Shin High School DxD Volume 2 Chapter 1

Life.1 The New Devil's (read: Ingvild's) Debut!

Part 1

When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling of my canopy bed. …A dream, huh. I had just seen the weirdest, yet greatest dream of my life; a wedding ceremony with all the girls. It was great up until that part, but as for what happened afterward, I was quite uncertain about how to describe it…

…The chosen Heavenly b.r.e.a.s.t.s… He said that there were twelve pairs or something, but the number of oppai shown there was clearly more than twelve… However, I wonder who the owners of the oppai that I didn't recognise are? Well, cross-checking them with girls ranging from humans to other beings would be like counting the stars though… There were just as many pairs of b.r.e.a.s.t.s as there were women after all — huh. Wait, wait, why am I thinking about such things!? It must be because of that dream that I woke up in the worst possible way! —And then, I inadvertently glanced at the clock in my room and noticed the time displayed there. It was four-thirty in the morning… It's already this time, huh.

"Ah, it's time. They must be waiting downstairs." I mumbled as I let out a yawn.

"Morning training?"

Suddenly, I heard a voice beside me. I turned my head, only to find a red-haired beauty sitting on the bed — Rias. Well, it seemed as though she had woken up as well. During the summer holiday last year, the Hyoudou Residence underwent a large-scale renovation (six-storeys above ground and three storeys below ground). Even my room became rather s.p.a.cious, and a large canopy bed was moved in. Every night, I'd always sleep with Rias and Asia on that bed (that being said, they'd rotate with the girls who were also homestaying to sleep together with me). On the other hand, Asia was—.

"…Su…su…"

It looked like she was still enjoying her dreams. I responded with 'Yeah' to Rias, nodding in affirmation. Yes, in the Rating Game World Tournament [Azazel Cup], we decided to do morning training whenever there was sufficient time on a particular day since we were the [Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth] team which had advanced into the main draw. Today was the day for our morning training. I got off the bed carefully so as not to wake Asia up, and quickly got dressed into my training clothes — a jersey. Rias commented from the bed.

"Fufufu, when I see you prepare for morning training, I'm always reminded of the you from a year ago."

"Actually, me too. You were really strict back then, Rias."

"But it helped, right?"

"Of course!"

Just like she said, when I had just become a Devil, I'd always wake up in the morning and prepare for morning training. And the training that Rias always made me do was pretty harsh… Azazel-sensei and Tannin-ossan made me undergo even harsher training though. I asked Rias.

"And you guys don't do morning training, right?"

'You guys' referred to the [Rias Gremory] team. Since I became a High-cla.s.s Devil, I also gained independence from Rias. That being said, I was still a part of the Gremory Peerage. However, Rias and I both had the role of a [King] now, and we partic.i.p.ated individually in the tournament. Although we're lovers, we're rivals in the tournament. There were a lot of times when we'd train separately as well. Especially after the bracket had been decided, we decided to do tournament-related things (strategy planning, training) separately. After all, my first opponent in the main draw was — Rias Gremory and the Gremory peerage, who were all my comrades. Well, we'd still usually sleep together on the same bed though.

"Yes, I told them to do their own training until the final training camp," replied Rias.

As I heard that, I said.

"We also decided to do a training camp before the match."

"I heard from Ravel. Fufufu, so you did remember."

""The Phoenix match.""

Rias and I said the same thing at the exact same time. It appeared as though we shared similar thoughts and feelings. We shared a laugh at the awkwardness of the situation. Indeed, what we recalled were the things that we did before and after fighting Riser Phoenix (the wager for Rias's engagement). After all, it was the same as the dream that I had this morning. —And so, I finished my preparations for training.

"Well, I'm off then."

"Ok, I'll see you at breakfast"

After exchanging a morning kiss with Rias, I left my room—. Yes, the Rating Game World Tournament match between us, between the [Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth] team and Rias's [Rias Gremory] team, was about to start soon.

Part 2

I ran around the morning town along with the members of [Sekiryuutei of the Blazing Truth]. That being said, not everyone was partic.i.p.ating. The ones doing the early morning marathon were me, Ravel and the new members, as well as those who didn't have confidence in their stamina like Nakiri Kouchin Ouryuu, Ingvild and Bova. There were many members who were doing training on their own in the dedicated large training s.p.a.ce. Asia, Irina, Xenovia, Rossweisse-san and Roygun-san often trained by themselves there. Bina Lessthan-s.h.i.+ on the other hand…she had her own circ.u.mstances and she wouldn't just lightly partic.i.p.ate in a morning marathon with us. However, we did invite her whenever there was an important strategy meeting or special training. I had also asked her to partic.i.p.ate in the upcoming final training camp.

