"So what's the plan for today?" Issei ask the three, all of them are currently having breakfast in the club lounge "Up to Akeno" Nawin answers "Well I like to get some good picture of this place and need to buy some stuff for others... Hmm we can meet up together here again at the evening since I want to take a nice picture of us all" Rias lays out her plan.

"I was planning on spending my day with Nawin-kun only, so sounds good for me and I like the idea of taking a picture together" Akeno said as she takes a bite of a chocolate croissant. Rias nod and smile, understanding her friend wanting to spend alone time with the Makasha "Then it's settled, me and Issei will go sightseeing and get some souvenirs while you two go enjoy yourselves".

Nawin finish the food on his plate then turns to Issei "You going to do anything about Elise?" he questions, grabbing a glass of water while the Hyoudou turn to him, holding a confuse expression "What you mean?". Nawin take a sip and send the brown haired a dull glance "Recruiting her to your peerage" he said out like it's the most obvious thing.

Rias and Akeno also listens in and see the look of hesitant and conflict in Issei's face "I-I mean... I got a chance to get to know her well and she's a very humble, modest, confident, and a bit of a tomboy person, also she's definitely strong but with her being the Queen's daughter... I think I won't be allowed to recruit her" he said in a honest tone, clearly the other sees how much the Hyoudou have thought about this.

Nawin sighs as he places the glass down and turn his gaze to the brown haired "Have you ask her?" "No" "Have you talked to her mother?" "... No" "Grow some balls and talk to Elise and her mother instead of sitting there and overthinking it" Nawin state making Issei glare at him "Fine! I will later today!".

Rias send a grateful glance to the Makasha for pushing Issei to talk with Elise, "Alright then, Issei you can do that before we meet up back here... seems like we got everything plan so let's enjoy our day in Shigemi" she said with a large smile full of excitement.

Time Skip: With Akeno and Nawin

"You want to head to the Zoo?" Nawin ask with hands in pocket, glancing to the side to look at his lover who nods "I didn't even know there's one here" he admits "I was surprise at first but I took this guide book from the Inn and there's seems to be one just outside of Lilios" Akeno said and pulls out the book from her purse. Nawin take notice at the brown leather purse that he bought for the raven haired at their date.

"Brought that along huh... I'm honestly glad that we made time to get you some clothes" he comments and take a look at Akeno's attire which consist of a violet short sleeve blouse, tight black jeans that match with the black boots. Akeno send a curious look to the black haired "You really don't like Kuoh uniform?" "It's not that but I had to see you wear it all the time, even on the weekends or just going out so I was getting a bit sick of it" he reply.

Akeno giggles before grabbing the Makasha's hand and start dragging him to the entrance of Lilios "Thanks again for buying me clothes, now I can repay that by buying you a ticket and other stuff today" she said making Nawin look down at her "You sure? I don't mind payi-" "Nope! I'm paying!" she said in a darker tone while a sadistic smile form on her mind making the black haired sweat a bit before nodding "A-alright".

The couple make their way out of the gate and head to the horse stand that is built at the right side of the entrance. "Renting a horse?" the owner of the stand asks to receive a nod from the two "Well go ahead and take your pick! No need to pay" he said with a big smile and look at Nawin "Glad to see you fully recovered Sir Nawin, I get to say thank you for protecting our home! We all owe you and Sir Issei" he said and gives a bow.

Nawin was a bit surprise at the sudden comment and gesture but nod back "It's fine... I did what I thought was right and no way will I allow myself to let Shigemi and its innocent people fall" he said making the elderly man look at him and smile "You are a kind soul Sir Nawin".

The man turn to Akeno and grin "You are lucky to have a man like him Miss Akeno" he said making her giggle a bit while Nawin chuckles "It's usually the other way around" the Makasha replies making the man laugh "Indeed! Well I'll not take more of your time, please enjoy your day" he said and head back indoors.

Akeno release the Makasha's hand and make her way to a beautiful brown horse, "Aren't you sweet!" she smiles and pat the stallion making it purrs and leans into her hand. Nawin jumps right on the leather saddle placed on a strong black horse, "Easy there, fella" he said in a soothing tone when feeling it tense before it slowly eases when he gently stroke it's soft brown hair.

"You ready?" Nawin turn to the side and see Akeno sited comfortably on the saddle "Yep, follow me" she said with clear excitement in her tone making him chuckle and slowly his horse follow alongside hers.

The two ride on quietly and stare at the beautiful scenery that Shigemi have to offer "This place beauty still takes my breath away... look at all those beautiful field! Full of colorful flowers and vibrant grass" she points to the right making Nawin look and nod in agreement "Yeah... Grandma wasn't exaggerating when she said this place would be majestic" he reply.

Akeno turns her head to the Makasha, holding an amuse but also confuse expression, "I've never got the time to ask you this but why do you refer Grayfia-sama as Grandma?" she ask which earns a chuckle from the other. "Because she treats me like a grandson, always telling me to be polite, taking care of me when I was sick, and forcing me into an uncomfortable suit to a party, so I find it fitting" he said which made Akeno think for a few second before giggling since she can see the logic in that.

"You look up to Grandma?" Nawin ask which gets a nod from the Himejima "Yes, she's also a Queen and is consider the most powerful and respected one... I always kind of look up to her and she's also the many people who took care of me when I joined the Gremory Clan" Akeno said and quickly the Makasha attention lift when hearing the last part.

Nawin knows that the Himejima is hesitant on talking about her past even after being in a relationship with him about two months now and he knows she trust him wholeheartedly, but something is stopping her from telling him. 'From little details Azazel told me is that it isn't a pleasant memory... Akeno when will you tell me? What is stopping you from telling me?', Nawin shake his head and decides to drop it for now and enjoy the day with his lover.

After a five minute of quiet riding, the two notice a large wooden building at the distance, they were surprise when a head of a giraffe pointed out from the tall walls. "Guess that's the place" Nawin comment making Akeno nod "Short line... guess lots of people are too busy with the recent event to come to the zoo" she states.

Nawin and Akeno stop in front of the horse stand and tie the straps around the poles, then the two make way to the ticket booth and wait behind the short line. "Wah! Black Flash!" a young voice squeaks making the two look down to see a cute seven-year-old girl staring at Nawin with her big blue exciting eyes.

The Makasha smiles and kneel down to the child's level "That would be me, something you need little one?" he asks kindly making the girl grin and nod "Kella what are y- oh my" a middle-aged man who's carrying a ticket pause when seeing Nawin kneeled in front of his daughter.

"S-Sir Nawin" he stutters, not expecting to see someone like him in places like this "You the girl's father?" Nawin ask which earn a nod from the older man as he picks the young girl up "Yes, sorry if she's bothering you, though she did say she wanted to meet you after that battle" the father said with a sheepish grin.

"Papa can you take a picture of me and Black Flash! Pwease!" the child pleads giving puppy eyes to her father who easily gives in and turns to Nawin, who smiles "I don't mind at all". The father got out a big old fashion camera that prints out the picture "Mind I get in the picture" Akeno ask which the girl nod "Of course! You were so cool when beating that bad vampire!" she exclaims.

Nawin and Akeno kneel beside the girl and they all smile as the father took the picture "Done" he said and slowly the picture slide out to show a nice photo of the three. The father hand it down to the girl who smile happily seeing it before turning to the two "Thank you very much! I will cherish this and I hope to be as strong as you two one day!" she said making the couple smile "I'm sure you will" Akeno said.

The father smile then lift his daughter up "Come on now, mommy is waiting inside" he speaks before turning to the two "Thank you very much" he said with gratitude, then enters the through the gate as Kella wave goodbye to the two who returns it.

