In the end, Akatsuki Nagisa still chose not to accept the invitation to attend Dimitrie Vatler's party.
In her view, she was just an ordinary middle school girl. Compared to those people who were important figures on the international stage, she was an existence so small that it couldn't get any smaller.
She didn't understand why the other party would invite someone as insignificant as her to the party, but no matter what, she simply couldn't accept the idea of actively approaching a demon race being, especially one so terrifying.
As for causing some diplomatic incident or something... she was just an ordinary girl, how could she possibly spark a diplomatic incident?
Therefore, Akatsuki Nagisa couldn't muster the courage, and even less could she accept such an unreasonable invitation.
Kaiser, who had already anticipated this, did not force her.
"There's no way Nagisa in her current state can attend that Serpent's party, much less meet him."
After finally calming Akatsuki Nagisa down and sending her off to pet cats, Kaiser silently thought.
"However, with that Serpent's personality, Nagisa directly refusing him will likely make it hard for him to back off."
Kaiser knew very well why Dimitrie Vatler had come.
He had come for the Fourth Primogenitor.
He had also come for himself, the vessel of Leviathan.
His belligerent nature made it impossible for him to ignore the presence of such two powerful enemies—especially the Fourth Primogenitor.
Dimitrie Vatler—this person was not only combative but also extremely ambitious. His ultimate goal was to challenge the ruler of his own Empire of Night, the one known as the oldest of the First Primogenitors, the Lost Warlord.
For that reason, he yearned for power, longed for battle, sought relief from mundane daily life, and all the more craved the emergence of formidable foes.
The Fourth Primogenitor—reputed as the strongest vampire in the world—was already enough of a lure.
To be able to fight the world's strongest vampire, that was the first temptation. If he could defeat the opponent and devour them, he would gain even greater power and go on to challenge the First Primogenitor—this was the second temptation.
And on top of that, at the Fourth Primogenitor's side, there was the rumored Chaos Dragon, the world's strongest magical beast. This was like tossing out the most delicious bait possible.
Dimitrie Vatler was that ravenous fish—there was no way he wouldn't bite.
In this situation, if Akatsuki Nagisa, the publicly acknowledged Fourth Primogenitor, refused to meet him, there was no way he would just let it go.
Kaiser could already foresee trouble knocking soon.
"Well then." Kaiser suddenly smiled and said, "Let's see what that snake has in store."
If the sky falls, let the tall ones hold it up.
And he—was the tallest of the tall.
...
That night, when the buildings within Itogami Island were lit up brightly, the same brilliant lights blossomed by the grand wharf in the harbor area.
The luxury cruise ship named Oceanus Grave was docked here, remarkably eye-catching even from a distance.
On the hull of the massive cruise liner, the name "Oceanus Grave" stood out clearly. Illuminated by lights, the ship shone like a palace in the night, making it hard to imagine this was a privately owned vessel.
According to unverifiable reports, while the claim that vampires couldn't cross the sea was pure superstition, it was indeed true that their powers would be restricted at sea.
In other words, just the act of a noble from the Domain of the War King traveling over by sea was enough to send a message of intimidation to the host nation, fully demonstrating the individual's confidence and audacity. Even if the noble traveled not on a military vessel but a civilian one, it was all the same.
Even if it was just a cruise ship and not a warship equipped with weapons, so long as the ship's master was a vampire noble, the summoned familiars alone would be enough to rival all the firepower of a high-tonnage warship. Not to mention that this person was even stronger than Third-Generation Elders and was hailed as the vampire closest to the Primogenitors.
It could be said that the existence of this luxury cruise ship, for Itogami Island, was like having an aircraft carrier docked at its shore. The amount of attention this would draw from bigwigs was easy to imagine.
Thus, at ten o'clock that evening, one after another, formally dressed individuals began to arrive.
They were invited guests—faces that wouldn't seem out of place even when seen in the news. Either political heavyweights or financial giants, they were mostly dignitaries of the government or Itogami City.
At this moment, these important figures ascended the gangway one by one, entered the ship, and arrived at the hall where the party was being held. In the end, the guest count totaled no fewer than five hundred people.
The guests conversed among themselves, engaged in notable and recognizable exchanges and dialogue under bright and splendid lights while enjoying sumptuous cuisine.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of the master of the Oceanus Grave, these political and business elites weren't even worth blades of grass.
The only guests he truly valued were one—or maybe two—and they had yet to arrive.
