I, Kenneth, am going to get to the root of the problem today.

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A red light flashed in his eyes, and after a brief moment of thought, the White Winged Duke's gaze fell on the ninth portrait on the wall. It was of a black-haired, red-eyed girl, another princess who, like Arcueid, inherited the Brunsstadt name, and the true King of the Dead Apostles—Altrudge Brunsstadt.

Arcueid, like Arcueid, was created as a successor to the Crimson Moon (a backup body). However, as a prototype, Arcueid is not a True Ancestor, but a hybrid of a True Ancestor and a Dead Apostle. She is Arcueid's older sister, and the one who used a contract to steal Arcueid's long hair, known as the Black Princess with the ancient title of Crimson.

The White Wing could not ignore Nero Chaos's demands, but out of caution, he would not send anyone to probe Kenneth's background. Under these circumstances, Altrouge, who was vying with him for the leadership of the Dead Apostles, naturally became the White Wing's best choice.

Even though Altrudge is still seriously injured from the battle with Arcueid a thousand years ago, she has quite a few Ancestors who are loyal to her. The Black and White Knights who have always been by Altrudge's side possess the strength of the upper echelons of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, not to mention the White Beast that is known as the Gaia Monster.

By taking advantage of the situation and reaping the benefits, regardless of whether Altrouge or Kenneth wins, the White Winged Duke can gain something from it. He can both test Kenneth's hand and weaken Altrouge's power. The White Winged Duke simply cannot refuse such a win-win situation of winning twice.

"Looks like I need to start making some plans..."

Holding the ceremonial sword-shaped scepter, the White Wing Duke gradually walked into the depths of the castle. Although it was an open secret that Altrouge and Arcueid were sworn enemies, in order to prevent Altrouge from finding out anything, the White Wing Duke needed to create some 'coincidences'.

While that old geezer Whitewing was plotting against the adorable and cute Arcueid, in Misaki City, Arcueid only realized that Kenneth was actually living in the same apartment building as her when he stepped out of the elevator and opened the door on the other side.

A look of surprise flashed across his face. The instant Kenneth's door closed, Arcueid accelerated like a 100-meter dash, blocking the door with his foot and darting into Kenneth's apartment through the crack. He sat cross-legged on the sofa, staring intently at Kenneth, who had his back to him.

"Since you live here too, could you tell me about something else before it gets dark?"

With the body of a mature woman and the mind of a young girl, Arcueid, who has never had much contact with outsiders since birth, is curious about everything. Looking back at Arcueid, who was swaying back and forth on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her arms, Kenneth also sat down opposite Arcueid after brewing a pot of tea.

“A story told by one person is very monotonous. My story has just ended. Isn’t it your turn now, Arcueid?”

"Oh? My story? But I really have nothing to say."

Kenneth's answer stumped Arcueid. As a weapon created to hunt down fallen dead, Arcueid spent its thousand years either executing or on its way to execution, and the rest of its time was spent in slumber. Tilting its head with a troubled expression, Arcueid, its head buzzing, really didn't know where to begin.

"Stories don't have to be your own personal experiences; anything you know can become a story, right?"

Kenneth picked up his teacup and took a tactical sip. Naturally, he wouldn't ask Arcueid to recount her past experience of hunting the Fallen Ancestors. What Kenneth wanted to know were the details about the Ancestors that Arcueid knew. Perhaps these things were insignificant in Arcueid's eyes, but in Kenneth's eyes, they were invaluable information to deepen his understanding of this world.

"Can things that aren't my own experiences become stories? Hmm... let me think... let's start with what Mei Lian told me..."

Merlin Solomon, one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles, although he joined the Church's Burial Agency as a post-ancestor, as a Dead Apostle personally given blood by Crimson Moon, Merlin Solomon is a loyal fan of Arcueid. Even Arcueid's few common sense about life were taught by him. Moreover, every time Arcueid wakes up, he is the one arranging her schedule for this silly princess.

Although she seemed a little uncomfortable at first, Arcueid felt inexplicably relaxed after seeing that Kenneth didn't seem bored. It was the first time she had spoken so much to someone on her own initiative. Her speech gradually quickened, and Arcueid, who didn't dislike this feeling, seemed to have flipped a strange switch, using both her hands and feet to describe what she knew to Kenneth.

