The journey to the Sitri Residence felt long for Issei. He looked out the car window, trying to calm his nervous self. After an hour, the scenery changed drastically. Magnificent, palace-like buildings began to appear, surrounded by vast, perfectly manicured gardens.
Issei's eyes caught a subtle shimmer in the air—a protective Barrier surrounding the entire Sitri estate.
'Ddraig,' Issei thought. 'Should I clench my fist so that Barrier doesn't break when we pass through it? Imagine, Imagine Breaker plus Void—that's an absolute eraser for any magic or power.'
{Yes, just do it,} Ddraig replied. {Void as the eraser and Imagine Breaker as the neutralizer is a combination that rejects all the world's systems. It's like a curse and a disturbance walking together.}
Issei sighed and turned to Sona. "Sona, please inform the guards or deactivate the mansion's alarms later. There will be a slight... disturbance."
Sona looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"
Issei showed his clenched right hand, still wearing the Void Gauntlet. "If I open my palm, any Barrier, no matter how strong, will be destroyed."
Miki, Issei's mother, who was sitting next to him, was curious. "Is that Gauntlet not just a decoration? You said before it was just an ordinary gauntlet."
Issei looked at his mother. "I'll explain later. This Void Gauntlet is to restrain my misfortune."
As the car passed through the Barrier, the sound of an alarm shattered the silence:
[Barrier Detection System – Sitri Estate]
Intrusion Detected!
Origin: Unknown (Signature = Null)
Energy: 0
Resonance: Not Found
Threat Level: Undeterminable
Warning:
An entity passed through the boundary field without tripping any active logic nodes.
System Classification: [VOID ENTITY]
Alarm Status: FORCED ACTIVATION
Sona was startled. Miki was confused about where the system's voice came from. The driver, who was a servant of the Sitri family, also looked surprised. The guards of the Sitri estate immediately went on alert. Sona's fiancé was not an ordinary person.
Inside the Sitri Mansion
Serafall Leviathan, who was relaxing in her room, was shocked. She immediately jumped up and quickly put on her magical girl costume. "It seems there's an enemy! I must exterminate it!"
Meanwhile, in the mansion's main hall, Sona's parents were sitting calmly.
Caelum Sitri, a man with black hair and sharp eyes, wearing an elegant aristocratic robe, smiled. "It seems our child has brought a... dangerous fiancé. I want to see him."
Lilianne Sitri, a woman with dark blue hair and calm blue eyes, also wearing aristocratic clothing, smiled at her husband. "I'm curious too. And... I hope he's a good boy."
Suddenly, the door opened and Serafall rushed down. "Enemy! Father, Mother, we have an intruder!"
Lilianne chuckled softly. "No need to panic, Dear. That's Sona-chan's fiancé."
Serafall was stunned, as if she had received a blow. She trembled. "Mother... Are you serious? Sona-tan has a fiancé? This... IS UNACCEPTABLE!" With her characteristic dramatic magical girl pose, she exclaimed, "Let me drive him away!"
Caelum laughed. "Just wait here, Serafall. They will arrive soon. I'm curious why the Barrier alarm went off."
In Front of the Mansion
Issei, Sona, and Miki got out of the car. The guards of the Sitri Clan respectfully made way, although their faces were tense. Issei's unusual aura and the pressure from the Void Gauntlet disturbed their senses.
Miki was slightly amazed, seeing the luxury and vastness of the mansion for the first time in her life. "Sona, is it okay that we didn't bring anything?"
Sona straightened her clothes. "No need, Mother. We're here just to meet my parents, not to exchange gifts."
Issei swallowed his saliva, his eyes sweeping over the vast garden and magnificent mansion. 'Ddraig... are all Devils this rich? I feel so poor. My allowance is only enough to buy a bento.'
"The Sitri Clan is one of the 72 Pillars, Issei. That's natural," Ddraig answered. "Don't be too humble."
Sona broke his train of thought. "Follow me. And... Issei, can you not wear that Void Gauntlet?"
Issei sighed. "I can't. I must always wear it. If not, your clan's Barrier would be easily destroyed, along with any other magic or Authority."
Sona looked at the Void Gauntlet once more, then nodded. "Alright. But explain everything to me later."
Issei just nodded obediently.
The three of them entered the mansion. After walking through a magnificent corridor, the large doors to the main hall opened. There, Caelum Sitri, Lilianne Sitri, and Serafall Leviathan were waiting.
Sona stepped forward. "Father, Mother, Onee-sama. This is Issei Hyoudou, my fiancé. And this is his mother, Miki Hyoudou."
Issei bowed respectfully, trying to imitate the noble style he had seen before. "Issei Hyoudou. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Miki also bowed."Miki Hyoudou. His mother. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Caelum immediately noticed the Void Gauntlet on Issei's hand. It wasn't like a typical Sacred Gear or artifact. There was something else, something foreign. "Caelum Sitri, Head of the Sitri Family, and Sona's father."
