Returning Welsh Dragon Hero - Chapters 9 & 10

Issei looked around as he was eating breakfast. After everything that happened yesterday, he was now just eating breakfast with his mom around the dining table. The return to normalcy was almost surreal.

His dad had left for work early, saying he was going to be busy for the next week, as to prepare to take his vacation days.

Asia was sleeping in. Issei supposed his stories did keep her up late last night, and she kept wanting to know what happened next on his adventure. Then again, his parents were the same.

He abridged a lot of it obviously. Focused more on the silly moments, while underplaying the danger of the "cool" moments. Asia was enthralled, although he supposed a big part of that was hearing tales about actual saints and saintesses. His parents noticed how he adjusted his stories, but didn't say anything.

Issei was grateful for that. He wasn't sure about getting into the details of the dangers of the Singularities, or actually tell them about the hardships he went through. He worried and scared them enough as it was from just what happened with the Fallen Angel Raynare awhile ago.

"Issei," His mother spoke. "Do you think Rias-chan would teach me some magic?"

Issei blinked then looked up from his meal. After a beat, he gave her a deadpanned look.

"Mom, seriously, magic isn't something to learn to make chores, and traveling to the store easier." He said.

"I-It's not just about that!" Miki pouted, then a small smile came to her face. "I wondered if there are spell to talk to people in other worlds." She confessed.

"Huh?"

"Fujimaru Ristuka." She said with a smile. "I wanted to thank that girl for bring my son back to me."

"...Mom." Issei couldn't help but smile bashfully back, touched by Miki's words.

"Also for making my son into a man." She said proudly.

"Mom!" Issei cried out red faced.

Miki Hyoudou laughed at her son's embarrassment, then teased him even more upon realizing that he never denied the claim.

===x===

Issei walked into Kuoh Academy expecting his day to be normal.

As normal as going to school with a group of devils can be.

"N-No! This is a dream. A nightmare! It has to be!"

"Rias-onee-sama, why!?"

"With Hyoudou of all people?!"

"Was this his plan all along? To play cool and mysterious and learning sexy languages so he can seduce, Rias-onee-sama?"

And on the gossip of the student of Kuoh, specifically the girls went on.

"Rias." Issei spoke through a stiff smile, words going through his teeth. "What are you doing?" He said to the redhead devil hanging off his arm, smiling brightly at him.

"Issei! Buddy! Pal! My besto friendo in all the worlds~. How are you on this fine day?" Rias said, her cheerful smile it was practically sparkling.

No, it really was sparkling. Issei blinked at that.

"Are you... feeling okay?" Issei hesitantly asked.

"Exuberantly." She continued smiling.

"Riiiight." Issei said warily. "Out of curiosity, do you have any magic that hides something about your appearance or that you're a devil or anything like that?"

"No. Why?" Rias tilted her head.

As the two had been walking, and were now within the school building in a place without many prying eyes that could notice anything unusual about the duo. More than usual.

"Magic Break." Issei gently but firmly took Rias's hand and removed it from around his arm.

Rias felt a magic aura wash over her and... nothing.

"Was that suppose to do something?" She blinked in confusion.

"Just... making sure you weren't under mind control or anything like that." Issei said with a worried smile. It seemed like Rias's odd new attitude was entirely her own.

"Oh, that is just silly." She laughed and waved him off. "Say, did I ever tell you I used to travel the world when I was younger? Why don't we hang out and exchange stories about our isekai—I mean our adventures—I mean travels!"

Issei sighed. "So that's what this is about. Dammit, mom."

===x===

"FIA-CHAN! FIA-CHAN! FIA-CHAN! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" The Satan Lucifer was practically breaking the button to call on his Queen, wife and Head Maid, as well as using the spell to summon her to his office.

Grayfia Lucifuge appear instantly from a summoning circle, took one look at her King... and held back a sigh. It would be unprofessional for a maid to sigh at her master doing something idiotic.

She knew Sirzechs for centuries now, so she knows when he's doing something stupid.

"My lord, what could possibly be the reason for your panic? Something that a Satan should never left themselves be overtaken by." She asked while advising him at the same time, with the patience of a wife of many years.

"Ria-tan's alarm is gone! She could be in danger! She could be attacked by one of the many a tentacle monsters that infest Japan!—"

"That's not a thing." Grayfia interjected.

"—OR BEING SEDUCED BY THE REINCARNATION OF CASANOVA!"

"Lord Lucifer." Grayfia said firmly while messaging her temple. "There has not, and have never been a Spirit Inheritor or a Reincarnation of Giacomo Casanova. It doesn't exist."

