"Hmm? Did you find Roa?" It was as if they were communicating, and Arcueid knew the answer she wanted.
"Well, how should I put it?" Unsure of how to begin, Arcueid composed herself. "...I can feel a powerful force within your body, Raku. So you must know about vampires, right?" Arcueid asked Ryougi Raku.
"I know a little. I'm aware of things like Dead Apostles and the Twenty-seven Ancestors..." Ryougi Raku replied.
"Ah, that's great..." Arcueid breathed a sigh of relief, though it looked more like she was happy not to have to explain in detail.
"A very powerful Dead Apostle is about to resurrect here. This place will soon become a battlefield, and my purpose is to hunt him. Raku, it would be best if you left here quickly..." Arcueid said with genuine concern.
Her life had almost entirely been spent in slumber within the Millennium Castle, with only one or two years of truly acting on her own will. Therefore, this princess harbored no ulterior motives when facing humans, but she was not foolish, and her perception was very strong. If someone harbored ill will, she would easily know. Ryougi Raku approached her with good intentions, and the princess, who hadn't had much contact with others, was very happy when someone struck up a conversation with her.
It was for this reason that she cared for this stranger, while she could be completely indifferent to the lives and deaths of the people in the town. The princess of the True Ancestors was not human to begin with, and naturally, she wouldn't completely consider the well-being of humans.
After informing Arcueid of the result, the black cat elegantly departed as it had arrived. Ryougi Raku merely glanced at it and paid it no further mind; there would be plenty of opportunities to interact with Len later, so there was no rush.
"So, when will that Dead Apostle resurrect, Arcueid?" Ryougi Raku asked casually.
"Aren't you supposed to call me older sister..." Arcueid pouted, placing her hands on her hips and complaining to Ryougi Raku, though it looked more like she was playfully sulking.
"When will that Dead Apostle resurrect, Arcueid sis—ter—!" Gritting his teeth, Ryougi Raku emphasized the two words "older sister."
Arcueid was completely unaware of the implied meaning of those two words with a change in intonation. Upon hearing Ryougi Raku's address, her pouting face immediately transformed into a smiling one. Ryougi Raku couldn't help but lament, "Not only does her face change quickly, but she's also just like a child!"
"Tomorrow night is when he will resurrect... Tomorrow is a full moon, which is when Dead Apostles are at their strongest!" Arcueid nodded, explaining.
'It really is tomorrow night...' Ryougi Raku thought to himself.
"Arcueid-nee-san, why do you want to kill that Dead Apostle?" Even though he knew the reason, Ryougi Raku still made conversation.
"Because he deceived me!" When Roa and deception were mentioned, Arcueid was filled with murderous intent.
---
The town wasn't big, and Ryougi Raku had no intention of staying long, so he naturally didn't fuss over this temporary home. The items in the house were very ordinary; aside from some daily necessities, there was nothing that looked luxurious or strange.
However, it was this ordinary house that kept Arcueid captivated. She looked left and right as if curious about everything, not out of curiosity for the objects themselves, but out of curiosity for the home of her new friend. In her eyes, this was her first time visiting a friend's house, so she naturally found it novel. Sometimes, the princess was this simple, so easily able to consider you a friend. Perhaps, this was also because both of them existed in the same world.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Ryougi Raku personally brewed a cup of tea, gently placed it on the table, and asked.
"Sure!" Arcueid, who was sitting on the bed observing her surroundings, nodded without thinking. She picked up the teacup and took a big gulp without even looking.
"Ah, it's hot!" The princess complained, fanning the steam rising from her mouth. "And, this doesn't taste good at all..."
Ryougi Raku felt his veins throbbing. This precious tea, Princess, you just gulped it down like that, completely wasting it! If you don't understand tea, don't drink it! Also, stop acting cute; for your abnormal physique, the temperature of this tea would absolutely not be a problem!
Ryougi Raku's divergent thinking quickly stopped; he felt that if he continued to complain, he would definitely lose... Ryougi Raku sipped his tea lightly, thought carefully, and then took out a bottle of — cola — from the cabinet next to him... "Then try this..." He sighed and handed the cola to the princess.
"What is this?" Arcueid took it with curiosity, thought for a moment, and then easily twisted open the cap... She had enough knowledge, just no practical experience.
"Wow, this taste is so strange, but it feels good... Raku, do you have any more?!" Arcueid shook Ryougi Raku's arm, speaking like she was pouting.
"There, there are many. Just take them yourself, Arcueid..." Ryougi Raku pursed his lips, pointing to the cabinet next to him. He had only put these colas in there to drink a bottle and reminisce about his past experiences when he thought of it... He hadn't expected this princess to like them so much. Should he say, as expected of a child?
With a cheer, Arcueid no longer cared that the important words "older sister" were missing from Ryougi Raku's mouth. She opened the cabinet and took out the entire box of cola.
