Chapter 368: Something That Interests Mayuri Yotsuba
Lunar age twenty-one.
A crescent moon night—
Two hundred and thirty kilometers south of Tokyo on the sea, a ship was sailing leisurely.
To be precise, it was an ocean-going yacht approximately four hundred feet in length, virtually identical in both size and appearance to the "Oceanus Grave" that had sunk at the port of Itogami Island years ago.
Only the name differed slightly.
That one was called "Oceanus Grave," while this one was named "Oceanus Grave II."
And the owner of this cruise ship, Duke of Aldegyr Dimitrie Vatler, remained on the deck just as he had back then, reclining on a luxurious lounge chair, leisurely sipping a glass of blackcurrant wine.
Swirling the red wine glass in his hand, he gazed with sidelong glances at the distant artificial island.
"Hmm~ The aura emanating from this counterfeit land forged from scrap metal and magic smells just as it did back then—a scent of rusted iron, unchanged in the slightest."
Vatler took a deep breath, sighing with emotion.
As if it were not he who had fled in defeat here years ago, nor had he left behind any unpleasant memories.
But the next moment, a slender figure approached Vatler.
It was a young Japanese girl, tall and graceful, her face radiating a delicate beauty and elegance.
Her skin was fair, and the pigment of her hair was rather light.
Perhaps because of this, the girl's loveliness brought to mind the vibrant bloom of cherry blossoms.
Her long hair, tied in a high ponytail, swayed gently in the sea breeze.
She wore the uniform of a prestigious girls' school in the Kansai region.
In her right hand, she carried a black instrument case meant for a keyboard.
"So you're here, Your Excellency."
The long-haired girl stopped and bowed respectfully.
Yet neither her tone nor her expression held any trace of reverence.
One might even say she impolitely pulled out a letter and handed it to Vatler.
"I have brought the written response from the Japanese government."
"...?"
The noble youth slowly sat up, as if only just noticing the girl's presence.
A friendly smile graced his face, devoid of the unique oppressive aura of immense power often hidden by vampires.
The girl met his sarcastic gaze head-on and continued calmly:
"Effective from zero hours this morning, Your Excellency is permitted to visit the 'Demon Sanctuary' on Itogami Island. Henceforth, in accordance with the Holy Ground Treaty, you will be regarded as a diplomatic envoy from the 'Warlord's Empire.'"
"That is the gist of the response."
Utterly official rhetoric.
But Vatler paid it no mind. Taking the letter from the girl, he remarked leisurely:
"A pile of hollow words, not very useful. However, having you as a talisman is enough. I believe the Lion King Organization will surely ensure my safety, won't they?"
The girl frowned slightly with distaste but refrained from retorting harshly. Instead, she restrained herself, her expression stiffening as she advised him:
"This time, I will accompany you as a Watcher, and naturally, I have the duty to protect your safety. I hope you will accept this."
"Accept? Of course I accept. I have no reason to refuse. However, can you truly guarantee my safety?"
Vatler's words carried a hint of deeper meaning.
However, the girl hesitated only for a moment before giving a definite answer.
"This is natural."
"DADA..."
Vatler couldn't help but laugh, his laughter innocent and carefree.
The girl didn't understand the meaning of this laughter, but she didn't care about it either.
Since she had declared herself a Watcher, her task wouldn't be simply guiding people.
If Vatler was deemed a threat, in the worst-case scenario, she would need to eliminate him—the girl inwardly declared this.
This also meant her abilities were sufficient to eliminate a Vampire of the "Old Generation."
However, how much substance these abilities held remained unknown.
Vatler similarly didn't care about the girl, leisurely reclining back into his chair as he looked at her and asked:
"Alright then, by the way, who are you?"
"My name is Kirasaka Sayaka. The Lion King Organization permits me to use the title 'Mai En.'"
"Hah, Mai En... never heard of it. Well, whatever."
Vatler narrowed his eyes and smiled as he spoke:
"But speaking of which, I didn't expect someone as cute as you to be assigned as the supervisor. Your Lion King Organization's arrangements are quite clever, aren't they?"
"Please don't look at me with colored glasses," Kirasaka Sayaka frowned and said.
"You misunderstand. I think it would be better if it were a cute boy," Vatler murmured, and Sayaka couldn't help but glare at him with displeasure.
"Thank you for your kind words, sir. I am a Demon Hunter authorized to wield the Six-Type Heavy Armament Demon-Slaying Bow. Please don't forget that I have been granted the authority to eliminate you based on my own judgment."
Sayaka threatened.
Upon hearing this, Vatler picked up his glass, took a sip, and laughed cheerfully.
"Haha, a good answer indeed. It seems you have confidence in your own power. You're interesting, so I agree to that matter. Also, you can call me Dimitrie or Vatler as you please. That rigid 'sir' can be dropped."
"I understand, Duke of Ardeal."
Sayaka maintained her original attitude, not lowering her guard.
