Chapter 56

"Ahh... It's night already..."

In a dilapidated room of an old castle, a girl murmured.

With her sleepy eyes still half-closed, she slowly sat up.

On the bed, which was so elegant and luxurious that it seemed out of place amidst the old-fashioned decor, she sat down looking very lethargic.

"Rin... Where's Rin...?"

"Right under you...?"

The girl, who had called out in a sweet voice as if seeking a beloved, heard the response from beneath her bottom.

Hearing the sharp voice, the girl laughed, her face lighting up with an innocent smile like a child who had found a toy.

"Oh, Rin. When did you turn into a futon?"

"It was Melty who dragged me onto the bed against my will, wasn't it!?"

The girl lying beneath, a brown-haired woman with an extremely well-developed figure, had bite marks all over her body and dark circles under her eyes. Rin, with a dazed expression, responded to the girl's sluggish reaction with a mix of irritation.

"You seemed to enjoy it in the end. What's your complaint?"

Exposed to her own lewd state, Rin's face turned bright red, and she froze for a few seconds before exploding.

"Y-You... That's not the point! I'm sleepy! I'm sleepy! I can't sleep because you keep biting me in your sleep!"

"Already... You're so energetic even when you just woke up..."

Due to being shaken by the shoulders, the girl with low blood pressure, Melty Bloodheart, frowned slightly as she spoke.

This place is the "Castle of Forgotten Time." The home of the strongest vampire, known by countless names such as "Heaven's Eye," "Witch of Forgotten Time," and "Falling Star."

In a world where time was distorted, Melty spent unchanging moments with her favorite toy.

"...Melty, there's a letter for you."

"Oh, really? That's unusual."

Taking the letter from Rin, who still had a sour expression, Melty waved her fingers to open it.

She rarely went down to the human world, so there was no one who would send her a letter.

"Hmm... Hmm... Oh my..."

"What does it say?"

Watching Melty's suggestive reactions as she read the letter, Rin became curious and tried to peek at the contents.

However, Melty wouldn't allow it, and the letter turned to ashes just as Rin was about to read it.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking."

"Come on, don't be sulky. ...The stars have started to move."

"Stars?"

Rin tilted her head at Melty's cryptic words.

She had always used roundabout ways to talk about important matters, which Rin, with her limited education, couldn't understand. However, it usually just made Melty irritable.

This time, however, she could sense that Melty was genuinely happy, which made her feel like she was seeing something rare.

"A shadow can be seen on the first star. The second star is smoldering, and the third star is waiting for its end. The fourth star is already gone, and the fifth and sixth stars are in a state of unchanging limbo. The seventh star... as always, is invisible even to my eyes."

"Your words are always so hard to understand, Melty."

Rin said this and fell back onto the bed, looking bored.

Probably due to lack of sleep, she was about to be taken by the magic of the futon, but Melty gently ran her fingers through Rin's hair.

"Demons, fairy kings, and killers... What will their revival bring to the world of humans?"

While caressing Rin, Melty pondered the tumultuous era that was about to begin.

It could lead to a new mythology or end with nothing happening.

Regardless, they were monsters that had been sealed away because they were deemed a disaster to the world.

"The first star was dimmed by the child of the demon. Since the yoke has been removed, it will likely start with the demon."

Melty's familiars scattered around the world gathered all sorts of information and brought it to her.

This was to complement the trivial matters that her "Eye" couldn't perceive, as it could see but not hear.

"Still... After they were destroyed, for more of their kind to appear... Is this the will of the creator?"

When the place of origin began to function, she knew that new vampires had been born in a world where she was the only one left.

The pure embodiment of violence that brought down the vampires, who once stood at the pinnacle of all races and enjoyed great prosperity, was the wrath of the demon.

Due to the demon's anger, all the vampires except Melty were destroyed.

However, Melty did not hate the demon.

The vampires' downfall was a result of their arrogance, and Melty herself had played a role in their destruction.

The ultimate violence that destroyed the vampires, dragon people, and celestial beings had even made Melty feel a sense of ecstasy at the time.

As a result of the destruction of the top races, the human race, which was the weakest but had the most potential, proliferated.

Melty loved the current world, where the weak abound.

While Rin was the only one who could entertain her boredom, this was a separate matter.

If there was a possibility of the extinct races reviving, she would need to go and snuff out that possibility herself.

"Still... The possibility is slim, I think."

They will be born eventually. That is an unstoppable reality.

However, the foreign travelers who emerge from the place of origin will not leave a mark on this world.

If the dragon people and celestial beings do not flourish as a race, there is no problem in letting them be.

The revival of the demon will likely take at least half a year, so there is no need to rush.

The demon is one of the more docile among the sealed gods.

It was the side that provoked the demon that was at fault. Therefore, even if it revives, it is enough to just watch it.

The problem is the other gods, led by the "Serial Killer." For some reason, the creator seems to have set up a means to release the sealed gods.

"I can't see what the creator is thinking... but, hmm, I feel like going on an adventure for the first time in a long time."

"...Melty... mumble mumble..."

Seeing Rin, who had fallen asleep and was now rubbing her cheek against Melty's hand, her attitude completely changed from her usual grumpy one, Melty couldn't help but smile.

She didn't impose restrictions on Rin, despite their master-servant relationship, because of her endearing nature.

Rin, who was shy and bad at being affectionate, was fundamentally a big softie, a dilemma that Melty knew well.

Rin is weak. Really weak. But she has a skill that is invaluable to Melty.

Since the day she saved Rin's life and made her a familiar, how much time had they spent together?

It wouldn't be bad to go on a date with her for the first time in a long time.

Thinking this, Melty got out of bed for the first time in a long time.

"Regin"

"Here."

"I'm going out for a bit. I'll leave the castle management to you."

"As you wish."

Though she could hear the voice, she couldn't see the form. Melty gave orders to her familiar, Regin, and began to prepare for departure, being careful not to wake the sleeping princess.

Since Melty doesn't need to eat as long as she has Rin, but Rin, being human, needs food, it would be good to prepare plenty of food.

She magically threw the necessary items into her inventory and finished preparing in a matter of minutes.

"For now... let's head for the imperial capital. I need to pay a visit to the current emperor."

Having set her destination, Melty lit her fingertips with magic and drew letters in the air, then made the bed where Rin was sleeping sink into the shadows.

Rin wouldn't wake up for at least three more hours. In that time, she would enjoy her first outing in a long time alone.

Spreading her wings and leaning out the window, Melty took off into the night sky illuminated by the moon, flapping her wings gently.