Now, back to our marathon situation. Around a year and a half ago, Rias would accompany me running around the town while riding a bicycle. At that time, I didn't have any stamina and would always be out of breath while desperately trying to run. But right now, I had evolved to the point where I'd feel just fine running tens of kilometres. Well, last summer, I was chased around the mountain by Bova's dad who was a former Dragon King, Tannin-ossan. That did give me a boost in stamina. And after that, I'd also train and train with Kiba and my comrades—. …Oh, speaking of Kiba, it had been a while since the last time I trained with him. Well, it's natural as we're on different teams, but I'd like to have a mock battle with him again during the joint special training of the anti-terrorist team [DxD]. I had engaged in a countless number of mock battles with him, which resulted in increased stamina, as well as obtaining experience in fighting an enemy wielding special weapons. Now that my first opponents were Rias and the others, a battle against him was inevitable.

The members of Rias's team were Rias, who was the King, as well as Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Kiba and Gasper, who were all early members of the Gremory Peerage. It was part of Rias's determination towards the tournament. Using my independence from her as the turning point, she decided to challenge me with the members she had before meeting Asia and me. In other words, the old Occult Research Club members. —At the same time, it was also a challenge for Rias herself as she had to rebuild her team to figure out on how to increase her team's fighting power without Asia, Xenovia, Rossweisse-san and me, who were the offensive and healing members of the team. She also said that it'd be a chance for the old members to re-a.n.a.lyse their abilities. And if that was true, then Kiba must be doing it as well. …He was…among the members of the team, no, among the members of the anti-terrorist team [DxD], the one with the most techniques. He's my worst opponent, the type that was fast and would always find the enemy's weakness and precisely attack them…

However, in the mock battles and matches, he was also the type that I had gone against numerous times. I was also aware of how to attack him. —However, Kiba surely also understood my thoughts, and that was why I had to think two steps ahead in order to defeat him. Moreover, Rias's team didn't only consist of the old Gremory household. Valerie, a Longinus user who was also Gasper's childhood friend, as well as Lint-san were present as well. Above all, there was also His Eminence Vasco Strada, who was the strongest human, and Crom Cruach, the strongest Evil Dragon. Dealing with His Eminence Strada and Crom Cruach, who were feared even by G.o.ds, was my biggest concern—. While continuing the marathon and thinking about those things, Ravel spoke.

"Ise-sama."

Ravel stopped me. As I turned around, Ravel also turned her head and looked backwards. Over there, there was someone who was running towards us, but was still pretty far away. It was a beauty wearing a hood — Elmenhilde. For a pure-blooded Vampire like her, a morning marathon was surely difficult. After waiting for a while, Elmenhilde finally caught up to us, but…she looked like she was suffering and her breathing was laboured.

"…Ha… Ha…"

I had to boost her stamina since she became a member of my team for the sake of the match as she rarely ran during her life. That being said, as expected froma pure princess, it looked like training was very difficult for her. She could somehow manage muscle-training, but as running was something she was not very good at, she always had a tough time every time she partic.i.p.ated.

"Elmenhilde, are you all right?"

I asked, but…she just continued to move her legs and run without stopping.

"…T-This much… I'll show you…that I am used to it!"

Having a persistent personality, she was the type that hated losing. Elmenhilde would finish everything even if it's a marathon, something she's not very good at. It was much better compared to the first time she practiced. When she was starting out, she couldn't run the planned distance as she stopped midway and we had to look after her. Nowadays, she could manage to run the planned distance even though it was still hard for her. Her stamina had certainly increased. Well, the match in the Rating Game might become a long one, so having sufficient stamina was a must. I mean, I was forced to thoroughly increase my stamina as well in the beginning. Even if you were the type that engaged in a one-on-one fight, or even if you could deal a lot of damage, there's no meaning if you didn't have the stamina. If you couldn't maintain your stamina while fighting, you wouldn't be able to survive against strong enemies. And when you needed to flee from an enemy in case of trouble, you wouldn't be able to do anything without sufficient stamina. While Elmenhilde was breathing heavily and continued to run, the violet-haired girl — Ingvild was unexpectedly fine with the marathon.

"How're you doing, Ingvild?"

While matching my pace with hers, I asked the new comrade of the Hyoudou peerage — the Queen, Ingvild. She directed her orange eyes at me and said.

"…When I was back in my hometown, I used to run along the beach… However, it's pretty hard as it has been a while now."

Ah, so you used to run back in your hometown. Although I couldn't imagine it, she might have been an unexpectedly active girl back then. She said that she wouldn't force herself and that she would run at her own pace as she rarely moved her body due to the [Sleeping Disease] that Devils got. However, it looked like she had considerable stamina. Ingvild then asked.

"Are these things crucial for Devils too?"

