Episode 1: The Self-Proclaimed Normal Girl Awakens from Slumber
“I had my hopes up ’cause I heard these were ancient ruins, but what the hell’s this?! Not a single piece of freakin’ furniture, forget treasure!”
A middle-aged man clad in swordsman attire spewed vitriol as he traversed through the most inward part of the underground labyrinth. His name was Gawain, a member of the reconnaissance team dispatched to investigate this labyrinth.
“P-Please settle down, Gawain. We still have yet to search the entire area; there might be something hidden away somewhere.”
“In that case, you go and freakin’ find it! Cocky little shit trainee; don’t forget that I let you come aboard on this trip out of pity!”
“Eek! I-I’m sorry...”
The person that was trembling as a result of Gawain chewing them out was Nanami, a frail-looking girl clad in sorcerer’s robes.
Nanami was young at a tender fifteen years of age; a greenhorn adventurer. The reason she was selected for this reconnaissance team was because they recognized her skills and was not out of pity, however, due to her frail personality, she just couldn’t find it in herself to object to Gawain’s statement. She was a member of the reconnaissance team just like Gawain, but the team itself was a mishmash formed throughout the guild, so the sense of camaraderie was lacking. To top it off, they had finally reached the lowest level of the labyrinth. They were assaulted by the dragon that dwelled on the floor, wiping out the rest of the members. Gawain and Nanami were the only two who had managed to run into this room. To make matters worse, the dragon blocked their path out, so there was no turning back. In spite of his coarse personality, Gawain had superior skills and technique, so there was no way that Nanami could oppose him. Plus, Gawain had been trying to keep himself alive, even abandoning his comrades to do so.
Unless I deal with this situation, he’s going to use me as bait and leave me to die to escape this, Nanami thought, having her misgivings. Nanami searched around the room, looking for anything she could use to overturn the situation. And so, she traversed into the adjoined back room—which is where she found it.
Right in the middle of the relatively empty room stood a transparent cage reflecting all the colors of the rainbow. The cage, illuminated by an unknown light source, seemed to be tremendously valuable even in just beauty alone, but easily the most shocking aspect of it was what was encased inside. Long jet-black hair, effervescent white skin—and while her eyes were closed, her nose was slender, and her lips were beautiful and decorated in what seemed to be pink lipstick. Since it came across as prepared to an excessive degree, there was a sense of incompleteness in it as a work of art. That was just how beautiful the mannequin contained in the transparent cage was.
“What... is this...?” Nanami found herself captivated by its beauty despite being of the same sex. And as Nanami stood dumbfounded, Gawain took notice of her.
“What? You found something?”
“Um, in the next room...”
“—Outta the way!” Gawain shoved Nanami away and dashed into the adjacent room. Nanami took a tumble as a result. Rising to her feet, looking as if she was about to cry, she chased after Gawain.
“...What in the hell is this?”
Just like Nanami a few seconds ago, Gawain found himself captivated by the young girl in the cage.
“I do not know, Sir. But my guess would be that it’s... some sort of Artifact.”
“An Artifact?!”
“I’m not certain, but... I can feel some kind of mana from it.” “Artifact” referred to relics from ancient times, as their name implied. Specifically, they referred to magic items created by ancient civilizations and enchanted with a bevy of different magical abilities. While their abilities were wide and varied, word had it that there were some Artifacts that could reduce a whole area to cinders. That was why Gawain’s eyes lit up once Nanami told him that this might be an Artifact.
“Alright, I’m taking out this mannequin!” Gawain started to touch the transparent cage in an attempt to open it, but there was not a single seam on it, much less an entrance or opening.
“Grk, what the hell’s going on here?!” Gawain exclaimed, irritated as he slashed at the cage with his sword. The shrill ching of his sword against the cage echoed throughout the room.
“How could you even think to do that?!”
“Whazzat?” Gawain glared at her with disdain, but this was something that not even the normally introverted Nanami could sit idly by and watch transpire.
“What would you do if you put too much force into your swing and damaged the mannequin inside?”
“If the mannequin was an Artifact, then why the hell would a simple swing from a sword break it?”
“Even so, there’s no absolute guarantee that it wouldn’t break, is there?”
