Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume The Story Between the Vampire Maid and the Storyteller Part 3
Part 3[edit]
Part 1[edit]
The roar of the huge dragon shook the airborne castle to its roots. It was truly the manifestation of a dragon of mythologies as a wing beat alone was enough to clear an area in the sea of clouds. Compounding to its might were the harsh rules of the [Host Master] that wiped out the Vampires of the Revolution faction within twenty days.
They who were praised in songs as the [Knights of Little Garden] were seriously outclassed in the situation of going up against a strongest type when they lack the firepower of the royal family or the main force of their race. After all, the lack of a Community’s main force is equivalent to the shortage of combat strength that is of a thousand men strong.
The rebels were crunched, defeated and shot with raining thunder by the huge dragon and they subsequently died one after another. Understanding that they had not a chance of victory, the rebels frantically scrambled to escape. However, the Authority of [Host Master] that was placed by Leticia was in effect and it did not allow any rebels to leave the area.
The Vampires who were fortunate enough to survive the ordeal were shivering in fear after reading the black [Geass Roll]s that fell from the skies.
“<<GIFT GAME NAME: “SUN SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT in VAMPIRE KING”>>”-
List of Participant(s):
*All living things engulfed by the Circle of Animals.
*Upon the disappearance of the Circle of Animals, the game will be put on hold for an indefinite amount of time.
Defeat Condition(s):
*None [Death of Participants will not be counted as being unable to clear the game]
Prohibition(s):
*None.
Punishment(s):
*A time limit will be imposed upon all the participants who have targeted and fought against the leader of the game.
*The time limit will be a continuous time loop that occurs every ten days.
*The choice of punishment will be chosen randomly from [Impaling], [Crucifixion], and [Immolation].
*The only way to be freed of the punishment would be to clear the game or during a pause in the game.
*The death of the participant is not included within the conditions to be freed from the punishment and they will continue to suffer indefinitely.
Winning conditions of the Host:
*None.
Winning conditions of the Participant:
*Kill the leader of the game: [Draculea Demon Lord].
*Kill the leader of the game: [Leticia Draculea].
*Gather the broken fragments of the constellations, and bring the Circle of Animals to present to the throne.
*Following the proper procedure and using the Circle of Animals that have been restored to the throne as a guide, strike the heart of the revolutionist who is bounded in chains.
Oath: I hereby respect the above conditions in the name of pride, our banner, and the Host Master to uphold this Gift Game.
“” ” Seal"
The last of the surviving royal family—Lamia[1] Draculea read the contents of the sheepskin parchment repeatedly as her face turned pale.
“How, How can it be……! The one who summoned this huge dragon, is actually my sister Highness, is that it…!!?”
Her voice shook as she continued to straddle her dragon ride while wondering what could have happened during the time that she was away from the castle.
Along the way, Lamia gripped the reins tightly while jockeying her dragon ride to move faster with a whip. It was also then that Lamia got a full view of the streets below her.
Rivers of blood and piles of dead bodies covered the residential areas.
Seemingly to have been impaled by stakes on the inside, their innards spilled from their mouths as they were heaped one over another. This was surely the work of the harsh game rule that was set by Leticia.
And among those corpses that were piled upon the debris, there were some that were charred black like smoldering charcoals.
(These are…… wounds from being burnt by sunlight……! Could it be that above this airborne castle, the Veil of Little Garden had been opened……!!?)
Even if one were to be of the royal family of the Vampires, who are much more resilient in battle, they would still be unable to escape death upon being shone on by direct sunlight. Although word had spread that there’s a rebellion, she never would have thought that they would resort to this despicable means.
But no matter the reasons for this rage, those who fall to become Demon Lords will never be saved.
Then… at the very least, she, who stands as the remaining member of the royal family, should stand up to stop her sister. Biting down hard on her lips, Lamia Draculea steered her ride with the reins towards the huge frenzied dragon once more.
“ —My sister Highness!!! The battle is already over! Please calm down!”
Lamia gave a desperate and pained cry at the top of her voice. However, her words were futile as the huge dragon continued to roar and create destruction. The atmosphere that was vibrated by its activities were enough to send Lamia and her dragon tumbling back in mid-air.
Her beautiful golden hair braids were undone and her long dress that was torn to the length of her inseams were flapping in the winds.
Another vampire, who was sweating heavily, ran over to Lamia’s dragon upon noticing the rider.
