-True Ancestors.
A race Gaia had created to defend herself, and to manage and restrain humanity.
But as the King of the Moon's conspiracy unfolded, the True Ancestors began to dwindle in both number and individual strength under the invisible hands of the two Counter Forces.
Aside from self-destruction brought on by their inseparable flaw, the thirst for blood, and unforeseeable upheavals such as Arcueid going berserk, the greatest external cause of True Ancestor deaths was attacks by the Dead Apostle Ancestors.
Although the True Ancestors were the origin of the Dead Apostles, naturally, no Dead Apostle would feel any affection for beings who treated them as blood bags and slaves.
After the original Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors escaped captivity, they hid within history and gradually grew stronger, reaching the level of Ancestors.
Thus, when the True Ancestors began to decline, the Dead Apostle Ancestors, led by the White-Winged Duke, launched their counterattack.
They certainly lacked the courage to gather together and storm Millennium Castle, but the Dead Apostle Ancestors who had already established factions had more than enough confidence to express their hostility and defiance.
And so, a game called the True Ancestor Hunt was openly added to the factions' struggles.
Although participation was not compulsory, its nature resembled that of the Golden Snitch in Quidditch, and True Ancestors themselves held immense value. As a result, it had been held quite a few times, and was one of the rare activities that brought together the otherwise independently operating Ancestors.
However, judging by the descriptions Roland had read in the Church's records, this game should have ceased once Arcueid became the sole remaining pure-blooded True Ancestor.
Someone of the White-Winged Duke's standing could not possibly be unaware of the White Princess's unique nature and the sharp increase in difficulty that