A Multiversal Journey Beginning with the Supreme Sovereign

"Then please be direct, Your Highness! What price must we pay to obtain this information?"

Nangong Nayue was no innocent child. She knew that La Folia had come personally because she wanted something.

At last, La Folia withdrew her gaze from Saigō. Looking at Nangong Nayue with a noble yet courteous smile, she said, "...I also came this time to express my gratitude to the Witch of the Void."

"...During your time in Europe, you have helped the Kingdom greatly. You even thwarted schemes by certain conspirators in both our country and War King's Domain who sought to start another war."

Nangong Nayue had no interest in La Folia's flattery. With an impatient expression, she said, "...Stop using that diplomatic rhetoric, La Folia Rihavein!"

"...Just state your purpose directly. The things you are thanking us for were things we wanted to do anyway. We did not do them specifically for your gratitude."

Saigō smiled and spoke up then. "...Little Natsuki, you should get used to this sort of diplomatic rhetoric in advance."

He was subtly reminding her that if she truly took control of String God Island and became its ruler, such things would happen far more often in the future.

Nangong Nayue merely snorted and said nothing.

Was she acting this way because she hated diplomatic rhetoric? Of course not. She was already a mature woman.

The reason she appeared impatient was simply because she found this Princess irritating.

La Folia was socially adept. Though still young, she knew how to assess the situation. She stopped speaking in circles and said bluntly, "...Our Kingdom is willing to provide the information, but we have one request."

"Although no large-scale war has broken out between the Kingdom and War King's Domain in recent decades, those who delight in war will perish, while those who forget war will be endangered. No one knows whether war will break out again in the future."

"...In exchange, we can tell you the information we have obtained regarding the Fourth True Ancestor's base body. Our condition is that if our Kingdom comes into conflict with War King's Domain again in the future..."

"We hope that you will not assist the Forgotten War King and will instead remain neutral. Of course, if you can stand with the Kingdom, the Rihavein Family will show equal respect in return!"

La Folia spoke with her hands folded before her, bowing slightly.

"A calm proposal. A reasonable exchange."

Saigō spoke at that moment.

The Kingdom was only providing information and was not directly intervening in the matter of the Fourth True Ancestor. Therefore, they had no reason to demand that Saigō's side completely stand with the Kingdom.

A mere promise of neutrality was worth the value of this information.

"This is the exchange offered by the Kingdom. As for me personally, I hope that Mr. Zarathustra can grant me one small request."

La Folia blinked her beautiful eyes at Saigō and pretended to look pitiful.

"Please speak, Princess."

Saigō made a welcoming gesture. He would not be fooled by such a small trick from a woman.

"I am personally very curious about the Fourth True Ancestor's base body. So, Mr. Zarathustra, could you take me along so that I may broaden my horizons?"

At that moment, La Folia seemed to have lost all her maturity, making her request with the eager excitement of a little girl.

"Yes!"

"No!"

Saigō and Nangong Nayue spoke at the same time.

Nangong Nayue glanced at Saigō and quickly said, "...The Princess is of noble status. If anything happens to her, it will be difficult for us to answer to the Kingdom."

Saigō said indifferently, "...This is La Folia's own request. What does it have to do with us? Even if something happens, she will only have herself to blame."

La Folia hurriedly said, "...Although Mr. Zarathustra's words are unpleasant, as you say, I alone will bear all responsibility."

Seeing La Folia say this, Nangong Nayue let her do as she pleased.

She was not La Folia's nanny. Why would she care whether the girl truly encountered danger? Her refusal just now had merely been instinctive.

That was Nangong Nayue's personality: so domineering that she regarded herself as supreme. Apart from those close to her, she would never show any concern for outsiders.

The Twelfth Fairy's Coffin

(This book will be going premium soon. After that, I will try to update more often.)

(I really have had no time to write because of family matters. I'm truly sorry.)

Near the center of the Mediterranean Sea lay an island called Gozo Island. It was part of Malta in Europe and was famous as a tourist destination.

At the same time, the island held numerous ruins, drawing visitors from all over the world.

