Aren't You Going to Stop Them? / [Corrupted Title]...

"Why does this feel so much like a melodramatic TV drama?!"

Seeing this scene, Yaya wore a worried expression. She hurried to the entrance, took an umbrella, and then chased after Aoko, who had just left, through the torrential rain.

In the mountains, outside the cave.

Aoko and Yaya braved the wind and rain to reach the outside of the Aozaki Grandfather's Magic Workshop. They saw that Aozaki Grandfather was already standing at the entrance. Beside him stood another person—Bunbyo Rei, a member of the Holy Church.

"You two stay outside."

Aozaki Grandfather spoke coldly, leaving no room for refusal.

He held absolute authority in the Aozaki Household. Even the Aozaki Parents did not dare raise any objection, so Aoko and Yaya, as juniors, naturally had even less chance of resisting.

As for Bunbyo Rei, he had no reason to provoke a Magic User.

"Aoko~"

Yaya looked extremely worried.

"Just wait here for me."

Aoko shook her head and followed Aozaki Grandfather into the Magic Workshop.

Chapter 82: Aren't You Going to Stop Them?

Inside the gloomy cavern.

Pale yellow candle flames swayed gently. Row upon row of bookshelves stood along the walls, storing various Grimoires. In the center of the cavern were some simple wooden tables and chairs, on which all kinds of strange objects had been placed.

There were arms with sharp fingernails, a pair of eyeballs in a glass jar that emitted a red glow, and the hearts of strange animals.

In short, this was absolutely not the decor of a normal person's room.

"..."

Aoko coldly swept her gaze across the surroundings. In the end, her eyes stopped on the stool Touko often sat on. Then, as if seeking a little sense of security—or as if fate were telling her that she was Touko's successor—she sat down in the place where Touko usually studied.

"After inheriting the Magic Crest, you will go to the Kuonji Western Mansion and accept Kuonji Alice's guidance. She will be your Magic teacher and instruct you in magical knowledge."

Aozaki Grandfather walked over and coldly gave her instructions for what was to come.

That was right. He had no intention of personally teaching Aoko, nor did he care much about what direction the Aozaki Household would take after the Magic Crest had been inherited. Although the meaning of his continued existence was to pass on the Magic User's Crest,

what happened afterward had nothing to do with him.

Besides, even if he gave Aoko no instruction at all, Aozaki Touko would never stand by and do nothing about her younger sister. She would certainly make arrangements by then, so there was no need for him to worry at all.

After all, Aoko's elder sister was a famous instructor at the Clock Tower. Having someone of that caliber arrange lessons for her younger sister would surely be far better than anything he could offer.

"...Alice?"

Aoko frowned and asked, "Grandfather, do you think Alice will properly teach me?"

Even so, she felt that she had left some room for interpretation in her question.

In truth, she seriously suspected that Alice might find an opportunity to quietly kill her during the lessons. After all, Alice was a witch, no matter how one looked at it.

Considering Alice's close relationship with Touko, combined with Yaya letting slip some of Touko's secrets, Aoko seriously suspected that the relationship between Alice and Touko was not a simple one.

At the very least... their relationship definitely surpassed the affection between ordinary best friends.

With a relationship of that level, if she went to Alice for instruction, then even if Alice did not find an opportunity to kill her, she would surely receive a cold reception.

"...I no longer have time to teach you."

Aozaki Grandfather spoke indifferently. "This body of mine will cease functioning before long. You will have to find a way to overcome these difficulties yourself."

He was indeed close to death. Although this body could still hold out for quite some time, once he had passed on the Magic User's Crest, there would be no reason for him to remain attached to this period.

In any case, even if he did nothing, Aozaki Touko would arrange everything.

"...Grandfather, you're going to die?!"

Aoko found it somewhat unbelievable.

"That's right. I'm about to die~"

Aozaki Grandfather nodded coldly. He then made a rough calculation of when he ought to die and how much time he needed to deal with the remaining matters before saying,

"I will die in approximately three days, at four thirty in the afternoon."

"Ah... Oh... Should I call my sister back to see you off?"

Hearing this, Aoko's face stiffened, and she did not know what expression to make.

Hearing her grandfather announce his death as if giving the time, she ought to have felt grief at the passing of a family member. Yet not the slightest trace of sorrow could arise within her. Instead, a strange feeling filled her heart.

She even developed the bizarre impression that her grandfather had decided to die because he found teaching her troublesome.

"...That's fine."

Aozaki Grandfather nodded slightly.

"But three days is a little too short. My sister might not make it back in time."

Aoko frowned as she spoke.

"Then I'll die a few days later~"

Aozaki Grandfather said it unconcernedly. Then he looked at Aoko and said, "Now, Aoko, extend your arm."

"...I understand."

Aoko nodded slightly, rolled up her sleeve, and extended her arm. Then, with a stiff expression, she asked, "Grandfather, if you don't want to die, how many more years could you live?"

"..."

He did not answer. Aozaki Grandfather merely circulated his magical energy and began the ritual of transferring the Magic Crest.

Outside the cavern.

Bunbyo Rei seemed to sense something. He glanced back into the cavern, then turned to Yaya and said with a gentle smile,

"You're a doll made by Aozaki Touko, aren't you?"

"..."

Yaya turned to look at Bunbyo Rei with an expression of disdain, as if she were looking at non-recyclable garbage. She had no desire to speak at all.

Bunbyo Rei was not at all angered by Yaya's coldness. He calmly said, "Aoko will soon finish inheriting the Magic Crest. As a doll made by Aozaki Touko, aren't you going to stop her?"

"Yaya's mission is to protect Aoko!"

Yaya's gaze was wary as she spoke.

"Is that so? But if she finishes inheriting the Magic Crest, that will represent a complete rift between Aozaki Touko and Aozaki Aoko. They might even fight each other over the Magic Crest!"