"Yeah. Unexpected things do happen in the supernatural world after all. On top of that, now that you've become a part of my peerage, everyday training becomes important as well. A year and a half ago, I also had to strictly train while being accompanied by Rias when I just became a Devil."

I will become a Harem King —that's what I said as I remembered that it had been a while since I ran such a long distance.

"She would say 'I'm not going to allow my servants to be weak'."

As I said that, Ravel, who was running beside me, asked.

"Were those Rias-sama's words?"

"Yeah, she often said that when training me. Wait, she still says that even now."

Ravel laughed as I said that.

"That's so like Rias-sama."

The Rias at that time definitely got her servants to "train", which was something rare in the High-cla.s.s Devil caliber. I also went through that process. And the results of the training certainly bore fruit as we became this strong. I think I was really lucky to have a flexible-minded master. Wait, Rias's childhood friend, Sona Sitri-senpai, and her cousin Sairaorg-san also had their own servants train. It felt like training had become common for the High-cla.s.s Devils in Rias's time. As I thought about that stuff, my junior who was running just behind me (currently a second-year student of Kuoh Academy and a member of the Student Council), Nakiri Kouchin Ouryuu, said.

"What about you, Hyoudou-senpai? About your servants and team members being weak."

"Of course, I will make them strong!"

Nakiri replied with 'Well, that's pressure' in response to my words as he increased his pace and ran. That guy had crazy stamina even among the other members, so even a marathon of this level wasn't enough to strain his breathing. He must have trained since he was old enough, being born into the Nakiri family, the head of the group of gifted people that had been protecting j.a.pan since long ago. —Suddenly, the small Dragon who was flying over us — Bova became motivated upon seeing Nakiri run.

"Geez, that guy. He thinks it's only him who can pick up the pace…!"

Bova always had a sense of rivalry towards Nakiri ever since he became a member of my team. Nakiri said that he'd be the [Fist of Red Dragon Emperor], while Bova would be the [Fang of the Red Dragon Emperor]. Bova trained by flying through the sky while having additional super-heavy vest weights attached to his body. Bova's original size was far bigger, but having him in that form would be problematic as it'd gather attention in the human world. That was why he could only train with us in this form.

"I won't lose!"

As he said that, Bova also picked up his pace and rushed to Nakiri's side.

"Just make sure no one finds you."

Bova responded by saying 'Understood!'. Although he was in his miniature form, anyone would be surprised seeing a Dragon wearing weight vests flying through the sky. Having said that, that was unlikely to happen as it was early in the morning and the course that I had chosen rarely had any people on it. Ravel continued.

"Devils, Vampires and Dragons running a marathon in the morning… Once again, Kuoh Town is certainly a unique place."

"Indeed it is."

I smiled wryly in response to Ravel's remark.

After the marathon ended, everyone performed dashes in the park's open s.p.a.ce. After that, we performed muscle training. I sat on Nakiri's back as he did push-ups.

"…Five hundred and five… Five hundred and six…"

Nakiri was doing his push-ups (rather, it was better to call them finger push-ups) surely and steadily. A year and a half ago, in this park, Rias also sat on my back as I did push-ups. It really brought back memories as I couldn't even finish a hundred push-ups then. I couldn't help but admire my junior's stamina compared to me at that time since he could easily do more than five hundred while having me sitting on him. By the way, it was Nakiri who asked me to sit on him. Since I also felt nostalgic about that time when Rias sat on my back while doing push-ups, I agreed to his request. I asked Nakiri.

"Nakiri, have you been doing this since you were small?"

"…Yeah, it was a family tradition where I had to stay in the mountains and train in the Shugendo¹ way. Thanks to that, I've built up considerable endurance… Five hundred and seventeen…"

So answered Nakiri as he continued to do push-ups. Doing Shugendo since he was small… He must've run through steep mountains. It's only natural that his body was well-trained. Nakiri continued.

"…But, it's not because I was chosen as the next head of the Nakiri clan that I trained… Five hundred and eighteen…"

"…Nakiri, the position was pa.s.sed down to you by your predecessor, right?"

I knew that my junior Nakiri had gained the name [Ouryuu] in recent years. The Nakiri Clan was one of the Five Princ.i.p.al Clans which reigned over the j.a.panese groups of people with supernatural abilities. They were Nakiri, Himejima, Kus.h.i.+has.h.i.+, s.h.i.+nra and Doumon. Nakiri was the leader even among the five of them. Some of my comrades were also a part of them. Akeno-san was from the Himejima clan, while the [Slash Dog] Team's Ikuse Tobio-san was also connected to the Himejima clan (he's the second cousin of Akeno-san). s.h.i.+nra Tsubaki-senpai from the Sitri peerage was from the s.h.i.+nra clan, and it's quite surprising that she's somehow connected to us.

