Ravel looked a lot more nervous than he thought a night together warranted. He looked down at her feet and noticed how she was grabbing at the carpet with her toes. It was just another sign of her nerves.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Ravel. You don't have to be so nervous."
"I-I'm not nervous!" Ravel squeaked.
"Say that when you're tsundere isn't showing."
Since Ravel looked like she was on the verge of passing out from nerves, Naruto led the girl over to her bed and had her sit down on the edge. Her legs hung over the side. Naruto stood before her and leaned down, pressing their lips together before she could begin babbling again.
Ravel slid her arms around his torso out of instinct. He could feel her fingers digging into his back, nails scraping against his skin, leaving a pleasant tingle in their wake. The feel of her warm hands complimented her soft lips. Several gentle sounds, not quite moans, slipped from Ravel's mouth as he pushed his tongue passed her lips and teeth. Her nails dug a little harder into his back as she pulled him closer.
The feeling of her tongue rubbing against his was a wonderful sensation that he could never get enough of. Even as a bit of drool leaked past their mouth, he pulled back and swirled his tongue around hers, making them dance together, then locked their lips together again. A few nasally gasps escaped Ravel's mouth, but they were all muffled.
"N-Naruto… I…" Ravel gasped as he pulled back.
"I love how soft your lips are," Naruto told her before leaning down again and beginning to kiss her neck, jawline, and even tracing kisses all the way up to her ear. "You're blushing so hard, even your ears are red. That's so cute."
"I-I am not—hyan!"
Ravel released an unusual sound when Naruto took one of her ears between his teeth and nibbled on it. Her breathing became heavy and mixed with soft squeaks as she closed her eyes and grabbed Naruto by the shoulder. Hearing the noises she made caused Naruto to kiss her skin harder.
"Ha… ah… ha… Naruto… I can't… take this… I… ahn… you're teasing is too much…"
Naruto licked some of the sweat that had formed along Ravel's neck. The saltiness was pleasant. As he licked her skin, Ravel shuddered a little and released a louder cry.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Guess I got carried away. Your skin tastes so good."
"W-what are you, a cannibal?"
"No. I'm just enjoying some KFC."
"You…!"
Naruto silenced Ravel before she could get angry with a kiss. He expected her to push him off and begin her usual tirade when Koneko teased her, but Ravel must have been hornier than he expected. She kissed him back, hard, pushing her tongue into his mouth, stirring up the saliva between them.
Naruto pushed Ravel onto the bed, until she was lying on her back, and continued to kiss her as he placed a hand over her chest and kneaded her breast from outside her nightgown. Ravel wasn't wearing a bra. Obviously. Rias had once told him wearing bras to bed could cause health issues or something… but Rias also slept naked. He hadn't taken her words to heart.
"Mnn! Nnn! Hnnnn!"
Ravel's moans as he rubbed his finger against her nipple were muffled by his mouth and tongue. Her nipple grew stiff. As it became pointed, Naruto grabbed it between his fingers and tweaked it, resulting in Ravel's muffled moans growing louder.
While he felt like he could have continued playing with her breasts, Naruto wanted more. He reached down and placed his hand against her soft belly. Her stomach twitched. He moved his hand further down, slipped it inside of her panties, and cupped her warm vagina.
Ravel was already a little wet. She wasn't drenched in juices or anything, but the slight slickness that came away when he rubbed her smooth pussy let him know she was just as aroused as him.
Naruto traced her outer labia with his index finger, then wedged it between her lips and began grinding his finger along her pussy. Ravel's hips bucked as if she was about to begin rubbing herself against him. He smiled into their kiss as he increased the pace of his finger's actions, moving it faster. More love juices flowed from her pussy. Once she was nice and wet, he inserted a single finger all the way up to the knuckle, then began pumping his finger inside of her.
"Nngg! Hnn! Hrn! Mnnn!"
It was perhaps the result of her legs dangling off the edge, but Ravel couldn't move her hips much, though she certainly tried. Naruto played with her tongue as he worked her over. He used his thumb to rub her clit. After nearly a full minute, Ravel's entire body shuddered as she released a muffled moan into his mouth, the juices flowing from her pussy drenched his hand, and her thighs clenched before going slack.
