Strike the Blood - Volume 10 - Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO 

VISITORS FROM THE BATTLEFIELD 

1 

In the nook of a simple room with minimal furniture, there was a bed with an equally simple design. This was Yukina’s bedroom in her apartment. 

On her side, the foreign-born girl sent in a suitcase lay upon the clean, pastel-blue sheets. Asserting that she could not leave an unconscious girl with Kojou, Yukina had brought the girl into her own room. 

The foreigner was wearing a T-shirt and shorts that Kojou had lent. Yukina was unable to dress the girl in her own clothes, chiefly due to the largeness of her breasts. Yukina didn’t know if it was a difference in ethnicity, or simple individual variation, but in the battle of bust sizes, the foreign-born girl wielded overwhelming superiority. 

And sitting right beside the mysterious young woman was a small-statured, blue-haired homunculus, stethoscope in one hand. 

This was the sole experimental Beast Vassal symbiont homunculus in the entire world—Astarte. 

“—Body temperature normal. No abnormal heart rate. No external injuries. Background brain waves detected in theta and beta ranges. Diagnosis, stage three: deep sleep.” 

The homunculus girl spoke those words in a calm tone largely bereft of intonation. 

That day, the girl was wearing a white gown over her usual maid uniform—a rather sharp clash of attire. 

Astarte, originally designed as a medical homunculus for a pharmaceutical corporation, apparently had medical knowledge on par with an MD installed by default. That was why Kojou and Yukina had called her over to examine the still-unconscious foreigner. 

Perplexed, Kojou furrowed his brow and asked the homunculus girl, “Meaning what, Astarte?” 

Astarte looked over her shoulder with a neutral expression and haltingly replied, “She is…sound asleep.” 

“…That is to say, she is merely asleep?” Yukina looked bewildered. 

After all, the girl had been frozen, stuffed into a suitcase, and shipped internationally. That she was alive at all was a miracle by any definition. There weren’t many “immortal” vampires who could withstand that. 

However, Astarte calmly conveyed the naked truth: 

“Affirmative. It is not a magically or chemically induced coma.” 

“So what, the case was rigged with something?” 

“I suppose so. Most likely.” Yukina gazed at the suitcase standing in a corner of the room and agreed with Kojou’s comment. 

A human being, sealed away alive, and revived the instant the seal was opened—though simple at first glance, such a system was built with rather high-level sorcery. It had to have been very expensive. However mad Vattler might be, Yukina didn’t think he’d use such an expensive case to send a mere girl to Kojou’s address for no reason. 

“Astarte, can you tell us anything else about her…? I’d love some info on what she is and where she comes from, like, if she’s some kind of special demon or s—” 

“Negative. The patient’s biological patterns do not fit any known demons whatsoever.” 

Astarte readily shook her head in the face of Kojou’s hopeful question. She completely refuted the possibility that the girl was some kind of rare demon like Yume. 

“Ethnically, I can confirm she shares characteristics of Latin American first nations and European Caucasians. Her physical age is fifteen. She is in excellent health. Her height is one hundred and seventy-one centimeters. Her weight is forty-six kilograms. Beginning with the top, her three sizes are eighty-six—” 

“Wait, wait! We don’t need those numbers!” 

Kojou rushed to stop Astarte from divulging more of the girl’s personal information. Astarte inclined her head in surprise. 

“Question: Have you already taken these measurements for yourself?” she asked. 

“Like hell…!” 

“When did you…?!” even Yukina exclaimed, watching Kojou with a shocked expression. 

“I didn’t!! Don’t take her seriously, Himeragi! 

“Why would I even check that?!” Kojou shouted, his voice going hoarse. It was true that the girl had a marvelous body that did not match her age, but he was hardly skillful enough to guess her three sizes from a few glimpses. 

“Anyway, ain’t there any other info?! I mean, besides the size of her breasts and stuff!” 

“—I deduce that her individual name is Celesta Ciate.” 

In contrast to the raggedly breathing Kojou, Astarte continued to speak at her own, measured pace. “What?!” Kojou and Yukina blurted out simultaneously, rocked by the unexpected information. 

“How did you know that?” Kojou asked. 

“Answer: It is written on the packing slip.” 

“Ah…” 

Kojou spontaneously felt his strength drain from him when he saw Astarte point at the suitcase. Thanks to there being so many things written, it had escaped his sight, but on the declaration of contents on the home delivery packing slip, it indeed stated C ELESTA C IATE , Q TY : 1. 

“That’s pretty up-front… Well, fine. Anyway, thanks, Astarte. You’ve been a great help.” 

Kojou’s shoulders listlessly fell as he spoke words of appreciation. When Kojou called Astarte out of the blue, she’d come without even asking why. If not for her medical knowledge, Kojou and Yukina would have probably been carrying the still-sleeping Celesta around with nary a clue between them. 

“Gratitude is unnecessary. This is a simplified diagnosis, not an accurate examination. Just to be safe, I recommend obtaining a diagnosis from a proper physician.” 

“If she was simply some girl who’d fainted, we’d just take her straight to a hospital. But it was that bastard Vattler who sent her, so…” 

Kojou sullenly flicked up his forelocks as he gazed at Celesta’s sleeping face. That Dimitrie Vattler had sent the girl to Kojou by name. There was no guarantee she was the harmless being she appeared to be. Bringing her to a hospital would potentially put innocent hospital staff and patients in danger. 

On the other hand, he was worried about continuing to shelter Celesta as Vattler had apparently intended. He had the unpleasant sense of somehow being that man’s partner in crime. 

“Oh-ho. Dimitrie Vattler…the Master of Serpents of the Warlord’s Empire? I have not heard that name in some time. I wonder what he could be up to,” said a conflicted, casual voice, one Kojou abruptly heard from behind. It employed a grandiose tone that was somehow larger-than-life. 

“Do you know him, director?” 

Replying to that comment was a silver-haired, blue-eyed girl with an air of gentleness hovering around her like that of a saint. She was Kanon Kanase, Yukina’s classmate. And sitting cross-legged on her lap was a beautiful Eastern doll about thirty centimeters tall. 

With a jiggle of the doll’s bountiful breasts, she inclined her head, as if searching through vague memories and said, “I met him in person once, about a century ago… No, perhaps it was two centuries…?” 

With an annoyed look on his face, Kojou stared at the doll and Kanon as he asked, “…So, Kanase, what’s with the getup you two are in?” 

Kanon was not wearing the familiar uniform of Saikai Academy but rather a pure-white, long-skirted apron dress. The outfit made her look like a military nurse auxiliary from the time of the Great European War. The color made Kanon resemble an angel, suiting her to an almost bizarre degree—but Kojou didn’t want to think that she wore cosplay normally. 

“I…I am Astarte’s assistant,” Kanon spoke in a little voice as she looked toward the floor, seemingly blushing as she held down her nurse’s cap. 

“Assistant?” Kojou nodded, his face vaguely saying Okaaay. 

Kanon Kanase and Astarte were living as houseguests at Natsuki Minamiya’s residence. When Kojou had contacted Astarte, Kanon had delivered his message. That said, he didn’t think Kanon, a mere middle schooler, could work as Astarte’s assistant, but— 

“Do not fault Kanon too greatly, Kojou. When she heard you ask Astarte to give an examination, she wrongly believed that you had collapsed, so she got it in her head to nurse you.” 

