Wielder of the Sacred Gear

Chiba City, Chuo Ward, Leo's manor.

In one of the rooms within the manor, Yukino Yukinoshita was lying on a luxurious bed, covered by a quilt that was clearly of exquisite craftsmanship, sleeping quite peacefully...

Well, in truth, Yukino Yukinoshita was not sleeping peacefully at all.

Her complexion was rather poor, and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were trapped in a painful nightmare, her body curled into a ball.

In the dream, Yukino Yukinoshita had returned to that moment once again, seeing the fallen angel whose expression was filled with arrogance and ruthlessness.

"You must die today."

After that familiar declaration, the malicious fallen angel threw the light spear in its hand.

Yukino Yukinoshita could only watch helplessly as the light spear tore through the air and pierced her body...

"Ah!"

A scream rang out in the room, and Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes snapped open. She bolted upright from the bed, gasping for breath.

"I... I didn't die...?"

With trembling pupils, Yukino Yukinoshita instinctively reached out to touch her abdomen, but she felt no wounds or blood.

"...Was it a dream?"

After finally calming down, Yukino Yukinoshita began to mutter to herself, yet she could not shake the lingering fear in her heart.

"Wait... where is this?"

Only then did Yukino Yukinoshita realize something was wrong, and she began to look around.

What met her eyes was not the familiar scenery of her apartment bedroom, but a strange room she had never seen before.

"Could someone have saved me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but think this, and she lifted the quilt covering her.

As a result, the body revealed beneath the quilt was completely naked, which gave her a start. She immediately grabbed the quilt and covered herself with it again.

Being stripped bare in a strange room... this scenario was truly frightening for a girl, leading Yukino Yukinoshita to inevitably entertain some strange thoughts.

"I haven't had anything weird done to me, have I?"

Carrying this worry, Yukino Yukinoshita bit her lip. After a brief internal struggle, she decided she didn't want to just lie there agonizing over it and chose to leave the bed.

Of course, she did not let go of the quilt, wrapping the thin sheet around herself before stepping onto the floor with her bare, fair feet.

To figure out where she was and whether she was safe, Yukino Yukinoshita did not leave the room immediately, but instead went to the window and pulled back the curtains.

Just as Yukino Yukinoshita prepared to cast her gaze toward the window, soft sunlight streamed in, falling upon her.

"Ugh..."

Bathed in the gentle sunlight, Yukino Yukinoshita felt no comfort. Instead, it felt as if her skin were being scorched, causing her extreme discomfort.

"How... how could it be this painful?"

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but retreat a few steps, moving out of the reach of the sunlight.

She discovered that not only did she want to keep her distance from the sun, but she also felt a repulsion toward the daylight, leaving her body feeling completely drained of strength.

What on earth is going on?

Could she have turned into a vampire?

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression shifted uncertainly.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita's heart tightened. She gripped the blanket firmly, her voice rising involuntarily.

However, the person outside did not respond at all; they simply opened the door and walked in.

It was a pretty woman, roughly twenty years old, dressed in a maid uniform.

In her hands, the maid held a pile of clothes—the very uniform Yukino Yukinoshita should have been wearing.

The uniform appeared to have been washed and cleaned, emitting a fresh scent as it was brought before Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Who are you? Where is this place?"

Seeing that the person who entered was a woman, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, immediately launching into a barrage of questions.

"..."

The maid did not answer Yukino Yukinoshita's questions, handing her the clothes without a word.

This made Yukino Yukinoshita frown. She asked a few more questions, but still received no response.

With no other choice, Yukino Yukinoshita took her uniform and quickly put it on. Only then did the maid start walking out, seemingly intending to lead her somewhere.

Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment where she stood, then followed the maid's footsteps.

Guided by the maid, Yukino Yukinoshita exited the room, walked down a long corridor, and finally arrived at the first floor of the western-style mansion, heading toward the main entrance.

"Mmm..."

Stepping outside, Yukino Yukinoshita once again felt uncomfortable under the gentle sunlight. To her relief, however, she did not burst into ashes upon exposure, so she likely hadn't turned into a vampire.

Yet, it was certain that her body had become strange.

Anxious to know what had happened to her, Yukino Yukinoshita followed the maid to a corner of the garden outside the western-style mansion.

There was a gazebo here.

