From the Warlord's Empire

by Gakuto Mikumo

  “From Dimitrie Vattler. I’m sure you know him? Owns a big cruise ship docked at Itogami Island? He said he came from the Warlord’s Empire to wipe Gardos out.”

  “Tch.” As Natsuki listened to Kojou’s explanation, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

  “I see…I should have expected that frivolous Master of Serpents might call you over. Really sticking his nose where it’s not wanted…”

  Natsuki spoke ill of Vattler like she knew him personally. The “serpents” she mentioned were no doubt Vattler’s Beast Vassals. Though only for an instant, Kojou had seen that Beast Vassal enveloped in an incandescent light himself.

  “So it’s true that terrorists from the Warlord’s Empire came to Itogami Island, huh?”

  “If Vattler said it, it must be so.”

  Natsuki spoke in a careless tone. She’d judged it to be something she couldn’t hide.

  “And if I tell you where Gardos is, what then?”

  “I will catch him before he makes contact with Duke Ardeal.”

  Yukina instantly replied to Natsuki’s question. With that one statement, Natsuki apparently had a grasp of the broad circumstances. If he entered combat with the Black Death Emperor Front remnants, Vattler would happily release his own Beast Vassals. There was no mistaking that enormous damage to Itogami Island would result. Yukina was saying she’d put a stop to it.

  But Natsuki’s reply was quite blunt.

  “Pointless. Give it up. Ah, Astarte…you don’t need to serve these two; it’s a waste of tea. Do bring me that new black tea, however.”

  “…Accept.”

  Natsuki rudely ordered around the girl wearing a maid outfit bringing in barley tea. Surprised at the somehow familiar echo of her voice, Kojou and Yukina both lifted their faces in shock.

  Carrying a silver-colored tray, an indigo-haired girl stood before them.

  Her facial features were artificially symmetrical, with expressionless, pale blue eyes. There was a highly exposing apron dress wrapped around her slender, immature body.

  “You’re the Beast Vassal host who was with old man Eustach…!”

  “Astarte…?!”

  “Ahh yes, come to think of it, she’s a familiar face to you both.”

  Natsuki spoke without any change in her expression.

  Kojou approached her while speaking in a small voice. “Why’s this girl here at school? Er, more than that, what’s with that outfit?!”

  “Artificial Life-Form Astarte has been given three years’ probation for complicity in the raid on Keystone Gate.”

  Finding the matter bothersome, Natsuki brushed Kojou off as she explained. “Being a national Counter-Demon Agent as well as a teacher, I am the logical choice to take custody of her. Besides, I was in the market for a loyal maid.”

  “No doubt the reason you threw in at the end is the real one… Well, if she’s happy with it that’s great,” Kojou murmured as if he was telling that to himself.

  The maid-clothed Astarte began preparing black tea just as Natsuki had commanded. The expression on her fairylike features did not change, but somehow, she looked like she felt it was well worth the effort.

  Certainly, compared to when she’d been made to hunt demons in nothing but a cape coat, she might be quite a bit happier now.

  “…Ms. Minamiya. What do you mean, saying it is pointless to capture Gardos?”

  Yukina, finally recovered from surprise, appeared to finally remember to return to her topic.

  “I did not say capturing him is pointless. I’m saying there’s no need for the two of you to do so.”

  “Eh?”

  “The Black Death Emperor Front can’t do anything regardless; at the very least, not against Vattler. Appearances aside, he’s the monster known as ‘the being closest to a primogenitor.’”

  “But,” continued Yukina, clinging to her serious tone of voice. “I have heard the Black Death Emperor Front’s desire is to slay the First Primogenitor. Perhaps they have come to Itogami Island in search of the means to make that a reality.”

  If the Black Death Emperor Front did obtain the power to kill the First Primogenitor, they would be able to kill Vattler—“the being closest to a primogenitor”—as well. But though she understood that, Natsuki made a tedious tilt of her head.

  “I suppose. That’s why it’s pointless. Gardos is after the Nalakuvera.”

  “Nalakuvera…?”