Lilianne smiled warmly. "Lilianne Sitri, her mother. And there seems to be something very interesting about you, Issei-kun."
Serafall looked at Issei with a frown. "Serafall Leviathan. And... don't expect you can take Sona-tan from me!" She then hugged Sona tightly, making Sona blush in embarrassment.
"Onee-san, can you get off?" Sona protested.
"No! I don't want him taking you!" Serafall replied dramatically.
Issei heard Ddraig comment in his mind, {A siscon older sister. You will have a hard time dealing with her... unless you use Dragon Pheromone to repel her, or just go all the way—}
'HEY!' Issei cut him off in his mind. 'You mean Shimaidon? Geez, I'd rather sleep at home because I have to search for Excalibur fragments tonight.'
Caelum, who was observing, finally spoke. "Well then, let's have lunch while we chat. It's already 1 PM." He led them to the dining room, while Serafall was still clinging to Sona, embarrassing her.
Miki whispered to Issei, "Issei, I didn't expect Sona to be from a noble family like this."
Issei sighed. "Me neither, Mom. But let's just go with the flow."
The Dining Room
The dining room was magnificent. A long table was filled with delicious and luxurious-looking dishes. The maids were busy serving.
Issei swallowed his saliva. This was the first time he had seen food this abundant and luxurious. He wanted to try everything, but remembered this was a formal event with strict etiquette.
{Watch your manners and how you eat,} Ddraig reminded.
'Hey, I know! I'm not a child or someone who doesn't know manners,' Issei thought, annoyed.
They all sat down. Caelum led the meal. "Perhaps it's not much and this is all we can serve. Please enjoy."
Issei almost choked hearing that. 'Not much? What about me who usually only eats 500 Yen bento from the supermarket?'
{You might be the poorest Boosted Gear user and also the strongest because of your Anomaly status,} Ddraig joked.
'I don't know whether to be sad or happy hearing that,' Issei muttered in his heart.
After saying "Itadakimasu", Issei began to eat slowly and politely. He carefully cut the whole roasted chicken and ate the carrots. 'This is the most delicious chicken I've ever eaten. But cheap bento is tasty too, you know.'
Miki was also impressed with the taste and presentation of the European-style food. Sona and Serafall ate calmly and elegantly.
After eating, Issei tried Red Wine for the first time.
Lilianne smiled at Miki. "Miki-san, how about just the two of us? There's something I'd like to discuss."
Miki smiled back. "Ara~, alright." The two mothers left the room for their own matters.
Caelum then stared at Issei's Void Gauntlet. "By the way, Issei. What kind of Gauntlet is that? And why are there glowing red runes?"
Issei looked at him directly. "Void Gauntlet. Its purpose? To restrict my Imagine Breaker so it doesn't interfere with Ether Flow and... to keep me safe."
Serafall sneered. "Safe?"
"Yes," Issei answered firmly. "Safe from bad luck. My right hand is like cursed. Magic, Ki, Spiritual, Authority, even Luck will disappear or be neutralized around it, except... powers outside the system like this Void Gauntlet. This isn't for sealing, but for restricting. If I remove it, any Barrier, no matter how strong, will be neutralized and destroyed."
Sona looked at Issei, surprised. This was the first time she had heard this. And strangely, when she visited Issei's house before, this gauntlet wasn't there. Issei was still hiding secrets.
Serafall still didn't believe it. "I don't believe it! That must just be a decoration to make you look scary!" She pointed her magic wand at Issei.
Issei massaged his temples, annoyed.
Caelum, who noticed that any magic and detection couldn't read Issei, said, "Interesting. Void. A power outside the laws of the world, where nothing succeeds in penetrating or containing it. I thought it was just a legend. And... Imagine Breaker. This is my first time hearing of it. I'm also interested in what you did to be able to change into a Dragon race."
Serafall grew more excited to test Issei. "Then prove it! I will test you! Dragon race? That's only good for trinkets!" she taunted arrogantly.
Ddraig's voice rushed in Issei's head, {Issei, restrain yourself as much as possible. Even though there is a high-class Devil in front of you, your fighting style is very different. They use big and flashy magic. Whereas you use Dragon Will, where magic can appear in less than 0.1 seconds, even without words or incantations.}
'I know,' Issei replied in his heart.
Issei then stood up, his face calm yet authoritative. "I will only defend."
Serafall grew more irritated. "Tch! Trying to act cool!"
Sona looked at Issei worriedly. "Issei, I know you're strong. But is it to that extent?"
Issei looked at her, then at Caelum and Serafall. "Yes. My battles are very different. It's not about winning or losing. It's not about life or death... It's about whether I still exist and don't vanish."
Caelum smiled, his eyes sparkling with interest and a hint of nostalgia. "Profound words. That reminds me of someone."