"That's really true. You've been feeling really stifled. Even if you haven't realized it yourself, has loneliness been subtly affecting you?"

Intelligent beings instinctively seek out their kind, and loneliness is a potent poison that erodes the spirit. Arcueid's current state can be understood as a release after a long period of loneliness, upon encountering her kind, to the point that she gains immense satisfaction simply from having someone listen to her speak.

As Arcueid's emotions grew stronger, his descriptions became increasingly incoherent, but Kenneth did not interrupt Arcueid's thoughts. There would be many more opportunities to learn about the world, and for now, he only needed to be a good listener.

As the sun set, the room grew dimmer. The chandelier turned on by itself, and the wall clock ticked rhythmically. Kenneth, who still seemed to be enjoying himself, hesitated for a moment before deciding not to interrupt Arcueid's expression of loneliness that had been suppressed for a thousand years. Just as this one-sided listening was about to continue all night, the dead under the cover of night began their feast.

"What is this thing?! Someone please help me! Anyone, please help me!"

The girl's wails were immediately drowned out by the roars that came from behind. In a manner that defied the laws of physics, the merciless beast clung to the wall on all fours and chased after the girl at an extremely fast speed.

However, humans, who have adapted to modern life, are no match for wild beasts in terms of physical strength. With a thud, Yumizuka Satsuki, who was panicking and not knowing where to go, fell to the ground. It was this fall that allowed her to avoid the beast that was pouncing on the back of her neck. The sharp sound of claws scraping against the wall disappeared. Her path ahead was blocked. The red eyes in the darkness gradually approached. Her face, which was flushed from the intense exercise, turned pale instantly. At this moment, the cold wall behind her gave Yumizuka Satsuki a heavy feeling, but at the same time, it cut off all her escape routes.

Roar--! !

The beast in the darkness arched its body, a prelude to an attack. Every pore on its body stood on end. With a whooshing sound, Yumizuka Satsuki, unable to control her body, could only watch as the beast pounced on her. The stench of decay assaulted her senses. Beneath its petal-like head were spiraling, sharp teeth. Death was imminent. Despairing, Yumizuka Satsuki instinctively closed her eyes.

*Splat!* *Rip!*

Her body slammed against the wall beside her with a dull thud. Before Yumizuka Satsuki could even open her eyes, she heard the sound of sharp weapons tearing flesh apart and a scream that made her tremble.

"Is he an ordinary person who got caught up in this? He doesn't seem to be contaminated. Check him over. If there are no problems, proceed with the normal procedure."

That voice sounds so familiar, it's...

Before the joy of surviving could even begin to rise, Yumizuka Satsuki's consciousness instantly went offline. Maintaining vigilance over her surroundings, Hiel observed the corpses at her feet.

"There was no contamination, and the body only had minor abrasions."

"Then let's follow the procedure."

Upon receiving Hier's orders, Noel skillfully carried out the church's blockade procedures. After confirming that there were no heretics in the vicinity, Hier looked at Noel, who insisted on acting with her.

"She is Chaos's familiar. Take her to a safe place and we'll meet at our usual spot."

Without giving Noel a chance to refuse, Hiel picked up the Seventh Holy Scripture and followed the scent of the beast into the depths of the alley.

Follow them.

A slightly childish male voice echoed in his mind. The hand that was releasing the magic paused. After struggling for a few seconds, Noel cast a spell to expel the Dead Apostles and then chased after the direction that Hiel had left in.

Chapter 234 Eltrucci

Unbeknownst to Hiel, the Church's higher-ups had already set their sights on her. The reincarnation of Inroia in the small city of Misaki had turned into a murky mess, with all factions on the mystical side focusing their attention on this serpentine lair.

"That's it. That girl, Altruchi, is always at odds with me. I just wanted to get along with her. At first, we could exchange a few words, but now she attacks me as soon as we meet. Honestly, does she hate me that much?"

At some point, Arcueid, who was talking about the past, flew directly to Kenneth and started recounting her past, from hunting down the True Ancestors to her love-hate relationship with Altluge, and then to the French Incident that happened more than a decade ago. Once she started talking, Arcueid completely forgot that she was supposed to go and find Roa that night.

