A Journey Across Worlds Beginning with the Supreme Sovereign

After washing up, Nangong Nayue wrapped herself in a bath towel, revealing her snow-white, fragrant shoulders.

Her small, fair jade feet were bare as she walked across the carpet of the upscale apartment.

Standing before the mirror at the vanity, she took out a hair dryer and slowly dried her freshly washed hair. The moisture rising from her body drifted through the room, carrying the delicate fragrance of a young girl.

"Want me to help dry your hair?"

Saigō watched Nangong Nayue from behind, rubbing his chin as though lost in thought.

Through the mirror, Nangong Nayue saw Saigō's contemplative expression and assumed that this demon was once again thinking of some way to mock her.

Something about how her figure was uninteresting, or how she looked just like a child.

Nangong Nayue wanted to pretend she did not care, but she truly did.

People were always interested in what they lacked, and wanted it most.

Since Nangong Nayue could not grow because of the technique, she naturally had strong expectations for femininity.

But no matter how hard she worked to cultivate a mature temperament, her unchanged figure and childish voice still made her seem adorably childlike to others.

Seeing Nangong Nayue keep her mouth shut no matter what, Saigō grew somewhat bored.

What he had actually been thinking about was the difference between Nangong Nayue and Shalltear.

In the end, Saigō concluded that aside from Shalltear's vampire skin being like white wax rather than human skin, the two did not seem all that different.

Moreover, both of them had complaints about their figures.

"Little Natsuki, you'll be going to university soon. What kind of job do you want after graduation?"

Saigō made conversation for the sake of it.

"That is something to think about after graduating from university, not something I would consider now."

Nangong Nayue replied coldly.

"You must remember, Little Natsuki, human lives are short. That is why you should plan your life in advance, so you will not have regrets."

"...Only long-lived beings like us treat time as a burdensome thing and do not care about its passing."

Hearing Saigō start preaching again, Nangong Nayue put down the hair dryer in her hand.

She turned around, her little hands clutching the bath towel around her body as she asked curiously, "...As a demon, how many years have you lived?"

This demon might not speak pleasantly, but sometimes what he said truly made sense.

Saigō pretended to ponder before slowly saying, "...Who knows? I would never bother keeping track of something as boring as how many years I have lived."

"...Just as you would never count how many grains of rice you have eaten."

In truth, having lived through two lives, Saigō was only a few decades old. In this life, he was only in his twenties.

"Why ask me that, Little Natsuki?"

Saigō asked with a smile.

"I just feel that you are somewhat different from those three True Vampires who have lived for thousands of years. According to the Artificial Island Management Corporation's intelligence, those three True Vampires of the Night Empire have lived so long that many of their actions and thoughts are rather bizarre."

"...But I think you seem different."

Nangong Nayue voiced her thoughts pensively.

Saigō chuckled softly. "...Time is the most terrifying thing. Even immortal races lose their sanity and sense of self through time's 'wear and tear.'"

"...That only proves those three True Vampires are far too weak compared to me!"

Saigō declared shamelessly. Since he had never lived for thousands of years, he had no idea how those people felt.

"Back to the earlier topic, Little Natsuki. What kind of job do you want?"

Saigō steered the conversation back again.

Having opened up, Nangong Nayue did not refuse to answer this time. "...If I really had to say what I want to do after graduating from university, I suppose I would like to become a teacher."

"Oh?"

Saigō revealed a strange smile. "...A teacher, huh? That sounds great. Just imagining Little Natsuki heaving a chair up to the podium in front of a group of students."

"...Then standing on that chair with a pointer to teach while all those children laugh at you—it really is an amusing image!"

Seeing Saigō start teasing her again, Nangong Nayue snorted. After glaring at him, she said, "...I'm going to sleep!"

With that, she ignored Saigō and walked straight into the bedroom. There was no need to close the door, since it would not stop this demon anyway.

Once in the bedroom, she removed her bath towel, changed into a simple set of pajamas, pulled up the blanket, and closed her eyes, hoping that out of sight would mean out of mind.

Saigō smiled and sat in a nearby chair, watching Nangong Nayue sleep with her doll-like, adorable face in view.

In the dead of night, Nangong Nayue suddenly woke with a start. She sensed a surge of magical power!

Nangong Nayue's True Self

The sudden magical disturbance on String God Island jolted Nangong Nayue awake.

The doll-like girl's face turned solemn. Her petite body sprang halfway upright like a compressed spring, and a flicker of unease passed through her sapphire-blue eyes.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? You look terrifying."

"...Honestly, Little Natsuki, you're already this old and you still have nightmares? You even woke up frightened."

"You usually act like such a little adult, but looking at you now, aren't you still just like a child?"

"...Though I am your watcher, demons offer a wide range of services. If you are upset or scared, you can throw yourself into my arms. I'll soothe you to sleep."

The first thing Nangong Nayue heard upon waking was Saigō's teasing, laughter-filled voice.

Her tense mood instantly shattered, and veins bulged on her smooth forehead.

Furiously, she looked to her side and saw Saigō sitting calmly in a chair.

He had crossed his legs, wore a pair of glasses on his nose, and held a book in his hand.

Even the darkness of the bedroom could not obstruct a demon's sight.

The demon's shadow against the wall, bathed in moonlight, possessed a startlingly bewitching beauty.

Unfortunately, Nangong Nayue had no interest in appreciating this demon's charm as a man. Her voice was unusually stern and anxious as she said, "...Zarathustra, you must have sensed that outbreak of magical power just now!"

