the ground, implying that her exhaustion was not at all feigned.
"Are you-are you serious?" Issei still looked incredulous at everything that was happening.
"In the first few days you had a little difficulty controlling your new speed, and that's why I was able to beat you. But now that you've gotten used to your new power, I can easily see that you're a step above me." Penemue clarified as she sheathed her katana and stood up.
"That-that means after so many months of training...?" Issei couldn't help but fall to the ground as his legs shook.
A small smile crept across Penemue's face as she saw her future lover's reaction.
"Apparently, the pupil finally surpasses the master. Congratulations." She gave him a beautiful smile, a smile that would be etched in Issei's mind forever.
The brown-haired man magically regained the strength in his legs, so it didn't take him long to take a big leap as he raised his arm towards the sky with absolute happiness.
"By the way, evaluating your new power..." Issei regained his attention to the woman, seeing how she had returned to her typical apathetic expression.
That was indication that what she was about to tell him was something important.
"I think your physical strength and endurance has increased enough that you can use 'it' again without hurting yourself." Penemue clarified, managing to make Issei a little impressed.
"That means..." Issei looked down at his katana, sketching a small smile.
"In fact, now that you reached the proper strength to control the attack, don't be surprised if it undergoes changes that make it much more lethal than before." Penemue's words made Issei look at her with great attention.
Penemue placed both hands on her waist, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"After all, having attained the necessary physical strength also translates to you having managed to complete your special attack."
"Not to be intrusive, but it's already 7 o'clock." Tannin declared with a sly grin on his face, managing to startle them both.
"Shit, the Academy!" Issei cursed to himself as he realized he needed to take a bath, so he disappeared through a magic circle, without first saying goodbye to the two.
A few hours later...
"Do you think it will be okay not to say anything to him?" Tiamat was the one who asked the question.
She was sitting at a table next to Penemue. Both women watching as all the student swimmers were leaving the pool after completing the hour.
"Of course." Penemue's response was blunt.
She adjusted her glasses as she turned her gaze back to Grigori's common paperwork.
"We've always helped him with everything, but I think it's time he started looking for his own solutions and conclusions to problems. It's not all fighting, some of it takes some ingenuity, and that's what I've trained him for all this time." The Cadre concluded, discarding a couple of pieces of paper.
"Uh, I understand what you mean. But..." Tiamat looked somewhat doubtful, watching as Issei stood alone in the pool.
"I know Thor is another level entirely compared to the enemies he's faced so far. If he needs help, we won't hesitate to give that to him." Penemue stated, knowing full well what was tormenting her friend.
"I just hope he doesn't act like last time." Tiamat thought aloud, her tone clearly worried.
It was hard for her to forget when Issei was blinded by hatred and forced her not to participate or help him in the confrontation against Brand.
Issei continued to stare at the water regardless of a figure perched next to him.
"What did you want to talk about?" The protagonist asked, noticing how Rossweisse sat down next to him.
She looked rather crestfallen, as she had been all these days.
"I just wanted to apologize for the slap, I know that wasn't..." The Valkyrie tried to explain herself, but was stopped by Issei as he raised his hand, indicating for her to stop.
"I know you didn't mean it that way. There is no need for you to apologize. In fact, I think I should be the one to apologize, since I've been creating a lot of trouble for you lately." He replied with a small smile.
"Thank you for understanding." Rossweisse gave a small sigh after hearing Issei's words. "In a way, I know these days were strange for everyone. But, as I said before, it's best to stay out of everything..."
"That's hard. Especially since I notice it's getting to you, and you're not like you used to be." Issei stated, getting Rossweisse to look askance at him.
"I'm not the same as before? Personally, I feel like I haven't changed at all." She tried to refute his words.
"Huh?" Issei looked at her for a short second. "That's a lie." He replied, then reaching inside his hoodie for something.
"I don't understand..." Was all the Valkyrie said, watching intently as Issei pulled out his cell phone.
"See?" He showed her his cell phone, and that made Rossweisse even more confused.
"That was the picture the four of us took together when we went to the fair." Replied the Valkyrie, remembering the day she went out partying together with Penemue, Tiamat and Issei.
"I don't understand what I'm supposed to see there." She concluded, unable to notice anything special about the picture.
"You were always smiling before."
They were simple enough words...
But they were so precise that they made the woman's eyes widen.
"Now you don't anymore. I want you to be so happy again so you're smiling all the time."
"I just want to see that smile again."
"I just want to see you happy."
Rossweisse couldn't help but bring a hand to her chest after Issei's words, who was wearing a small smile.
Finally, the Valkyrie let out a small sigh that she didn't know she was holding back.
"You..." Ross said softly, confusing Issei a little.
"What?" The young man put his cell phone aside as he saw that the woman didn't seem to be feeling very well.
Just as he was about to place a hand on her shoulder, Rossweisse's eyes flashed dangerously and she grabbed his hand very tightly. The next thing Issei felt was his body giving a strange twist, and finally...
Finally, he saw only water.
The pool became quite agitated, and soon after emerged a grim-faced Issei as he spat out a large stream of water.
Though that bad mood instantly disappeared after seeing Rossweisse.
Maybe it wasn't her usual smiles that made her look so alive, but at least she looked happy enough.
"Stop worrying about me, and better concentrate on yourself." She laughed as she saw Issei's face. "Now, get practicing so I don't fail you, young man." Rossweisse emitted a bossy tone that to Issei's ears seemed quite funny, so he couldn't help but laugh along with her.