To be honest, Kenneth was very interested in the rituals held by the twenty-seven Dead Apostles of this world: the ritual that France used to eliminate the True Ancestors more than a decade ago, the extraordinary contract ritual of Eltrauki, and the ritual held by the White Wing Lord to revive the original Dark Six Kings of the Dead Apostles. In particular, Kenneth was very curious about the ritual held by the White Wing Lord. He wondered what kind of power this Dead Apostle, who could replace the Primate Killer as the first of the twenty-seven ancestors, possessed.

"By the way, what exactly are the contracts and dominations of Altruchi?"

"Ugh... um... it's that feeling of not being able to control your body, that really uncomfortable feeling..."

Faced with Kenneth's question, Arcueid, who had been talking non-stop all night, suddenly went blank. If Kenneth asked what it felt like to be beaten by Arcueid, Arcueid could talk about it for another whole night. But when it came to what Arcueid's abilities were, Arcueid really couldn't give a straight answer.

"Well, this is indeed a difficult question for you."

Kenneth was wrong to ask an overly complex question in a moment of impulse. Kenneth really can't expect everyone to analyze Arcueid's abilities by relying solely on brute force and rarely using their brains. If Arcueid really had that ability, then Roja wouldn't have turned around so many times.

"Hmm! Are you looking down on me? I'm clearly very strong too; her contract and domination have no effect on me at all!"

Seeing Arcueid's face puff up like a steamed bun, Kenneth flattered her in a very cooperative manner:

“That’s right, Arcueid, you’re the strongest. So tell me how you fought Arcurugi back then.”

Since Arcueid couldn't be relied upon, Kenneth took matters into his own hands and analyzed Arcueid's abilities based on Arcueid's memories. After Kenneth smoothed things over, Arcueid, who was essentially a child (or rather, a fool) by nature, instantly reverted to her previous state. She gestured with her arms in front of her and, in her usual incoherent manner, began to describe the battle from a thousand years ago to Kenneth.

While Kenneth was analyzing Altrucci's abilities through Arcueid's description, in the forests of Scandinavia and Finland, Altrucci, whom Kenneth was analyzing, leaned against a pure white demonic hound. Looking at the information delivered by her familiar, Altrucci glanced at it briefly before handing the data to the black knight standing behind her.

"What do you think, Secretary Stuart?"

Black Knight Stuart, the sixth of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles, and one of the three oldest Dead Apostles, has protected Eltrouge for a thousand years. Without directly answering Eltrouge, Stuart, with his usual composure, carefully reviewed the intelligence in his hands.

“My Lady, if I’m not mistaken, this must have been deliberately conveyed to us by Ottenroche.”

"Yes, he deliberately let us know that the ritual to revive the Dark Six Kings is related to that Far East region. Does he think I'm that stupid? It's such an unrealistic joke."

Stroking the primate killer's fur, Altrud's ruby-like eyes looked at the demonic hound that was resting with its eyes closed. Stuart, adhering to the ancient knightly code, stood quietly behind Altrud, neither disturbing her nor interfering with her choices.

"By the way, where is Brad?"

“Um… Brad…”

When Altrouge mentioned his colleague, even the usually meticulous Stuart looked away somewhat embarrassed. Altrouge, having taken in Stuart's reaction by slightly raising her head, knew without a doubt what he was up to.

“Send him a message. I don’t care where he is or how far things have progressed. I give him half an hour. He must appear in front of me.”

Thinking of her other knight, Altrud's mood also turned angry. After noticing that Altrud was very angry, Stuart sighed inwardly. In order to avoid polluting Altrud's ears, Stuart walked dozens of meters away before dialing Brad's number.

White Knight Brad, the Eighth Ancestor, one of Altrudge's guards, a vampire count. Although his loyalty to Altrudge is beyond question, his hobbies are difficult for Altrudge, as his superior, to understand.

To put it in high emotional intelligence: Brad has a preference for beautiful young men, and even when he's drinking blood, he only drinks the blood of beautiful young men. He's a Death Apostle who's very 'friendly' to boys. To put it bluntly, Brad is a playboy, and the kind that's beyond redemption. Whenever he has a little free time, he'll go to the nearest town to 'remove the seal'.

Even though Stuart had already walked some distance, with her Ancestral-level physical abilities, Altruki could still faintly hear the seductive sounds coming from the other end of the costume. To be honest, if Brad hadn't been so loyal to her, Altruki would have really wanted to kick this guy who was polluting her ears and brain away.

