Chapter 72

EPISODE 2 LET’S GO AND SERVE THE MASTER! His legs kept going. Ryouta felt like he was watching someone else run off. What is this? It feels like I’m dreaming… Either way, he couldn’t stay still. Something inside him was saying he would be a failure of a minion if he didn’t go to his master to serve them. But who is my master…? It didn’t seem to be Shiren. She hadn’t turned him into a Sacred Blooded even after biting him, probably because she was underdeveloped. Even though he’d lost consciousness the first time she bit him, it hadn’t affected his body otherwise at all. And that narrowed it down to just a few people. Oh yeah, I think something like this has happened before… The First Cathedral came into view. It was the main church for the Sacred Blood religion, made from a remodeled shrine. He realized his guess was right, but he still couldn’t fight against his instincts. Let me serve you! they screamed. Alfoncina was right there, strolling the grounds. “Hmm…I really should put in a little break between jobs. My, my~. Having a role with this much responsibility is so tiring~.” Ryouta dashed straight toward Alfoncina in the distance. “Let me serve you!” “Ah, huh? Something’s coming… What is it?” Alfoncina realized something was heading her way, but she seemed rather disturbed. Most people would be frightened by a strange figure who was running straight toward them at night, screaming about serving them. “Oh dear…a pervert…? Well, almost certainly a pervert considering how he’s screaming about service… Perhaps I should call the guards…” Alfoncina turned and ran for the building. “I can’t get inside without going upstairs. That’s a bother. I suppose that’s what I get for using a former shrine. Oh, he really is getting close…” The oddity was almost here; she was in danger. Just as she climbed the stairs and was about to go inside— “Oh, is that you, Ryouta?” She realized the suspected pervert was someone she knew. “Huff, huff… Allow me to serve you…Master… I cannot find peace if I don’t… Huff, huff…” “Are you huffing and puffing because you’ve just run so far, or because you’re a pervert?” Ryouta, on the other hand, still couldn’t think properly. But he did feel a bit calmer, now that the person he wanted to serve was right before him. “Huh…I don’t feel as feverish anymore… P-please let me serve you…” “Oh, I see~. I see what’s going on~.” Alfoncina had pieced together the situation. “Oh dear, this is no good… I have to fix this; otherwise, Shiren will be angry~.” Ryouta sat crouched at the bottom of the cathedral stairs. Even though something else had been driving him forward, that didn’t mean he was immune to exhaustion from running. When he looked up, he saw Alfoncina standing at the top, contemplating him. “I’ll have to send you back to Shiren if I want to end this safely~. But now that you’re here, I feel like I may as well come up with a reason why~. I feel like that is destiny… We are in a decisive moment right now…” Alfoncina placed her hand to her lips in thought. Ryouta stared up blankly at her. He wasn’t all conscious, so he didn’t really register any of it. “To be honest, I think you would be much happier with me than Shiren, service-wise. If the reason why you came here was a side effect of…you know, then it would seem like a coincidence… Hmm…,” Alfoncina quietly mumbled to herself, torn between her two feelings. “But so many people would hate me… Well, assuming hatred would be the worst of it…” Finally, she clapped her hands together. “All right! This is when we turn to the divine!” She vanished into the cathedral and returned moments later with something in her hand. “Here we go~.” She was holding two six-sided dice. “What is that…?” “Regular dice—dice that have been blessed. I was thinking we would have these decide your fate, Ryouta. Leave it up to the gods.” “The dice gods?” “Yes. You’ll roll both at the same time~.” She cupped her hands around the dice and shook them until they were clacking audibly against each other. “If both show a one, then I bite you. Anything else, and I won’t. Basically, there is a one-in-thirty-six chance of your fate changing, I suppose~.” Alfoncina handed over both dice. “Go ahead and roll~.” “Okay…” “The odds are so low that I highly doubt we would get that by accident~. This will help me make up my mind, so I think this