"What is the problem? This is the Demon Sanctuary. While the number of demons on this artificial island is not enormous overall, there are still quite a few."

"...Fluctuations and outbreaks of magical power are simply commonplace, aren't they?"

Saigō looked utterly unconcerned.

Then he smiled brightly at Nangong Nayue. "...Besides, I am only a demon. I am not a creature of this world, nor am I a resident of this city."

"...Whatever happens here has nothing to do with me. Even if this world were destroyed, I could watch the changing tides with a smile. I might even admire the beauty of its apocalypse."

After pausing, Saigō continued, "...Of course, I am also your watcher and guardian. Wherever you go, I will follow, and I will lend you my power."

"...Until the contract is fulfilled or becomes invalid, that is the nature of our relationship."

Saigō's words made Nangong Nayue snort. She had never expected a demon to possess any kind of kindness.

It was already a blessing that this demon had not simply destroyed the world and toyed with its living beings.

Yet Nangong Nayue herself did not realize that his words had inexplicably made her feel at ease.

Nangong Nayue's power came from Saigō. Everything she relied on to be powerful was this demon.

No matter how gifted she was as a human, without a contract with a demon, Nangong Nayue could never have obtained the power she possessed now.

Of course, power was only one part of it. What Nangong Nayue cared about even more was Saigō's promise that, until the contract ended, he would always protect her and remain by her side.

Nangong Nayue would never admit to that sense of reassurance.

Trusting a demon's promise and taking joy in a demon's company were things her pride would never permit.

"Then stop talking nonsense and come with me!"

Nangong Nayue ignored the fact that Saigō was right in front of her. She was used to it by now.

This time, the Witch calmly took off her plain pajamas.

She allowed her petite, lovely body, shining with porcelain-like beauty beneath the moonlight, to be exposed before Saigō's eyes.

Though Nangong Nayue's figure lacked a woman's seductive allure, it still possessed a beauty capable of enchanting men.

She quickly changed into a black Gothic Lolita outfit and immediately activated the Space Control Technique, vanishing from the bedroom.

Saigō smiled as his body turned into black flames, following Nangong Nayue's disappearing figure.

Saigō's fundamental power came from the Third Star Particle in his blood and the divine status of the Mother of Evil Gods.

In the Yggdrasills game, Saigō's abilities had likewise been fixed in the form of skills.

It could be said that Saigō had never cultivated any power from the very beginning, yet he had acquired abilities that surpassed all common reason.

However, Saigō believed there would inevitably be flaws in that. Gaining something without effort was gratifying, but it also easily led to an unstable foundation.

Thus, after arriving in this world, Saigō had used the opportunity of staying by Nangong Nayue's side to learn some of this world's techniques.

The techniques of this world were not necessarily advanced, nor were they necessarily stronger than his own abilities.

But all paths ultimately led to the same destination. There was never anything wrong with learning more, and through that learning, Saigō gained a deeper understanding of his own power.

For instance, the Space Control mastered by Nangong Nayue. Saigō had other ways to achieve spatial travel, such as the ring on his hand, which possessed that very function.

But after studying it for a while, the body of one of Zoroastrianism's Six Great Devils possessed unimaginable talent, and Nangong Nayue's technique no longer held any secrets in his eyes.

Nangong Nayue had obtained power from Saigō through their contract.

Through that same contract, Saigō was not only drawing nourishment from this world to grow, but also enriching himself and becoming stronger.

In a sense, Saigō and Nangong Nayue were helping each other.

In but an instant, Nangong Nayue's figure traveled from her apartment to the scene of the incident.

Saigō once again transformed into a demon's shadow, becoming Nangong Nayue's shadow.

It was no wonder Nangong Nayue was so anxious, because the place where the incident had occurred was the school she attended: Shiritsu Saikai Academy.

"Demon Hunter Officer Nangong!"

A fully armed unit had already arrived nearby and was standing by. They were the island's Special District Guard.

As a Demon Sanctuary, demons made up a considerable portion of the population.

Demons innately possessed special abilities that humans did not, so the likelihood of demon-related crimes occurring on this island was not low.

The Special District Guard had been established for that reason. This force was not large, but its overall combat strength could rival that of a nation's regular military.

They might be inadequate against powerful demons, but they were more than capable of handling ordinary demon criminals.

Furthermore, the Guard had recruited outstanding Demon Hunter Officers, making it the largest protective organization on the artificial island.

Upon seeing Nangong Nayue appear, a tall man hurriedly saluted and called out.

Although Nangong Nayue had the build of a child, she commanded considerable prestige within the Special District Guard.

Even before becoming a Witch, Nangong Nayue had been an outstanding Demon Hunter Officer and had taught quite a few Guardsmen who had refused to accept her a lesson.

After becoming a Witch, her power became utterly different from what it had been before. It could even be said that she herself was the monster posing the greatest threat to this artificial island.

"You will guard this place and keep civilians from entering. I'll go in and take a look myself!"

Nangong Nayue gave the order directly without any unnecessary words.

"Wouldn't it be too dangerous for you to go in alone?"

The tall captain of the Guard asked hesitantly.

"Get back to your post. Can't you hear what I said?"

Nangong Nayue merely gave him a cold glance. Her tone was domineering, arrogant, and utterly disdainful of everything around her.

This was Nangong Nayue's true personality and original nature. She had always done exactly as she pleased.

Only before Saigō was she bullied into helplessness, able to do nothing but rage impotently.

Before others, she was a typical sadist. Before Saigō, she became a masochist who was constantly bullied.