The doll sitting on Kanon’s lap spoke up in her defense. 

No, properly speaking, she wasn’t a doll at all; she was what was left of Nina Adelard, once called the Great Alchemist of Yore. 

Nina, having lost most of her physical flesh during the Wiseman’s Blood incident, had been the size of a small pet ever since, remaining under Kanon’s care. However, even in her diminutive form, her haughty demeanor remained undaunted, but perhaps that was testament to her greatness. 

“D-director!” Kanon cried in a panic, her pale, almost translucent skin tinged a deep red. 

Nina looked up at the flustered Kanon with a dubious look. “What? Is it not the truth?” 

“Really…? Thanks, Kanase.” 

With Kanon shrinking in embarrassment, Kojou gave her his honest thanks. After all, this was Kanon, who’d once tried to care for fourteen stray cats at once, unable to turn her back on a single one. He thought of her as a girl who would never leave a sick acquaintance to rot. 

“Not at all… It was for you, after all…” 

Speaking these words, Kanon smiled, delighted. Yukina, listening to their exchange, cleared her throat. 

“So what do you intend to do with the girl, senpai?” 

“Good question… The trouble is, I’d love to leave her to Natsuki if I could, but…” 

Kojou grimaced as he spoke. Put bluntly, managing Celesta was too much for them to handle. He genuinely wanted to shove the whole thing onto a trustworthy, professional Attack Mage without a moment to spare. 

However— 

“Master is on a special patrol mission at the request of the Island Guard,” Astarte replied in a businesslike tone. 

Kojou had an unpleasant premonition as he narrowed his eyes and asked, “…Special patrol mission?” 

“Affirmative. According to information, signs have been detected of unregistered demons infiltrating the country.” 

“Infiltrating the… Wait, you’re not talking about her, are you…?” 

Kojou pointed at Celesta as he wondered aloud. After all, she’d been stuffed in a box and sent by way of home delivery. He didn’t exactly think proper customs procedures had been followed. 

That said, did Celesta really pose enough danger to warrant a special patrol? 

“Unclear. I cannot reply due to insufficient data.” 

“That figures…” 

Kojou made no objection to Astarte’s simple reply. Yukina, too, merely nodded without a word. 

“I guess all we can do is wait and see for now. If she…Celesta…is just sleeping, she should wake up sometime soon, right? Maybe Vattler will get in touch before that happens. Sorry, Astarte, could you try to get in touch with Natsuki for me?” 

“Accepted.” 

The homunculus girl nodded. Legally speaking, Astarte had been put under Natsuki Minamiya’s guardianship. There was surely no one better to entrust with a message while Natsuki was with the Island Guard. 

“Well then, Kanon and I shall prepare dinner during that time. As you can see, we have already finished purchasing ingredients,” Nina said, albeit in a condescending manner. Apparently, ingredients for supper were inside the numerous bags Kanon had carried in. 

“I’m grateful to hear that, but…I’m kinda surprised. Setting Kanon aside, you can cook, too?” asked Kojou in surprise. 

Certainly, Nina was an excellent alchemist, but the way she typically spoke and acted made Kojou unable to shake the image that she couldn’t do proper cooking. 

Nina responded to Kojou’s stark doubts with a ferocious smile. “Do not underestimate me. I am she who has mastered the Magnum Opus. I shall demonstrate the quintessence of cooking from my homeland of Parmia. It has been two centuries. I cannot wait.” 

“Wait, two centuries, is that all right here?! Is it really?!” exclaimed Kojou as a nervous sweat spread across his back. 

“…Himeragi, sorry, but could you watch over Kanase and Nina’s cooki…… Himeragi?” 

Kojou addressed her in a quiet voice, but Yukina made no immediate response. Her eyes seemed glazed over as they stared somewhere off in the distance, yet in spite of that, she held her breath with an oddly serious expression. 

After a brief delay, she finally noticed Kojou and said, “Ah, senpai. I apologize.” 

“…Something happen?” Kojou watched her soberly. 

“No, it is all right. I simply felt as if someone was watching me. I believe it was my imagination. There is an anti-intrusion barrier around this apartment, after all.” 

“I-is that so?” 

“Yes. Therefore, please leave the seasoning of Nina’s cooking to me.” 

Yukina raised her face with a look of pride. She pointed toward the kitchen of the Himeragi residence which, for some reason, was stocked with a large quantity of mayonnaise… 

“R-right…” 

As Yukina aggressively rolled up her sleeves, Kojou stared and nodded weakly. 

Beside them, the foreign girl continued sleeping peacefully, moaning with an expression that suggested she was having a dream. 

2 

Natsuki Minamiya picked up the phone call at a viewing lounge on the top floor of the airport. The number displayed on her cell phone’s screen was not one she remembered recording. 

“Heya, Teacher Girl. How are ya? It’s me, me—!” 

The greeting coming through the speaker was that of a very chummy middle-aged man. She knew that voice. The velvety tone only served to make it all the more irritating. 

“…” Natsuki knit her brows indifferently and quietly ended the call. 

She was about to return the cell phone to her bag, but the incoming ringtone sounded once more. “Goodness,” Natsuki muttered, letting out a long sigh and grudgingly touching the phone to her ear. 

“Hey now, don’t suddenly hang up without one word of greeting. At least let me thank you for taking care of my idiot son.” 

“…What is it, grave robber? I did not plan for a three-party conversation.” Natsuki questioned him back with a chilly tone. 

The caller was Gajou Akatsuki. From Natsuki’s point of view, he was the father of one of her pupils. 

More precisely, Natsuki knew Gajou Akatsuki before his son had ever enrolled in Saikai Academy. The father was an archeologist, a field worker who traveled to conflict zones the world over, pilfering excavated goods during the turmoil of combat—a hairbreadth from looting during a fire. 

It was on one such battlefield that Natsuki had met him. 

“I wanted to do a little informing. I’d love it if you followed up, but…” Gajou spoke in a manner that was, for once, sober and serious. 

A blatant expression of wariness came over Natsuki. According to rumor, Gajou Akatsuki had been out on an excavation on the fringes of the Chaos Zone until a few short days prior. 

“Informing, you say. Where are you right now?” 

“I just landed at Haneda Airport. That civil war–related job got canceled at the last minute, see. I brought my daughter with me for homecoming. But plane tickets to Japan are so expensive. And when did they jack up the price of midflight beers? Real pain in the ass.” 

“Just get to the point already. If you don’t want me to expose the sins of your past to your lovely bride, that is.” 

The barbs in Natsuki’s voice increased. She felt like Gajou was smirking on the other end of the line. 

“Okay, got it. The main topic. You know of a chick named Angelica Hermida?” 

“…No, I don’t know her.” 

Natsuki shook her head after a brief pause. She possessed confidence in never forgetting the name of a single Attack Mage or sorcerous criminal after hearing it initially over the course of her work. However, this was the first time she’d heard of Angelica Hermida. 

“Didn’t think so,” Gajou said rather bluntly. “Not any fault of yours. She’s not your run-of-the-mill sorcerous criminal.” 

