Outside the room, Leticia had no idea how long Canary and the others had been talking, nor what they had discussed.
All she knew was that when Canary emerged, the smile on her face was strange.
It was an expression of slight excitement, a look of someone eager for a challenge.
She knew Canary loved difficult trials and enjoyed the thrill of solving a mystery, but a smile like this—one of pure excitement born from immense pressure—was something she had only seen when they faced the Dystopia Demon Lord.
Strange, she thought. Little Garden is at peace. What could possibly have gotten Canary so worked up?
Could it be... this Lord Su Mo?
Before she could ponder it further, Canary waved her over.
"Leticia! We won't be heading back today. Let's throw a banquet for Lord Su Mo right here!"
Having confirmed Su Mo's leadership and power, she had switched from the polite "Mr. Su Mo" to a more respectful form of address.
"Ah, alright!"
Leticia wasn't good at refusing her friend's suggestions.
But...
"Why are we suddenly having a banquet?" the somewhat strait-laced girl asked curiously.
It felt like in the short time they were apart, their relationship had improved considerably.
"To celebrate, of course!" Canary said, her face alight with excitement.
"It's a shame that lord isn't here, but having Lady Shiroyasha will do. Besides, Lord Su Mo is a major figure who just vanquished a three-digit Demon Lord. I saw you getting along well with Miss Guinevere and the others. If you seize this chance, you might be able to restore the vampire clan, you know! Want me to create an opportunity for you? If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes!"
Canary finished with a mischievous grin and a wiggle of her eyebrows.
Though Leticia was an honest soul, she immediately understood that her friend was up to no good.
Restore the vampire clan... she can't be suggesting I have a litter of little vampires with this Lord Su Mo, can she?
Realizing the subtext, she shot Canary a weary glare and was about to apologize to Su Mo, explaining that her friend was only joking.
But just then...
"Ahem! Miss Leticia, while we may have gotten along, there's still a matter of first-come, first-served," Guinevere suddenly interjected.
Though she had been chatting happily with Leticia just moments before, her eyes now held a hint of wariness, like a cat afraid of having its fish stolen.
"When it comes to Master, I was here first!"
Artoria Alter stepped forward sharply, her attitude unyielding.
In terms of seniority, she was second only to Erica.
"I don't mind either way. If it's what my lord desires, I'm fine with being later in the lineup, or even all at once." The White War God shrugged, a faint blush on her cheeks, yet her tone was straightforward, without a trace of coyness.
"Huh?"
It took Leticia a good ten seconds to process the situation.
No wonder they said myths were unreliable. So the arrows in the love triangle between King Arthur, his Queen, and his knight were all pointing at someone else entirely?
Isn't this a little... messy?
Just then, Jibril zipped into the middle of the group, forcefully suppressing all dissent.
"I am a Flügel. I've never heard of any 'first-come, first-served' rule. The Master belongs to the strong!"
She intended to win her Master's affection through sheer force.
However—
"Miss Jibril, if we're talking about strength, shouldn't you defeat Miss Algol and Lady Shiroyasha first?" the weakest of the group, Guinevere, said, attempting to stir the pot.
In the current version of things, while Jibril could still go toe-to-toe with three-digit beings, she could no longer dominate everyone.
The world of Little Garden was filled with too many gods and buddhas, and Su Mo tended to attract the cream of the crop.
As a result, even Jibril, who had been growing stronger alongside him, was feeling the pressure.
But for a Flügel, weakness wasn't scary; admitting defeat was.
"A fight it is, then! Who's afraid of who?!"
Flapping her small wings, Jibril instantly switched to her child form and headbutted her way into Su Mo's arms, pushing Algol aside.
The two stubborn girls glared at each other, and the Thousand Eyes shop instantly erupted into chaos.
Watching the boisterous scene, Leticia's initial surprise gave way to a gentle smile.
In the world of Little Garden, it was perfectly normal for the strong to have multiple partners. Compared to that perverted reaper from their own community, all the girls under Su Mo's command were there of their own free will. That in itself was quite admirable.
A few minutes later, Leticia remembered that she had never actually gotten a chance to refuse Canary's suggestion.
But by the time she did, Canary was already huddled with Shiroyasha, whispering about something. Not wanting to interrupt, Leticia decided to let it go.
Besides, she thought, no matter how unreliable she is, Canary wouldn't actually play matchmaker, would she? And given her respect for Lord Su Mo, she wouldn't dare to act rashly.
Little did she know, she had just been sold out.
---||---
Late that night, after the banquet had ended and Shiroyasha and Algol were getting drunk and rowdy, Leticia found herself alone with Su Mo under the starry night sky.
The Thousand Eyes headquarters was connected to numerous Boundary Gates, and they had stepped through one leading to a four-digit area in Little Garden's Western District.
Watching Su Mo stroll slowly beneath the night sky, Leticia thought back to Canary's words. She followed a step behind him, ready to serve, her heart fluttering in a panic.
Could it be that this lord has truly taken a liking to me?
Given the current state of the vampire clan, even if we had a child, wouldn't they be cursed?
As her mind started to wander, Su Mo suddenly stopped. Thankfully, Leticia's battle-honed reflexes allowed her to halt in time.
"Miss Leticia, do you know why I asked you to come out here?" Su Mo asked.
"I have... some idea..." Leticia lowered her head, embarrassed, her voice a little dry. "Canary mentioned it to me."
"Oh?" Su Mo raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I'll be direct."
"Mm," Leticia nodded nervously, unsure of how she should even respond.
Just then, Su Mo spoke.
"How much do you know about the origin of the vampire clan's spiritual essence?"
"I don't know... huh?!" The blonde vampire froze.
That wasn't the question she was expecting.
"What's wrong?" Su Mo asked, confused.
"N-nothing!" Leticia shook her head, realizing Canary had played her for a fool. She let out a long sigh of relief, though for some reason, she also felt a twinge of disappointment. She quickly composed herself.
"My vampire clan is said to have been summoned to the present from the distant future. It's said that we come from a future so remote it has transcended the apocalypse, but the exact details are unknown to anyone."
In the world of Little Garden, the origins of vampires were rather unique.
Once revered as the Knights of Little Garden, they were not descendants of Cain, nor monsters birthed by Lilith, but spiritual essences summoned from a distant point in human history.
Su Mo nodded slightly.
"In other words, you are simultaneously a species of demon among the Phantasmal Beasts, and an evolved form of humanity—a Future Species."
According to Little Garden's lore, one branch of humanity's future involves evolving into vampires, abandoning Earth, and living on massive geostationary orbital satellites around the equator.
And as it happened, there were twenty-five such satellites, each corresponding to one of the twenty-five Sun Authorities.
"That is why you have a connection to the Sun Authorities," Su Mo concluded, feeling the power of the Ophiuchus Sun Authority within him.
"Yes," Leticia nodded, confirming honestly. "I don't know much about the vampire clan myself. Our full spiritual essence is meant to manifest only after we have overcome the apocalypse. But as you know, I am the last vampire left in Little Garden."
Her eyes fell, a sad look on her face.
Just then—
"I wouldn't be so sure about that."
Su Mo gazed into the nearby darkness, uttering words that left Leticia utterly stunned.
The next instant, a vaguely familiar voice rang out.
"Enemy attack!"
A Flügel girl whose allegiance Leticia didn't know—one she had met before—leapt out from nowhere.
Like a bolt of lightning, she struck a spot not far from them.
"How dare you spy on the Master! A crime punishable by death! Not even I have done that!"