Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!
Per someone's request, I plan on setting up a Discord server to keep everyone up to date on the OCs. It would be a lot more convenient than simply posting it at the beginning of the chapter every once in a while. I hope to have it ready before I finish the chapter after this one.
After hearing of the news from his brother, Luke went back to his place with Rias, Akeno, Fumiko, Pyra, Xenovia, Setsuna, Hana, and Emery, while Kayoko had left to return to her village. When they arrived, Luke's jaw dropped at the sight before him. What was once a one-story house had become a seven-story house and took up twice as much plot area.
"President…" Luke creaked his head toward Rias. "Was I in a coma for a few days? Because I don't think renovations to that extent can happen so quickly."
"No, it only took a night." Rias answered as if it was natural.
I bet it's as flimsy as a stack of toothpicks. Luke thought.
They walked toward the entrance and Luke was filled with anxiety as Rias rang the doorbell, expecting the entire house to collapse with that one action. The door was opened from the inside and Annabelle greeted them.
"Welcome back, Lady Rias." Annabelle lightly bowed and then she saw Luke. "My Little Luke!"
Annabelle practically leapt to Luke and started to cuddle him.
"It might not have been that long, but I've missed you dearly." Annabelle rubbed her cheek against his head.
Rias leered at Annabelle with an envious pout.
"A-Anna, are you sure it's safe in there?" Luke inquired.
"Of course, it's safe, my Little Luke. Master Seth, Alastair, and our new residents are all inside."
"'New residents'?" Hana looked at Annabelle with a puzzled expression.
"Master Seth told me that he will introduce them to you. Please, come inside."
Annabelle guided everyone inside and Luke noticed that the small foyer had become an entrance hall. It was nowhere near as extravagant as the Morag mansion they had just spent the night in, but it definitely wasn't normal for an everyday house.
"It's like the grand castles I've read about in storybooks!" Hana marveled at the new halls.
"You should see an actual castle." Rias retorted.
"The renovations really did happen overnight…" Luke murmured in disbelief, but then something crossed his mind. "Ah! What happened to my collections?!"
"Oh, you must be referring to your games and manga." Rias surmised. "They should still be in your room."
"Then we're going to my room right now!" Luke declared as he started to take the lead. "I won't be able to ease my mind until I'm one hundred percent sure my treasures are safe!"
"I guess you really are a dragon." Emery chuckled.
Luke took one step forward before freezing in place for several seconds.
"… I have no idea where my room is now." Luke turned back to everyone.
Rias sighed as she held her hand to her forehead while Pyra and Akeno giggled.
"Once we arrived here, we discovered blueprints detailing the layout of the new house and Master Seth asked us to split up to get a better idea of where everything is." Annabelle stated. "I found your room and all of your games and manga are intact, my Little Luke. Not a hair out of place."
"Phew, thanks, Anna." Luke let out a very big sigh of relief. "I almost had a heart attack…"
Annabelle led everyone to the dining room, which was now separate from the living room, and went to a table so wide that it could seat around thirty people. She pulled out a blue parchment from one of her pockets and spread it out across a part of the table, showing it to be the blueprints she was referring to just a few seconds ago.
"On the first floor, there are the guest rooms, the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room." Annabelle pointed her finger at various images on the blueprints. "The second floor has the rooms for Master Seth, Master Luke, Lady Rias, Miss Hana, and Miss Fumiko. Master Luke, your room is between Lady Rias's and Miss Fumiko's rooms and they're designed to be connected, meaning that either lady can enter your room straight from their own. Master Seth's and Miss Hana's rooms are also similarly connected."
"I-I can enter Seth-san's room at any time?!" Hana stammered with her face flushed. "And he can enter mine?!"
"The third floor is for the remaining servants in the Gremory peerage that will be moving in here." Annabelle continued. "That includes Miss Pyra and Miss Koneko Toujo."
"Koneko's staying with us, too?" Luke asked in surprise. "Does that mean Yuuto and Gasper are coming, too?"
"No, they will be staying in an apartment close by." Rias clarified. "And Pyra's room is right above yours and includes a hatch and ladder for travel between your rooms in case of emergencies."