Underground tomb ruins and circular stone formations could be seen everywhere on the island, resembling the famous Stonehenge.

However, investigations revealed that the island's stone circles dated back to the oldest period of Human History, before even the Neolithic Age.

These miraculous sights left people wondering how such ruins could have been built in that era, and whether they had been used to worship some deity.

On Gozo Island, an expedition team was excavating a certain ruin.

Beastman security guards patrolled back and forth, remaining alert for any possible danger.

A dark-skinned man in his forties sat beside the campfire, carelessly unconcerned with his shabby appearance as he roasted a sausage for himself.

"Dr. Akaya Castle, aren't you going to oversee the excavation site? If those excavators accidentally damage something inside the ruins, it would be a tremendous loss to human civilization!"

A tall white woman slowly approached, dressed in a white research coat like those worn by investigators.

Her skin was paler than that of ordinary people, with little color in it. Anyone familiar with demons would know that this was a typical trait of vampires.

However, vampires with this appearance generally came from the First True Ancestor's War King's Domain. They were the traditional vampires most familiar to people.

As for the Second and Third True Ancestors, their descendants possessed other characteristics.

"Oh, it's Margrave Liana Karyana. Don't worry. Those excavators aren't farmers hired from somewhere. They are professional archaeologists."

"...Their excavation skills are perfectly fine. We only need to wait here."

The forty-year-old man named Akaya Castle replied carelessly. His unreliable-looking demeanor made Liana frown slightly.

Still, although she was somewhat dissatisfied with the flippant attitude of the man before her, Liana said nothing.

No matter how he behaved, the many legendary deeds he had experienced were undeniably real.

Precisely because those deeds were real, she had invited him to participate in this archaeological excavation.

Akaya Castle was an archaeologist who had traveled all over the world, especially researching Holy Annihilation in great depth.

He was also the only person on record to have entered Dead City and returned alive.

No one knew what he had experienced in Dead City. Though still human, he had gained immortality surpassing that of ordinary vampires to a certain extent, earning him the title Returnee from the Underworld.

Liana did not care what kind of person he was. As long as he could complete this archaeological work, she could accept anything.

For this excavation, the Karyana Family had already paid an enormous price. There could be no mistakes.

"Oh, right. My adorable daughter seems to be sightseeing nearby as well. It has been quite a long time since I last saw my girl. I wonder if she still remembers me as her father."

"...Hmm, I should still meet her. I'll call her here."

Akaya Castle seemed to suddenly remember something and muttered to himself.

Liana frowned even more deeply and gently reminded him, "...Dr. Akaya Castle, you should understand that this archaeological excavation is dangerous."

"...Many ancient, even prehistoric ruins contain unknown magitech that has survived to this day. One careless mistake could cost someone their life."

"Although I do not know how old your daughter is, if she is not a professional, I still advise you not to let her come here."

Akaya Castle waved his hand dismissively. "...Thank you for the reminder, Miss Liana."

Then, the archaeology professor gave a mysterious smile. "...Or rather, it is precisely because this place is dangerous that I want my daughter to come."

Liana did not quite understand Akaya Castle's words, but since he was willing, she let him do as he pleased.

A massive flying warship was traveling from the Kingdom of Aldegia in Northern Europe toward the Mediterranean Sea.

This enormous aerial warship, bearing the crest of the Kingdom of Aldegia Royal Family, was called the Rainbow Bridge. It was the royal family's dedicated warship for diplomatic visits.

Since La Folia Rihavein, the First Princess, had come of age, much of the royal family's diplomatic work had been entrusted to her.

Thus, in a sense, this warship had become the Princess's personal vehicle.

Unlike ordinary combat warships, although this vessel was equipped with a great number of magitech weapons, its interior was luxuriously decorated and provided for every need of the royal family.

Saigō sat in a chair in the warship's lounge. The soft carpet beneath his feet was woven with gold and silver threads along its edges.

All kinds of crests hung on the surrounding walls, giving the place an air of solemn extravagance.

This was also why Saigō had agreed to let La Folia, this Princess, come along.