“Goddammit, you’re getting on my nerves. Look, I didn’t even make a scratch on this damn cage to begin with!” Just as Gawain stated, there was not a scuff on the cage—not a single millimeter. However, that was wisdom out of hindsight. ...No, what Gawain said just might have been true. He very well might have held back on his swing so as to not damage the mannequin in the first place. Nevertheless, Nanami was concerned for the doll within the cage.
...Wait, my life is in jeopardy right now, and here I’m worried about this thing? What is wrong with me? Nanami bashed herself, having come back to her senses.
“Hey, you.”
“Oh, huh? Y-Yes?”
“You’re pretty much a sorcerer, so use your magic and do something about this dumb cage!”
“Th-That isn’t possible, Sir.” It was true that Nanami was hailed as a talented individual. However, not even modern-day geniuses held a candle to sorcerers from the ancient eras. Nanami was in a superior class for a novice mage, but there was no way she could stand a chance.
“Whatever, just do what I told you! If you’re not gonna serve any purpose, then I can just throw your ass out in front of the dragon as bait!”
Nanami fell speechless. It may have been a reprehensible option, but there would be no salvation for the two of them at this rate. Thinking in that regard, threats were meaningless. Nanami knew that, should things continue like this, she was bound to be used as bait, considering how weak she was. However, even though there was no other option, whether or not she would accept it was a different matter. I don’t want to get devoured by that monster, Nanami thought, shivering.
“Please. Please, anything but that.”
“Please, shmease! Who the hell cares ‘bout that now?! I’m telling you that if you don’t want to end up dragon food, you’ll do something about this damn cage!”
“O-Okay.”
If Nanami hadn’t accepted this job, just like her older brother had told her, she wouldn’t have been in this mess. That thought ran through her mind, but regretting her decisions now wasn’t going to help her situation. I just have to focus on getting out of here alive, Nanami thought as she decided to inspect the cage.
“...Huh?”
“What? Did you find something?”
“Text is written here.” It was also written in standard language. It was the language which tribes, including humans, had used forever, so Nanami was capable of reading them without any problems, given her history of studying them. That being said, Nanami read the inscription aloud. “It is written here that, ‘The only one who can break this seal is a little sister.’”
“Little sister? If I remember correctly, you’re Rick’s little sister, aren’t you? In that case, you should be able to open it. Try touching the cage.”
“...Okay, I will.”
Rick was Nanami’s stepbrother who took care of her, not her actual brother. Nevermind the fact that, thinking about it rationally, this enscription must have been intended for a blood relative of whoever had written it. There was no way it applied to just any little sister.
That was what she figured, but she was afraid of angering Gawain, so she did as she was told. Effectively, it ended up being the right answer, because the moment that Nanami grazed the cage with her hand, the beautiful crystal cage shattered into a million tiny pieces.
“—Eeek?!”
“What the hell?!”
There, in front of the shocked pair’s eyes—the beautiful mannequin, freed from the restraints of the cage, slowly yet elegantly sat herself down on the floor, as if ignoring the laws of gravity.
◇◇◇
In the next instant after freezing time for herself, Ristia sensed that the Crystal Cage was shattering. Regardless of how much time had actually passed in the outside world before her release, since time was frozen for her, it all felt as though it happened in a second. Having realized that fact, Ristia deliberately sat herself down in a slow manner, all for one vital reason.
It was because slowly sitting down made for a more appealing look.
However, in her mind, she was madly excited. Ristia sensed that her seal had been broken in a natural way. That basically meant that her little sister who broke the seal was potentially right before her. Filled with expectations, Ristia slowly opened her crimson eyes.
Standing there was an enchanting, adorable—no, in fact, an absolutely adorable girl with long chestnut hair and green eyes. She had a slightly scared expression as she looked down at Ristia.
A-A little sister! No doubt about it, she’s my cute little sister! Yay, a little sister! My first little sister! Yay, she’s so cute! She’s cute as a button~! Ristia thought, overjoyed and giddy, knowing that if her family were around, they’d interject, “Blast it, child, you’re far cuter!” She then was about to get up and go give her presumed little sister a hug, but... she stopped still just before she did. She realized that a distinguished older sister shouldn’t be doing anything childish in front of her little sister. Ristia smiled at her presumed little sister with a composed expression.