Even Pyra's room is connected to mine?! Luke thought with a blush on his face.
"Anyway, the fourth floor is for Master Seth's servants. Both the third and fourth floors also have a few additional rooms that are currently vacant in case of new servants or retainers. The fifth and sixth floors also only have vacant rooms, but for now they will be used as extra guest rooms. The seventh floor has a room for storage as well as a game room. The roof has an open air garden we can use as we see fit."
"Ooh!" Hana's eyes started glistening with joy. "I can finally start that flowerbed I've always wanted!"
"We've made sure that the building is sturdy enough to withstand an assault." Rias added.
Xenovia then noticed something on the blueprints. "What about those other floors? Are those underground?"
Luke looked at the spots on the map that Annabelle hadn't pointed to yet and counted them.
"There're three lower floors, too?!" Luke exclaimed again.
"The first underground floor has a spacious training room, a home theater, and a large indoor bath." Annabelle stated. "The second underground floor has two indoor pools, one for exercise and another for recreation. Both can use warm water. And the third underground floor is the library and storehouse. All of it can be accessed through an elevator."
They really went all out with the renovations!
Fumiko pointed to another spot on the blueprints for the third floor. "What's that space for?"
"Oh, I should check and see…" Rias pulled out her phone and started texting to someone. "While we wait, shall we take a tour?"
Annabelle guided everyone through the second, third, and fourth floors to show them their respective rooms. When in his own room, Luke checked the doors on each side and a hatch on the ceiling, and he saw that it really was directly connected to the rooms belonging to Rias, Pyra, and Fumiko. While his shelves of collectibles were still in place, there was a significant upgrade to the rest of the room. His old and regular-sized flat screen television was replaced by a much larger one and complete with shelves to house his game consoles and a Blu-ray player which he knew he didn't have before. There were also a few couches and chairs in front of the television, enough for a small party. However, what had received the most significant change was his bed as his original full-mattress bed was now so large that it could easily fit twelve people and not feel the least bit crowded, with six pillows and deep blue satin sheets. It was even complete with a dark blue canopy and sky blue curtains.
This reminds me of the beds used by princes when they… As Luke's train of thought continued, his face immediately turned red. If Seth already saw this, no doubt he's thinking I'm going to be getting intimate with President and Fumiko a lot…
"Wow, Luke!" Fumiko looked at the bed in awe. "This is even bigger than the bed we slept in at Melody-san's!"
After finishing their tour of the second and third floors, they had reached the fourth where they ran into Annabelle's twin brother.
"Welcome back, Master Luke, Lady Rias." Alastair courteously bowed to them. "I trust you found your new accommodations to your liking?"
"Way beyond that." Luke responded. "It's like a luxurious version of our old place."
"Excellent." Alastair said. "Though, I must warn you that we have some new arrivals currently in their rooms and… you might get a bit apprehensive when you see them."
That sounds ominous…
"Miss Emery, Miss Setsuna, I will show you to your new rooms." Alastair turned around and walked off with Emery and Setsuna following him.
"Welcome back, Harem Prince."
Luke became embarrassed as everyone saw Seth appear from behind a corner and come up to the group.
"Please don't call me that!"
"Have you seen your new bed?" Seth lightly chuckled. "All of the walls in this place are soundproof now, too. So, you and your lovers can get as freaky and loud as you want and we won't hear you."
Luke just leered at his brother with his face completely red.
"Anyway, I have an important announcement to make." Seth shifted his focus from Luke to everyone. "I've separated from the House of Morag and started my own Devil clan! As of today, I am both the head and heir of the newly formed House of Sigmund!"
"Whaaaaaaaaaat?!"
Everyone but Annabelle had varying reactions of shock at the announcement.
"That's why we had to leave for the Underworld for a couple of days." Seth stated. "And also acquiring a couple of new servants."
"Are those the new residents Annabelle-san and Alastair-san were referring to?" Hana inquired.
"Yep." Seth nodded. "They should be unpacking in their new rooms as we speak. I'll introduce you now."
"You only have one Knight and eight Pawn pieces left, right?" Luke asked. "How many did you use?"
