Arcueid sprawled lazily in the recliner, well away from the direct sunlight.
Her smooth, dazzling short blonde hair shone in the morning sun, looking like spun sugar art.
The girl's eyes drooped languidly, her crimson gaze fixed idly on the golden chalice in her hand.
So it's back to normal, huh.
Minamiya Natsuki, passing by the doorway, cast a brief glance her way. Her blue eyes were suddenly drawn to the cup in Arcueid's hand.
Don't remember seeing that thing before.
"What's that?"
"A Holy Grail."
Arcueid gave a great, exaggerated stretch and casually tossed the Grail toward Natsuki.
It was a Grail she'd shaped last night from the endless stream of magical energy drawn from the ley lines. A pity it wasn't fully functional, incapable of granting any real wishes.
If you had to compare it, this Grail was like the ones in FGO—just a high-purity magical energy crystal, nothing more.
"…The chalice that held Christ's blood?" Natsuki turned it over in her hand once before tossing it back.
Probably another toy Root pestered Avrora into buying.
Sealed away for so long, Root would occasionally see something she wanted and cling on like a child, demanding it.
Avrora's allowance fiercely objected, but under the threat of her already thinning hair, she'd reluctantly agree anyway.
The result was Avrora's room filling up with more and more bizarre oddities.
Should probably have Avrora tidy up her room properly later…
"It's not like that one. This is a wish-granting device that can make any wish come true."
The moment the words left Arcueid's lips, Natsuki's figure flickered and appeared right in the path of the Grail's parabolic arc.
She caught it with careful, almost frantic movements, like a cat startled by a cucumber.
"You should've said that sooner!"
"Haven't gotten it to work yet. For now, it's just a mana battery." Arcueid took a sip of the warm tea. Its delicate fragrance filled her lungs, warming her whole being.
If it were the perfect maiden Alice making the Grail, she might have been able to create one like Fuyuki's.
"Is the attack situation dealt with?" Arcueid asked, glancing at Natsuki who was still carefully setting the Grail aside. She reached out, fingers stretching for the bag of fries that was just a bit too far.
Almost there…
Her pale fingertips brushed the packaging, hooking and pulling gently.
With the help of friction, the fries slid successfully into her palm.
Perfect.
Satisfied, Arcueid nodded to herself, popped a few fries into her mouth, and hopped up from the recliner.
"Mostly settled."
Natsuki also reached for a fry, her expression tinged with helplessness. "If you were going to get up anyway, why bother straining from the chair?"
Is she getting lazier by the day?
"You don't get it. Getting up to fetch it defeats the whole point." Her blonde bob swayed at her shoulders as Arcueid strode ahead toward the door.
Aiba Asagi was about to wake up.
"It's like tossing an empty water bottle into a trash can from a distance. Walking over to drop it in has no soul."
She casually scooped up Avrora, who had been lurking suspiciously by the doorway, and headed for the guest room.
"Root she…" Avrora pitifully held up a few strands of golden hair—several had been yanked out last night when Root took control.
"It's fine, just grab hers back," Arcueid consoled, giving the girl's cheek a reassuring squeeze.
"Gr…grab back?"
"Mhmm. Aim for the base of her tail, grab, and run."
"O-okay."
Hope the cat's alright.
Natsuki swallowed her fry and followed the pair ahead.
Huh, the fries were still warm.
--+--
"Good morning, 'Empress.'"
The silver-haired maid gently drew open the curtains, letting warm sunlight spill into the bedroom.
"Ah, morning." Asagi mumbled, shielding her eyes from the glaring light with her hand.
For someone just waking up, having the curtains yanked open was the ultimate assault.
Direct sunlight—a true damage wake-up call no one could sleep through. She took a soft breath, gazing dazedly at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where is this…?"
Memories flooded back.
Ah, right.
She'd been put to sleep by the 'Priestess of Abel,' and she seemed to recall hearing some advice about sleeping more and staying up less.
Yeah, right. As if anyone in IT didn't pull all-nighters.
"This is your homeroom teacher, Minamiya Natsuki's home."
Trimmau presented a warm towel at the perfect moment.
"Oh, thanks."
Asagi numbly took the towel, blinking slowly.
Natsuki-chan's home…
Wait, that maid's tone just now sounded familiar.
"Are you… Terminator?" she asked softly.
"Correct." Trimmau gave a firm nod, her expressionless face radiating serious intensity. "I am the assassination weapon from the future."
She slowly raised her arm. Her pale, slender forearm suddenly shifted into a gleaming, silvery liquid.
The flowing mercury formed a compact railgun, its barrel emitting a faint heat.
"Liquid metal… It really is that Terminator."
Asagi held the towel, her mouth hanging open in a daze. She'd seen that globally popular sci-fi movie, after all.
"Naturally."
The railgun morphed back into a pale arm. Trimmau stepped forward, took the towel from the girl, and offered a steaming cup of tea in its place.
An assassination weapon working part-time as a maid?
"Feels about as strange as finding out your classmate is a Primogenitor," Asagi muttered under her breath after a sip of tea.
"Wh-what?!" Avrora, who had just been carried in by Arcueid, widened her eyes in alarm, her hands held cautiously to her chest. "We've been discovered?!"
"Young lady, your guess is correct." Arcueid held the little one aloft like a cat carrying a kitten. "This right here is the Fourth Primogenitor."
"Huh?"
Asagi's face went blank with confusion once more.
Cain's memories had already told her Avrora was the 'Kaleid Blood.'
Still… Nagisa's friend is the Fourth Primogenitor, huh…
"Didn't expect you to be so sharp," her homeroom teacher, Natsuki, offered praise without stinting. "Good. Keep that up."
The more you knew about the world, the more threats you might attract.
Being perceptive wasn't a bad thing.
"Asagi, you must have received the memories from inside 'Cain's Coffin,' right?" After setting Avrora free, Arcueid sat in the chair by the bed and tapped the phone on the nightstand.
"About that 'Cleansing'—"
As the words were spoken, a phantom figure materialized in the room. Root drifted silently out from behind Avrora, her aura shifting abruptly.
The words 'Cleansing' acted like a key, unlocking some shackle upon her.
"Heh… Ohohohohohaha!"
Her golden hair swayed with her movement. Root curled her vermilion lips, unleashing a laugh that sounded like a curse.
The girl's resentful, mirthful laughter echoed through the room, only to be cut short—
By a hand clamping firmly onto her head.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.