"You are really getting famous Nawin" Akeno state, turning to the black haired who shrugs and take a step forward as the line shortens "I'm just happy to see smiles on kids face when they see me... it shows the stuff I'm doing are right" he replies. Akeno smile happily when hearing the Makasha response, even though he may be cold and stoic outside, inside he has a big kind heart.

A few minutes past and they are next in line "Two tickets please" Nawin said and drop a few gold coins that Akeno has given him, "Hope you enjoy the animals Sir Nawin" the woman said with a bright smile and hands the tickets "Thanks". The two walk pass the opened large doors and pass the ticket to the entrance stand-man.

Akeno took a guide map from the entrance stand "Hmm, let's go see some tigers since we're near them" she said "Sure, I've always been fond of tigers" Nawin reply which catch the raven haired attention "Really? Is it like your favorite animal?" Akeno ask, always interested on learning more about her lover.

"You can say that, you have any favorite animals?" Nawin ask making the Himejima think for a minute "Hmm... Wolves" she answers which makes Nawin chuckle a bit "Wolves huh, gets violet and extremely protective when predator get near their cubs or love ones... sounds very familiar" he said teasingly making Akeno giggles.

"Any animals you dislike or hate?" Nawin ask and immediately Akeno's features darken slightly as her eyes sharpen in almost hatred "Crows... I hate crows" she mutters with venom dripping in her tone. Nawin raise an eyebrow at this until Akeno's feature brighten again and turns to him with a smile "What about you?" "Snakes, I really hate snakes" he replies.

Akeno quickly notice the slight tension in the air but quickly she spot a large glass door on the right and smile when seeing couple of beautiful tigers walking around in the spacious and neatly cut grass field with a large pond at the center "Nawin-kun look!" she points.

Nawin turns and is surprise to see the tigers, slowly a smile form on his lips when he sees one of the tigers staring at him with its dark amber eyes, "Oh look! She's sheltering her small cubs!" Akeno points and gushes when seeing two cute baby tigers sleeping on their mother's arms.

The Makasha smile when seeing one of the cups opening their eyes and stare at them, he turns around when hearing a loud footstep and is surprise to see what it is. "Akeno... look at that one" Nawin said and point to the right making the raven haired look at the end and is shock to see a beautiful adult tiger but what's special about it is that it's fur is pure black with gray stripes and bright yellow eyes "Wow".

"I've never seen a tiger like that one before" Nawin comments while looking at the creature with fascination as it walks to the pond to take a drink from it "Same here... it must be a really rare breed" Akeno reply. "It sure is" a thick accent voice comment making the two turn to see a beautiful short haired blonde lady stopping in front of them "We caught that beauty a few months ago, when two large bears were ganging up on her, luckily we came in time before any serious injuries could be inflicted" she informs then turns to the glass to look at the tiger.

"So, it's like a new breed of tigers? We never seen them in Veserima" Nawin said and he also recalls never seeing that kind of tiger back at the human world "Yes, there has been some reports from people from several villages caught sightings of these animals, but we all thought it was a black bear or something, until we caught her" the woman answers.

"Any differences that tiger has compare to the others?" Akeno questions "Oh there certainly is, she's a good girl... always calm and rarely gets violent unless you do something to annoy her, she's a very peaceful one compare to the others, though when aggravated she's very deathly, once she almost broke this glass when one of those snotty brats start yelling at it and slamming the glass to provoke her while she was sleeping" the blonde said with clear annoyance shown in her tone at the kid's actions.

Nawin smile when hearing that tone "I see the animal have a very smart and kind caretaker, I'm glad to see that" he comments clearly seeing how much the young woman care for these animals. The blonde giggles and grin "Me and the other caretaker care greatly for these animals, we all give them big spaces where they can settle at easily and comfortably, feeding them a healthy amount everyday while also caring for them, it's our jobs after all" she said before looking down at her watch "Seems like my break is over, well you two enjoy the rest of the zoo" she said and runs ahead.

Akeno look down at her map to see the next animals is hippos "Shall we continue?" she asks, turning to the Makasha to see him staring at the black tiger with a faint smile plastered on his face "Mhm... sure" he reply. Akeno smiles, happy to see her idea of going to the zoo have made her lover happy and finally have fun and relax for once, "Then let's go" she announces and grabs his hand to lead him forward.

Lilios

Rias watch in amusement at her boyfriend nervousness as they are currently walking through the town, lots of people are greeting them and especially him with warm smiles, they already got stop a couples of time by nobles so they can offer their thanks to the Hyoudou for protecting them and Shigemi.

It's clear to Rias that Issei isn't used to this kind of attention and clearly feels out of his element but she thinks this will be a good way to get him used to it, so she just silently watches as he waves back at the people and give them his trademark wide grin.

Rias smiles warmly when thinking of how much Issei has grown when she first met him, 'You've gain much confidents in yourself and become very strong Issei... I wish I could say it was me who played a big role on that but someone may have helped you more than even I" she thought as a picture of her dear friend Nawin appears in her mind.

The Gremory decide to look around and luckily spot a fancy looking store that have lots of interesting accessories in the display glass at front, "Issei" she calls out making the boy turn around "Yeah?" "Let's go check that store out" she said and walk toward the medium size building with the Hyoudou following closely behind.

The couple enter the store and is greeted by hundreds of items going from simple accessories to a master crafted swords and expensive looking rings or sparkling dress "Woah! This place seems to have everything" Issei said while looking at the shelves filled with items and there's even suit of armor to display the amazing looking armory.

"Seems like I picked the right place" Rias smile and start looking through each items carefully "Hmm, Issei I'm going to need your help here, also you should pick something up for Kokoro" she advise making the brown haired nod "Good idea, so you want me to pick blondeie something also" he said with sarcastic tone making the crimson haired chuckle and turn to him "Pick something nice for him, you two have gotten along well and I'm sure he will really appreciate it" "Alright".

Rias walk deeper into the store, looking through the shelves and quickly something catch her attention "Oh?" she picks up a beautifully hand crafted two, silver, cat hair clip"Amazing, these looks so premium and made of some tough metal" she said in awe looking at the hair clip placed then place it back in the nice looking glass box "Perfect for Koneko" Rias smile when seeing the crafted cat is silver colored with shining slit yellow eyes just like her close-friend.

"What could Kokoro like, hmm" Issei looks at all of the items in front of him 'She's a bit of a tomboy and not your average girl so think carefully' Ddraig advise "She certainly is different from other girls" Issei commend dully, knowing how tough his Queen can be.

"... Whao!" Issei's sight stop onto a unique looking knuckle knife "Hmm, this might be something she likes" he picks up the deathly looking weapon and examines it. The blade and knuckle seems to be made of pure gold 'Not pure gold, it just layered on top of it to make it look premium... Hmm from the smell of it, it seems to be made from Saphrite, a rare metal and one of the strongest out there, also it's a metal that can infuse with magic to create some surprising results' Ddraig inform.

Issei grins after hearing the dragon's explanation "Sounds like a perfect gift for her and it's a close range weapon which she's good at" he said and place the knuckle knife back in its brown leather scabbard 'Good choice there partner, I'm sure she'll love it'.

"Now to get something for blondeie" Issei said and start scanning through for items. "What would Xenovia like?" Rias mutter out while tapping her lip, before letting out a sigh "Huh, sad that we never had the time to get to know each other better, though that will be fix soon enough".

The Gremory's gaze pause at a pair of nice looking fingerless gloves "Hmm" she picks it up and examines it, it has black, hard leather on the front and the back, with double leather on the palm for better protection, silver metal knuckle for protection and neoprene on the wrist, "This seems like something that will help her for sword wielding and hand to hand combat" Rias smile and pick the pair of gloves up.

Zoo

"Awwww, SO CUTE!" Akeno gush at the baby wolf that she's currently hugging to death, Nawin watch with a smile seeing this while surprisingly the mother wolf, who's watching behind the cage just stare at the scene with no problem, 'Animals here must be more intelligent compare to our world' Nawin notes.

