Returning Welsh Dragon Hero - Chapter 12

"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice everyone!" Sirzechs said cheerfully the moment he sat down in the meeting room with his fellow Satans.

"Hey, Zerchy~." Serafall Leviathan said back, equally smiling.

"You're in a... disturbingly good mood?" Falbium couldn't help but note with a raise eyebrow.

"Did... something good happen?" Ajuka was equally perplexed by his best friend's genuine happy disposition, rather than his usual calm smile he used to face everything. Not that Sirzechs didn't have his moments of overexcited joy, but they seemed to happen less lately, so this was a pleasant surprise.

"Grayfia is likely pregnant. Maybe." Sirzechs grinned happily back.

"Wait, really?" Serafall paused, yet smiled in surprise at the good news.

"Congratulations." Falbium smiled back.

"I'm happy for you." Ajuka added.

"Yeah, I was drunk and used the Power of Destruction on her, at the probability of her not getting knocked up, so she ended knocked up." Sirzechs said casual. "I'm gonna bring her over to your lab later to check, Ajuka."

"Wait, what?" Falbium blinked, mirror how thrown off all the Satans now.

"EEEEH!?" Serafall shouted.

"Errr, Sirzechs..." Ajuka looked at his friend nervously.

"Grayfia is fine, of course. Even liked it." Sirzechs said, looking wary for a moment. "Which is something we have to be carefully about." He said quickly under his breath. "So anyways!" The cheerful grin was back. "I asked you all for this meeting, because I would like to make a request. An experiment really."

"I should use the Sitri Clan Trait while having sex with So-tan to knock her up." Serafall nodded seriously.

"No. Well yes, not toward your sleeping with your sister, but maybe Clan Traits should be used more during procreation?" Sirzechs thought, and Ajuka made a note to check if this was a viable option for the devil fertility issue. "Either way no. My request is that I wants us to switch jobs for a year."

""...Huh??"" The other Satans collectively said.

"I'll take Falbium job as Head of the Military Affairs, Ajuka will take over as Head of Foreign Affair, Falbium will take over Internal Affairs, and Serafall takes over the R&D Department." Sirzechs said, smiling at the idea.

"So... I and Sirzechs will switch, while Serafall and Ajuka will switch?" Falbium asked trying to understand the situation.

"Zerchy! Why do you want to put me in a cold lab!? My place is in front of the camera! In front of people!" Serafall whined.

"...Sirzechs, have I done something to upset you?" Ajuka asked out of the blue, making the other two Satan look at him thrown off.

"What? No, why would you say that?" Sirzechs blinked at his friend's words.

"Clearly you as the head of the military wouldn't need to do anything beyond show up, and that would scare anyone at our borders. In fact, it might be seen as a war preparation move, if you show up too much." Ajuka noted in horror to himself, before looked back at Sirzechs. "And if you show up minimally, it's basically you having a vacation."

"Waaah! That's not fair!" Serafall shouted.

"Serafall will also not have much work to do, so that's basically a vacation for her." Ajuka continued.

"Yaaaaaay!" Serafall pumped her fist into the air. "Wait. Are you saying I can't make up weapons or cool gadgets?" She asked giving Ajuka the stink-eye.

"You could finally get those Magical Girl items and gadgets you kept pestering Ajuka for." Sirzechs offered, to which Serafall smiled with stars in her eyes.

"You're not allowed inside my personal lab!" Ajuka quickly interjected.

"Zerchy, you're the best!" A mischievously smile came to her face, which she covered with her hand. "There are so many naughty items I'm going to create. Like clothes dissolving mists and magical AI wand. Hehehehe~."

"So, it would just be the two of us working?" Falbium said pointing at himself and Ajuka. "That's not fair."

"It would be me handling everything, while more or less having you as a secretary to impliment the details via the paperwork and bureaucracy." Ajuka clarified, to which Sirzechs didn't object. "Again, did I do something to upset you, Sirzechs?"

"So wait, I'm going to be doing the paperwork for all of us? I feel this is targeted at me!" Falbium cried out.

"Falbium, due to your laziness, you're the most efficient of us." Sirzechs said back. "That's why I wanted to see how you'd the paperwork and the details of the governing systems."

"That hurt. I'd like to say I'm more aware for needed breaks for my mental health." The Satan Asmodeus pouted.

