"Wait a moment. I'll change back into my clothes."
As she said this, Irisviel smiled gently, then turned and headed for the dressing room.
Soon, the two of them and a little loli left the clothing store. After walking along the street for a while, the three entered a café.
"Madam, my lady wishes to see you."
As soon as they stepped inside, a blond man dressed as a knight approached and gave Aozaki Touko a gentlemanly bow.
"Who is your lady?"
Aozaki Touko's eyes grew solemn for the first time in a long while. She moved Irisviel behind her.
Beo's pupils turned golden as he assumed a guarded battle stance.
"Altrouge Brunestud. You should have heard that name, right?!"
The blond knight smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward a table some distance away.
There sat an exquisitely beautiful black-haired girl. Holding a coffee cup, she smiled elegantly and gave Aozaki Touko a slight nod.
"What an extraordinary person."
Aozaki Touko smiled faintly, then said to Beo behind her:
"Beo, take Irisviel back to the Clock Tower."
Her voice was cold and serious, leaving not the slightest room for refusal.
"Understood."
Beo nodded seriously, then took Irisviel's hand and cautiously backed out of the café step by step.
"Touko, be careful."
Irisviel spoke anxiously, but she had no intention of stubbornly staying behind and holding Aozaki Touko back. She had a very clear understanding of herself and the situation.
At this moment, she absolutely could not become a burden to Touko.
Chapter Sixty-Seven: Can You Let Me Understand You?
Altrouge Brunestud was a hybrid with half Dead Apostle blood and half True Ancestor blood. She had three True Ancestor Dead Apostles as followers.
She was the true leader of the Dead Apostles as a group.
She possessed the power to face the True Ancestor Princess, Arcueid Brunestud, head-on.
If she became an enemy, she would be an unimaginably terrifying opponent—especially if her opponent was human.
In that case, she would possess an overwhelming advantage.
That was because Altrouge possessed a pet known as the Primate Killer, granting her absolute authority to slaughter humans.
Aozaki Touko happened to be a pure human. If a conflict broke out, she would definitely fall into an overwhelming disadvantage.
It would be like an ordinary person having a gun pressed against their temple, with life and death depending entirely on the other party's mood.
That should have been the case.
"Altrouge, what do you want with me? We aren't supposed to be acquainted, are we?"
Aozaki Touko calmly sat down in front of Altrouge and poured herself a cup of coffee.
It was extremely strange. No fear of the Primate Killer showed on her face, nor did she display the slightest apprehension.
As for the white hound lying beside Altrouge, she treated it as though it were an ordinary animal.
"..."
Under the table, the White Beast's eyes flashed with confusion. Tentatively, she extended a forepaw and lightly pressed it against the human girl's foot.
Then, an unexpected scene unfolded.
The human girl took off her shoe, and rather than retreating, extended her bare foot forward to the White Beast's neck, scratching it with her fair little toes.
The White Beast felt a pleasant comfort in her neck. Her eyes narrowed instinctively, and her tail began to wag on its own.
But in the next moment, she realized that something was wrong.
Although she had not intended to kill the human girl, she should at least have given her a terrifying warning.
Yet the girl had ignored her authority. Could it be that she had nullified the Primate Killer's ability?
Or was this human actually no longer human?
"..."
The White Beast raised her head and looked at the Black Princess. She also lifted her paw and repeatedly pressed it against the girl's foot, displaying the strange situation she had encountered.
Altrouge naturally noticed this scene. Delight flashed through her crimson eyes. She raised her coffee cup, took a light sip, and then said with a radiant smile:
"I was drawn here by your reputation as a genius. I wish to borrow your genius to resolve an old ailment that has troubled me for many years. Naturally, I will offer an appropriate reward as well."
Her tone was dignified and noble, like the embodiment of humanity's beautiful ideal of a princess.
If one only judged by appearances, it would be easy to be deceived by that superficial beauty.
In reality, the Dead Apostle Princess had also taken off her shoe at that moment. Extending her pale, tender foot with a trace of curiosity, she found Touko's fair bare foot and began competing with it around the White Beast's neck.
This was a mutual probing disguised as play. Aozaki Touko wanted to roughly estimate the Dead Apostle Princess's strength, while Altrouge wanted to determine why Aozaki Touko was unafraid of the Primate Killer.
Neither side wanted to escalate the conflict, which was why this scene resembling a childish game had occurred.
For the White Beast, however, it was an extremely comfortable experience. She narrowed her eyes and lay down, enjoying the massages from the two beautiful girls, feeling relaxed from head to tail.
"My reputation as a genius is insignificant compared to someone as important as you. It shouldn't have any value, should it?"
Aozaki Touko asked her this.
In truth, this was not sarcasm. She genuinely could not understand why the Dead Apostle Princess had come to find her.
The two of them should not have had any connection at all.
"Everything has its corresponding value. Besides, you are a genius magus who defeated a True Ancestor Dead Apostle~"
Altrouge's scarlet eyes grew solemn. She withdrew her foot from its confrontation with Aozaki Touko beneath the table and said elegantly, "I heard that you are the best doctor in the world. Even someone who has already fallen into death can be revived by you within a short time?"
