— — — — — —
"This is turning into way more trouble than I expected."
Inside a luxury hotel on Gozo Island, Natsuki sat barefoot on the plush carpet, her expression dark as she sank into the sofa. Her face, usually unreadable, now looked genuinely annoyed.
Being forced into the role of a servant to the Fourth Primogenitor? Yeah, that wasn't exactly something to celebrate.
What made it worse was the jealous glare coming from the airheaded blonde vampire sitting across from her—Liana Caruana. That look was getting on her nerves fast.
This whole mess was basically her fault anyway. If Liana hadn't opened her big mouth, things wouldn't have spiraled like this.
"Witch of the Void!!" Liana growled, practically spitting the words.
She was glaring daggers at Natsuki, seething with frustration. Her face twisted with rage—literally grinding her teeth.
She'd scraped together every ounce of courage she had to beg the Fourth Primogenitor to let her serve him, and what did she get?
Natsuki beat her to it.
Liana was ready to explode from a mix of shame, failure, and jealousy.
Natsuki shot her a cold glance. "You wanna die?"
From the empty space around them came the sharp sound of chains clinking—Chain Projection.
Her favorite skill.
As one of Europe's most feared vampire hunters, Natsuki didn't need to raise her voice to make a threat. Even Liana knew better than to push it further. No matter how much she hated it, she had to swallow her pride—for now.
There was still hope.
The Fourth Primogenitor hadn't outright rejected her. He'd even let her stay in the same hotel as Natsuki. That had to mean something, right?
So Liana told herself to hang on. Her whole clan's future was riding on this. If she could just prove herself worthy, maybe—just maybe—she could still become his servant.
As Natsuki watched Liana muttering to herself and making tiny fists to cheer herself on, she just sighed.
"This is getting messier by the minute..."
Just then, the door to the shower cracked open. Ryo stepped out casually, wrapped in nothing but a towel, drying his hair with another as he strolled over to the window, completely ignoring the two women in the room.
Outside, Gozo City sprawled beneath him. The streets were alive with all kinds of people—some not even human—walking side by side in peace. That harmonious view stirred an old memory in Ryo's mind.
He smiled faintly, murmuring to himself.
"A world where humans and demons live side by side, huh?"
What used to be impossible was here ordinary. The irony... if just demon lords were this good.
"..." x2
Neither Natsuki nor Liana dared interrupt his thoughts.
Natsuki was still stewing over how to escape this mess.
Liana didn't want to accidentally offend her future master again.
They both silently watched him standing at the window, his figure outlined by the city lights.
After a long pause, Ryo finally spoke again, his voice calm: "Kojou and Nagisa—they've left?"
Liana jumped up like she'd been waiting for this question.
"Yes! An hour ago, both of them boarded a flight back to the Far East with Kojou's father, Gajou Akatsuki!"
As she finished her report, she threw a smug glance at Natsuki, practically glowing with pride.
"Tch." Natsuki clicked her tongue, visibly annoyed.
It felt like watching a mutt desperately trying to impress its master. She wanted to walk away, but the moment she moved, that same damn mutt started barking again.
'Count yourself lucky, kid. If you had any crimes on your record, I would've turned you into dust already,' Natsuki thought darkly.
"Far East, huh..." Ryo echoed, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.
Natsuki's stomach dropped. Her eyes narrowed with concern.
Why did he look so interested?
Just hearing "Far East" gave this resurrected Primogenitor ideas—and that deeply unsettled her.
Then Ryo, still gazing out the window, asked calmly. "Where are the other eleven Kaleid Blood?"
Natsuki didn't react outwardly, but internally, she muttered, 'I knew it.'
Of course the Primogenitor would want his Familiars back.
But him going around retrieving them? That would flip the whole world order on its head. The balance everyone had been working so hard to maintain would be shattered.
War was brewing. She could feel it.
Meanwhile, Liana—who clearly wanted war, and was dreaming of her clan becoming the Primogenitor's right-hand loyalists—eagerly answered:
"Right now, the other eleven are scattered across the Warlord's Empire and a few private hands. Of those, I can confirm that Dimitrie Vatler holds no. 3, 4, and 5, while an arms dealer currently possesses no. 1."
Then, in a lowered tone, she added, "Your Majesty, the dolls held by the Three Primogenitors are heavily guarded. If I may, I'd recommend you begin with the arms dealer instead—"
BOOM!
Liana's arm exploded in a burst of blood, bone, and flesh.
She collapsed, pale and screaming, before muffling herself with her remaining hand and curling into a ball.
Ryo glanced at her, voice icy.
"Know your place. Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
"I—I deeply apologize!"
Liana dropped to the floor and bowed over and over, banging her head against the ground as she begged for forgiveness.
Natsuki frowned, watching with cold detachment.
'What an idiot. Trying to give suggestions to a Primogenitor who's probably lived longer than most countries?'
Honestly, getting her arm blown off was merciful. Sure, it looked brutal—but for a vampire like Liana, regenerating a limb was just a painful inconvenience.
Still... watching it happen reminded Natsuki of just how terrifying this guy was.
He wasn't like the other dolls. He had his own thoughts. His own moods. His own overwhelming power. And you could never tell what he was really thinking.
'Best to play along for now', she thought. No point dying over something petty.
Then Ryo turned back to the window and asked casually: "Who's hosting the Blazing Banquet this time?"
The Blazing Banquet—the ritual meant to awaken the Fourth Primogenitor. Every time it was held, people who possessed dolls would gather, hoping to use them all to bring the Primogenitor back and claim a piece of that godlike power.
It was like some twisted "gather all the Dragon Balls to summon Shenron" kind of deal.
Naturally, it had rules. Hosts. Locations.
And whoever was trying to collect all twelve Kaleid Blood would most likely be waiting at the hosting site.
Liana, still trembling, rushed to answer: "This time, the Blazing Banquet is being hosted by the Lion King Organization from the Far East. The venue... is Itogami Island, under Japanese jurisdiction."
"....." Natsuki's mind went blank.
Itogami Island?
That's where I live!
The Blazing Banquet—this epic clash of the Fourth Primogenitor's Kaleid Blood—was happening in her own home?
What the actual hell?! My luck is this bad...
Natsuki could only wonder what she'd done to deserve this cursed fate.
.
.
.