She blew away the dirty spots along with her own torture device. Crushed by a massive Iron Maiden, the stains—along with the floor itself—shattered into pieces, flying in all directions and bursting apart.
"Hmph… This is fine. This is how it should be… I am the most famous female vampire in the world… I must remain terrifying and horrific…"
Nodding in self-persuasion, she lonely began cleaning up the scattered debris.
The entire group was staring intently at this embarrassing display—one that would make anyone writhe in embarrassment if witnessed.
"She possesses far too little domestic skill, Senpai. It seems Carmilla-san is incapable of cleaning, Senpai. What do you think of that disgraceful sight, Senpai?"
"Why did you repeat 'Senpai' so many times? What kind of hidden circumstances lay behind that, Mash-kebe?"
"I have no ulterior motives. Absolutely none, but don't you feel like we need to do some self-improvement right now?"
"Ehh~? Are you for real, gozaru~?"
"I am completely for real-mashu~"
"Even though she's a vampire, she's a Servant? Eh, what does that mean? How does that mechanism work?"
Arcueid peered inside inquisitively. Since this was her first time seeing Servants in person, her curiosity was dialed up to maximum.
"Servants are manifestations drawn from folklore, legends, and real historical figures. When a concept like 'vampire' is attached to a person's identity, it's possible for them to be summoned with those traits added."
"I see! So there are bad Servants too! Punishing them is the job of the righteous Chaldea! That's how it works, right?!"
Arcueid's eyes sparkled brightly. Having witnessed similar movies and TV shows in the past, she applied that knowledge to boost her excitement.
"Gil. The fact that Heroic Spirit Summoning is occurring means…"
The King of Heroes immediately nodded at Olga Marie's conjecture. There was no need to even think about it. Mata Hari, Carmilla… The fact that heroes were being summoned meant—
"That useless dragon must have picked up a Holy Grail somewhere and used it for her own desires. I reckon that vampire over there is being forcibly manipulated as well."
—Your cleaning form is completely improper, Carmilla-san! Put more back into the mop! Don't be so sloppy; you must do it finely and meticulously!
As someone who routinely handled the cleaning and organizing of rooms and the treasure vault, Ea had a thing or two to say about Carmilla's cleaning posture. Pouting slightly, she managed to keep her cool so as not to derail the conversation.
(Ea is really particular about cleaning and organizing, huh. The secret to her strength is rearranging things.)
—A-Ahem. King of Heroes. Carmilla-san is an Anti-Hero; while minimal conversation is possible, it's hard to imagine she will let us pass smoothly. Here, we should…—
"Indeed. I understand what you wish to say. Promptly…"
Even faster than Ea could offer her advice—
"All right! Here we go, everyone! I can't turn a blind eye to evil threatening Halloween! As Phantasmoon!"
Dashing out from the shadows, she revealed herself right in front of Carmilla.
"Ah! Arcueid-nee ran ahead! Let's go, everyone! Stealth has failed!"
"It appears so! Let's break through just like usual!"
"—We already had Jeanne as a precedent. Expecting rational behavior was my own foolishness…"
The group steeled their resolve and chased after Arcueid's back.
"Stop right there! You evil witch nesting in the castle! Though I'm only provisionally registered, the righteous members of Chaldea have come to beat up the bad vampire!"
Striking a crisp pose, Arcueid pointed her finger and issued a challenge to Carmilla. Carmilla, who had been exposing her embarrassing state moments ago, let out a shriek of surprise.
"Hyaa!? You lot, since when were you standing there...?!"
"Right around the time you were repeatedly screaming 'infuriating', I think."
"Wasn't that from the very beginning?! …So you saw it, didn't you?! You saw this blood-soaked banquet of the vampire Carmilla...!"
Her shoulders trembled with rage as she revealed her hands—which were stained bright red.
"Where was the 'blood banquet' element in any of that…?"