A few minutes later, Stuart returned and looked at Altrouge, who was still grooming the primate killer. Stuart, somewhat puzzled by Brad's sudden recall, spoke to him:

"My Lady, is there some kind of operation behind the sudden recall of Brad?"

Stuart wouldn't try to guess Eltrucci's thoughts, but as a knight serving Eltrucci, Stuart needed to ask his lord's opinion in advance to arrange the itinerary.

"There's no action to be taken. Since Ottenroche has invited me like this, it would seem petty of me not to go and see that Far East region."

As the true Queen of the Dead Apostles, Altrudge possessed her own pride. It was merely a provocation from a traitor. She was already homeless, and her trip to Japan was just a journey. As for whether the White Winged Prince had any ulterior motives, she would say it again: a provocation from a traitor was something Altrudge could handle.

"It's alright, Lord Stuart. My foolish sister is in Japan right now, so let's just treat it as a chance to catch up (physics). I hope this trip won't be boring for me."

After Altruchi made her decision, Stuart, who would never question her, suppressed the worry in his eyes. He was a knight, and his mission was to protect his lord. Since Altruchi had made her choice, fulfilling her mission was the only thing Stuart could do. Picking up his formal attire, Stuart began preparing for his journey to Japan.

With this, as Altruchi heads to Japan, the undercurrents in Misaki City reach their peak.

Chapter 235 The Old Father's Illusion

The sky outside the window changed from bright to dark and then back to bright. With the planet's blessing, Arcueid, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, still looked radiant until there was a knock on the door. Arcueid, who had been talking with Kenneth all night, stopped gesturing.

"Huh? Why isn't it dark yet? Why has the sun gone backward?"

Unaware of the time, Arcueid's mind struggled to comprehend the scene before him. As Arcueid tried to analyze the age-old mystery of the sun's backward movement, Kenneth went to the door to retrieve the pre-ordered breakfast.

"Would you like some? I don't know your taste, so I'll just order according to my own preferences."

What appeared to be a question was actually Kenneth placing a lunchbox in front of Arcueid without giving her any choice. After glancing at the breakfast in front of her and then at the clock on the wall, Arcueid belatedly realized that it was already the next day.

"Hmm! Time really flies? Oh no, I was supposed to investigate last night..."

“The investigation can be conducted anytime. Your story is very interesting. In return, I will investigate it with you next.”

Kenneth didn't need to guess that Arcueid's investigation meant nothing more than bloodshed and reckless abandon. Even with a portion of her power stolen by Roja and her vampiric urges suppressed, Arcueid's power was still formidable, far beyond what an ordinary Ancestor could handle. If Arcueid were to regain her power and re-enter her light form, Kenneth felt he might not even be able to suppress her in that state.

In this world, some are born in Rome, while others are born as mules and horses. Arcueid's starting point is an end that many magicians can never glimpse in their entire lives. Moreover, Arcueid's potential for growth is terrifyingly beyond reason. Whether it transforms into the U of Earth or inherits the will of the Crimson Moon, Arcueid's ultimate goal is always to represent the ultimate ONE of the planet.

A thousand years ago, the gem-wielding elder only defeated an incarnation of Zhu Yue. In this world where everyone's name is related to Zhu Yue, Kenneth really has no confidence in assessing Zhu Yue's true strength.

"How was 'Steel Earth' written again...? Will Type-Moon, wielding the Demon Sword: True World, finally descend upon the surface to restart the planet? It seems that Crimson Moon can descend upon Arcueid at any time if she so desires..."

Thinking about this, Kenneth's gaze towards Arcueid became a little strange. Kenneth really found it hard to imagine the silly Arcueid showing a domineering look.

"Your gaze is strange. Is there something on my face?"

Feeling uncomfortable under Kenneth's gaze, Arcueid instinctively touched her face.

"Nothing much, just remembered some interesting things. I'm going out to try my luck, do you have any ideas?"

"Go out? Hmm... no problem, we can investigate during the day too."

While stuffing her breakfast into her mouth, Arcueid accepted Kenneth's invitation without objection. Kenneth was genuinely lusting after Arcueid's body; with the abilities of a True Ancestor, a body qualified as a U, and the blessing of a planet, Kenneth felt it would be a waste not to use such excellent material for research.

