The Sleeping Dragon Ch. 77 (High School DxD) (Patreon)

A/N: Time to find out what Venelana wants~

-x-X-x-

For just a moment, Issei finds himself reflecting on his relationship with Gabriel. Despite having known her for less time than many of the women in his life, there’s no denying the bond that’s been forged between them. One might say that the Fallen Seraph had forced her way to the top of his harem, putting herself in a position equal to him and accepting no other options, but the plain and simple truth was… that was where she belonged.

That said… he knows she’ll tell him the plan when he needs to know it. Frankly, Issei trusts Gabriel implicitly. With that in mind, he pushes off of the bed and rises to his feet.

“Very well, I’ll go and meet with her.”

In an instant and the rush of blackened angel’s wings, he’s properly attired for a more… normal meeting. When he looks back over his shoulder, Gabriel has a big smile on her face, looking quite pleased with him. Giving her a single nod, he looks back down at Serafall one final time… and then wordlessly leaves the room, letting Griselda lead him to another part of the mansion.

Despite this being his home, Issei finds himself a little taken aback when he finally enters the room where the Gremory Matriarch awaits him. Somehow, Venelana has managed to pull off a full-blown tea time with things he didn’t think he owned. She’s pulled out an entire table and chairs made of the richest mahogany and crafted with some of the finest craftsmanship he’s ever seen, and draped an ornate tablecloth over the table, where she’s put what HAS to be her own tea set out.

Sitting with her legs crossed on one side of the ostentatious table, the Lady of Clan Gremory smiles softly as she gazes at him with violet eyes before nodding her head towards the empty chair across from her.

“Ah, Issei Hyoudou at long last. Please, sit.”

This WAS his house, wasn’t it? Issei can’t help but feel half-amused and half-incredulous at the sheer balls on the female devil. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Or at least he hoped. Still, in the face of Venelana’s audacity, Issei shrugs his shoulders and sits down, watching her quietly as she immediately begins pouring him a cup of tea and preparing it as though she already knows exactly how he takes his tea.

A power move, maybe? Issei doesn’t drink tea, so even he doesn’t know how he would take it to be honest. Regardless, he’s busier trying to figure out her angle, rather than worry about the tea set. It’s not lost on Issei that Venelana Gremory chose not to arrive with Serafina and Grayfia, despite being part of their so-called ‘delegation’.

He decides he’s not going to be the one to speak first here. Even if Venelana technically already did say something, him sitting down has created a new tableau of silence between them that Issei feels no obligation to break. After all, though these definitely aren’t any chairs he’s ever owned… they’re actually quite comfortable, so he has no problem sitting back in his and relaxing for a moment.

Once she’s done preparing his tea, Venelana goes about preparing her own, even as his remains untouched. It’s in the midst of stirring that she finally breaks the silence between them, humming.

“I just got done visiting with my daughter and her Queen. Rias and Akeno are both doing quite well, despite the state you’ve gotten them in.”

Her tone is vaguely amused and vaguely chiding. Issei isn’t sure how he’s supposed to react to that. Is she hoping he’ll get up in arms? Is she hoping he’ll get offended? He doesn’t feel very offended. If that was her attempt at goading a reaction from him… it was rather poor. More than that, he’s not sure how exactly he’s supposed to handle Venelana. Grayfia and Serafall were one thing. Venelana Gremory was… an unknown quantity.

“… And how are the Leviathan and my darling daughter-in-law doing, Mister Hyoudou?”

Her knowing tone is what finally makes him bristle just a little bit. She definitely already has a pretty good idea of what’s happened, but she wants to hear him try and obfuscate the truth. She wants him to try and cover it up like he’s done something wrong. He hasn’t though. He’s done nothing wrong, and he’s not going to act like he has. Instead…

“They’re currently recovering… from being plowed into the ground by my big fat cock.”

Admittedly, Issei is expecting more of a reaction from the Gremory Matriarch. He expects her to take issue with either his actions or the way he’d described them, figuring from how she’d described Grayfia as ‘her darling daughter-in-law’ that Venelana wouldn’t be very happy to hear he’d blown the silver-haired maid’s back out.