"All of them. I have my second Knight and my Pawn used up all eight pieces."
Seth's new Pawn used up all eight pieces like me and Issei?! They must be ridiculously strong!
Seth guided everyone around the corner he came from and knocked on one of the doors.
"When she comes out, please don't freak out." Seth told everyone.
"Why would we freak out?" Pyra questioned.
"Ehhh, you'll see." Seth hesitated to answer.
The doorknob twisted as it was being opened from the inside.
"Did you need something?"
A young woman had opened the door that Luke, Rias, Akeno, Pyra, and Fumiko didn't recognize, however Xenovia immediately knew who she was and summoned Durandal.
"Everyone, get back!" Xenovia took up a battle stance.
"Xenovia, you know her?" Rias asked.
"She's one of Kaidon's Knights that attacked us while you were searching for the Aegis!"
As Xenovia said, the woman at the door was Kaidon's former Knight, Primoir Talraxen. Luke, Rias, and Akeno tensed up after Xenovia informed them of Primoir's identity, but they heard another door nearby open up as someone walked into the hallway.
"Hey, Primoir, these rooms are a hell of a lot better than anything we had under Kaidon!"
The person who came out into the hallway was Kaidon's former Pawn, Grencin Korin, who became surprised when she saw Rias.
"Wha-Um, Lady Rias Gremory?!" Grencin panicked, dropped to her knees, and started bowing profusely. "Please forgive me for my rudeness!"
Seth let out an exasperated sigh. "I told you all not to freak out. After Kaidon lost the right to his Evil Pieces, Primoir and Grencin needed to find work. Since nobody else was willing to, I decided to make them my servants."
"Seth, they nearly killed Luke because of Kaidon's spite!" Rias argued. "How could you turn them into your servants and let them live under the same roof as your brother?!"
"Hey! I wasn't even there!" Grencin protested. "And even if I was, there's no way in hell I'd go along with such a dishonorable scheme!"
"Grencin and I were never truly loyal to Kaidon." Primoir stated. "We only became his servants so we could reclaim our families' former glory. But when we saw how arrogant he was, we realized that it was a mistake. I might not have been in on Kaidon's plan when he tried to steal the Aegis, but I'm sorry for being a part of it. I hope there are no hard feelings between us."
"… President?" Luke spoke up. "If Seth trusts them, we don't have anything to worry about."
Rias looked at Luke for a few seconds and relented. "All right."
With Rias's agreement, Xenovia put her Durandal back into a pocket dimension and everyone relaxed their battle stances. As soon as everyone settled down, a sound came from Rias's pocket and she took out her phone.
"… I think it's time we go head to the basement." Rias declared.
Everyone took an elevator to the third underground floor and went inside a room with a magic circle within it. After Rias sent another text message, the magic circle began glowing. Once the light had faded, a group of familiar faces appeared in the room.
"Where are w-" Issei looked around and his gaze stopped as soon as he saw Rias's and Seth's groups. "Huh?! What are you guys doing here?"
"President, is this what you were texting about?" Luke turned to Rias.
Rias nodded. "My brother and Sterling discussed having a teleportation magic circle both here and at the newly renovated Hyoudou residence so we can travel between them in case of emergencies. Although, we are free to use them whenever we want."
"I had everyone in my peerage move to Issei's place." Melody walked up to Rias and her peerage.
"Issei lives with his parents, doesn't he?" Luke questioned. "I'm assuming their house got a similar treatment as ours. Are they okay with all of those changes and so many people moving in?"
"No, they seemed pretty excited, but they don't know about the supernatural world, so we need to be careful if we're going to move between our homes." Melody added.
As soon as Fumiko saw Akira, she went up to her.
"This is great, Akira!" Fumiko became excited. "Now we can see each other all the time!"
"Yeah, same here." Akira had a small, but genuine smile on her face at seeing her younger sister so happy.
"It's been a while, Issei Hyoudou!" Grencin approached Issei/
"It's you!" Issei shouted while pointing at Grencin. "You're Kaidon's Pawn!"