The Five Princ.i.p.al Clans had their own Sacred Beasts, having control over the supernatural beings called the [Four G.o.ds and a Yellow Dragon]. Nakiri's was [Ouryuu], Himejima's was [Suzaku], Kus.h.i.+has.h.i.+'s was [Seiryuu], s.h.i.+nra's was [Byakko], and Doumon's was [Genbu]. —The contract with the Sacred Beast as well as the (next) head seat was given to the person who had the best abilities among the clan members. There was a custom where the predecessor would always give the name of the Sacred Beast to the people who would inherit the Sacred Beast, and sometimes even when they were born. My junior Nakiri also had the Ouryuu name like his predecessor, meaning that he'd inherit the Sacred Beast. Nakiri Kouchin Ouryuu answered with a somewhat troubled voice.

"…Five hundred and nineteen… Nakiri Nakagami Ouryuu…he was an amazing person… If it comes to talent, he is much better than me… Five hundred and twenty…"

The previous Nakiri Ouryuu was blessed with so much talent that he was even said to be the strongest in history… But due to an incident that occurred in the past—. Nakiri changed the subject and asked me.

"…By the way, I…can I be like you, Hyoudou-senpai? …I also want the power to be able to protect at least a single girl from any difficulties and strong enemies… Five hundred and twenty one…"

"Of course, I'll guarantee that. Compared to me when I was starting out, you are much better. I mean, it was so hard for me to even do a hundred push-ups like this."

It's my honest opinion. I thought that the current Nakiri was already strong enough. I felt that he was in the top cla.s.s among the humans of his age…

"…Still, I think that this is not enough. …I want to have power like you, Hyoudou-senpai… Being able to defeat anything, be it the son of a Maou, an Evil G.o.d, or even a Legendary Evil Dragon… Five hundred and twenty two…"

Nakiri was underestimating himself. It seemed like Nakiri thought that he still wasn't strong enough because the people in his surroundings were all strong people who could reach Maous and G.o.ds… He didn't complain about anything and just continued to train. The power to at least protect a single girl… I was moved by Nakiri's honesty. Now that there was another male Junior who relied on me other than Gasper, I decided to try to support him as much as I could! And as I thought about that, Ravel and Elmenhilde's group was exhausted due to muscle training. Well, it was Elmenhilde who was more exhausted though…

"…Ha… Ha…"

Seeing Elmenhilde breathing hard, Ravel spoke to her out of worry.

"Let's rest for a while."

"…A-Another five minutes…"

Really, Elmenhilde hates to lose. It was in that moment. I could hear a voice from the entrance of the park.

"Ise-san, everyone! I'm sorry I'm late! Wah!"

As I turned around — Asia fell over. That was also something that had happened a year and a half ago.

As Asia-chan caught up to us while bringing a thermos, we ended our morning training and rested. Asia poured tea from the thermos flasks that she brought (three of them). Whilst drinking the tea, I received a report from Ravel.

"By the way, regarding the training camp."

"Oh, that's right. How's it going?"

Ravel removed several folded sheets of paper from her jersey pocket and handed them to me. As I opened them, I could see images and a map printed on the doc.u.ments. It was information regarding the training camp that we planned to go to before the match. The mountains that would be our training camp and the environment surrounding them, as well as the map. Another doc.u.ment revealed the blueprint of the to-be-completed mansion we would be staying at. Ravel said as she looked at the doc.u.ments.

"Yes, I have purchased an unpopular mountain forest under the name of Hyoudou Issei…or should I say, Gremory. I am currently having them build the mansion as fast as possible."

Asia also peeked at the doc.u.ments, but was surprised by Ravel's words.

"We'll be training at this mountain, right? Wait, you can buy the whole mountain!?"

Yes, I had discussed this with Ravel and Rias, and in order to build a mansion there for the training camp, we'd have to buy the whole mountain and its surroundings. Our funds came from the copyright royalties that we received from Oppai Dragon-related works. At the time, I agreed to Rias and Ravel's opinion on buying the mountain, but as expected even I was surprised… But for the princesses of n.o.ble families, buying a mountain for an important training camp probably wasn't such an important thing. Being a commoner though, I certainly felt a great value difference when it came to using large sums of money. I replied to Asia.

"I was thinking that it'd be nice if we could do the training camp in the mountains like the one we had when we were still a part of the Gremory Peerage, and now, this is how it turned out."

Yep, I was somehow reminded of the training camp at the Villa of the Gremory household that we went to before the match against Riser Phoenix when I talked with Ravel about the training camp. When I said that it might be a good idea to train in the wild, this was how it turned out. Ravel went 'Ahem!' while puffing her chest and said.

"I did ourselves a favour and bought a mountain. As a member of the Hyoudou Issei Peerage, this is an investment as we'll be using it more often."