“My Highness, Lamia! Are you alright?!”
“Carla! What is this about?!!”
“You just took the words from my mouth! It was said that the previous generation and the current generation of the royal family, Lamia, my Highness were given the death sentence by the usurpers of the rebels and here I was thinking about what to do now even after being fortunate enough to survive up till now……!”
Carla’s maid uniform were tattered beyond recognition from the intense battle.
The blood-soaked clothes narrated the experience of her valor in battles.
If it weren’t for her exceptional swordsmanship that she had refined to place herself at the topmost of the Vampire race in terms of her skills alone and her capability as a Game Controller, the Vampire survivors would have already been whittled to nothing.
“I see…… Thank you, Carla, you have done a good job. Although it should have been my responsibility to protect the Vampire race in this sort of emergency.”
“Thank you for the compliment, my Highness. But Lamia, my Highness, where have you been all this time?”
“I had been on a secret mission to send messages to the Eastern Europe god factions to rally support for the goal of countering Dystopia.”
“The Eastern Europe god factions? Is it the Slavic or the Romanic?”
“It’s the Latin faction. I heard that there’s a bloodsucking species that is different from our own phylogenetic lineage[2] that has appeared and decided to go check it out. Hence, I’ve also placed a body replacement shadow double… it would seem that the girl who acted as my shadow double has been killed in my place haven’t she……?” Grief leaked into her voice as she placed a hand on her chest.
Carla closed her eyes regretfully as well. But there was no time to mourn.
“My highness, Lamia, I understand your pain, but we cannot waste the effort of your shadow double girl who saved the bloodline of the royal family. Supposedly, we are to give a proper burial for them in a memorial service……but we should immediately rush to a safer location if we were to honor the sacrifice of that girl who died for your Highness.”
“Wha….How, How can I do that sort of thing?! You want me to forsake my sister Highness and flee?!”
“But this is an emergency! No matter what you do, the fact that Leticia-sama has fallen to become a Demon Lord will not change! And a Demon Lord born from the royal family of the Vampire race will only erase all the accomplishments that our race have accumulated up till now! Are you okay with that?”
Carla’s appalling question left her at a loss for words.
A Demon Lord rising from a species was already a smear to the race. But if it were to arise from the royal family itself, it would definitely be a scandal that spreads across the world of Little Garden. If it were to be left alone, the race of Vampires would surely be done for.
All of the accomplishments that Leticia and the others have accumulated up till date will be trivialized…… and that was something that she absolutely would not stand for.
Besides, the development of the Guardian Organizations, the [Floor Master] system should be prioritized with the rise in power of Demon Lords who were wreaking havoc in various regions under the leadership of [Dystopia]. This is because the formation of a legal system within the world of Little Garden where the gods gather is a wish of all residents who currently live in the fear of the Demon Lords.
“My highness Lamia, please bear with it. If you aren’t around, the surviving Vampires will be lost on how to move forward from this and there will be more who will fall into darkness and become demons. And with Leticia, her Highness in this state, we can only rely on you as our leader.”
“……Uu……!”
Lamia clenched her teeth so tightly that it bit onto her lips. And it was the taste of her blood that restored her composure.
The royal family did not only represent the stronghold of strength or political might as the rulers of the Vampire race. It is a symbol of the organization which is on par with the significance of the Flag. The authority that is inherited from the bloodline will never be able to be recovered if it were to be lost.
“Lamia-sama…… Please make the decision.”
“…… There’s no way around it. Bring me to the others,” Lamia gave a nod as she struggled to say those words.
It was the only thing that she could do in this situation.
“The surviving members of our race have set up camp at the ground level and are observing the situation of the Huge Dragon from there. Although they are weary in both heart and mind from the battle with the rebels, I’m sure that they would be rejuvenated by the news that my Highness Lamia is still alive. Though it may be a painful decision, I do hope that you will continue to persevere for now.” Carla clenched her fist as she tried to encourage Lamia.
Despite the fatigue that she should be experiencing, not a trace of it was visible from Carla’s movements.
Lamia clapped her hands on her cheeks to straighten her thoughts. This was originally the duty of her own, a member of the royal family. Although she was brought up as a princess and hence unable to fight in actual combat, the duty was still hers to lead her comrades.
Giving a last look at the airborne castle—-Lamia gave a sidelong glance at the Huge Dragon.
