Multiverse: A Journey Beginning with the Supreme Sovereign

"...Since you don't know anything about the Celestial Tribe, forget it. Do you know where the other Vessels are?"

"Since all twelve of you Vessels need to complete the Feast of Blazing Light ritual, you should at least know each other's locations."

Saigō asked again. This was another of his goals: to gather all the other Vessels, like completing a quest in a game.

"I do not know where the other Vessels are either. However, once enough Vessels awaken, the Feast of Blazing Light will naturally begin, and we will be unconsciously drawn together."

"...So there is nothing to do now but wait."

Saigō wanted to say that Number Twelve was truly useless, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. Scolding Aurora like that would not bring him much satisfaction anyway.

However, sitting around and waiting was not Saigō's way of doing things. He disliked waiting for things to happen and preferred taking the initiative.

Ideally, even the so-called Feast of Blazing Light would be under his control.

Just as Saigō was considering where to inquire about the other Vessels' locations, a commotion suddenly arose in the restaurant.

Saigō looked up and saw the Kingdom's First Princess, La Folia Rihavein, striding into the restaurant with her chest proudly raised.

"Is that the Princess?"

"It's the Princess! That silver hair can't be mistaken. It really is the First Princess! I've seen her on television!"

"Why would the Princess come here?"

"..."

The diners around them whispered as they looked toward La Folia, their expressions excited and thrilled, with even a trace of reverence.

It would not be an exaggeration to call La Folia the most famous idol and celebrity in the Kingdom. She enjoyed immense prestige among the people.

Yet when Saigō saw La Folia, his brow rose slightly. He felt there was something off about the La Folia before him.

Marrying the Third True Ancestor? (Please Subscribe, Please Support)

(Please subscribe, please support~~)

La Folia, the First Princess of the Kingdom of Aldegia, walked into the restaurant.

Her beautiful azure eyes swept across the room. The domineering aura she exuded made the many diners who had been whispering and sneaking glances at her quickly avert their eyes.

Everyone watched by the Princess felt their heartbeat quicken, a terrifying sense of fear rising from within.

The guests present could not help sighing. As expected of the Princess—her presence was simply overwhelming.

Upon seeing Saigō, a flicker of intrigued surprise passed through La Folia's expression.

She walked toward him on her long, beautiful legs beneath her military uniform. Her silver hair fluttered gently in the breeze stirred by her steps, and the way she walked somehow brought the phrase "like a tiger charging through the wind" to mind.

"Princess La Folia, what brings you here?"

Saigō frowned slightly. After studying the Princess before him for a moment, he revealed a faint smile and asked.

"I heard that Mr. Zarathustra was here, so I came."

The Princess unceremoniously pulled out a chair beside Saigō and sat down, as though she were the owner here.

But for La Folia, who would inevitably inherit the Kingdom of Aldegia in the future, she truly was the owner here—and the future owner of this country.

The restaurant waiter hurried over, bowed obsequiously beside the Princess, and said, "...Your Highness, would you like something to eat? Here is the menu. Please have a look."

La Folia accepted the menu from the waiter. Her slender fingers flipped through it before she finally chose an open-faced sandwich topped with blueberries, apples, bacon, and kiwi.

It was also one of the Kingdom's signature dishes.

Once the waiter had withdrawn, Saigō leisurely asked, "...Princess La Folia, what did you come to see me about?"

"...I recall that you were busy meeting with War King's Domain officials to discuss the upcoming peace celebration between our two countries?"

La Folia waved her hand indifferently. "...The matter with War King's Domain is nothing important. Compared to that, Mr. Zarathustra is more important."

The Princess's beautiful eyes flickered as she glanced about shyly.

But she quickly lifted her head with pride and, in a manner no one else could imitate, said to Saigō:

"...Mr. Zarathustra, have you considered that matter?"

Saigō raised a brow. "...Hm? Which matter?"

La Folia suddenly gave a sly smile. Paying no heed to the location or the crowd nearby, she said in a clear, ringing voice, "...Our engagement."

"...Didn't I tell you on Gozo Island, Mr. Zarathustra? So long as you are willing to help the Kingdom, you will become my King Consort!"

