A day had passed since her defeat at Issei's hands. True to her nature, Milim had already bounced back, her usual boisterous energy returning in full force. It was then that Frey arrived to fetch her—the former Demon Lord known as the Sky Queen, who now served as Milim's aide.
As the Queen of Harpies, Frey's beauty was truly beyond reproach; even Issei found himself momentarily captivated the moment he laid eyes on her. Her demeanor was the epitome of elegance and poise, radiating the aura of a gentle, sophisticated older sister.
Had her heart not already belonged to another, Issei might have been tempted to make her a target of his affections. However, any true fan of Tensura knew that during this period, Frey was already quite close with Carrion.
Once Milim departed, a certain stillness settled over the area. Without her childish voice punctuating the day, the atmosphere felt unexpectedly lonely.
Whenever boredom struck, Issei would pass the time by teasing Luminous or enjoying some intimate moments with Rias. Occasionally, he would find himself in a rematch against Veldora—not because he particularly wanted to, but because Veldora practically begged for it.
Interestingly, every time Issei gave Veldora a thorough thrashing, Luminous would become notably friendlier toward him for a while. For that reason alone, Issei was more than happy to indulge the Storm Dragon.
"Where are you off to?" Issei asked, spotting Rimuru preparing to leave.
"The Armed Nation of Dwargon. Want to tag along?"
"Is that okay?"
"Of course. In fact, things might go smoother if you're with me."
Rimuru flashed a wide, somewhat mischievous smile. Issei felt a sudden, ominous prickle on the back of his neck, but because he had always wanted to visit the legendary elven lounge in Dwargon at least once, he decided to ignore his intuition.
"Alright, let's go."
Rimuru glanced around, looking for Rias.
"Aren't you going to ask for permission first?"
"Already did. I sent her a message via mental transmission."
"...Prompt as always, I see."
"You could say that."
To save time, Rimuru cast a teleportation spell, warping them directly toward the Kingdom of Dwargon.
"So, what's the purpose of this visit?"
"King Gazel seems worried about the last Walpurgis we held."
"If I recall correctly, that Walpurgis was held specifically to welcome me, right?"
Rimuru nodded softly.
"Exactly."
With a single blink of an eye, they arrived.
"Who goes there?!" a soldier barked, instantly noticing the sudden manifestation of a teleportation circle.
However, the moment the guards recognized Rimuru, they dropped to their knees, cold sweat beading on their faces.
"They're absolutely terrified of you," Issei remarked.
"It can't be helped. In this world, the title of 'Demon Lord' is enough to strike fear into most of the population."
"Fair point. Demon Lords here really are feared as symbols of terror, especially by the common folk."
Rimuru didn't deny it; it was simply the reality of their world. He greeted one of the soldiers and requested to be escorted to King Gazel. Ordinarily, such an audacious request would be rejected outright, but when a Demon Lord is the one asking, one simply does not find the courage to say no.
Inside the meeting chamber, King Gazel sat with a stern, heavy expression, casting frequent, subtle glances at Issei. Rimuru took his seat across from him, with Issei sitting right by his side.
Gazel closed his eyes for a moment before staring straight at Rimuru.
"Rimuru... what exactly is happening among the Demon Lords? Why have you been convening Walpurgis so frequently lately?"
"I'll explain everything. Just don't interrupt until I'm finished."
Gazel nodded, his expression turning grave.
Rimuru began to explain the connection between their two worlds and the arrival of the guests from the DxD universe. To Gazel, the explanation sounded more like a fairy tale than reality, making it difficult to process. His eyes bugged out several times, and he clearly struggled to keep his promise not to interrupt.
When Gazel heard the results of Issei's duels—specifically that he had defeated both the Storm Dragon Veldora and Milim Nava—his eyes widened in pure disbelief, his face contorting into a rather comical expression.
Rimuru couldn't help himself; he broke into a blatant laugh right in front of the King, though he was quickly met with a sharp, piercing glare from Gazel.
"Ahem! Anyway, I believe that covers the gist of it."
Gazel took a deep breath and stole another glance at Issei.
"It is... hard to believe that anyone could best the Storm Dragon, Veldora."
"Veldora is incredibly strong, and Milim is no different. A single mistake could have cost me my life," Issei explained casually.
"..."
Gazel remained silent, unsure of how to respond. He was looking at a man who could remain so nonchalant after defeating a True Dragon and one of the oldest, most powerful Demon Lords in existence. Gazel simply didn't know how to carry himself in the presence of such a person.
"Regardless of how it happened, in the end, I was the one who came out on top," Issei added.
Gulp...
"May I ask one more thing?" Gazel ventured.
"What is it?"
"Are the other four... perhaps as powerful as you?"
Issei shook his head in response to Gazel's query.
"I've never fought Dulio or Tobio, but I'm confident I would win if I did. I've beaten Vali once, and Rias is definitely still below my level."
"Thank goodness..." Gazel exhaled a massive sigh of relief, his anxiety vanishing instantly without a trace.
To be continued...Anvanced Chapter p*tre*n.com/AgamYupi02