Inside the gazebo, a person who made Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes widen was sitting there like a young nobleman. He was sipping tea poured by the beautiful maid bowing beside him, watching her arrive with a smiling expression.

"Good morning, junior Yukinoshita."

Leo greeted her with a radiant smile.

"It's you?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression changed abruptly as she spoke.

"Who else would it be?" Leo nodded solemnly and laughed, "Besides me, who else do you think would show up after you got dragged into such an inexplicable incident?"

That statement... was truly impossible to refute.

At the very least, Yukino Yukinoshita's state of mind was completely different from yesterday's, to the point that upon careful reflection, she couldn't find a way to deny Leo's words.

"So... you saved me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita confirmed that what happened yesterday was not a dream.

"No need to thank me." Leo watched Yukino Yukinoshita, whose expression was shifting and complex, and continued to smile, "Besides, I've already received my due reward."

As he spoke, Leo pointed to the seat in front of him.

"I know you have a lot of questions right now, but you should sit down first and have a cup of tea to calm your nerves."

The maid standing beside Leo stepped forward at the perfect moment and poured a cup of tea at the seat opposite him.

Yukino Yukinoshita paused for a moment before walking into the gazebo and sitting down in front of Leo.

"Give it a try. This tea is brewed from very precious black tea leaves, you know?" Leo stirred the black tea in his cup with a spoon and said leisurely, "Although I don't know anything about black tea, I trust Sona Sitri's taste. She wouldn't keep inferior black tea in my house."

Who is Sona Sitri again?

Yukino Yukinoshita swallowed the question that almost slipped out, silently picked up the black tea in front of her, and took a small sip.

With just one sip, Yukino Yukinoshita was captivated by the flavor of the tea.

She didn't know if this black tea was truly precious, but she could say with certainty that none of the black tea she had ever tasted before was as delicious as the cup in her hands.

Whether it was the intoxicating aroma or the sweet, delicious flavor, it could be called the finest of black teas. Even someone as picky as her couldn't find a single flaw in it.

"Where is this black tea from?"

By the time she realized it, Yukino Yukinoshita had already blurted out the question.

"Who knows?" Leo replied with a look of disinterest. "I told you, I don't know the first thing about black tea. Maybe it was brought over from the underworld?"

What kind of hellish joke was that?

No, looking at the current situation, perhaps it wasn't a joke at all?

Yukino Yukinoshita held the teacup, her expression complex.

The gazebo fell into a sudden silence.

After a long while, Yukino Yukinoshita finally spoke.

"Yesterday... was it really you who saved me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita asked the question with a complicated look on her face.

"What? Is it that hard to believe?" Leo glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita, a half-smile on his face. "Or are you still unable to accept the facts, thinking you're just dreaming?"

"...I don't want to run from reality." Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her eyes, her usual assertiveness completely gone as she said in a somewhat weak voice, "Even if I don't want to admit it, reality won't bend to my will, so I have no choice but to accept it."

"As expected of the Ice Flower of Sobu High School, your resolve is higher than the average person's." Leo clapped his hands, praising her with a smile. "Since you have such backbone, feel free to ask whatever you want. I will answer them one by one."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Yukino Yukinoshita didn't let the opportunity slip and asked very directly, "Who was that person yesterday? Why did he want to kill me?"

This was the thing Yukino Yukinoshita wanted to know most.

"He was a fallen angel, a being born when an angel who once served God succumbed to their own desires. They are one of the three factions that have been at odds with angels and devils since ancient times. Even ordinary people should have heard legends and anecdotes about this race, right?"

Leo didn't beat around the bush and explained it quite readily.

"As for why he wanted to kill you, the reason is actually quite simple: it's because you harbor a power known as a sacred gear within you. In their eyes, you're a dangerous element."

Sacred gear?

What was that?

"It's a unique power created by God."

As if he could hear Yukino Yukinoshita's inner thoughts, Leo answered before she could even ask.

"Many famous figures in history were possessors of sacred gears. They made their mark in history through the power of their sacred gears, and even now, many people have become prominent figures by relying on the sacred gears residing within them. You are one of them."

Then why was she considered a dangerous element?

"Because the sacred gear within you is extraordinary; it has the potential to cause unprecedented harm." Leo continued to see through Yukino Yukinoshita's confusion. "Do you remember the first day of school? Do you recall anything strange that happened around you?"

Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned for a moment, then immediately remembered what happened that day...