Mordred left the room and headed for the entrance to the house, where this person Drako had warned of was waiting.
Mordred did not need Drako's warning to notice this person. It was an aura she had sensed before, or at least it was very similar.
It was the aura of Thalia Grace, the girl who had accompanied them into the forest.
No, it wasn't Thalia. This person had an even more powerful aura than the young Huntress.
Mordred opened the door, and found herself with proud, cold, dark-brown eyes.
In front of Mordred appeared a tall beauty, taller than her at least (remember that Mordred is less than 160cm tall), with coppery skin. She had an elegant posture, and there was no doubt that she was wonderfully beautiful.
She was wearing the same clothes as Thalia, so Mordred connected two and two and figured that the two must be allies in some way. That is, she was one of Artemis' hunters.
"Who are you?"
Just because she was Thalia's ally didn't mean Mordred was going to let his guard down around a powerful person. Especially when she hadn't confirmed this person's identity.
With her silver tiara and her haughty expression, the girl looked like royalty. Mordred was also part of a royal family, but she did not exude this unique aura of the highest nobility.
"My name is Zoë Nightshade, the lieutenant of Artemis. I am seeking the dragon Drako at the request of my goddess, may I speak with him?"
Mordred was silent for a few moments, when Zoë was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Was she being judged at this time?
Not really.
Mordred was having a mental communication right now, in which Drako was briefly detailing the important activity he is doing right now with Lavinia. This caused her cheeks to blush wildly, as Mo-chan was not prepared for this.
Zoë, on the other hand, did not know what to think. This girl had blushed as she stared at her, and had finally dodged her gaze. Was she one of those girls who liked girls over guys?
"All right, Drako has given you permission to enter. You're gonna have to wait a little while since he's... busy."
Zoë wondered what Drako was doing right now that was more important than receiving the right hand of the goddess Artemis. In the end, she said nothing and followed Mordred into the room.
Zoë analysed Mordred, and could not help but be surprised by how strong this girl seemed. She must have been the girl Thalia had reported, as the characteristics matched.
Strong, she was a strong woman. Zoé wasn't sure which one of them would win if a fight broke out between them. Perhaps she needed to make use of her "taboo" lineage to defeat Mordred.
Mordred and Zoë ended up in the first-floor living room, each sitting on a different couch. They were both silent, each thinking about something different.
Zoë was thinking of asking Mordred if she was a virgin, so she could offer her a chance to join Artemis Hunter's. Such a strong girl would make an excellent addition to the group, much better than a male dragon.
Seriously, what was Artemis thinking to invite Drako to join the group?
At that moment, Zoë went on alert when she sensed another powerful aura. This one was slightly less than Mordred's, but that didn't take away from the fact that the person emitting such an aura was powerful.
"It's time to eat, nyaaa!"
A girl in a thin nightgown came into the room as she was waking up. With her two cat ears and the four tails coming out of the nightie from behind, Zoë identified this girl as a Youkai.
This girl was probably close to the level of Sun Wukong himself. When had such a powerful Youkai ever appeared?
Kuroka's eyes were half-closed in sleep, but she opened them wide when she realised that Drako had not made the meal.
She ignored Zoë completely when she began using senjutsu to seek out Drako's presence, finding him successfully "playing" with Lavinia.
"That idiot... it's OK to have fun and sex games with Lavinia, but you can't forget to make my food!"
Kuroka was genuinely angry, and it was not because Drako was having an intimate moment with Lavinia.
It was because he hadn't prepared the meal for Kuroka!
And she was hungry!
Zoë clenched her fists tightly and bit her lip when she heard Kuroka.
So Drako was having sex while he made Artemis' lieutenant wait...
Meanwhile, watching from the corridor and well hidden, Shirone and Valerie observed the situation.
"I'm so sorry about Drako-nii-san, Kuroka-nee-sama is very scary when she gets angry."
Valerie nodded her head seriously. The expression Kuroka was making at this point was definitely scary.
But the vamp not only noticed Kuroka, but also Zoë. She wondered who this girl was who had invited herself to Drako's house, and who had requested that Mordred come out to meet her.