“Who is she?” 

“She’s the head of Zenforce—CSA Army’s special forces company.” 

“A soldier…?” 

“That’s right. Rank of major. She participated in military interrogations on the government side in the Andes Commonwealth civil war four years ago. It’s said that she commanded a unit of forty-four people, who killed almost two thousand guerillas, earning her the nickname of Bloodstained Angelica—what makes it a little tough is that she’s a real babe. In an expensive designer coat, she looks like a celebrity’s trophy wife.” 

“…Why do you know all this, Gajou Akatsuki?” 

Natsuki’s face grew graver still at how Gajou was speaking like he’d seen her in person. 

“Well,” said Gajou, breaking into laughter, his behavior lacking all trace of seriousness, “that’s because I walked right past her a few minutes ago.” 

“What…?!” 

“She was waiting for a flight to Itogami Island in the lobby here at Haneda. By now, she’s probably landed over on your end. I couldn’t confirm who she had with her, but it’s probably a four-man squad at absolute minimum,” Gajou commented, as if he was discussing idle gossip. 

Natsuki’s lips twisted in distinct displeasure. 

“And you just watched them go without lifting a finger?” 

“Damn right I did. I’m a civilian here—what did you expect? Of course, I put my daughter’s safety first.” 

“Tch,” went Natsuki, nastily clicking her tongue. 

Though it annoyed her to an almost unbelievable degree to admit, Gajou was right. Even if he did possess combat skill on par with a mercenary, Gajou was still a civilian in the end. He had no reason to fight Angelica Hermida. 

“The CSA, yes…? There seem to be a lot of fishy movements taking place around the Chaos Zone lately.” 

“Your understanding the situation makes this a lot quicker. Well, that’s how it is, so I’ll leave it in your hands,” Gajou said. “Later.” 

His quick farewell was the last thing he said before hanging up unbidden. When the cell phone fell silent, Natsuki glared at it, clicking her tongue once more. 

Just as Gajou Akatsuki had indicated, a flight from Haneda had been scheduled to arrive at Itogami Island only a few minutes prior. The passengers were probably heading to the customs counter that very moment. 

She did not know Angelica Hermida’s objective. However, it was hard to believe that a member of a foreign nation’s special forces would visit the Far East Demon Sanctuary for no reason. Considering her relationship to the civil war in the Chaos Zone, that much was virtually certain. 

The Chaos Zone in Central America was the Dominion ruled by the Third Primogenitor, the Chaos Bride. 

And on Itogami Island lived the Fourth Primogenitor— 

“…Can I make it in time?” 

Natsuki fished out her personal radio for communicating with the Island Guard. 

She could worry later. Angelica Hermida could not be permitted onto Itogami Island. They needed to detain her in the airport before ever reaching the city. She gave orders to that effect to the responsible party in the Island Guard, and immediately after— 

Natuski heard the sudden sound of intense gunfire, accompanied by the screams of people fleeing. 

3 

“Aah—…” 

In the kitchen of Yukina’s apartment, two middle schoolers and one doll continued to cook in silence. 

Kojou watched them with a nervous expression punctuated by cold sweat. 

Yukina, who lived by herself, had the bare minimum equipment required for cooking. She employed a single combat knife for everything from peeling vegetables to slicing meat off bones to even opening canned food. 

That very moment, she was pulverizing cow bones for soup stock through brute force. The sight of Yukina waving a giant knife around in a cramped kitchen looked less like cooking and more like a particularly pitiful display. 

As Yukina prepared the soup, Kanon was frying food in a wok. 

Though it was not especially surprising, Kanon’s level of cooking skill was average for her age. Her work was diligent, but Kojou couldn’t call it skillful, even as flattery. Put simply, it was precarious. Kojou’s heart was on edge as he watched her sway the heavy pot around. He felt like a father covertly watching over a child in kindergarten. 

“Um…you know, maybe I could help with something?” 

Kojou, finally reaching the limit of his endurance, addressed the pair. As he did… 

“A-Akatsuki, I am sorry. You would be…in the way.” 

“Eh? Whoaaa!” 

When Kojou looked back in response to Kanon’s statement, he was greeted by flame spewing from the wok in her hands. Set atop a propane burner, the heated oil within had caught fire. 

Kojou’s upper body recoiled from the stark pillar of flame rising before his eyes. 

“What is that? Cooking?! Is that cooking?!” 

“Do not be concerned. ’Tis the cooking technique known as charring. In Parmia cooking, fire is life. A first-rate cook can manipulate flame akin to her own hands and feet, as you see before you.” 

As Kojou stared on in total shock, Nina spoke confidently, looking like she was experienced in such matters. 

“Er…it doesn’t seem like you’re controlling it much at all. And that’s not Parmia cooking, that’s just normal Chinese, isn’t it…? And in the first place, what are you bragging about? You’re making Kanase do the cooking.” 

“It cannot be helped. I cannot shake a pot at my size. More importantly, the next ingredients. Kanon, prepare the meat. Yukina, I entrust preparing the fish to you.” 

“Yes, director.” 

Meekly obeying Nina’s instructions, Kanon pulled some beef out of the freezer. She began making some kind of silent prayer toward the beef as if she was giving thanks. For Kojou, it was a surreal scene difficult to comprehend. 

For her part, Yukina laid some mysterious object on its side atop the counter and said, “Senpai, could you stand back a little?” 

“Sure… Wait, what the hell is that?!” 

“I believe it is a species of deep-sea fish.” 

The thing she had deposited onto the counter was an amorphous, soft, flabby object that seemed almost like a mass of gelatin. Its entire body was covered with black specks, and Kojou couldn’t exactly call the bulging eyeball charming. Surely, if not for the short, perfunctory tail, few people would think it was a fish. It was a mysterious life-form that seemed like a cross between puffer fish, catfish, anglerfish, and slime. 

“I-is this…edible?” 

“Do not be concerned. ’Tis the most prized ingredient of all in the land of my birth.” 

“Is it really?” muttered Kojou in the face of Nina’s proud comment. “Um, Himeragi.” 

“I-it is not a problem. I have received survival training from the Lion King Agency, so…!” 

Yukina, gripping her combat knife harder, seemed to have said that for her own benefit. It seemed like mostly stubbornness rather than any actual confidence in it as an ingredient. 

However, the knife Yukina thrust into the deep-sea fish was obstructed by some mysterious membrane covering it. Half out of annoyance, Yukina raised her brows at the unexpectedly fierce combat and drew a second knife. Alternating left and right swings of her paired blades, her deadly duel with the deep-sea fish recommenced. 

“…Sorry. I’ll leave you to it.” 

With those final words, Kojou walked out of the kitchen. Apparently, the situation was beyond his means. All he could do was pray that they would safely reach the point of something edible. If only Nagisa were here at a time like this, he could not help thinking. 

“Haah…” 

A sigh trickled out of Kojou as he made his way toward the bedroom in which Celesta rested. 

Astarte still silently observed Celesta as she slept. Noticing that Kojou was drawing near, the homunculus girl lifted her face without making a sound. 

“Astarte, how’s Celesta doing?” 