"Not anymore, she's not." Seth interjected. "After their old King got arrested, Grencin and Primoir joined my peerage."
After hearing that name, Spiral froze up as he saw Primoir standing nearby and he could feel his heart feel like a lead weight inside his chest. When she saw him, Primoir walked up to Spiral, with Azusa standing at his side.
"Listen here." Primoir talked to Spiral in a serious tone. "Just because we're going to be seeing each other more often doesn't mean I forgive you for what you've done."
"… I don't expect you to…" Spiral muttered.
"Hm?" Primoir turned her head and looked down at Azusa. "You're one of Melody's Rooks, right?"
Azusa nodded. "I'm Spiral's little sister, Azusa Hirano."
"Do you know that your big brother is a murderer?"
"… Spiral-niisama has done things that neither of us are proud of… But he's my family and I want him to walk a proper path in life. However, if you still plan on taking your revenge on him, I will not hesitate to exact mine."
The air suddenly became thick with tension as Azusa and Primoir focused their unflinching gazes on each other's eyes. However, Azusa felt a hand touch her shoulder and turned to see Spiral looking at her solemnly.
"Please, Azusa, I don't want you dragged into this."
Azusa looked into her brother's eyes and then turned back and looked at the ground in silence.
"Issei Hyoudou, I won't lose to you next time!" Grencin proudly proclaimed while pointing at Issei.
"Heya, Grencin." Issei nervously waved to her. "It's good to see you again."
"You look a lot stronger since last time." Grencin said. "I've done a lot of training so I can withstand your Dress Break technique!"
"Heh, there's no woman that can resist my ultimate technique!"
"Grencin-chan, I see you and Issei-kun are still getting along swimmingly." Misaki said as she approached them.
"Shirayuki, is Delmi doing okay?" Grencin inquired seriously.
"She's still holing herself up in her room." Misaki replied with sorrowful eyes. "We're allowing her to stay as long as she needs for her to recover."
"That sucks… Kaidon really broke her heart… If I ever see him again, I'm gonna give him a good clobbering!"
As everyone was chatting with each other, a shy Katherine and an indifferent Hikaru standing back, the latter of whom was just sitting on the floor with her laptop.
"Luke and I will be practically living together…" Katherine mumbled into her sleeve. "It's like we're already married…"
"Please, if you were really married, you'd be going at each other like rabbits." Hikaru commented.
"We would chase each other like bunnies?" Katherine looked at Hikaru and cutely tilted her head in confusion.
"No, I meant you two would be sleeping with each other."
"Mommies and daddies do sleep in the same bed together…"
"You're taking it literally, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
After sighing in exasperation, Hikaru used her right index finger and thumb to form a circular shape and pointed her left index finger into the hole made by her other hand, repeatedly moving it in and out. Katherine blankly stared at her for several seconds as she tried to think what Hikaru was trying to say to her.
"… Putting bananas through donuts?"
Hikaru looked like she was about to lose her cool, but she froze for a second and looked at Katherine with her eyes half closed.
"Yeah. Putting bananas through donuts." Hikaru gave up on trying to explain sex to Katherine any further.
Katherine then walked up to Luke while he was talking to Rias, Seth, and Melody.
"Hey, Luke, want to put bananas through donuts?" Katherine innocently asked.
Everyone just looked at Katherine with varying expressions of shock on their faces, Luke in particular had a blush that enveloped his entire face.
"My, my, I didn't expect you of all people to say that, Katherine-chan." Akeno smiled in amusement.
"Why's everybody looking at me like that?" Katherine asked in confusion.
"Um, Katherine?" Melody walked up to Katherine and whispered something into her ear, prompting the Dhampir to become embarrassed.
"Bah! Naughty words! Naughty words!" Katherine panicked.
After the Morag peerage went back to the Hyoudou residence and Koneko, Yuuto, and Gasper arrived at the Sigmund residence, Rias had an announcement to make to her servants in Luke's room.
"We're going to the Underworld?!" Luke was a bit surprised.
Rias nodded. "This is something we do every year around the start of summer break, so everybody should be prepared for an extended stay."
"This will be my first visit to the Underworld…" Luke muttered.
