Aozaki Aoko Case File

Because all three of them had the kind of physique that wouldn't gain weight no matter how much they ate, even with the calorie-laden feast Aoko had prepared tonight, the beautiful girls could eat to their hearts' content. Arcueid especially favored the Russian apple pie.

The Cheshire fat cat was even less worried—if anything, its aesthetic standard seemed to be the fatter, the stronger, so it ate without a hint of reservation.

The only one who might gain weight and see their combat effectiveness drop was Stark... but with a name like that, being a little chubby didn't seem to matter. A couple of flights outside would burn it all off anyway.

Just like the true Kuonji mansion, the Western-style house conjured by Aoko's mansion-creation magic also had a luxurious bathroom.

After enjoying the feast, the three of them soaked in a delightful hot bath.

Although the True Ancestor and the two magicians had bodies capable of self-purification, taking a bath was undoubtedly a behavior embraced by all civilized beings—a luxurious pleasure. Naturally, Arcueid wouldn't reject such enjoyment.

The warm, soothing water lapped gently against the three girl's bodies as they sat comfortably in the enormous claw-foot bathtub. Their soft skin glistened under the dim light, and the scent of lavender filled the air. This was a moment of pure indulgence for them, a chance to wash away the stress of their day and enjoy each other's company...

They stayed in the mansion until the afternoon of the next day. Aoko even brought out a box of board games to play with Touko and Arcueid for several hours, thoroughly captivating Arcueid, who had rarely been exposed to human entertainment.

During this time, however, there were still unfortunate people diligently working or wholeheartedly scheming. Merem Solomon, the loyal retainer of Crimson Moon, was one such person.

Upon hearing from the Church last night that the lunatic Mario was planning to raid the princess, Merem had been in a state of anxiety. It wasn't that he was worried about the princess being defeated by Mario and his gang of misfits, but rather that when he tried to secretly report the news to Arcueid, he discovered that the princess was missing!

If it was simply that Arcueid wasn't staying in her cheap rental apartment, he wouldn't have been surprised—after all, the princess had come here to search for Roa, so it was normal for her to go out on errands.

But he waited in the apartment until noon the next day, and the princess still hadn't returned! Moreover, his locator spell for the princess had failed. Could it be that Mario and his crew had succeeded?!

Anxious and distraught, Merem immediately left Arcueid's rental apartment and planned to confront Mario at the Church. If Mario had indeed captured Arcueid, Merem Solomon might just kill Mario first, then defect from the Holy Church…

Meanwhile, two Ancestors, White Wing Duke and Chromclay Petastructure, had also arrived in the Souya district. However, these two cautious individuals, upon learning that both Nero Chaos and Vlov Arkhangel had been taken out, immediately went into hiding to observe the situation. After all, they had long lifespans, and their conflict with the True Ancestor princess wasn't urgent.

The way these two hid was quite peculiar. In a sense, it bore similarities to Aoko's mansion-creation magic. At the moment, the two were residing inside Chromclay's Principle, [Castle, therefore kingdom], listening to music performed by servants like ancient nobles and sipping wine mixed with fresh blood while keeping an eye on the situation.

"Lord Ortenrosse, besides the Church, the two new magicians—sisters of the Aozaki family—have also appeared. The Fourth Magician took out Vlov," Chromclay said, frowning as he consulted White Wing Duke. "Should we still proceed with our plan to hunt the True Ancestor?"

"Hmm… that is indeed a problem," Ortenrosse said, furrowing his brow. "This country has gathered too many unexpected players. If we want to hunt the White Princess, it might be better to create more chaos so we can take advantage of the situation…"

"Should we release 'that'?" Chromclay asked cautiously. "Even for us… releasing it in such a massive city might be a bit excessive…"

"Hmph, that's a trivial concern," White Wing Duke Ortenrosse said impatiently, waving his hand. "Rather, we should use the chaos created by summoning Einnashe's progeny to lure the meddlesome White Princess to the center of the turmoil. That way, you can trap her in your Castle and temporarily suppress her Marble Phantasm."

The Marble Phantasm was essentially an ability possessed by spirits serving as the planet's sensory extensions. It allowed them to reshape reality by manipulating probabilities, essentially commanding the world around them to conform to their imagination. In essence, it was the pinnacle of Reality Marbles.

However, the prerequisite for using this ability was that Arcueid had to remain connected to the planet. If she were placed in a space isolated from this world, she wouldn't be able to use it—just like inside Aoko's mansion-creation magic yesterday.

White Wing Duke planned to use Chromclay's Principle to neutralize the princess's greatest weapon, the Marble Phantasm. Afterward, he would personally step in, using the home-field advantage to defeat and kill her.

What annoyed him now, however, was that the two new magicians had allied with the True Ancestor princess. It reminded him of how the Second Magician had been friendly with the princess in the past, which left Ortenrosse feeling frustrated.

"That damned Old Man of Jewels killed your parents, and now you're working with these magicians? Don't you hold any grudges?"

...

"Princess, I've been looking all over for you!"

As Aoko, Touko, and Arcueid were checking into a new hotel, a short-haired boy in a white priest's robe came running toward Arcueid with a tearful expression. "I was worried the Church had captured you! I almost got into a fight with that brat Mario!"

"You have so little faith in me!" Arcueid said nonchalantly, putting her hands on her hips. "The Holy Church doesn't have the means to deal with me right now. Besides, why would they even bother? Are they crazy?"

"Let's discuss that later…" Merem Solomon coughed and glanced around before continuing, "But to think you've become friends with these two magicians. Should I say it's to be expected of you? I'm truly delighted… I'm sure Crimson Moon-sama would be pleased as well!"

Aoko had the urge to retort, Is it okay to bring up Crimson Moon like that? In their current half-dead state, isn't it because of the Old Man of Jewels?

"So you're the Crown, Merem Solomon?" Aoko scrutinized the boy, noting that his limbs were made of some kind of black, unidentified substance. "Coming to Souya has certainly introduced me to some rare characters."

"I entrust the princess to your care, Miss Blue, and to you as well, Third Magician," Melian Solomon said with a flawless aristocratic bow. "Actually, besides finding the princess, I have some important information to share with the two of you… Why don't we find a quiet place to talk?"

Aoko and Touko exchanged subtle glances, feeling a bit wary about this Dead Apostle Ancestor who normally stayed out of affairs. Why had he suddenly come looking for them? Could it be something critical?