Bunbyo Rei wore a sorrowful expression. "If you wait any longer, it will be impossible to undo. Whether it is the Aoko you like or your master Touko, both of them will be caught up in the tragic fate of magi."

"Yaya won't listen to you!"

Yaya's gaze remained wary as she said firmly, "Master Touko will have a way to resolve these problems. But you're a scoundrel, and your words absolutely cannot be trusted."

"Is that so? Is this your choice?"

Bunbyo Rei lowered his eyes, seemingly lamenting and grieving over the future fate of the Aozaki sisters.

Conspiracy

London.

Inside Lidell's Western Mansion, in Aozaki Touko's room.

At that moment, Altrouge was embracing Aozaki Touko around the waist. She had buried her head against Touko's neck, her two sharp little fangs piercing her pale skin as she gently sucked Touko's blood, as if she were savoring the finest red wine.

Rather than sucking blood, that gentle motion looked more like she was kissing her lover.

"Are you done yet? It's almost time to eat."

Aozaki Touko stroked Altrouge's smooth black hair. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall, she estimated that Irisviel should be coming to call her for lunch around this time.

The instant she finished speaking, Altrouge's gentle sucking suddenly became somewhat rough, as though Touko's words had touched upon some taboo.

Like a cat whose meal had been interrupted, a hint of ferocity flashed through her crimson eyes. She fiercely sucked two mouthfuls of blood from Touko, then released the pale neck between her teeth. Her exquisite face was filled with displeasure.

"This is the rare time I have for treatment. If I don't get enough, I won't be happy for the entire next week."

She spoke petulantly, yet as if it were only natural. Then she pushed Touko onto the bed nearby and suddenly changed from a girl's figure into that of a mature woman.

Immediately afterward, she wore a domineering smile like a queen, pinned Touko's arms down, and sat atop her, looking down from above. Her crimson eyes held both provocation and displeasure.

"To be able to fill my stomach with your bloodline is something countless people dream of. Touko, you should feel honored."

Her mature, sensual voice spoke words that invited endless imagination.

Then she lowered her head and bit Touko's pale neck again. This time, her movements became gentler.

"...I still wanted to read the letters sent from home before lunch~"

Aozaki Touko blinked and chuckled in amusement.

She had discovered that when Altrouge took her mature form, her personality subtly changed as well. She became more domineering and fond of taking the initiative, and she could face her own feelings more directly. If Touko responded to Altrouge's provocative words right now, she might not be able to leave the room at noon.

—Click.

Just then, the handle of the locked door twisted. At the same time, Irisviel's pleasant voice entered the room.

"Touko, it's time to eat... Huh?"

Before she could finish, Irisviel's puzzled voice sounded. Then came the sound of her forcefully twisting the handle and pushing against the door. However, the door, which had not been locked securely, still refused to open.

"I'm not satisfied yet!"

Inside the room, Altrouge extended an index finger toward the door. A faint red glow appeared at her fingertip. In an instant, she made a contract with the air and completely locked the door. Without enough strength to punch through the wall, there was absolutely no hope of opening it.

"Is the door broken?"

Outside the room, Irisviel spoke in confusion. Inside, Aozaki Touko twitched at the corner of her mouth as she watched Altrouge lower her head and bite deeply into her neck again, unable to keep from feeling amused.

"It's not broken. A certain Princess who was interrupted while eating and receiving treatment is just throwing a tantrum. You all go eat first. I'll come down and eat later."

"Got it~"

Irisviel's voice carried understanding. Immediately afterward, she turned and left.

In fact, Altrouge's blood therapy basically took place once every week. After such a long time, everyone was already familiar with it and no longer found it strange.

It was like setting an alarm for work or school. It had already become part of their daily lives, and everyone regarded it as perfectly natural.

"...Mmph~"

After roughly ten minutes, Altrouge let out a suppressed moan. Then she pulled Touko tightly into her arms. Her mature form began to shrink as well, quickly returning to that of a girl.

"Get some proper rest~"

Aozaki Touko removed Altrouge, who was lying on top of her, then pulled up the blanket and covered her. Immediately afterward, she bent down and kissed her forehead before turning and leaving the room.

After sucking Aozaki Touko's blood, Altrouge did not become full of energy. Instead, she developed an unbearable drowsiness. It was the body's instinctive desire to enter a dormant state and begin healing itself.

This state would last until Altrouge had recovered at least ninety percent of her injuries. Only then would she no longer need such deep healing.

The injuries she had sustained in her battle with Arcueid all those years ago had been far too severe. Even now, she had been unable to heal completely. Moreover, because she was a Dead Apostle, the Holy Church feared that she would slaughter large numbers of humans and drink their blood to recover, so it had specifically hunted her.

The Dead Apostles who should have belonged to Altrouge's faction had also begun hunting her because of the traitorous Crimson Lord.

This pursuit continued intermittently for roughly eight hundred years, causing Altrouge's injuries to remain unhealed the entire time.

She had even been forced to shrink into the form of a girl to conserve her strength. Only when she needed to engage in intense combat would she return to her mature form and fight.

Chapter 84: Should I Accompany You Back?

"Grandfather... he's really going to die~"

After lunch, Aozaki Touko sat on the sofa with Beo in her arms, reading a letter in her hand. Its contents recorded the news of Aoko inheriting the Fifth Magic, as well as the news that Aozaki Grandfather would soon die of old age.

She was not surprised by Aoko's Fifth Magic, since it had already been within her expectations. However, she was genuinely surprised that her grandfather had calmly accepted death and had even calculated the exact time.

In this life, there was no abnormal priest like Bunbyo Rei who thought he could try killing her grandfather. In theory, her grandfather should still have had plenty of time left.