Millennium Castle.
Knock, knock, knock...
The moment the door was knocked upon, Alvin felt his White Dragon Heart Furnace spike for the first as if it were about to shatter the sky itself.
Even back when he'd faced the twin Counter Forces, his heartbeat had never raced like this.
After all, this place was Arcueid's domain, who could possibly know just how powerful she was here?
Even if, at best, Morgan could somehow escape unnoticed by Arcueid... what about him?
Was he supposed to flee with Morgan?
If he left the Millennium Castle... then Britain would be facing not only the owner of that flying ark, but possibly Arcueid as well.
To be honest, he never had any intention of leaving this place from the start.
As if reading the change in Alvin's expression, Morgan's lips curved into a beautiful, sly smile behind him, before a bottle of magical potion condensed in her palm.
She poured the potion into her mouth, and in the next moment, under Alvin's stunned gaze, her figure began to blur.
She silently mouthed the words "See you," and then, in a cascade of dark light particles, vanished completely from sight.
Alvin couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
What the hell kind of potion was that...? Why did it feel strangely similar to the authority of his "Night Watchman EX"?
As thoughts ran rampant in his head, the door was quietly pushed open from the outside.
Alvin pulled his thoughts together and looked up to see her, the cold and beautiful True Ancestor.
Arcueid Brunsteid.
Her expression was emotionless, her air laced with an aloofness that radiated a queen's majesty and supremacy.
Morgan Le Fay was also a woman of cold pride, but where Morgan exuded elegance and aristocratic arrogance, this Queen of the Moon possessed an inhuman detachment.
Most people wouldn't even dare to meet her gaze, let alone raise their heads in her presence.
But Alvin wasn't most people.
The first thought that popped into his mind when he saw Arcueid was: A woman this cold and beautiful... it'd be hard to even touch her in bed, let alone defile her.
And the next thought that followed: Is it time to unlock a new CG...?
Alvin quickly gathered himself, smiled, and said, "You're back already? That fast?"
Arcueid gave only a soft "Mm," then cast him a glance and replied,
"Did I come too early?"
There was something... suggestive in the way she said that.
No..
Alvin shook his head and said,
"I just didn't want my presence to interfere with anything important to you..."
"My only priority now is you. Everything else doesn't matter."
"But you said that because... you care about me, right?"
Her gaze flickered briefly toward a certain corner of the room, and then a faintly charming smile rose on her face.
She stepped closer, gently cupping his cheek with her hand. Her crimson eyes gleamed with a mesmerizing allure.
"Alvin... after our wedding is over, I'll bestow my magic upon you. By then, even if the Counter Forces try something, they'll no longer be able to erase your existence."
Hearing her words, Alvin was slightly stunned and asked reflexively,
"Aren't you supposed to drink my blood—?"
"Vampires can drink others' blood, but they can also return their own blood in kind. That's how the first embrace is born."
Arcueid paused, then smiled with her eyes half-lidded.
"I will make you this planet's Ultimate One. No one will ever be able to touch you again."
"…"
Alvin fell silent for a moment.
At first, he thought Arcueid intended to use his power to become this planet's Ultimate One, but unexpectedly...
"Thank you." After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice.
Arcueid said calmly,
"No need to feel embarrassed... after all, you're my man. If you really want to thank me, shouldn't there be a better way to do it?"
For a brief moment, a crimson mist quietly spread out from her, enveloping both herself and Alvin.
She hooked her arm around the boy's neck, but then noticed a thoughtful look on his face and couldn't help but ask, "What is it? Are you still worried about something?"
"It's not really worry... just a precaution."
Alvin paused for a moment before continuing: "Can you help me bring someone over?"
After all, the time to return to the real world was getting closer and closer.
If nothing went wrong, once they returned, the events between Arcueid and himself would definitely cause a huge stir in the Clock Tower.
After all, the title "Crimson Moon" alone was enough to make the entire Clock Tower weak in the knees.
—Alvin could probably make her legs weak too, if he wanted to.
Cough... that wasn't the point right now.
Once news of "Alvin" marrying Arcueid got out, the entire upper echelon would surely turn their attention to him.
At that point... even Aozaki Touko might not be able to protect him.
She might even get dragged into it herself.
If Alvin only carried the White Dragon bloodline, he might've just been targeted by a few high-ranking members of the Clock Tower.
But it wouldn't have been enough to get him officially "Sealed".
But with Arcueid involved… that changed everything.
To be fair, with Alvin's power, the entire Clock Tower wouldn't be able to truly restrain him, but even if he could escape, he couldn't take everyone with him: Kayneth, Reines, Gray, Aozaki Touko…
For this reason, he needed one more layer of insurance.