“Pleased to meet your acquaintance. You must be my little sister,” she spoke in a dignified tone with an elegant smile on her face. She was doing a perfect job of acting how a kind older sister should. Now I’m a big sister! Ristia thought to herself. However...
“Th-The mannequin talked—?!” The girl’s reaction wasn’t quite what Ristia had expected.
“Um, pardon, but.... what are you talking about? I am no doll.”
“O-Oh, you’re not?”
“I am not. Or do you happen to know of any mannequins that speak like this?”
“Well, no... I don’t.”
“As I expected.” Ristia nodded in a satisfied manner, clearing her throat. “Well then, once again from the top.”
“Huh? From the what?” Her presumed little sister was befuddled at her words, but Ristia cleared her throat with an adorable little ahem. Sitting on her knees, she looked up at her presumed sister and elegantly smiled.
“Pleased to meet your acquaintance. You must be my little sister.”
“N-No, I’m not.”
“......Huh? Y-You’re not?” Ristia asked her presumed sister with the intentions of a fresh start, but she was denied, which unsettled her.
“Um... yes. My name is Nanami. I am not your little sister.”
“N-No way~...” The image of a refined and kindly older sister was but a fleeting memory now. Ristia took a dip in her mood so hard that anyone watching would be sympathetic as she slumped onto the diamond shard-covered floor. She could hear a squabble going on as she did. A man asked, “Hey, why didn’t you pretend to be her little sister?!” and the girl replied, “I couldn’t tell such an obvious lie.” Nevertheless, Ristia was in a slump, and it barely tripped her attention. Ristia started fiddling around with a diamond shard with her finger.
“Wait, you’ll certainly hurt yourself if you touch those shards!” A flustered Nanami pulled up Ristia’s upper body. Nanami’s behavior seemed like that of a busybody little sister worrying over her older sister.
“Um, are you sure there’s no chance of you being my little sister?”
“...Oh, erm... I’m sorry.”
“...What a flop,” Ristia said, literally flopping over in disappointment. Her prim face, contorted with sadness, was enough to stimulate the parental instincts in anyone who looked at it. It was hard to explain why—maybe it was the extreme expressiveness, or maybe it was just conveyed as being too much to handle. Although, things like that were probably why her parents and older sisters would always coddle and shower her with affection.
“Hey, what’s with the dilly-dallying and chit-chat?!” Suddenly, a coarse voice resounded. Ristia had been so infatuated with the prospect of a little sister that the middle-aged man hadn’t even registered in her eyes, yet there he stood in the room.
He seems to be about... the same age as Father. A few millennia old, perhaps? Ristia, not realizing that the both of them were humans, thought to herself, misinterpreting the situation. Of course, upon inspecting them with a more level head, she should have known that they weren’t True Bloods, but... Ristia had nothing but thoughts of her little sister in her head. He’s not younger than me. Heck, he isn’t even a girl, thought Ristia as she once again shut the man out of her mind. She then started thinking about her next moves.
In truth, she already knew the reason why she was awakened despite the lack of a little sister. She never expected that anyone other than relatives of hers would come to visit this labyrinth, so she set up the seal so that it could be broken by anyone so long as they were a girl younger than herself. She had to launch a countermeasure to this... Then again, maybe she could get away without one. After all, people rarely came here, and stopping time for herself was an all too simple matter for her. Ristia then stood up and started to reconstruct her Crystal Cage.
“Hey, don’t you ignore us! Hey, Nanami, do something!”
“Eek!”
The man yelled at Nanami, causing her to jump in fear. With that drawing her attention, Ristia looked over to Nanami.
“Um, Nanami, was it? Nanami, are you in a bind of some kind?”
“Huh? Wh-Why do you think that?”
“I mean... I can see you shivering.”
“O-Oh, well... erm...”
“If you’re in a bind, I can help you out.” She wasn’t her little sister, but it didn’t change the fact that Nanami was cute. It was inevitable that Ristia, a fan of all things cute, was interested in Nanami. However, despite Ristia asking her in a kind manner, Nanami was still shivering.
“It’s a dragon. A dragon is outside causin’ us issues!”
“...A dragon? That’s the reason for Nanami’s current predicament?” She asked back to the man whose name she didn’t care to catch.