  Yukina raised her eyebrows at the unfamiliar word. Apparently the word wasn’t in even her vocabulary.

  “A prehistoric artifact excavated from the Mehelgal Number Nine ruin in Southern Asia. It’s said to be a weapon of the gods that destroyed countless cities and cultures that once existed,” Natsuki explained in a perfunctory, teacher-like tone of voice. Kojou had a very bad feeling about all this.

  “Weapon of the gods… Isn’t that a pretty dangerous thing? You’re not sayin’ there’s one of these on Itogami Island, are you?”

  “Though of course this hasn’t been publicly disclosed, a company called Kano Alchemical apparently smuggled one sample from the ruins in past customs. Of course, the terrorists seized it a little while ago.”

  “There is one?! And it’s been stolen?!”

  “It’s a curio made over nine thousand years ago. What are you so nervous about?” Seeing Kojou all flustered, Natsuki spoke with apparent scorn. “I told you, what they stole was excavated from a ruin. It’s a piece of junk long past its expiry date. Even if they did get it to move, how would they control it?”

  “…Perhaps the Black Death Emperor Front set eyes upon that ancient weapon because they knew of some way to control it?”

  Yukina calmly pointed out one possibility. The corners of Natsuki’s mouth rose in mild pleasure.

  “Hmph, you do have good instincts, transfer student. Certainly, a stone tablet with what appears to be a control spell for the Nalakuvera carved into it has been discovered recently.”

  “If that’s so, then it really is possible they could use this weapon?”

  “It’s a tough nut to crack that’s defeated linguistic experts and sorcerous agencies all over the world. A bunch of terrorists taking a crack at it won’t lead to very much.”

  As Kojou tapered his lips in concern, Natsuki blithely dismissed him.

  “We arrested a lab assistant who was helping with deciphering the stone tablet. It’s only a matter of time before the Black Death Emperor Front remnants are found. There’s not many places that internationally wanted infiltrators can hide with a stupidly large curio, after all. The Island Guard expects to round up Gardos any day now.”

  “Round up…? Are you helping them out, too, Natsuki?”

  Kojou’s face grimaced as he spoke. Having already captured a Gardos coconspirator, no doubt Natsuki was already deeply involved in the current incident. He didn’t think she was trying to warn Yukina off because she didn’t want her prey stolen from her, but…

  “Don’t call me Natsuki! Anyway, whatever the Master of Serpents said, it’s not your turn onstage. If you must say anything, tell him to watch out for beast-men suicide bombers as the noose tightens.”

  “Suicide bombers…!”

  Kojou’s face paled at Natsuki’s casual warning. Certainly, it was one of the ways terrorists few in number might be able to inflict damage upon Vattler. The odds of residents of Itogami Island being caught in the blast were certainly not poor.

  “I will give one other warning. Kojou Akatsuki, be wary of Dimitrie Vattler.” Natsuki murmured on the side as her black tea was brought to her. “To date, he has defeated two ‘Wisemen’ above his rank descended from the Second Primogenitor…and consumed them.”

  “…He’s…consumed…fellow vampires?” Kojou exclaimed as he thought back to the young, sociable aristocrat. Unsurprisingly, shock came over Yukina as well.

  “That’s the reason he’s called ‘the being closest to a primogenitor.’ At the very least, see that he does not consume you.”

  Natsuki made an impetu
ous smile as she spoke. In spite of her nonchalant tone, it was a realistic possibility. Kojou could only nod in silence.

  5

  “I wonder if what Ms. Minamiya said is true?”

  Having left Natsuki’s room, Kojou and Yukina headed to their own classroom, their footsteps heavy. Along the way, Yukina stopped and asked her question.

  “Her personality might be warped in a few places, but I don’t think she’s a liar by nature.” Rubbing his head, which still hurt a little, Kojou voiced his thoughts out loud.

  “Somehow I see what you mean,” Yukina said, a strained smile coming over her.

  The Lion King Agency that Yukina was part of got along with Natsuki and other national Counter-Demon Agents quite poorly. Naturally, Yukina had considered the possibility Natsuki had provided Yukina with false intelligence, but those familiar with Natsuki’s personality wouldn’t think she’d do something that troublesome.