"But what happened to Ria-tan!?" Sirzechs said frantically. "We need to go save her! No, I will go—"

"You. Will. Not." Grayfia said firmly to her King... who was now pouting. She sighed. "I will go investigate and see what happened, and if there is reason for worry. Thus far, based on the magic of the barrier around Kuoh Academy, Rias-sama is currently at school."

"They're doing it at school!" Sirzechs cried out, looking scandalized.

"No one is having sex at school!"

===x===

After investigating and observing the magic recording items at Kuoh Academy, Grayfia found out what happened. CCTV may not be allowed at Kuoh Academy to protect the privacy of the students, but for the Devil Supervisors, she needed to have surveillance of their territory so they won't be caught unaware, and so they can review events if need be.

"Lord Sirzechs, I really think this is an overreaction." Grayfia said, while holding back a sigh. "You had meetings today."

"Yes. This one. We called ahead. We have an appointment and they're expecting us." Sirzechs said resolute, as he and his Queen stood in front a simple two story home. The Hyoudou household.

The Satan Lucifer rang the bell and a few minutes later, Miki Hyoudou opened the door.

"Ah! Mister... Zechs?" She asked. "Rias' brother?"

"It's Sirzechs, one word, madam." He said back politely. "This is my wife, Grayfia Lucifuge."

"Oh, apologizes." She opened the door fully, welcoming them. "Come on in. Gorou came quickly when I got your call." She said as the two devils followed her into her humble home.

As they all gathered at the living room, the parents of Issei and Rias's family greeted each other.

"Ah, Hyoudou Gorou, nice to meet you both."

"Sirzechs Lucifer, the honor is mine, and I'm sorry for dropping in on short notice like this."

The two shook hands and sat down face to face, while their significance other was by their side.

"No, no. I understand how important family is. So what is this involving Rias? Is everything okay?" Gorou asked, still wondering on what made the Lucifer panic so much to call them like this, and request this meeting.

"This is something that you are likely aren't to know, but my sister is engaged." Sirzechs started explaining.

"Congratulations." Miki said with a happy nod.

"Riser Phenex is an entitled little shit and Ria-tan hates him. If I have anything to say about it, before he could so much as touch a single hair on her head, I will—" Grayfia loudly cleared her throat. "—Its a complicated family situation and we all just hope for the happiness of our family members."

"Of course." Gorou nodded, with Miki agreeing, completely understanding Sirzechs position.

"Thus until the matter of the betrothment is settled, one of the conditions of the contract between the Gremory family and the Phenex is on Rias's chastity to ensure the bloodline's fidelity and purity." Sirzechs explained.

"Wow, that sounds so... aristocratic." Miki commented.

"After the civil war that ravaged our race, the Devils needed a way to ensure our population doesn't fall to the point of erasure. While Evil Pieces offered a method for our race's revitalization, a lot of those of the Pillar Families still view the blood purity of our race as being paramount." Grayfia added context on why would Devils used arranged marriages.

"I see," Gorou nodded. "You have your own difficulties." He said with sympathy. "But I'm not sure what does that do with Issei, or how we could help?"

Sirzechs and Grayfia looked at each other in silent communication for a moment, before the Queen went ahead with the talk.

"To ensure that the Gremory side upholds their end of the marriage contracts, I was tasked by the Lord and Lady Gremory to cast a spell to inform me should Lady Rias engaged in..." Grayfia politely cough. "Recreational activities with a partner."

"Oh." Miki said, sharing a blush with her husband, who was trying not to giggle. She pinched his leg under the table so he wouldn't laugh.

"I... see?" Gorou tried to say.

"And your son had removed that alarm spell!" Sirzechs immediately said, not able to keep his calm any longer. "So I would like to know, what is your son, the Red Dragon Emperor's, intention to my little sister?"

Miki blinked and raised and eyebrow. She looked at Grayfia who nodded while show embarrassment and apologizing for her husband's action with her expression. Miki turned to Gorou to asked him on how to respond.

"Mr. Lucifer, are you accusing my son of doing something improper to your sister? I'll have you know, he might be a pervert, but he's completely clueless on how to do anything to woo a girl!" Gorou said back, just as heated as Sirzechs.

"That is not helpful dear." Miki said.

"Besides, she's the Devil. Isn't it more likely she's seducing him? What is your sister's intentions for my son!?" Gorou said back.

"That's racist profiling! And I'll have you know Ria-tan is as innocent as church nun."

"So completely drown in sex novels, or in this case, hentai."

Miki and Grayfia both sighed openly, shared a look, then reached over and twisted their husband's ears to get them to stop and behave.