When Ravel stopped kissing him back, Naruto leaned back and observed the girl beneath him. Ravel's hair was a mess, but more than that, her eyes were a little glassy and drool was leaking from her lips. Sweat covered her face and neck. Her nightgown was also stuck to her chest and stomach, partially see-through now that it was a little wet.
Naruto removed his hand from Ravel's panties and licked his fingers clean. Ravel had a very fiery taste. It was kind of like cinnamon, which he found odd but enjoyable.
Placing his lips against Ravel's stomach, Naruto proceeded to place little kisses along her skin. Ravel's breathing picked up as he did this, though she still seemed a tad out of it. She moaned when he reached her belly button, but then he moved on, until he reached her panties.
Her panties were pretty much drenched. They were covered in a dark stain of her love juices. He reached out, hooked his fingers inside of them, and slid her panties down her legs. Once they were off, he set them on the ground and spread her legs apart.
Ravel's pussy still looked like a pair of very smooth lips, as though they had never had sex. Naruto sometimes wondered if her Phenex regeneration abilities was the cause. Would her pussy always look like this? He kind of hoped so.
Naruto placed his hands underneath her thighs and pushed them forward, until her knees were pressed against her chest. It was at this moment that Ravel finally came to. She blinked several times, then lifted her head and looked down at Naruto as he gazed at her wet cunt.
"Ah!" She nearly shrieked. "W-wait! W-why am I in this embarrassing position?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Naruto, looking up from her pussy lips to gaze into her eyes. "I want to taste you."
"B-but this position is so embarrassing!" Ravel covered her face with her hands.
"You think so? I think it's erotic."
"That's why it's embarrassing!"
"I suppose it is, but you have nothing to worry about. You look really sexy like this."
"Really?… Wait! That's not the point!"
"Now, then… Itadakimasu."
"Don't 'itadakimasu' me! You! OOOH!"
Ravel threw her head back and let out an unrestrained cry as Naruto dragged his tongue from the bottom of her snatch all the way to the top. Once he reached her clit, he pressed his tongue against it and gave it a thorough rub. Ravel didn't scream. She didn't seem capable of it. A loud gasp escaped her mouth, followed by several smaller gasps as her pussy trembled underneath his ministrations.
Juices began leaking from her snatch again, and Naruto was loathe to let a single drop escape. He continued lapping up her juices as he spread her pussy apart and dipped his tongue inside of her. With her knees pressed against her chest like this, Ravel could do nothing except clench the bed sheets as she rode out wave after wave of intense pleasure, until all to soon she came right into Naruto's face, drenching his jaw and nose.
"Ha… haaan… ahn…"
Naruto let Ravel's legs fall back off the bed's edge. He stood up and wiped off his mouth with a hand, then licked his hand clean of Ravel's juices.
Ravel was still lying on the bed, seemingly unable to move. Her chest jiggled within her nightgown as she took deep, gasping breaths. Sweat ran down her forehead and neck in small rivulets that glistened in the low lighting. In short, she looked like a woman who'd just had an intense orgasm.
Slipping out of his clothes, Naruto positioned himself between her legs, placed his dick firmly against her wet pussy lips, and leaned over. He placed his hands on either side of Ravel's head and leaned down to kiss her.
If Ravel could taste herself on him, she didn't show it. She kissed back after coming to, her arms going around his neck, pulling him deeper as she once more pushed her tongue into his mouth. Naruto welcomed her as he rubbed his shaft along her pussy. The feeling of his dick wedged between her smooth lips was electrifying.
He soon pushed his way inside of her, filling her up. Embraced by the gentle warmth of her insides, Naruto couldn't help but sigh into Ravel's mouth.
"I feel so full," Ravel muttered.
"And I feel like I'm being gently embraced by your pussy," Naruto said.
"T-that sounds really lewd."
"We're having sex," Naruto said in a bland tone. "If that isn't lewd, then I'm afraid I don't know what lewd is."
"T-that…" Ravel turned her head. "You bring up a good point."
Naruto grinned as he rocked his hips. Ravel gasped.
"I'm going to start moving. That okay?"
"I-it's fine! Just fine! I-I-I'll be in your care! Please take care of me!"
"You're still so nervous…"
Naruto thrust his hips forward again, and Ravel gasped once more, only to release a slow moan as he pulled back. He repeated the process, thrusting his hips quickly, then slowly retracting himself. It was a pleasant sensation. The way Ravel's pussy almost tenderly gripped his cock and rubbed against him was an amazing feeling.