“—-Please wait for me, my sister Highness. I will surely…. Surely come to save you…..!”
Making that oath, the two Vampires left the Huge Dragon.
The Huge Dragon’s roar grew in intensity and it reverberated through the earth and heavens.
And Lamia’s words were lost in the roars, never to be carried to the ears of Leticia.
Part 2[edit]
To conclude from the results, they were just too naïve in their thinking.
The hardships of the Vampires had only just begun.
The poets of Little Garden saw the fall of the Vampire King as a great material for their literary works and used their songs and poems to propagate the Demon Lord’s birth to the entire world.
—-They sang of the Vampires as man-eating monsters.
— They sang of the immortality of the Vampires which never grew old or die.
— And they sang of the Vampires to be demon lords who crucifies others with stakes.
The songs made up by the bards propagated across the lands and even to the outer universe (other worlds). Such was the extent of the hype that surrounded the works of the poets that records would be made in the other worlds of the bloodsuckers who devoured the corpses of their human prey as well.
Lamia, the last surviving member of the royal family, had planned to revive her race with the corrections to the rumours that sprung from the scandal. However, the only people in Little Garden who could stop the poets who were hyped up by their compositions were only countable with the fingers on a hand.
The Vampires were burdened with countless rumours and the system that they had proposed to appoint protectors for the four corners, the [Floor Masters], had been shelved and replaced by the plan to create an organization to deal with the Demon Lords.
For the sake of suppressing the Demon Lords that were growing in strength, they sought the help of war gods from famous mythological factions to be in-charge of the various sectors. And this was the rise of the mixed god faction of the twelve Adityas that would govern the twelve sectors.
They would then come to be known as the strongest war god group, the Heavenly Army.
However, they were just war gods who were specialised for battle and did not have any relation to the ideals of the Vampire’s dream of creating “prosperity within the Lower Level Communities”.
The Vampire survivors had initially disagreed with the arrangement with much enthusiasm but they were only given the cold shoulder by the majority of the world. This is due to the fact that the fall of Leticia Draculea to a Demon Lord status was an incident that continued to be a shadow that hung over their heads.
In this impossible situation that they were stuck in— Lamia continued to repeat the same words.
“— My sister Highness isn’t a monster that the bards and poets made her out to be!”
Agitated at times. Whereas cool-headed at other times. And even philosophical at some point in time, she sought to clear the stain on her sister’s name but that was only a meaningless action that took on an opposite effect.
This was all due to the poets who did not bother to clarify the truth as they spun their tales to their listeners.
The songs that they sang would become reality themselves. Such was the power of their words that it would not leave any trace of its actual history. The ones who could summarise the information and use it to change the limitlessly vast other world, can only be them who hold the position as the fourth strongest species.
The most horrible part that compounded to the problem was the straightforward attitude that they had with regards to pursuing their own amusements.
They are just a bunch of idiots if it were a typical day. However, if an interesting topic arose, they would not hesitate to use it as material for their compositions and henceforth propagate their work without a care for the positive or negative effects that it might bring. And they were being themselves when they took on the Vampires’ ordeal as their material for compositions.
The scandal of the Vampires became a legend and it was also elevated to the status of being the truth.
If they were to dump all the sins and curses onto Leticia, it might just have been possible for the Vampires to rise again to glory as a race. However, the fortunate survivors of the Vampire race did not do that.
“— My sister Highness isn’t a monster that the bards and poets made her out to be!”
Seemingly to mock the Vampires as a race and Lamia who desperately tries to protect her esteemed sister Highness’s honour, the poets and bards continued to sing their works. Needless to say, this act of devotion is likened to the most savoury dish for these people.
As a member of the royal family, Lamia was the target for the rain of curses that extended from the Western Europe to the Far East side of the world and it continued to spread further than the East and West Sides. And even then, Lamia continued to say the line.
“— My sister Highness isn’t a monster that the bards and poets made her out to be!”
Holding back the stinging tears that brimmed at her eyes, Lamia continued to repeat the same words. She was deeply pained by the songs that insulted the sister who would always be the most noble and excellent in her heart.
Carrying that fierce desire to protect her sister’s honor, Lamia then took on all the curses upon herself and finally obtained a Gift that is comparable to many a million Demon gods.
If it weren’t for the Paradox game of [Omnipotence Paradox] that sealed her spiritual powers, her strength would surely exceed the realm of omnipotence.
However, it had a huge price to be paid.
