DxD: DO System Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Plans of the Underworld 

With the departure of Riser and his peerage, the room grew much quieter and far grimmer. Rias slumped onto the couch, exhausted and feeling lost. All this time, even after speaking with her father two days ago, she had expected to have months before their Rating Game.

But now? She didn’t even have two proper weeks.

“Since when did you know about this, Grayfia?” Rias asked, her voice weak.

“Since last night,” Grayfia answered. “I came here immediately on Lord Lucifer’s orders.”

“So, brother knows about this too?” Rias asked, not looking at the Queen. “And he still agreed.”

Grayfia’s face softened slightly, which Issei found amusing.

‘She does care; she just doesn’t show it,’ he thought.

“He does,” Grayfia answered honestly. “However, you also know he cannot meddle in this matter. He is your brother and the son of Lord Gremory, but upon receiving the title of Lucifer, he had to sever ties with the Gremory name.”

This was something Issei already knew. When someone took on the title of one of the original Satans, they had to replace their family name with the Satan’s name.

As Lucifer, Sirzechs had relinquished his title as heir to the Gremory family, which had passed to Rias instead.

‘One might assume the only reason her parents had her was to secure an heir,’ Ddraig joked, though Issei found it concerning.

Because it just might be true.

“He is your brother—he always will be. But officially, he is no longer part of the Gremory family and cannot interfere with these arrangements,” Grayfia explained. “However, he has suggested that you and your peerage return to the Underworld for training. Lord Lucifer will arrange for the best teachers to assist you.”

Issei’s face broke into a grin, though he quickly hid it.

‘What’s with that grin, boy?’ Ddraig asked, amused. ‘Don’t tell me you’re looking forward to finding yet another teacher while already being trained by me and Hachiman?’

‘You’re a dragon. You’re teaching me about my gear and draconic powers,’ Issei explained, his excitement obvious. ‘Hachiman is teaching me about war tactics, strategies, and how to efficiently use my abilities.’

‘And?’ Ddraig pressed. ‘What do you need another teacher for?’

‘You’re not going to teach me about demonic powers, are you?’

Hearing this, the dragon paused in realization. ‘Oh. Your demonic power is indeed just sitting there, untrained and unused. You’ll need someone to help you with it.’

That was why Issei was excited.

“Two weeks isn’t enough, Grayfia,” Rias sighed, frustration clear in her voice. “You know I don’t even have a complete peerage, while Riser does. And one of my bishops isn’t ready to come out in public.”

Issei’s eyes widened briefly. ‘I completely forgot about that guy…’

He felt stupid for forgetting about a future super devil candidate who was just hiding somewhere.

‘I’ll need to find a way to talk to him soon.’

“You’ll have to manage, Lady Rias,” Grayfia said. “Strategy outweighs quantity. If you train and develop a good strategy, you have a chance of winning.”

Finally, her gaze turned to Issei. “And we’ve all seen that Hyoudou might not be as clueless about his powers as he seems. No low-class devil can exert such pressure.”

"That's…" Rias's eyes widened as she turned.

"That was a pressure strong enough to make even High-Class devils feel weak," Akeno added.

As everyone’s eyes shifted to Issei, he quickly spoke up to manage their expectations.

"That wasn't my power," Issei explained. "It was Ddraig exerting his pressure using me as a medium, and that's it. It was just pressure. I can’t use any skills, magic, or strength at that level. Even applying that pressure almost burst my organs."

"That was indeed reckless," Grayfia added. "You risked your life and your place here. If not for Lord Riser being here without permission and his fear of Lord Lucifer, you might have been in serious trouble."

‘Or you could sacrifice part of your life, and we could kill that chicken devil.’

‘Yeah, no thanks.’

"However," her expression softened slightly, "it is understandable, considering you are the Red Dragon Emperor, and to dragons, their pride is more important than their lives. But please keep in mind that, as Lady Rias’s pawn, you represent her. Avoid actions that could tarnish her reputation."

‘I couldn't care less about the devils even if I wanted to,’ Ddraig scoffed.