“Continuous sleep. Rapid eye movement and skeletal muscle relaxation confirmed. Brain wave state is predominately theta. Heart rate and breathing are both uneven.” 

“Er…what…does all that mean…?” 

The series of unfamiliar specialized terms bewildered Kojou. 

Astarte emotionlessly blinked and stated, “I believe she is dreaming.” 

“Dreams…huh? Nothing good by the looks of it…,” Kojou muttered as he stared at Celesta’s sleeping face. Her expression, including the biting of her tongue, made her look like she was having a nightmare, or perhaps even crying. 

“Suggestion. I request the lending of your cell phone and permission to contact Master again.” 

Astarte suddenly spoke, extending her hand toward Kojou. 

“Huh? Ahh, you wanna try calling Natsuki again?” 

Kojou handed his own cell phone to Astarte’s tendered hand. With Natsuki on duty, she’d tried calling repeatedly earlier but had yet to get through. 

“Well, I’ll look after her for a bit, so…,” Kojou said, kneeling beside the bed. He was bereft of medical knowledge, but he could at least stay close to Celesta as she slept. 

“I thank you, Fourth Primogenitor.” 

Astarte politely bowed her head and left the room. 

With nothing else to do, Kojou stared absentmindedly, watching Celesta as she slept. 

She had light-brown skin and hair the color of honey. Her graceful visage was the sort typical of those descended from multiple races. However, her sleeping face seemed very young, giving the impression that she was no special individual at all. In short, Celesta was just a normal girl—albeit a little prettier than most. 

After all, Astarte’s examination had determined she wasn’t a demon, and even up close, there was no whiff of magic about her. He couldn’t think of a single reason why Vattler of all people would give her the time of day. Kojou began to wonder if the man had sent Celesta to him just to get under his skin again— 

It was when such doubts began to creep into Kojou that his and Celesta’s eyes suddenly met. 

Ostensibly sleeping, Celesta opened her eyelids, and her big, bright brown eyes looked up at Kojou’s face. Her gaze was unfocused; maybe she wasn’t fully awake. 

“H…heya…” 

Kojou led off by greeting her with a raised hand, displaying his lack of hostile intent. Then— 

As Celesta’s eyes looked at Kojou, they suddenly overflowed with tears. 

“Su Excelencia…” 

Words trickled from Celesta’s lips—foreign words unknown to Kojou. 

“Huh?” 

“¡Su Excelencia Señor Vattler! ¡Nací para amarte! ¡Quiero verte!” 

Celesta strongly rose to her feet. She proceeded to embrace Kojou without hesitation, with fervor as if she’d been reunited with a long-lost lover— 

“W…wait, Celesta! C-calm down! Wake up!!” 

Kojou’s voice went shrill as his entire body froze. He could feel the bounciness of Celesta’s breasts through the T-shirt’s fabric. The sobbing girl’s breaths were hot on his neck. 

“¡Su Excelencia! ¡Su Excelencia Señor Vattler! Sí, me salvaste la vida…” 

Celesta cried out in a tear-choked voice. Kojou gasped and came back to his senses from the one word he managed to make out. 

“Vattler…? Wait, you’re confusing me with Vattler?!” 

Kojou pried Celesta off him and peered into her face. 

That instant, Celesta’s eyes saw Kojou distinctly. She blinked several times over, as if unable to believe her eyes; her expression twitched with shock. 

Then, after taking a deep breath, she screamed at an incredible volume. 

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” 

“—Oww!” 

Slapped by Celesta, Kojou was sent flying, crashing right into the wall. 

“¡¿Quién eres tú?! ¡¿Dónde estoy?! ¡¿Por qué me engañas?! ¡Qué bestia! Hentai!” 

Celesta huddled onto a corner of the bed, unleashing a string of rapid-fire insults. A look of fear and hatred came into her eyes as she glared at Kojou. 

Hearing the ruckus, Yukina and the others hurried over to the bedroom. 

“Senpai?! What was that sound?!” 

They were greeted by the sight of Celesta, shivering with tears in her eyes, and Kojou with the mark of her hand on his cheek. Emotion drained from Yukina’s eyes as she stared at him. 

“…Senpai…what did you do to Celesta…?” 

“W…wait, Himeragi. This isn’t what you think…!” 

Nervous, Kojou desperately shook his head. As he did, Kanon stared at him and sadly shook her head as she said, “Akatsuki, I trusted you…and yet…” 

“So not only are you the Fourth Primogenitor but a vulgar sex offender as well. Perhaps this is the libido of youth running wild?” Nina remarked in a strangely analytical tone, squatting on Kanon’s shoulder. 

Furthermore… 

“Upon reflection, supervision was inadequate,” Astarte murmured calmly as she returned. 

“Gaaah! Wait, all of you! Shut up and listen instead of just calling someone a sex offender! She’s the one who was hugging me!” 

Kojou, irritated at the reproachful gazes trained on him from all present, pointed at Celesta and shouted. Celesta’s shoulders quivered in fear. Watching this, Yukina exhaled slightly. 

“So she was hugging you… I see…” 

Her voice was devoid of warmth, oozing with unconcealed anger. 

“No, I’m innocent,” Kojou insisted, fleetingly shaking his head. He looked up at the ceiling and shouted: 

“It’s a misunderstandiiiiiiiing!” 

4 

Space distorted, and Natsuki leaped. 

Her destination was the security control room on the top floor of the airport building. It was the command center for all security inside the airport. The interior of the room, reminiscent of the bridge of a warship, had eight operators and the head of the command center on standby. 

In normal times, their work was, in a word, tedious. All the security personnel did was exchange banter between them or quietly watch images from security cameras. 

However, that day was different. The monitors in the control center were packed to the brim with countless warnings, and the replies over the radio were in shouted voices on the verge of bursting. Behind the operators, desperately tapping their keyboards, the security room chief stood rooted to the spot in blank astonishment. 

“What is it, chief?” 

Natsuki bluntly posed the question to the pale-faced officer. 

“A-Attack Mage Minamiya!” 

Noticing her presence, the chief made an expression as if salvation had arrived. 

Natsuki, an independent federal Attack Mage, was less an official member of the Island Guard than a gun for hire. Normally, she was often treated as a pest, relied upon only in times of emergency. 

Apparently, an emergency was precisely what prevailed that moment. 

“An incident at the entrance’s inspection gate! A passenger suspected of false documentation was being led to a side room when she attempted to break through by force—!” 

“A female passenger from a flight from Haneda, yes?” Natsuki murmured while glancing up at a security room monitor. 

They’d already visually identified the passenger who’d kicked up the incident: a Caucasian woman wearing a fur-trimmed coat. Her characteristics matched those of Angelica Hermida as described by Gajou over the phone. 

She was slender but had excellent posture and long limbs. Her ashen hair was cut short, giving off the impression of some kind of fashion model. However, anyone looking closer would immediately notice that her movements were not like a model’s but more akin to a well-trained soldier’s. 

“It pains me to admit it, but it’s just as he expected…! Tell the squad captains, the enemy is military special forces. Do not underestimate her, even if she is unarmed. She likely has squad mates nearby,” Natsuki cautioned, opening her lace-trimmed fan. 