Scales sprang from her white unblemished skin while the gem like brilliance in her eyes were lost forever as she transformed into a monster which ate its own young or it would not be able to survive.
And this curse of devouring one’s own child spelled the end of the royal family.
After all, with the last remaining member of the royal family cursed to devour her own child, it was equivalent to the end of the Vampire race. As a result, the Vampire race disbanded their Community and the fortunate survivors lived in seclusion. Whereas Lamia sealed herself to stop herself from devouring the child that she carried as there was no other way to protect the royal line otherwise.
The queen who assumed the burden of carrying the curses of her own race—-cursed the world for the first time as she sealed herself in.
“To fall from our prosperous state…… the destruction of our Vampire race is also the work of fate. Even so— even if it is the case, it should not end in this way.”
They, who bowed their heads to work for the good of the masses, were now dispersed by the vortex of mockery and scandals.
The heartless ending caused her to shed tears that welled from her feelings of sourness.
Was this a type of kindness? She thought to herself. She would not rest in peace if she did not straighten out the truth in the world above. However, if Lamia chose to do so, she would not be far from the birth of a new Demon Lord.
To have a second consecutive Demon Lord, it would surely give a bad name to the remaining Vampire survivors.
And being the last remaining member of the royal family, she wished to avoid that end. Although she was a foolish leader who had yet to fulfil her duty perfectly, this level of responsibility was one that she would hope to meet at the very least.
Silently enduring the bitterness that continued to squirm within herself, Lamia sealed herself in a seamless hell.
Keeping all the thousands of curses in the depths of her organs—she hoped for blessings to arrive for her kinsmen.
Part 3[edit]
A stunned silence—-……, Leticia stood unmovingly as she stared with wide eyes.
Her aggression from before had entirely dissipated. Although she stood facing her sister at the end, those ruby red eyes that were widened to their maximum were unable to reflect the sight before herself.
Exactly how many a thousand years has it been?
Not a sliver of their glory had remained. And it was only a history full of humiliation and bitterness. The observation continued to span a thousand and after the passing of a second thousand year gap, Leticia’s soul finally returned to the throne.
The hosting of the Game had just been a moment since its start. The scene that first greeted her eyes was the sight of Canaria who stood in the same way that she had when she first announced the commencement of the game after the oath taking.
And Canaria who stood facing Leticia had noticed Leticia’s gaze but pretended not to take notice.
Just like that, Leticia who stood in silence for more than five minutes— clenched her fists as she spoke in a quavering voice.
“….. what was that just now?”
“Ara, you would like an explanation starting from that? Is this your first time participating in a Gift Game of Recollections with regards to a historical event?”
“Even I can tell that. But the Game just now wasn’t a Gift Game of Recollections. I could feel time taking on substance during in that temporal space— and that suggests a temporal difference between the stored time within the universe and the outer universe. There can’t exist such a Gift Game of Recollections that give that sort of feeling.”
Leticia feinted her analytical composure as she cast her doubts on Canaria’s words. Placing aside the authenticity of the contents for now, the game itself was enough to throw her off balance. This was also the reason that Leticia was able to cast aside the content to question the accuracy of the Game setting itself. And it was so questionable in many aspects that one need not start on the questionable content.
A Game of Recollections was one that required the full experience with one’s own soul and body to be complete. Otherwise, it would simply be the same as a form of historical knowledge that accumulates in the mind.
The Game of Recollections that is originally used to transfer skills of martial art movements would have the characteristic of having the same flow of time in the Game as with that in the real world.
To cause the “experience accumulated in the inner world of the soul” to be inconsistent with that of the “experience of the person in the physical outer world” would only contradict with the “Game’s time of creation”. And it would result in a false report in the flow of time. Or it might even be a Game of Time Paradox.
“So, I would ask you once more. What kind of Game was that just now? Why, do you need to fool me with that history?”
Her last words were strongly emphasized and the reason for those questions finally hit home to Canaria.
“Aah, I see. You are questioning the authenticity of the Game due to the sight of your sister’s experiences? ——But, that’s unfortunate. It is clearly written in the Game contents that ‘We hereby swear that the above described game is the real deal’, isn’t it? It really is the full truth.”
“That’s nonsense!!”
Instantly, Leticia’s spiritual power swelled to fill the room as she meant to intimidate Canaria.
