Together with the Vampire Fraulein, they're the last vampires of the Human World.
Tenjo Hikari shook his head: "It's been a long time, Miss Camilla.
I've upgraded from Yellow Academy to Blue Academy, to prove my identity, I usually wear the Academy Chief's uniform."
"Oh——"
She looked at Tenjo Hikari's outfit, and it was indeed the same as the blue uniform worn by the other handsome guy when dueling with the princess at that time.
The Spirits nearby saw that Camilla recognized Tenjo Hikari, so they no longer treated him with seriousness, but rather turned into shadows, hiding around, silently observing Tenjo Hikari.
Camilla led Tenjo Hikari, and they headed towards the castle together.
Inside the Vampire Kingdom, it was utterly silent, with no spirits visible on the road, only occasional flashes of Red Light reminding Tenjo Hikari that many vampires were secretly watching him from the shadows.
Tenjo Hikari followed Camilla to a massive castle, which was not much different from the one seen during the seven-star duel but was much larger.
It was not a projection but a real castle of the Vampire Kingdom, looking full of classical and artistic charm.
As Tenjo Hikari entered the castle, countless bats flew in from all directions, and on the second floor, a giant coffin suddenly moved on its own with no wind, making creaking sounds, and then the lid of the coffin slowly rose.
A dark golden girl with her arms crossed over her chest slowly stood up, and then, under the moonlight, she gradually opened her eyes, revealing blood-red eyes.
"Ah——"
The girl floated in the air after standing up, and after an initial moment of "majesty," she couldn't help but stretch lazily and then yawned.
Afterward, she leisurely spread her wings, gently lifting them, and in the castle, an umbrella quickly flew out on its own, landing in her hand.
Yawning, she walked to the window, lightly lifting the curtain, and with her gentle motion, countless bats flew to the curtain, helping her pull it up, blocking out the moonlight.
"Ah—slept so well." She yawned and said happily.
Tenjo Hikari was silent for a moment.
Then, the Vampire Fraulein looked at Tenjo Hikari and said, "Long time no see, human Duelist, Hikari."
Tenjo Hikari nodded.
The Vampire Fraulein gently flapped her wings, summoning a maid, letting the bats bring a square table and red tea, inviting Tenjo Hikari to sit down and rest.
In short, there's no rush.
The Vampire Fraulein was not surprised by Tenjo Hikari's arrival.
After handing her Physical Card to Tenjo Hikari, she fell into a deep slumber, and unless there was some special task, she would remain "asleep" in the castle until Tenjo Hikari came to awaken her.
Originally, according to her expectations, she thought she would sleep for a few more years, enjoying sleep thoroughly.
Unexpectedly, in just a year, Tenjo Hikari actually came.
She was quite surprised.
Didn't expect it to be so soon.
"Is... is that so?" Tenjo Hikari awkwardly replied.
He actually had many opportunities and time to visit the Vampire Kingdom to see the Vampire Fraulein, but due to various reasons, he forgot about it.
Unexpectedly, the Vampire Fraulein, true to her vampire nature, didn't care about a year or two at all, and from what she says, it seems a bit regretful because she wanted to enjoy a longer sleep?
The Vampire Fraulein gently picked up a cup of red tea, took a sip, then asked: "So, Hikari, what brings you to our place?
Although I am interested in adventure and duels, unfortunately, I cannot leave this dimension before the Duke returns; if you want to undergo a Monster trial, I can assist you, as there are still many citizens and nobles eager to see the outside world in the Kingdom."
Even though she usually just sleeps, after all, she is still the temporary Manager of this dimension, unable to leave casually, she must hold the fort here.
Tenjo Hikari didn't object to this.
He already had many Spirit allies, and with Tierra's assistance via Spirit Power, he wasn't particularly lacking in spirit help.
What intrigued him more was where the Voivode had gone?
Is there any clue about the "Red Light"?
"..." The Fraulein gently placed down the teacup, glancing at Tenjo Hikari, "It seems, Lord Hikari, you have investigated and grown a lot during the year I was asleep.
But— I'm sorry to tell you, I haven't actually witnessed the dimension fracture firsthand, or rather, it's nowhere near as clear as the Duke did."
She tilted her head, seemingly recalling: "In fact, even now, the fracture of the Spirit Dimension seems so fantastical and bizarre to me. The only clue I can offer you is... that power is definitely beyond what [Spirits] can achieve."
Definitely not a spirit?
Tenjo Hikari frowned, nodding.
Then, the Fraulein brought up something else: "As for the Duke... I can tell you which dimension he went to, and if you are truly interested and unafraid of danger, you can try to have a look."
The Fraulein gently waved her hand, and a bat, carrying a card, placed it in front of Tenjo Hikari.
Tenjo Hikari nodded, accepting the coordinates.
With new clues, Tenjo Hikari felt quite pleased, and he recalled another question: Since he's already here, he shouldn't leave empty-handed.
So, he asked the Fraulein if there were any spirits on the "Path of Fusion" or those willing to align with "Polymerization." He was eager to perform trials and duel with such spirits.
The Fraulein wasn't surprised, having dueled with Tenjo Hikari once before, she understood Tenjo Hikari's dueling style and beliefs.
Camilla shook her head, saying that vampires typically rely on their wisdom and strength, and few spirits are interested in fusion.
But on the other side, the Fraulein gently tapped her head with the umbrella, then said: "You should remember, after the Spirit Dimension's collapse, numerous spirit influences have either constructed temporary dimensions or isolated themselves to maintain the stability of their worlds."
Tenjo Hikari nodded.
"But in reality, this kind of cutting isn't [flawlessly] perfect. It's not as if you can precisely cut all influences into one dimension; sometimes, in many dimensions, there are actually some additional existences."
"Do you mean there are such spirits in your dimension too?" Tenjo Hikari's eyes brightened as he asked.
The Fraulein gently nodded: "Yes, Lord Hikari..."
She pondered and said: "During the dimension fracture, some spirits on our Kingdom's edges were affected and became our neighbors. We have coexisted peacefully during this time."
"However, the fractured dimension is slowly shrinking, and without the Duke, our dimension is also gradually contracting.
Although the rate of this shrinkage isn't rapid, perhaps taking hundreds of years to cause a noticeable further collapse, but..."
The implication was very clear.
If possible, she certainly hoped those well-behaved neighbors could live in a more stable place.
"I see—May I ask how to visit them?"
The Vampire Fraulein couldn't help but smile lightly and said, "There's no need for you to worry. As the warrior who defeated me, it's of course up to me to prepare everything for your first visit to our dimension...
You should rest a bit in the castle; I'll write a letter for you immediately, contacting the Duke and the Princess."
The Duke and the Princess?
"Could they be... the Undead?" Tenjo Hikari guessed a possibility.
"You actually know?" The Fraulein was surprised for a moment, then said, "Yes, it's...
The Duke of Demise and the Necroquip Princess."