"I apologize," Issei said. He knew no one outside of Rias and her peerage understood their arrangements, and he wanted to keep it that way until he earned a promotion—something he was working hard for by taking on contracts others considered nearly impossible.

"Therefore, I urge Lady Rias and the peerage to prepare for a trip to the underworld," Grayfia stated. "It will be a two-week stay, during which you will train until the Rating Game. The outcome of the game will determine the next steps."

The group fell silent, contemplating the game ahead, while Issei wondered how he would explain the situation to his parents.

Eventually, he decided he could rely on the student council to help grant him leave and, with Rias's assistance, create a fake official reason from the school.

With that settled, he didn’t worry much.

"Then…" Rias took a deep breath and looked around at her peerage. "I guess we are going to the underworld."

…

…

[Late Evening — Kuoh Town]

Having received a letter from Rias—or rather, from the school—stating a two-week-long excursion, Issei walked home with a curious smile.

He would need to let Hachiman know about his absence, and he truly hoped that whatever training he was about to receive would at least be enough to make up for missing Hachiman’s sessions.

With his hands in his pockets, a new quest in mind, and an ache still resonating through his body, he made his way home.

Today, he took the long route, wanting to clear his head after encountering a mentally handicapped devil who couldn’t even use the first person when speaking.

The route he chose led him through the rich alley, the same one he had taken Raynare to before.

Remembering the girl, he closed his eyes and tried sensing her. As he expected, she was safe.

‘Was she not punished?’ he thought to himself. ‘That’s interesting.’

He knew Azazel was strict when it came to rules, but he wasn’t the type to actively kill a Fallen—unless provoked, of course.

However, this knowledge came from the show, so he wasn’t entirely sure how much of it would hold true when he actually met the man.

‘Kid,’ Ddraig called to him. ‘I can feel a presence following you. Be careful.’

Issei’s face immediately shifted to a frown, but he didn’t slow his pace or make any suspicious movements.

‘The presence is strong, much stronger than you,’ Ddraig warned. ‘Stay sharp.’

‘How strong are we talking? And where exactly is it coming from?’ Issei asked, pretending to read the letter in his hand as he walked.

‘Stronger than the High-Class devils, weaker than Lucifer's wife.’

That didn’t help Issei much, but he knew better than to make an enemy out of the being—if it didn’t already consider him one.

‘Is it getting closer?’ Issei wondered if guiding whatever was following him toward his house was a smart idea.

‘It’s maintaining the same distance,’ the dragon answered. ‘Most likely hoping you don’t notice it.’

Issei felt a twinge of nervousness.

He was confident he could fight a High-Class devil, but anything beyond that was risky.

‘I never asked you this, but since you inherited my memories, can you match the presence you feel with any from the memories?’

Ddraig immediately dismissed the idea.

‘Memories are visual. I can’t feel anything from them, so no, I cannot match this presence to anything in your memories,’ Ddraig replied. ‘Even my own memory is faded, and it’s difficult for me to recognize beings from when I was alive. Although, I do remember the presence of the truly remarkable ones.’

Hearing this, Issei felt a bit downcast. He had hoped Ddraig could help him, but that wasn’t the case.

He was certain, however, that he couldn’t risk leading whatever was following him to his house.

‘Even if it is hostile, it’s cautious,’ Issei remarked. ‘It could have attacked me in the empty alley I just passed.’

The rich alley and his neighborhood connected through a narrow, almost eerie-looking alley. Most people preferred to take the long route via the main road connecting the two areas.

Issei, however, took the shortcut, hoping to see if the being would attack. If it did, he could dash out of the alley, and since the being seemed to avoid drawing attention, reaching a populated area would make it harder for it to act.

What Issei didn’t expect was to identify his follower in the most ridiculous way.

‘Ddraig,’ he called, pausing mid-step. ‘How far away is it exactly?’

‘Very close,’ Ddraig said. ‘Maybe 10 meters from you.’

With a sigh, Issei turned around and said, “I know you’re following me. You can come out.”

‘Stupid!’ Ddraig yelled, but Issei had already figured out who it was.

Having just passed a pole with a small convex mirror, he had caught sight of his follower.

“I didn’t expect you to notice me, meow~”