The shadows of the Dragon transformed into thousands of spears that surrounded Canaria. It was clearly a message from those ruby red eyes that in the case which Canaria did not deny and retract her words, all those spears would penetrate her body without hesitation. Some of those spears were also leveled at Canaria with their tips touching her neck to reinforce the message.
—if Leticia were to consider the situation calmly, she would have understood that Canaria’s words were worth considering as well.
If one were to set aside the contradiction that it had with the lapse of time, the Game just now would have been an actual Game of Recollections.
However, Leticia had chosen to immediately discard that possibility. It wasn’t a rejection of the possibility but a complete discard of the possibility. On a closer look, Leticia’s lips were blue and her finger tips were trembling while her fear was evident in her ruby red eyes. But that was only to be expected. After all, if what she had seen in that history of recollections were to be true,
The one who nullified the efforts of her sister and her clansmen—— was none other than Leticia herself.
That sort of truth was something that was difficult for her heart to bear.
“Say the truth! Why do you seek to fool me? For fame?! Or is it on the orders of another?!”
“Hey, I’m not trying to fool you. I was only using the default function of [Another Cosmology] in the Game earlier and it was to change the definition for the second that was experienced by yourself. To make that split second seem like a thousand years in your mind. This is actually a power that is supposed to accelerate the situation without interfering with the total power expended.—-It’s just like that.”
*Swish* Canaria lightly gave a flick of her wrist and a sharp sound of the wind being sliced could be heard.
At the same time, there was a small shard that shot past Leticia’s cheek at an unusual speed. That shard which travelled at a speed comparable to the first cosmic velocity collided with the throne before falling to the ground.
Leticia was taken aback by that display but it did not hamper her thoughts. She quickly understood the meaning behind that incredible and mysterious phenomenon.
“No, No way……! To actually change the definition of a second rather than the increase of speed of an object to give it acceleration……?! That sort of thing is, “
“Ara, that’s not such a rare thing isn’t it? The cosmology of the Egyptian gods accord the source of oxygen to the various universes from the difference in density, don’t they? It is the same in the world of Little Garden. “A gem that can burn without the need of oxygen as fuel”, “Great Trees that can create rivers just from the absorption of moisture in the air from its leaves”. Setting aside the rules of the material world to create all these are the contradictions between the rules in cosmology and the outer universe. And it is with those contradictions that they continue to exist, don’t they? I’m only doing something similar. …… Mah, what I’m doing with my hand is only at the drawing board stage anyways.”
Canaria happily replied in her sing-song voice. On the contrary, Leticia wasn’t as composed.
The cosmology that she talked about was the mystery of the gods. It was in a position that far exceeded any realm and was a force that even the elder gods were unable to interfere with.
However, this woman was actually talking about “being at the design stage” of developing such a comparable power. If one possessed such a degree of power, Leticia would be able to comprehend the reason for that contradiction she had experienced earlier.
“……Then, that game just now,”
“Mhm. It is the truth and the whole truth without any shred of falsities. Those are the records of what your sister had experienced for the last days of the Vampire race.”
After all the questionings, Leticia finally accepted it as a fact.
Clank, the crisp sound of a thousand spears falling to the ground echoed in the room.
Leticia had similarly collapsed into her seat on the throne. With a pale face, bluish black lips and eyes that lost all of their radiance, she rested her elbows on the armrests of the throne as she buried her face in her hands. The scene that appeared before her eyes was the sight of her sister who was covered in scales and transformed into that grotesque being.
Her once beautiful blond hair were coarse like a faded snake’s skin shedding.
Her once delicate lips had split to extend from ear to ear and housed many sharp teeth.
Even though the scandal was set in stone and her appearance had been deformed by then, Lamia, her sister, continued to fight on as a member of the royal family.
It would have been well if only she had listened to the words of that poet and pushed all the burdens of the curses to Leticia herself, …… Lamia and her clansmen continued to protect her honor even after the occurrence of that incident. And it was a person who fell to be a Demon Lord too.
“— My sister Highness isn’t a monster that the bards and poets made her out to be!”
Repeatedly saying those words with conviction.
A fury burned in her heart for all the humiliating mockery that the poets had directed her kind. However, what suppressed that with its larger intensity was the guilt that she could not forgive herself for. After all, the idea of annihilating the Vampire race wasn’t one that belonged to the rebels but was born in the mind of a foolish Demon Lord.
“……. Aa…. Uu….!”
