"So this is Kaleid Blood No.12, Avrora?"
Ren stared at the sleeping girl, his eyes gleaming.
To him, this child was one of his future shop assistants.
Originally, he planned to recruit all twelve Kaleid Bloods. But plans couldn't keep up with changes. Aside from Avrora herself, the other eleven would undoubtedly become sacrifices for Remilia to become the Fourth Primogenitor.
Of course, not literal sacrifices. More like… temporary relocation.
Once Remilia grew strong enough, restoring the familiars to actual physical bodies wouldn't be difficult.
At least, that's what Ren thought.
"That's right. This is the twelfth vassal excavated on Gozo Island."
Natsuki sighed deeply as she looked at the girl.
When Ren and Natsuki arrived, Remilia had just taken the key from the female vampire.
To be honest, after the explosion and alarm sounded, Remilia actually didn't take Flandre and run. Instead, she stayed in the room and interrogated this vampire. That alone showed how bold she was.
But that was also due to Remilia's personality. She was never afraid of anything. And now, with Ren supporting her, she feared even less. Though she wasn't sure about Ren's true power, she believed anyone capable of making Ophis a pet—no matter how the details might differ—was someone strong.
Even though Ophis technically hadn't formed a contract.
After seeing the scene before her, Natsuki frowned and immediately used spatial manipulation to take everyone out.
Under Ren's request, even Kaleid Blood No.12 was transported directly to Ren's shop by Natsuki.
Only after realizing just what she had brought along did Natsuki let out a deep sigh.
Why was she letting this man order her around so casually?
Still, since she'd already done it, Natsuki wouldn't regret it.
Besides… compared to an unfamiliar Fourth Primogenitor, she truly had no objection to Remilia becoming the Fourth Primogenitor instead. At least Remilia wasn't violent by nature. She wouldn't bring chaos to the world.
"Mmmf! Mmm—!!"
The female vampire, tightly tied up with even her mouth stuffed, struggled violently.
However…
That rather questionable way of tying her up, and whatever had been stuffed into her mouth…
Natsuki and the others couldn't help glancing at Ren, their expressions extremely strange.
"Ren, you really are… unbelievably awful."
"Eh? Wasn't it you who tied her? She's bound with your Chains!"
Ren acted like someone wrongfully accused, his face full of hurt.
"That was you telling Ophis to brute-force tie her like that! Don't pin this on me, you evil-minded man! And my Chains were almost broken by you!"
At the mention of this, Natsuki grew irritated. Ever since meeting these people, her ever-reliable chains had become a daily victim. She'd lost count of how many times they'd been broken.
Ren scratched his cheek awkwardly and looked away.
Remilia pouted. Back then, she was the one who was tied up first. She hadn't complained even once.
Flandre and Ophis were off to the side playing, as if none of this concerned them.
"This woman claims to be from the Caruana family. Do you know them?"
Remilia coughed lightly and brought the conversation back on track.
Natsuki narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared at the terrified female vampire.
"Caruana… The one in charge of the excavation on Gozo Island was your older sister, Liana Caruana. So that makes you her younger sister, Veldiana Caruana."
"…How do you know her name?"
"She's wearing a Devil Registration Tag. It's not difficult for me to check."
"That's true…"
Ren nodded slightly and didn't press further.
Remilia didn't really understand the situation and wasn't very interested in it either.
Her gaze fell on the metal rod in her hand.
"This is the key that can undo the seal?"
"That's right. It should be one of the three remaining relics of the Celestial Division—capable of nullifying magic and tearing apart all barriers: the Holy Spear designed to slay the Primogenitor."
"You said slay the Primogenitor!?"
Remilia's expression instantly turned fierce.
Ren rolled his eyes. In the original story, that thing never killed a single Primogenitor. If anything, the Lion King Organization basically turned into a marriage agency sending wives to the protagonist.
"It's just a name. You can't kill a Primogenitor with a single weapon. What, you think they'll just stand there and let you stab them? Honestly, even Flandre's ability could probably kill a Primogenitor."
"That's right, Flandre is super strong!"
The moment Ren praised her, Flandre raised her hand proudly.
Seeing how cute she was, Ren and Natsuki both smiled.
Remilia felt warm inside as she patted Flandre's head.
They weren't this close back at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
"So, should we use this thing to break her seal?"
Remilia lifted the weapon in her hand.
Ren simply waved dismissively.
"You can't use that thing anyway. And honestly, any barrier can be torn apart once your power reaches a certain level. This key just has a convenient ability. If you don't believe me, ask Ophis."
Instinctively, everyone turned toward Ophis.
She stared at the coffin and nodded slightly.
"Can crush it. Very easy. One slap."
Remilia: …
Natsuki: …
Veldiana: …
So it was that simple after all?
Suddenly, Natsuki's expression tightened. She vanished instantly.
Remilia glanced in the direction she left but didn't follow. She knew Natsuki's work well enough.
On a rooftop near the shop, Natsuki appeared.
"So you came, Witch of the Void…"
"Watching from afar but not daring to approach? Paper Noise."
Natsuki looked at the young girl before her. She looked calm, intelligent, and if Remilia had been here, she would definitely have complained—this girl's aura really was similar to Patchouli.
"Recently, several unfamiliar vampires and humans appeared on Itogami Island," Paper Noise said. "One of the vampires used a terrifying ability, injured the island's defense forces, and then fought you, Witch of the Void. After that, those two vampires moved into your home… and even brought a new human with them."
"You sure investigated thoroughly… What's wrong? Did the Lion King Organization lose its nerve?"
Natsuki's lips curled into a mocking smile.
Paper Noise merely glanced at her.
"So you know where they come from."
"More or less… And let me warn the Lion King Organization—don't provoke the people inside that shop. Whether it's the two vampires or the human, anyone tied to that shop must not be interfered with. Otherwise… I have a feeling that even if all three Primogenitors descended together, the only outcome would be their slaughter."
This was Natsuki's most instinctive conclusion after spending time with Ren and the others.
Especially Ren and Ophis… both were unfathomable.
Because they came from unknown worlds, their limits were impossible to predict.
You never knew just how high the ceiling of an unknown world's power truly was.
After finishing, Natsuki disappeared.
Looking down at the shop, where cold air was beginning to flood outward, Paper Noise withdrew her gaze.
"The Blazing Banquet gains yet another unpredictable element. How worrisome…"