By the time they returned to the large house in the upscale residential district, the western sky had already begun to turn red.
The house was empty. Natsuki Minamiya still had not returned, but for Ciel and Kanon, that was nothing out of the ordinary.
People said that with great power came great responsibility, and Natsuki's title as a "Demon Killer" was well known. If trouble broke out on Itogami Island, or if an enemy appeared that the Island Guard had trouble handling, Natsuki would have to step in.
"Looks like we don't need to make Natsuki-oneechan's dinner today either... Kanon, you go take a bath first. I'll head to the kitchen and make dinner. Is curry all right?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Kanon nodded obediently.
"Kanon-chan is such a good girl. Make sure you wash up until you smell nice and fresh... Or would you like to take a bath with me for the first time in ages?"
"Oneesama, I'm not a child anymore. I can bathe by myself..."
"Are you embarrassed? Hehe. Shy Kanon-chan is adorable too. You're so cute I can't help wanting to tease you a little... You won't be mad at me, will you?"
"No. How could I ever be mad at you, oneesama?"
Kanon said it from the heart, her face red.
While Kanon was in the bath, Ciel had already prepared her towel and the pajamas she would change into, leaving them by the door.
Through the steam-blurred glass door, she could hear the splash of water. Every now and then, she could also hear Kanon humming. It seemed going shopping together today had put her in a very good mood.
A doting smile appeared on Ciel's face.
This was the kind of childhood a girl should have had, not becoming the sole survivor of an abbey like in the original plot, then being remodeled into an emotionless killing machine immediately afterward.
Now, what ingredients were in the fridge...
"Potatoes, onions, chicken, carrots... It's really wonderful that Kanon-chan doesn't have the picky-eating problem most children do. Of course, it could also be because my cooking is delicious... Wait. Where did all my curry roux go? Natsuki-oneechan didn't secretly throw it away, did she?"
Ciel's expression turned strange.
There had been a time before when, because Ciel had wanted curry for every single meal, Natsuki had gotten so angry that she used Spatial Control Magic to transfer away all the curry in the house and throw it out.
"...Fine. I'll go buy more."
When the path rises a foot, the devil rises ten.
You have your broad road, and I have my narrow bridge.
If you throw it away, then I'll just buy more.
Once she decided, she acted. Ciel's figure instantly vanished from the house.
By then, night had already settled over Itogami Island.
Because the daytime was too hot, many residents of Itogami Island preferred to go out at night, when the sunlight was not so blazing. And since there were also many demons living on Itogami Island, including plenty of types that were livelier at night than during the day—the most typical example being vampires—
For that reason, Itogami Island remained lively even at night, and many shops did not close after sundown.
The polished glass doors slid open automatically to either side, and Ciel walked out of the convenience store carrying a large bag of curry.
Indian curry, Japanese curry, British curry, Malaysian curry... In any case, she had bought all kinds of flavors. If one caught her eye, she bought it.
Food was life. If there was one thing she absolutely could not shortchange herself on, it was eating.
Now that she had finished shopping, it was time to go back. Kanon-chan was still waiting for her at home.
Using magecraft to travel, the actual time on the road would only be a few seconds. What had truly delayed her was agonizing over choices in the convenience store and checking out.
But Ciel suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Her expression shifted slightly, and her brows drew together just a little.
The next instant, the girl's figure vanished very abruptly from the night-shrouded street, like the moon's reflection on water shattered by ripples, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
In the park, a figure walked across the surface of the lake without sinking into the water.
"You woke up? At a time like this... Is it because Avrora was stolen from MAR during the day?"
Ciel closed her eyes and looked inward at a certain soul inside her body.
Back on Gozo Island, Ciel had discovered that there was an extra soul inside the unconscious Nagisa Akatsuki's body. It had also been ceaselessly draining Nagisa's life force, vitality, and spiritual power. When Ciel tried to ease Nagisa's condition, that extra soul had suddenly left Nagisa's body and entered hers instead.
Ciel had inferred that this soul was the cursed soul known as the Root, the safeguard established by the Devas who created the Fourth Primogenitor, along with the other three Primogenitors, to prevent the Fourth Primogenitor from betraying them.
The girl was not worried that her body would be stolen, nor was she worried that this soul could harm her. She had absolute control over her own body, and more than enough confidence that she could suppress it completely.