For her, the demon before her was originally a target that shrine maidens like her were meant to eliminate.
"Eh, such a rigid group, utterly boring."
Facing the cold aura emanating from Vatler, Sayaka's expression stiffened.
Especially his indifferent tone and teasing attitude were enough to make the girl furious, yet she couldn't do anything about it!
So angry!
But to be able to see Yukina, she endured it!
This time, she must rescue her beloved Yukina from that demon's grasp!
Just as Oceanus Grave II slowly docked at Itogami Island's port, and at the moment Vatler stepped onto the artificial island again.
Not only did the Lion King Organization receive the news, but even Mahiro was already aware.
"You mean that snake charmer has come to Itogami Island again?"
"Yes. Intelligence indicates that Dimitrie Vatler landed on the island this morning."
At the swimming pool of Saikai Academy, on a well-lit terrace seat, Beta, wearing a white bikini, lightly adjusted her glasses and meticulously reported to Mahiro.
Meanwhile, Mahiro was lying on a pre-prepared beach chair, responding to Beta with occasional remarks.
His gaze was fixed on the swimming pool not far away.
It had to be said, the sight before his eyes was indeed quite pleasing.
A group of youthful and energetic beauties gathered together in swimsuits—even during class time, it was a beautiful sight to behold.
Perhaps this was the charm of Japanese schools.
However, his main focus was on two particularly adorable-looking girls who were chatting nearby.
They wore black one-piece swimsuits, with droplets of water still clinging to their skin and hair, likely because they were tired.
Although their figures weren't particularly voluptuous, they exuded a youthful vitality, showing they were still developing, with a charm that couldn't be ignored.
"Hey, Asagi-chan, aren't you coming in?"
In the pool, a black-haired girl with a ponytail, swimming freely on the surface, called out to one of the girls above, a particularly beautiful girl with long golden hair.
"Yuuma, don't mind me. I'll rest for a bit before joining you."
Asagi replied, her pretty face carrying a hint of melancholy for the past two days, as if something unpleasant had happened.
"Yo, Asagi-chan, you don't look too happy. Don't waste that pretty face of yours."
Seeing no one around, Tsukishima Rin beside her affectionately struck up a conversation.
She was Asagi's second close female friend in class, aside from Yuuma.
Although Asagi was beautiful, she didn't seem to have many friends.
Yuuma was one, Tsukishima Rin could be considered another, and among the boys, only Mahiro was closest to her.
"Ugh, do I really look that unhappy?"
Asagi forced a faint smile, but it looked worse than crying.
Seeing this, Tsukishima Rin couldn't help but chuckle.
"Giggle, judging by my guess, it's troubles of love, right? As expected of a genius girl, even matters of the heart are different for you."
"That's not it!"
Asagi's face flushed red as she retorted somewhat indignantly, but thinking back to what happened recently, she couldn't help but sigh.
Under normal circumstances, she would definitely argue with her good friend about it.
But now, she wasn't in the mood.
This time, the reason for her low spirits truly wasn't due to the romantic feelings of a teenage girl.
It was because of the hacker who had invaded the Keystone Gate some time ago!
Even now, she still hadn't been able to figure out who that hacker was who blocked her outside the firewall back then!
The other party had only intercepted her for an hour. When she entered the firewall an hour later, there wasn't a single trace left—even the Keystone Gate's surveillance footage had been completely deleted.
And it was irrecoverable.
This made Asagi both angry and deeply puzzled.
Who on earth possessed such formidable skills?
If she were to find out that person was actually Mahiro, it would probably make her question her life on the spot.
"Mahiro-sama, Mahiro-sama!"
Just as Mahiro was admiring the swimsuit-clad beauties, a somewhat resentful voice snapped him back to reality.
Turning his head, he noticed Beta, with her silver short hair, looking at him with a face full of resentment.
"Huh? What's wrong? Why that expression?"
"Did you actually listen to what I just said?"
"Of course. It's nothing more than Vatler coming to Itogami Island to stir up trouble again."
Hearing his indifferent tone, Beta couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
What she had reported was that Dimitrie Vatler, representing the Warlord's Empire, was visiting Itogami Island.
However, if one were to delve into his purpose, it indeed wasn't much different from what Mahiro-sama had said.
Mahiro naturally noticed the helplessness on Beta's face and waved his hand with a smile, saying:
"Relax, don't worry. That guy can't cause any real trouble."
He had already guessed the purpose behind Vatler's return to Itogami Island.
According to the plot progression, Vatler hadn't come alone this time, nor was his visit merely superficial. Instead, he was smuggling remnants of the Black Death Emperor Faction onto Itogami Island.
This was because the Black Death Emperor Faction had obtained a weapon from a 9,000-year-old civilization—Nalakuvera.
It was said to have destroyed countless cities and civilizations, a weapon created by the gods. Once activated, it would identify hostile targets and launch attacks to annihilate them.
Moreover, it possessed self-repair, autonomous evolution, and information-sharing capabilities.