"Ow, ow, ow! Honey!?"

"Fia-chan, please stop using your full strength. It's gonna rip off, it's gonna rip off!"

===x===

Back at Kuoh Academy, Issei was heading in the lunch break to Rias to talk to her.

His home protection wards had been updated since Azazel's visit, and now he could observe from the barrier to see who was around or visited his house, and if there's anything to worry about.

He saw Rias's brother and his maid arrive. They didn't trigger the barrier's alarm or defenses, so they weren't there with malicious intent, but the comedic arguement between his dad and Rias' brother, while his mom and the maid manhandled the guys was confusing.

"Rias." Issei greeted Rias on the roof, where she and her Peerage ate lunch.

"Ah, Issei! Did you come to continue our talks of exchanging stories?" Rias said with a wide smile, while her Peerage around her sigh, or giggle in Akeno's case.

"We never started." Issei shook his head. "Anyways, why is your brother at my house? And why is he saying I'm seducing you?"

Silence filled the air.

Akeno began giggling, and even Koneko and Kiba tried to hold back snorting and smiling.

Rias facepalmed.

"Dammit, Onii-sama."

===x===

Later in the day, after school was over, Issei went home with Asia and Rias in tow.

Upon entering his house, Issei found it noisy.

He went to the dining room with his friends with him, and was welcomed by a bizarre situation.

Gorou Hyoudou and Sirzechs Lucifer were having a drunken ramble with one another. His father ...might be trying to comfort Satan who was whining and half-crying.

His mother and the maid, Lucifer's wife and supposed the Underworld's Strongest Queen, were comforting their respective man. Miki looked exasperated, and while Grayfia held a stoic expression, Issei had a inkling she felt the same.

"Like, this job is thankless. Literally thankless. You'd think being one of the rulers of the Devil Race would be a great prestige, but it feels like nothing but wrangling a bunch of superpowered toddlers on a leash." The drunken Sirzechs complained.

"Ooof! I know that feeling." The drunk Gorou nodded in sympathy. "Well not that same feeling. I'm not an executive manager, but a middle manager. I try to be nice to my guy since I was by their side not long ago, but its annoying how they went from 'hey Gorou, buddy', to 'Gooorou! Buddy! Can you do me a favor?'. And I don't want to be the asshole but no, you don't get to take a half-day because you're stressed. We're all stressed. And my bosses, holy shit. Stop getting into my shit on how an order is made. You want it, you'll get it on time! You getting into the details is making everyone's job harder and lousier!"

The two seemed to have been going at this for a while. There were two bottles next to them, the one near Gorou was some expensive sake, he kept for special occasions, and the one near Sirzechs had some unfamiliar language on it to Issei and some beast symbol as a logo.

"And then there's my family. I love them all, but I really wish they would do stuff to anto, anto... fight with each other. I don't want my parents and Ria-tan to fight. And my wife is too cold. Too focused on her maid play." Said Sirzechs.

"That's hot." Gorou replied.

Miki blushed while looking at Grayfia with a sympathetic embarrassed smile. Grayfia was now blushing too, and slowly raising her hand to facepalm.

"No, no. She wants me be dominating, but I don't wanna hurt her. I just want to make slow love to her."

"Man... nice."

As the two men's discussion veered into a more sensitive subject, Issei finally reacted.

"Welp. I'm gonna go outside and... look at the sky or make more figurines or something." Issei said.

"I'll join you." Rias deadpanned and speed walked behind Issei.

"Hey, Issei~!" Gorou finally noticed his son and waved at him.

"Hey, dad." Issei smiled and waved back.

"Ria-tan!" Sirzechs shouted cheerfully, before his face turned serious, while retaining his drunken flush. "Are you doing the sex with this dragon boy? Just so you know dragon pheromones aren't real, don't fall for them! And if they are, I'd count them as a rape drug, I don't care what anyone else says."

Issei and Rias were gob smacked at the nonsense the Satan Lucifer was saying.

"Lord Lucifer. The auras of powerful beings being seen as attractive is a normal facet of life.

"Super powers is a rape drug!?" Gorou cried out in shock.

"Someone needs to do something!" Sirzechs, a Super Devil, one of the strongest beings in world shouted in shock and outrage.

"Power being seen as attractive doesn't make them a rape drug." Grayfia sighed and went on to try and calm the two down.

"Grayfia, I'll see you and Onii-sama at dinner." Rias said to her older sister figure as she turned to leave.

"Of course, Rias-sama." The Strongest Maid nodded.

"Grayfia-san, I need to go start working on lunch, are you going to be fine alone?" Miki asked, deciding to escape the madness for a little while.