"What are you girls doing here?"
Shirone and Valerie were startled when they heard Drako's voice from behind them.
"D-Drako-nii-san!" Shirone waved with a certain nervousness.
Valerie only kept her eyes serious as she looked at Drako. It seemed they had been captured in this secret investigation.
"So you guys are hungry too, huh. Sorry, I haven't had time to cook since I've been busy with other things." Drako apologised to the girls.
Drako would never have thought the two girls were conducting a secret investigation... although it wasn't so secret anymore.
It had taken Drako so short a time to get upstairs as he had received a couple of mental cries from Kuroka. The surprise of the first scream had caused him to run straight away. Fortunately, Lavinia had climaxed at that very moment as well.
"We're home now."
The elevator opened, and three girls got out of it. They were none other than Natsume, Valina, and Akeno, who had arrived after studying at Grigori in the morning.
"Welcome," Drako welcomed them with a smile.
The girls smiled back at him.
"I'm sorry, girls. I didn't have time to cook today, so we're going to eat ramen. Is that OK?"
Drako would rather take his time preparing a good meal for everyone. However, that seemed impossible at the moment. Already Drako could see Kuroka kicking the floor in frustration and anger at not being able to eat, she was looking at Drako with swollen cheeks.
She was so cute.
Next to Drako, Valina's eyes lit up when she heard they were going to eat ramen. It had been a long time since they had eaten ramen at home, not to mention when she would sneak into the store and shop for herself.
Luckily Drako hadn't heard about their ramen-eating escapes, as strict as he was about everyone's diet Valina was going to get a good scolding if this got back to the dragon's ears.
Drako turned and looked at Lucifer's descendant.
"Hey, Valina. I need your help."
"Yes?"
Valina looked at Drako curiously.
"You are the ramen expert, why don't you prepare the food while I talk to a guest? I am sure that the ramen will taste much better if you are the one who prepares it."
Faced with Drako's expectation, she did not hesitate to respond.
"You sure know how to measure your words well, Drako Big Bro. No one doubts that what this White Dragon Empress does is the best of the best. Today's meal will live up to my great name."
Drako smiled at Valina's enthusiasm. When she activated that strange way of speaking it meant that she was excited and enthusiastic.
A powerful battle aura haunted Valina as she entered the kitchen. She completely ignored Zoë as she mumbled words that would scare more than one.
"Well, girls, I have some business to discuss with our guest. Why don't you go set the table for lunch?" Drako suggested.
That's when Natsume and Akeno, the only two with Valina who hadn't seen Zoë, realised there was a guest in the house.
"Yeah, why not?."
Natsume understood that Drako had something important to discuss with this woman, so she grabbed Akeno's hand and went after Valina.
The message was not just for the two of them, but for all the girls. Mordred and Kuroka seemed hesitant, but Drako convinced them by mental messages.
Once all the girls were gone, Drako was left alone with this woman he had never met.
Drako felt that her aura was similar to that of Thalia and Artemis, although it was closer to the latter. She lacked that divine aura that the demi-goddess and goddess had, but gave off a far more titanic one. She was definitely stronger than Thalia, and was quite close to Kuroka and Mordred.
Without hesitation, Drako used her Status Inspection.
[Status Inspection]
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐��‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
[Zoé Nightshade]
Race: Nymph(Hesperide)/Huntress
HP: 3551/3551
MP: 2901
Strength: 1623??
Defense: 1459
Magic: 2135
Agility: 3123
Abilities:
[Zoolingualism]
[Battle Prowess]
[Animal Communication]
[Huntress Immortality]
[Archery]
[¿????]
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
She was definitely stronger than Thalia Grace, and she could even put up a good fight with Mordred and Kuroka.
Until now, Drako had encountered people who had all their statistics hidden, but it was the first time he had seen someone who had only partially hidden them. That was why Drako did not dare estimate the true strength of the girl in front of him.
Drako sat down in front of Zoë and spoke politely to her.
"May I know the name of this beautiful lady?"
