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Dawn Empire, Blue Elysium Island—
In the shadow of the building, a woman leaned quietly against the wall, her gaze coolly fixed on the main entrance.
She had long, straight black hair, pink eyes, and wore a black sailor-style uniform. Her presence was mysterious, cold, and sharp, like a drawn blade.
Her name was Kiriha Kisaki.
She was a reserve Six-Blade Priestess of the Bureau of Astrology, a special agency operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Bureau of Astrology was effectively a sister organization to the Lion King Agency, which answered to the National Public Safety Commission.
The difference lay in their priorities. The Bureau of Astrology existed to prevent naturally occurring sorcerous disasters, while the Lion King Agency focused on stopping those caused by man-made sorcerous disasters and magical terrorism.
Of course, just as the Lion King Agency frequently meddled in international affairs, the Bureau of Astrology had its own "special assignments." most notably protecting the Imperial House of Japan.
That said, in modern times, that role had more or less warped.
These days, the people they protected were mostly high-ranking Ministry officials who only claimed loyalty to the crown.
"Such a pain…"
Standing in the shade, Kiriha stared out at the sprawling construction site and let out a complicated sigh.
She was currently on Blue Elysium, the artificial island still under construction off the coast of Itogami Island, better known as BluEly. The entire island was designed as a massive resort complex, complete with theme parks, shopping centers, sprawling pools, aquariums for demon beasts, and luxury hotels.
This massive amusement park project was jointly funded by Kusuki-Elysée and the Itogami Management Authority, with plans to open the next year.
Because the schedule was tight, only part of the children's attraction area had been completed. The rest of the island was still a giant construction zone.
For anyone living nearby, the noise was a nightmare.
For someone like Kiriha Kisaki, a reserve Six-Blade Priestess with extremely sharp senses, it was torture. It felt like someone was firing rocket launchers next to her ears, twenty-four hours a day.
(The Six-Blade Priestesses serve as the Bureau of Astrology's federal attack mages, similar to Sword Shamans and Shamanic War Dancers. However, they specialize in demon-beast combat, earning them the unofficial title of Black Sword Shamans.)
"Why does my Six-Blade promotion test have to be guarding some brat in a place like this…"
Her irritation was obvious.
Within the Bureau of Astrology, the rank of Six-Blade was already a mid-level leadership position, comparable to a squad leader.
There were countless people fighting for those spots, and with only six positions available, competition was brutal.
Kiriha knew perfectly well that plenty of people would love to take this mission off her hands. If she gave it up, she could walk away clean. As long as she was prepared to accept the alternative: being reassigned to serve as a personal assistant to some bloated Ministry pig.
So no matter how troublesome the mission was, she had no choice but to endure it.
That said, the construction noise was only part of the problem.
What truly worried her was the location of Blue Elysium.
"Direct territory of the Dawn Empire… 18 kilometers from Itogami Island…"
Her expression grew heavy.
A year and a half ago, Itogami Island still belonged to Japan.
Now it didn't.
Now it was the territory of a Primogenitor. The land of the Fourth Primogenitor Empire. The Dawn Empire.
She, an agent of the Ministry of Home Affairs, had slipped into such a powerful empire without notification by hiding aboard a cargo ship, all to protect a little girl of a special race.
That alone made this mission insane.
Even an idiot could tell that the girl had to be extremely important, and dangerous enough that the Ministry didn't dare let the Dawn Empire know she existed.
Based on Kiriha's investigation since last night, she was already certain.
The girl she was assigned to protect, Yume Eguchi, was an extremely rare demon species: a Succubus.
Not only that, she was the last Succubus in the world, inheritor of the soul of the oldest Succubus, Lilith herself. A being suspected of being able to control the ancient mythological weapon Leviathan.
In terms of threat level, she might as well have been a walking nuclear bomb.
And Kusuki-Elysée, working quietly with the Ministry, was raising that "nuclear bomb" in secret near Itogami Island.
Hiding a weapon of mass destruction inside another country was as clear as it got.
Even Kiriha Kisaki could see what those Ministry pigs were planning.
If Leviathan were ever unleashed on Itogami Island…
Her eyes flickered.
She wasn't stupid. She knew exactly how that would end.
A Leviathan attack would inevitably draw out the Fourth Primogenitor. And once the so-called strongest Primogenitor in the world stepped onto the battlefield, a nobody like her would be standing right between Leviathan and a living natural disaster.
A suicide mission, plain and simple.
"…If you play dirty, don't blame me for doing the same."
As she sighed internally, her expression suddenly shifted.
She sensed someone appear beside her.
A girl in a hoodie and jeans, wearing a baseball cap, her hair tied in a single ponytail, was now leaning against the wall less than a meter away, clearly trying to escape the blazing sun.
"Man, it's hot today," the girl said casually.
"Yeah. It is," Kiriha replied, following the prearranged script, her nerves pulled tight.
"Should've put on more sunscreen before I left."
The girl spoke as if they were just chatting.
"Sunscreen?" Kiriha said, muscles tensing. One wrong answer and she was ready to bolt. "What brand do you like?"
"Black Cat," the girl replied. "You?"
"Funny. Same here."
Kiriha finally relaxed. Her arms dropped to her sides, and she lightly tapped her index finger against the wall.
The rhythm and position of the taps shifted subtly.
A hidden mental communication array activated between them.
"I never thought the legendary Endou-Sensei would pledge loyalty to the Dawn Empire," Kiriha transmitted calmly, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Looks like those rumors about the Lion King Agency planning to defect weren't baseless after all."
Her gamble that morning had paid off.
The Lion King Agency had noticed her hidden signal. And the Lion King agents stationed on Itogami Island had indeed defected.
No, defected wasn't quite right.
They had seen the light.
After all, she herself had "defected" too.
That's right.
Kiriha Kisaki, reserve Six-Blade of the Bureau of Astrology, had switched sides on the second day after receiving her assignment.
No warning. No hesitation.
Because... she worshipped the Fourth Primogenitor.
She was a long-time fangirl.
.
.
.