Akeno stroke the soft, white fur of the cub wolf before turning to Nawin "Can we keep it?" she asks making him sweat drop while the mother wolf immediately stands up and glare at the raven haired "Don't worry, we're not going to take your baby" Nawin reassures, which eases the large wolf a bit then he turns his attention back to Akeno "We can't take the cub away from the mother and we already got a pet".

Akeno pouts a bit while still stroking the wolf soft hair making it purrs at the gently touch, making him look even cuter "Sairis is never home" she complains childishly making Nawin chuckle a bit "True, she likes to run off but that's just her... she's a very adventurous dog, but her home is still with us, that's why she always returns" he explains.

"I guess, well little guy, it's time for you to return to your mommy" Akeno said, picking the little wolf up and place it back in the cage with the mother. The two watch as one of the worker open the other side of the cage to set the two free into their large home with the other wolves.

"Let's continue on, we still got a few animals to see" Nawin said, making the raven haired nod and the two begin walking forward the straight path. "What's next for you when returning back home Nawin-kun?" Akeno ask "The Tournament is coming up isn't it? I'll probably be training for that... something tells me I'm gonna need it since the last one with Sairaorg, I had a tough time with him".

"You really think you'll have a hard time? I think you'll just flash through it" Akeno comment with the pun clearly intended making Nawin chuckle lightly "I might, but I'm positive Sirzech will place some of the strongest fighter in Veserima against us, so it's best I be prepared, having the title 'strongest youth' doesn't really mean there's no young fighters out there that can be as strong or even stronger than me"

Akeno thinks for a minute "Well, I guess there's a good chance of that being true, there are other villages spread through the underworld and I bet some of them house strong fighters" she said which catch the Makasha attention "I thought most villages outside from Veserima are for exiles or devil's that wants to live in harmony"

"Not true, there's four major village spread around the underworld and those village are ruled by the Four Satans, those four villages are different from the ones you must have encountered, these villages are more like a smaller version of Shigemi with their own forces and civilians, each have a leader that is assigned by the Satans and they are called Emperor, their jobs is to protect the village and send information to the Satans if there's ever something important" Akeno explains this new information that the Makasha is listening to closely.

"To put it simply, the four Emperors are like the Satan's right-hand men?" Nawin comment, receiving a nod from Akeno "In a way yes, these villages were created because Veserima was getting over populated so some lower clans moved to those village to keep the population stable, the higher clan like the Phenex and Gremory stayed in Veserima since it is the main capital of the underworld" she reply.

"Interesting" Nawin comment with intrigue to learn more about the underworld, "So Nawin-kun, with Issei trying to recruit Elise... are you planning on getting anyone here?" Akeno asks "I've seen no one that has caught my attention" Nawin answers simply.

The next stop for the two is the giraffe section, "Aren't you a sweetie" Akeno smile and pet one of the older giraffe who has its head lower and look at the Himejima with its wise brown eyes. "Here's some food for her" Nawin comes back with a bucket full of large leaves which Akeno takes and feeds the animal with it.

"Quite hungry" Nawin comment when seeing the giraffe chewing on the first leaf quickly before taking the second one. Another smaller giraffe stop in front of Nawin and bought its head toward him "I see you're hungry too, little fella" he smiles and takes some leaves from the bucket and feeds the younger one.

When the two giraffes are full, they slowly return back to their own group. Akeno smile happily when seeing the peaceful sight of the giraffes "I like this" she mutters and lean her head on the Makasha's shoulder. Nawin smile and leans his head above the raven haired as they stare at the giraffes eating from the trees while the younger ones are running circles around their parents.

"Do you thi-" Akeno pause but continues "Do you think we will ever be able to live peacefully Nawin-kun?" she ask which made Nawin heartache but he respond by bringing the Himejima closely to him, "I'll make it happen Akeno... one day we will be able to live in peace without enemy loaming in the shadows... that I promise".

The peaceful silence is suddenly interrupted by a stomach growl making Akeno blinks and look up to the slightly flustered Makasha "Hungry?" she said with a smile making the other chuckle "Indeed, it's almost lunch" "Then let's go find some restaurant" Akeno state, grabbing a hold of Nawin's hand and make way out of the Zoo.

Time Skip: Grand Castle

"Issei?... is there something you need?" Roseral ask, surprise by the Hyoudou sudden appearance. Issei stop in front of the throne as the guard that escort him shuts the door to leave only the Queen, her guards and Issei in the room.

"Yes, your highness, there's something I want to discuss with you... it's about Elise" Issei said while gathering enough courage inside to say it. Even though right now the Queen may look calm and collective, also she doesn't seem like a person to snap but even now the Hyoudou can feel just the power the Queen is producing that made his skin shiver and his hair raise 'I can see why even captains are intimidated by her and follow her orders without hesitation' Issei notes in his mind.

Roseral raise an eyebrow at hearing her daughter's name and gently leans forward to give the Hyoudou her full attention "Go on" she ushers. "I should have probably talked to her about this first but I thought addressing this to you first will be better... I want Elise to be part of my peerage" Issei said and immediately the room air tense.

The two guards grip their weapons tightly while Roseral eyes widen ever slightly at what she just heard, before she could reply, Issei continues "I may not know her well but I've got the chance to have a nice and long talk with her, I've seen she's secretly craving for friends and how she's hiding that sadness away to not let it bother others... I want to be that friend that she wants... I may not know much about her past and why she's like this but It's been a blast for me to get to know her and I want to help her".

Roseral stare long at the Hyoudou which unsettling him "Do you want to know why Elise is like that Issei?" she asks, making the brown haired look up at her surprise then slowly nod "If it's not too much to ask... yes" he reply.

A sad and regretful smile form on the Queen's face "As you know Elise is adopted, she isn't my biological child... before I found her, she was nothing more than a peasant orphan girl" "W-what happened to her parents?" Issei ask "Her mother died when giving birth and her father... he was an abusive and blamed the poor girl for his lover death, he start acting like that when Elise turned six and her face start resembling a lot like her mother's, Elise was abused in so many ways and one time when she was just ten... he almost did something unspeakable to her" Roseral said which froze the Hyoudou heart knowing what the Queen mean.

Issei grits his teeth and clench his hand tightly, wishing to beat the living hell out of that bastard "Elise was able to escape and ran away from home, her father died shortly over heart failure with all amount of alcohol drunk and the pills he'd taken" 'Good Riddance' Issei thought, before the Queen continues "Elise ran into a group of other young kids who either lost their parents or were abandoned by them... they greeted Elise in with open arm and together they become a small family that steal food and protect each other and the leader of that group is Bronwen Escalo".

Issei is surprise to hear Bronwen was involve with Elise that far back 'I wonder what happened to sour their relationship if they were that close for so long', "So what happen next?" he asks. Roseral takes a deep breath "The peaceful life didn't last long, over the years... one by one the group start losing their family members, either by starving to death or getting beaten too severally when caught stealing or killed by monsters... when Elise was thirteen there were only two left... herself and Bronwen" she said which shock the Hyoudou.

"Elise and Bronwen care for each other like brother and sister... they fight, eat, live, survive alongside each other, then one day Bronwen came back to their hideout heavily injured by an attack from a wraith but he luckily manages to escape alive" Roseral takes a deep breath and look to the right to see a large window showing parts of Lilios.

"Since there wasn't any medical kit lied around, Elise did the only thing she could and speed toward a hospital to steal a medical kit to help Bronwen... she did a good job infiltrating in and with it being night, it helped her a lot but before she could escape with the kit, I caught her since I was there to do a checkup since at that time I was pregnant with Ceri" Roseral smile a bit at the memory "She was such a mess, dirt covering her whole rugged clothes, I knew she was an orphan but it was rare to find one trying to steal from the hospital since most get caught before they could even enter the building".