"You're worried someone might become a threat to you?" Arcueid easily saw through Alvin's thoughts and then smiled sweetly. "If it's for you... I wouldn't mind killing everyone who lays eyes on you, you know?"
Alvin chuckled and shook his head. "Even in the world of magi, it's not all about fighting. Sometimes, you have to play by society's rules."
"If possible, I don't want to completely fall out with the Clock Tower."
Arcueid tilted her head slightly and said, "So what are you suggesting...?"
"I want to invite someone to talk."
"Who?" Arcueid asked.
"The Old Man of Jewels."
Alvin looked into her eyes. "His full name is Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg."
.
.
.
"Zelretch...?"
Hearing that name, Arcueid furrowed her brows slightly.
"What's wrong?" Alvin asked.
"Nothing. That name just pisses me off for some reason." Arcueid shook her head.
Alvin was stunned at first, then quickly understood.
Thinking about it, it wasn't so strange that Arcueid disliked him.
After all, according to official history, she and the Old Man of Jewels were mortal enemies, even if they hadn't met yet in this timeline.
As that thought passed through his mind, Alvin suddenly remembered something and then, took a ruby from his coat.
Its surface had a sharp cut, as though made by a blade.
When held in hand, it looked like a mirror.
Through that mirrored surface, Alvin seemed to see his own reflection.
"What's that?" Arcueid asked instinctively.
"The Kaleidoscope."
Alvin thought for a moment and said, "Maybe we don't need to go looking for him. With this thing, I might be able to find him directly."
"Let me see." Arcueid said suddenly.
Alvin handed the Kaleidoscope Mirror to her.
After studying it for a while, Arcueid's red eyes flickered as she whispered, "It's possible... maybe we can use Index Magic to locate the person you're looking for."
Index Magic...?
Prior to this, Morgan had already used index magic to locate him using a white dragon scale.
"Arcueid knows similar magic too?" Alvin thought as Arcueid closed her eyes, one hand gently placed on the surface of the ruby.
A blood-colored mist silently spread out from her as the center.
Gradually, a wisp of magical energy seemed to quietly leak out from the ruby, then flowed like water across the room, heading directly toward a certain direction outside the Millennium Castle.
At the same time, in another independent space, an old man slowly opened his eyes as if sensing something.
Index magic is, in a sense, somewhat similar to clairvoyance, once someone is being observed, they can sense it.
"Hoh... looks like that brat failed?"
Soon, when the index magic landed atop his head, the Wizard Marshal immediately became aware.
After sensing what was going on, he let out a soft sigh and rose from the jade throne.
The King of the Moon, as the UO of the Moon—ever since her descent upon Britain, the Wizard Marshal had been watching her from the shadows.
If Alvin hadn't intervened earlier, he had already planned to go to the Millennium Castle himself to meet this arrogant woman.
When he first saw Alvin, he thought maybe he could slack off a little for once… But from the looks of it, even the White Dragon is in trouble facing the King of the Moon?
Even the "Mirror of Kaleidoscope" he gifted was taken by the King of the Moon.
"No helping it... looks like it's up to me after all?"
The Wizard Marshal muttered to himself, staring at the blood-colored magical mist gathering before him.
He reached out and lightly touched the wisp of magical energy.
Buzz!
In an instant, a ripple of magic spread silently outward with the Wizard Marshal at its center.
He was actually using Arcueid's index magic to reverse-track her location!
The magical fluctuations spread. In the next moment, a rift shimmering with magical brilliance quietly opened, dozens of meters wide.
Spatial distortions surged within the rift, connecting to another place.
The Wizard Marshal clasped his hands behind his back and took a single step forward, entering the rift.
Boom!
The moment the intrusion of a stranger was sensed, the entire barrier of the Millennium Castle violently shook.
As if sensing something, Arcueid slowly raised her head and looked forward.
Thick smoke rolled within the room, and within that smoke, a towering and broad figure seemed to be standing silently.
He sighed softly and slowly said,
"To think not even the White Dragon was your match… Though I expected as much, it's still surprising that the Kaleidoscope I gave him has already fallen into your hands."
"But since this kid is a student of the Clock Tower, I suppose I must at least help him escape—"
As his voice trailed off, the smoke gradually cleared, and the Wizard Marshal raised his head to look ahead.
Then, for the first time, a trace of confusion appeared on his aged face.
He blinked.
At the sight before him, his mind was flooded with shock and bewilderment so intense that the suave line he was about to deliver got stuck in his throat.
In this enclosed room, a frail-looking youth sat at the bedside, and a blonde woman sat closely beside him.
One of her hands even rested on the back of his hand, and their posture seemed quite intimate.
Judging from the aura emanating from the blonde woman, there was no doubt she was the UO of the Moon.
But what...is this...?