Angelica Hermida had already defeated a number of airport security personnel attempting to arrest her. And she continued calmly walking along, even with armed members of the Island Guard surrounding her. The guardsmen had delivered a succession of commands and warning shots, but Angelica had shown no signs of caring. 

“Special forces…? But what could she be trying to do, without weapons or magical gear on—” 

Thus did the security room chief attempt to rebut Natsuki. However, before his words finished, one of the operators let out a shriek. 

“S-squad six, two guardsmen wounded— No, eight casualties! Communications cut! They’ve been wiped out!” 

“What?!” 

The chief’s expression froze over. Natsuki emotionlessly glanced at a monitor, but the corresponding security camera had already been destroyed. Angelica Hermida’s subordinates had begun moving in earnest. 

“They’ve broken through Section Five’s exterior wall! No response from squad five or squad seven! Criminal group will arrive at the lobby at any moment!” 

“Ugh…! Urgently assemble all units able to respond. Blockade the gate! Don’t let them escape! Get in touch with Island Guard headquarters and the Gigafloat Management Corporation! Hurry!” 

“Wait, chief. Don’t blockade the gate,” Natsuki cut in, interrupting the security room chief’s words. 

The chief’s eyes widened, as if unable to believe his own ears. 

“B…but, Attack Mage!” 

“The safety of civilians takes priority. This is a group that can break through exterior walls unarmed. Blockading the gate is futile. As long as they don’t start a gunfight in the lobby, there’s no point trying that hard to stop them.” 

“Th-that’s… No, you’re…!” 

The chief grunted, Natsuki’s level-headed assertion seeming to make him swallow his words. Apparently, even if the sudden uproar had rocked him on his heels, the man was not so incompetent that he couldn’t assess the situation. 

“N-notify all squad captains! Avoid unnecessary combat and prioritize the safety of ordinary travelers!” 

“Roger. Notifying all squad captains. Gate blockade, lifted!” 

“Squad thirteen, contact lost! Requesting medical personnel—!” 

The chaos within the control room increased. However, on the other side, Angelica Hermida and others, appearing in arrival lobby, were, if anything, walking serenely. They seemed keenly aware that the Island Guard lacked the combat strength to stop them. 

“Non-lethal wounds, is it? You’re loyal to theory, Angelica Hermida,” Natsuki murmured offhandedly to herself. 

Angelica’s unit passed by, leaving only bloodstained guardsmen on the floor behind them. Though all had undoubtedly been gravely wounded, no guardsmen had yet died on duty. Angelica and her people had avoided their vitals. 

But that was certainly not an act of mercy toward their enemies. 

The presence of casualties in pain lowered the enemy army’s morale, and transporting and treating the wounded cost it more manpower than actually killing the enemy’s soldiers. That was battlefield theory—something that Angelica’s unit strictly practiced. 

That fact provided Natsuki with another piece of information. 

Namely, that Angelica and the others were not engaged in simple criminal acts. They were soldiers through and through. In other words, their infiltration of Itogami Island was an operation as part of the CSA Army to which they belonged. Angelica Hermida and her subordinates had landed on Itogami Island to carry out some kind of mission. 

“Let’s give something a little try—” 

Natsuki drew close to the control room window. With Angelica and her people exiting the airport building, she was basically looking right down at them. Then, Natsuki made a swipe with her folded fan. 

One moment later, the ground at Angelica’s group’s feet swayed like a ripple. 

Silver chains spewed forth from the surface of the ground. This was Laeding, forged by the gods, a magical object used for capture. Countless chains under Natsuki’s control moved to bind Angelica Hermida’s slender body— 

“…?!” 

The instant she thought she had accomplished her capture, a dazzling purple ray raced across the space surrounding Angelica. 

The silver chains bounced off the glow that now surrounded her. Then, without warning, the glass window of the control room was smashed to pieces before Natsuki’s eyes. 

“A-Attack Mage…?!” 

The control room chief called out to Natsuki in a quivering voice. Natsuki did not respond. All she did was sway her fan without flourishing it, brushing away the glass fragments that had showered her entire body. 

“Goodness…and I really liked this outfit, too.” 

Natsuki spoke with a tone of displeasure. Her own body was largely unharmed. However, the extravagant dress she was wearing had been cruelly sliced to ribbons by the glass fragments. 

The instant she’d been attacked by Natsuki’s chains, the “unarmed” Angelica had unleashed vast demonic energy rivaling that of an Old Guard vampire, which coursed back through the chains, attacking Natsuki in turn. 

Without a word, Angelica Hermida looked up at the control room and glared at Natsuki. 

She and Natsuki shared a gaze for only a single moment. Angelica proceeded to walk away, and Natsuki watched her go without a word. It was all over in an instant. 

“‘Bloodstained’ Angelica…yes? You will pay dearly for this.” 

Natsuki’s little lips curled up as she laughed beautifully. 

Stretched before her eyes was Itogami Island’s evening sky. 

The cityscape, illuminated by the dazzling rays of the setting sun, was an ominous scarlet, as if submerged in fresh blood. 

5 

Nina Adelard was an alchemist. Her immutable physical body was a liquid-metal life-form composed of what had been dubbed Wiseman’s Blood. 

Wiseman’s Blood—living metal said to be the pinnacle of alchemy—was in and of itself a vast source of magical energy, and a high-spec magical object capable of freely altering its own form. 

Using a piece of that liquid metal, Nina had created a small silver earring. With an expression of unease still on Celesta’s face, Nina affixed it to her ear. 

“Very good. Written text is a step too far, but it should suffice for spoken conversation.” 

Nina chanted a brief spell, and a magic symbol emerged on the surface of the earring. The magical translator had been activated. 

Yukina politely bowed her head. 

“Thank you very much, Nina.” 

Not being able to speak to Celesta now that she had finally awoken had them in a bind. According to Nina, the words used by Celesta were similar to, but oddly different from, the lingua franca of the Chaos Zone. That was a solid lead indicating Celesta was native to a land somewhere nearby. 

“As expected of you, director.” 

Kanon smiled warmly and lifted Nina up. 

Nina arrogantly reclined with a grandiose expression and said, “Indeed, you should extol me greatly. However, such a spell is child’s play for a master of alchemy such as I.” 

“…That’d come off a little more majestic if it wasn’t you saying it, though.” 

It was Kojou, lying on the floor, who grumbled those words with a sullen look on his face. 

Kojou’s limbs were bound with chains, measures taken to reassure the frightened Celesta. Incidentally, Kojou’s parka had been used as the raw resource for those chains, transmuted, of course, by Nina the alchemist. 

Nina shook her head at Kojou’s sulky stare with a look of amazement and said, “It seems you do not wish it said that you are a perverted primogenitor who enjoys being bound.” 

“I’m not enjoying it! The understanding’s been cleared up, so lemme go already! And for that matter, you’re gonna turn my parka back to normal, right?!” 

“Not a problem. There may be a twenty- to thirty-percent reduction in volume, but do not be concerned.” 

“Like hell I won’t! A parka’s not something you can wear if it shrinks twenty to thirty percent!” 

“—Senpai, would you please be a little quieter?” 

Yukina scolded Kojou, whose voice was rising as he complained. Then, she began to speak to Celesta, sitting on the bed and holding her knees, like one would approach a small animal with its guard up. 