"Melody and Seth never-Oh, right, Seth probably didn't allow it while you were human." Rias was about to ask Luke a question before realizing the answer herself. "For you, Fumiko, and Xenovia, it will be your first time in the Underworld, won't it?"
"If I w-wasn't a Devil, the idea of going to the Underworld while I'm still sounds terrifying…" Fumiko slightly shivered.
"I've always been interested to see the Underworld… I dedicated myself to God so I could go to Heaven, but now…" Xenovia started rambling. "I'm a Devil and that plan is no longer possible. How ironic. To visit the same place I've condemned many others to. Hell… It's very fitting for a former believer turned Devil."
"We'll be staying with my family until August 20th." Rias stated. "We'll be doing a lot of training on this trip."
"I don't object to training, but I was expecting a bit of a vacation after everything we've went through these last couple of months." Luke was mainly referring to Kokabiel's attempt to start another Great War and the peace conference being interrupted by terrorists.
"We'll at least get to relax for one night." Rias said. "There might not be any beaches in the Underworld, but there is a large lake and a hot spring."
"The hot spring does sound nice…" Luke admitted.
"You better not be having perverted delusions in your head." Koneko retorted.
I wasn't until you said that.
At that moment, Luke felt there was something off about Koneko. Her remarks weren't as sharp as they usually were and she sighed while staring at the wall and floor.
"Will I be going to the Underworld, too?" Pyra raised her hand.
"Of course." Rias answered without hesitation. "You might not be my servant, but you're just as much a member of my peerage as Luke. And if I hear back from her before we leave, she might be joining us, too."
"Huh?" Everyone else but Koneko were perplexed at who Rias was talking about.
"In any case, if you want, Luke, we can go on a date in the Underworld if we have time." Rias said.
"D-d-da-d-d-date?!" Luke stammered with a flushed face.
"My, my, if you're going on dates with Luke-kun outside the bedroom, then I'll have to spend time with him inside the bedroom and do all sorts of naughty things we won't be able to tell Buchou about." Akeno suggestively traced her finger across Luke's chest as his face turned red and steamy.
"I forbid it!" Rias stood up and glared at Akeno.
"I refuse." Akeno did the same and leered at Rias.
Just like earlier that morning, Luke could feel sparks lighting between his seniors.
"I'll be going to the Underworld, too."
Before anyone could realize it, Karlel was already inside the room in her casual clothes.
"How-how did you get in here?" Rias blinked at Karlel.
"I rang the doorbell and Seth let me in." Karlel plainly replied.
"I didn't even sense your presence." Yuuto said.
"That's because you're still lacking in training and experience." Karlel retorted. "As your teacher, I'll be helping out with your training regimens over summer break."
"Where were you?" Rias demanded to know from Karlel. "I tried getting in touch with you after we were attacked last night and I never heard back!"
"Sorry, I was in the middle of an important meeting." Karlel nervously chuckled. They can't know what Morgana told me just yet. It'll only get in the way of their training. "Anyway, this is our current schedule. The first thing we have to do when we arrive in the Underworld is head straight to the Gremory home so Rias can introduce her new servants to her family. Then there's the meeting with the other young Devil heirs. The day after that, we'll start your training. Maybe I'll pay Mom a visit while you're at the Gremory estate."
"In that case, Karlel-or rather, Ms. Karlel, shall we make arrangements for you if you're coming with us?" Rias asked.
"Yeah, it might be good to experience the Devils' way of getting to the Underworld after two hundred years of taking the Fallen Angels' way."
At night on the streets of Skopje, a pair of middle aged women were discussing something
"You two have been dating for three years and he still hasn't proposed yet?" One of the women asked the other.
"Maybe I should pray for a proposal…"
"Oh, that reminds me, have you heard those rumors about a new god?"
"'New god'? I thought it was just a few crazy people."
"I don't know too much about the details, but anyone who has gone to see this god apparently come back as an incredibly loyal follower."
"That sounds more like a cult to me. It really gives me the creeps."
As the women passed a corner, there was a silver haired young man leaning against a building who had overheard the conversation.