"Um, I'll help out!" Asia who hand been quiet thus far, follow Miki into the kitchen.

"No, it's fine. Thank you, Miki-san. I'm sorry that I can not go help out as well." Grayfia nodded with a smile in return. "I'll ensure they don't mix up each other's bottles."

Issei and Rias wisely left quietly, lest they be drawn into the drunken shenanigans.

===x===

Rias found Issei in the back garden of his house.

There was a plastic table and some chairs for place.

Issei had a box clay figurines, some paint and paint brushes on the table in front of him.

He took the figurine, a girl with a unique white uniform, with black belts above and below her chest, highlighting it. Another belt was on her waist. Her red distinct auburn red hair was the first colored. Issei very carefully painted the rest of the girl's body, before moving onto her uniform.

"Is that 'Fujimaru'?" Rias aske, wondering if that's the girl Issei met in the other world. Very quickly she composed herself to sound a bit more neutral, when she remembered how he reacted to being asked about her, back when she first had him come to the ORC house. "Huh, you really paid a lot of attention to the details on her." She said noticing the other models of Fujimaru. Some held a mischievous pose looking like she's trolling someone. Another held her in a hyped up pose. And there was another one with a serious face, as she held a commanding pose.

Rias noticed this consistent red tattoo on the girl figurine's right hand.

"Obviously." Issei replied.

"I'm surprised you didn't take liberties and exaggerate some of her features like her breasts." She said jokingly.

"Nope, Ritsuka is perfect with her 32C and she doesn't need anything more than that! Besides it compliments her figure and her gremlin personality. Smug shortstacks are where its at. Although technically she's not that short, I'm just taller than her." Issei cried out passionately, before blinking and regaining his calm demeanor. He coughed and tried to play it off. "A-hem. I mean, it would be disrespectful since she's a real person, so I have to faithfully recreate what she looked—looks like accurately. Also, um, please don't mention what I said."

Issei heard giggling from next to him.

He looked to the side to see Rias holding her stomach, and covering her mouth, while looking away.

"I'm-I'm sorry." She laughed some more, trying to look calm. "But for a moment there, you were the normal Issei I've been more familiar with." Rias said. "Not that I don't like the new Issei, but knowing the cute perverted one is still there, is kinda reassuring."

"Heh, gee thanks, I guess." He chuckled. "I mean, it's not like I don't recognize the beauty of boobs, but if it's not her, I don't really bother noticing it that much." Issei said with a melancholic look, staring at the sky, at something far away and at nothing.

"Okay, wow. Now I really wanna know more about this Fujimaru Ritsuka." Rias said excitedly. "So, before with the phonebook, you were looking for her here in our world? Was the isekai a dream world or an alternate reality?"

Issei went to answer but paused at a thought that crossed his mind.

"Not a dream isekai. Technically. I mean, it wasn't a dream world. Although I did end up in those at times." He muttered at the end to himself. "What do you consider as 'alternate realities'? Like Shaman Emperor and Reaper? Or Shaman Emperor and Final Treasure? What about Final Treasure and Fairy Glow?" Issei thought out loud.

Rias' eyes seemed to shine with excitement at the anime discussion, while holding her chin, intrigued at the thought.

"Final Treasure and Fairy Glow would be alternate realities, from each other, and from modern settings that takes place in a world like ours. Same with something like Shaman Emperor which is a urban fantasy setting, and Final Treasure which is a completely different world and setting. Shaman Emperor and Reaper would be parallel worlds." Rias paused. "Actually, both series can feasibly be part of the same world. They both use spirit energy under different names."

"Hmm, I mean sure, and the plots won't overlap since one is taking place in the living world, and the other is in the afterlife. But there is nothing like the nature spirits in the Reaper setting." Issei said as finished the Ritsuka figurine, and he began to coloring on the figurine of Scathach. The Scathach figurine was posed in a casual stance, facing someone with a smirk, while holding her red spear behind her.

"The empties, probably?" Rias said, but from her frown, she started to see the crossover theory wouldn't work.

"Those are all enemies, and nature spirits are neutral for the most part. Also no dead soul ever turned into an empty in Shaman Emperor. Maybe cursed spirits, but they just reverse to normal dead souls after getting beaten up." Issei said.

"Hmm, I was sure the two settings were more compatible? Maybe we can say because none of the Shaman tournament stuff have anything to do with the afterlife, that's why we don't see anything resembling it in Reaper?" Rias offered a theory.