  Fundamentally, lying was something done by the weak as a survival mechanism. Someone as powerful as Natsuki had no use for such a thing. If anyone pulled a fast one on her, she’d take her pound of flesh in retribution; if anyone opposed her, she’d pound them into dust whether friend or foe. That was Natsuki’s modus operandi, the source of her charisma. Though a mere human, she was a creature far closer to a primogenitor than someone like Kojou.

  That was why her words could be trusted, even if the details were off the wall. That included the word that Vattler had consumed his brethren.

  “You told me a Wiseman is a second-generation vampire, right?” Kojou checked with Yukina in an unsure tone of voice.

  “Yes,” indicated Yukina, nodding with a firm look on her face.

  “They are those chosen to receive the blood of the primogenitors. They are not limited to the biological sons and daughters of the primogenitors, however.”

  “…So apostles and successors and stuff, huh?”

  “They probably stole the idea from the apostles around that guy they called the Son of God back in the day,” Kojou muttered. The primogenitors directly received blood from what constituted “the oldest generation” of vampires. Of course, their abilities had to be far in excess of those of normal vampires.

  “So by that definition, Vattler’s not actually directly connected to the First Primogenitor?”

  “I suppose not. They call him a pureblood noble, but in the end he’s only a distant descendant of the Wisemen.” As Yukina spoke, her expression became clouded. “However, if the Duke of Ardeal truly has consumed more than one Wiseman, he might well possess some kind of special ability. A special ability that can overturn an advantage in thickness of the blood…”

  “Thickness of the blood…huh?” murmured Kojou, looking at his own palm.

  To unaging vampires, blood was the source of their magical strength. It was their medium for summoning Beast Vassals as well as the foundation of their very existence. By sucking on the blood of many beings, long-lived vampires amassed even greater magical power within that blood. Old Guard vampires possessed greater power than younger generations for that very reason. That went double for the Wisemen.

  But that didn’t mean a younger vampire was unable to obtain great power sooner rather than later. He just had to rob magical power directly from the blood of more powerful vampires.

  For vampires to consume the blood of other vampires, their very existence…it was, in a sense, cannibalism.

  But it was said that one normally could not consume a vampire more powerful than oneself. Even if he sucked the other person’s blood dry, it would take control of his own flesh and mind from within. The one attempting to consume would instead be consumed himself. That was the danger of cannibalism, and the primary reason younger generation vampires did not defeat their betters.

  That was to say, normally, Vattler defeating a Wiseman simply wouldn’t be possible.

  “Oh yeah, he was pretty hung up on blood, wasn’t he?”

  Kojou spoke as he recalled Vattler’s statement the night before. Yukina prefaced her reply with, “It is not the Duke of Ardeal alone who is obsessed with bloodlines, but the vampire species as a whole.”

  “Though certainly, he is somewhat unusually attached to you, senpai.”

  “It ain’t me he’s attached to. It’s the Fourth Primogenitor’s blood he’s hung up on.”

  Kojou looked like he was eating sand as he corrected her. Though he said he’d sworn his love to Avrora, he’d easily switched that over to Kojou upon learning he had inherited her blood.

  Even for frivolous attitudes it was frivolous, but he was really saying just how much he was attached to the blood of the Fourth Primogenitor.

  “If so, Ms. Minamiya’s advice to be careful you are not consumed by him might well be on the mark…”

  Yukina looked up straight at Kojou as she spoke. Vattler had already consumed two Wisemen above his rank. Consequently, the possibility of him preying on even a primogenitor bearing far greater magical power could not be lightly dismissed.

  “Suppose so,” Kojou said in a timid voice. “As I am now, I probably wouldn’t win if he seriously tried to kill me… It’d be a different story if I could control at least a few more Beast Vassals, though.”

  “Beast Vassals, is it…?”

  For some reason, there was a brooding look over Yukina’s face as she murmured.

  Kojou only had one Beast Vassal he could manage to control. Though Regulus Aurum was a world-class Beast Vassal summoned with the Fourth Primogenitor’s magical power, it was still just one.