"Elise struggle hard and scream at the top of her lungs before losing conscious from the raw emotion and exhaustion... I took her back here and heal her, after an hour she woke up and immediately tried to escape but I stop her and told her what's wrong, after hearing about why she wanted to steal the kit and begging me to help her..." "So, you send your men to save Bronwen?" Issei said making the Queen nod.

"Luckily Bronwen was strong enough to make it and from that on... a lot changed, I adopted Elise as my own which was hugely frown upon by the clan nobles and some of the people, having a Queen adopt a peasant, but I followed through it and my husband offered his support as well, after hearing the heartbreaking story of Elise's past" Roseral release wavering sigh before continuing.

"Elise was overjoyed and happy but that soon dwindle when Bronwen turn cold on her... he saw her as a traitor for just abandoning the family that saved her and came to us, Elise tried her hardest to explain but nothing goes through Bronwen stubborn mind as in his eyes he sees Elise abandon the family that helped her... the family that has been killed because he couldn't protect them... I can't blame him since it must be very hard for him to see Elise move into another family in joy and left him on his own" Roseral said with tone full of sadness.

'Wow... I never thought he would have it that rough... I guess it explains why he is so cold to Elise and in all around a stoic guy' Issei thought, feeling pity for the man. "Bronwen is a good man, it took him a while but he personally did thank me for taking Elise in and never held a grudge" Roseral said which made Issei look at her confuse "Then why is he still so cold to Elise?" "To make her stronger" she replies which surprise the Hyoudou as he did not expect that kind of answer.

"He gave Elise the motivation to train stronger because she was slacking off when joining us... of course me and my husband showered all our love to her but everyone in Shigemi, especially the captains and higher up clans leader wanted to see that Elise can earned the name bloodmoon, after my husband passed away, Elise started training to her hardest on wanting to protect her family and to show Bronwen that she isn't trash".

A smile slowly grace Roseral's face "With strong motivation you can achieve almost anything and Bronwen was a big motivation piece for Elise, he loves her dearly but I'm afraid he's just become so cold over the years of brutal training to risen up the rank and losing his family that he finds it hard to express it to her again".

Roseral seeing Issei deep in thought by all this information, she smiles elegantly before speaking again "It's up to Elise herself if she wants to become part of your peerage Issei, she's a big girl now and it's her life but if you want my opinion... I like the idea of what you are proposing since it will give her a chance to explore the world outside of Shigemi and have a chance to make friends that she's secretly crave, I know you have your heart in the right place for her and want to help her so I don't see why I shouldn't be against it" she said.

Issei bows down and place a hand over his chest "Thank you, your highness for having faith in me... I'll go ask Elise and if she says yes then I will help her out of her shell and she will be welcome open arms to our group... we all are like a family and we will treat her like one... I want her to feel that kind of happiness and warmness again, and not live in loneliness" Issei swears making the Queen smile warmly "Thank you Issei, I have given all my love possible to Elise and it helped her but only so far, I leave it up to you".

Time Skip: Division Five Barracks

Elise is currently training in the clear training ground that is built in the middle of the barracks, there's plenty of training equipments for disposal and dummies to practice your sword swing or close combat with.

Elise is currently swinging her sword vertically "Hundred and ninety eight" she mutter with sweat profusely dripping down her face and body as she lift her sword up one more time and swing it down "Hundred and ninety nine" she lift her aching arms one more time and swing it down with all her force that cause the ground in front of her to be slice by in an invisible force, leaving a large sword slash in the ground "Two hundred!".

"Practicing hard... princess" a snotty voice comment which immediately made Elise sighs and turn around "What is it that you need, forth-seat" she asks staring at the curly blonde haired man with sharp green eyes that is glowing with arrogant.

Issei just arrived and is standing on the branch, on one of the few trees planted around the training ground, he stares at the scene with annoyance and is ready to step in. "Oh nothing, just seeing you training hard and wanted to say Hi" the blonde said making Elise sigh and turn her back on him "Well, now that you said your hi, I can go back to my training" she retorts.

The forth seat didn't take the disrespect lightly and immediately stump toward the girl and grab her shoulder tightly to twist her around to face him "Show some respect girl! I'm a higher rank than you" he shouts and suddenly bring his hand up and about to bring it down on the princess's face. "Don't even" another hand snatch the blonde's wrist, "Uh!" Elise eyes widen to see Issei appearing beside them and glare harshly at the shock forth-seat "With her being a princess, she stands well above you!" Issei retorts and push the blonde back.

Issei stand in front of the Elise "Get lost or I'll kick your ass" he states, the forth-seat curse when seeing it's one of the heroes that faced Kaizen and he knows the Hyoudou holds a higher rank than his "Tsk, whatever" he spat and leaves the training grounds.

Elise get rid of her shock expression that turns into a teasing smile "You know I could have handled him, right?' she asks. Issei turn around with his trademark grin plastered on his face "I know, but I thought the way he treated you was wrong so I decide to step in" he reply which made Elise blush a bit, since it rare for people to step in and help her.

"Um... I see you've been training?" Issei decides to strike up a normal conversation first, "Yep!" Elise grin and sheaths her sword back "I want to practice my sword swing speed, since Captain Emyr said my swings are a bit slow, he said something like 'You need to stop thinking so much and just swing your blade Elise'" Issei chuckle at Elise attempt of talking like Emyr.

Elise chuckle along before turning fully to the Hyoudou "I'm glad you came here to visit but is there something you need Issei?" she asks making the brown haired pause a bit, finding it quite hard to find the right words. "U-uhm, y-yeah there's something I w-wanted to talk about" Issei said and immediately Elise raise an eyebrow when hearing the stutter and nervous tone.

"Issei, whatever you want to talk about I'll listen, so don't be so nervous... it's not like you" Elise said with a chuckle which eases the Hyoudou nerve a lot seeing that she's open minded and ready to hear what he is about to say "Alright then, can you listen on what I'm about to say and please don't say anything until I'm done" he said which catch the princess off guard, but she slowly nod back, now she's really curious on what the Hyoudou has to say.

Issei takes a deep breath and look Elise in the eyes "Elise... I want you to be a member of my peerage" he said which immediately catch the brown haired girl completely off guard as her facial expression turn into shock but she keeps quiet "I'll be lying if I said I didn't make this decision because of your powers but another reason is that I want to help you, to break you out of your shell and become your friend... I felt a similar pain like you of not having any friends or had friends that did nothing but used you... but after a turn of event in my life, I've been able to make a lot of great friends" Issei said with a smile as a picture of the entire occult club member appear in his mind.

"I know you had such a hard life and I want to help you out of that pain... the pain of loneliness, the pain of not having a friend to help you through it or have a shoulder to lean on... I want to be that friend to help you through it, I not only want you to join my peerage because of your powers but to join it so I can help you stop that pain and join a family that has helped me heal that pain" Issei said then looks up and is surprise to see tears dripping down Elise's shock face.

Elise herself didn't know tears were dripping down her eyes and quickly she wipes it away but it only keeps dripping. The princess was about to wipe it away again until two arms pulls her into hug, "It's ok... you can cry on my shoulder" Issei whispers making the brown haired openly cries out and hug him back while burying her face into his shoulder.

"... D-do you r-really mean it" Elise choke out as she brings her head up and stare at the background from across the Hyoudou's shoulder "Yes, I mean it with all my heart, I won't claim I know all of your pain but I can relate on not having friends that watch your backs and offer you a shoulder to cry on or ears to listen... I know that pain well and I don't want you to suffer through it anymore Elise" Issei pulls her back and offer her a genuine smile "I may not know you well, but I can't help wanting to help you and it's not because of pity I felt about your past but because I really want to".