The right hand that was in contact with her cheek was moistened.
Those were not tears of sadness.
Those were tears of remorse.
And tears were the only way that her emotion could be expressed at this point in time.
Although her regret was so deep that it overflowed from her eyes, it was something that she could not put into words. It was surely the scenario that one would call as being at a loss for words. Moreover, she did not know whom to apologize to or how to apologize as well. If her death were able to make up for all her sins, she would be willing to do it a hundred, no, a thousand times over. However, she could not think of any way to make up to those people.
How she hoped for the appearance of someone who would blame her.
How she hoped for the appearance of someone who would pass judgement on her.
But those were only her wishing thinking. And that was Canaria felt as she closed in to pass her disapproval.
“Unfortunately, there is no law that exist to punish you. I would also daresay that there is no one who can judge you for your crimes. After all, the country which you are to be judged by, no longer exists in this world.”
“—……”
Communities that were wiped out from the world of Little Garden would have their Name obliterated from all records regardless of the era that they were annexed in. And that was also the reason for the blank space on Leticia’s [Geass Roll] which had once contained the name of her organization.
“…… how silly. I say, you should not have started your revenge. And you should not have made that choice to fall to the status of a Demon Lord. Be it the deaths of your family members, the massacres of your people, if you could just hide that piece of anguished regret in your heart for the remaining survivors— the Vampire race might just be more than a legend than it is today.”
However, the one who managed to do exactly that wasn’t Leticia Draculea. But her sister, who acted justly in her position as a princess, Lamia Draculea.
Suppressing all her anguish and sadness deep within herself, she entered an eternal slumber.
“…. What, What can I do now?”
“Hey, how would I know? Well, let me ask you instead. What do you want to do?”
Eh? Leticia lifted her head in surprise but Canaria was much more surprised by the elicited reaction.
“What… What I want to do?”
“Yes. My work is almost done here. I’ve already learnt all the things I needed to know when I explored the royal tombs. I can even offer you a blank check now to request anything you want as well. …… Ah, my goal wasn’t to raid the tombs, so please don’t misunderstand that. I was just there to hold a proper burial for the remnants of your parents’ skeletons.
“My father and mother, his excellency and his lady… … but they were burnt to ash by the sunlight,”
“Well, that’s true but I’ve torn down the part of the castle wall where their ash smears are to be buried. After all, it is too pitiful to just leave it there to be weathered away. And besides, I do not know of the ritual of the Vampires and only performed a simple rite with an honorary plaque[3] to mark their resting place. …… Or could it be that I was just meddling too much?”
Canaria ended her words in a doubtful tone as she probably felt that she might have done something unnecessary.
But Leticia’s eyes widened as she felt it as a different kind of blow on herself.
— Her parents had been nailed to the walls of the castle and charred by sunlight. And the ash stains had always been smeared on the walls of the castle.
And that was no burial. Instead, it was a punishment that robbed them of their deserved honor.
…… Or at least, that is what Leticia felt.
But this woman had gathered up their remains, mourned for them as the passing of the royal family members and helped to house their ashes in the royal tombs. To even place their names among the royal ancestral tablets who ruled the Vampire race before them. This is surely not an act of one who would see the Vampires as a race of monsters but one who honors them as an intelligent race which deserves a proper burial. Just from that point alone, it was able to show the difference between this poet and the rest of her kind who had taken the Vampires as amusing subjects for their literary works.
It really was an idiotic move of hers. If there was time to sleep in the spare time, there was also time to be better spent on the burial rites of her comrades.
Staring up at the skies, Leticia slowly got up from the throne.
“I sincerely thank you from my heart for giving my parents a proper burial. Thank you, lady Canaria.” Leticia offered her heartfelt thanks.
“You're welcome. Then, is there anything else that I can help with?”
“Aah. It might take a lot of effort but I hope to give my other comrades a proper burial as well. …… Well, that, may I request for your help as well?”
“Sure. I’m glad to help out with that, but may I request something as well?” Canaria smiled as she put forth her request. And Leticia was doubtful about that at this point. After all, Leticia was unable to leave the airborne castle and there would be a limit on her ability to fulfill any request. Unless the reward was for her head or the castle itself.
“Lady Canaria has helped to put my parents to rest. If there is something that I can do, I will be more than willing to lend you a hand…….”
“Good, I will take it as a yes. And since that is the case, let’s go now! Everyone’s doing the preparations now!”
