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Inside the castle chamber where Lubbock rested, everyone sat in silence, listening intently to his account.

“…After that, I followed the Imperial Princess’ instructions and made it to the teleporter. I tried casting the teleportation spell, but the Void Mist was already closing in. We escaped by the skin of our teeth—any later, and we’d have been swallowed whole.”

The teleporter had an enchantment allowing only a registered person to activate it through a specific aria. Fortunately, Oliana was registered and had learned the incantation. Even so, under those circumstances, it must have been a dangerously close call.

“Ah, right. The Imperial Princess—how is she?”
“She’s safe. Resting in another room, under the care of her relatives.”
“So, she’s safe… and she has family? That’s good to hear.”

Lubbock let out a deep sigh, as though a weight he had carried for far too long had finally lifted. Then, as if realizing something, he turned toward me and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused… Honestly, I don’t deserve anything from you after everything I’ve done.”
“It’s fine—let bygones be bygones. Besides, you helped us back when we fought Shima.”
“My lady’s got the right idea, boss. Just focus on turning over a new leaf. As long as you reflect on your past, it’s never too late to start over.”

Kagerou suddenly popped his head up like a rabbit, patting my shoulder as he spoke—acting as if he himself had never been guilty of the same mistakes.

‘You’re the last person I want to hear that from,’ Lubbock’s lips moved to retort, but before he could speak, his expression twisted into pure shock the moment he got a good look at Kagerou.

…Oh. Right. I forgot to mention it.

“H-HOW are you still alive?!”
“Hnn~! That’s the kind of reaction I was waiting for! It’s such a letdown when people don’t react properly, you know?”

Kagerou’s face lit up with a smug grin, clearly pleased at having gotten the reaction he wanted. He must have been waiting for this moment just to revel in it.

“Anyway, long story short—I used the same medicine as you two. The Blood of the Ancestor God—the one My Lady gave you to turn you into vampires. So yeah, I’m a vampire now. But as you can see, I’m doing just fine.”

“……”

Lubbock was utterly speechless. But slowly—ever so slightly—a glimmer of joy flickered in his expression.

“T-Then… does that mean Tamegoro can be revived too? If her life jewel is destroyed?”
“I’m the only confirmed success so far. There’s no precedent. Even then, the vampire transformation isn’t guaranteed—it’s not a perfect process. So I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”
“I see… That’s fine. As long as there’s some chance, I’ll take it.”
“Well, it’ll take at least three days and three nights before you know the outcome.”

However, my words cast a shadow over Lubbock’s hopeful expression.

“Three days…? Then I probably won’t be around to see the result.”
“Why do you say that?”
“My life jewel… It’s probably still lying somewhere in the imperial capital. It’s only a matter of time before the Void Mist consumes it.”
“Heh, so our boss might be joining our ranks, huh? Alright then—I’ll have a bottle of rare blood ready for you at dawn when you wake up as one of us. Top-quality, untouched stock, guaranteed.”

Tengai chuckled as he spoke, but then, as if something had suddenly crossed his mind, his gaze drifted off in a different direction.

“One more thing… I haven’t apologized for Kaede. I truly am sorry, Hiyuki. What happened was my failure.”

Kaede had been Lubbock’s red-haired angel—his pet. A rare drop. I had been lucky enough to obtain two, but at the time, I was too focused on upgrading my other pets, so I had given one to him.

“There’s no need for that, Lord Lubbock. My little sister would have been proud to serve as your shield in such a dire moment, regardless of the outcome. So please—lift your head.”

Before I could say anything, Momiji—the second angel I had obtained alongside Kaede, and the one who had been my companion ever since—stepped forward, speaking as Kaede’s elder sister.

She was Kaede’s mirror image, save for her long hair, which was tied back in a ponytail.

Lubbock stared at her for a long moment before bowing his head. “…This might be selfish, but I have one more request.”

Lifting his head, Lubbock turned to face me once more. “My life jewel… It won’t last more than a few hours. So if Tamegoro… If Tamegoro doesn’t wake up before I go… Then let me stay dead.”

Kagerou’s lips curled into a pout at Lubbock’s words.

“Wow. You really are ungrateful, huh, Boss? Shouldn’t you be declaring something like, ‘I’ll dedicate my new life to serving the young lady!’ or whatever?”

“…I know the debt I owe. But if our roles were reversed… I know Tamegoro would make the same choice.” Lubbock’s eyes held firm resolve—unyielding, absolute. Anything but yes would be pointless.

“No talking you out of it, huh? Fine, I’ll make sure to put you down myself if it comes to that. You can step into the afterlife without a care.”

Kagerou’s voice was solemn—yet in stark contrast to his tone, he cheerfully pulled out a wooden stake and The Cross Sword of the Cathedral Crusaders from his inventory. …Where did he even get that?

“I really hope I’m just imagining things… but you seem way too excited about this.”

“Of course not! That must be entirely in your head. I have absolutely no excitement at the thought of personally taking down the strongest swordsman. None whatsoever.” Kagerou shot back with a quip, all while neatly arranging an assortment of weapons beside Lubbock’s pillow.

“Anyway, I’ll handle things here—including keeping an eye on their vampirification. In the meantime, I’m sure the esteemed Imperial Princess would appreciate your company more, My Lady.”

I accepted Kagerou’s kindness—I think it’s kindness, right? He’s taking on the unpleasant task of killing a friend so I won’t have to feel guilty… right?—and decided to visit Oliana instead.

Christoff was probably with her, but maybe she’d feel more at ease with the company of another… girl (?).

“Boss, how would you like your farewell gift? A clean strike to the neck, or a stake through the heart?”
“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! You’re enjoying this way too much, aren’t you?!”

The familiar banter between Kagerou and Lubbock echoed behind me as I walked down the corridor, Tengai by my side. As I moved, my gaze drifted to the ever-darkened sky of the Sky Garden, visible through the pane of glass—or whatever strange, durable material served in its place.

Meanwhile, far beyond that sky—on the surface—Azure God was reducing the world to nothingness. And just as I suspected, all of it was to draw me out.

I had no way of knowing which of his words held any truth. But this much, I was certain of—he wanted me to come to him.

“It’s so damn frustrating… always playing right into the enemy’s hand.”
“—Hmm? Did you say something, Princess?”

Tengai glanced at me, having caught my muttered complaint. I simply shook my head, dismissing it, and continued toward the room where Oliana was resting.

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