However, because this thing was inside her body, none of her methods for exterminating vampires could be used on it. If she wanted to erase it completely, she still had to release it first...
Although the radiant soul body had never spoken, Ciel could tell that the other party had already awakened.
She began trying to converse with it... Of course, her tone was far from friendly. Rather, it was filled with hostility.
"Recognize the situation you're in. If you dare make any reckless move, I'll strip you of even the freedom to speak. Don't doubt my methods. This is inside my body, and I have absolute authority over it. Since you've already woken up, you must have tried to take it by force before, haven't you? In that case, you should know I'm not bluffing."
"..."
The soul body gave no response. However, it had indeed trembled just now, and that reaction did not escape Ciel's senses.
Ciel waited for quite a while... at least three minutes, perhaps?
The other party still refused to say a word.
So aloof.
"...Fine. Trying to have a conversation with a vampire really is a waste of time."
Ciel's patience had been worn down completely during those three minutes of waiting.
"Goodbye, Fourth Primogenitor. For the time being, I'll sever your connection to the outside world completely. Once the Blazing Banquet is over, I'll erase you for good."
"I... I am not..."
Just as Ciel was about to leave that soul space, a timid voice suddenly sounded.
Because this was direct communication between soul and soul, no matter how quiet the other party's voice was, Ciel could hear every word clearly.
Even so, Ciel froze.
"...?"
Ciel, who had been about to leave the soul space, looked once more toward that soul body. When it sensed Ciel's sharp gaze, the soul body immediately began trembling even more violently.
At the same time, in the real world, the lake beneath Ciel's feet began to freeze, and white mist rose from its surface.
However, because Ciel reacted in time, the ice stopped after spreading only three meters.
This happened because that soul body had suddenly burst out with its own magical power. It was probably frightened by Ciel's aggressive pressure.
"..."
For a moment, Ciel suddenly could not speak.
Just the magical power it released was enough to trigger a phenomenon that froze everything. In her memory, the owner of this magical power should have been...
"Ugh! Enemy... enemy of my kin! I-I-I... I shall never fear thy intimidation!"
The soul body kept trembling, looking like a child curled up and shivering.
And a child with chuunibyou at that, speaking in some mysterious language that seemed like only she herself could understand.
Ciel's heart pounded. There was one question she had to ask face-to-face.
"Are you... the Fourth Primogenitor?"
The instant Ciel spoke, the soul body shook even harder.
Magical power wreathed in bitter cold surged out, making Ciel inevitably think of that newborn Ancestor named Vlov... However, Ciel stopped all of that cold inside her body, not allowing even the slightest trace to leak outside.
Not only that, behind the soul body, Ciel faintly saw an enormous, indistinct figure.
Its entire body was blue, like a combination of a mermaid and a bewitching bird.
"I... I am not the person of whom thou speakest."
Summoning her courage, the soul body gave an answer.
"My name is Avrora. Avrora Florestina."
Only when she gave her own name did the other party seem to forget her fear, her speech becoming smooth and fluent.
"...Thou shouldst call me by my True Name, rude one..."
Though with the very next line, she reverted to her original form again...
Avrora Florestina was the twelfth Kaleid Blood.
Which meant the vague figure behind her was one of the Fourth Primogenitor's twelve Beast Vassals, the star Beast Vassal corresponding to Pisces of the Zodiac—Alrescha-Glacies: The Bewitching Princess of Azure Ice.
But... that made no sense, did it?
Wasn't the soul sealed inside her body the Root?
Why was it Avrora?
"If you're Avrora, then the Root... Hiss..."
Ciel suddenly sucked in a breath. She remembered the twelfth vessel stolen from MAR's research facility today.
If the soul Nagisa had absorbed into her body back on Gozo Island, and that had later entered Ciel's body, was Avrora, then the true soul of the Root could only have remained where it had been—that is, in Avrora's original body.
Ciel scratched her head, her expression as ugly as if she had accidentally eaten bitter melon.
"This... is kind of bad, isn't it?"
The girl murmured to herself uncertainly.
Although she was somewhat concerned about the Fourth Primogenitor's whereabouts, the thing she needed to care about most right now was still Avrora.
