Epilogue
"This isn't what we agreed on...!"
A venomous voice cut through the quiet of the hotel suite, directed squarely at Claudia Tritonis.
The intruder was Tick Token, holder of the Fifteenth Seat in the Academy Archipelago. Having barged into the room where Claudia was staying following the recent debacle, he glared at her with a bruised face contorted in anger.
"You promised that if I captured that girl Pina, you'd crush Royal Tritonis Academy yourself!" Tick spat, his voice trembling with a mix of panic and fury. "That would've settled our score and given us a chance to recruit Haruhana Bacchus to the Main Campus! My standing was supposed to skyrocket... So why the hell has everything spiraled out of control like this?!"
"Your complaints are entirely misplaced," Claudia replied smoothly, her tone cool and collected. "I have funneled ample benefits to you through Ginion in the past, which earned you considerable favor at the Main Campus. Even this time, had you executed your part properly, we could have expelled Pina Lycure and shipped her right back to her home country, but..."
"Like I give a damn!" Tick roared, cutting her off. "If that's how it is, just force that wretched school to shut down already! With your royal status, you could easily pull it off, couldn't you?!"
Claudia merely narrowed her eyes in silent disdain as Tick continued to bellow at her.
To begin with, she wondered why he had even bothered coming here alone. As far as Claudia was concerned, he was far from the equal partner she acknowledged for her operations within the Academy Archipelago.
"Fifteenth Seat or not, you are still nothing more than a child," Claudia remarked with dry condescension. "It seems a mere material supplier whose liquid metal magic happened to win the Gobots' approval can only deliver results as underwhelming as this."
Those words struck a raw nerve—it was the one insult Tick could never endure.
He fixed Claudia with a deadly glare, shaking violently from head to toe as pure rage overtook him.
"You've got a lot of nerve..." Tick growled through gritted teeth. "Everyone knows the eldest child of the Tritonis royal family possesses zero magical talent! That's why you're about to lose your claim to the throne! You panicked and started pulling strings behind the scenes to destroy Royal Tritonis Academy, just to manufacture a massive failure for your little sister, didn't you?!"
He believed he had struck her right where it hurt, yet Claudia's calm expression didn't flicker in the slightest. Infuriated by her unflappable detachment, Tick placed a hand over his face.
It was not a gesture to suppress his wrath, but rather his stance for combat.
"Don't think your royal rank will protect you forever! Mysterion—gh?!"
Before he could finish his incantation, Claudia blurred forward, closing the distance to stand directly in front of him.
Cutting off his choked gasp of surprise, she seized him by the throat and slammed him hard against the wall behind him. There was no trace of magical aura cloaking her—she had closed the gap and overwhelmed him through raw physical strength alone.
"Ggah...! Y-You... that physical power... It can't be—"
"I would have thought Ginion's situation might have clued you in to my true nature, yet you only realize it now?" Claudia murmured coldly.
Reaching toward Tick's ear, Claudia casually pinched the Mana Crystal embedded in his earring and crushed it to pieces between her fingers.
No matter how powerful a mage was, without a Mana Crystal, they were rendered utterly helpless. With a callous flick of her arm, Claudia tossed Tick's body to the floor.
"This blunder is yours to clean up... Kyoko Kasagaki."
"Yes, yes, indeed. You have my humblest apologies," a polite, sickly-sweet voice echoed. "My pet dog had slipped his leash, so I wondered where he might have run off to. How utterly embarrassing for me."
How long had she been in the room, or had she been present from the very beginning?
Responding to Claudia, Kyoko Kasagaki emerged from the shadows of the room, her pale skin practically glowing against the darkness.
"K-Kyoko! She's a Vampire!" Tick scrambled back, stammering frantically. "Q-Quick, report her! If we contact the Management Bureau—"
"Yes, of course. I am well aware," Kyoko replied with a serene smile. "You see, I am a Vampire as well. That is precisely why Claudia and I have formed a cooperative alliance."
Tick was struck speechless by the nonchalant confession. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, unable to form a single coherent word.
Kyoko squatted down slowly in front of him, parting her lips.
"To tell you the truth, Tick," Kyoko whispered softly, "it doesn't bother me at all if someone discovers my identity. Surely anyone from the Heaven Disc World knows the rule, don't they? A Vampire turned through infection can never disobey an order from the parent who converted them."
An absolute hierarchy that utterly crushed individual free will—that absolute dominion was another key reason why Vampiric infection was so dreadfully feared.
As Kyoko explained this to Tick in a gentle, chilling tone, two long, razor-sharp fangs extended from between her lips.
"When my magic is layered over the blood-bond between a Vampire parent and child, my control becomes absolute. Thus, no secrets ever leak."
A smothering sense of dread seeped into Tick's heart.
He knew the terrifying nature of her magic all too well. It was a twisted, powerful ability capable of warping even the logic of Gobots. Before such magic, human willpower would be trampled into nothingness without effort.