Without further explanations, Canaria tugged Leticia’s hand and started running out of the throne room.
Her current self was only a spiritual entity with a consciousness but it seem to be an information that this woman would not care to be reminded of anyways.
“Wait, Wait a moment, Oi!”
“I’ve got the lady, I’ve got the lady♪ I really should tell Great sage sis[4] about this♪”
Canaria was happily humming to herself as she set forth while Leticia who had been suddenly tugged along was frantically stumbling behind.
Leaving the long path of the cloisters from the throne room, they ran pass the atrium, passed through the Great doors that lead to the streets and finally met up with the nymph girl who came with Canaria the other time —Eurydice.
Standing before a bonfire, Eury, who had been looking up at the starry skies, pouted her cheeks upon discovering the duo’s arrival.
“You are slow, NiaNia! I’ve already prepared things on my side a long time ago! Orpheus worked hard to obtain the Sovereignty from Hercules with the help of his pals of Argo, if you had been a lil’ slower, wouldn’t it have been all for naught?!”
“Sorry, Eury. We just chatted a little too long. But I’ve already convinced her, so please forgive me.”
“Con,”
Convinced? Then, I was being convinced?
Leticia tilted her head as she was lost in this conversation.
After a hi-five as a greeting, Eury and Canaria started talking between themselves without caring to share the conversation.
“But that’s great. With this, the battle strength of [Acadia] will also be sufficient right?”
“How can that be? We are still in the prepping stages. It’s still far from the battle with that guy. …… but the information regarding the blood of the Vampires was necessary. I guess you can say that we have made a step forward with this. And I’m going to introduce a new comrade to everyone—”
“Wait, Wait a moment! What are you guys talking about?!”
“……? The announcement of Leticia’s joining into our Community, isn’t it?”
“Pleased to work with you in the future, newbie!”
Eury gave a victory pose with her outstretched hands. But Leticia was currently speechless at the turn of events. Probably due to the unexpected invitation that was so boldly planned.
“I’m, I’m glad that you people have invited me to join your Community…… but it is well known for a fact that I’m now a Demon Lord. Those who know of me will not see it as a good thing,”
“Is it? Do you want to try going in a disguise? What about the youthful getup that Eury uses?”
“Ooh? Lety also wants to transform into a young girl? What about a Lolita getup? Would you like to team up with me?”
“No, that’s not it, I’m trying to say that this is not the problem of my external appearance! I’m a Demon Lord! If my Game is not cleared, I’m unable to leave this place! Do you understand that?!”
“We do.”
“That’s why we are doing preparations.”
The atmosphere was just like a duo of kids who visited their friend’s house to play a board game and they suddenly flip the board to land on its face and to follow up on that action with a victory pose. Leticia’s irritation was unable to escape from her lips and could only burn in her stomach. Moreover, from her view as a person who did not know of the details of their preparation to clear the game, those two could only be taken as talking empty words that did not have any plans to back them up.
Perhaps her feelings were all too clear from Leticia’s expression, Canaria gave a mischievous smile as she drew out a [Geass Roll].
“Anyways, there’s no need for us to clear the game right? It’s right here that ‘Upon the disappearance of the Circle of Animals, the game will be put on hold for an indefinite amount of time.’ Isn’t it?”
“You do know that the Circle of Animals refer to the elliptical belt of constellations and that means the [Zodiac]s right?”
“Of, Of course I know that. After all this huge dragon is also summoned with the Authority beyond that of the Sun as its medium. But if we were to talk about how it actually is done in detail, then”
“That’s why I say that you shouldn’t think too much. Because—“
Eury and Canaria controlled their urge to giggle as they pointed to the starry skies while announcing at the top of their voice,
“—we just need to get the twelve constellations down from that side—!!!”
Part 4[edit]
A trail from a shooting star flashed across the starry skies. And that seemed to be the opening signal for the start of the event.
Upon receiving the signal to open the Veil of the night skies, the golden shooting stars started to sparkle.
And it wasn’t just one or two of them. But it seemed to be a cluster of shooting starts that was enough to cover the entire skies with their trails that gave off a brilliance that could easily be mistaken for the light of the Sun as they shot across the horizon.
Leo, Cancer and Sagittarius were generously allowing their component stars to fall off. And when the sixth zodiac fell from the skies, the huge dragon had simultaneously given off a bright golden glow before disappearing.