"Faster… you can… ha… ha… you can go… faster," Ravel commented.
"If that's how you want it," Naruto said.
He increased the pace of his thrusts, until the sound of his balls slapping against her ass cheeks echoed around the room. Their bodies became coated in another layer of sweat. The scent of their bodies mixed with the smell of sex as Naruto leaned down and began licking Ravel's neck and collar bone. He could have kissed her, but he wanted to hear her voice.
As he continued thrusting away, Naruto eventually felt his balls tighten and his lower stomach grow strained. He knew his end was coming soon. Fortunately, Ravel appeared to be close as well. She had locked her legs around his waist, heels joined together and resting on the small of his back. She was shaking her head back and forth as she screamed his name louder and louder, until…
"N-Naruto! I—!"
Naruto grunted when Ravel orgasmed. He thrust his hips until his dick was buried completely inside of her. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn he saw her stomach bulge as his dick pushed against it… but he was sure he was seeing things. That sort of shit only happened in hentai. He released his seed moments after Ravel came, which caused Ravel to cum one more time.
Then it was over.
Naruto took several heavy breaths, his face still buried against Ravel's neck, and tried to steady himself. His arms were about ready to give out, but he kept himself from falling on top of Ravel.
"Ha… hyan… ha…"
Ravel was also catching her breath. When Naruto had recovered enough, he lifted his head and saw the Phenex girl's eyes fluttering rapidly like she was trying to regain focus. He leaned down and kissed her cheeks.
"Naruto…"
"Bed time," Naruto said simply.
"I want you to hold me," Ravel muttered.
He laughed. "That is the plan."
Naruto lifted Ravel into his arms, holding her like a princess as he peeled the blanket back with his foot. Quite a bit of the blanket was wet… but at least the second sheets beneath it were dry. He set Ravel on the bed, her head resting on the pillow, then slipped on the bed with her and pulled the covers over them both.
Ravel turned on her side and pressed her face into his chest, wrapped her arms around his torso, and even tangled their legs together. He ran a hand through his hair as she slowly slipped off to sleep. Even after she had fallen asleep, Naruto continued stroking her hair until he, too, eventually slipped into the land of dreams.
~Devil Ninja~
The morning after the attack on the Agares land found Naruto, Ravel, Koneko, and Le Fay standing outside a train station within House Phenex's territory. Lord and Lady Phenex, along with Ruval Phenex, were with them. Rizer was conspicuously absent as was his peerage, but Naruto didn't let that bother him. He had been expecting it.
"I do wish you could stay a bit longer." Lady Phenex placed a hand against her cheek and looked at her daughter with a fretful frown. "I feel like I didn't get to see you enough. You were always training this entire time."
"I'm sorry, Mother." Ravel gave her mom an apologetic bow. "I promise, next time I come for a visit, it will not be to train but just to see how you and father are doing."
"I will hold you to that," Lady Phenex said, her smile widening as she turned her eyes on Naruto before looking back at her daughter. "Make sure you bring your fiance along with you again."
While Ravel looked at the ground and fidgeted, Naruto locked eyes with her mother, who had a gleam in her eyes that he was certain he recognized, then shifted his gaze to Ruval. When the older man looked away, he finally glanced at Lord Phenex. The man kept his gaze for a second, twitched, and then coughed into his hand. That was enough to make Naruto wish he could sigh.
They know we had sex last night.
Well, it wasn't like they had been quiet. Actually, now that he was thinking about it, Ravel had been really loud. While her room was the only one in that hallway, plenty of maids and servants passed by during the night to clean. All it would take was one curious maid walking past the door when they were having sex for the entire house to know.
Maids loved to gossip.
"I-I will," Ravel mumbled.
"Then it's settled." Lady Phenex clapped her hands as if their next visit was already a done deal.
They could not remain there for long, so after saying their goodbyes, Naruto, Ravel, Koneko, and Le Fay boarded the train and sat down on one of the many posh red couches. Since this train belonged to House Phenex, everything was decorated to look like flames. There were also several flames decorating the corners where trees would normally be placed to add color.