is the perfect point of compromise~.” Ryouta rolled the dice on the stairs. “No…we really did get snake eyes!!! Are you being serious right now, dice gods?!” Alfoncina went pale. She never imagined it would actually hit that one-in-thirty-six chance… “Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale…” She took two deep breaths, studied the dice again, and conceded. “Well, I suppose the results are in, and I can’t argue with them, can I…? Ryouta?” “Uhhh, I suppose… No.” Ryouta was still acting spacey. Alfoncina went on to think of some rationalizations. “Don’t hate me for this, Shiren. It’s your fault that you haven’t made him your minion yet… You two even live under the same roof…” Rationalization number one, complete. “Don’t hate me, either, Ouka. It’s your fault that you’ve left him alone… You’re the emperor, after all…” She felt like she needed even more. “And don’t hate me, either, Tamaki. Blame yourself for not making him yours when you were walking around together… That was your chance. You think you’re an unhappy person, but maybe it’s time you took the initiative to examine why that is.” And then there was Sasara, who had been through a lot recently. “And don’t hate me, Sasara. But it’s your fault for canceling your matchmaking in your confusion… You could have slowly worked toward marrying him, too. You need to take decisive action when the situation calls for it…” She briefly went through the rest. “Kiyomizu will probably hate me, but no matter. And I hope Rei finds a compromise within herself. She’s his sister, after all.” With that, she was done rationalizing. She took Ryouta’s hand. “Come. I’ll make you my minion.” She led Ryouta into the ritual space deep inside the cathedral. His mind was clearing up little by little, enough to realize that he was in major trouble, but he couldn’t specifically pinpoint why. He sat alone on the vast wooden floor. “I’m ready.” Alfoncina entered the ritual space, wearing a luxurious ceremonial robe. No one besides the archbishop was permitted to wear this outfit. It was made from thin, twilled silk, so the silhouette of her body underneath was clearly visible. “I will now…commence the ritual to make you my minion.” “Okay…” “Lie down. I will bite you first on your ear.” Ryouta obeyed and lay down on the wooden floor. “If you don’t like it, just say so. I think you’ll still be able to save yourself. It will be too late in due time.” “Yes, Your Excellency…” “I don’t think you understand, but…ah well.” Alfoncina had given up on a lot of things tonight. “Here I go, then. Haum…” She bit down gently on his ear. Ryouta could feel his body twitch. “Your ear is so soft; it feels strange…” Ryouta barely felt any pain, either. “Next, your finger. I’m going to bite your right index finger, okay?” She took his hand and paused. “Yes, this is…rather embarrassing… Please, please somebody interrupt me… The ritual will be complete at this rate… I can’t pull back now that I used the blessed dice…” Ryouta’s finger was enveloped in a lukewarm sensation. “Nom, lick… You’re a bit salty…” Then there came a slight sting. Another bite. “I want to stop here… Next is your arm, Ryouta. Can you hold out your arm…?” “Th-this is kind of embarrassing…” “Oh, you do understand! I—I can stop, if you want…” “But this is for you, Master…” Ryouta wasn’t totally back to himself yet, at least not enough to stop serving. “Ooh…fine, but I’m not responsible for what happens, okay?!” She placed his arm in her mouth. “Ooh…the hairs on your arm are so rough; this feels gross…” Monch. Pain coursed through his arm. After it subsided, he felt like he was sinking into lukewarm water that was paralyzing his mind. “It is much too embarrassing doing this as a proper ritual…” “Master…your face is bright red.” “Yes, because I’m embarrassing myself…” “But you have minions here in the cathedral, right…?” “Well, I do in the sense that they’ve pledged their service to the archbishop, and some priests are only doing it traditionally. It’s entirely ceremonial. This is completely different!” “How is so…?” “Don’t make me say it…” Alfoncina pouted slightly. “This is my first time truly sucking the blood of a boy my own age… The last time was a joke, but this is different… I’m going to really make you my minion…” She cut herself off. “I have a feeling I’m going to lose a lot of friends…”