“Do you understand me, Celesta? Celesta Ciate—yes?” 

Responding to Yukina’s address, the foreign-born girl gradually raised her face. 

Naked suspicion hovered in Celesta’s eyes. She gave Yukina’s entire body a once-over, going “Hmph,” seemingly disparaging her with a little, scornful laugh. 

“Before asking another’s name, should you not first state your own, Plain Girl?” 

“P-plain…?!” 

Blindsided by insults from the purportedly frightened Celesta, Yukina was momentarily at a loss for words. That said, it was a fact that Yukina came off as less distinctive compared to Celesta’s showy, glamorous looks. Yukina, perhaps tentatively aware of that herself, quickly recovered her senses. 

“Forgive my rudeness. Yukina Himeragi. Sword Shaman of the Lion King Agency.” 

“Sword Shaman? Lion King Agency?” 

Celesta tilted her head slightly, clearly at a loss. Apparently, Nina’s translation spell did not go so far as to translate proper names outside of the person’s own knowledge. 

Noticing this, Yukina quickly shook her head and corrected, “Ah… In other words, a priestess. A combat variety.” 

“Priestess? You too?” 

Celesta raised her eyebrows in visible surprise. Yukina faintly narrowed her eyes at the words Celesta had spoken so casually. However, the foreign girl shrugged her shoulders, seeming to immediately lose interest with Yukina. 

“And the pervert over there as well?” Celesta asked. 

“Who’s a pervert?!” 

Kojou, still rolling around on the floor, bared his teeth in irritation. Surely there was a no reason for someone he’d barely met to peg him as such. 

However, Celesta leaned forward, glaring antagonistically at Kojou as she said, “If you do not like pervert, then swindler. You criminal! Human scum! To think you would pretend to be Lord Vattler in an attempt to seduce me!” 

“Like I’d pretend to be him! And you mistook me for him all on your own while you were still half asleep!” 

“Shut up, pervert! Garbage person! Dung beetle!” 

“Y-you’re just a girl who was stuffed in a box…!” 

Kojou growled, clenching his teeth while overwhelmed by Celesta’s vilification. However, for her part, Celesta began to wheeze and make little coughs, perhaps because she’d become so suddenly worked up. For all Kojou knew, maybe she was not yet fully recovered from the aftereffects of cryostasis. 

Kanon, seeing her in distress, quietly slipped out of the bedroom, returning with a cup of water. 

“Would you like some water to drink?” 

“Th…thank you.” 

Celesta, her cheeks reddened with a guilty look, accepted the cup offered to her. Apparently, even Celesta could not manage much bluster in the face of Kanon’s gentle smile. 

“What is…your name?” 

“I am Kanon Kanase. I am a friend of Yukina’s. This is the director and Astarte.” 

“…Director?” 

Celesta shifted a perplexed stare toward Nina, the mysterious woman standing less than thirty centimeters tall. Furthermore, she employed suspicious spells that could freely alter the shape of things. Celesta’s discomfort was natural. 

“Nina Adelard. Some would call me the Great Alchemist of Yore.” 

However, Nina boldly introduced herself without regard for Celesta’s bewilderment. 

“R-right…” 

An expression of even greater confusion came over Celesta, but she cut the subject short, apparently deeming it something she wouldn’t understand either way. She made a heavy sigh and changed the subject. 

“…So that pervert is…?” 

“That would be Big Bro.” 

When Celesta pointed at Kojou, Kanon replied. Celesta’s eyes widened in surprise a little as she said: 

“Big Bro? You are his little sister, then?” 

“No, by that I mean he’s Nagisa’s older brother.” 

Kanon instantly replied with a smile. Celesta knitted her brows in mental anguish. 

“Who is this…Nagisa?” 

“My friend.” 

“I’m sorry… I don’t understand a word that you’re saying.” 

Celesta’s shoulders fell in dismay. “Goodness,” Kojou said to himself, seemingly unable to just lie down and watch as he exhaled. 

“Nagisa’s my little sister. Kanase and Himeragi are her friends,” he explained. 

“Hmmm.” 

Then, just say that to begin with, Celesta’s sullen stare at Kojou seemed to indicate. Kojou languidly twisted his lips, glaring right back at her. 

“I’m Kojou Akatsuki. You can just call me Kojou. So you were shipped over here to my place. The sender turned out to be Vattler. You know anything about that, Celesta?” 

“…Call him Lord, would you,” Celesta replied in a low voice. 

“Huh?” 

“Do not address Lord Vattler without the honorific, pervert!” 

“Oh, come on, that doesn’t matter!” 

Using only his abdominal muscles, Kojou forced himself upright as he retorted. 

However, Celesta furiously shook her hair as she insisted, “Yes, it does! Lord Vattler is the only person I have… And yet, why do I have to be in a place with someone like…” 

“Hey, just to be clear here, you’re the one causing me trouble…!” 

Kojou lowered the tone of his voice before the hard-pressed look on Celesta’s face. 

Naturally, Kojou had no reason to pay Vattler any respects. Considering the things the man had done to date, Kojou had mixed feelings about even using his name. 

But that had nothing to do with Celesta. In the first place, she was the one who’d been stuffed in a box and shipped off to a man she didn’t know. Perhaps Celesta was the biggest victim there. 

“So in the end, you don’t actually know the reason why you were shipped to my place—?” 

“I’ve been saying that this whole time, haven’t I? Are you an idiot?! You are, aren’t you?!” 

“What?!” 

“Stop!! Please wait, senpai—! Stay!” 

Yukina checked Kojou, who was ticked off over Celesta’s words of abuse, with a tone as if rebuking a domesticated dog. 

Then Yukina turned to the foreign-born girl, and as if she was making sure of something, asked solemnly, “Celesta… Could it be that you have amnesia?” 

“…?!” 

That instant, Celesta’s expression showed visible strain. 

Without a word, she leaned forward and strongly bit her lip. Kojou gazed at her reaction in astonishment. Without thinking, his voice slipped right out. 

“Amnesia…?” 

“Wh…what? Do you have a problem with that?” 

The voice with which Celesta rudely retorted had largely lost the barbs from before. 

Celesta had lost her memory. She didn’t even know her own name. That would explain her reaction when Yukina had asked for her name earlier. 

Celesta’s hostile attitude toward Kojou and the others was the product of anxiety. She was bluffing with all her might to conceal the fact that she had lost her memory. 

Indeed, Celesta had no memory. None, save that of Vattler— 

“Ah… Er, I mean… I was wrong. Sorry.” Kojou grudgingly bowed his head. 

Celesta grimaced in visible discomfort as she said, “Wh-what’s that for? Why are you apologizing? It’s creepy. Are you trying to act superior?” 

She spoke in a sulky-sounding tone. She seemed dissatisfied with Kojou’s display of humility. 

“Mmm, I see… The cause of your amnesia is likely being bathed in powerful demonic energy at close range. That would make your encounter with Dimitrie Vattler the oldest memory you possess, yes?” Nina inquired while climbing atop Celesta’s head. 

Celesta dejectedly addressed the alchemist on top of her. “He is the one who saved me when I was about to be killed in the temple.” 

