The black-haired girl lay gently in the Princess's hands.
Soft, even breaths sounded as Nagisa's consciousness gradually took dominance.
The Fourth Primogenitor's consciousness and its familiar beasts were housed within Nagisa's body.
Yet, no matter how talented she was as a spirit medium, she couldn't contain the entirety of the Fourth Primogenitor.
What resided within Nagisa was merely the largest portion of its personality.
As for the rest...
Not far away, the ice coffin was slowly melting. The girl sitting within it was shedding tears of distress.
With a turn and a light step, her skirt fluttered.
That noble silhouette appeared before the golden-haired girl.
The island's harsh sunlight displeased Brunestud.
As if sensing the Princess's displeasure, clouds gathered overhead just in time, shielding them from the scorching rays.
"Do you remember anything?"
The girl sat on the ground in a daze and shook her head.
Brunestud looked at the timid girl before her, her tone softening slightly.
"Your name?"
"I... I don't remember..." the girl uttered in a weak voice.
Brunestud gave a slight nod, her authoritative red eyes meeting innocent blue ones.
"Then... how about Avrora? Like the sleeping beauty."
"Avrora...?"
The girl blinked, her anxious expression visibly brightening with joy.
"Avrora!"
"Mmm." Brunestud gently patted her head. "My train is short on staff. Would you like to come?"
Hearing this, Natsuki Minamiya, standing nearby, opened her mouth slightly.
Since the Princess's arrival on the island, many factions had taken notice.
If the Fifth Primogenitor took the Fourth Primogenitor away...
Well, never mind. It's just one vessel anyway.
The power of the Fourth Primogenitor had been divided into twelve parts, scattered across the world.
A single vessel probably wouldn't attract too much attention.
Natsuki Minamiya twirled her parasol and closed her mouth without saying a word.
"Okay!"
Avrora responded to the invitation with a voice that was clear, melodious, and a full octave high.
"Your Highness..."
Gajou Akatsuki stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the figure of Nagisa Akatsuki held in Brunestud's hands.
"My daughter..."
"The two Akatsuki siblings will be entrusted to the care of the Far East's 'Demon Sanctuary.' Any objections?"
Natsuki Minamiya cut him off without mercy. After sweeping her eyes around their surroundings, she added, "And the Twelfth, the 'Kaleid Blood,' will also be entrusted to Itogami Island's care."
"The Far East's 'Demon Sanctuary'... Itogami Island?" Gajou Akatsuki, muttered under his breath before letting out a very soft, almost imperceptible 'tch.' "A clever move, 'Witch of the Void.'"
Itogami Island was an artificial island floating in the Pacific, a special administrative zone under the Japanese government's jurisdiction, and also the base of operations for the 'Witch of the Void,' Natsuki Minamiya.
By taking them to Itogami Island, far from Europe, the Warlord's Empire and the other Primogenitors' Dominions would be unable to act recklessly. This applied to both the Twelfth and the Akatsuki siblings.
But why did the Fifth Primogenitor have no objections to this...
Gajou Akatsuki stole a glance at Brunestud, then suddenly seemed to realize something and quickly averted his gaze.
He was a fool. Itogami Island was the 'Witch of the Void's' territory, but the 'Witch of the Void' was the Fifth Primogenitor's subordinate.
In other words, the Fifth Primogenitor could also control Itogami Island to a certain extent.
Just why was this Demon Killer together with the Fifth Primogenitor?
Gajou scratched his head and nodded towards Natsuki Minamiya. "Seems I don't have any other options."
"Good." Natsuki Minamiya shifted her gaze to Liana.
"The Warlord's Empire has no objections." Liana held her head, seeming somewhat unwell.
The First Primogenitor's command was precisely to avoid conflict with the Fifth Primogenitor. Moreover, if word got out that the Warlord's Empire was secretly searching for the Fourth Primogenitor, it wouldn't look good for them.
"A vampire from the Warlord's Empire can't possibly be less resilient than an ordinary human like me, right?"
Gajou grinned, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"No... I..." Liana looked up blankly. "I feel like... I've forgotten something."
"Forgotten..."
Gajou seemed to think of something, his eyes slowly widening.
In the world of magic, objects can possess great power simply by enduring the passage of long years.
The Vampire Primogenitors could pride themselves on their immense power because they were among the oldest vampires.
Being ageless and immortal, they had accumulated vast reserves of inherent stacked time, which served as the source of their power.
So-called inherent stacked time referred to the total sum of time an individual existence had experienced since birth—in other words, experience, memories, growth, and change.
But the Fourth Primogenitor lacked this kind of power because it wasn't a Primogenitor in the traditional sense, but a man-made weapon.
The ultimate god-slaying weapon, born from the techniques of three Primogenitors and the ancient superhumans, the—the Fourth Primogenitor.
The name 'Kaleid Blood' was the name of the project.
"The Fourth Primogenitor, being an artificial Primogenitor, has no accumulated memories... no past experiences. So, it amasses the magical energy required for its awakening by devouring the memories of others."
Gajou whispered to himself, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
If this continued, not only Liana, but everyone present would forget the events that had transpired here.
Even... he would forget Nagisa.
Gajou suddenly froze. If Liana, a vampire from the Warlord's Empire, was affected, then why was he...
He blinked. The magical eye embedded in his socket emitted a faint warmth, as if reminding him of something.
"Guess I really should thank Her Highness for this..."
Gajou said with a weary tone, picking up the gun that had fallen nearby.
Then, he turned and began to walk away.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Natsuki Minamiya raised a delicate eyebrow as she asked.
"...I can't face the kids like this. Do me a favor and look after them for a while, will you?"
"You plan to search for a way to save them?"
Natsuki Minamiya's question made Gajou stop in his tracks. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Investigation is my strong suit... I am a scholar, after all."
"There's no need. The solution is quite simple."
Brunestud gazed at the sleeping black-haired girl.
It wasn't just Nagisa who was dreaming; the 'Root' within her was also in a state of peaceful slumber.
The 'Root' chose to devour the memories of others to accumulate the magical energy needed for its awakening.
Coincidentally, she had plenty to offer.
The joy of obtaining treasure, the anger of experiencing failure, the sorrow of things changing, the contemplation of solving mysteries, the grief of losing everything, the fear of facing the unknown, the shock of sudden upheavals.
The guests aboard her train constantly used their Mystic Eyes to record the changes in their surroundings. All sorts of memories imbued with intense emotions were continuously being documented and stored within the Mystic Eyes Collection Train.
As for the issue of the vessel... if the current vessel couldn't contain it all, then they simply needed a new vessel.
Brunestud gently stroked the area around the girl's eye.
Seemingly having never expected Brunestud to speak up, Gajou stood frozen in place, silently staring at the familiar face cradled in the Princess's arms.
The black, waist-length hair stirred in the gentle breeze. The girl, with her eyes tightly shut, seemed to be enjoying her sleep.
Her steady, rhythmic breathing gradually eased the tension in Gajou.
As someone constantly on the move, he rarely got to see her sleeping face like this.
After a long moment, he slowly spoke. "Thank you, Your Highness. But I won't just stand by and wait for charity either."
After taking one last, deep look at his daughter's face, he staggered forward once more, walking towards the sun.
Before long, the figure of the gaunt father vanished into the sunlight.
--+--
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.