"And more than anything... my throat is terribly parched," Kyoko murmured, her eyes glistening with intoxicating ecstasy. "Having witnessed Kuro-san's battle and smelled his blood from so close, I simply cannot control myself unless I find a substitute to tide me over."
Tick sank deeper into hopelessness.
She had been avoiding facing Kuro directly solely to suppress the overwhelming urge to bite into him and drink his blood in broad daylight.
"W-Wait... Kyoko! I'm—"
"Fufu, calling Pina a half-breed tainted by vermin was actually quite spot-on," Kyoko giggled darkly. "After all, she is a poor creature cursed with the blood of human vermin. So... I shall liberate you from the shackles of being human as well, Tick."
With an eerie smile, Kyoko opened her mouth wide.
Before the petrified youth could even scream, two sharp fangs plunged ruthlessly into the crook of Tick's neck.
Without allowing him so much as a cry, Kyoko drank his blood so voraciously it seemed she might drain him to death. Once Tick collapsed into violent convulsions and lost consciousness from the shock of conversion, she casually rolled his body aside and took a seat opposite Claudia.
"Now then, Claudia. What was it you wished to discuss?"
"I intend to alter our plans slightly," Claudia replied smoothly. "Initially, I planned to crush Royal Tritonis Academy completely, but thanks to recent events, things have taken a rather interesting turn."
"In what way?" Kyoko asked, tilting her head with mild curiosity.
"We shall use the newly empowered Royal Tritonis Academy to pit the various schools across the Academy Archipelago against one another, provoking widespread chaos."
Kyoko had never cared about seeking revenge on Tritonis Academy in the first place. Ever since receiving information from Claudia, she had done nothing but adoringly observe Kuro's every move. As she silently prompted Claudia to elaborate, the full scope of the new scheme was revealed.
"We will spark a massive conflict among the students right here in the Academy Archipelago—a war no less destructive than the legendary brawl once ignited by the 666th Branch School."
The turmoil and power vacuum created in the wake of such a conflict would serve as the ultimate boon to their ambitions.
The poison had already begun spreading throughout the Academy Archipelago.
The insidious Vampiric infection feared by all mankind was spreading quietly and slowly, yet with deadly certainty.
"Understood," Kyoko replied. Then, pausing slightly, she leaned in. "By the way, Claudia..."
Without warning, she thrust her face right up to Claudia's.
Her skin was so impossibly pale it seemed to float in the shadows, her lips painted a vivid rouge from fresh blood. Kyoko peered closely at her companion and asked,
"Are you perhaps keeping any secrets from me?"
"I share all relevant intelligence appropriately," Claudia answered without flinching. "Has an issue arisen?"
"Oh, no issue at all. But tell me... truly, you have no lies or secrets between us?"
"There is not a single thing that could compromise our plan. If you doubt me, by all means, feel free to cast your magic upon me."
Claudia did not display even the faintest sliver of agitation.
Kyoko's crimson eyes stared unblinkingly at Claudia. Seconds stretched into an agonizing silence.
Then, unexpectedly, Kyoko's cheeks softened into a faint, disturbing smile.
"...Seventeen years ago, our Vampiric nation was brought low by human hands."
Leaning back onto the sofa, Kyoko began to speak, recounting the past.
It was the prequel to the emergence of the Academy Archipelago as seen from the perspective of the Heaven Disc World.
"The reigning king was slain, and our people were trampled underfoot. The proud floating landmass that had cruised the heavens since the dawn of creation without bowing to the earth—Mount Matsrowanu—was cast down into the abyssal edge of dimensions by human savagery, tearing open a rift that connected to Earth."
She spoke of events that had occurred when she could have been nothing more than an infant, yet she recounted them as though she had witnessed every detail firsthand.
Faced with Claudia, who listened in solemn silence, Kyoko flashed a fearless, sinister grin.
"This is our righteous vengeance."
Back when it existed within the Heaven Disc World, the floating island that became the predecessor of the Academy Archipelago had never belonged to humanity. Nor, of course, was it the domain of the Gobots, who had not even come into being at the time.
This land was once the sole sovereign nation where Vampires dwelt.
"I simply cannot stomach watching humanity and those wretched Gobots trample upon the remains of the Vampiric King—my father, the great True Ancestor. I will not rest until I crush those arrogant fools underfoot and force them to swallow a bitter dose of reality."
The ashes of the Vampire True Ancestor slain by humans had become part of the very bedrock forming the present-day Academy Archipelago. While humanity viewed this land as a prize won through legendary struggle, to the Vampires, it was the raw, unhealing scar of a stolen kingdom and a murdered king—the very motivation for their revenge.
"To tell them to rot in hell."
Cast down into the Earth World and taken in by the Watarase Clan, the Vampire Kyoko Kasagaki bared her sharp fangs in a ferocious, bloodthirsty sneer.
＊＊＊
"Sigh... College is starting back up soon, huh?"