Zoë had already seen Drako once, but he hadn't seen her. Artemis' lieutenant had been left out of that meeting between Drako and the goddess. That's why Drako didn't recognise her.
"My name is Zoë, I am Artemis' lieutenant."
The girl showed up again.
Drako was not surprised to hear Zoë's identity, as it was obvious that such a powerful woman would have an important position within Artemis' group. He would have underestimated the goddess if Zoë was just one of the group, someone of no real importance.
"My name is Drako, although I guess you know that already. Well? What is Artemis' lieutenant doing here?"
"My goddess requires your presence. Tomorrow morning you will come with our group."
Drako raised an eyebrow unconsciously. This proposal was... quite interesting. Although he had barely had a conversation with Artemis, she did not seem to be the type to make such dominant "requests".
Drako was quick to grasp the situation, he would be utterly useless if he did not.
Zoë was a member of the Huntress group, and had a very high position in it. It would not be uncommon for her to have hostility towards men, who were most of the reason why quite a few Huntresses left the team over the years. She may have had her own personal problems with men.
Drako felt Zoë was watching him with an irritated look. It was obvious she was unhappy about having to invite him to join the group. She seemed to disagree with Artemis' decision, but had accepted it anyway. Coming here in person to inform Drako was a great show of loyalty to the goddess.
"All right, I'll go with you tomorrow."
Drako figured out why Artemis wanted to talk to him, so he didn't hesitate to agree.
Drako stood up from his seat and extended his hand to Zoë.
"Do you want to eat with us? We have ramen to eat."
"Hmph."
She slapped Drako's hand away and stood up on her own. Zoë went directly to the exit of the house, and only turned around when she had set foot out of the house.
"At eight o'clock in the morning I'll be waiting for you, I won't waste another minute of my time."
After leaving those words, she left the house. A few seconds later and Drako could no longer feel Zoë's presence.
"What a cold woman. That's what it takes to be a virgin for thousands of years, I guess."
Drako shrugged after closing the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl with blond hair walking down the hallway.
Lavinia had recovered from her previous intense activity.
"Yo, let's eat. Valina has made ramen."
Lavinia frowned when she heard that there was ramen to eat, but relaxed and smiled sweetly when she heard the second part.
"Va-chan cook? I have to make sure I eat at least two plates."
---------------------------------------------
So, with this chapter starts officially the next volume of this FanFic (I don't remember if it was the 6 or 7). And, today is day 1 of the month...
So, this is the best moment to go and subscribe on my P@treon! There you can read up to chapter 202, and this volume that starts today on webnovel is almost finished there!
Not only that. Right now, we have 72 patrons. 3 more new patrons and we will reach the 75 patrons goal of the month. That means another 3 chapters posted on P@treon!
https://www.p atreon.com/GreatSage_Master1
It was 7:30 AM the next day.
Drako had gotten up a couple of hours earlier to trainbut had already taken a shower and was currently finishing breakfast. He had arranged to meet Zoë at 8 AM, and Drako was one of those who didn't like to keep others waiting.
The worst thing anyone can do is keep someone waiting.
Drako hated people who were always late. If you were meeting someone at 8 AM, you couldn't be late for 8:05 AM. That was rude.
Drako dressed in a thin white shirt, combined with jeans and comfortable shoes. This time, he did not have to act as Akatsuki's leader or anything like that, nor did he have to train Raynare. That's why he could choose more casual clothes.
Five minutes before the hour was up, Drako stepped out the door.
If Drako hadn't misjudged Zoë, she should have arrived exactly at the time she was supposed to meet Drako.
"It's strange to see you up so early."
Drako didn't even turn around when two people left the house.
"I couldn't sleep well, Nyaa."
"Without Master at home, it feels a little weird."
The two girls who left were Drako's two Servants, Mordred and Kuroka.
Drako turned to face them. They both wore clothes that characterized them.
"Well? Is there anything you need?"
Mordred turned her head to the side, avoiding Drako's gaze, while Kuroka threw herself into his embrace.