"And Ajuka," Sirzechs turned to his friend. "No, this isn't me punishing you. Rather placing you as the Satan of Foreign Affairs is rather a move to divert attention to what I really wish for you to do. Along with Falbium, I want you to gether evidence on which Pillar Families have been secretly supporting the Old Satan Faction and any spies they have. Not the obvious ones we know about, but the ones hidden by the Great King Faction, or those unwittingly aiding them under the Great King Faction's orders."

The three Satans blinked at direct the conversation pivoted to.

"Oh?" A interested gleam entered Serafall's eyes. "We're actually gonna start fighting back? What about having them around as a 'moderating force' and all that?"

Sirzechs shook his head. "We have been acting with the soft approach for far too long with them. Its one thing to not trample on tradition, but its another when tradition is being used to stifle and restrict us from helping our people. More than that, the younger generation needs a better world. Sairaorg Bael isn't rare example of what happens to devils that are born weak, or not having the 'right' power. Also the regulation on Evil Pieces and their uses will be modified.

"Once upon a time, we might have excused how underhandedly they were used due to our population problem, but that's not the case anymore. A devil heir sneaking into foreign, neutral or worse, allied territory and forcibly reincarnating people from there, is not helping our position in trying to make peace a more real thing, rather than keeping up a cold war peace indefinitely." He gleam of viciousness and determination sparked in his eyes. "Besides, if the Old Satan Faction reacts like we'd expect them to, then fine. Let's play by their 'might make right' rules, in case they forgot why we hold our titles. And as for the Great King Faction, if Zekram wants to object, he needs to remember politics only exist because we are tolerant."

Ajuka, Serafall and Falbium couldn't help but smile and nod.

There were some points were Sirzechs was too idealistic and optimistic on how thing would go with this new change, but there was an renewed energy in the Satan's spirits, as they were swept up by Sirzechs' motivating words and so they got to work.

Only for one of them to snap out of it.

"Wait, you're still throwing all the paperwork at me!" Falbium shouted.

===x===

That visit by Lucifer ended suddenly with Issei having to take Asia to hang out with Rias, as they couldn't not stay home after lunch. His parents were loud when they were passionate. He really did not need to learn that.

Over the next few days Issei found himself accosted by Rias almost every moment in school and mostly out of school. It only made the rumors about him having seduced or blackmailed her even worse.

Asia seeing this, feeling left out, also seemed to stick to Issei even more, wanting to hang out with Issei as much as Rias does. The amount of hateful and jealous looks Issei was subjected to was slightly starting to worry him.

When it reaches the point where the Kendo Club President would intensely him about "having seduced innocent girls", he would just give up and run away, to disappear from everyone's eyes for a while during lunch break.

"Honestly, isn't this a bit too much." Issei said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Issei." Asia said with a small pout, sitting next to him.

"Ehehehe, sorry, Issei." Rias said bashfully, sitting on the other side of him.

"It's not your fault, Asia." He said with a gentle smile. "It is your fault, Rias." He turned to Rias with a deadpanned look.

"Hey! You're only nice to Asia. This treatment is unfair!" Rias protested with a pout.

The three were currently sitting on the large side branch of a tall tree, obscured by the leaves.

There were a few students passed by where they were, not noticing them. Even those looking for Issei, like the Kendo Club girls. Thankfully people's tendency not to look up was helping the trio hide.

"Sooo~ Can you tell us about more Servants? You said Minamoto no Raikou was a woman, with, a-hem, 'distinct' features." Rias said.

For a while now, Issei had been telling Rias and Asia about the heroes he met on his journey in lieu of going into the details of said journey.

"Yeeeeah," Issei looked away, with an awkward laugh. "She was very mothering to Ritsuka, and really disapproved of me. At least at first."

"Umu!" Rias nodded in excitement. She's been making that anime noise more often, since Issei made the mistake of telling her how identical it was to Nero's behavior. "What about other Japanese Servants? Like Miyamoto Musashi—Or! Or! What about Oda Nobunaga?!" She said with stars in her eyes, before a curious look came to her face. "Or wait, have you met... Okita Souji?" She asked with a very curious look.

"No. I sadly didn't have the honor of meeting Musashi. It's a shame. Maybe he was in the final battle and I didn't see him." Issei shrugged. "I didn't meet him at Chaldea I'm afraid, but I have met Nobunaga and Okita. They're friends. Kinda." He said with chuckle as he remember those two's antics.