Elise carefully look into the Hyoudou's eyes and find nothing but warmness and most importantly, honest "Y-you heard about my past?" she asks while wiping the last tears from her eyes. Issei nod "I went to your mother first and she told me about it... I'm truly sorry you had to go through such rough past Elise" he reply "It's ok" Elise shake her head and smile faintly "It's all in the past now and I have a new life when her majesty adopted me".

Elise shake her head and release the Hyoudou to look at him, face to face "Issei, if I do join your peerage then it means leaving Shigemi, my mother and Ceri, also my duty of being division five knights... I don't know if I can throw all of that away" she said sadly, Issei nod in understanding but he decides to ask one question "I won't push you Elise, but I have to ask... Are you truly happy here?" he questions which made the princess freeze still and start going in deep thought.

'Am I truly happy here?' Elise ask herself and searching keep down her heart, all of the loneliness, all of the whispers of insults behind her back because she a pheasant adopted by the Queen, nobles spatting on her, 'I've spend so long getting stronger to prove to Bronwen I'm not trash and to gain acceptance from the people that I never thought of myself and my own happiness...' Elise glance at Issei 'I'll always love Shigemi, Bronwen, Mother, and Ceri, but... maybe... just maybe I need a fresh start to get my mind sorted and finally think of what's good for me'.

Elise looks down at her sword 'I've gain some acceptance from the people because I stood up to fight Kaizen but I was still weak... going out there will give me more knowledge and opportunity to get stronger... Issei give me the opportunity to finally find something I've been craving for so long after losing them...'.

Issei was getting a bit worry when seeing the princess being silent for so long, when he was about to speak "Will I be able to return back here?" she asks which made him blinks a couple of time since that wasn't a question he was expecting "Well duh!" Issei grins "Being part of my peerage doesn't mean you are trap in Veserima or having to be near me! You are still your own person, so if want to visit Shigemi every once in a while, there's no problem" he said.

Issei look at her with expectation "Are you considering it?" he asks "... Yes, for so long I've been focus on getting acknowledgement from others and a close friend of mine, that I never thought of my own happiness... it's time for me to move on and I know if I leave Shigemi, I will become more powerful and get the opportunity to live out my life in a way that will make me happy... I can't say it will be forever or not, since Shigemi will always be my home" Elise said.

"Are you positive of this decision Elise?" a voice questions, making the two turn to see Roseral stopping in front of them with Emyr beside her "Mother?!" Elise utters out, in surprise. "I support you fully if that is your choice but I want you to be fully committed to it... there's no regret afterwards" the Queen state.

"Elise as your captain I have to warn you since I want what's best for your wellbeing, You deciding on this decision will cause some effects, people of Shigemi will heavily frown upon your departure of this land or to be more direct, the high clans council won't take it lightly, they will go as far as placing you as an exile" Emyr inform, which immediately froze the princess. Roseral lift her right hand up "I won't allow that to happen Emyr, I've found a loophole for that" she said which catch everyone's attention.

Roseral send a reassure smile to her daughter "One of the reason why I hired a special trainer to help you grow faster in combat is because I wanted you out of the high noble's hands... you being a civilian means they have more authority over you so if you become a knight under Emyr's care, means you are now to address to him directly or me your Queen who all the ten division serve with their lives" she said.

"You were doing that to protect me from their grasp the whole time?" Elise ask with shock, when she sees Roseral nod she wanted to go and hug her mother but refrain herself from showing that kind of affection out of the Grand castle. Emyr look at his Queen with slight shock, now knowing what she's planning "Your highness... are you?" he mutters and receive a nod.

Roseral expression turn serious "Elise Bloodmoon, I have assign you an S-Rank mission and your mission is to find Kaizen and eliminate him... you will be allowed to leave Shigemi and take as much time as needed to complete the mission, as long as you bring back his corpse or evident to show that he's been eliminated" she orders.

Elise stare at her mother in utter shock at hearing this, but she knew deep down, this was the only way for her to get out of Shigemi without suffering lots of consequences from the nobles. Elise lips slowly form a faint smile before she drops on one knee to bow down in front of her Queen "Understood your highness, I'll shall do whatever it takes to complete the mission" she swore making Roseral smile.

"Issei Hyoudou" Roseral calls out making the brown haired stand tall, in respect "Yes, your majesty?" "Treat my daughter right" she said and immediately her whole feature darkens while her soft kind eyes sharpen into seriousness "If I ever hear a word of something I don't like then I'll personally have you executed by my own hands" she states.

Everyone feels the shivering chills going through their spine, Issei usually sees these as a joke but from seeing the Queen's eyes he knew she was serious. "I promise with my own life that I will treat your daughter right and take care of her" he swears and bows down while in the back of his head, he wonders 'Is there still stuff she hasn't told me?'.

"Don't worry Mother" Elise speaks out, making the Queen turn to her "Issei is a kind person, I'm positive of it". Roseral was surprise to hear Elise having that much faith on the Hyoudou already, she smile and nod "If that's what you say then I'll take your word, well I'll leave you two alone now, there's some stuff that needs my attention" she said and start making way out of the training ground with Emyr beside her.

"Are you sure about this your highness?" Emyr ask "It will do Elise good being away from here, how can she get truly strong in a time of peace? She needs experience and to fight strong opponents and with her going with Issei will give her that opportunity, also I just want her to be truly happy and this path will hopefully help her" Roseral reply.

The two stop in the entrance of the barracks, dozens of knights line up to bow down and bid farewell to the Queen. "You sending her in this mission has stop the high nobles from getting in the way, but that won't stop them from disagreeing with your decision" Emyr state making Roseral sighs and turn around to face him "By the time they know, Elise will be long gone and I won't put up being push around anymore... they dare do a thing to harm my girl one more time and I will show them why I'm the Queen and why I'm a Bloodmoon" she retorts back sharply, shocking the captain.

Emyr bows as the Queen enter the carriage, the guard close the door and jump up to the front seat and swing the strap, the horse slowly pulls the carriage forward and head to Lilios.

Bafus Village

"Ahhhh... that was delicious!" Akeno moan, rubbing her stomach "Agreed, good pick Akeno" Nawin praise and throws a toothpick down the empty plate before looking over the window to see a beautiful, peaceful village. Children are playing, adults are working, and animals such as dogs and cats are running around.

"It seems like everything is slowly returning back to normal, after Kaizen" Akeno comment, also looking at the peaceful view. Nawin smile when seeing the sun shines pass the window and onto the raven haired "Have I ever told you that you're beautiful" he said which immediately made Akeno look at him in shock as a light blush form on her cheeks "Not enough" she smiles sultry and tease back making the black haired chuckle.

Nawin suddenly stand up and turn to a waiter that's walking by "Can we have the check" he said making the woman nod "A moment, sir". Nawin walk behind Akeno's chair and gently untie the red ribbon he had bought her, "I really like your hair Akeno, it's so smooth and elegant looking... suits you perfectly" he mutters and pulls out a black comb from Akeno's purse and gently use it to comb down the raven hair.

Akeno blush increase tenfold from the compliment before a smile fill with happiness and love form on her lips, as she feels the gentle comb strokes down her hair. The Himejima always loves her hair and the way it looks, but one of the reason why she loves her hair is because 'You have such a lovely hair my dear Akeno, do keep it beautiful and look after it, I'm sure your future lover will love it just as much as me' a loving voice of her mother state.

Nawin puts the comb away and ties the ribbon back on, in the usual single long ponytail style, "Ufufuf, you really love my hair?" Akeno ask with giggle though holds a happy but elegant smile as she watch the Makasha take a sit back. Nawin smile at her "Of course I do, it's a lovely hair and one of the many reasons of what I love about you, always keep it beautiful like that Akeno" he said making her smile widen as she holds a piece of her long hair and nod.

