A thick, swirling mist blanketed everything.
From within its depths, a classic train, its whistle shaking the very fog, traveled along the leylines.
In the foremost cabin, a Neco-Arc, wearing a conductor's cap, stared ahead with intense focus.
Her resolute eyes seemed to indicate this was an immensely difficult task.
Her round paws carefully pushed a lever, while on the control panel beside her, two words glowed with a faint light:
'Auto'.
Satisfied, Conductor Neco-Arc nodded, hopped down from the operator's seat, and wrapped herself in a quilt that draped over her shoulders like imperial robes.
Then, she fell straight asleep.
This train was now the domain of the Neco-Arcs.
Observing the Neco-Arcs that were absolutely everywhere, Natsuki Minamiya came to a conclusion.
Janitor Neco-Arcs were cleaning the guest rooms, Security Neco-Arcs patrolled around holding tiny batons, and Attendant Neco-Arcs were handing out auction catalogs to the guests.
She hadn't visited for a while, and it seemed their numbers had increased again.
"...And this one?" Natsuki asked, looking at a Neco-Arc in front of her, dressed in black and adjusting its collar.
"Auctioneer."
With a clear, crisp sound, Trimmau placed a teacup before Natsuki Minamiya.
In the past, the auctioneer was either Trimmau or someone hired externally.
"They can even do that?" Natsuki raised a skeptical eyebrow.
She owned a Neco-Arc herself, but she'd never really put it to use.
Silently, Trimmau pointed towards the Neco-Arc beside Arcueid Brunestud.
Its round paw was gripping a pen, meticulously carving magic circuits into an eyeball.
Noticing Trimmau's gaze, it looked up and gave a 'meow', then went right back to engraving the circuits.
Natsuki's eyes widened. Neco-Arcs were capable of such delicate work?
Such was the power of a comedic character.
Arcueid Brunestud gently set down her teacup. Her eyes swept across the train car before settling on Natsuki Minamiya.
"Has he appeared?"
"He's already on the train." Natsuki lightly placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a Japanese man, roughly forty years old.
"Gajou Akatsuki, 'The Returnee from the Netherworld'. An archaeologist. He has one son and one daughter."
He was one of the individuals Arcueid had tasked her to find.
As she spoke, she laid out two more photographs.
"Kojou Akatsuki, an ordinary student, and Nagisa Akatsuki, a mixed-ability user."
"They've grown up," Arcueid remarked with a slight nod. "You're heading to the Mediterranean after this?"
The aroma of black tea filled the air. The reddish-orange liquid was poured into a cup, its fragrance enticing.
"A job involving snakes. Dealing with the remnants of the Black Death Emperor Front." Natsuki lifted her teacup, the familiar, wonderful taste making her narrow her eyes slightly.
So... Kojou and Nagisa Akatsuki were about to encounter the Fourth Primogenitor.
It seemed the time she had spent focused on crafting her Mystic Eyes had been quite lengthy.
Arcueid lightly pinched the handle of her cup, a fleeting image of a certain blonde figure passing through her mind.
Perfect timing. She was rather short-handed on her end.
"Follow Kojou and Nagisa Akatsuki."
"Understood." Natsuki gave a slight nod and retrieved the photographs.
The dim sunlight faded from around her.
The horizon swallowed most of the setting sun. In that orange-tinted sky, birds darted through the clouds.
Night was approaching. The auction was about to begin.
--+--
"Truly fit for a Primogenitor. This train is magnificent."
Gajou Akatsuki rubbed the auction catalog in his hands, then gently opened it.
Photos and detailed descriptions of various Mystic Eyes filled the pages. The ability to use corresponding powers simply by supplying mana—it was astounding.
It was a pity the 'Princess of the Moon' didn't sell a large quantity of Mystic Eyes. If there were enough of them...
You ask where the 'Princess of the Moon's' Dominion is? Isn't it this entire planet?
"Welcome, everyone, to the Mystic Eye Auction aboard the train."
A deep, magnetic voice pulled Gajou Akatsuki's thoughts back to the auction.
On the central platform stood a... cat?
"Thank you for your patience. I am the auctioneer for this event." The Neco-Arc, clad in black, straightened its posture and announced solemnly.
"The Mystic Eye Auction now commences."
With those words, a glass cylinder appeared beside it.
"First, we have item number one: the Noble Color—Eyes of Combustion, which can set anything within their line of sight ablaze."
"I believe you are all already aware of their function from the preview, so I shall not elaborate further."
The deep voice masterfully guided the atmosphere of the room. The black-clad Neco-Arc presided over the auction with elegant poise.
"Excuse me..."
A voice rang out.
A human man stood up.
"The Princess's collection of Mystic Eyes is vast, I wonder..."
Like a master of ceremonies at an unveiling, he paused for effect.
Then, he spoke words of grave disrespect.
"...if there exists a Mystic Eye capable of killing a Primogenitor."
The auction hall was instantly engulfed in silence.
To ask about a Mystic Eye that could kill a Primogenitor, at an auction hosted by a Primogenitor no less—wasn't this seeking death?
And a Mystic Eye that could kill a Primogenitor? Impossible.
An absurd notion, a preposterous act.
Smiles appeared on the vampires' faces, some even laughing outright.
Faced with this provocation, the black-clad Neco-Arc maintained its smile and replied calmly.
"On this particular occasion, I am unable to answer that question."
Stunned silence.
As if petrified by the legendary Medusa, everyone present froze solid.
The auctioneer had not denied the existence of such a Mystic Eye. The crux of the matter was 'on this occasion'.
The questioner seemed not to have expected this response either, sitting back down with extremely clumsy movements.
The next moment, everyone stirred, and the auction hall was immediately covered by a wave of noisy exclamations.
Most of the attendees were informants for various factions. They rapidly noted down this astonishing piece of intelligence.
In a secluded booth upstairs, the witch's expression froze.
"...Does such a thing truly exist?" she murmured.
Her blue eyes reflected Arcueid Brunestud's face.
"Yes."
Arcueid responded indifferently.
In this world, a vampire's combat prowess relied entirely on their Familiars. Their physical bodies were roughly on par with other demonic tribes.
Apart from the ability to host Familiars within their blood, vampires held no advantage over other races. Even their physical regeneration depended on their Familiars.
Once all the Familiars within a Primogenitor were destroyed, they were at your mercy.
Familiars were summoned beasts, materialized from another world through vast magical power. Their existence was that of a mass of condensed mana.
Any means capable of nullifying magic could, therefore, kill a Primogenitor.
And such means...
Back in her residence, a pair of eyeballs faintly glowed with an unusual light.
"Order, please." The black-clad Neco-Arc lightly rapped its gavel, once again presenting the Mystic Eye up for bid.
"The starting price for the Eyes of Combustion is..."
After the brief commotion, the auction returned to its normal course.
Watching the lively scene below, Natsuki Minamiya lightly tapped her folded fan against her hand.
"Mystic Eyes..."
For a fleeting moment, a flash of crimson passed through her own eyes.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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.