"What are you planning to do tomorrow? Go out for a stroll?" Ryougi Raku continued to sip his tea, asking Arcueid, who was happily drinking.
Arcueid hesitated upon hearing this, but still shook her head. "...No, I just woke up from the Millennium Castle, and my power hasn't fully recovered. I should rest well tomorrow during the day." Although Arcueid really wanted to go out and wander, because she had always been used as a weapon, she had knowledge but no real experience. She was very interested in culture and entertainment, but when it came to what she considered important matters, she was able to suppress her curiosity.
"Millennium Castle? Where is that?" Ryougi Raku asked with a question. It wasn't that he didn't know of the place, but rather that he didn't know its exact location.
As expected, the princess sincerely answered the question, "It's the True Ancestor's castle, um, I think in human society... it's called Germany, right?" Arcueid thought for a long time before coming up with this answer. "...Don't talk about that place, there's nothing there and it's not fun at all." She said, pouting, and then happily drank her beverage again.
Ryougi Raku knew that there lay Arcueid's painful past and memories, so he naturally wouldn't bring it up again.
"If you rest tomorrow, won't Roa escape?"
"No, he won't. For Dead Apostles, daylight greatly affects their combat power, so he won't resurrect during the day..." Arcueid said. "But for us True Ancestors, even daylight has a negligible effect on us!" Arcueid looked at Ryougi Raku with an expression that seemed to say, 'Come on, praise me!'
"True Ancestors really are amazing," Ryougi Raku sighed. Arcueid became even happier upon hearing this, though Ryougi Raku wasn't sure what she was so happy about... "Here, try this..." Ryougi Raku took out some pretty little pastries, macarons to be precise. In the past, Ryougi Raku loved to eat these.
As expected, the childlike princess also really liked these exquisite little treats. She stuffed her mouth full, "Mmm, this is so delicious... Raku, you're such a good person..." Arcueid praised him, but her hands didn't stop moving.
Although Ryougi Raku didn't think this was a compliment... "Hmm?" He glanced at Arcueid, but found that she wasn't reacting.
'This aura...' That feeling of grievance, as if a child had lost something precious, sent a chill through Ryougi Raku's body... Not far from Ryougi Raku's room, Merem Solomon was biting his handkerchief, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes, looking at them with a wronged expression... 'Princess, don't be deceived!' Merem prayed inwardly, but although he had the ability to grant others' wishes, he couldn't grant his own... If he hadn't seen that the princess already considered that boy a friend, he would have definitely gone over and fought desperately... 'That guy, I feel like I've seen him somewhere before...' Merem suddenly felt that the person looked familiar, and then carefully recalled the Holy Church's intelligence... 'Ryougi Raku...' His eyes gradually grew cold.
Ryougi Raku also felt it, the murderous intent contained in the gaze fixed on him... The princess in front of him was still eating and drinking carelessly. It seemed that if the malice wasn't directed at her, she wouldn't feel it at all.
'In a place like this, who would harbor murderous intent towards me... Could it be Merem Solomon?' Thinking this, the intelligence clearly stated that this Ancestor came with the White Princess, but Ryougi Raku hadn't found him.
'Releasing such blatant murderous intent, is it due to self-confidence, or because of the princess you adore, making you unable to control yourself...' Regardless of the reason, Ryougi Raku was already prepared. Facing one of the Twenty-seven Ancestors, he would not be careless... At the same time, in the same small town.
"Princess, have you finally come again..." Alicia's eyes turned the red of a vampire, and her voice no longer seemed to belong to her.
"What a perfect body. Because of the rush, I didn't choose and just reincarnated casually, yet I found such a perfect body." Roa looked at his current body with fascination. This body, as powerful and talented as his first life, could truly unleash his full power.
"I can't just damage her like this. This perfect body that I finally possess, my pure and beautiful princess, it is because of your power that I completed this reincarnation ritual. I will definitely repay you well..." There was an unspeakable fear in his tone. Roa knew that even if this body's talent was excellent, and even if he could fully unleash his power, he would not be a match for the True Ancestor princess... As the founder of the Burial Agency, although Roa had been reincarnated more than ten times and had been killed by the princess shortly after each reincarnation, his soul and will had declined. Compared to the spirited and confident self of his first life, he now appeared decadent and broken, yet he still maintained his pride.
"Tomorrow, I will see you, my princess, Arcueid Brunestud..." Scarlet blood-red eyes glowed with hatred, but there was also a deeper... obsession... That pure white princess, quietly gazing at the moonlit sky beneath the sea of flowers in the Millennium Castle, he had fallen deeply for her at first sight. But his fanaticism for eternal life had led him to deceive the princess he had once sworn to protect.
"Damn it, this little girl's resistance is really strong..." Roa groaned in pain, clutching his head.