— — — — — —
"What did you just say?" Veldiana froze—then immediately erupted with anger.
Become a maid? Seriously?
Not a chance. She was the princess of the Caruana family—a noble descendant of the Lost Warlord! A proper aristocrat!
And her sister doted on her like no tomorrow. There's no way Liana'd let her stoop to being someone else's servant!
But then Liana spoke, her voice tinged with surprise—and a little excitement. "Wait… Are you serious?"
Veldiana's heart dropped. Something felt very wrong.
Natsuki casually pulled out a folding fan from who-knows-where and gave it a lazy wave.
"My house is short one obedient, low-maintenance maid. One just like her—easy to train. I mean, educate."
"Train?" Veldiana's eye twitched. She definitely said train just now.
Natsuki wasn't even hiding it!
Veldiana turned sharply to her sister. Only to see a face beaming with joy.
"Sis...? You're not actually thinking—" Veldiana stammered.
But Liana cut her off, eyes shining with determination. "Veldiana, are you willing to make a sacrifice for the Caruana family?"
"I… I am," Veldiana stuttered, then slowly nodded.
Liana's smile widened.
"Excellent. Then starting now—you're going to be a maid."
Tears welled up in Veldiana's eyes. "Sis, how could you?! You used to love me so much…"
Meanwhile, Zaharias—who ordered his subordinates to take No. 5 away—chuckled in amusement.
"What a clueless little girl. You still haven't realized your sister's just trying to protect you."
He knew exactly what Liana was doing—finding someone powerful enough to shield Veldiana from him.
With Natsuki as her backer, even he would think twice before trying anything. He might need the power of the Fourth Primogenitor just to take the girl down.
And as a space magic user, Natsuki Minamiya was top-tier, no question.
"Protecting me…?" Veldiana muttered. It still didn't make sense—but even Zaharias, her family's sworn enemy, was saying it.
Gritting her teeth, she lowered her head and said quietly, "...Fine. I'll do my best as your maid."
At that, Natsuki's lips curled into a smile, looking unexpectedly pleased.
This wasn't forcing someone into servitude—it was saving a confused little girl from herself. Hehe~ No wonder Ryo enjoyed it so much.
Waving her fan, Natsuki turned to the sisters.
"You two, come with me later."
Then she glanced over at Zaharias, her expression slightly mocking.
"You're about ready to host your little Blazing Banquet, aren't you?"
"Of course!"
Zaharias answered like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"The venue and the sacrifices are all prepped. Who knows? Miss Minamiya, maybe you'll get to witness the awakening of the strongest Primogenitor tonight."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
"The strongest, huh? Just make sure you're not the one crying in despair later, arms dealer."
"Despair?" Zaharias laughed. "No, no—this is HOPE."
With that, he gave a wave and left the area, his soldiers and their "precious cargo" trailing behind.
Once Zaharias was out of sight, Natsuki casually set the briefcase on a café table and popped it open.
Inside were stacks of contracts and documents.
"Caruana girls," she said, "get over here and sort this."
"Yes, ma'am." Liana bowed slightly and stepped forward, diligently organizing the files.
Veldiana stood off to the side, still sulking but obedient.
After they finished, Liana repacked everything into the briefcase with Natsuki's help.
Natsuki glanced through the materials and muttered, surprised. "Huh… This stuff must be worth close to 400 million euros. Looks like that arms dealer used nearly his entire fortune."
Veldiana muttered under her breath, "Who cares about money… The real prize is the Primogenitor's Kaleid Blood…"
Natsuki glanced her way but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned her gaze back to Liana and gave a slight nod.
"You've grown. Seems like getting abandoned at the gate gave you some perspective."
"…"
Liana looked down and said nothing.
Then Natsuki casually swung her fan, briefcase in hand. "So? Interested in working for me?"
It wasn't just small talk. If she was going to become a top figure in the future Empire, she'd need competent people. Runners, enforcers—hitters.