It was May fifth, near the end of Golden Week.
A lazy, slouched voice echoed through the living room of the Watarase estate.
Lounging around the room with the television blaring were a man and woman in their early twenties. Staring with rapt interest at a TV commercial, the woman spoke without turning her head.
"Gunji-san, your university classes start back up tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, exactly. Though it's just one first-period morning lecture right after the holidays, so I might just ditch."
They were the duo who had been pursuing Kuro. Though born into branch families related to the main Watarase household, both were ordinary college students most of the time—except when summoned by the main house to handle bizarre, troublesome errands.
Sitting diagonally across from Gunji, the young woman took a sip of tea and gave him a deadpan glare.
"Your parents are paying good money for your tuition, and here you are being a slacker. Do you honestly think ditching class makes you look cool? Gunji-san, you're living in the wrong era."
"Oh, shut it, Tokiko," Gunji grumbled. "Give me a break. I just blew half my Golden Week vacation getting saddled with a nightmare of an errand."
"Hey, look on the bright side! They bought us high-end formal suits for ceremonial occasions. Those things cost a fortune, you know."
"I mean, sure, but making us wear ceremonial suits just to chase down Kuro was plain bizarre..."
"The Matriarch is surprisingly obsessed with proper appearances, isn't she?"
Main house and branch family distinctions aside, to two modern youths, the Watarase estate was simply their familiar relatives' house since childhood. As long as the strict head of the family wasn't watching them, they saw no need to stand on ceremony and preferred to lounge around comfortably.
"And what was with handing us actual guns, seriously?" Gunji muttered, shaking his head. "The Matriarch went totally overboard this time. Just because he ran away from home, does she seriously think Kuro's going to act like the crazy brat he was seven years ago?"
"Of course not! Kuro-kun would never," Tokiko agreed. "Though speaking of guns... giggles. Watching you fumble with a firearm, Gunji-san, was so useless it was hilarious... pfft."
"Pipe down!" Gunji snapped. "You're the crazy one for opening fire like it was no big deal!"
"I told you, it's totally normal overseas... Handling firearms is just a basic life skill when you study abroad!" Tokiko protested, puffing out her cheeks.
Gunji gave her a flat, unamused look as he recalled her reckless shooting during their pursuit of Kuro, while Tokiko, relying on her study-abroad experience, defended herself enthusiastically.
"Like hell it is—... Hm?"
Gunji opened his mouth to call her out on trying to brush off her insanity with 'overseas,' but suddenly shifted his gaze toward the hall. Tokiko caught on a moment later, sensing someone approaching the living room.
"Tokiko-san, Gunji-san... You guys were here?"
"K-Karane-chan! Welcome back."
"Hey there, Young Lady. How'd your debrief with the old lady go yesterday?"
It was Karane Watarase. The duo greeted her warmly.
Among the Watarase relatives, Gunji and Tokiko were close in age to Kuro and Karane, making them easy to talk to. Being about five years older put them at just the right age gap to play the big brother and sister roles, and their relationship had always been warm and comfortable.
However, Karane was currently sporting an unusually dark, hollow smile.
"Yesterday...? Heh... heheh. How Grandmother was yesterday... you ask?"
Without another word, Karane suddenly spun around on her heel.
Abruptly ending the conversation, she marched through the parlor and headed straight up the stairs to the second floor, where the family's private living quarters were located. Downstairs, Gunji and Tokiko could hear the loud, chaotic stomping as Karane ransacked her room.
Exchanging uneasy glances, Gunji and Tokiko grew worried. The Matriarch and Karane were grandmother and granddaughter. Even if she had failed her task, they had assumed her blood relation would shield her from severe punishment, but perhaps she had received a tongue-lashing far worse than expected.
Feeling guilty for dumping such a miserable role onto the youngest girl, the two began silently blaming each other with sharp glares. Their unspoken argument was quickly cut short by the heavy thumping of footsteps descending the stairs.
"Oh, good, you're back... Young L-Lady...?"
"K-Karane-chan? What's with that getup?!"
Karane had marched back into the living room, wheeling a heavy suitcase behind her. At Tokiko's flabbergasted question, Karane turned a hauntingly hollow, determined glare upon them.
"I packed my bags."
That suitcase must be the one she bought for her middle school field trip, Gunji vaguely recalled. Tokiko reminisced as well—Kuro and Karane's middle school had taken the third-years on an overseas trip, and the two of them had been wildly excited, bugging Tokiko relentlessly for travel tips.
"Tokiko-san, Gunji-san. You're coming with me."
"Huh? Uh... wait, what?"
"What gives? Did the Matriarch order us to go drag Kuro back again?"
"Huh?! Who cares what Grandmother said?!"
The response to Gunji's query was an emotional burst that verged on a full-blown roar.
Raising her voice, Karane glared fiercely at the pair, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
"I'm going to run away from home just like Kuro-kun!"
Post a Comment