Kuroka applied all the strength she could in her arms, even if Drako barely noticed, to express her feelings in the most convincing manner possible.
"I don't want you to leave." the nekoshou muttered.
Kuroka could not imagine a life without Drako. She had been living with him for two years, day after day, she was unable to imagine a life without Drako.
He was the one who had pulled her out of that hell, who had prevented Shirone from going through the same hell as Kuroka. He had given her a home, a new family. He had given her strength to fight and protect her beloved younger sister, even though she had not yet had the chance to use it.
Drako was Kuroka's world.
Drako spoke to the girls the day before after having the conversation with Zoë, and told them of the possibility that this journey would last more than a few days.
Artemis required their presence, and Drako suspected it was not just to formally join her group. A short trip to Japan by the goddess to perform this ritual of being accepted into the group was all that was needed if Artemis was to do just that.
It was not difficult for Drako to assume that Artemis needed him for something else.
"I don't know how long I'll be gone, Kuroka, but I promise I'll try to get back as soon as possible."
Drako tried to calm Kuroka. She hesitated, but finally broke away from Drako and nodded.
"Be careful." He said gently.
"I'll be."
Kuroka stepped back, and Drako laid eyes on the other girl who had come out to see him off.
Mordred, his first Servant.
Mordred seemed to be doubting something, and it seemed that she had finally gathered enough determination to look at Drako and speak.
"I will accompany you!"
"Impossible"
Drako had no hesitation in rejecting Mordred's request.
"But... I am your Servant! My duty is to accompany you and fight by your side!"
Drako shook his head. No matter what Mordred had to say, Drako wasn't going to take her with him.
"This isn't that war, Mordred. You don't have to worry, there are few things in this world capable of defeating Artemis and her hunters. Not only that, but I'm no longer that little dragon incapable of doing anything."
Mordred bit her lip and bent her head, unsure how to continue. Her instincts told her that this journey Drako was about to embark upon was not going to be as simple as she first saw it. Mordred felt that Drako might be in danger if he accompanied Artemis.
As she bit her lips, a pair of male arms surrounded her. Drako embraced her and drew her to his chest, burying her in a warm embrace.
Mordred remembered when she was first summoned, when Drako gave her this new life. The man who was now far taller than she was then was six inches shorter.
Yes, what he had said before was true. Drako is no longer that feeble little dragon from back then. He had grown up to be someone she could trust.
Mordred hugged Drako back as a smile formed on her lips. Yes, it was not bad to be able to trust someone like that.
"Well, it's time to go. Isn't it, Zoë?"
"Don't say my name so casually, call me lieutenant."
Drako released Mordred's embrace, and she parted, albeit reluctantly, and turned in the opposite direction.
As if she had appeared out of nowhere, Zoé was standing across the street. Just as Drako expected, the lieutenant had arrived at the exact time.
"Well, I'm off."
Drako hugged Mordred again and shared a slightly too long kiss with Kuroka before leaving with Zoë.
This did not seem to be to Zoë's liking, and it was evident from the disgusted look on her face.
Well, it wasn't like Drako cared.
.........................
If Drako was sincere, he didn't expect Zoë to take him to this place.
"What are we doing at the airport?"
Drako asked out of sheer curiosity. However, Zoë answered quite fiercely.
"We're going to travel to another continent, what more do you want?"
Drako felt something suspicious was going on here. Rarely did members of the supernatural world use human means to travel.
"Maybe... you don't know how to make a teleportation circle?"
"Shut up!" Zoë screamed as she blushed.
So Drako's suspicion was right. Apparently, although Zoë's magic power was quite high, she didn't even know how to use basic transport magic.
"You don't have to be ashamed of that. You know, even though I'm a dragon, I still don't know how to use the Dragon Gate. Tiamat wanted to teach me how to use it, but I think I was still too weak at the time."
"I didn't ask for your comfort."
Zoë responded to Drako's attempt to comfort her in a cold voice, though he could see that she was grateful at heart. She was not so surprised to hear the name Tiamat, as Artemis had mentioned it when speaking of Drako earlier.