And Liana, now that she'd accepted reality, wasn't a bad candidate at all.
"You wish! My sister would never—"
Veldiana's protest was cut short by the sound of Liana kneeling.
With one knee on the ground, she bowed her head and declared. "I'd be honored to serve you."
Veldiana froze.
The world had gone insane.
Her sister—her kind, noble sister—was pledging loyalty to the woman known throughout Europe as a vampire-killer. To Natsuki Minamiya, of all people!
Natsuki smirked in amusement. "Finally realized where you stand? Not dreaming of becoming some king's close confidant anymore?"
She knew why Ryo hadn't accepted Liana.
The girl's power was average at best, yet she dreamed of standing beside the king? Of being a trusted inner-circle advisor?
Too ambitious. Too delusional.
In Natsuki's view, the only people qualified to be close to someone like Ryo Yagami were those on the level of the Three Primogenitors.
Liana had been aiming way too high with too little skill. No wonder she'd been overlooked.
"Yes," Liana replied quietly. "I've given up on that."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow.
"Serving me doesn't make you bitter?"
Liana hesitated for a second—then replied, her voice steady and low. "Whether I serve His Majesty or his wife, it's all the same to me."
"…Wife?" Natsuki's smile twitched.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that," she muttered, shooting Veldiana a glare.
"Wife?" Veldiana blinked. She was clearly lost.
Natsuki rolled her eyes, then spoke aloud—to the empty air beside her. "Enjoying this, are you?"
Ripples shimmered in the air.
A casual-looking Ryo stepped forward with No. 5 beside him, smiling.
"I like that way of thinking, Liana. Well said."
Liana's face lit up. She looked up excitedly—and froze.
No. 5?
If she was standing next to Ryo… then who the hell did Zaharias just walk off with?
"…Who else?" Natsuki sighed, rubbing her temple. "Koyomi Shizuka."
Koyomi Shizuka? Liana's expression twisted.
"You mean—the Lion King Agency?! One of the Three Saints?!"
Zaharias had just dropped 350 million euros… on a Japanese spy?
No wonder Natsuki told him not to get his hopes up. That wasn't a plan—it was a disaster!
Meanwhile, Natsuki hefted the briefcase with a little grin.
"Three hundred fifty million euros. Should be enough to kickstart your Empire."
Ryo clapped.
"As expected from Natsuki-chan. I might need to make you my Finance Minister instead of the Defense Minister. You've got a real talent for turning chaos into profit."
"Yeah, yeah, flatterer."
Natsuki huffed and glanced at him suspiciously.
"Is that you, or just a projection? Your body still at the apartment?"
Ryo looked a bit sheepish.
"Still uh... syncing with the doll. Takes some time."
"That long? IOh, never mind. Will you be ready by tonight? Zaharias is prepping for the ritual."
"Of course. I'll take No. 5 with me now."
"Go ahead," Natsuki nodded, watching as Ryo escorted No. 5 away.
Veldiana tugged on her sister's sleeve.
"Hey, sis… Who was that guy, exactly?"
Liana gave her a look.
"Watch your tone," she said. Then, with a faint smile: "That's not just a guy. That's His Majesty. Got it?"
"…His Majesty?" Veldiana blinked.
And then it hit her like a truck.
The Fourth Primogenitor?!
— — —
Back at the apartment complex in the school district…
Ryo brushed aside a few lingering arms and sat up, eyes glowing a deep crimson.
"…So this is what it feels like to control the familiars."
He could feel it—six Familiars, each with unique abilities now coursing through him.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"If I feed these powers into my Cosmos… I wonder how close I could get to the techniques of a Gold Saint…"
Hard to say. He'd never actually seen a Gold Saint go all out.
But one thing was certain—his arsenal had just expanded dramatically.
With a stretch, Ryo walked over to the window and looked out toward the distant port.
His eyes narrowed.
"It's time to bring the Blazing Banquet… to an end."
.
.
.