"WAIT, WHAT—!?" Rias cried out in excitement.

"Umm..." Asia made a noise trying to get attention, but too shy to interrupt Rias.

"Yes, what is it, Asia?" Issei turned to the former nun.

"Ah, I wanted to ask, have you met any Italian Servants, other than Leonardo Da Vinci? Actually can you tell us more about him? Actually why did you refer to Leonardo Da Vinci as a 'she'? Is Leonardo Da Vinci a girl in the other world? Or rather," Asia looked embarrassed for a moment, fearing that she was imposing on him. "Did you meet any important Christian figures? Like saints or... I'm sorry if I'm being silly. Saints and heroes are different things—"

"I have met Saints." Issei nodded.

""REALLY!?"" Both Asia and Rias asked in excitement.

"Right, so very quickly about Da Vinci. Da Vinci is a guy in that other world. But when he was summoned into Chaldea he made his form be that of the Mona Lisa with a woman's body and everything. So we call called her Da Vinci or Da Vinci-chan. We didn't bother to question her about it, because Da Vinci moves at her own pace." Issei crossed his arms and nodded to himself with pride. "She truly was a genius. She was like the mentor I never knew I needed. Our meeting was destiny! To have met one who understood the perfection of the female form so well." Issei almost sounded like he was in near tears.

Then he noticed the the amused and thrown off looked he was getting from the girls.

Issei coughed into his fist. "A-hem, I mean, Da Vinci was pretty cool. we can talk about her later."

"I have so many questions." Rias shook her head with a wide smile on her face. Asia giggled at Issei's moment of silliness.

"As for Servants, Rias, I told you guys about Kintoki last time, and a little bit about Raikou, so this time I'll tell you about a Servant, Asia would like to hear about." Issei said.

"Ah, you don't have to for my sake—" Asia began to protest, looking flustered.

"No, no! It's fine, Asia-chan." Rias said cheerfully. "Besides I wonder how Saints or Christian Servants are like compared to the ones i learned about in history. Our history here, both mundane and magical."

"Hmm," Issei thought for a moment. "Should I tell you about Jeanne d'Arc? No, since she's French I'd have to make fun of her." He said with a snort.

"Eh?" Asia tilted her head. "Wait, you've met Joan of Arc!?" She said with wide-eyes.

"Why does her being French matters?" Rias asked.

"I was trained by King Arthur and other British Servants while at Chaldea." Issei said. "If I wasn't getting my ass kicked by Scathach." He muttered under his breath. "So I'm kinda obligated to make fun of the French." He said jokingly, but didn't seem to really committed to that obligation.

"I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!" Rias shouted.

"Instead," he turned to Asia. "How about I tell you about Saint Martha?"

"Eeeek!?!" Asia for the first time that she could remember squealed in excitement.

"And that despite how much she tried to conduct herself is a scary as hell boxer with a terrifying right hook. Seriously, ask poor Tarasque." He gave sad look at remember that poor dragon.

[That is one traumatized turtle.] Ddraig said, his voice sounding like he was nodding in remembrance.

"Woooah..." Asia imagined a kind woman with a motherly smile and bloodied fists.

"I have so many—" Rias began to cry out.

"THERE THEY ARE!" A girl shouted and pointed at where the trio were hiding.

"Uh oh." Issei muttered, as people began to notice them.

"They're sitting in a tree!?"

"You know what people do in trees, right?"

"You will pay for corrupting Rias-onee-sama and Asia-chan, Hyoudou Issei!" Shouted the voice that sounded like the Captain of the Kendo Club.

"Welp, time to bounce!" Rias said and jumped.

"Why are you talking like the police is after us?" Issei grabbed Asia in a princess carry and jumped after Rias as they all ran away.

Asia smiled and laughed throughout.

"Right so about St. Martha, the first time I heard about her was when Chaldea went on its first mission, the first singularity in France, brainwashed into a raging servant, small 's' by the enemy Servant. An evil version of Jeanne d'Arc who wanted to burn down France with dragons. So another reason to hate the French." Issei continued his tales as he carried Asia and ran with Rias listening by his side.



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AN: This is likely the last calm, slice of life chapter.