“…Temple?” Yukina mumbled. 

She had met Vattler on the verge of being killed at some kind of temple, then was shipped to Itogami Island: That was the entirety of what Celesta could remember. 

Kojou asked the homunculus girl in a quiet voice, “Astarte, can we get her memory back?” 

However, Astarte’s expression remained neutral as she shook her head. 

“Since I do not recognize any traces of head trauma or the use of drugs, I believe the cause is psychological. Magical or hypnotic treatment could force recovery of memory but could also present dangers; so I cannot recommend them.” 

“Ah…okay.” 

A melancholic expression clouded Kojou’s expression as he stared at Celesta. 

Celesta’s face twitched, seemingly thrown off by Kojou’s serious demeanor. “Wh-what?” 

“Nah, I just…had an experience that’s kinda similar to yours… No matter how bad a memory is, it’s tough not to be able to remember it yourself and stuff.” 

“D-do not lump me in with you. If I can remember Lord Vattler, that is plenty…” 

Celesta’s cheeks faintly reddened as she put on a strong front. Thanks to Kojou, her expression seemed to have softened somehow. 

Then, taking Celesta’s release from stress as its signal, her stomach let out an odd sound: a healthy, humorous, rumbling noise— 

“Er, shall we have something to eat?” Kanon suggested as Celesta doubled over in embarrassment. 

Not a single soul objected. 

6 

Lined side by side upon the dining table were large plates filled to the brim with countless varieties of unfamiliar dishes. 

All were bizarrely colorful, perhaps prepared in relative excess, but Kojou couldn’t even imagine how they had been made. He couldn’t even tell the difference between what had been boiled, baked, or stir-fried. 

Oddly enough, however, the aroma of the powerful spices hovering in the air piqued his appetite. 

“This is cooking from your nation?” Celesta asked with visible anxiety as she prodded the food allotted to her with the tip of her fork. 

Kojou scooped some gelled, pudding-like liquid with a spoon as he replied, “Nah… At the very least, I don’t think it’s Japanese food, but…” 

His answer was somewhat vague. 

Sitting beside him, Astarte was bringing the food to her mouth with robotic gestures. She easily picked a full plate clean, wiped her lips with a napkin, and murmured admiringly: 

“Delicious.” 

“Seriously…?” 

Trusting in Astarte’s words, Kojou hardened his resolve and stretched a hand toward some food. Celesta, too, took some with her utensils. 

“…It really is delicious.” 

Though Kojou could hardly believe it, Nina’s cooking was exquisite. It was a little on the spicy side, but it felt good on the tongue, with a miraculously strong, pleasant taste spreading throughout his mouth. Those weird ingredients of mysterious origin had turned into something far tastier than Kojou could have anticipated. 

“Mmm. Certainly, the taste is all right.” 

After providing her own commentary, even the foul-tongued Celesta fell into silence. 

“But of course. ’Twas I who supervised, after all.” 

Nina, in the embrace of Kanon’s lap, triumphantly thrust out her chest. Kanon and Yukina, who had done the actual cooking, were in very high spirits as well. 

“Senpai, if you like, I’ll get you more salad,” Yukina said, taking the now-empty plate from Kojou’s hands. 

“Ah…thanks.” 

“You’re welcome. Also, senpai, you have sauce on your chin.” 

“Huh? I do?” 

“Yes, I will wipe it off.” 

Yukina wiped Kojou’s dirty face clean with all the care of a newlywed bride. Celesta stared with half-lidded eyes, as if the sight of them being so intimate was deeply disconcerting. 

“Hey…Plain Girl. What is your relationship to this pervert…? Are you dating him?” 

“Eh…?!” 

Celesta’s ill-mannered question made Yukina’s voice go shrill. 

Kojou looked back at Celesta in visible annoyance. He felt like he’d been asked a similar question roughly twenty-four hours earlier. 

“That ain’t the case at all, Box Girl.” 

“That’s right. I am merely his watcher!” 

“What the—? I don’t get it.” 

Celesta glared, shaking her head at Kojou’s and Yukina’s perfectly harmonious rebuttals. Watching it all from the side, Nina and Astarte made silent double nods in apparent agreement with Celesta. 

“Well, not that it matters to me,” tediously murmured Celesta. “So are the two of you retainers of Lord Vattler?” 

“Why do I have to be a retainer for a guy like that?” Kojou objected. “Don’t even say that as a joke.” Goose bumps broke out over his entire body. 

Celesta tapered her lips, quietly voicing her visible displeasure. “You’re not? Then, why would Lord Vattler entrust me to your care?” 

“Well, that’s what I wanna know…,” Kojou bitterly muttered to himself. 

Having finally awakened, Celesta had no memory, and Vattler had yet to contact any of them. Just as before, the true intent of the Warlord’s Empire aristocrat remained a mystery. But… 

“Common sense would dictate that he sent you to Kojou because ’tis the safest place.” 

It was Nina who stated the facts in a fairly placid tone. 

Celesta’s eyes widened in visible amazement. 

“Safest? At this pervert’s side?” she questioned. 

“I said I ain’t a pervert!” 

Kojou rudely brushed away the right hand Celesta was pointing at him. 

Celesta glared at Kojou from point-blank range. “You’re the one who touched my breasts!” 

“That’s because you latched on to me all on your own!” 

“Ah…!” 

The instant Kojou glared right back at Celesta, Yukina’s voice trickled out as if she’d just found something she had dropped on the floor. 

“Himeragi?” 

“What is it, Plain Girl?” 

Kojou and Celesta simultaneously looked at Yukina, perplexed. However, Yukina made no reply. Her head remained lowered a little as she murmured like she was questioning herself. 

“I see… So that is it… I should have realized sooner.” 

“Realized what? Something regarding this human scum’s acts of depravity?” 

“I already said I didn’t touch you intentionally!” 

“No, never mind that. After all, I understood from the start that senpai is an indecent person.” 

Yukina shook her head with indifference. Kojou instantly became indignant. 

“Why’s that?!” 

“Never mind that, senpai. I mean the reason the Duke of Ardeal entrusted Celesta to you. Save the First Primogenitor, the Lost Warlord, he probably acknowledges only you as possessing combat capability equal to or above that of his own— Correct, senpai?” 

“Well, you might be right about that…” 

It was a fact he didn’t really want to admit, but Kojou nodded nonetheless. 

To Vattler, a battle maniac, the only thing that attracted his interest was power. Though it was difficult to clearly peg the man as friend or foe, at the very least, he was someone who acknowledged other parties’ worth in battle. That accounted for his bizarre attachment to Kojou—or more precisely, the blood of the Fourth Primogenitor that Kojou had inherited. 

“I presume that the Duke of Ardeal believes that none other than you can protect Celesta, senpai, which is why he entrusted her to you,” Yukina stated in a sober, serious tone. The very simplicity of her hypothesis made it all the more convincing. 

Whatever his appearances, Vattler was a lord of his own nation, with a large number of loyal subordinates like Jagan. If there was a reason for him to entrust Celesta to Kojou, and not his own subordinates, it could only be because the special power Kojou possessed was necessary: the strength of the Fourth Primogenitor—the World’s Mightiest Vampire. 

