Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and Judai began walking along the red carpet when a small silhouette came running toward them. A young boy sprinted up to Rias and hugged her tightly; she immediately embraced him back.
It was a cute young boy with vivid crimson hair.
"Rias-nee-sama! Welcome back!"
"Milicas, I'm back. You've gotten so big," Rias said with a smile, ruffling his hair.
After they separated, Milicas greeted the others. "Welcome back, everyone."
Then his eyes fell on Judai. "You must be the guy my father was talking about. Nice to meet you, I'm Milicas Gremory."
He offered a handshake.
"Yuki Judai. Nice to meet you, too," Judai replied, accepting it. 'This must be Sirzechs' son,' he thought.
The two exchanged friendly smiles.
"Come on, Milicas," Rias said, offering her hand. She then glanced at the others. "Let's head inside."
Milicas took her hand, and they all walked toward the gate. Once past the outer entrance, an inner gate opened, leading them further inside. They soon arrived in the grand entry hall, a vast space dominated by an enormous chandelier hanging above.
Grayfia stepped forward. "Ojou-sama, I will show everyone to their rooms now." As she raised her hand, a group of maids, each strikingly beautiful, gathered nearby.
"You're right. I should go greet Mother and Father as well, now that I'm home," Rias said with a nod.
"Let me come with you. It would be disrespectful to stay here without meeting the owners of the house," Judai offered.
"Very well," Grayfia said. Then, addressing the maids, she instructed, "Please lead the others to their rooms."
As Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno were escorted away by the maids, Akeno gave a small wave to Judai, which he returned.
Grayfia then led Rias, Milicas, and Judai through the castle. They walked for some time before arriving at a beautiful back garden filled with vibrant flowers.
Two people were seated there, enjoying tea together. One was a beautiful woman who looked remarkably similar to Rias, though her hair was a soft flaxen color. Beside her sat a handsome middle-aged man with long crimson hair tied in a loose ponytail.
These were Rias's parents: Venelana Gremory and Zeoticus Gremory.
The couple looked toward the approaching group. Grayfia gave a slight bow, and Milicas immediately ran over to them.
"Look who just arrived!" Milicas announced, beaming.
Zeoticus smiled and patted his head while Venelana looked on warmly.
"Mother, Father, I've returned," Rias said as she stepped forward.
"Welcome back, dear," Venelana said.
"Welcome home, Rias," Zeoticus added.
The two rose and embraced their daughter. Then Zeoticus tilted his head curiously toward Judai. "And who might this young man be?"
Judai stepped forward and gave a respectful bow. "I'm Yuki Judai. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for allowing me to stay here."
Zeoticus walked over and placed a hand on Judai's shoulder. "Relax, I'm not going to eat you," he said kindly. "Sirzechs has explained the situation, so don't worry. But tell me, how confident are you about beating Riser Phenex?"
"One hundred percent," Judai answered, meeting Zeoticus's gaze directly.
Zeoticus smiled. "Good. I am Zeoticus Gremory. For now, you may call me Zeoticus. And when you win this match, you may call me 'Father.'"
"Alright, I will," Judai replied.
Venelana then walked up beside her husband, gently chiding him. "My dear, that's moving a bit fast. There's a proper order to these things."
"He's fine with it, see?" Zeoticus said, noting Judai's lack of objection.
"I understand, but let's wait until after the match is over, alright?" Venelana said diplomatically.
"You're right, I may have been too hasty," Zeoticus conceded with a nod.
Venelana then looked at Judai and said with a warm smile, "Yuki Judai."
"Just Judai is fine," Judai said.
"Alright, Judai. What do you plan to do during these six days?" Venelana asked, curious about how he intended to spend his time here.
"Training," Judai replied simply. It was the only thing on his mind.
"We have an empty training ground you are welcome to use. However, we cannot assist you directly with your training, as we are not yet formally tied. Is that acceptable?" Venelana explained.
"That's alright. But, is there a library here as well?" Judai asked, having decided to learn more about this world's power systems, where his own knowledge was lacking.
"There is, yes," Venelana replied, a little surprised by his request.
"Thank you," Judai said gratefully.
"No wonder Rias has fallen for you," Venelana remarked, her smile softening as she took in Judai's own genuine smile. It was charming in a way that felt unexpectedly soothing.
"Mom!" Rias protested, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Zeoticus and Venelana shared an amused chuckle at their daughter's flustered reaction.
Zeoticus then turned back to Judai, his expression curious. "I've heard from Sirzechs about your summon. I'm quite interested, would you mind showing it to me?"
"Sure," Judai agreed with a nod.
. . . .
In the empty training ground, Rias, Zeoticus, Venelana, Grayfia, and Milicas stood to the side, with Milicas holding Grayfia's hand. Judai stood alone in the center as his Duel Disk materialized on his arm.
Judai drew five cards first and summoned Link Streamer to the field. The advanced mechanical entity appeared before him, eliciting impressed looks from the onlookers.
"That's new," Rias commented.
"Can you summon more?" Zeoticus asked.
Judai summoned another monster, Performapal Trump Witch. The cheerful, costumed witch appeared and gave a playful wave to the audience.
"What is your strongest summon?" Venelana inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"A Gryphon," Judai replied.
'A Gryphon?' They were surprised; based on their knowledge, gryphons were not typically considered exceptionally powerful.
"Can you summon it?" Milicas asked eagerly.
"I can't. The energy required is at least on a planetary scale," Judai explained. "I'm not able to handle that kind of power yet."
"Planetary?" Zeoticus repeated, taken aback. The others shared his astonishment. Hearing this, Zeoticus, Venelana, and Grayfia now understood the source of his confidence.
"Yeah, I'm still too weak to summon it," Judai admitted. "But the strongest summon I can manage right now is Dragite, a dragon."
Zeoticus and Venelana exchanged a look and a subtle nod, their earlier worries now completely assuaged.
"Can you summon it? I want to see the dragon!" Milicas pleaded, his eyes shining with excitement. He had seen dragons before, but he was curious about Judai's in particular.
Grayfia looked down at him sternly. "Milicas, mind your manners."
"It's fine, Lady Grayfia. I don't mind," Judai said with a smile.
Grayfia met his gaze, a faint, knowing glint in her eyes. Just as she had insisted on using honorifics for him, he was now returning the gesture.