"All right, all right! You win!" Issei chuckled at her.
Rossweisse averted her gaze to Issei's cell phone, which was still on.
There was still the picture of the four of them together.
Her smile turned into a bitter one, though Issei didn't notice it, as he was more focused on taking off his sweatshirt.
After practicing for a while to convince the demanding Valkyrie, they both said their goodbyes and were on good terms once again.
"I'm 5 minutes late, I hope the old man is still there..." Issei said to himself as he walked out of the locker room, remembering that the man was not known for his patience.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've already left." The voice caused the young man to raise his gaze, seeing that the old man he was talking about was right in front of him.
"Since it took you so long to come, I asked Penemue and she said you were here." Issei just smiled at the subject's presence.
"Thanks for making time in your schedule for me to talk, old man." Issei shook hands with Odin, drawing a half smile from the old man.
"No problem. It's good to get away from all that work once in a while." The King of Asgard replied with a bow of his shoulders.
"Is it because of the Ceremony?" The God couldn't help but squint his eyes strangely at what he heard.
"Too accurate, indeed." The old man commented with a smile. "Would you like to explain?"
"Of course, but first let's go somewhere more comfortable." Issei replied, receiving a nod from Odin.
Finally, they both arrived at a nearby park and sat down on a bench.
"I see, I'm sorry my son has caused so much trouble." Stated the old man who had his eyes downcast. "As you know, age has beaten me down a bit and I don't have enough authority to tell the brat to control himself. It's not all his fault either, ever since his mother's death..."
"I can understand that, but I didn't come here to talk about your son." Issei stated, causing Odin to rub his long beard.
"I figured as much. You want to talk about the Ceremony." He hadn't even posed it as a question, it was a statement.
"I just want to know what's going on between that and Rossweisse, as I've seen her acting very strangely lately. She seems to be very distressed about something." Issei clarified, causing Odin to stop rubbing his beard as he brought his gaze to the sky.
The old man thought about it for a couple of seconds, until he finally decided to speak.
"In order for you to understand, I need to tell you everything from the beginning. And, above all, I don't want any interruptions." This last he said with a sharp look, implying that he wasn't joking.
Issei nodded quickly, as he wanted to get answers right away. In fact, he felt that all this mysticism was getting to him more and more, and perhaps it was due to the fact that the Ceremony was only a day away.
"This you already know, but I want to remind you." Odin began as he cleared his throat.
"When the Valkyries complete their training at 18 physical years, they are ready to seek husbands. They are usually highly sought after, so they are not slow to find a husband. For that reason, in Asgard tradition it has been established as a shame that a Valkyrie does not have a partner when she reaches her 25th physical year as she is considered a specimen containing no value." Odin paused for a moment to look at Issei.
"So far are you getting my understanding?" The young man nodded, giving him permission to continue.
"When the Valkyrie reaches her twenty-fifth physical year, a Ceremony is performed." Issei's eyes grew quite wide at such a revelation. "I don't think I need to over-explain, so I'll continue." He commented, earning a nod from Issei.
"The thing is, the Asgardian Tradition created this event whose main function is to maintain the lineage of the Valkyries, where it's done as a sort of auction for the Valkyrie in said Ceremony." Issei's fists clenched after hearing that. "Let's say that the gamblers are all those who want the Valkyrie, and instead of gambling money, one-on-one battles are played, until only one winner is left."
Odin could not continue with his explanation, as Issei grabbed him tightly by his garment, denoting absolute rage.
Even so, the God did not even flinch at that look.
"I said don't interrupt me." The God's words sounded so clear that they would make any individual tremble.
Issei looked at him for a short second, but finally agreed to continue listening.
"As I was saying..." Odin adjusted his tie to continue.
"The case of the Rossweisse Ceremony is a bit special. That happens because she wasn't actually despised by men, but was, in fact, quite coveted." That explanation made Issei lower his gaze.
"It already seemed very strange to me that no man was interested in her..." He thought aloud.
"Being so coveted for being the Future Queen Valkyrie, my son set his eyes on her." Issei raised his gaze after hearing that last part. "Upon learning that Thor only wanted her for her position and body, she refused to marry him. That earned my son's fury, so he made sure that no suitor approached her through death threats. That situation ended up isolating Rossweisse completely, and for that reason she came to the Ceremony in a forced manner." Odin raised his gaze, watching as a small solitary bird traveled among the trees.
"That's why this case is special. She was not left without a mate because she was little coveted, but rather that factor was what condemned her entirely to a life of solitude. Now she has no choice but to attend the Ceremony and accept Thor's proposal, for he will be the only pretender at her hand." Even Odin himself frowned at his own words.
"She never had the chance to choose to be the Valkyrie Queen..." Issei clenched his fists in utter helplessness as the whole truth was revealed. "Aren't you going to do anything to help her? She's practically a daughter to you!" He rant at last, earning an indifferent look from the old man.
"Tradition can't be flouted, so there's nothing that can be done, even I can't intervene." Odin watched without much interest as Issei's hands began to bleed from how hard he was squeezing.
"So, you're telling me there's no way...?"
"Of course there is." Issei looked up instantly after hearing the god.
A tiny smile covered in slyness decorated Odin as he rose from his seat.
"You know, you could be a 'gambler' too."
END OF CHAPTER!
As you can see, the whole truth has been revealed. Even though you already knew this was happening, I think it was necessary to explain the whole process behind it so that it was perfectly understood.
I hope you liked the chapter!
With nothing more to add, see you soon for the next update.
Thank you very much for reading!