However, it required a skilled person to decipher it, which was why it was secretly transported to the artificial island.
As for who could crack it, naturally, it was the world's top genius hacker, Aiba Asagi, also known as the Cyber Empress.
Thinking of this, Mahiro couldn't help but shift his gaze to Aiba Asagi, who was sitting at the edge of the pool, happily chatting with her close friend Tsukishima Rin.
To be honest, he was quite interested in Nalakuvera.
After all, in the original plot, this thing performed surprisingly well, holding its own even against a Progenitor.
As a legendary weapon, it had to be somewhat reliable, on par with those living fossils.
Aside from that, what also piqued his interest was the Dancing Princess from the Lion King Organization.
If he remembered correctly, that girl should be named Kirasaka Sayaka, a close friend of Himeragi Yukina.
What he hadn't expected, however, was that this girl, who specialized in curse-based attacks and covert operations, would launch an assault on him on the very day she arrived on Itogami Island.
Lunch break.
Mahiro, having just finished his meal, was comfortably sunbathing on the rooftop when suddenly, a bench on the distant rooftop exploded like a balloon reaching its limit.
"Huh?"
Half-asleep, scattered wooden fragments shot toward him, grazing the side of his face.
Even so, his consciousness not fully returned, he couldn't immediately comprehend what had happened.
It felt like a prank.
Although it exploded in an exaggerated manner, the flying debris didn't have much lethal force.
But the next second, Mahiro suddenly sprang up from the rooftop like a carp leaping out of water.
His sharp nerves sensed danger.
A silver flash shot toward his feet like a bolt of lightning.
And his body moved before his mind could process it, instinctively reaching out to the side and catching the silver light in his hand.
The true form of that silver light was a metal arrow.
A Western-style arrow with a sharp arrowhead and fletching, imbued with certain mysterious spells.
Mahiro gazed at the arrow in his hand, lost in thought.
In both attacks, he hadn't sensed even a hint of killing intent. Instead, the undertones of teasing and warning were far more pronounced.
Mahiro immediately activated "Multi-Observation" and "Eye of the Spirit" to locate the culprit behind this provocation.
Soon, the assailant was clearly detected, but before he could make out their appearance, the arrow in his hand suddenly melted and transformed.
Like a curtain losing its hook, it stretched out into a thin metal sheet, once again gradually altering its form.
The metal plate expanded and curved into sharp angles, taking on the complex silhouette of a beast.
It evoked the illusion of an invisible force reshaping the steel.
"A Shikigami? Another one of these low-tier tricks."
He had seen such manipulations before, which was why Mahiro sighed in resignation.
He had expected something new and innovative.
But this was all…
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately used "Mist Dispersion" on the gradually animating metal beast in his hand.
The newly revived beast turned into a handful of dust, carried away by the gentle breeze, slipping silently through his fingers.
"How could this be?!"
Kirasaka Sayaka was left utterly stunned upon witnessing this scene.
How was it possible that the man had done nothing yet turned her Shikigami to dust?!
It couldn't be!
"For him, nothing is impossible."
A cold, clear voice suddenly answered the doubts in her heart.
Sayaka instinctively prepared to counter with the assassination technique "Eight Generals Divine Art," but before she could turn around, the cold edge of a blade was already pressed against her neck.
"Don't move, or I'll cut you down."
The voice had changed; the one holding the long sword against her was clearly not the same person who had just spoken.
In other words, multiple people had silently appeared behind her?!
Sayaka felt a chill run down her spine.
A glimpse of flowing golden and pale blonde hair in her peripheral vision confirmed her suspicions!
After that, she was subdued by several unbelievably beautiful women and handed over to Mahiro.
"Oh? So it was you, little girl, who suddenly attacked me? You've got quite the nerve."
Mahiro stroked his chin, adopting the demeanor of an ultimate villain.
His gaze shamelessly roamed over the girl, whose arms were pinned down by Alpha and her aunt Beatrix, completely restrained.
She was slender and tall, with fair skin and light-colored hair.
Her features were delicate and exquisite.
In terms of looks alone, this girl could rival Himeragi Yukina, but overall, this young lady had the upper hand.
Because her pectoral muscles were more developed.
It was no exaggeration to say it was like a slender branch bearing abundant fruit.
It's just a pity…
"It's just a pity you don't have a brain."
Mahiro crouched down and gently patted the girl's cheek, his eyes filled with both admiration and regret.
To be precise, it wasn't that the girl lacked brains—he felt the entire Lion King Organization was brainless.
Just when things had finally settled down for a couple of days, they were back playing assassination games? Weren't they afraid of death?
"Grr, just kill me!"
The girl stubbornly turned her head away, putting on a defiant, death-defying attitude.
Mainly, she hadn't expected this man to have subordinates lurking nearby, and she just happened to get caught!
However, upon hearing this, Mahiro grinned.
"No rush. Come, tell me your name first."
Although he could probably already guess, he still needed to confirm it.