In response to this, Nakiri and Bova also responded with 'A mountain, huh. That's nice.' and 'Umu. Mountains are great.' as they imagined the location. …Upon hearing Bova say those words, I remembered the event where I was chased by Bova's dad, Tannin, in the mountains. As that was a traumatising event, choosing the mountains as our training camp location gave me a weird feeling. But, as expected, a training camp in the mountains definitely felt right for training. But I wonder if reading too much shounen manga also had an effect on this?

And so, I bought a mountain forest in a certain prefecture. Currently, the mansion that would be our training camp ground was being built through a person a.s.sociated with the House of Gremory in the human world. As the explanation regarding the training camp ground ended, Ravel remembered something and made a gesture by clapping her hands together.

"—Also, we have one more important matter before the training camp."

Knowing what she was about to say, I nodded.

"That's right. Ingvild."

I called out to the girl with violet hair.

"What is it, Ise?"

While she tilted her head in a cute way, I said to her,

"The day for your job debut has also been decided."

Yeah, Ingvild was about to have her [Devil's Job] debut—.

Part 3

And that night—.

All members of the Hyoudou Issei Peerage gathered like usual in our office, which was our headquarters. There was a magic circle for transportation on the floor, with the girls and I gathering around it. Today was the day that our new member, Ingvild, would debut! It hadn't been long since she was reborn as one of my servants, but the debut for her first Devil's Job must be done as she's now a genuine Devil. I also started doing jobs not long after I became one… Well, in my case it's, you know, because I wanted to fulfill my ambition to become a Harem King, I was told to ride a bicycle and do jobs. And with that, in order to help my Queen's debut, Ravel crouched down before the magic circle and continued the preparations. Looking at that, Xenovia became nostalgic.

"That brings back the memories of my debut. Although it was unthinkable for a warrior of the Church to do a Devil's job, I managed to finish the job."

Asia also said.

"I was also nervous about my debut."

Rossweisse-san continued.

"I think I handled it surprisingly well. I guess it must be because of Rias-san's great explanation."

—Everyone talked about their memories from their debut. When doing a Devil's job, a customer would call out through the pamphlet that we gave them (with a magic circle), and we'd go over to their place via that magic circle. However, this time, we would teleport to the customer's place after confirming the request via call using the magic circle prepared in our headquarters… In my time, I was unable to teleport using a magic circle because I lacked demonic energy! I become able to teleport only recently, but I was seriously really bad back then… As I had no choice, I pedalled my bike and went to each customer's place. …However, I was still doing it now as it had kind of become a habit of mine. My regular customer Morisawa-san and Mil-tan were also happy about it. Now, I think it's impossible for someone who has the blood of the true Maou Leviathan like Ingvild to not be able to teleport, but…Ravel said with a troubled look.

"…This is a problem."

I became worried and asked.

"W-What's wrong? Does Ingvild not have enough demonic power?"

I was so worried as this was her first job after becoming my servant. I might be overreacting, but now that I had resolved myself to take responsibility for her, I'd do it until the end. Because of that, I began to worry excessively. Ravel turned her head sideways and said.

"It's the opposite. I'm afraid that there's a high chance that her aura will explode after reaching the destination as the demonic power residing within her…is too vast and she can't control it."

—.

…So that's how it is. It's the opposite of me! Because her demonic power was too immense, she couldn't teleport. …The grandchildren of the True Maou were truly terrifying. I mean, even Vali, who had the blood of the true Maou Lucifer, had crazy talent. Actually, it's possible for Ingvild to begin her activity as a Devil, but she was still in the process of learning how to control her magic. …There's no other choice. What's important now was to go to the customer's place and do the job. I nodded and said to Ravel.

"Understood. Well then, this time, I'll go with Ingvild. I'll also perform the teleportation magic."

Ravel responded to my opinion with 'Understood'. Ingvild looked apologetic about it.

"…I don't know the details, but I’m sorry Ise."

I smiled to smooth things out.

"Don't worry about it. Compared to my debut, this is still much better. I mean, I went by bicycle, you know?"

And with that, I took Ingvild and used transportation magic with my demonic energy. Ingvild and I were enveloped by the light of transportation as we teleported to our destination. As the blinding light vanished — we arrived in a certain room. The floor was made of wood and there were only several boxes in the dreary room. It appeared as though the owner was in the middle of unpacking as we could see accessories and livingware inside the opened boxes. —Suddenly, someone appeared before us. A super beauty wearing a witch-like white robe! She had blonde hair and blue eyes! Her oppai were also big! The Italian blonde in her early twenties smiled as she looked at me.

"You look fine, Oppai Dragon-kun."

