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At the same time—
On the surface the compound is—a private girls' boarding school attached to the "High God Forest." In reality it is a front for the Lion King Organization.
Inside a traditional classroom of the school building, a black-haired girl, appearing to be around junior high school age, sat respectfully on the tatami floor.
She faced north. Behind her, the afternoon sunlight filtered faintly through the paper doors, casting a soft glow over the room.
Directly ahead, behind a bamboo screen, three indistinct silhouettes were visible.
"Yukina, you've arrived."
"Yes."
As the figures emerged, the girl named Himeragi Yukina lowered her head even further, her posture becoming even more reverent.
"You summoned me, honored Three Saints. What is your command?"
"It concerns the 'Feast of Flames.'"
One of the figures behind the screen spoke with a voice that sounded aged but carried no discernible emotion.
"'Feast of Flames'?"
Himeragi Yukina lifted her head slightly, confusion flickering across her face.
"If I recall correctly, that was the large-scale ritual magic that took place in the Nelapsi Autonomous Region half a year ago—It indiscriminately harvested memories across an extensive area, resulting in approximately fifteen percent of the two-point-six million residents being turned into vampires. Even the aftermath of the ritual spread to the old southeastern sector of Itogami Island, causing about twenty-eight thousand more cases of vampirization..."
"That is correct."
This time, a second figure—a woman with mature, graceful presence and elven ears, her silhouette framed by flowing blonde hair—continued.
"However, what you described are merely the results of the 'Feast of Flames.' You are still unaware of its true purpose."
"The true purpose...?"
"It was to resurrect the Fourth Primogenitor."
"The Fourth Primogenitor?!"
Himeragi Yukina couldn't help but exclaim aloud.
To students of the High God Forest, this name was far from unfamiliar.
Though publicly presented as a girls' boarding school, The Shrine was, in reality, a covert special operations agency established under the Japanese government's Public Security Commission. Its true mission was handling large-scale magical disasters and conducting intelligence work.
Among those aware of supernatural affairs, the word "Primogenitor" immediately evoked images of powerful vampires.
Indeed, while all Primogenitors were vampires, not all vampires qualified as Primogenitors.
And globally, only three beings bore the formal title of "First," "Second," or "Third" Primogenitor:
The First Primogenitor — The Lost Warlord of the Warlord's Dominion, Ki Juranbarada.
The Second Primogenitor — The Fall Gazer from the Dynasty of Destruction, Aswad-Guul Aziz.
The Third Primogenitor — The The Chaos Bride of the Chaos Zone, Giada Kukulcan.
Each one was a being capable of toppling nations alone—legendary entities even among vampires.
Despite their overwhelming might, these Primogenitors, after carving out territories among humanity, had long since lost their ambition for conquest. Instead, led by the First Primogenitor, they proposed the Sanctuary Treaty, promoting coexistence between humans and demons, which eventually led to the creation of the current Demon Districts.
Such stability was undoubtedly a boon for humanity. But if the 'Feast of Flames' had truly served as a resurrection ritual for a Fourth Primogenitor...
That would mean the Fourth Primogenitor had already returned to the world—somewhere, gathering strength, awaiting the right moment—
❁❁❁❁
"In fact, we have already largely confirmed the identity of the resurrected Fourth Primogenitor."
The blonde elf woman behind the bamboo screen spoke again.
What?
The revelation made Himeragi Yukina snap her head up in shock.
Already... confirmed?
"Bring it in."
At that command, the sliding door behind Yukina was suddenly pulled open with a loud sound.
A shrine maiden dressed in traditional garb entered, carrying a bulletproof steel case in her arms. She knelt silently beside Yukina, placed the case down before her, then stood and departed without lingering.
"Uh... Sensei, this is..."
Momentarily overwhelmed by the cascade of revelations, Yukina unconsciously reverted to her more familiar term of address rather than the formal "Three Saints."
"Open it."
The blonde elf instructed gently.
"Yes."
Given permission, Yukina swiftly moved to unfasten the case's locks and lifted the lid.
A cold metallic gleam immediately reflected into her eyes.
Inside the steel case rested a folded Spear, its design sleek and futuristic, with intricate runes engraved across its surface.
Above the weapon lay a photograph.
Curious, Yukina picked up the photo and glanced at it.
The image captured a cheerful, black-haired girl in a single ponytail, her smile radiant under the sunlight. Written on the back of the photo was a name.
"Akatsuki... Nagisa?"
Yukina softly read the name aloud.
"Correct."
The blonde elf woman nodded.
"Our investigation confirms that the girl in the photograph is the resurrected Fourth Primogenitor. Although she appears to be in a dormant, unawakened state for now, her identity is certain. And thus, we cannot afford to leave her unchecked."
"The Spear inside the case is one of the Lion King Organization's secret weapons: the Demon-Purging Twin Spear Type Zero, codenamed Schneewalzer. It is imbued with a 'Divine Oscillation Effect,' capable of nullifying magical power and dealing devastating damage to demons—especially vampires. If used properly, it can even kill a Primogenitor."
Yukina closed the case, still holding the photograph delicately in her hand.
"Then... is my mission to kill the Fourth Primogenitor?"
"No—not immediately."
The blonde elf shook her head.
"Your mission is surveillance. Should she run amok, or when it is certain she will threaten human society, you act. And you will do so alongside 'him'—"
"Him...?"
Yukina's attention instantly locked onto the latter half of the instruction.
After all, to slay a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl would be ruthless—but if the target threatened humanity itself, personal reluctance could not interfere.
This was a fundamental lesson drilled into every Sword Shaman and Attack Mages at the High God Forest.
"You will be working with Bokue Keikain—the Acting Head of the Keikain Family, one of Kyoto's foremost onmyōji clans."
The Three Saints clarified.
"Sending you alone would be too risky. Even with Schneewalzer in hand, confronting an awakened Primogenitor would be extremely dangerous. But with the Keikain heir present, odds improve."
"Understood. When do we depart?"
Yukina composed herself and nodded.
"We have already contacted the Keikain household. You will leave tomorrow morn—"
WHOOOOOM!
Before the words could finish, a violent gust of mountain wind suddenly howled through the compound.
The sudden squall slammed open the paper sliding doors with explosive force.
Startled, Yukina whipped around instinctively.
In the courtyard outside, towering pines bent into full arcs, their branches pulled taut like drawn bows. Dust and pebbles flew wildly, the entire garden whipped into a brief sandstorm.
Carried within the roaring wind, an almost playful voice echoed faintly:
"I——AM——BACK——!!!"
Yet just as suddenly as it had appeared, the gale passed. The pines snapped back upright as if nothing had happened. Stillness returned in less than a heartbeat.
What... was that?
Yukina stood frozen, utterly bewildered.
Inside the room, the gust has flipped one corner of the bamboo blind onto the elf Saint's brow—like a silent face-palm.
"That boy… still beyond all common measure," she mutters.
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