Their destination right now was the Gremory Estate. The trip took exactly eight hours to reach, so the four of them spent most of their time doing what they could to pass the time. They played several games of cards, chess, and mahjong. Perhaps not so surprisingly, the game of mahjong ended up becoming a game of strip mahjong.
"This… isn't fair." Ravel ground her teeth in frustration as she was forced to once more strip off an article of clothing. It was her skirt this time. Thus far she had been forced to remove her shoes and socks, which meant all she had on now was her shirt, bra, and panties.
For some reason, Naruto thought the act of wearing a shirt but nothing on the bottom was hotter than if she'd stripped completely naked.
"Life's not fair." Koneko placed all the tiles facedown on the table and began shuffling them. "Suck it up and deal with it."
"You suck it up and deal with it!" Ravel snapped. "How is it that I have lost twice in a row now! Meanwhile, he hasn't lost even once!" She pointed at Naruto, who grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Don't smile at me in such a bashful manner! I know you're doing that on purpose!"
"Naruto hasn't lost because he's got the Devil's luck," Koneko said.
Once all the tiles were properly shuffled, Naruto, Ravel, Le Fay, and Koneko stacked a row of 14 tiles that was two tiles high, meaning all of them had 28 tiles total. They pushed the tiles together to form a square shape in the center of the table.
"Naruto is incredibly lucky," Le Fay added as she frowned at her tiles. "I've always wondered about that, but he seems to just have phenomenally good luck with everything he does."
"Stop it. You're making me blush," Naruto said with a completely straight face.
Mahjong was a game played with 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols. Players started off by receiving 14 tiles. The goal of the game is to get mahjong, which consists of getting all 14 tiles into four sets and one pair. A pair was two identical tiles. Meanwhile, a set could either be a pun, which was three consecutive tiles, or a chow—a run of three consecutive numbers of the same unit. A single tile could not be used in three sets at once.
They were playing by fairly standard rules since Le Fay had never played mahjong before. It would not have been fair if they made this game overly complicated.
"At least you are still mostly clothed," Le Fay said with a small sigh as she looked down at herself.
Le Fay had already been forced to strip off her shoes, socks, skirt, and shirt, meaning she only had two articles of clothing left. It had been decided that once a person no longer had any clothes left, they would be disqualified from the match. Le Fay was the closest to being disqualified.
On that note, Koneko was currently topless. Her small, perky breasts were on full display. She didn't even bother covering them at all. Naruto wondered if she knew he was thinking about taking those tiny tits into his mouth and suckling on them. He didn't say anything, however, but only because he knew she was probably trying to get him all hot and bothered.
He didn't want to let her see him sweat.
This next round lasted quite a while, but it eventually ended in Le Fay's defeat. While Ravel cheered with a fist pump to the air, Le Fay sighed, glanced at Naruto, blushed bright red, and slowly reached behind her back to undo the clasp on her bra. So this one didn't come with a front hook? Naruto thought all girls wore front hooking bras since they were easier to remove.
The clasp broke and her breasts sprang free. With an embarrassed blush, she slid the bra from her shoulders, revealing her perky tits.
Naruto didn't think he'd seen Le Fay's boobs before. Now that he had, however, he could say she had some well-defined breasts. In terms of size, they were somewhere between Koneko and Ravel. They resembled a pair of treardrops. Naruto wondered what they tasted like. He was tempted to find out, but he knew that letting his libido get away from him might not be the best idea right now.
"N-Naruto-san… could you stop staring at me like that?" Le Fay held her hands to her chest, hiding her nipples from his lascivious gaze.
"Oh, uh, um… sorry." Naruto turned his head. "They're just so beautiful I couldn't help but stare at them."
"Oh!" Le Fay's cheeks turned scarlet. "Well, I'm… I'm very flattered, you know, but, ah… I guess… it's okay if you look… since it's you."
"Really?" asked Naruto, suddenly hopeful.
"Absolutely not!" Ravel snapped.
"Don't even think about it," Koneko said at the same time.
After their game of mahjong, the group also played Monster Hunter on the PSP. Koneko apparently had enough spare consoles to go around.
Of course, Le Fay had never played a video game before, so it took her awhile before she got the hang of the controls. The game fortunately had an easy to use interface. Just like how Ravel had quickly learned how to use the PSP controls, Le Fay also figured it out at a swift pace. She actually seemed to have even more fun than Ravel did when she began learning.
