— — — — — —
Faced with Ryo's question, Kato fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure."
"I only know the Vampire King left something behind in this fictional world. What exactly it is, I have no idea."
Ryo wasn't surprised.
To the Order of End, Kato was still an outsider. Not trusting her was the default. If she actually knew everything, Ryo would've suspected a trap instead.
He recalled what he sensed earlier when scanning Onrai Island, then said bluntly. "The Order of End's leftovers are in the underground cave network beneath Onrai Island, right?"
Kato's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"
Beneath Onrai Island was a massive Cave system, far larger than the surface area above it. You could say the underground was the island's true body.
And as far as she knew, only she and the Order of End members were aware of it.
"How? By looking, obviously."
Ryo shot her a glance, not bothering to explain.
He simply raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
A crisp sound echoed.
The world around them shifted like a stage set being swapped out. The breezy ring road encircling the island vanished, replaced by a dark, damp cave stretching into the shadows.
Inside that cave sat a row of old, slightly decayed wooden buildings.
"What the—!"
Sayaka's eyes flew open. She grabbed her weapon and stepped in front of Yukina.
A sharper voice rang out beside her, "Wait, isn't this the underground survey base?"
Yuno Amase spun in place, staring at the surroundings in disbelief. Her gaze landed on a broken section near the stairs of the wooden building.
"Look. That break in the stairs is from when I left two days ago."
"The underground survey base? Isn't that the facility used for studying the Beast Breakers?" Shizuri muttered.
Deep below Onrai Island lived dangerous magical creatures called Beast Breakers. The area was off-limits to normal personnel. Only researchers and apprentice attack mages could enter.
"But that base is over five kilometers straight down from the surface," Shizuri whispered.
"Isn't it obvious? Spatial magic," said the vampire Nozomi Kamikiba with a light chuckle. Her bright eyes watched Ryo's profile with interest.
"To teleport all of us here instantly by force... so this is the power of a Fourth Primogenitor? My my. Impressive."
"…This vampire's brain is definitely loose," Shizuri thought helplessly.
At that moment, Ryo suddenly turned toward Yukina and Sayaka.
"Yukina, Sayaka, take the Angel and wait inside that house. I need to go deeper underground."
"Yes!"
Yukina blinked, then answered loudly. She gently held Ms Angel, Touka Fujisaka.
Sayaka was a beat slower. She kept glancing toward Nozomi Kamikiba, Amase Yuno, and Shido Okurayama.
Noticing her gaze, Nozomi lifted her hands with a grin. "Relax, I won't run."
The other two stayed silent.
Ryo noticed the subtle exchange, glanced their way, and that alone made them flinch.
But his gaze moved on just as quickly.
"You two keep an eye on these three while I'm gone."
"Yes," Yukina responded, then paused. "Three?"
Before she could finish, Ryo casually waved his hand. Shizuri yelped as she was suddenly pulled into his arm, staring up at him in stunned confusion.
She blinked, glanced at the empty spot where she'd just been standing, then back at Ryo's face, still in a daze.
"Oh dear. Looks like you've already checked the entire island."
Kato spoke up with a bright smile.
"I don't know whether it was through familiars or some ability of yours, but if we want to reach the very bottom of the underground space, we do need this little girl."
"Too much talking." Ryo gave her a look and beckoned with his free hand.
Kato hesitated for a second, then walked over with a strange expression and slipped her arm through his empty left arm.
"Eh?"
Shizuri, who had just regained her senses, froze again.
What just happened? Why were they suddenly linked arm in arm?
Wait. His left arm was hooked by Kato, and his right was holding her?
This was… this was…
Her face turned red, but before she could think further, the world shifted again.
The cave became brighter. Blue crystals sprouted across the floor, the walls, and the ceiling, covering everything like a crystal forest.
"Where are we…" Shizuri breathed.
She looked around and spotted a raised platform in the center of the cave, formed entirely from crystal clusters.
On top of the platform rested two deep-brown coffins, silent and unmoving.
"Why are there coffins here? And they're open?"
Shizuri's eyes were drawn to the left coffin. The moment she saw inside, her words died in her throat.
A figure lay within. A face she knew far too well.
A face she saw in the mirror every morning.
It was Shizuri's face.
"There's… me? In the coffin?"
Shizuri's voice trembled. Her hands clung tightly to Ryo's arm like she was hanging onto her last lifeline.
"I suggest you check the other one too," Kato said teasingly.
Shizuri turned stiffly toward the right coffin.
Inside was another familiar figure.
Shinako Kasugaya.
The ex-nun knight who once took Shizuri in.
"So? How does it feel seeing your foster mother?" Kato asked lightly. "Even if it's only her corpse."
Shizuri's pupils contracted. In the next instant, memories surged from the depths of her mind.
Fragments of another life.
Her past.
.
.
.