"Here's your bill sir" the waiter said and pass it to Nawin to only get it snatch away by Akeno "I'll be paying" she said making the black haired sweat drop but chuckles "Alright then". Akeno summons an elegant, purple leather wallet which made Nawin raise an eyebrow at the expensive look accessories "Rias?" he said making the other giggle and nod as she pulls out a few gold coins.

Akeno place the coins on the silver plate making the waiter bow and takes it, "She bought it for me as a present for my birthday, last year" she informs "When is your birthday?" Nawin ask "July twenty one". The Makasha pause when realizing something 'Hmm, so it's a month away' he smiles and gets up "Well then, let's head out" he said making Akeno nod as she teleports the wallet back into her pocket dimension and picks up the purse.

"So what's next?" Nawin ask as the two walk down the wooden stairs and stop in front of the restaurant, Akeno thinks for a minute while having her left arm wrap around Makasha's one. "Hmm, we have time to do one more thing..." Nawin look down and smile when seeing the cute concentrated face of Akeno as she tries to come up with some perfect idea for them to spend it together.

"How about we go set sail in the beautiful Skard ocean!" Akeno exclaims and points at the far east where there's a small harbor built, "Sounds lovely, positive we can get a breathtaking view out there and be interesting to see Shigemi at that view since it's surrounded by the ocean" Nawin reply with a smile, liking the idea.

"Let head back to the horses and be on our way" Akeno said and start dragging the Makasha with her to the entrance of the village where their horse is resting.

Lilios

"Thanks, you sir" Rias said as she exited the old book store "Advance Potion Making, A Hundred Beasts, and... Ancient Mastery Seals" she reads out the last one with serious tone and clench the old book tightly 'I know the draconic mark is some sort of seal... hopefully this books will give me some sort of idea on it' Rias notes and place the book back inside the plastic bag.

Rias currently deep in then suddenly feel a hand grab her shoulder, "Hm!" she grabs the stranger hand and throws them over the shoulder, then summons a destruction orb on the other hand to point it straight in their face. "Gah! Rias!" the Gremory blinks to see it's Issei who's laid on the ground "Sorry" she replies and let go of the brown haired wrist.

"Something wrong?" Issei ask with worry as he gets back up on his feet, Rias shake her head and send him a faint smile "I'm fine, just deep in thoughts that's all... so how did things go with Elise?" she ask, changing the subject. Issei nod with a grin forming on his lips "Yes, with some complication but I'll explain about that to you later" he replies making Rias raise an eyebrow but shrug "Alright, what piece did you use?" "The Mutation Knight".

Rias look surprise before sending an uncertain glance "So you pretty much already used two of your only mutation piece" she state making Issei look at her with confusion "Is that bad? I thought Elise is more than worthy and powerful enough for it". Rias open her mouth but immediately close it and shake her head "It's your peerage, if you think she's worthy of it then I support you but usually other devils would keep their mutation piece for last to find a worthy person, don't forget mutation piece are extremely rare, Issei".

"I understand... I know Kokoro and Elise will be extremely strong in the future and they will sure get along with each other" Issei said with a grin of confidents making Rias smile "I see, also with Kokoro teaching you on close-combat, Elise can start teaching you on swordsmanship while I need to start training you on how to use your magic control properly" she informs.

"My magic control?" Issei repeats while scratching his head "Am I bad at it?" he asks, earning a sigh from the crimson haired 'He doesn't even realize it'. Rias shake her head and look at him "Yes, it's very bad... a child would have better magic control than you, Issei" she states and immediately the Hyoudou hung his head down in depression.

Rias chuckle at bit "The only reason why you never drop in exhaustion from using a technique like Giant Rotation is because you have a humongous amount of magic reserve" she said before lifting Issei's head up and peck his lips, immediately breaking the depression mood out of him and replace with a blushing face making Rias giggle before she smiles "Don't worry, I'll teach you how to control it properly".

Rias suddenly smirk "You got to thanks Nawin-kun for this, since he was the one who told me of your horrible magic control" she informs which made Issei pause then slowly his eyebrow twitches "Did he?" Rias's smirk replace with a childish smile "Yep! Isn't he nice to look out for you" she teases making Issei cross his arms and turn to the side "Hmm, that guy should mind his own business" he reply in a cool tone.

Rias watch with amusement at the Hyoudou's behavior before shaking her head "Well let's go do some scouting for a nice place where we can take some pictures" she said with a smile and pass the plastic bag to Issei. Rias open both her palms to summon a camera. "I've spot some cool places while making way back here, let me show you" Issei exclaims and gently grab Rias's hand and the two start moving through the densely populated street.

Harbor

"I got the clearance" Nawin call out as he walks down the stairs and looks up to see Akeno staring at one of the canoes, she turns to him and smile "Nice, let's head out!" she exclaims, clearly excited for this making the Makasha chuckle as he stops in front of her and grab a hold of her right hand.

"Don't want you to fall now" Nawin said with a teasing tone making the Himejima blush bashfully before nodding as she holds his hand tightly and slowly sits on the front row of the canoes that's built for only two people. Nawin couldn't help but let out a laughter when seeing Akeno letting go of his hand and immediately grip the edges of the boat to stop it from rumbling, clearly showing slight fear of falling into the water.

Akeno quickly snap her sight to the laughing Nawin, a large smile form on her lips when hearing it, she was glad that she could make the stoic Makasha laugh out like that, in a genuine way since it's so rare for him to let out that kind of laughter except for some few chuckles. Nawin quickly compose himself and send a smile at the raven haired "You sure about this?" he asks which the Himejima response with a nod "Of course! Now get in here mister" she replies, teasingly motioning her index finger, telling the Makasha to join her.

Nawin smirk and levitates gently down the boat, making Akeno pouts "You cheat" she mutters making him chuckle. Nawin grabs the paddle and start rowing, making the canoe gently moving forward "Off we go" he state. Akeno stare forward to look at the beautiful, clear water in the ocean while at the distance there's huge snow maintains, making the view look breathtaking.

"You know Nawin-kun, I find it funny how with all the powers you've gained, you never once stop and play around with it" Akeno comment out, turning to him and giggle "A few months ago you were just a normal human then you are reborn into a half-devil and gain all these powers, normal person would be amaze at the power they wield" she said making the Makasha smirk "I guess I never had the time to think about it since the moment I turn into devil, my life has been one dangerous events after another, though... yeah it's amazing at how many stuff I can do and the power I wield" he reply.

"Though I used this powers to protect you and the others, not showing off" Nawin state, which form a smile on Akeno's lip "Always playing the protector" she teases making the black haired chuckle "Until you guys can protect yourselves yes, I have to look after you all" he retorts which cause Akeno to groan a bit since she hates being seen as helpless, especially to her lover's eyes.

A calm, peaceful silence falls on the two as the only sound being made is the gentle rowing, the couple stare at the beautiful scenario of Shigemi in the distance and they were surprise to see dolphins darting out of the water before shooting straight down.

The silence is broken by a thunderous splash "Nawin-kun!" Akeno exclaims and point to the right, which immediately Nawin's sight follows and his eyes widen at what he sees "Goodness" he mutters, seeing a gigantic whale exploding out of the water, not so far from them.

The humongous mammal slam down to the water, creating a huge current which is speeding toward the two, "I got it" Nawin state and point his right hand at the large current "Ice Glacier Storm" he utters and fire an ice blast which freezes the mini-size tsunami.

Akeno sighs in relief since she doesn't feel like getting wet, especially on the new clothes she's wearing. "This ocean is just full of life" Nawin comments and resumes rowing the boat out of the tsunami way. "This should be a safe distance" he snaps his fingers and unfreeze the tsunami, causing it to continue it's current at a safe distance away from the canoe.