"Is that a dragon?! This game has dragons?!"
"Of course it does," Koneko said to Le Fay's loud shouting. "What kind of monster hunting game doesn't have dragons?"
"Er…"
"They aren't very strong though," Ravel mumbled as she maneuvered her character to slice into Taroth—the elder dragon they were fighting. "A real dragon would kill these things easily."
"Still… normal people are pretty amazing, huh?" Le Fay marveled at the device. "This PSP is quite something, and it takes some incredible creativity to come up with a game like this."
"Humans are geniuses, that's for sure," Koneko agreed.
"You guys are so lucky drop items don't go to the person who makes the kill, or I'd have stolen all the items on this quest a long time ago," Naruto said as he created a combo attack that finished off Taroth.
Among the four of them, Koneko was the first to crash. It was several hours after they played Monster Hunter. She crawled onto the couch, laid down, and placed her head in Naruto's lap.
Naruto was used to this and just stroked the girl's head while she slept. Le Fay stared at Koneko for a moment like she wanted something from the girl, but then she merely sighed and laid down on her couch to get some rest.
Ravel, on the other hand, took the spot on Naruto's other side, though she didn't fall asleep right away.
"You know… before I left, Rizer told me something about the Chaos Brigade," she said.
Naruto furrowed his brow. "What did he say?"
"He said… the evil dragons aren't the only ace Rizevim has up his sleeve," Ravel said. "He told me that if we wanted to learn what kind of forces we were up against, then we should visit the vampire clans in Europe."
"The vampire clans, huh?"
Naruto leaned back and looked at the ceiling as his thoughts suddenly turned to Gasper Vladi, their resident vampire… well, half-vampire. It sounded like there might be trouble in his former home. Maybe. Come to think of it, Naruto didn't actually know where Gasper used to live before Rias found him.
Ravel eventually fell asleep, leaning over and using his shoulder as a pillow. Naruto had another free hand, so he sought out her hand and held it while she slept. Like that, they eventually arrived at the territory belonging to House Gremory.
"Naruto!"
"Bufa—mph!"
The moment they stepped out of the train, Naruto came under assault—or his lips did, at any rate. It took him a moment to realize the one who was kissing him was Rias Gremory. Once he realized what was happening, Naruto gladly reciprocated the kiss, wrapping his arms around Rias's waist and pulling her closer.
Ah. How long had it been since he felt these breasts on his chest? Well, technically, he guessed it hadn't been that long, but at the same time, it felt like a really long time had passed. He was sure that was just his imagination though.
"I'm glad you're back," Rias said after breaking off the kiss.
"Uh… me too. I missed you," Naruto said.
While Rias's greeting toward him might have been the most enthusiastic, she did not neglect Koneko or Ravel, both of whom received a big hug. Le Fay did not. However, the two of them still weren't what Naruto would consider friends. Friendly acquaintances maybe. But not friends.
"You seem to be having fun ignoring me," a voice said as Naruto watched the touching reunion between Rias, Ravel, and Koneko.
Naruto turned around at the sound of that voice and spotted someone he hadn't seen since they rescued her from Rizevim. Standing at around the same height as Ravel and Koneko, with a bust size that was halfway between the two, the dark-haired girl with eyes blacker than voids was none other than Ophis, the legendary Ouroboros Dragon.
"Ophis!"
Naruto felt excitement bubbling inside of him as he swept the girl off her feet. Ophis squawked in surprise, though that squawk became muffled when Naruto pressed their lips together. Her eyes went wide, though she soon closed them. She kissed back. However, her kiss was a lot more tentative. She might have been a dragon god, but she didn't have that much experience.
"I'm glad to see you," Naruto said as he set the girl back on her feet.
"I certainly hope so," Ophis said. "I'd be disappointed if you weren't happy to see me."
After Issei's body was destroyed by Shelba, Ophis had journeyed into the Dimensional Gap between worlds to locate his soul. That had been several days ago. In fact, over a week had passed since it happened.
If Ophis was here then…
"Does that mean you managed to resurrect Ise?" he asked finally.
"Of course I have." Ophis puffed out her chest with pride. "And now that I've saved Ise, you and I are going to have sex."