Saigō seemed to have anticipated La Folia's suddenly bold words. His expression remained unchanged, without the slightest surprise.

The diners around them, on the other hand, erupted into chaos.

La Folia had spoken loudly and paid no attention to her surroundings, so naturally everyone present heard her shocking declaration.

The crowd began whispering again. Their stunned expressions and thirst for gossip allowed them, for the moment, to suppress their fear of La Folia's imposing aura.

Countless eyes fell upon Saigō—some appraising, some envious, some furious, some resentful. Every sort of emotion was present.

They simply could not imagine why the First Princess they admired and respected would take a liking to this outsider.

All he had to do was agree to help the Kingdom, and he could marry the Princess and become royalty in a single stroke.

After all, La Folia was the first in line to inherit the Kingdom of Aldegia. Marrying her meant that the Princess's husband would inevitably become King of the Kingdom of Aldegia in the future.

The Kingdom had had Queens in the past, but such cases were rare.

If the royal family of a generation had no male heir to inherit the throne, the female heir could choose an outstanding man as her King Consort. The King Consort would become King, while she herself would become Queen.

La Folia's father was precisely such a case. Her mother had been the true princess and heir of the previous generation.

However, after marrying La Folia's mother, her father changed his surname and became the King of the country.

La Folia's offer was not merely an invitation to marry. It was also a promise to make him King.

For any man, such a thing was an immense blessing.

On top of that, Princess La Folia possessed dreamlike, fairy-like beauty. In this country, who knew how many men longed for this Princess and dreamed of winning her favor?

Yet now, this opportunity had fallen into the hands of a despicable outsider. How could the crowd not be enraged?

The Princess was ranked first among the women men wanted to marry in a survey conducted by the country's leading authority magazine. The celebrity in second place had a vote count that was nowhere near the Princess's.

"What do you think, Mr. Zarathustra? Could it be that I am too unattractive for you to take a liking to me?"

As she spoke, La Folia's tone carried a hint of disappointment, and her expression seemed on the verge of tears. It suited her scheming character and temperament quite well.

Yet the Princess boldly tugged at the collar of her military uniform. With a slight twist of her body, she allowed only Saigō to see the seductive, bamboo-like collarbones beneath it.

It was a sensual, bewitching sight capable of stealing away a man's soul.

Seeing the Princess's bold movement and hearing the disappointment in her voice, the nearby diners grew even more enraged.

Faced with all those gazes that seemed ready to kill him, Saigō did not care in the slightest.

At that moment, Aurora said in surprise, "...Is she your Blood Companion, Primogenitor?"

"...If so, she possesses exceptionally powerful and outstanding Spiritual Power. If she became the Primogenitor's Blood Companion, she could easily restrain the Crimson Ice of the Demon Princess's violent nature."

Aurora sounded rather happy as she said this.

Saigō glared at her. "...Without a Blood Companion, do you think I cannot suppress such a mere Familiar?"

Aurora recalled how Saigō had previously supplied the Crimson Ice of the Demon Princess with nearly limitless magical power—so much that the total amount could even burst the Familiar apart.

Thinking of that, she hurriedly said, "...Of course not. I was merely celebrating that you have found a Blood Companion, so you can vent your bloodsucking urges."

"Although I am not the most orthodox kind of vampire, I still know how difficult it is to control bloodsucking urges."

Saigō laughed wordlessly. "...I am not a vampire. Where would I get bloodsucking urges?"

Then Saigō looked toward La Folia, amusement in his expression.

"...I accept Your Highness's request. However, I have no desire to become the King of the Kingdom. How about granting me something else instead?"

La Folia thrust out her chest and raised her graceful neck as she promised, "...Whatever Mr. Zarathustra wants, I can agree to it!"

"Is that so? Then what I want is the Chaos Territory of the Night Empire. If I marry you, that would make me the King of Chaos Territory, wouldn't it?"

"...Isn't that right, Third True Ancestor Jada Kukulkan? Come to think of it, there are very few people in this world who know your name and are aware of some of your abilities."