"Nawin-kun, you can stop rowing now, I like this view" Akeno comment making the black haired nod and lower the paddles to lock it in place. "Shigemi is really a land of beauty" Nawin comments as he leans on the edge of the canoe to get the full view of the rich land "Yeah, it's really a one of a kind place" Akeno agrees as she move next to the black haired and leans back on his arm.

The two sit in silence for a few minutes before Nawin gently push Akeno away and stands up "My legs getting tired, I need to walk a bit" he said which earn a confuse look from the raven haired since the canoe isn't big enough to walk about. Akeno was about to speak when Nawin suddenly jumps out of the canoe and land in the water and to her shock, she sees him stand above the water.

Nawin sighs in relief and start walking around the canoe to get his legs awake, then turns to face Akeno, he quickly is met with amuse when seeing her shock expression. "Y-you walking on w-water?!" she points out making him look at her with further amusement "Azazel haven't taught you how to walk on water yet?" he asks to see the Himejima shaking her head.

'Expected no less from my lazy godfather... he probably forgot about these kinds of stuff and instead focus on getting Akeno to control her Nephilim powers' Nawin shake his head and focus back on the raven haired "Take my hand, I'll teach you how to do this" he states. Akeno stands up and holds a hesitant expression "I really don't feel like getting wet Nawin-kun" she reply "Then do your best, complaining won't help" he retorts sharply in that usual blank tone which made the Himejima flinch at the sudden change of attitude.

Nawin frown a bit when seeing the raven haired flinch "Sorry about that Akeno, but I want to teach you this basic technique since it will be one of those things that will help you in the future to survive or be use as an advantage" he said in a much calmer and kind tone. Akeno nod when seeing the reason behind this is because the Makasha is looking after her wellbeing "Alright, I'll try my best" she said with a smile which the other returns.

"Now, it's simple really and you need great control over your magic which I know you are good at" Nawin said making the raven haired nod "You need to add the right amount of mana underneath your feet, too much the water will explode and you'll fall, too little then you'll just sink down" he explains.

Nawin still seeing slight hesitation make him sighs though quickly a faint smirk form on his lips, "Hana got the hang of it quite quickly, same goes with Akame" he mutters out and look up at skies. When hearing that, Akeno moods darken and quickly determination build inside her 'Oh I'll show him!' she thoughts and start concentrating mana downwards to her feet.

The Makasha glance to the right and quickly his eyes widen when seeing Akeno jumps out of the boat 'That dummy!' he quickly reacts and was about to catch the raven haired but is inches away when she lands to the water and stand. "..." Nawin look in silence while Akeno stare at him and giggle at his funny posture of trying to catch her "Well... did I do good?" she asks with a victorious smirk.

Nawin stand back up straight and regain is calm demeanor "Good job Akeno, all you need was just a little push" he said with a smirk making the raven haired pouts and cross her arms "You're mean" she pouts. Nawin smile and walk toward the raven haired and poke his index and middle finger to her forehead "If it gets you stronger then I will be a bit mean... as long as it keeps you alive" he states.

"You do know, no matter how mean you are to me, it will never stop me from loving you" Akeno reply and wraps her arms around his neck, holding onto him tightly "Is that so?" Nawin reply with amusement and wraps his arms around the raven haired waist. Akeno suddenly smile sadistically and almost with lust "You can even hit me and I'll find it very... arousing" she said seductively, making Nawin blinks and pause before looking down at her with curious expression "Akeno... are you a bit of a masochist?" he asks.

Akeno smile innocently and peck the Makasha on the lip "Just a bit" she said, pulling away from the slightly flustered black haired. Nawin shakes his head and smile while holding the Himejima tightly "Huh, so I have an obsessive and a masochist of a girlfriend... oh how lucky me" he said teasingly making Akeno giggle.

Time Skip: Inn

"Hey you two!" Issei waves at the couple from the booth he and Rias are currently seated in the Inn's bar. "Stop shouting Issei, we can see you flapping your hands around like a chicken" Nawin throws an insult and takes a seat at the other end of the table with Akeno beside him.

Issei eyebrow twitches at the insult but decide to let it slide since he was in a good mood and he is also a bit scared with throwing back an insult since Akeno is so nearby. "You got to take some pictures?" Akeno ask her close-friend "Yep! I took plenty and thanks to Issei, I've found a perfect spot for us to take a group picture" Rias said and send the brown hared a grateful smile which he returns with a grin.

"Don't forget we got a funeral to attend tonight, so we should get this picture done now since we need time to get prepared for it" Nawin points out making Rias nod "Yeah I remember, we should all dress respectfully and pay our respect to the captain that gave her life away to save Shigemi".

Issei look down at the table with a grim look "You got to respect a person who cares so much for her home that she would give her life away for it" he said making the other nod in agreement "It shows she's a very special person and her courageous and determination is very admirable, I'm glad we were able to stop Kaizen so her sacrifice wasn't in vain" Nawin reply with a rare respective tone.

Rias nod and take a look at the clock "We have two hours to get ready... the day sure past fast but we should be able to get a nice lighting about now so let's move out team!" she said with much enthusiastic and excitement that it deletes the dark mood away and the two nod in agreement and smile while Nawin just hums in response.

Outside of Lilios

"Wow... what a beautiful view!" Akeno mutters out as she and the other stood on a tall hill that shows the full spectacle of Lilios "Good job Issei" Nawin said making the brown haired grin bashfully and scratch his head "Yeah, found this while on the way back from the division five barracks" he said proudly.

Rias is setting up her camera and gently place it on the tripod "Alright, twenty second should be good enough" she whispers to herself and touch the screen for the timer to start. "We're good to go!" Rias announce with a smile and turn to the three "Let's get in position everyone!".

Akeno wraps her arms around Nawin's neck to pull her face close to his and smile happily, the Makasha wraps his right arm around her waist to bring her closer and form a gentle smile. Rias swing her left arm around Issei's neck while having her right hand form a peace sign and she stick her tongue out cutely, Issei gives his trademark grin and wraps his right arm around Rias's waist and use his other hand to also form a peace sign.

The camera clicks signally the picture has been taken, Rias immediately speed toward it and wait for the picture to slide out."Ohh!" she mutters which catch the three's attention "So what's it looks like! Don't keep us in the dark" Issei exclaims, Rias grins and turn the photo around to show a perfect picture of the four with a breathtaking background showing the lush land of Shigemi and full scale of Lilios.

"That looks amazing Rias" Akeno praise, stopping beside her friend to look at the photo closely "A perfect one to keep in your album" she comments making Rias grin and nod "Indeed, a treasured memory for sure". Nawin smile at the girls before turning around to look at Lilios "So you got Elise to join your peerage?" he asks when hearing Issei stop next to him "Yeah, took some convincing and promises but she decided to join... I promise her mother I'll do good by her side, she will be ecstatic of joining our family" Issei said with a grin.

Nawin smile faintly as he stares at the far distance and see the sun slowly fallen behind the high mountains "I see...", Issei turn to his friend with slight curious expression shown on his face "What about you Nawin? You have any other people in mind for your peerage?" he ask.

The Makasha stay silent for a few second "Misako is my next priority and there's another person I have in mind" he replies making Issei nod, not surprise why the black haired would go for the Ichiru considering her current condition. "Well boys, if you're done chatting, we should head back and get ready" Rias said stepping in the middle of the two "Alright!" Issei grins while Nawin just nod.

Time Skip: Grand Castle

"I'm glad you four made it in time" Roseral greeted the group with a warm smile as they step into the throne room. Nawin and Issei are dress in the same suit they wore when first meeting the Queen and same goes with Rias and Akeno wearing their elegant dress. The Queen wears a beautiful green victorian style dress with Elise wearing a more tradition black dress and Ceri oddly wears her usual armor attire.