"Save that sort of conversation for later, you two." Rias turned to Naruto and Ophis, placed her hands on her hips, and frowned at them. "This isn't the time or place. Come on, everyone else is waiting for us."
~Devil Ninja~
"What was that, you bitch?! I dare you to say that again!"
"Ufufufu, did you not hear me the first time? I said your presence was no longer required."
"And who decided that?!"
"I did, of course. We only need one person with Fallen Angel blood here. You have performed your services admirably, but now it's time to leave the stage."
"You can't possibly think I'm going to leave just because you told me to. I'm staying right here."
"I think not."
Naruto was not sure what he had expected to find upon his arrival at the Gremory Estate, but Akeno and Raynare arguing while Issei, Asia, and Xenovia watched from the couch was not it. The two black-haired beauties were practically bust to bust now. He didn't know what they were arguing about, but it looked like this argument was seconds away from becoming violent.
They were not the only ones present. Gasper, Kiba, and Rossweisse were also there. Rossweisse was sitting on the opposite couch as Issei, Asia, and Xenovia, but Kiba was leaning against a wall like he usually did. Meanwhile, Gasper was hiding inside of his cardboard box.
When Issei saw Naruto, Rias, Ravel, Ophis, Koneko, and Le Fay enter the room, his eyes brightened and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"Naruto-sensei!" Issei waved at them with a happy grin. "Welcome back."
"Uh… thanks."
At this point, Akeno and Raynare also noticed them and stopped arguing. They crossed their arms, huffed, and looked away.
"I see you've been successfully revived," Naruto said.
"Yeah…" Issei rubbed the back of his head. "It's all thanks to Ophis and Great Red. They're the ones who gave me this new body."
"New body?"
Naruto glanced at Ophis with a single raised eyebrow. She looked up at him with her large, dark, unfathomable eyes.
"Ise's original body was destroyed by Samael's curse," Ophis began explaining once she realized what he wanted. "So me and Great Red rebuilt his body. It's made from Great Red's flesh and my power. You could actually say Ise has become a human shaped dragon now."
"Does that mean Ise isn't human anymore?" asked Le Fay, who stared at Ophis with curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
Ophis nodded. "Since we had to rebuild his body from scratch using parts from us dragons, his body is no longer human."
"That's fascinating."
Le Fay suddenly turned on Issei and began staring at him as though expecting dragon wings and a tail to sprout from his back. For his part, Issei looked a little freaked out by her sudden fervor.
"I'm not some kind of animal you can just gawk at, you know," he said.
Naruto looked from the curious Le Fay to Rias. The redhead was still standing right next to him. There was a smile on her face as she watched what could almost be considered typical behavior for their household. He understood how she felt. Issei's death had hit them hard and left a huge hole in their chests, but now that he was back, it was almost like all that pain and sadness had never happened.
"Maybe you could explain what happened while we were gone," Naruto suggested.
"That's a good idea. I actually planned on doing that," Rias said. "But first, let's sit down and get some refreshments."
While sitting down sounded like something that was easy and should have taken seconds (all you had to do was sit your butt in a damn chair), it became much harder when so many people wanted to sit right next to you.
Naruto discovered the first problem when Koneko tried to take his lap. Ophis did not appreciate that.
"You have been with Naruto for several days already," she explained. "It is my turn to sit on him. Besides, he needs to praise me for reviving Ise."
"Not on your life," Koneko hissed. "This is my spot!"
While Koneko and Ophis were arguing over who got to sit on Naruto's lap, Le Fay stole the spot on his right. Ravel was also sneaking over to him. It looked like she was going to try and steal his lap for herself, but Koneko and Ophis both noticed her.
"Oh, no you don't!" Ophis shouted.
"You already had sex with him last night! Your lap privileges have been revoked!" Koneko added.
"That isn't fair!" Ravel shouted back. "If you two are going to argue, then why shouldn't I be allowed to claim Naruto's lap for my own?!" It was only after saying this that Ravel realized what she had said and blushed right down to the roots of her hair. "I mean… I'm also marrying him… so…"
"That spot is mine!" Ophis and Koneko said at the same time.
The argument would have no doubt continued, but then Rias, who sat on Naruto's left, told Koneko that Ophis deserved to sit on his lap because she revived Issei. Koneko had puffed out her cheeks and her cat ears twitched irritably, but she didn't go against her King's wishes.