"A new god?" Vali muttered to himself before smirking. "Sounds interesting. I wonder if I'll find a worthy opponent…"
"It's great to see you again, Luke-san!"
After answering the door, Luke was caught completely off guard as he saw Kayoko brightly greet him at his doorstep.
"Kayoko?!" Luke blushed at the mere sight of the kunoichi. "Didn't you go back home yesterday?"
"Oh, Kayoko!" Rias came up to them. "You decided to take up my offer?"
"Huh? What offer?" Luke asked.
"Before we parted ways, Rias-dono told me about the Evil Pieces used by Devils. I owe you a lot, so I would have taken up her offer to become her servant, but the Rook piece doesn't suit my ninjutsu skills and fighting style."
"However, I wasn't going to let a ninja slip away!" Rias proclaimed. "If I can't reincarnate Kayoko into my servant, then I'll go for the next best thing! So, I asked Kayoko if she would like to be my retainer!"
"Wa-Seriously?!" Luke became flabbergasted. "Kayoko, is your family okay with this?"
"My father and brother see it as an opportunity to explore new possibilities for techniques by witnessing other supernatural races, and maybe find a future husband along the way."
"It's not like Kayoko can't go back home." Rias said. "After all, I'm sure she would like to see her family every now and then."
President did say that someone might be joining us to the Underworld. In hindsight, she was likely talking about Kayoko.
"I can't wait to introduce you to my family, Kayoko!" Rias was giddy as she turned around and called out to the help. "Alastair, can you show our new resident to her room?"
When Rias went off in search of Alastair, Luke noticed that Kayoko was happily giggling.
"Rias-dono seems to be really excited to have me as her retainer."
"President just really wants to have her own personal samurai or ninja." Luke almost laughed out. "She's obsessed with Japanese culture."
"I can tell she's going to be a wonderful master to serve."
"Yeah… President is great…" Luke looked away, blushed, and rubbed the back of his head.
The next day, the Gremory peerage plus Karlel went to the local train station. Melody and her peerage had already left for the Underworld some time ago and Seth would be leaving with his servants a little later. After Rias beckoned Luke, Fumiko, and Xenovia into the elevator with her and Akeno, they took it to a secret lower level only accessible to Devils. When the elevator stopped, the five of them stepped outside and the newcomers were in awe as they saw that they were taken to a massive underground cavern built like a train platform, complete with train tracks. After waiting another couple of minutes, the others arrived at the special platform.
"Now that everyone's here, let's head over to platform three."
Rias took the lead as everyone else followed her, Akeno walking beside her. While Luke was in looking around the station as he walked, Akeno moved next to him and suddenly started holding hands with him. Being taken by surprise, Luke blushed and on instinct gently squeezed her hand back, which caused Akeno to blush brightly with a wholesome and joyous smile on her face.
Come on, Luke! What are you doing?! He mentally yelled at himself. You can't just go holding hands with any girl who wants to! You might be a Devil now, but…
Karlel watched Luke and Akeno holding hands and smiled in a way that was both confident and warm. After the group passed through a winding corridor, they came to a platform with a train that looked noticeably different from normal ones. This train had sharp angles and edges all over and demonic engravings were engraved over every part of its surface. Luke recognized a couple of symbols as the emblems of Rias's and Sirzechs's peerages.
"This train belongs to the House of Gremory." Rias proudly stated.
After everyone got onto the train, they heard an electric whistle signaling its departure as it took off. Rias went into the lead car while everyone else had to ride in the car behind her. Luke was sitting next to Fumiko and Pyra with Xenovia, Akeno, and Karlel across from him. In the booth across the aisle were Yuuto, Koneko, Gasper, and Kayoko. A few minutes after the train departed, Luke looked outside the window and saw nothing but infinite darkness.
I didn't feel us turn at all. Is it a straight shot to the Underworld or is it more complicated than that? "I'm surprised we didn't all just use a magic circle to get to the Underworld."
"Normally, that is the case." Akeno explained. "But if new peerage members like yourselves don't take an official port of entry the first time, it could count as an illegal entry and you'll be punished."