Elise give a foxy grin and wave at Issei who returns it, Nawin seeing this interaction, watch in amusement when seeing how the two act quite similar to each other 'Those two will get along well'. "The ceremony will be held in the memorial ground" Roseral inform which raises eyebrow from the group "Memorial Ground?" Issei ask "Memorial Ground is where all the past captains are rested, we built statues of them to honor their sacrifices and that's also where they are buried" Elise explains.

"There's carriages waiting for us outside" Roseral inform making everyone turn to her "We along with the other captains will be there first to pay our respects before the people arrive" she informs. Nawin release a faint sigh of relief, glad he doesn't have to be in crowded place.

Everyone make their way out of the castle and split into groups for the two carriages waiting outside the entrance. When they all get in, the driver guide the horses outside of Lilios and start turning east.

Memorial Ground

"Be respectful everyone... especially you Nawin and Issei don't be loud" Rias lecture the boys, Issei nod obediently while Nawin just ignores it and stare outside to see a shining golden fence at the distance 'Hmm, that must be it'.

The carriages stop in front of a special golden gate which two beautiful Sakura tree are planted on each side of it, and there's one large old tree living in the center of the Memorial Ground. The place is protected by a golden magical fence that is built around the ground, "Very protective, this place" Nawin comment when stepping out of the carriage.

"These fences create a special barrier dome that surrounds and protect the Memorial Ground, only captains and myself are allowed access in here" Roseral state as she gracefully step out of her carriage. "What happen if someone tries to sneak in?" Issei ask in curiosity "The guardians I've sealed underground will appear and deal with them but not before they get shock to near unconscious state by the barrier" the Queen answers.

"It's treated as a very sacred ground, I can see why you want it to be so protected" Rias comment as the group makes their way into the Memorial ground. The Gremory group are greeted by five statues, including the newest one of Lucia built right beside the other four captains.

Nawin examines the appearance of the other four statues and sees the first one is of an old man who has a very wise appearance, the second one shows a beautiful middle-aged woman, the third is a rather young man grinning with excitement, the forth is another old man who looks very grumpy. Lucia statue shows her standing strong with both her hands holding the dual sword respectively, there's already beautiful looking flowers placed on the basket in front of the statue.

"You four can go first" Roseral said with a smile though it is slightly lesson in the kindness that is replace with sadness. Each of the member already bought a flower for the deceased captains. Rias is first to go and whispers some words of gratitude before kneeling down and place the beautiful crimson rose down into the basket, Akeno does the same and place a special violet flower down, Issei is next to go and he said more words than the other two before kneeling down to place a unique looking green flower in the basket.

Nawin is the last, he stops in front of the statue and close his eyes "I may not know you but I can say I respect you... you gave your life away to protect the things you love, I admire that and I hope you will be able to rest easily in the afterlife, Lucia" he mutters out softly so no one can hear, then kneels to place a beautiful black flowers down.

Nawin walk back to the other and stand beside the Hyoudou, "Hey... Nawin" Issei utters as he's looks on at the Queen saying goodbye to her dear subordinate "Yeah?" "... Think we'll ever be in another funeral?" he ask which catch the Makasha's attention and send a side glance to the Hyoudou to see his troubling and anger face. "This is my first ever and I already hate it... I hate not being able to save people, if only we came earlier..." Issei utters and hung his head to the ground.

Nawin sighs and fully turn his head to the brown haired then place a hand on his shoulder "Issei... you can't blame yourself for not being there in time, we both had to train, to find a way to stand a chance against Kaizen... don't blame yourself, blame him, also don't forget because of our afford, we beat Kaizen and save Shigemi so her sacrifice wasn't for nothing" he said softly to comfort his friend.

Issei looks at the Makasha and slowly nod as a faint smile form on his lips "Yeah... I guess you're right, her sacrifice wasn't in vain as we stop Kaizen from destroying Shigemi... she should be able to rest easy in the afterlife" he replies making Nawin smile and nod "Indeed, it's inevitable that we'll be attending another funeral Issei".

Nawin sighs sadly then brings his hand back and turn to see Elise now speaking, with Ceri standing beside her, "It's life... some people will die and we won't be able to save everyone... it's just the harsh reality of it". Issei clench his hand and stare at Rias who's standing beside Akeno a few feet in front of them "Then I'll use all of my power to stop that... I won't let my friends and family be in Lucia's place... I don't want attend their funeral, ever" he swears.

"When will you all be setting off tomorrow?" Roseral ask, stopping in front of the group with her daughters behind. "We are planning on leaving around lunch time your highness, so Elise will have time to get pack and say her goodbyes" Rias reply "I'll be ready by then" Elise said with a smile which Rias, Akeno, and Issei returns.

"There's one thing I like to say to you, Elise" Rias starts and walk in front of the brown haired "Welcome to the group" she said and brings her hand up making Elise look at her surprise before smiling and shakes the Gremory hand "Thanks Rias".

Roseral smile at this, glad that her daughter can finally break out of her shell and move out of the past to find happiness 'Hopefully this group of friends can heal her'. "We'll be there before you leave Elise, so if you want to say goodbye to others tomorrow then set time for it" the Queen said making the brown haired nod "Understood".

"Since we are all here and dressed" Roseral claps her hand and smile "Would you four want to join us for dinner? Since you all will be leaving tomorrow it's only right to have you enjoy an exquisite dinner" she said which made everyone's stomach rumble a bit. "I'm so in!" Issei exclaims with the others nodding in agreement "Is it ok to leave now?" Rias ask, looking forward to see Carys placing a lily flower down.

"As you see, most of the captains has already paid their respect and left, the opening for the public will begin shortly so they can pay respect to Lucia along with the other previous captains" Roseral inform then turns to them "It's best we take our leave before it gets too crowded".

The group slowly make their way back to the carriages "So you also buried her sword?" Nawin ask making the Queen nod "Yes, all the captains that have passed away are buried with their weapons... we couldn't recover Lucia body because of what happened, but at least we can bury the weapons that had made her captain" she replies.

The Queen and her daughters gets in their carriage while the group gets on theirs, slowly the horses turn around and sets off to Lilios. Nawin stare out of the window to look at Lucia statue one more time and sees Wynfor standing in front of it to say his words.

The mood inside the carriage has become a bit more heavy and grim, Nawin feels Akeno holding his right hand and gently lean her head on his shoulder, Rias is also doing the same to Issei. Nawin eyes lower to half-lit and wraps his arm around the Himejima to comfort her '... I hate funerals'.

Issei feeling the mood decide to lift it up "Hey you are guys hungry!? Because I am!" he exclaims and immediately the girls stomach growl in hunger making them blush while Issei and Nawin smirk "Guess that answers the question! Hope the food will be good like last time" he said with a wide grin.

Nawin smile faintly, grateful to the Hyoudou for lifting the mood up "Yeah, we should eat to our fullest since it's going to be one of our last meals here" he said and look down to Akeno who nods in agreement "Yep" she reply happily.

Issei grins and points at the black haired "Nawin, I challenge you to another food competit- ow!" Issei is stop at his track when Rias bonks his head and give him a stern look "We aren't home Issei, so eat with manners!" she instructs making the brown haired nod sadly.

Akeno giggles at the scene while Nawin chuckle lightly "Yeah Issei, you don't want to scare Elise away from your horrible manners" he comments making the brown haired glare at him "Oh you be quiet Nawin, at least I recruited another member on my peerage unlike you" he retorts.

The girl's eyes widen when hearing a smart retort from the Hyoudou and slowly turn to Nawin who still holds a blank expression "Speaking of recruiting... how's your familiar going Issei?" the Makasha retorts back sharply. Issei body twitch at the response "Also, you have two peerage... well good for you but I have a Hydra" Nawin adds in which made Issei even more annoy before he huffs and turn to the side childishly.

The girls giggle at their lover's antic and hugs them lovingly as the carriage continues the ride to Lilios but now in a much more lighter and joyful mood.