Just as Takeyo had expected, Ingvild naturally accepted the fact that she'd been reincarnated as his servant.
The next day.
Sitri Territory.
Takeyo and Sona returned to the Sitri estate together.
"So this is your home, Sona? It's as magnificent as Gremory territory."
As he spoke, Takeyo's left hand naturally found hers.
"Mm..."
Sona nodded slightly, and didn't pull away.
Just as she'd expected, Takeyo, ever perceptive, took her hand fully after a few seconds.
"Let's go. I haven't met your family yet."
"About that..." Sona's face flushed slightly. "Father and Mother mentioned the other day that they'd be traveling to the human world."
In fact, there was more to it than that. Her parents had added, "When we're away, no matter what you and Takeyo do, no one will disturb you."
But that was obviously something Sona couldn't bring herself to say.
"They left early? That's a shame, I was looking forward to meeting them."
Takeyo knew exactly why Sona's parents had chosen to leave at this particular time without even needing to think about it.
On one hand, they probably wanted to give him and Sona space to develop their relationship without restraint. On the other hand, it might simply be embarrassing to face him directly.
They were probably afraid he'd ask why they'd agreed to the marriage contract between Sona and Diodora. That would be incredibly awkward.
And so, under Tsubaki's watchful gaze from behind, Takeyo and Sona entered the Sitri castle together.
Tsubaki found herself regretting her decision to follow. All the other peerage members were training, she shouldn't have ended her practice session just because Sona was returning home.
Coming along like this... while she could serve as a wingman, wasn't she mostly just acting as a third wheel?
Only considering the strength of his bloodline and his personal power, Takeyo is an excellent candidate as a partner.
Tsubaki was analyzing the situation calmly.
Ever since that day, she had paid unprecedented attention to Takeyo.
Because on that day, the president had finally made up her mind to accept him as a family member. As Sona's partner, someone she'd invested considerable resources and Evil Pieces into obtaining, Takeyo had been given significant attention by all of Sona's peerage.
Tsubaki was no exception.
If the president could just let go of her pride, it would be perfect. But... is something like that really possible for her?
She also knew that Takeyo was inextricably linked to the Occult Research Club.
There was even a fallen angel maid living in his house. And apparently, a female warrior from the Hero Faction had moved in recently as well?
In short, Takeyo, who had inherited a hero's blood, seemed to have also inherited a hero's complicated relationships with the opposite sex.
The only question was whether Sona could accept this.
If the president doesn't accept it... how far will they really go?
Tsubaki found herself pondering this troublesome question.
To summarize: watching the relationship between Takeyo and Sona, she was revealing the essence of a woman, the love of gossip.
Inside the grand castle, it seemed Sona's parents had arranged things specifically so that Takeyo and Sona could be alone. The maids and guards had been reduced to an absolute minimum.
"Is this your study, Sona? It really suits you."
In Sona's study, Takeyo observed the room's configuration. Everything was arranged for maximum efficiency.
"By the way, may I use this?"
Takeyo pointed to the chessboard on the other side of the window sill, where an elegant chess set lay waiting.
"You want to play chess with me?"
Sona gave a wry smile.
Ever since learning that Takeyo had been letting her win before, she'd sworn never to play chess with him again until she'd developed the absolute skill to beat him fairly.
"No, I'm just going to play against myself."
Takeyo smiled and made his way to the opposite side of the table.
Eighth Incarnation, Black Sky Krishna, activate!
A crystalline black figure separated from Takeyo's body.
It shared his appearance exactly, radiating divinity and wisdom, the kind of presence and temperament that drew people in at first sight.
This was actually the more restrained version. If he'd used the Ninth Incarnation instead, combining the origin of the Biblical God's power with that incarnation's full capabilities, enhanced further by his human bloodline...
Takeyo was currently a High-Class Devil, and all High-Class Devils, including most Ultimate-Class Devils, would be overwhelmed by his divine temperament and appearance.
Originally this kind of aura hadn't been so noticeable, but as time passed, it had reached the point where Takeyo needed to actively suppress it.
Click.
Gently, Takeyo made the first move.
After thinking for a few seconds, the avatar sitting across from him also began to play.
Click.
The jade chess pieces collided with the jade board, producing a crisp sound.
This was another relaxation technique he used besides playing with the fallen angel maid, playing chess against himself.
Using his computational power to compete against the Eighth Incarnation, he could improve his thinking and calculation methods.
Sona watched Takeyo quietly, her eyes full of tenderness.
Every time he frowned in concentration, every time he placed a piece, it all seemed full of unique charm.
As if they were playing a cosmic game, Takeyo and his incarnation simply laid pieces in quiet contemplation.
Meanwhile, Tsubaki silently pushed up her glasses.
Forgive me for my limited vision, but I can't follow the chess logic that Takeyo and his incarnation are employing.
"Let's go."
Half an hour later, Takeyo spoke to Sona, who was still absorbed in watching.
Although he'd reduced the intensity of his aura to its lowest level, anyone who kept looking at him for too long would still fall into a state similar to what Sona was experiencing now.
"Oh... right..."
At Takeyo's voice, Sona snapped back to awareness.
What was I doing? How did I lose myself like that?
She'd only meant to study Takeyo's chess strategy, but somehow she'd become entranced instead.