When a Princess traveled—especially one who was the Kingdom's future heir—there would naturally be an impressive procession. She would never travel lightly.

Since he could enjoy the journey like a vacation, Saigō had no desire to travel with Nangong Nayue by using Space Control magic.

It made Saigō begin to wonder whether he had chosen the wrong person to contract with. Perhaps he should not have chosen this "poor" Witch and should have chosen La Folia, this wealthy woman instead.

Although the decorations here were luxurious, Saigō did not care much for them.

To be honest, compared to the ornaments within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, this place still fell short.

After all, the Great Tomb of Nazarick had once merely been a guild base in a game. All those exquisite, extravagant materials and gemstones had only been game data, completely worthless.

Naturally, the gold, silver, and Jewel Treasure stored in the Great Tomb of Nazarick had been measured in mountains.

Once that gold, silver, and Jewel Treasure became real, their value was beyond estimation.

"Mr. Zarathustra, I was originally visiting Malta on behalf of the Kingdom. It was from Malta's Upper Layer that I learned a piece of information."

"...Not long ago, the heir of the Karyana Family from War King's Domain invited the world-renowned archaeologist Akaya Castle to conduct excavations on Gozo Island in Malta."

"Since the archaeological excavation is taking place on another country's soil, Malta naturally possesses information that others do not."

"...It is said that what they are excavating is called The Twelfth Fairy's Coffin."

"In the past, we might truly have had no idea what that thing was. But now, from its name alone, we can guess that it should be related to the Fourth True Ancestor."

La Folia sat upright beside Saigō, wearing an elegant and composed smile. Dressed in royal attire resembling a military uniform, she recounted the information she had obtained.

"Gozo Island... that name sounds familiar."

Nangong Nayue furrowed her delicate brows and murmured.

Saigō smiled and said, "...Gozo Island was the location of this world's first Demon Sanctuary, but it was abandoned long ago."

Having searched through a vast amount of information about this world, he already understood it even better than its natives.

'The Celestial Tribe's' Crystallized Legacy

"The Twelfth Fairy's Coffin... from the name alone, we can roughly guess that it is related to the Fourth True Ancestor."

Nangong Nayue nodded slightly.

In the past, she truly would not have known what it represented.

But after researching the Fourth True Ancestor, Nangong Nayue could now guess that it was surely one of the Fourth True Ancestor's base bodies.

"The Karyana Family is one of the vampire noble families of War King's Domain, holding the title of Margrave."

"...If this excavation is being carried out by an heir of the Karyana Family, then there is a very high chance that what they are excavating is related to the Fourth True Ancestor."

At that moment, Sendou Aya, who had rarely spoken and had always followed Saigō with the faint smile of a Yamato Nadeshiko, suddenly spoke.

Nangong Nayue looked at the Japanese-style beauty in her Twelve Layered Robe with some surprise. "...Aya, how do you know so much about the nobles of War King's Domain?"

Sendou Aya sat elegantly. Hearing Nangong Nayue's question, she smiled gently. "...Besides searching for Witches, I have also been helping you keep an eye on news concerning the Fourth True Ancestor, Natsuki."

"...The Karyana Family once enjoyed a period of glory in War King's Domain, but their family has now declined."

"It is said that the Karyana Family has been searching for clues related to the Fourth True Ancestor in order to revive their family. As for what exactly they intend to do, outsiders have no way of knowing."

Sendou Aya covered her small cherry lips with her wide sleeve, her voice mature and alluring. "...Whether the Karyana Family has any connection to the Fourth True Ancestor is unknown."

"...But while investigating them, I discovered something interesting."

Nangong Nayue asked, "...What was it?"

Sendou Aya seemed to have been waiting for those words. Without keeping anyone in suspense, she said bluntly, "...The Karyana Family possesses an original copy of the Divine Vibration Wave Drive System!"

Nangong Nayue's expression shifted at her words. "...The crystallization of the Celestial Tribe's highest magitech?"

"...According to the records, the Celestial Tribe created three original copies of the Divine Vibration Wave Drive System. One is in the hands of the Lion King Organization, while the whereabouts of the other two are unknown."