“Yeah, that’s right! We got chased by that damn dragon and ran into this room. Now it’s waiting outside, and we can’t get outta here!”
“You were chased by the dragon... and ran into this room?!” The dragon that came to Ristia’s mind was the type that stood a few dozen meters tall and could turn an entire area into a sea of flames with its breath. And upon hearing that there was a giant dragon inside the labyrinth, the only way Ristia could picture it was to imagine a boneheaded dragon that got itself stuck in the narrow corridors of the labyrinth so snugly that it couldn’t even move. ...Hee hee, I would like to see that. I can’t imagine that a lowly dragon could ever ruin the labyrinth that I constructed, but perhaps I should check just to be sure? Ristia thought as the man once again opened his mouth.
“Hey, who are you, anyway?”
“Who am I? ...Just a normal girl.”
“A normal girl?! Tch, you’re no use. Don’cha at least know a back way out?”
“There is no back way out.”
“Hmph, you really are useless.”
“But I can slay a simple dragon for you.”
Right after Ristia declared that, the man’s face took a dumbfounded turn... before showing anger.
“Are you tryin’ to screw with us? Or are you just out of your goddamn mind? You’re not even an adventurer, little girl. There ain’t no way you can beat that monster!”
“—Nanami, will slaying that dragon help you?” Ristia asked the frightened Nanami.
“Slay it... Don’t tell me that you plan on defeating that dragon?!”
“I do. What of it?”
“Y-You can’t! Dragons are fearsome foes who can only be defeated by a combined effort of several of trained adventurers!”
“Ehehe, you’re showing concern for me, I see. Thank you.” Ristia found herself pleased, kindly petting the head of the shorter Nanami.
“Th-This isn’t a matter of ‘concern,’ per se. But wait, why are you petting me?!”
“Because your display of concern has made me happy. But don’t worry. I will be fine. Defeating a dragon is light work. Once I defeat that dragon, will you tell me whether or not that helps you out, Nanami-chan?”
“Well, it would make me happy if you were really able to defeat it, but...”
“Mm, okie dokie, then.” Ristia replied with a composed expression as she thought to herself in a calculated manner. If I defeat the dragon, she’d be happy. In other words, if I defeat the dragon, Nanami will be impressed. She might even call me ‘Big Sis’! And as those thoughts ran through her head, she opened her Item Box and pulled out a magic rapier that she had made via some of her past enchantment practicing.
“Wha? Wh-Where did you get that from?!”
“Hm? From where? My Item Box, silly.”
“I-Item Box? You mean that legendary storage magic?!”
“...Legendary? Hmm, but it’s just a regular old Item Box, isn’t it?” To Ristia, an Item Box was Level Four Magic and not rare at all, much less legendary. She never imagined someone would ever treat it as such, so it made her tilt her head in perplexment. Well, anyway, all I have to do is beat that dragon, she thought, turning herself around and heading toward the door leading outside the room.
“Wait just a second, please! As we said, there is a dragon right outside the room!”
“I appreciate the concern, but I’ll be fine.” Nanami reached out to try and restrain her from leaving, but Ristia nimbly avoided her and put her hand on the handle of the door leading outside. Incidentally, everything this labyrinth had to offer was being protected by Ristia’s magic, so nothing would easily break so long as it wasn’t rotted out. That was why the ancient door opened slowly without even a single creak, leading to the expansive floor. The floor that Ristia used for her magical practice was meters wide, and plopped right in the middle... was a five-meter tall dragon.
“...What is that?”
“The dragon! I told you that just a second ago!”
“...You mean a dragon’s... child, correct?”
“In what way?! That is an adult dragon, no matter how you slice it!” Nanami argued vehemently that it was an adult, practically with tears in her eyes, but what Ristia saw inhabiting the floor was a young dragon, only about a few centuries old, no matter how she looked at it. While it was true that the dragon was a few centuries older than Ristia, it was still a child in dragonic terms. It was no big threat, but... Nanami seemed to honestly be afraid of that baby dragon.
Being afraid of a dragon of this caliber is obviously strange! Ristia thought hard about it, took another long look at Nanami, and came to the realization that she was a regular human being. A human being? A human girl... in a bind...? If I impress her, she will surely adore me as a result. If she does, she might allow herself to be a kinswoman and my official stepsister! Oh yes!