"There was one! It was there! My assignment was tomato dishes!"
That was the proof of her cooking struggles. Giving a noble like Carmilla the task of cooking was an utterly baffling assignment. As a rule, one shouldn't demand sound logic or reasoning from the Dragon Girl—unless one wanted to become an academic or a comedian.
—Ah, so that's why her hands were bright red! Thank goodness, there really isn't any horrific seriousness, splatter, or torture going on! What a relief!
Ea patted her chest in relief. Children should never be harmed, after all. Walking potential was something to be cherished and nurtured.
"Indeed. Children must never be used as wedges to anchor oneself to the present world, hahahaha."
(The more we dig, the more embarrassing secrets come out about you, Archer.)
"It cannot be helped. In a story, if one is desired as nothing more than a wall to be overcome, that is simply how it goes."
Parallel to the spirit-talk between the three, the conversation between Arcueid and Carmilla continued.
"We have business at the top of the castle. Will you quietly let us beat you up, or will you guide us there?"
"Do you think I would? The vampire Carmilla? I am here to welcome you all… Wait, what are you, my fellow kind?"
"Fellow kind… I wonder? Personally, I hate even looking at blood… but I suppose under a general classification, we're similar. Well, let's skip the fine details! Before the righteous Chaldea party, hurry up and get beaten down~!"
With Arcueid pointing her finger decisively, Rikka and Mash bowed deeply. 'Ah, you two are on the side getting dragged along as well,' Carmilla realized, giving up on any further discussion.
"Fine then. I'll make you taste it—a blood-curdling feast, the hospitality of Carmilla! Cry out in despair to your heart's content…!"
Carmilla shifted into a combat stance. The group steeled themselves.
"Here she comes! Arcueid-nee! Carmilla is a vampire who brings out torture devices from nowhere, slashes with her claws, or stomps on you!"
"Is that so?! Huh, vampires really have changed over time~!"
"She's coming! Get behind me—!"
The group readied themselves. Carmilla took the initiative—
"Too slow. Eat this—!"
Her magical energy surged. Hostility washed over them, unleashed directly at Arcueid—
"T O R T U R E B A L L ! !"
A pink orb packed with frustration and spirit surged toward the party…!
"Torture Ball!? Eh, what is that?!"
Mash covered for Rikka, who had frozen in sheer shock. And who could blame her? Motion-wise, it felt somewhat lacking…
"This is… yes, a projectile infused with my feelings toward torture."
"Is that so?!"
"My usual cruel desire to torture… has been sealed away, infuriatingly enough…!"
Arcueid sliced through the Torture Ball with her claws, dodging it easily. A complex expression of slight pity crossed her face.
"You can't use it? Your Noble Phantasm… didn't you just use it earlier?"
Since she had been reminded to "Be careful of Noble Phantasms!" when fighting Servants, Arcueid had been mildly excited. She had wanted to witness that signature move—the calling card of a Servant—so her disappointment was blatantly obvious.
"And here I wanted to see it…"
"It's not as if I sealed it by choice…! I can only use it in that manner! …If you're going to go that far, then I'll show you! I'll show you!"
Easily taking Arcueid's unwitting provocation, Carmilla began gathering magical energy directed at her.
"The unveiling of a Noble Phantasm. Even if diminished, a Noble Phantasm is still a Noble Phantasm. A direct hit will inflict a fair amount of injury."
—Arcueid-san, be on your guard! Fall back, or defend…!
Ea threw out a warning. However—Arcueid was built differently.
"All right! Bring it on!!"
Without dodging or defending, she chose the option to simply stand her ground and wait.
"Wait, what?!"
"Arcueid-san?!"
"It's fine, it's fine! I don't die that easily!"
Right after flashing a peace sign—
"『Phantom Maiden』——!!"
An iron maiden—a nightmare made manifest as a phantom torture device—unfolded to enclose Arcueid, intending to harm her…!
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"