Nazarick, Naohara's room.
For the first time in her life, Keno truly understood the saying that a man's words could never be trusted.
By the time she regained consciousness, morning had already arrived.
Rubbing her groggy head, Keno slowly opened her eyes and discovered herself lying on the bed with her clothes in disarray.
Still dazed, she tried to remember what had happened the night before, but all she could recall were a few hazy fragments and several strange dreams.
Keno attempted to sit up, only to find her body limp and drained of strength.
"Finally awake?"
A familiar voice reached her ears.
She turned toward it and saw Naohara sitting in a chair beside the bed, watching her with a faint smile.
"How do you feel?"
Naohara asked gently, his voice filled with concern.
Keno lowered her head and forced out a few words. "My throat hurts... I feel sick..."
Her voice was much hoarser than usual, as though her throat had been scraped raw with sandpaper.
She rubbed her throat, trying to soothe the discomfort. However, when her hand moved down to her abdomen, her fingers encountered a slight bulge.
Startled, she looked down and realized that her stomach was noticeably rounder than usual.
[I can't drink anymore. I really can't.]
[No... Stop making me drink!]
The memories of last night suddenly came flooding back. Images of Naohara making her drink milk flashed through Keno's mind.
Her eyes grew wet, and tears began rolling down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.
Ugh, how humiliating! What on earth had she done last night?
"Don't make it sound like I bullied you. You agreed to it beforehand, didn't you?"
Naohara felt somewhat helpless as he watched her cry.
He reached out and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, his touch soft and tender.
"You have some nerve saying that!"
Keno immediately wiped away her tears with both hands and glared at him indignantly.
She had never imagined that his so-called special treatment would be anything like this. It was unbearably embarrassing.
Had she known, she never would have agreed!
"You really are too innocent."
Naohara shook his head. To him, Keno's glare was not threatening in the slightest. If anything, it only made her look even cuter.
How wonderful, that adorable innocence of hers.
He wondered what she would look like once she finally broke. For some reason, the thought filled him with anticipation.
"Hmph. Then why are you still here?"
"If you woke up ages ago, why didn't you just leave? Did you stay to laugh at me?"
Keno clutched the blanket stubbornly.
As she spoke, she bared her little fangs and tried to look fierce.
"Don't make me sound like one of those scumbags who pulls up his pants and pretends nothing happened. I stayed because I was worried about you."
Naohara spread his hands as he explained.
Then, under her wary gaze, he climbed onto the bed and began rubbing her small stomach through the blanket, using magic to accelerate her digestion.
Keno's body immediately stiffened.
The warmth of his large hand seeped through the blanket, and her face quickly began to flush.
She bit her lip, struggling not to make a sound, but as Naohara continued rubbing her stomach, her breathing gradually grew quicker.
Naohara watched her reaction with a faint smile.
"Feeling better?"
"You're just pretending to be nice."
After waiting for a moment and realizing that he had no ulterior motive, Keno first breathed a sigh of relief. Then she clicked her tongue and gave him a disdainful look.
In her current condition, if they did it again, she would probably remain unconscious for a long time.
"You'll hurt my feelings if you say things like that."
Naohara wrapped his arms around Keno's delicate body and spoke in a deliberately seductive voice. As he finished, he blew a warm breath against her ear.
Keno immediately went limp. Her already flushed little face turned completely red.
Leaning against his burning chest and listening to the steady beat of his heart, even her cold Vampire body began to stir restlessly.
The resentment in her heart vanished without a trace.
"Um... I'm sorry... What I said just now was a little harsh..."
Keno apologized with a flushed face, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.
Even though she knew he was only teasing her, she still could not stop herself from apologizing.
How adorable.
As Naohara looked down at the shy little Vampire in his arms, the corners of his mouth rose without him realizing it.
That restless feeling in his heart, that overwhelming urge to devour her whole. Was this what dragons called possessiveness?
Great power inevitably corrupted the heart.
At that thought, he chuckled inwardly.
Just as I thought. My personality really is getting worse.
...
Another half hour passed before Naohara finally emerged from the room.
His face glowed with satisfaction and relief.
Now that the important business was taken care of, it was time to enjoy himself.
He planned to have a hearty breakfast and welcome an old friend who was about to be awakened.
The thought brightened Naohara's mood even further.
He casually glanced into the distance, the corners of his lips curling upward.
As he turned to leave, two figures remained hidden around the corner, secretly watching him.
Golden hair and distinctive ears.
They were none other than Aura and Mare, the Floor Guardians of the Sixth Floor.
The two had been hiding there the entire time, not daring to show themselves.
Only after Naohara disappeared at the far end of the corridor did they finally breathe a sigh of relief and cautiously peek around the corner.
"Phew... Father-sama is finally gone."
Aura let out a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
"Sis, I think Father-sama noticed us."
Mare, who stood beside her clutching his staff, spoke in a low voice.
Although they had used magic to conceal themselves, Mare felt it was nothing more than fooling themselves.
After all, back in the forest outside E-Rantel, Father-sama had easily seen through their disguise.
(PS: That was in Chapter 58.)
"Of course I know. That's Father-sama, after all."
"I did it deliberately so I could gauge what Father-sama thought."
Aura tapped Mare on the head as she explained.
They had concealed themselves with magic as a way of seeking permission.
If Father-sama exposed their disguise, it meant they were not allowed to proceed. If he did not, it meant he had given his tacit approval.
Judging by what had just happened, Father-sama had apparently chosen to allow whatever they were about to do.
"I see..."
Mare nodded in realization, admiration flashing in his eyes.
As expected of his wise older sister. She was so clever.
"Let's go."
With that, Aura led Mare to the door.
She had come here to arrange a private conversation with the woman who was nominally her "mother."
To be honest, Aura was still somewhat bewildered.
She had merely gone to help Demiurge with an experiment, only to return and learn that she suddenly had a mother in name.
It was utterly ridiculous.
There had been too many people around during the earlier celebration, so she had been unable to find a suitable opportunity and had waited until now.
She hoped this so-called mother understood her identity and position and would not entertain any delusions she had no right to harbor.
After all, Aura's only true mother was Bukubukuchagama-sama. No one could ever take her place.
With that thought, Aura took a deep breath and forcefully pushed open the door before her.
...
Meanwhile, in the Supreme Dining Hall on the Ninth Floor.
When Naohara arrived, he found two figures sitting side by side at the dining table, chatting as the table before them overflowed with delicacies from land and sea.
Two black-and-white crystals suspended under Time Stop floated in the air nearby.
Through their surfaces, one could clearly see a figure and a magical beast sleeping inside.
"You're here. Then let's begin."
When they saw Naohara, Momonga and Herohero ended their conversation and turned their attention to the crystals.
Samirth, Guildmaster of the second-ranked Guild, [World Searcher].
He was a fellow countryman who had arrived in the New World hundreds of years before them, accompanied by his pet chimera beast, "Walking Jackpot."
"Old friend, you've been dreaming long enough."
"It's time to wake up!"