“We have finished our analysis of the ring.”
Sami Arashima, a sorcerous engineer of the Bureau of Astrology, returned to the tent with a ring in a vinyl bag.
They were on the tip of Island East—Itogami Island’s container base. A great many Attack Mages and guardsmen remained assembled that day at the place Kojou Akatsuki’s Beast Vassals had raged the night before. They were observing the gate leading to Nod that had appeared in the sky above Itogami Island.
Priestesses of the Six Blades of the Bureau of Astrology and Attack Mages of the Lion King Agency could be seen among that group.
“The ring itself is made of high-purity Ashglow Silver but contains faint impurities, organic matter originating from vampire flesh. It is impossible to separate the two due to how strongly they are bonded with the metal, or more to the point, they have molecularly bonded together to form some kind of sorcerous device.”
Sami explained this in a tone more befitting an elegant music teacher than a proficient sorcerous engineer.
Kiriha Kisaki glared at this partner of hers with a cold expression. Sami was a beautiful, cheerful, and sociable woman, but she had the shortcoming of being excessively roundabout and chatty when a subject had piqued her interest.
“Your conclusions?”
Sami pursed her lips, pouting slightly at the bluntness of Kiriha’s question.
“This is a magical object spiritually linking Mr. Kojou Akatsuki with someone else. It has no use other than this, but put another way, the wielder of the ring connected to him in this manner would seem able to draw upon his supposedly inexhaustible demonic energy however she sees fit.”
“So it provides status on par with the Blood Servants of the primogenitors, in other words.”
Kiriha cut Sami short before she could give another long-winded explanation. Yes, said Sami’s smile.
“…So what are you going to do, Kiriha?”
“Meaning?”
“Will you form a pact with him?”
“Me? Become Kojou Akatsuki’s servant…?”
Kiriha openly grimaced.
Realizing that the Lion King Agency Attack Mages sitting at the next table over—Sayaka Kirasaka, Yuiri Haba, and Shio Hikawa—were desperately trying to eavesdrop, Kiriha exhaled with annoyance.
Properly speaking, the ring Kiriha had asked Sami to analyze was something she’d received from Yukina Himeragi of the Lion King Agency. Kiriha had been a candidate to be one of the twelve Blood Servants supposedly required to bring the rampaging Kojou Akatsuki to a halt.
Asagi Aiba, however, had proposed a change of plans at the eleventh hour, and in the end, Kiriha had not become Kojou Akatsuki’s servant. Kojou Akatsuki had somehow regained control over the Beast Vassals, and all should have been well in the land. Even Kiriha couldn’t hide her bewilderment at facing an issue she’d thought had already been settled.
“The Bureau of Astrology seems to desire as much, since strength on the level of a Blood Servant of a primogenitor-class vampire is very difficult to acquire. Kiriha, if you really don’t want to, I don’t mind doing it in your place.”
“…Are you serious, Sami?”
“Yes. I don’t mind having a younger spouse.”
Sami grinned. Kiriha couldn’t tell from her expression just how seriously she had said it. Kiriha sullenly twisted her lips and rested her cheek upon her palm—whereupon her eyes met those of Sayaka, observing with a sidelong glance. That instant, a cruel glint shone from deep in Kiriha’s eyes.
“Hold on…you have a point… Being Kojou Akatsuki’s Blood Servant wouldn’t be so bad, actually.”
Kiriha deliberately nodded in grandiose fashion as she accepted the ring from Sami.
Sure, when she thought about it calmly, the Bureau of Astrology’s proposal wasn’t a raw deal whatsoever. Becoming Kojou Akatsuki’s servant meant your combat abilities would rise by leaps and bounds, and she would be unaging and undying on top of that. In that case, Kiriha making Kojou Akatsuki weak in the knees for her and giving the other girls heartburn was the far more amusing option.
“Hah?! Hold it right there, Kiriha Kisaki! Are you seriously saying that?!”
Inevitably, Sayaka Kirasaka easily fell for Kiriha’s taunting, lobbing complaints while looking as if she were crushing something with her teeth. Kiriha put on a face as if she were noticing Sayaka’s presence for the very first time.
“My, Sayaka Kirasaka? You were listening?”
“I can hear you whether I want to or not!”
Kicking away the metal pipe chair she was sitting in, Sayaka closed the distance with Kiriha. Kiriha calmly watched her do so with a limp wrist and a mystified look.
“What are you so nervous about? I’d meant to become Kojou Akatsuki’s servant from the beginning, yes? Did I not say so just yesterday?”
“It was a different situation back then!! Kojou’s not berserk anymore so there’s no need for you to become his Blood Servant!”
“Whether that man is in his right mind or not isn’t a big deal to me.”
“It’s a really big deal!!”
Sayaka’s face was beet red as she rebutted. Kiriha was desperately holding back her laughter, letting only the tiniest sexy expression come over her face.
“I don’t hate that man, though… giggle, as opposed to a man-hater like you.”
“Wha…I—I don’t particularly…mind Kojou Akatsuki…”
“Do you love him?”
Kiriha verbally backed Sayaka into a corner. Sayaka was startled, her entire body freezing unnaturally.
“O-of course I don’t! Who’d love a man hanging around my Yukina like that…”
“Nah, if it’s one or the other, it’s Yukina Himeragi hanging around him, I think…”
“Well, in Yukii’s case, that’s her mission, so yeah.”
Overhearing the exchange between Kiriha and Sayaka, Shio Hikawa and Yuiri Haba chimed in with oddly appropriate banter. Sayaka shut up the pair with a single glare.
“A-anyway, hand that ring back to the Lion King Agency, Kiriha Kisaki!”
“Huh? You don’t even want to be Kojou Akatsuki’s Blood Servant, so you have no right saying such a thing. If anything, shouldn’t you be the one relinquishing your ring? That goes for the two of you as well.”
Evading Sayaka when she tried to steal the ring by force, Kiriha addressed the two other Lion King Agency Attack Mages. Yuiri Haba was a bit flustered as she shook her head.
“Wait, wait, we never said we wouldn’t become his servants. Right, Shio?”
“Eh?! Er…yesterday I kind of went along with the flow then and there, but when I calmly thought things over, I was, like, it might be too soon for that. Maybe we could start off by going shopping when I have time off and holding hands and…ah…er…it doesn’t have to be just the two of us, you can come with us, Yuiri…”
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