  While using Regulus Aurum to attack, Kojou himself was helpless. There was no guarantee Regulus Aurum would win if facing Vattler’s nine Beast Vassals at the same time.

  “…Senpai.”

  “Eh?”

  “Are you thinking that you want to do…that again?”

  Yukina’s unblinking eyes reflected Kojou’s face back at him. Her very serious look made Kojou straighten his back without thinking. However, he couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of her question.

  “What do you mean…that? Again?”

  “That. You know…like…sucking on…my…”

  Yukina suddenly averted her eyes, skipping over a part, like she was a little angry and a little embarrassed.

  As the slender line from her nape to her collarbone drew in his gaze, Kojou finally understood the true meaning behind Yukina’s statement.

  Kojou had been able to tame Regulus Aurum because he’d drunk Yukina’s blood. That being the case, drinking her blood once again might allow him to take control over another Beast Vassal—that’s what Yukina was saying.

  However, actually carrying it out also meant Kojou’s sexual arousal being directed toward Yukina…

  “Er, no! I didn’t mean it that way when I was talking just now! It’s not like I think your blood’s tasty, Himeragi, not even a little!”

  Kojou desperately denied it. Although the previous emergency situation, with Itogami Island facing destruction, may have made it unavoidable in one sense, this situation was completely different. He thought it was wrong to act that assertively toward Yukina, who was hardly his lover.

  “…No interest in my blood, is it? Not even a little…?”

  But for some reason, the tone in Yukina’s voice suddenly turned frosty. The expressionless eyes that looked up at Kojou resembled the edge of a frigid knife somehow.

  “Anyway, I think I might be able to scrape by on that. I just get the feeling that Vattler isn’t thinking of consuming me right away. If he isn’t careful and backs me into a corner, my Beast Vassal might run wild like it did before.”

  Feeling guilty for some reason he couldn’t place, Kojou worked hard to speak in an optimistic voice.

  It wasn’t something they could depend on at all, but Kojou had a basis for his words. The things immortal vampires hated most were isolation and boredom. To Vattler, the existence of the Fourth Primogenitor was like a long-lost friend or perhaps a foolproof ward against boredom. Kojou vaguely felt both
from his attitude.

  Besides, Vattler himself had spoken of Beast Vassals running amok if they sensed their host was in danger.

  “You may be right.” Yukina continued coldly looking up at Kojou as she agreed. “If your uncontrolled Beast Vassals run amok again, the amount you owe will go up by another several tens of billions of yen. Not that the likes of me can do anything about it.”

  “Er, yeah. Well…mm.”

  All Kojou could do was mumble awkwardly.

  “Also, the Duke of Ardeal’s attitude toward you was not one toward one’s prey, but rather that of one earnestly seeking a physical relationship, was it not?”

  “Please don’t say scary things like that. You’re really creeping me out here.”

  “Sorry. My fault, I had a bad premonition. Though there’s nothing the likes of me can do about it at any rate.”

  “Now, er, Himeragi. Might you be, ah, upset at something?”

  “No, not at all. Not even a little.”

  With Yukina’s attitude leaving him shipwrecked without an island, Kojou was finally unable to endure more and averted his eyes.

  “…Well, I think we should set the Vattler stuff aside and focus on the terrorist problem. I know Natsuki said not to worry about it, but…”

  “At this juncture we have so little information, so it’s hard to make a decision, isn’t it?”

  “Info, huh…?”

  Kojou crossed his arms and sunk into thought. Certainly being short on info was a serious problem. He didn’t think Natsuki would lie to him, but taking her words at face value and doing nothing would only worry him more. At the very least, they needed other information with which to see what was behind Natsuki’s words.

  “Come to think of it, she said there was some company that smuggled the Nalakuvera into Itogami City, right?”

  Kojou suddenly remembered Natsuki saying something about that.

  “Kano Alchemical Industries Corporation, wasn’t it? They’re a supplier of alchemical components, I think.”

  “If that’s the case, we might be able to look into it on our end. Sorry, but could you head back to the middle school, Himeragi? I’ll be in touch later.”