… But no. Instead, Venelana just grins, reminding him that for all she’s playing at being the prim and proper noble lady at the moment, she IS still a devil at the end of the day. With a sigh, the brunette, violet-eyed woman reaches up and places a hand on her cheek for a moment.

“Mm… I do hope you take good care of Grayfia for me, Mister Hyoudou.”

Issei’s look of incredulity at that sparks a little giggle from Venelana’s lips. The Lady of the Gremory Clan shrugs, causing her impressively large bust to bounce with the motion of her shoulders.

“Oh, I feel for Sirzechs, really I do… but while Grayfia IS supposed to be my son’s wife, I’m well aware that he’s been neglecting him for quite some time. As a mother I will always love my son unconditionally… but part of loving anyone unconditionally is recognizing their faults. So long as Grayfia is happy… I’ll be happy.”

That wasn’t what Issei was expecting at all. Venelana was even harder to get a read on then he’d imagined. Perhaps that’s why he does it. Perhaps it comes from a place of burgeoning frustration, of wanting to see a reaction from the beautiful mother of the girl he’d impregnated, of the mother-in-law of the woman he’d just got done breaking on his cock.

“Oh, rest assured both Grayfia and Serafall are very happy… Serafall especially, given that I’ve just finished knocking her up.”

THAT finally manages to get a reaction out of the Gremory Matriarch. Venelana freezes with her tea cup mere centimeters from her lips. As the brunette woman stares at him with those piercing violet eyes of hers for a long moment, Issei takes the chance to sip from his own tea cup, finding it to not be all that bad really. Or maybe it’s just the taste of victory from scoring a clear and defined point on his current conversation partner.

Slowly, Venelana puts her tea cup down and stares at him unflinchingly, her tone solemn.

“To clarify… you can impregnate devils on command.”

Not really a question, more of a statement. But then, between Rias, Akeno, and now Serafall… well, the proof was in the pudding as they said. Issei nods.

“I can.”

Letting out a low, shuddering breath, Venelana looks worried for the first time since he’s entered the room. Her hands go to her lap beneath the table and Issei doesn’t imagine she’s touching herself or anything lewd like that. No, she’s probably wringing them in concern just out of sight.

“That, Issei Hyoudou, is very dangerous information. And with the Leviathan impregnated, that is information that will get out sooner rather than later. You cannot hope to hide this breakthrough.”

Issei thinks back to Serafall and Gabriel’s words… and smiles faintly.

“You don’t need to worry about us, Lady Gremory. We have a plan.”

Sure, he might not know what the plan was quite yet, but he knew he trusted Gabriel. To the end of the line.

Of course, Venelana just scoffs at that, the woman far more expressive now that he’s confirmed the bombshell she was clearly here to investigate.

“It is not you I am worried about, Mister Hyoudou. It is my daughter and her peerage that I fret over. Getting Rias and Akeno pregnant… that was dangerous enough but ultimately manageable. It could be covered up at least. But impregnating Serafall… tell me, do you really think you can protect Rias and her peerage from what’s coming for you and everyone close to you?”

Issei narrows his eyes at Venelana’s questioning, chiding tone. Even without knowing precisely what Gabriel has planned, he finds his innate possessive instincts, inherited from the Red Dragon Emperor in his soul, rearing their ugly head. A rumble makes it way up through Issei’s chest and out of his lips in a low growl as he glares at Venelana.

“If anyone tries to take Rias or Akeno or ANY of the others away from me… I’ll do whatever I need to in order to stop them.”

At the same time, he flares his power. Half on instinct and half to show this BITCH who dared question him just what she was dealing with. Of course, even as his power begins to blanket the room, Venelana Gremory responds in turn, perhaps on instinct as well. Still, Issei watches as her violet eyes widen slightly at feeling his strength. When they both bring their full presences to bear, the room shakes slightly and small hairline fissures appear in the walls, ceiling, and floor before they each rein it in.

However, before that they both get to acknowledge the plain and simple truth… Issei is ever so slightly stronger than Venelana Gremory, even at his base strength. The Gremory Matriarch hums as she leans back in her seat. She seems unconcerned by the fact that he’s stronger than her despite the vast gulf in their ages going in her direction. Instead, she tilts her head to the side curiously and narrows her eyes.