When the party officially began, Vatler did not appear in the main venue. Instead, he stood at the prow of the ship on the deck, gazing toward the city center of Itogami Island.
"Looks like I've been rejected. How sad."
The blond-haired, blue-eyed, handsome young man in a white suit had both hands in his pockets, letting out a laugh that made it unclear whether he was genuinely disappointed or simply amused.
"My observer hasn't returned either. I hope nothing went wrong while delivering the letter?"
Vatler chuckled lightly and muttered to himself with apparent nonchalance.
"So, what should I do next?"
"My beloved Fourth Primogenitor and his observer actually refused my invitation. This really was unexpected."
"But... oh well."
Vatler's gaze toward Itogami Island turned completely crimson.
"If you won't come to me, then I'll just have to go to you," Vatler said with a chuckle. "But going just like this seems rather rude."
"What do you two think?"
His final sentence was directed at the people behind him.
They were two men dressed in formal wear like him, exuding the demeanor of noble sons.
"As Lord Ardeal said, even if we are to extend an invitation, it shouldn't be you who personally acts from the beginning."
A boy with a dreamy appearance who seemed about fifteen or sixteen, small and gentle-looking—evoking a protective urge in others—spoke gently.
"Barbarians are always so rude. To dare ignore Lord Vatler's invitation is a crime deserving of death."
A peer of the previous speaker in age but considerably taller, exuding an overwhelmingly aggressive aura, with sharp, cold features resembling a blade, likewise spoke coldly with undisguised hostility.
These two were clearly vampires as well—the crimson hue in their eyes was the clearest proof.
The aura emanating from them wasn't on Vatler's level, but it was still extremely dangerous and powerful.
"Since even you two say so, then so be it."
Vatler didn't look back, speaking with delight as if enjoying an appetizer before a main course.
"Gila, Tebias. Represent me and go pay them a visit."
"Remember, don't go overboard."
"I don't want to be forcibly deported just after arriving."
Though he wasn't afraid, nor did he care—he even thought it might be fun to wreak havoc in this country—a scenario like that would make follow-up matters troublesome.
He wasn't ready to lose his current standing, nor the opportunity to challenge those above him.
So, a little chaos was fine. Too much, and it needed careful consideration.
"Go."
As Vatler's words fell, the two young men behind him immediately bowed.
In the next second, the two dissolved like mist.
...
Itogami Island, South District, residential area, seventh floor of an apartment building.
In Room 705, it was already lights-out and bedtime.
Akatsuki Nagisa and Kanase Kanon had already left, even the cats in the cat room were asleep. None of them came out to wander or cry at night.
Because he had stayed up the night before, tonight Kaiser didn't plan to stay up again. So, he returned to the bedroom early, lay down on the bed, and drifted into dreamland.
"Flap flap—"
At some point, a flock of birds suddenly flew past the window, producing a particularly sharp wing-flapping sound, causing Kaiser to open his eyes and awaken.
"They're already here?"
Kaiser scratched his head and muttered with annoyance.
"That Serpent really has no patience."
Saying so, Kaiser slowly got up and lazily got dressed.
After a while, he left the bedroom, then the apartment, and ascended the stairs past the eighth and ninth floors, arriving at the rooftop of the building.
"Whoosh—"
The wind howled past, lifting dust and bringing a wave of mist, which swirled before Kaiser.
Not long after, the mist gathered and transformed into two handsome young men in formal attire.
"Good evening, Observer."
The gentle-looking boy greeted respectfully, his dreamy face full of amiability.
"You're the Chaos Dragon from the rumors?"
The aggressive youth cast a sharp gaze at Kaiser, his beautiful features ice-cold.
"Haa~~~"
Kaiser acted as if he hadn't noticed them at all, yawning lazily before finally turning his eyes to them.
"Vampire nobles from the Domain of the War King, personal guards of Dimitrie Vatler, huh?"
Kaiser spoke slowly, as if dealing with two unwelcome guests—because that's exactly what they were.
"I thought that guy would come personally. Looks like he's more patient than I expected."
That attitude of being completely unsurprised by their arrival caused both vampire nobles to narrow their eyes.
"To deal with you, there's no need for Lord Vatler to act personally."
The cold youth was the first to unleash his magical power.
"This is a greeting from Lord Ardeal."
The gentle youth smiled as he released his own power.
Under the cover of night, immense magical power stirred.
A deadly and terrifying danger, to any ordinary person, had arrived.