The one who greeted us was Lavinia Reni-san! She's a member of [Slash Dog], a team that Ikuse Tobio-san leads, as well as a witch — a genuine witch! She's also the wielder of the Longinus Absolute Demise. My cla.s.smate, the girl who wears gla.s.ses, Kiryuu Aika, and my regular customer Mil-tan wanted to become Magicians, and the one who taught them was this person! Yes, the customer for Ingvild's debut was Lavinia-san. I also returned a greeting.

"Good evening. Please take care of us today."

Lavinia-san looked at Ingvild who was beside me.

"Thank you for coming to help me with various things today."

"Ah…yes. Likewise…"

Ingvild humbly greeted back. She must be nervous as this was her first time meeting her. I introduced Lavinia-san to Ingvild.

"This is Lavinia Reni-san. She's a witch who has been taking care of us. Uhm, Lavinia-san, this is my new servant, Ingvild."

"Yes. I've heard about you. I am happy that the one summoned here is a cutie."

—She also warmly welcomed us.

"Ah, that's right. Thanks for taking care of Kiryuu and Mil-tan."

I also thanked her for taking care of my cla.s.smate and regular customer.

"The two of them remember things very quickly, and they're also very interesting."

"I-Interesting?"

I became curious and asked her. As I did that, Lavinia-san answered delightfully.

"Aika wants to learn about romance-related astrology reading. She said that it'll definitely be profitable in the future. Mil-tan, on the other hand, wants to learn how to fly using a log instead of a broom."

That was quite the scoop. d.a.m.n Kiryuu, she's learning romance-related magic that looks promising, huh… Well, it's true that romance predictions would be popular among girls, but…she sure is business-minded. While Mil-tan on the other hand…

[Fly to the sky, nyooooooooooooooooooooo! Oryaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!]

—I could easily imagine him riding around on top of a log with great excitement with his big arms around it! If it's Mil-tan, I'm pretty sure he could mix his superhuman strength with magic now…

However, you are one h.e.l.l of a person to accept those two as your apprentices, Lavinia-san… Nope, on the contrary, perhaps those two could be her apprentices precisely because of her gentle personality… While I imagined such things, Ingvild asked Lavinia-san.

"Uhm, and what exactly…should I do?"

Lavinia said to Ingvild who tilted her head.

"Actually, I'm in the middle of unpacking things. That's why, I'd like you to help me with that."

Yep, that's what she asked. As Ingvild and Lavinia-san unpacked the boxes, Ingvild asked Lavinia-san.

"The person moving in…is it you?"

Lavinia-san shook her head.

"It's not me. The one who lives here is—"

That person appeared and interrupted Lavinia-san's words.

"Hyoudou Issei?"

It was a silver-haired man who opened the door and entered the living room — Vali Lucifer. My destined rival as one of the Two Heavenly Dragons, as well as the leader of [Vali Team] that consisted of fearless fighters. A genius beyond the realm of normal standards who bore the blood of the true Maou Lucifer and also possessed the Longinus Divine Dividing within his body. He was always a step above me, and he was also the guy that I wanted to surpa.s.s the most. It seemed like Vali, who usually dressed simply, didn't expect me this time. Lavinia-san spoke in response to Vali's appearance.

"That's right. Today, I wanted to request one of Oppai Dragon-kun's servants to help with Va-kun's move-in."

The request we received from Lavinia Reni-san was 'I want you to help us with Va-kun's move-in'. To Vali, Lavinia-san was an old friend. She acted as Vali's older sister, and she was also one of the people that Vali respected the most.

"Hey, Vali. So you'll be living in this town too, huh."

As I said that, Vali crossed his arms.

"I've heard that this town is recently insecure, and I was recommended to by my stepbrother and team members."

Ah, so that's why. It's true that this town was insecure as the Unknown Devils did come to this town. If that's what he meant, having Vali live in this town was a great idea. I didn't even know where the guy lived normally. It was great that I knew his address now. We belonged to the anti-terrorist group [DxD] too after all. By the way, 'stepbrother' here referred to the current chief G.o.d of the Norse mythology, Vidar-san. Many things happened, and he was adopted by the previous chief G.o.d of Norse mythology, Odin-jiisan. The process of unpacking things proceeded well since the owner of the room, Vali, was also present. Ingvild and Lavinia-san had already put the tableware into the cabinet. …However, it felt weird to help a rival with moving in. While I was thinking that, another person came into the room.

"Vali, I've bought some things that I think will be useful from the store."

The one who said that while entering the room was a girl who wore her hair up — Minagawa Natsume-san. This person was also a member of [Slash Dog]. As expected, she's also a beauty and her oppai are big as well! Upon seeing me and Ingvild, Minagawa-san greeted us.