With that, Ophis claimed Naruto's lap for herself. She had shrunk back to her loli form to make things easier and demanded he rub her head, so Naruto ended up pampering the girl as Koneko and Ravel took the spots on the couch furthest from him. Neither of them seemed pleased. Rossweisse opted to stand behind Naruto and Rias… though he suspected that was because there was no more room on the couch.
On the other couch sat Issei, Asia, Xenovia, Akeno, and Raynare. Akeno and Raynare were sitting as far from each other as possible. While Koneko and Ophis had been battling over his lap, those two had also been fighting. Issei, Xenovia, and Asia had been forced to separate them because they had almost come to blows.
"Now that everyone has settled down," Rias began as she crossed her arms, "I believe it's time we all got caught up on what's been happening with each other. Naruto, after you, Koneko, Ravel, and Le Fay left, we received a message from my brother that House Sitri's territory was under attack by evil dragons and members of the Chaos Brigade. We traveled there and fought against them, but while we were able to deal with the Chaos Brigade, the dragon overwhelmed us. Even when me, Akeno, Rossweisse, Raynare, and Kiba teamed up against it, we could do very little to defeat him."
"Sounds like this dragon you fought was a real problem," Koneko muttered.
"He was more than just a problem," Rossweisse muttered bitterly. "We were fighting against Ladon. He's known as the Insomniac Dragon. In the past, Ladon was charged with guarding the Golden Apples of Hesperides, but he was killed by the original Heracles of Greek Mythology. His defensive abilities are incredible. He doesn't have the durability of Grendel, but on top of having an excellent defense, he can also use barrier magic that surpasses anything I've ever seen."
"Even my newest attack couldn't kill him," Rias added.
As they were talking, Ophis leaned backward until her back was pressed against Naruto's chest. She seemed to be enjoying his pampering more than usual. He jokingly thought maybe she'd been going through head petting withdrawals.
"In either event, if it wasn't for Ise and Ophis's arrival, we might not have been able to push them back," Rias continued telling the story of what happened. "We weren't able to break through his barrier even after Issei and Ophis joined us, but we were able to keep him from gaining ground. He was eventually summoned away from the battlefield with a Dragon's Gate. We were honestly really lucky."
"I hear the only weapon able to break through Ladon's barrier is the True Longinus," Rossweisse added.
"I could also break through it if I was at full power," Ophis said.
"But you're not at full power. That's the problem," Rias told her.
"Hmph."
The conversation continued, but there wasn't much to explain after Rias told them about her battle with Ladon. After the dragon retreated, Rias and the others left cleanup to the members of House Sitri and made their way back to the Gremory Estate.
After Rias informed Naruto of what happened on her end, Naruto told Rias about his battle with Niðhöggr, Rizer's capture at the hands of Ravel, Koneko, and Le Fay, and the training Ravel underwent. There wasn't as much to tell, so his debriefing was rather short.
"It seems like we all went through a lot," Rias said. "However, we won't be returning to the human world just yet."
Her words caused everyone to straighten in their seats. Kiba uncrossed his arms, Gasper stuck his head out of the box he was hiding in, and Rossweisse shifted from one foot to the other.
"Why aren't we leaving?" asked Issei. "Is something happening?"
"Yes, something is happening." Rias smiled at them all. "We were supposed to do this awhile ago, but with all the chaos going around thanks to the Chaos Brigade, we weren't able to do it until now. All of you have grown incredibly strong. You are more than strong enough to have earned the Middle-class Devil ranking several times over, which is why, two days from now, Asia, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Ise, Gasper, Rossweisse, and Xenovia will be taking the promotion tests. If you are successful, you'll become Middle-class Devils, which means you will either become a Baronet, a Baronetess, a Knight, or a Dame. Naruto, you will be taking the promotion test for High-Class Devils."
Naruto was surprised to hear they were going to be taking the promotion to see if they were worthy of climbing up the devil social ladder. He had completely forgotten he and the others were considered Low-class Devils.
Honestly, he didn't care much about earning a higher ranking, but he did know it was important. He was engaged to Rias and Ravel, two High-Class Devils born from noble families. A Middle-class Devil like himself did not have the status to marry women like that, much less two.
The Devil Promotion Test, huh? Should be fun.