"..."
Hearing this, Aozaki Touko blinked and said in confusion, "How come I don't know that I have such an impressive achievement? Bringing the dead back to life would be an act that trespasses upon divine authority, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm... Someone deduced it. They believe you are the strongest doctor in the world."
Altrouge answered honestly.
In fact, after Aozaki Touko's period of public teaching at the Clock Tower, combined with some of her achievements, magi had begun boldly speculating about the level of her medical magecraft.
During the period when Aozaki Touko secluded herself for cultivation, they had exaggerated her abilities into something almost mythical, yet with enough convincing logic to make people wonder whether the girl truly was that capable.
"So... Princess, you came to me for treatment?"
Aozaki Touko smiled helplessly. "Even if I really possessed such medical skills, they would still be limited to humans. As for a high-level life-form like you, I know absolutely nothing."
"So as long as you understand me, you can treat me?"
Altrouge tilted her head and revealed a sly smile. She seemed to have heard only the information favorable to her, completely ignoring the rejection hidden in Aozaki Touko's words.
"..."
Seeing this, Aozaki Touko raised her coffee cup and took a sip. With an elegant, provocative smile, she said, "Of course. If Your Highness the Princess is willing to be honest with me, I may not be incapable of curing you. But your body is so pure and holy—can you really let a human like me understand it?"
Chapter Sixty-Eight: I Need Bargaining Chips
Inside the café.
The atmosphere was cold and strange. Faintly, killing intent filled the air, along with a mocking smile at someone's overestimation of herself.
The sources of that killing intent and amusement were Altrouge's Black and White Knights.
The White Knight was named Feen Blood-Springfield, while the Black Knight was named Rizovolt Sturlut.
Both were immensely powerful beings on the level of True Ancestors.
They were angry that this human girl actually dared to covet Her Highness Altrouge's body, and amused because the girl was overestimating herself.
Even disregarding Her Highness Altrouge's power, there were three True Ancestor Dead Apostle-level existences present, one of whom was the White Beast, who possessed absolute authority to slaughter humans.
Under such circumstances, if this was not confidence in her own strength, then it was simply arrogant conceit.
As for whether this human girl was confident or merely arrogant, they had already reached a conclusion in their hearts.
After all, it was only natural for a genius who had never suffered setbacks to become arrogant.
All she needed was a thorough beating to recognize reality.
The Black and White Knights were already prepared to teach her a lesson.
"..."
Aozaki Touko acted as though she could not feel the killing intent. She calmly drank her coffee while continuing to play with the White Beast beneath the table using her fair little foot.
Could it be that the Black and White Knights' killing intent was simply too weak?
At that moment, the other ordinary people in the café began trembling involuntarily. Their hands shook as they held their coffee cups, spilling the coffee inside.
It was as though they had been plunged into a biting cold wind, their bodies shivering uncontrollably.
"It's so cold."
"But isn't it already spring? This cold is abnormal."
"Exactly. It suddenly became so cold. This completely defies common sense."
"Anyway, this place is too strange. Let's leave first."
"Mm."
Soon, the other ordinary people in the café fled in a swarm, and even the servers ran out with them.
The once stylish café instantly became deserted.
"You want to understand my body?"
Altrouge blinked and looked at the provocative girl with her beautiful eyes, revealing an elegant smile.
"Mm... A patient listening to her doctor is only natural, isn't it? If Doctor Touko wants to examine my body, it isn't actually impossible."
She pressed her index finger against her red lips, carrying a hint of provocation.
Her True Ancestor blood, which surpassed humanity, had given her an elven-like perfect appearance. With her teasing voice and movements, even the most ironhearted person—even another woman—would have their heart swayed.
That was the allure brought by pure beauty.
"...Even if you're willing to cooperate with me, I can't guarantee that I'll be able to cure you."
Aozaki Touko smiled helplessly. Her usually confident face actually revealed a trace of uncertainty.
If one only considered her medical skills regarding humans, she could proudly call herself the world's number-one doctor. But asking her to treat a Dead Apostle—especially one who was half True Ancestor and half Dead Apostle—left her with no idea where to begin.
It was like asking a professional veterinarian to treat a human, and not just any human, but one suffering from an exceptionally difficult chronic illness.
It was simply absurd. The fields did not match.
"It's fine. I understand your difficulty. If you confidently claimed that you could cure me, I would actually find it somewhat hard to believe."
Altrouge nodded understandingly and smiled gently.
"So even if you cannot cure my injuries, I will not blame you in the slightest. I will also pay you a portion of the compensation."
Altrouge's tone was completely frank. Her crimson eyes appeared utterly sincere, making it impossible not to believe that she meant what she said.
"As expected of the Dead Apostle Princess. Every word and action of yours carries a compelling charm. Even I can't help developing a favorable impression of you after hearing that."
Aozaki Touko offered a little flattery, then turned serious. "But business is business, and goodwill is goodwill. Your Highness Altrouge, what level of compensation do you intend to pay?"
"Ah... Isn't playing with my body already compensation?"
Altrouge tilted her head slightly, her exquisite face showing confusion, as though she could not understand why Aozaki Touko wanted bargaining chips.
Before you continue