"Ara, Oppai Dragon-kun! How'r ya!? Ah, uhmm, are you a new one? I am Minagawa Natsume. A university student and a member of [Slash Dog]! I hope we get along, you cutie."

"Ah, yes."

Minagawa-san shook hands with Ingvild. This person sure was really bright. She's also a fan of the special effects program [Chichiryuutei Oppai Dragon]. Vali raised one of his eyebrows in response to Minagawa-san's appearance.

"…I told you that I can move in on my own… To think that you'd even request help from Hyoudou Issei…"

Minagawa-san playfully tapped on Vali's head.

"Well, you know, he's your destined rival, so you have to at least do this. Also, Tobio and the others will be coming as well."

While removing Minagawa-san's hand, Vali asked.

"Ikuse Tobio? Why?"

"He said that he'd make a moving-in soba"

Vali smiled upon hearing Minagawa-san's answer.

"…Soba, huh. Umu."

Minagawa-san laughed upon seeing that.

"You really like all types of noodles, huh."

I asked as I felt interested in the topic.

"Is that from a long time ago?"

Minagawa-san nodded.

"That's right. He'd always slurp a cup ramen whenever we left our eyes off him. However, if it's the food Tobio makes, he always treats it like a delicious meal. He sure has quite the appet.i.te."

"Bufu."

I couldn't hold it in! I mean, it's really funny to imagine Vali doing that! Vali's face reddened in response to this and he complained to Minagawa-san.

"Minagawa Natsume! Don't talk about useless things!"

"Okay, okay."

Minagawa-san must've gotten used to this too. If Vali had any siblings, he'd be the cute little brother type, but despite that, he's a scary captain. Well, compared to when I first met him, he sure has gotten softer. I am sure one of the reasons must be the death of the person he hated the most, Rizevim (Vali's grandfather). There was another person who entered the room.

"Ah, h.e.l.lo. I came to help you guys."

It was a blonde girl with a witch-like hat and outfit — Le Fay Pendragon. She's a member of Vali's team, as well as a girl who's also homestaying at the Hyoudou Residence. She had also formed the [Devil and Magician] pact with me, which made us attached to each other.

"Even Le Fay is here, huh?"

Le Fay smiled in response to my comment.

"Yes. I was the only member who finished my errands."

"And Kuroka isn't coming?"

Le Fay smiled wryly.

"…Kuroka-san is…sleeping in the house."

Yep, that's really her. Really, she's so negligent. Kuroka's one of my future brides, and also one of the members of Vali's team. Le Fay ran closer to Lavinia-san upon seeing her and said with a big smile.

"Ah, Lavinia-san! The magic book that I borrowed last time was very good!"

"That's great to hear."

"To be able to read the secret philosophy written by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa based on [Grauzauberer]'s interpretation and director Mephisto's commentary, I can't even express how happy I am! By the way—"

"That's—"

It seemed like Le Fay and Lavinia-san had begun conversing in their own jargon. Both of them were Magicians, but the organisations that they belonged to were different. Lavinia-san belonged to [Grauzauberer] which was led by the legendary Devil Mephisto Pheles, while Le Fay belonged to the [Golden Dawn]. I'll explain the details bit by bit. Vali's new place had now become crowded, and the owner himself looked tired as he sighed.

"You didn't want to live in a designated place like this because the people you're close to can easily gather around, right?"

That's what I felt, so I asked him that. Vali wasn't the type that socialised often after all. Vali put his hand on his forehead and narrowed his eyes.

"…Well, I don't have any particular concerns. By the way—"

Vali looked at Ingvild, who was carrying various accessories.

"She's the one who holds the new Longinus, and the one who bears the previous Maou Leviathan's blood, huh?"

Vali looked at Ingvild with interest as she was a descendant of the previous Four Great Maous, as well as a Longinus user. I asked back.

"What do you think?"

Vali said.

"…If she's like me, the power that resides within her and her talents are on a different level than normal Devils. Also, it's a matter of whether you can guide her without having her power go out of control or not."

…Well, like this guy said, Ingvild's talent looks like it's going to be terrifying. Now that she's my servant, it's a matter of whether I can guide her properly or not, huh. Like Azazel-sensei who guided Vali—. Wait, Vali did rebel in the process, so it's not like Azazel-sensei taught him everything… But would Ingvild also go through a rebellious phase? Hmm…I'd have to work hard so that doesn't happen. —And this time, Vali asked me.

"Will you be able to use her in the tournament?"

The question was whether I'd be using the inexperienced Ingvild in the Rating Game World Tournament match.

"I still don't know yet."

That was the truth. I'd have to discuss it with my comrades and Ravel. If it's about the tournament match, the team members' opinions are important as well. Vali laughed boldly.

"The match will be close. —That being said, I am at the other side of the spectrum and my match is the last."