Speaking of the Dragon Gate, Drako remembered that now was the time to learn about this method of transportation. It was the primary method of transportation for high-level dragons, so he needed to learn about it.
As they entered the airport, Drako and Zoë kept quiet almost all the way. In the end, Drako had to talk.
"Where are we going?"
"United States."
Zoë's response was still just as cold.
"Why are we going to America?"
To Drako's question, Zoë gave him a strange look.
"Don't you know?"
"Is there anything special I should know?"
Zoë slowed down, and looked at Drako as if he really was a freak.
"Sigh... you don't really seem to know anything. It's a bit of a long story, so I'd better tell you inside the plane."
Drako nodded, and the two continued on their way to the plane.
Not long after, Drako and Zoë arrived at the plane.
Their destination: Maine.
............
Once inside the plane, Zoë and Drako sat in the back of it. Unfortunately for Zoë, since she didn't want to be so close to Drako. Now, she had to endure twelve hours at the side of a boy, which she didn't like at all.
Drako didn't care. In fact, it was quite nice to be around a beautiful woman like Zoë.
But now Drako was interested in something else. Why was America so important? Zoë had even looked at him funny about this.
"Hey, tell me about America. Why is it so important?"
Zoë gave Drako a strange look again. She really couldn't believe that Tiamat hadn't taught Drako anything about Western Civilization.
"This is a bit complicated to explain, and you may not understand it very well at first."
Drako shrugged.
"Never mind, we have a 12-hour flight to explain."
Zoë's forehead wrinkled with irritation at the thought of spending 12 hours with a womanizer.
"In the mythologies that originated in Western Europe in the past, especially Greco-Latin and Nordic, there is an effect called Western Civilization that affects both mythologies and mortals."
Western Civilization Effect-- this was something Drako had never heard of.
Probably because all DxD is focused on Japan, and barely reaches Romania in one volume, European mythologies hardly matter.
It's true that the gods appear throughout the novel, but not places like Mount Olympus and Asgard.
"I'm going to explain it to you in simple words. What is known as Western Civilization... is a living force, a collective consciousness that has burned for thousands of years. The gods are part of that, a fire burned in Greece. The heart of that flame moved to Rome, and so did the gods... wherever that flame is brightest, the gods will move there. Right now they're in the United States. Look at their symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center... like it or not, the United States is now the heart of the most powerful flame in the West. So Olympus is here."
Zoë's words were powerful, making an impact on Drako. After all, what she was saying made sense.
Why were the Roman gods the same as the Greeks, but with different names?
It was because they had moved to where that "flame" was most powerful.
The flame that Zoë talks about is not something that really exists, but an expression for the most powerful human kingdom/country/empire of the moment.
And without a doubt, the United States is the most powerful country in the world.
Zoë explained a little more to Drako about the concept of "Western Civilization".
Western Civilization is a metaphysical force that moves with the flow of civilization. It is the pure essence of humanity's culture and connects everything that constitutes the collective spirit of humanity and civilization.
This force moves with the centre of human prosperity and influence, and was originally founded in Greece (AN: Let's remember that, although the Greeks were not the first gods in history, they are the first to be born in the western side of Europe. Or so I believe, correct me if I am wrong). From there, it was carried by Zephyros, the western wind in Greek mythology, to Rome. Then it travelled through Europe, stopping in Germany (Nordic gods), France, Spain, and finally ending up in Britain for a while. The current center of the "flame" has been in the United States since 1860, precisely in New York City, where an entrance to Olympus is located on the Empire State Building.
Olympus is a different realm from the human world, so its entrance can change without any problem.
The fact that one of the entrances to Olympus is located in the United States does not mean that all the heritage of Greek mythology found in Greece is useless. On the contrary, Greece will always be more important for this mythology than any other place.
Still, the Olympians are strongly connected to western civilization as they are both its source and its embodiment. This connection had a profound effect on the gods and mortal civilization. If Western Civilization declined, the gods would be severely weakened. If the Olympic order was overthrown, then human civilization would fall apart at the seams, degenerating into chaos.
Chaos...
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT