Shurein’s condition…
This is the first of two installments updated today.
Shurein was alone in her throne room in Vermilia Castle, pondering.
The matter was none other than the Vermilia Jewel.
The Vermilia Jewel was originally a treasure possessed by Shurein’s clan.
Rather than merely possessing it, it was an entity that coexisted with the Vermilia clan, a vampire clan.
More precisely, it was an entity that coexisted with the one who would become the clan’s leader.
Since Shurein was currently the clan leader, if she were to disappear from this world, the jewel would also cease to exist.
However, even if the jewel were destroyed, as long as Shurein existed, it could revive immediately.
In essence, the Vermilia Jewel was like a concentrated power that the clan leader would inherit.
By the way, the castle was something attached to the jewel.
With the jewel, a castle could be created anywhere.
However, creating a castle from scratch required an immense amount of magic power.
The Vermilia clan had once been destroyed.
To be precise, the force that could exist as a nation was lost in war.
With their numbers drastically reduced by the war, the clan chose to survive by scattering.
Their plan was to eventually increase their numbers and re-establish themselves as a nation, but that did not go well.
When they lost their castle (the jewel) during the war, they also lost the clan’s king at that time.
Normally, the one who should become the next king would inherit the jewel, but among those who survived, no one was chosen by the jewel.
Shurein and those gathered here had no answer as to why it appeared as an installation in the tower.
Furthermore, it was unclear why Shurein, who had been wandering the world, was summoned by Mitsuki’s summoning.
Perhaps she was attracted by Kousuke’s blood.
Shurein and those summoned by her summoning could only call about fifty members of her clan.
Summoning itself was not a convenient method; when summoning someone who exists in this world, they can only be summoned if their whereabouts and life status are clearly known.
Then, there is the question of why Mitsuki could summon Shurein, to which Shurein, if she were herself now, would answer “Because she is from another dimension.”
Both Kouhi and Mitsuki possess strength and techniques comparable to cheating.
Therefore, they could not be used easily, and it was only Shurein who could perform the summoning of the vampire clan.
As a result, they could not rely on summoning to call the scattered members of the clan any further, and the number of clan members had plateaued.
Of course, as vampires, they could increase their numbers by drinking blood, but even if numbers were increased through such means, it would only invite resentment and ultimately be self-destructive.
Moreover, creating kin through blood-drinking inevitably lowered one’s standing as a vampire.
Ultimately, increasing numbers through natural (perhaps?) sexual intercourse was the best way.
However, after consulting with Kousuke, they were indeed considering a method to somehow draw in the dispersed clan members from around the world to the tower.
They also had to manage the castle, so only a few people could be dispatched, but they intended to use those individuals to spread rumors.
Namely, the rumor that Vermilia Castle had been revived within the tower.
This rumor would not directly announce the revival of the castle within the tower.
However, they would embed a cipher that those who listened would understand.
Even so, it was possible that unwanted individuals might also be drawn into the tower, but when Kousuke heard about this, he said it was acceptable.
After all, for the tower, the more people who operated within it, the more Holy Power, Magic Power, and Divine Power could be recovered.
Except when wars broke out, currently, fewer and fewer people shunned vampires, so those who attacked indiscriminately simply because someone was a vampire were a minority.
Therefore, they chose about six individuals and registered them with the Crown to work as adventurers.
If they skillfully spread the rumors, it would take time, but the rumors would likely spread to other continents as well.
As it was a hot topic, rumors about Amamiya Tower spread very easily among adventurers.
They decided to take advantage of this.
However, it was undeniable that it would take time, but they had to accept it.
It was far more certain than doing nothing.
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Even while contemplating such matters, what was currently troubling Shurein the most was something else.
Seeing Shurein’s troubled expression, Zennet, one of her close retainers who was highly valued, approached her.
“You seem to be troubled.”
“…Zennet…”
Shurein glanced at Zennet and immediately attempted to re-enter her train of thought, but Zennet, for some reason, smiled knowingly.
“…What is so amusing?”
“Oh, nothing. I never thought that you, Shurein-sama, whom I’ve known since childhood, would suffer from lovesickness.”
Yes. What had been troubling Shurein’s mind was Kousuke.
Shurein, who was about to reflexively deny it, immediately reconsidered and fell silent.
No matter how she thought about it, Zennet’s words were correct.
“…Don’t say it. …I am the one who understands it best.”
If asked when it started, she would answer immediately: from the moment she drank his blood.
She had become so captivated by Kousuke’s blood.
But now, it wasn’t just that. It was as they say, “there’s no accounting for taste”; she thought about his entirety with an unshakeable intensity.
However, the person she most wanted to convey her feelings to was the one who understood them the least.
“Perhaps my behavior when I first drank his blood was the problem…”
As for Kousuke, he understood that Shurein had feelings for him, but he seemed to believe that it was solely regarding his blood.
“Was it really that much of an impact…?”
Zennet had never tasted Kousuke’s blood.
However, it was not guaranteed that Kousuke’s blood would have the same effect on Shurein.
“To be blunt, it is now impossible for me to take anyone other than Kousuke-dono as a partner. It was that significant.”
Vampires, especially those called Vampire Princesses like Shurein, sometimes discern their future partners through blood.
However, such a thing held no meaning for Kousuke, a Human.
It became a chicken-and-egg problem.
“Well, for us, even if it takes time, it’s not a problem.”
Hearing those words, Shurein understood what Zennet was implying and her expression turned as if she had bitten into something bitter.
“…It can’t be helped. Kousuke-dono wishes for the Jewel’s rank to increase.”
To be precise, he expects the Divine Power generated by the Vermilia Jewel to increase, but it was probably the same thing.
Shurein did not know that Divine Power was generated from the Vermilia Jewel (or perhaps its nature changed when it was incorporated into the tower?), but she knew that the jewel possessed a “rank.”
This was based on an oral tradition from past experiences.
However, the condition for raising the rank of that jewel was…
“…Honestly. Why is the condition for raising the ‘rank’ to make a vow…”
Shurein muttered and slumped her shoulders.
Although Shurein herself should be happy about this, the other party was involved.
If she discussed the matter of the “rank” and then asked, Kousuke would likely not refuse, but she did not want to do that.
Shurein was, after all, a maiden.
Or rather, she had been forced to recognize herself as a maiden.
“Perhaps you could consult with someone close to Kousuke-sama?”
“Is there anyone like that…?”
Shurein initially tried to deny Zennet’s suggestion but immediately a face came to mind.
It was Mitsuki.
Shurein knew that if she pondered alone, she would likely fail, so she eventually decided to consult Mitsuki.
Shurein’s story continues.
The second installment will be updated at 8 PM.
2014/6/11 Typo corrections