I'm afraid to ask what the Underworld's prison system is like…
As Luke's mind started to wander about what the Underworld might look like, Akeno suddenly dropped herself onto his lap, brought her face close to his with a 'come hither' look in her eyes, and took his left hand.
"There's nothing wrong with members of the same peerage getting to know each other through skinship." Akeno spoke in a seductive voice. "Like this…"
Akeno guided Luke's hand to her thighs, causing his face to become hot as perverted thoughts flowed through his head. She eventually started moving his hand up her skirt.
Ah! No! They are people here!
Luke suddenly felt his right arm getting tugged and saw Fumiko reaching out past Pyra and holding onto his arm.
"A-A-Akeno-san, please!" Fumiko pouted. "If you keep seducing Luke like that, he'll become a pervert!"
Pyra just let out a forced chuckle at the situation she found herself stuck in.
"Come on, Fumiko." Karlel said. "It's completely healthy for men and women to have sexual appetites. I bet you've thought of making love with your special someone, no?"
"Mmmm…" Fumiko's face practically became a tomato after hearing Karlel's words.
"Ahahahaha, I thought as much!" Karlel laughed before turning to Luke. "If you'd like, I could give you some private lessons."
Is she intentionally asking like that?! Huh… This is the point Koneko would interject with a savage snark…
Luke looked across the aisle and saw Koneko staring out the window. She wasn't even engaging in a conversation with her fellow junior Gasper.
I know Koneko has always been quiet, but she's even quieter than usual.
A/N: I think that's a good place to stop for now. This chapter may have been a little shorter than usual, but the next few chapters are likely going to be fairly bulky.
Luke and Seth's place got a major upgrade, especially with the large number of people living with them across two peerages. Don't worry, the Hyoudou Residence also got renovated to the same level as in canon with Melody's entire peerage staying there.
Speaking of peerages, Seth now has a full one as he has taken in Primoir and Grencin as his second Knight and Pawn, respectively. She actually plays a significant role in one of the subplots of this arc, which ties to what I set up with Spiral's backstory during the last arc. He also decided to start his own Devil Clan, which is something I don't think I've seen done before in canon. You can also guess that means a certain something for future chapters and I know one of my consultants is looking forward to it.
That scene with Vali is also there to set up something very important for the next arc. For now, I'm just going to say that it's related to the events of the previous arc.
And Kayoko has become Rias's retainer! Kayoko's fighting style would better fit the Knight piece, which she was originally going to be Seth's second Knight, but I decided to make her Rias's retainer instead since there's no way she wouldn't come up with alternatives if it meant getting her own personal ninja or samurai.
Next time the group will be arriving in the Underworld and Luke will get to meet Rias's mother, Venelana. I know some of you are looking forward to his reaction to her. Then the meeting with the Young Devils and maybe that subplot I mentioned a few paragraphs ago.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time!
Luke Harem: Rias Gremory, Karlel, Annabelle Wright, Akeno Himejima, Fumiko Kazuya, Melody Morag, Setsuna Kazama, Kayoko Kita, Xenovia Quarta, Emery Belmont
Issei Harem: Misaki Shirayuki, Asia Argento, Hikaru Ueda, Akira Kazuya, Kiyome Abe
Rias Gremory Peerage: Rias Gremory (King), Akeno Himejima (Queen), Yuuto Kiba (Knight), Xenovia Quarta (Knight), Koneko Toujo (Rook), Fumiko Kazuya (Bishop), Gasper Vladi (Bishop), Luke Sigmund (8 Pawns)
Seth Sigmund Peerage: Seth Sigmund (King), Annabelle Wright (Queen), Alastair Wright (Rook), Emery Belmont (Rook), Hana Sakuya (2 Bishops), Setsuna Kazama (Knight), Primoir Talraxen (Knight), Grencin Korin (8 Pawns)
Melody Morag Peerage: Melody Morag (King), Misaki Shirayuki (Queen), Katherine Petrova (Knight), Spiral Hirano (Knight), Azusa Hirano (Rook), Akira Kazuya (Rook), Hikaru Ueda (Bishop), Asia Argento (Bishop), Issei Hyoudou (8 Pawns)