“You’re not as strong as Serafall. And yet she was so full of fire and brimstone when making her plans to come here. I wonder, how in the world did you manage to put her in her place?”

Issei quirks up the corner of his mouth at that and lays his arms out on the table, manifesting Ddraig as massive gauntlets on both of them. Red claws tap against Venelana’s ornate tablecloth as scaled gauntlets rest on the fabric. Green gems that look almost like dragon eyes glitter and flash as Venelana stares at them for a long moment before slowly nodding.

Seeing is believing, they like to say. Issei doesn’t doubt that a woman like Venelana Gremory did her research and knew that he was the Red Dragon Emperor and the wielder of the Boosted Gear. But when you’ve been around as long as she has, you get used to the status quo, don’t you? In this case, it probably didn’t cross her mind until he showed her the gauntlets… but given she knew just how strong he was at his base, what did that mean when he Boosted? And not just one time, but twice. Or thrice. Or even four times.

Exponential Power was exponential and while Issei had spent a LOT of his life working on his own strength separate from practicing with the Boosted Gear… he’d always been a quick learner, especially when he was properly motivated. Of course, the real reason he’d ‘defeated’ Serafall and put her in her place… was in large part Gabriel. They’d done it together, as well as piling on the guilt by making Serafall feel like a shit-heel for daring to remind Gabriel of her treatment at her brother’s hands.

But Issei wasn’t going to tell Venelana that. She didn’t know the specifics of how he’d done it, nor did she need to know that Gabriel could actually tap into her father’s Sacred Gear System and utilize things like the Boosted Gear and other Longinus for her own purposes under the right conditions. No… she didn’t need to know anything other than Issei was strong. Strong enough to protect her daughter, no matter what.

Bringing her hands up from under the table as well, Venelana clasps them as she sets them down in full view. Issei notes that her knuckles are a bit white, even as she lets out a shuddering breath.

“Mister Hyoudou… I am willing to do anything for my family. Anything at all. Specifically, I am willing to do anything for my darling daughter. My son can take care of himself and has always been powerful enough that his choices and mistakes fall solely on his own shoulders. He’s strong enough to handle them without me. But Rias… Rias is my baby.”

Issei narrows his eyes, wondering exactly where Venelana is going with all of this.

“… I’m well aware that Rias and Akeno aren’t the first of your… hoard to get pregnant. But I wish to make sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that my daughter and her peerage are your foremost priority going forward. To that end, I would like to make a deal with you. You will have the full support and backing of the Gremory Clan from here on out if you agree to my terms. Our political influence in the Underworld is nothing to be scoffed at, nor is our ability to project power and might.”

Frowning, Issei processes her words for a moment before shaking his head.

“That’s quite the offer, Lady Gremory. But can you really promise all of that?”

Venelana just smiles a coy, coquettish smile.

“Ah, you speak of my husband. Zeoticus and I have long had an understanding between us, Mister Hyoudou. We have been married for a long, LONG time after all.”

Centuries at least, Issei thinks to himself.

“But more than that, my husband understands what it means to be Lord Gremory. And he understands when to react to which way the wind is blowing. He’ll agree to whatever I tell him to agree to, especially if it’s for the sake of our family and our daughter’s happiness.”

Issei sits quietly, considering that for a long moment. Which of course prompts Venelana’s smile to grow into a wide grin… as the brunette devil suddenly reaches up and hooks a thumb into one of the straps of her dress.

“Ah, but of course… I know what someone like you really wants, Issei Hyoudou. I know what sort of man you truly are… not a man at all, but a dragon. Conquest is in your blood. Growing your hoard is your first priority, always.”

She pulls the first strap down and then does the same with the other and her other hand. Her large breasts, which had barely been contained to begin with, do the rest with a little help from gravity. The top of her dress falls and her beautiful, bountiful bosom comes bouncing out into the open air. Each of her massive tits is capped with a nipple that quickly hardens before Issei’s eyes, even as Venelana frames her chest between her arms and gives Issei a wide grin.

“If it will keep my daughter safe… you may have even me, Issei Hyoudou. The Flaxen-Haired Madame of Extinction… yours for the taking.”