"Of course, I never expected the Third True Ancestor to offer herself up. Could it be that you cannot suppress your bloodsucking urges and need a man to fill your emptiness?"

Saigō said with a low laugh.

Chaos Princess

(Please subscribe, please support~!)

'La Folia' froze for a moment.

Her azure eyes studied Saigō with interest. After a brief silence, she smiled. "...How did you see through me?"

"...I thought I acted quite well. In order to put on this performance, I specifically investigated that Princess's behavior and habits."

"I even looked into what happened between you on Gozo Island, including the things you said."

"...I thought that with my thousands of years of experience, you should not have been able to discover me."

The Third True Ancestor straightforwardly stated that she was not La Folia, calmly acknowledging Saigō's earlier words.

"Actually, I felt that something was wrong from the very beginning. Whether it was your expressions, posture, or even certain daily habits, you imitated them very well. You looked exactly like the La Folia I remembered."

"...But there was one flaw in your performance, and it created far too great a sense of incongruity."

The smile on Saigō's face did not change. He slowly drank the beverage on the table before him, but inwardly, he had become vigilant.

The Third True Ancestor, the ruler of the Chaos Territory in the Central American Night Empire, was a True Vampire who had lived for thousands—nearly ten thousand—years.

As one of the three known strongest beings ruling this world, she was as mysterious as the Second True Ancestor.

The main reason was that Chaos Territory did not accept any foreigners. It was an absolutely isolated land, where even traveling there as a tourist was impossible.

Aside from officials from various countries who had gone to the Chaos Realm for political reasons, ordinary people had no opportunity whatsoever to enter that Night Empire.

In this highly developed internet age, there were remarkably few photographs of that country circulating online. It was practically unbelievable.

"Oh? What exactly was so incongruous? I would like to hear the details."

After her identity had been exposed, the Third True Ancestor no longer continued imitating La Folia. Her posture became casual, and even her manner of speaking gained a wild, uninhibited freedom.

"It was actually quite simple. Regardless of what La Folia herself might think, the education she received since childhood meant that she would always remain respectful and courteous when facing anyone."

"...But you are different, Third True Ancestor. Perhaps your long life has caused you to lose interest in living, but when facing others, you instinctively disregard them."

"Like when you entered earlier. If it had been La Folia herself, when facing the diners' gazes here, she would have responded with a polite smile out of courtesy."

"...But you did not do so. Although you maintained the elegance of a royal and remained polite toward me."

"You did not show the same attitude toward the ordinary humans around you, who may have been nothing more than 'ants' in your eyes."

"...That was when I began to suspect you. After all, on the surface, La Folia is a Princess who treats everyone equally."

"It is precisely her elegance, noble bearing, and approachable attitude of treating even ordinary people equally that have earned her the love of this country's citizens."

"...Third True Ancestor, your performance was far too perfect, yet you left out the thing most important to La Folia."

Saigō spoke unhurriedly, lifting the glass before him and taking a slow sip.

Aurora, seated opposite Saigō, seemed somewhat at a loss. The beautiful girl with Flame Light Eyes looked hesitantly at the Third True Ancestor, completely bewildered.

Clearly, Aurora knew the Third True Ancestor—or at least knew of the existence of this famed True Vampire.

"Hahahahaha!! This is too interesting! You demon are far too interesting!"

"...Although I knew of your existence from the intelligence reports, I was not particularly interested in you at first. I was merely somewhat surprised."

"This time, snatching the chance to come find you from those other two was truly the right decision."

"...Hm, it has been so long since I was this happy. When was the last time I was this happy, this interested in something? Decades ago? Or a hundred years ago?"

The Third True Ancestor clapped her hands and laughed loudly. Her excessively uninhibited demeanor was utterly unsuited to the face of La Folia she was currently wearing.

Saigō and the Third True Ancestor had not spoken loudly, so the diners around them did not hear their conversation.

Seeing their 'Princess' behaving in a manner completely at odds with perfect etiquette, they all wore shocked, incredulous expressions.

"Hey, where exactly did you demon come from? I have lived for so many years, yet I have never heard of a demon like you."