Vali shrugged as he said that. Vali's team was on the right side of the bracket, and his match was last. Their opponent was — the [Journey To The West] team. That team's members were comprised of the first-generation Son Wukong-jiisan, first-generation Zhu Bajie, first-generation Sha Wujing, and the G.o.d who was said to be have the most combat power — The War Hero, Nezha. As they're predicted to be one of the possible winners, Vali's team is unlikely to win using ordinary methods. Wait, all of the remaining teams were strong, so it's not possible to win using ordinary methods. Even my first opponent too—. As I was thinking that, Vali said.

"Your match is third, huh. Your opponent…although it's your acquaintance, you won't hold back, will you?"

"Of course. If I do that, I'll be hated by Rias and my comrades. They are that type of people after all."

My opponent was Rias and the others, the Gremory peerage. I was still a part of it even though I gained independence. They're my precious comrades. And, me too… No, because I am Rias Gremory's [p.a.w.n] for my entire life—.

Vali laughed happily upon hearing my words.

"That's good enough. In fact, those are the things that make you guys you. —Win, Hyoudou Issei. It'll be a good opportunity to continue from that time."

—Continue from that time. He was talking about the first time I fought against him. When we first received a terrorist attack from Khaos Brigade and the Three Factions formed an alliance, at that time, Vali and I had our first fight against each other, but it had remained interrupted until now. That's right, the final match of the first Rating Game World Tournament, the one that was named in honour of Azazel-sensei, would be the best if I could fight with this guy.

"You too, I won't forgive you if you lose to the first-generation Sun Wukong-jiisan."

"Hmph. I'll bear that in mind."

Both of us laughed boldly as we awkwardly prayed for each other's matches.—Suddenly, Minagawa-san said to me.

"Now, now, don't talk too much and go carry these off."

Vali and I were urged to unpack the boxes put down in front of us. I asked Vali.

"Hey, don't you have too many things? You're not the type that brings many things, are you?"

Vali put his hand on his forehead and said.

"…About that, when I told Lavinia that I'd live here, the girls bought this and that and many other unnecessary things… Also, it looks like some of the things that I used also remained, so…"

Ah, so the sisters took care of the things for their little brother, huh. When I opened the box in front of me, something like a white dragon stuffed toy came out… Was this one of Vali's personal belongings? With this, Vali's moving request went on without a hitch and eased his mental fatigue—.

"I'm home!"

Several hours after helping with the move-in—. Ingvild and I returned to our office using a magic circle after cleaning up and eating Tobio-san's homemade moving-in soba.

[[Welcome Home!]]

The girls of my peerage welcomed Ingvild and my return.

"How was it?"

Xenovia asked me and Ingvild. Having just completed her debut, Ingvild showed Xenovia and the others a doll that she held up.

"I received this."

She received the white dragon doll as a gift for completing the job. Even though the one who requested it was Lavinia-san, Vali gave it to her because he thought that it was his move-in after all. It was surprising that he gave is to us since it looked like one of Vali's old belongings. Ingvild smiled and hugged her debut gift.

"Fufufu, that's a cute white dragon."

"Yes, it's cute! I wonder if it's meant to represent the White Dragon Emperor?"

Asia looked at the doll Ingvild received enthusiastically. Rossweisse-san laughed in response to Ingvild successfully completing the job.

"For your first job, it looks like it ended nicely, and there seems to be no complaints as well."

"Yes. Well, there are things in this country that Ingvild has to adapt to, so I think it's for the best if we let her do job requests from our acquaintances for now."

There were many of my peerage members who were new to the country or had recently become Devils. One example was Ravel, who was a pure-blooded Devil that had a hard time adjusting to her daily life when she first transferred to Kuoh Academy. That was why it was perfect for Ingvild's support to come from everyone's experience. The foremost thing of importance was for her to get used to this country and this town. At the same time, Ingvild also attended Kuoh Academy as a second-year student. Koneko-chan and Ravel, as well as Gasper and Nakiri and the others also supported her school life, being in the same year as her. Ravel said to me as the newcomer's Devil's Job debut had ended.

"As Ingvild-sama's job has ended, let's talk about the next holiday."

"Ah, I see, it's that, huh."

Ravel nodded.

"Yes, it's the important Oppai Dragon show where Ise-sama and the others will appear."

My academic life, Devil's Job, [DxD] duties, the preparation for the tournament, and also — Oppai Dragon's event! …Being a Sekiryuutei is also hard work.

Translator Note:

1. Shugendo:Shugendō (修験道, literally “the way of shugen, or gen-practice”[1]) is a highly syncretic religion that originated in Heian j.a.pan. Pract.i.tioners are called Shugenja (修験者) or Yamabus.h.i.+ (山伏, literally “mountain prostrate”). Source: Wikipedia