Under Kenneth's scrutinizing gaze, as if he were examining a lab rat, Arcueid, who was engrossed in her food, suddenly jolted awake by her idiotic instincts. Looking up at Kenneth, Arcueid wisely narrowed her eyes.

Are you thinking about something strange?

[Such a keen intuition.]

After inwardly marveling at the intuition of the fool before him, Kenneth bluntly stated:

"I'm quite curious about you, or rather, about the True Ancestor's physique. After all, in a sense, the True Ancestor can be considered a god who recreated the planet after the Age of Gods. I really want to know why there are such significant differences between you and the tentacles of the same planet."

As tentacles of the same planet, True Ancestors and Gods differ greatly. For example, the so-called vampiric impulse is a very subtle buff. Kenneth has many guesses about the cause of the vampiric impulse, but without direct research, guesses can only remain guesses.

She swallowed the food in her mouth with a gulp. Even if Arcueid was slow-witted, she could tell that Kenneth was physically craving her body. After thinking for a moment, as a ruthless person who could accept being divided into seventeen parts, Arcueid nodded and even felt a little excited.

"What should I do? Should I lie on that experimental table? Will there be all sorts of beeping and dripping noises? That's how it's portrayed on TV. It looks very interesting."

Watching Arcueid practically lying down and reenacting a Frankenstein's monster scene, Kenneth had to admit that when it came to being carefree, Arcueid truly had the most carefree attitude.

"A little blood is enough. I'm doing research, not modification. I don't need all that nonsense."

With the blood and the records from the Astral Realm, Kenneth's abilities were enough to analyze a lot of things. However, upon hearing Kenneth's answer, Arcueid simply said "oh" and then revealed a disappointed expression. Not being able to experience the story of Frankenstein's monster left Arcueid, who was curious about everything, quite disappointed.

"Eat well, there's still a lot to do."

Kenneth tapped Arcueid, whose mind was wandering off somewhere, and for some reason, he had the strange feeling of an old father teaching his silly daughter a lesson. In short, his feelings were quite complicated.

"Stop hitting your head, it'll make you stupid!"

Puffing out her cheeks to protect her head, Arcueid finished her breakfast in a few bites and glared angrily at Kenneth. Kenneth wasn't sure if Arcueid could become even dumber, but he did feel a strange sense of peace when he was around Arcueid, whose purity was surprisingly high.

Misaki City was still bustling during the day. The tension in the air made the flow of people subconsciously avoid sparsely populated areas. Arcueid, who was with Kenneth, looked at the goods behind the glass windows while extending his senses to the alleys that they passed by from time to time.

Arcueid twitched its nose a few times, then locked its bright red eyes in one direction. Following Arcueid's gaze, a house tightly closed by a heavy roller shutter door came into Kenneth's view.

"Let's go take a look; we might find something."

The defensive roller shutter door was torn open like a piece of paper by Arcueid. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, the overwhelming smell of decay made Kenneth instinctively hold his breath. Chairs tipped over and drinks spilled. Clearly, this was a shady gathering place for some people.

"These people have all had their blood drained; it's all thanks to the stuff those guys keep inside their bodies."

Squatting on the ground, Arcueid carefully examined the shriveled corpses before her. The bite marks on the bodies, clearly not those of humanoid creatures, revealed the cause of their deaths.

"You even cleaned up the tail very well, are you afraid I'll catch you, Chaos?"

After stepping the corpse with its eyes open back onto the ground, Kenneth observed it for a while but found nothing of use. He then flicked a ball of fire and headed towards the exit.

"Let's go, there's nothing of value here. Let's look around somewhere else."

Arcueid, having twisted the ghoul that tried to pounce on her into a pretzel and finding nothing amiss, followed Kenneth away. In the following days, thanks to Arcueid's senses, more and more crime scenes were discovered, but without exception, apart from the blood-drained corpses, no valuable clues were left at the scene. Realizing that Chaos would not appear anytime soon, Kenneth also focused his attention on studying Arcueid's blood.

As dusk fell, the black sedan came to a steady stop in front of the hotel. Refusing the doorman's service, Stuart, acting like a butler, opened the car door from the outside. As an arm wrapped in a black dress popped out, the petite Altruchi emerged from the car.