"Maybe. What about Shame Emperor and Katekyo Hitman Revive?" Issei said, as he finished the Scathach figurine and started on the Nero figurine, who was posed with a large open mouth smile, eyes close, with one arm on her chest and another raised high. It was Nero singing.

"They could a same setting situation. Both use spirit energy with different terms." Rias said confidently.

"Pretty sure the Flaming Will is a sort of physical energy thing. You know, like Ki from Drag-So Ball." Issei thought back, smirking a little at Rias crestfallen expression at having her idea shot down.

Rias then quickly looked back up.

"Wait, Ki is spiritual energy." She argued.

Issei furrowed his brows in thought.

"Nooo...? Ki is physical energy, since it only increased when the character push their bodies and muscles to the limit." He said back.

"Then the entire plots involving the Otherworld in Drag-So Ball wouldn't work, since Go-tu and others were dead." Rias pointed out smugly.

Issei raised a finger to counterpoint her, then stopped and thought some more.

"I think the official explanation was Ki is Lifeforce, so maybe that makes it, its own thing that can work whether the characters were alive or dead. So maybe it's a combination of physical and spiritual like in Naruko with chakra?" Issei said.

"I'll take it." Rias nodded in acceptance. "So what do we call worlds that are similar to our modern-day setting, but have different power systems, or slightly different history, but still similar to our modern world?"

"'Compatible parallel worlds' that have a power system that's basically the same as ours but with a different name. And 'Non-compatible parallel worlds', that are modern settings but have significant differences." Issei offered a solution.

"Done!" Rias agreed with a smile. She then blinked at she felt like she was missing something. "Wait, what were we taking about originally?"

"Anime?" Issei said back, while trying to appear casual, but he couldn't hold back his amused smirk.

"Your Isekai adventure!" Rias remembered, her eyes widening and shining again. "So what was the setting you fell in? Were you summoned as a hero to battle the Demon King? Was it a world where you had to fight in a tournament as some certain kingdom's representative? Did you meet some Isekai Goddess who gave you some OP cheat power and just let you run free? Although technically Boosted Gear is a cheat power without needing anything on top of it." Rias blabbered without pause. "Or! Or! You were summoned on the demons' side to fight against some corrupt goddess and her zealous xenophobic humans?"

Issei began to chuckle at Rias' enthusiasm and motor mouth.

Rias stopped, blushing at how she acted.

"N-No, it was none of that." Issei said through the laughs.

"Ah, sorry. Calling the world you went to as a 'setting' is probably rude and insensitive. I just meant, I wanted to know the overall situation in that world, and what did you do?" She asked.

"No, no, I get it." Issei chuckled a bit more, before regaining his composure. "It not so much as summoned, as by luck and circumstances, I went to that place because I... owed a debt." Issei said with a soft look in his eyes.

"A debt?" Rias asked, tilting her head.

[Prince Hydro.]

"Shut up, Ddraig!" Issei shouted, red faced.

"Prince what?" One could almost imagine question marks over Rias' head.

"Nothing. Nothing." Issei waved his hands in front of himself, hoping to push away Rias' curiosity. "Basic situation, in that other world, well, the apocalypse already happened and mankind was dead."

"What!?" Rias cried out in shock.

"Then the group of survivors used their time machine, along with summoned souls of heroes from across all of history, to travel to the past and correct the deviations in history and to fight the Demon Gods responsible for that. So technically it was your first guess of me being summoned to defeat a Demon King. Except I wasn't summoned, I willingly volunteered to go there, and the Final Boss was a few tiers above a 'Demon King'." Issei abridged the explanation.

"PLEASE, TELL ME MORE!" Rias grabbed one of Issei's free hand with both of hers, as she looked at him with all her earnestness and curiosity. Her blue eyes were glowing with excitement. Literally.

"Well, this." Issei started to show off the figurines one by one. "Is Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the Fifth Roman Emperor. And this is Scathach, the Witch of Dún Scáith and Queen of the Land of Shadows. And this is Edward Teach, actually a bro."

"WOOOAAA—Wait. I thought Emperor Nero was a man?" Rias asked.

"Yeah, that's one of the weird mysteries of that world. Even though our history books are likely the same in everything—the mundane side at least—a lot of historical figures there surprisingly were actually women, who were just mistakenly remembered as men."

"..." Rias' expression was one of wide eyed pure wonderment and amazement. Her mouth frozen in a wide open smile, as she had hundreds of thoughts in her mind, but unable to voice them all at once, or choose which one to ask first.

Issei started showing Rias the figurines present and which Heroic Spirit they were.

For the rest of their talk, Issei told her about the Servants and diverted her attention from having to tell her the events of the Grand Order.