It’s been a while since I last saw Shurein.
Since Jamil was sulking, I rushed to the 47th Floor and assigned a person there, as well as set up housing for them.
As long as the Moon Altar is managed, one person is enough.
When I asked Silvia if she knew anyone in the clergy, she introduced me to someone who had quit being a priest due to disliking the power struggles within the temple.
That person, Jin, was a man nearing his elder years.
Jin seemed to be planning to live in seclusion, but after hearing Silvia’s plea and listening to his story, he agreed to come.
He seemed happy to be able to live without worrying about anyone.
Incidentally, the Moon Altar is a place where one can perform Divine Union with Jamil.
Even from his perspective as a priest, it was a rather attractive place.
Originally, I had only planned to assign one person, but considering Jin’s age, I decided to assign an orphaned boy to him.
I also thought it would be good if he could become his successor.
After making those arrangements, Kousuke returned to the management layer with Silvia. As he headed towards the great hall to relax, he was unexpectedly caught by Shurein.
“Kousuke, would you accompany me for a moment?”
“Huh? Well, alright, but is something wrong?”
“Nothing much. I just want you to come to the castle, or rather, to the Orb, for a little while.”
Kousuke tilted his head slightly at Shurein’s sudden request, but quickly agreed.
“Sure.”
“Wonderful! I’m glad to hear that!”
Kousuke tilted his head again, wondering why Shurein seemed so inexplicably happy.
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Come to think of it, it had been a long time since Kousuke had visited Vermilia Castle.
Vampire clans generally have very little reason to meet in person.
In the beginning, I even acted as an intermediary with the Crown’s commercial division, but after a few times, it was no longer necessary for me to be present for such matters.
Furthermore, with the advent of teleportation gates, there was no longer any need to go directly to the 76th Floor.
For Kousuke’s part, he had no need to interfere as Shurein had been managing the 76th Floor properly.
Thus, after a considerable interval, it was time for a visit. Upon seeing Vermilia Castle again after so long, Kousuke’s jaw dropped.
Vermilia Castle, which was already quite large, had undergone an unbelievable expansion.
It was no longer just an expansion; it had transformed into something that could be considered a completely different castle.
“…What is this?”
“It’s your fault, Kousuke. You hardly ever come to this floor.”
Shurein said with a touch of sulkiness to the dumbfounded Kousuke.
“…No, I’m sorry. Regarding that Orb, there was hardly anything I could contribute… no, that’s no excuse.”
“Ah… no, I apologize. I wasn’t trying to blame you.”
Shurein panicked slightly as Kousuke began to reflect on his own.
In the management layer, the two of them met almost every day.
While there was a way to report this on the spot, Shurein was also partly at fault for not having done so.
In the end, it was a bit of both their faults.
“As I mentioned before, Vermilia Castle has the property of changing in accordance with the ‘rank’ of the Orb. Since the Orb’s ‘rank’ has been growing steadily, the castle has been able to expand to this extent.”
“Is that so?”
“You say that as if it has nothing to do with you, but Kousuke, you are also involved.”
Shurein smiled as if playing a small prank, and Kousuke tilted his head.
“…Huh? Really?”
From Kousuke’s perspective, he had hardly been involved with the Vermilia Orb at all.
He had completely left it to Shurein.
Although Shurein had asked him to set up summoning circles and some minor natural objects, he hadn’t used many points for them.
He hadn’t thought that those things would be related to the Orb’s growth.
“Ah, of course, there’s that too. As I said before, those things are not as significant as you might imagine. The reason it has grown so much is, as I’ve said before, thanks to our nightly activities.”
“…What!? R-Really!?”
“Why would I lie about something like this? Besides, haven’t I told you before?”
It was true that he had heard before that Kousuke’s intimacy was related to the Orb’s growth.
However, he had thought it was only related to the Orb’s “rank” in terms of divine power, and he hadn’t expected the castle itself to grow.
“Well, yes, but… it’s just so unexpected.”
“Well, to be blunt, your essence, Kousuke, has become like blood-sucking to me, or even more powerful. And the Orb’s ‘rank’ has also risen accordingly.
The Vermilia Orb, which is said to be the embodiment of Shurein’s power, naturally rises in ‘rank’ as its owner’s power increases.
As the Orb’s ‘rank’ rises, the castle’s ‘rank’ also rises, and thus the castle itself has grown (?).
Incidentally, the rise in the Orb’s ‘rank’ means that Shurein’s power has increased.
“…So, that means Shurein’s power has increased because of… that?”
“Exactly.”
Shurein replied without a hint of embarrassment.
Seeing this, Kousuke felt a vague sense of foreboding.
“Um… don’t tell me, your clan members know about this…?”
“Of course, they do?”
Shurein stated so casually that Kousuke turned to flee… but someone caught him.
“Hahaha. To come this far and try to escape, I won’t allow it. Please give up.”
Zennet, one of Shurein’s retainers, appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Kousuke’s arm.
“…Can’t you let me off the hook?”
“I’m sorry. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you. Please give up and accept our hospitality.”
Kousuke looked to Shurein for help, but he was watching him with his hands clasped together.
He then looked at Mitsuki, who had accompanied him, but she had a look of pure amusement on her face.
Realizing no help was coming, Kousuke sighed in resignation.
“…Alright. I won’t run away anymore, so please let go.”
Zennet still had a grip on Kousuke’s clothes.
“Oh. My apologies.”
“Well, nothing will happen that Kousuke might be thinking. Everyone simply wants to express their gratitude to Kousuke.”
“…Gratitude?”
As far as Kousuke was concerned, he hadn’t done anything to warrant such gratitude.
“What are you saying? The fact that our scattered clan can gather here is undoubtedly thanks to Kousuke?”
Zennet nodded in agreement with Shurein’s words.
“Moreover, we now have such a magnificent castle. It would be among the top in history, even for a king.”
“Oh… is that so? …Wait, speaking of which, if it’s hospitality, does that include food?”
“Of course, it has been prepared.”
“…In that case, I’d like to invite the other members too.”
“I’ll go and call them. Zennet, please guide Kousuke and Mitsuki.”
“Understood. Kousuke, Mitsuki, this way.”
Zennet bowed deeply to Shurein and then led Kousuke and the others to the venue for the reception (?).
I hadn’t forgotten them, but the flow of the story didn’t provide an opportunity to introduce them.
The story extended more than I expected, so the talk of Shurein will continue in the next installment.