Inside the soul space, Ciel stared straight at Avrora.
"Do you... want to come out?"
"I... I require the glory of embracing freedom."
"...That's supposed to mean you want out, right?"
If this had been the Fourth Primogenitor, then there would have been a need to seal them away and strip them of the ability to act. But if it was Avrora, there was no such need.
Back in the High School DxD world, when she was still Jeanne Alter, the five Holy Grails inside her body had been dyed by the Longinus: Sephiroth Graal, giving them the same abilities.
Although she had left the true Sephiroth Graal in that world, those five Holy Grails were still in Chaldea and could be borrowed at any time.
Using the power of Sephiroth Graal, Ciel reshaped a physical body for Avrora's soul. She also used magecraft to make her a temporary outfit, then took her to a nearby clothing store to buy suitable clothes.
Avrora was a girl with a dreamlike charm, like a faerie. Ciel brought her to the clothing store, and before she could even speak, the shopkeeper auntie seemed to be struck by Cupid's arrow, cheerfully picking out a great pile of clothes for Avrora.
Ciel casually chose a white dress from among them, paid, and had Avrora wear it out.
"Other than your name, what else do you remember?"
"Guh... Since I have only just awakened from a long sealed slumber... my memories remain in a state of chaos..."
The vampire girl shrank in on herself, stammering desperately as she explained.
For such an adorable little thing, if she punched her once, she would definitely cry for a very long time... Right now, that was the only thought in Ciel's head.
However, before her fist had even fallen, Avrora already looked on the verge of tears.
Avrora remembered nothing. That was within Ciel's expectations. What she had not expected was that Avrora could actually remember her own name... Could she have been awake when Kojou Akatsuki and the others named her?
As they walked, Avrora suddenly stopped.
It was as though something had drawn her gaze.
The vampire girl's odd behavior caught Ciel's attention. When she looked closely, she saw...
"Tanghulu? They're actually selling tanghulu here? How rare..."
Turning her head to look at Avrora again, Ciel read desire and curiosity in the girl's eyes.
"What? Want some?"
Ciel's curious question made Avrora tremble nervously.
Like a startled hamster.
"Ugh... I... I believe thou shouldst present me with an offering, so as to ease my impulse of hunger..."
Although her choice of words was so haughty, her every movement and her tone were like those of a frightened little animal, as if the slightest disturbance would scare her.
If she were an ordinary little girl, Ciel might have found her very cute. Unfortunately, she was not ordinary. She was a vampire.
And a vampire Primogenitor at that.
That purity, as if she had not yet been poisoned by the world's malice, was far too much like that idiot Primogenitor...
"I don't want to buy things for a vampire. If you want something, just go take it. Steal it. It's not like you can't..."
A chill that kept others at arm's length entered her words.
Ciel walked away without looking back, leaving Avrora standing there with a lost, bewildered look on her face. She did not dare follow, but she was also afraid of being abandoned and left there all alone.
Tears welled in the vampire girl's eyes, threatening to fall several times, but she held them back. Only faint whimpers squeezed out from her throat.
...
Two minutes later, Ciel returned at a brisk pace, her expression dark.
Frightened by her face, Avrora instinctively took a step back. But Ciel gave her no chance to run, directly taking her hand and leading her to the shop selling tanghulu.
"Boss, two sticks of tanghulu..."
The golden syrup gleamed beneath the neon lights.
Avrora stared at the tanghulu in her hand, crystal clear like gemstones, but she did not immediately take a bite. Instead, she carefully looked at Ciel beside her.
With a crunch, Ciel bit off a piece of syrup-coated Chinese yam, chewing as she said without turning her head,
"What are you looking at? I just happened to want tanghulu myself, so I bought one for you while I was at it... It's not like I bought it specially for you."
After finishing the yam, Ciel took another bite of the hawthorn on top... Then her brows furrowed deeply.
It was awful... Even after all this time, she still could not stand the taste of hawthorn.
"Hurry up and eat. If you don't, it'll go to waste."
Hearing Ciel urge her, Avrora immediately took a bite of the tanghulu in her hand as well.
First her eyes widened. Then they narrowed, and a bright smile bloomed across her face like a flower in full blossom.
---
T/N: AHHAIHIAFHIAS another blonde vampire
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