But simultaneously, Yukina’s assertion made another fact clear. 

“That means someone’s after Celesta, right?” Kojou’s expression hardened. 

“Yes. Though, in the end, it is only a hypothesis…” Yukina nodded gravely. 

Hearing this, the color of Celesta’s face became starkly pale. After all, Yukina’s thought fit Celesta’s last memory. 

Vattler had saved Celesta when she was on the brink of being killed. And Vattler had sent the girl he had saved to Kojou, likely to protect Celesta from harm… 

“—Concern is unnecessary. The Fourth Primogenitor will protect you,” Astarte declared without emotion. 

It was rare for the homunculus girl to personally voice something that was not precise information. 

“Yes. Akatsuki saved me as well,” Kanon added with a reserved smile. 

“I—I am not actually worried. I’ll be fine even without someone like this pervert protecting me,” Celesta retorted with halting words, turning her face away as if she was blushing. Then, as if to alter the course of the conversation, she righted her posture and said, “Kanon, was it? What do you think of this man?” 

“Akatsuki? I have always liked him.” Kanon tilted her head like a little bird. 

Kojou’s food stopped in his throat, nearly choking him; the fork in Yukina’s hand audibly fell to the table. Astarte continued “eating” with a neutral look on her face, seemingly failing to notice that her plate had been empty for some time. 

“I-is that so?” Celesta pressed without a hint of venom in her voice. 

Kanon nodded with vigor and said, “Yes. I love Akatsuki—and Yukina and Nagisa and Astarte.” 

“Ah… Th-that is what you meant…” The exchange had clearly drained Celesta’s energy. “Don’t say misleading things like that.” 

Limply, Kojou and Yukina lowered their faces in the same way. “What about me?” said Nina, crossing her arms in dissatisfaction at being the only one whose name had not been included. 

Then, for some reason, they heard a rattle, which gave them a sense that someone had stumbled, perhaps on the apartment’s veranda. It was a faint sign, one that could, on any given day, be easily dismissed as the mind playing tricks. 

However, Yukina reacted instantly. 

She drew her silver spear from its case, propped up against the wall, poising it with a fluid motion. The folded triple blade deployed, and the fully metallic shaft slid to its full length. 

The blade, reacting to the ritual energy coursing through it, emitted a pale glow. 

“—Snowdrift Wolf!” 

Yukina sharply invoked the spear’s proper name. 

“Nwaa?!” 

Kojou, finding the tip of the spear turned toward him, reflexively ducked. Celesta, too, curled up in a ball. Yukina rushed past, sending a sidelong sweep of the spear grazing just above their heads. 

Yukina’s spear, dubbed Snowdrift Wolf, was the secret weapon of the Lion King Agency, able to nullify demonic energy and rend any barrier. The dazzling glow of the Divine Oscillation Effect swept toward a corner of the veranda. 

“Howuaa?!” 

The next instant, they heard the nervous voice of a girl coming from the veranda. 

A figure unexpectedly appeared, together with a shower of sparks from her destroyed magical barrier. 

She was a young woman, her entire body shrouded in a white robe. She bore an ornamented silver long sword, and a white hood concealed her face. 

Under the robe, she was wearing a military uniform modified to be sleeveless and miniskirted. If the first impression she gave off could be summed up simply, it was like a foreigner who’d gotten ninja cosplay all wrong. And it was such a curious foreigner clinging to the apartment’s veranda, observing Kojou and the others. 

“Wh-who are…?” 

Naturally, the intruder’s most eccentric attire brought an expression of bewilderment over even Yukina’s face. No doubt she never expected a fake ninja like this to breach the anti-intrusion ward she had placed herself. 

“Oh-ho… Magical camouflage.” 

In contrast, Nina murmured with visible amusement. She was staring at the white robe covering the intruder. A complex magical circle was embedded right onto its surface. It was an extremely high-end military camouflage suit for concealing the wearer, magically obstructing detection by others. Had Snowdrift Wolf not destroyed the robe’s functionality, they likely would never have been able to set eyes upon her. 

“…!” 

Judging that the intruder’s equipment made her a threat, Yukina put her guard back up. Seeing this flustered the intruder. 

“P-please wait—Miss Sword Shaman! I have no intention of harming thee!” 

These words spoken, the intruder stripped off the robe covering her. The hood was lowered to reveal a young woman, her silver hair cropped short in military fashion. She seemed to be about twenty years old. Kojou recognized her face. 

“Ah…! Right, you’re that girl who was working for La Folia—!” 

“Yes. Interceptor Knight Kataya Justina of the Aldegian Knights of the Second Coming. Nin!” 

When Kojou indicated the intruder, she clasped her hands flat together and bowed her head in supplication. Without thinking, Kojou nodded his head as well. The “ninja girl” was a knight serving the Aldegian royal family. Her mission was to protect Kanon Kanase, a member of that family. 

Supposedly, she was a fan of Japanese ninjas, remaining inconspicuous and concealed from sight as she protected Kanon. 

“N-Nin?” 

With Justina like that, Yukina stood stiff, staring at her. Thanks to adopting such a serious combat posture, she seemed unable to find a proper time to lower her spear. 

“I see… So this is the first time you’ve met her, Himeragi.” 

Kojou spoke the words with a tone of sympathy for the Sword Shaman. 

Her spear still raised, Yukina awkwardly shifted her gaze toward Kojou alone. 

“Senpai, do you know her?” 

“Well, kinda. She’s the bodyguard La Folia assigned to Kanase. So I don’t think she’s a suspicious person. Just a ninja fangirl.” 

“By thy will.” 

Saying this, Justina courteously bowed. Celesta gazed upon her in visible admiration and remarked, “So ninjas really do exist…” 

“Well, she’s sort of a ninja, but this is just the princess of Aldegia having her take on the role…” Kojou tried to correct her in vague language. 

Naturally, Kanon, who hadn’t been informed of Justina’s existence, had a look of bewilderment come over her at the sudden appearance of her own bodyguard. 

“Er, Miss Justina, would you like to eat with us?” she offered. 

Justina bowed her head, looking deeply moved as she said, “I am most honored to receive the Royal Sister’s hospitality—however, I must first inform Sir Fourth Primogenitor of something with the greatest urgency.” 

“Huh…? Me?” Kojou sensed an ill omen. “What is it now?” 

Justina lifted her gaze—the fickle look from a moment before had vanished. Her face was that of a trained soldier. 

“I am sorry. I should have alerted you sooner, but this apartment building has been surrounded.” 

“What?!” 

“They are well trained. Without the aid of a spy satellite, I would likely never have detected them, either.” 

“Spy satellite…?” 

Aldegia’s even using a thing like that to protect Kanon, Kojou thought, flabbergasted. But at that moment, even those girls being unreasonable was oddly reassuring. 

“The enemy likely numbers four. However, their target is not the Royal Sister but rather—” 

“—Celesta!” 

Kojou instinctively realized it. 

As if waiting for that as a signal, he was assailed by the oppressive sensation of powerful demonic energy. 

The apartment shook from an incredible impact before he realized they were under attack. 

Seeing this, Celesta opened her mouth as if to silently scream, signaling that their peace and quiet had come to an end…