And the glow from the huge dragon was surrounding Leticia to give structure to her physical body. The warmth of a physical body after a long gap in time was slightly disorienting but that was unable to beat the epic change in the skies.
The fall of the stars from the zodiacs was definitely not a casual event. And even if one were to be the possessor of a Sovereignty in the world of Little Garden, they were something that could not be changed even if that person were to be an omnipotent being as well.
But this woman was actually able to get the holders of Sun Sovereignty to act as one.
“Lady, Lady Canaria…… Who in the world are you,”
“Ooh, that was a grand sight! A grand sight indeed! Let’s hold this event annually shall we? I bet everyone would be glad to see this, wouldn’t they?!”
“Agreed! Let’s leave the naming of that new shooting star cluster be left to my Orpheus!”
The duo screamed in excitement as they watched the spectacular sight in the starry skies. Could it be that I was used as an excuse to create this scene in the skies? Leticia couldn’t help but ponder about that possibility. But she soon gave up as she felt that it was going to be a futile effort to do so.
Although Leticia watched the fall of the golden rain of shooting stars, her face was still overshadowed.
“But ….. Even if I were to be released now, my position as a Demon Lord will still remain as a fact. Even after obtaining freedom, I still do not know what….”
“Aren’t you being stupid? Be it the rebuilding of the Vampire race or resuming the proposal of the [Floor Master] system, it’s up to you to choose what you want to do. And you just have to put in the effort into the chosen endeavour isn’t it okay with just that?”
“Yep, Yep! Finding a way to release the curse on Vampire Hime-sama is also an interesting option too!”
Leticia’s head shot up immediately. Indeed, Lamia had not died. She was just cursed by the cruel and relentless poets to become a monster. Then, if she were to enlist the help of those poets who would hear her out, to write a song that focus on the accomplishments and to paint her in a heroic light…… there might still be a way to save her.
“…… may I ask of you to help me?”
“On the contrary, I would like you to help us out. And then someday…… Mah, it should still be a long time away. But, we will surely help you craft a new song befitting a hero. This is what they call Give and Take.”
“But, But ,……. A Demon Lord like me, will I be able to help?”
The Game of Recollections had placed a shadow over Leticia’s heart. And that scene was truly tragic—however, it was not one that was of any relation to this woman.
Holding Leticia’s shoulders, Canaria held her gaze steady with an intensity that was on par with the radiance of the stars,
“—stop being so arrogant by focusing on yourself. Stop yapping nonstop about things that may or may not happen. We will allow you to see your dreams, so just shut up and follow me.”
“Wha,”
“And I will forbid you from calling me Lady Canaria. Ever since I’ve heard that title, I was already embarrassed. There is no need for honorifics among comrades. Just relax a little. We will still have a long time of working together you know?”
Canaria blinked her eyes.
Leticia was speechless once more as she heard those words that forbid any sort of rebuttal. And she gave a wry smile in defeat. It was just as she said. They would be working together for a long time to come.
—-Mah, at that time, I didn’t expect it to be this long.
Canaria turned back to Leticia while bouncing up and down with excitement.
“Well then, what are you planning to do next? If you want, I can accompany you to go to the village of the Vampires. After all, we are to report that you game has been broken also.”
“Aah. That’s something that I wanted to ask of you ……”
But her words stop in mid-sentence. Leticia who suddenly seemed to have remembered something, looked up at the shooting stars as she mumbled.
“……. Firstly, I will want to learn how to brew some black tea.”
“Black tea?”
“Aah. If I do not do that, I just have the feeling that I will be scolded by my sister when I release her from her curse.”
The promise that she had with her sister. She wanted to keep that promise with actual actions.
After countless of years later—when she meets her sister, she will brew a cup of black tea to welcome her to reward her for all her effort. And Leticia smiled while making that oath in her heart.
Translator's Notes[edit]
- ↑ BionicMeerkat Note - There was a magref note regarding backstory of Lamia in general, but due to its length I've decided to just post the notes in the discussion page of Part 3. Please look there if you are curious about it. Thanks!
- ↑ [Ch translator notes: It is most likely talking about the Chupacabras.]
- ↑ [magrefnotes: I just translated 铭字 as honorary plaque. It’s something closer to a tablet that has the names written in Chinese calligraphy, or that is what I’m guessing it to be.]
- ↑ [magrefnotes: Great Sage Equalling Heaven]
