An ethereal glow spilled from the elegant train doors as the figures of young girls flitted past them one by one.
What greeted them was a spacious carriage, beyond whose windows scattered starlight twinkled.
It was a softly lit lounge car, with various styles of seats arranged along both sides of the aisle. At the end of the row on the right stood several bookshelves.
Judging by the setup, it seemed to be a reading nook.
At the far end of the carriage was a door with a small glass window, through which an endless expanse of rooms could be seen.
The girls were observing the interior decor with great interest.
Aesc stood in the center of the train, looking down at her own palm.
'Am I appearing here in my Aesc form?'
She nodded to herself and turned to look at Suigintou and the others.
"Can you still recognize me?"
"Of course."
The girls replied in unison.
"Although you've taken on a new appearance, the familiar feeling in our hearts hasn't changed."
Suigintou, arms crossed, gave her wings a light flap.
"That's good. You all should go find your rooms first."
Aesc placed the witch's hat from her head onto a nearby table, her gaze shifting to the small bookshelf at the center of the reading nook.
On the top shelf sat a single, somewhat thick volume. It was the only one there.
This sparse collection looked utterly out of place compared to the other fully-stuffed shelves.
The slightly messy footsteps faded into the distance as Aesc sat alone on a chair beside the bookshelf.
She glanced at the book of magic that had appeared in her hand, its cover clearly emblazoned with the words 'Unbreakable Machine Doll'.
'Did they specially provide a place to store memories?'
The witch smiled and placed the memories from this period onto the bookshelf.
As the book settled into place, a cocoon of light suddenly materialized on the seat next to the shelf.
It quivered faintly, as if nurturing something within.
A few seconds later, a black-haired girl with her eyes tightly closed appeared on the seat.
Aesc blinked, looking at the familiar-looking girl before her.
A lace hair accessory held up a cascade of waist-length, lustrous blue-black hair.
The girl was clad in a peculiar ceremonial outfit reminiscent of a medieval knight's formal wear, yet it couldn't be precisely called either a dress or armor.
The skirt was adorned with multiple layers of ruffles, and her waist was cinched tightly with a ribbon, so slender it seemed it might snap with a bend.
But over the lace-covered fabric, she wore metal gauntlets and a waistplate that encased her form.
Aesc's eyes lingered on the black collar around the girl's neck and the massive silver lock hanging from her chest, rubbing her chin with interest.
'Well, if it isn't Dalian.'
The Black Biblioprincess from Dantalian's Bookshelf, keeper of a forbidden library housing 900,666 phantom books that should not exist in this world.
'Can my story give birth to a Biblioprincess?'
Musing, Aesc casually tapped the 'Depart' button that appeared beside her.
[Departure confirmed.]
Simultaneously, the train car began to tremble.
A semi-transparent screen, resembling a star chart, materialized before Aesc. In its center, clearly written in bold letters, it read:
[Next Destination — Strike the Blood.]
[Template — Archetype: Earth / Arcueid Brunestud.]
'The Princess, huh.'
She looked back at Suigintou, who had emerged upon noticing the commotion.
"I'm heading out first."
Suigintou, watching as Aesc began to fade into motes of light, seemed to understand. She nodded at her.
--+--
Europe.
Flecks of silvery light filtered through the clouds, showering a golden-haired man.
Dimitrie Vatler walked under the night sky, ahead of him lay the residence of the ruler of the Warlord's Empire, the First Primogenitor — Ki Juranbarada.
He admired the beautiful moonlit scene, strolling at a leisurely pace.
But the next moment, a strange sensation prickled at his mind.
Unnoticed, a figure stood silently behind him.
A gentle breeze stirred strands of noble golden hair, making them sway like dancing sprites in the moonlight.
The long hem of her dress barely brushed the ground, yet not a speck of dust clung to it.
The pristine moonlight bathed the girl whose eyes were softly closed. A slender longsword beside her reflected the silvery glow.
This immaculate silhouette was like a pure white flower perched on a high cliff, visible yet unattainable.
His lungs expanded and contracted rapidly, as if fighting the world for air.
His keen senses alerted him to the presence behind him, while simultaneously grasping the boundless pressure emanating from it.
The blood in his veins screamed frantic warnings — Run!
The one behind him was releasing her presence without the slightest concealment.
The atmosphere rejoiced, mana frolicked, the entire world seemed to welcome her arrival.
To make someone close to a Primogenitor feel fear...
Without a doubt, the one behind him was a True Ancestor.
But this aura... unlike any he'd known... a new Primogenitor?
Vatler's lips curled into a grin. Following the fear came the thrill of facing a powerful opponent.
He clenched his fist, whirling around violently.
And, without mercy, unleashed his Familiar.
"Sagara!"
A vicious blood-mist erupted from his entire body, taking the form of a giant serpent.
One of the Familiars dwelling within Dimitrie Vatler's blood, the sea serpent Vassal that manipulated water pressure.
It could instantly compress the surrounding air to thousands of atmospheres, or conversely, reduce it to a vacuum.
Guided by its master, Sagara phantasmatically solidified its body and lunged at the girl.
As if disturbed by the noise, her eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly.
And then, stunning crimson eyes opened upon this world.
The Familiar's strike, powerful enough to turn carbon into diamond, vanished into the air without a sound before it could even touch her.
"So strong."
Vatler's lips lifted in pleasure.
The next instant, dust exploded.
The figure of the golden-haired man vanished from his spot, smashing violently into the ground in the distance.
The roar of the impact reached his ears a moment later. The ground before him had been torn apart with ease in a single moment.
A vicious scar now lay upon the earth.
This wasn't some special technique, just the girl's simple, gentle wave of her hand.
As the Moon Princess awoke, the night breeze blowing across the night sky stilled.
The night slowly returned to silence.
Gently lowering the hand she had just moved, Brunestud cast a sidelong glance, focusing intently on something within the dust.
Every minute detail of her surroundings entered her mind. The longsword beside her traced a beautiful arc, hovering in front of her.
Someone was coming.
As the dust gradually settled, a tall figure appeared within her line of sight.
A man with short hair, seemingly in his mid-twenties, with a slender build, stood before Vatler.
He glanced down at Vatler, who had lost half his body, and smirked. "What a formidable strike."
"Insolent fool. If you are not a beast, then state your name."
Brunestud turned slowly, the long skirt of her dress swaying with her movement under the night sky.
Her crimson eyes gleamed with a blood-like radiance in the moonlight, the authority shining within them making the short-haired man's body grow heavy.
"Or is it that your foolish parents failed to teach you the most basic courtesy?"
As if fleeing a calamity, the clouds swiftly vanished from this stretch of sky.
The full moon hung high in the night, like a silver mirror.
Moonlight poured down like water, drenching the two figures standing in confrontation.
--+--
T/N: Sorry for the current readers, but staring tmr, the number of chapters is decreasing to two. Mainly cause its not as popular, but also cause im getting a little more busy.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.