"It sunk."
Amidst scattered piles of black keys and a pungent smell, Arcueid sat slumped on the ground, hugging her knees. Her soft cheeks resting on them, her crimson eyes dull as she watched the setting sun slowly sink below the horizon.
"I hate gacha without a pity system," she mumbled.
"...The nearby residents have all been settled," Minamiya Natsuki said softly, gently shaking Arcueid's shoulder. The surrounding streets had already returned to their pristine state.
Whether it was the shattered ground or toppled buildings, the Neco-Arcs had restored everything flawlessly.
Injured residents had each been given a plate of mapo tofu. There was plenty to go around anyway.
Arcueit quietly lifted her gaze, fixing it on Minamiya Natsuki.
"It's about time to go. The cat-angel can't hold on much longer either," Natsuki said, opening her parasol. The small umbrella-shaped shadow fell across Arcueid's face.
The cat-angel, sprawled on the ground, retracted its lolling tongue and weakly raised its tail in agreement.
The sudden disappearance of sunlight snapped Arcueid back to attention. She looked at the orange-tinted sky, stood up, and stretched with a big yawn. "It's already this late?"
Time sure flies when you're rolling the gacha.
The orange hues gradually faded from the sky, replaced by the clear, silvery glow of moonlight.
A cool night breeze stirred the girl's hair. Arcueid gently pinched the cat-angel's tiny wings, lifting it up, and softly rubbed its head with her hand.
Her red eyes slowly turned towards the group of girls gathered in the distance.
"Who's that?"
Beside Kanase Kanon, a silver-haired girl had appeared at some point.
A slender, fairy-like figure, her silver hair reflecting a soft hue under the moonlight.
Confident blue eyes, a somewhat mature build, and features strikingly similar to Kanase Kanon's.
That appearance...
"She is the First Princess of the Aldegian Kingdom," Minamiya Natsuki said, glancing sideways at the conversing girls. "She only arrived on Itogami Island a few days ago."
"Ar... Arcadia?"
"Aldegia," Natsuki corrected with a resigned look at the playful Arcueid, continuing, "It's a kingdom renowned for its advanced magical engineering technology."
She casually fed the cat-angel a spoonful of mapo tofu and, under its grateful gaze, went on.
"According to Her Highness, she is here to find family."
So it was her after all.
Arcueid nodded slightly. "Did anything happen when she arrived?"
"Yes," Natsuki said, waving over a guard Neco-Arc and taking the offered report. "The airship she was traveling on was attacked en route to Itogami Island. Fortunately, the guard Neco-Arcs detected it in time. There were no casualties."
She looked down coldly at Kanase Kensei on the ground.
"And the attackers... according to the guard Neco-Arcs' interrogation, appear to be from Magus Craft."
The night grew cooler, street lamps flickering on one by one.
The faint light illuminated Kensei's desolate silhouette. He leaned silently against the still-warm ground, eyes closed as if asleep.
After a long moment, he spoke softly, "Women born into the Aldegian royal family are almost without exception powerful spirit mediums."
"The Faux Angel ritual is most compatible with modified individuals possessing spiritual medium abilities from the royal line."
As he spoke, Beatrice, standing nearby, closed her eyes, her face ashen.
"The people from Magus Craft, aiming to replicate more Faux Angels for sale, chose to attack Her Highness."
Kensei continued, "After all, they couldn't extract cells from Kanon, whose modifications had already begun."
"The Faux Angel is a secret art of Aldegia," the girl resembling Kanon said, walking over as if seeing matters here were concluded. "It seems you learned quite a bit during your tenure as a court mage-technician for the Aldegian Royal Family."
Glancing at the silent Kensei, the girl turned a smile towards Arcueid, gracefully lifting the hem of her skirt in a curtsy.
"Regarding the attack, I have yet to formally express my gratitude to Itogami Island. I am La Folia Rihavein, eldest daughter of King Lucas Rihavein of the Nordic Kingdom of Aldegia, holding the position of princess within the Aldegian Kingdom."
"It is most discourteous that I have not yet greeted the Fifth Primogenitor due to the incident," La Folia said apologetically.
Arcueid nodded faintly.
So it seemed her identity had been exposed since the night of the Abyss' Fall attack.
After all, Arcueid went in, and the 'Princess of the Moon' came out.
Should she pay a bit more attention to the 'Princess of the Moon' image from now on...
Nah. A carefree princess should do as she pleases.
Having resolved this, Arcueid visibly brightened, her petting of the cat-angel becoming more lively.
"...It has been a long time, Your Highness," Kensei said, lowering his head respectfully to La Folia.
"You used my kin as sacrificial offerings for your ritual, yet you still dare greet me so nonchalantly," La Folia responded, her tone icy.
Kin?
"What does that have to do with Kanon?" Avrora asked, tilting her head in confusion, finally holding Root who had agreed to come down from her head.
"Kanase Kanon is the daughter of my grandfather and a Japanese woman living in Aldegia," La Folia replied gently.
Avrora glanced back and forth between La Folia and Kanon before nodding in understanding.
"If it's her grandfather, then Kanon's relation to you is..." Root crossed her arms, the odd generational relationship confusing her for a moment.
"Naturally, she is my aunt."
An older niece and a younger aunt. Felt like there were more and more of such relationships lately.
On many levels.
Arcueid nodded, asking softly, "Did you come here to take Kanon away?"
Hearing this, Avrora immediately puffed out her cheeks unhappily.
She only had so few friends. She didn't want Kanon to leave. But she couldn't stop Kanon from reuniting with family either...
Thinking this, Avrora hugged the Root even tighter.
"That was the original plan," La Folia nodded, glancing sideways at the girl beside her.
Kanase Kanon was standing obediently next to Arcueid, speaking with Minamiya Natsuki. As Natsuki gave a resigned nod, Kanon revealed a faint smile.
"But Kanon probably isn't willing to leave with me right now," La Folia said, watching this scene, a slight curve touching her own lips.
"She's... very happy here now."
Respecting Kanon's own wishes, huh?
Seemed this Aldegian royalty wasn't too rotten.
"For now, rest up. Later, you can ask for her opinion yourself."
Arcueid grinned happily, spreading her arms wide and stretching with another big yawn.
She turned and waved at the group of girls, her crimson eyes sparkling under the moonlight.
"Time to head home."
--+--
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.