"Sona, this room is..."
Takeyo noticed a pink door. The sign at the entrance was written in an adorable font, "Magical Girl Levia-tan."
"That's... that's my sister's room."
The corner of Sona's mouth twitched.
Of all things...
Her sister's embarrassing hobby had just been exposed right in front of Takeyo. Her face heated instantly.
"Interesting."
Takeyo didn't make any move to enter the room. He'd already seen what he wanted to see from outside.
Unlike Sona, he didn't think there was anything wrong with Serafall's hobby. Magical girls were actually quite appealing.
Of course, what he appreciated was his own magical girl. If she were ogled by some old man like Odin, he'd be quite upset.
But... there doesn't seem to be a DVD player in her room here.
Looks like she can't bear to be parted from her collection and carried it all with her.
Takeyo's lips curved slightly.
A magical girl who liked these kinds of games was truly a proper and exciting magical girl indeed.
Night fell.
Evening tea time on the top floor of the castle.
Takeyo and Sona sat together, gazing at the moon in the sky.
"The moon in the Underworld is beautiful. It's always like this."
Takeyo looked at the full moon above and smiled.
"There's no actual moon in the Underworld," Sona said, taking a sip of her coffee. "These moons are all created with magic at regular intervals."
"Sona, the game is in a few days, right?"
"Yes. But Takeyo... have you noticed something?" Sona hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"You mean Diodora's unusual behavior? I'm aware."
Takeyo shook his head. No matter what tricks Diodora had up his sleeve, Takeyo was absolutely confident he could defeat him.
Because he still hadn't used Suzaku's protection!
Even against the Red Dragon God Emperor, that power would force a desperate struggle. Right now, he possessed the capital to destroy any enemy if he was willing to push himself to the limit, which was precisely why he'd been so bold at the previous gathering.
"Really? You know? Does that mean you have a way to deal with him?"
Sona asked curiously.
She didn't believe Diodora was just being recklessly overconfident. He must have some reason for appearing so comfortable, some hidden advantage he believed could counter Takeyo.
"A way to deal with it?" Takeyo smiled. "Can I just say that as long as you're by my side, I can surpass my limits?"
"Are you sure you're not thinking of Rias?"
Sona pouted slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction in her expression.
Although she hadn't witnessed it personally at the time, she'd seen in subsequent replays exactly how Takeyo had knocked down Riser for Rias's sake.
"That was just fulfilling a promise. After all, I'd told Rias I would help her defeat Riser."
Looking at Sona, who was showing a rare glimpse of a young girl's jealousy, Takeyo smiled and gently stroked her head.
He was telling the truth, he simply hadn't wanted to be someone who broke his word.
Although he'd expected that Rias might come to like him, he hadn't anticipated that she would give herself to him that night.
Perhaps this was characteristic of the Gremory clan, who were known for their deep emotions. They especially treasured feelings and passion.
"Don't worry, Sona. I will defeat Diodora."
Takeyo said softly while continuing to stroke Sona's black hair. He knew her heart was full of anxiety, and she needed him to give her confidence.
His definition of "defeat" meant something quite specific, death.
Even if Diodora was Ajuka's blood relative, he had to be killed. That was the most stable plan.
He could apologize to Ajuka or offer compensation afterward. The most important thing was... Diodora had to die.
"Takeyo, do you know something?"
"Chess really is a fascinating game."
Takeyo stood behind Sona now, and she spoke quietly beneath him.
"Mm, it's interesting enough. But chess is about fixed rules and predictable changes. Compared to that, Rating Games are much more exciting."
Takeyo smiled as he replied.
"That's true. Things with life are more interesting than things without. And things with emotions are more meaningful than things without."
Sona looked at the moon in the sky as she spoke.
"Takeyo... I want to ask you something."
Her eyelashes flickered. She felt that if she didn't get an answer to this question, she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight no matter how hard she tried.
"Go ahead."
Takeyo said, still gazing at the moon.
"Takeyo... have you been with Rias?"
After hesitating for several seconds, Sona took a deep breath and asked.
"Why do you ask?"
A glint passed through Takeyo's eyes.
"Because I've always been puzzled. Why did Rias advance before me in strength and become a High-Class Devil first? We've always been evenly matched since childhood."
"So you figured out the answer?"
"Yes... I think so. I noticed that you left some of your blood on Ravel, blood you forgot to retrieve."
"Ravel transferred schools shortly afterward, and her strength increased dramatically."
Sona spoke while gently touching her glasses.
These glasses were a gift from Takeyo.
It was through them that she'd been able to perceive the changes in Ravel's power.
"So Rias was able to grow stronger because of you, Takeyo? Because she received something from you?"
Sona raised her head to meet his eyes.
"It's as you say."
Takeyo said quietly.
After he spoke, he could sense that Sona's heartbeat, already accelerating rapidly, had become irregular.
"Sona, do you resent Rias? If I told you that I'd hoped it would be you first... would you believe me?"
Takeyo smiled helplessly.
"Takeyo... you really are a sinful man."
"But I'll need compensation."
Sona's violet eyes were full of determination.
"Name it. Whether it's slaying gods or plucking stars from the sky, I'm willing."
Takeyo said solemnly.
"I want you..."
Sona said softly.
Before Takeyo could respond, she stood and moved forward.