Holding onto that faint hope, Ristia stuck her rapier into the ground, pulled a normal ribbon from her item box, and tied her long, glossy hair together. Not because she thought it would get in her way, but because she thought it made her look cooler. Truth was, it actually made her look less cool and more obscenely cute.
“Alrighty, we’re all set and ready to go~!”
Ristia once again took up her rapier and started her stride toward the dragon.
◇◇◇
“I’m telling you, it’s dangerous! ...Wait, why won’t you let me grab you?!” Avoiding Nanami’s hand reaching to stop her, the young girl was headed on to challenge the dragon with reckless abandon. Gawain saw this, thinking this to be their chance, and grabbed on to Nanami’s hand.
“Hey, let’s make a break for it while that girl is getting attacked!”
“Wh-What are you talking about... Are you saying we abandon her?!”
“Whuh?! Then do you wanna be the bait? There’s no beatin’ that dragon either way. In which case, sacrificing someone is the only way!” Gawain shouted in anger, causing Nanami to wince in fear. Seeing Nanami’s weak display, Gawain clicked his tongue in disgust. A dozen or so experienced adventurers attacking all at the same time were needed to defeat a dragon. And even if you did have that many, you had to be prepared to take some hefty losses. No matter how many weak-willed sorcerers and weird little girls were present, all they could do was serve as shields. Of course I’m choosin’ the option where as many people as possible can get away! thought Gawain.
Naturally, the reason he was urging Nanami to escape was to use her as his next piece of bait if he wasn’t able to run away while the weird girl was getting herself killed. He was ultimately prioritizing survival for himself.
“Anyway, let’s get out of here!” Gawain tried to pull on Nanami’s arm and start their escape. Nanami, however, resisted his advances.
“...What do you think you’re doing?”
“U-Um, I...”
Perhaps it was the guilt of leaving the girl behind to escape and the fear of dying at odds with one another that was making her freeze in place. Deciding that any further argument would be a waste of time, Gawain decided to abandon Nanami and leave by himself.
“Fine, do whatever you want. I’m out of here!” The second Gawain started to turn around, the dragon’s gigantic body lunged forward to attack the mysterious girl.
“Watch out!!”
Gawain’s eyes shot back over once he heard Nanami’s warning cry, which came while the dragon was right in the middle of its charge toward her. In response to the dragon’s rushing advance, the young girl prepped her rapier to about hip level, ready to strike. You freakin’ moron! You’re not gonna make a dent on a dragon with some flimsy rapier! If you’re going to do any attack that worthless, then you might as well try to avoid an attack or two and buy me more time to hightail it outta here, for crying out loud! In his mind, Gawain was spewing as much abuse as he could think up.
However...
“Hee-yah!”
The girl swung her rapier with a cute little cry. After which... all hell broke loose.
The whole floor was engulfed in a red light as the sound of an explosion and a wave of heat reached all the way to where Gawain was. He averted his eyes at the massive shockwave, and it wasn’t long before the floor was overtaken... by silence. Once Gawain looked back, what he saw was... the black-haired girl, standing still and silent. And around said girl, pieces of floor that she should never be able to destroy were upturned and strewn about—all the way to the corners of room.
As for the dragon? It was nowhere to be seen.
Hold on, what in the everloving hell?! She obliterated a dragon in one shot?! No way, no how, that’s crazy talk! A monster that would only be taken down by several hundred attacks from a dozen veteran adventurers getting taken down in one shot by some dainty little girl is about as unbelievable as it gets! Give me a break over here!
It didn’t make sense.
It didn’t make a lick of sense, actually.
Obliterating a dragon in one shot was impossible to begin with, much less it being from the attack of a dainty girl doing an adorable little “hee-yah.” Sure, there were heroes from stories who would belt out a cry before launching their spirited attacks, but this was just some angelic girl waving around a darling little rapier going “hee-yah.” That was it. Despite that, the floor was in shambles, and not a trace of the dragon remained.
“...What the hell? Am I dreamin’ or somethin’?” The situation he was faced with was so utterly unbelievable that Gawain felt himself instilled with an indescribable sense of fear.
──2──
The aftermath of Ristia obliterating the dragon in one shot caused a mighty gale to blow throughout the area. Right in the middle of the floor, Ristia was letting the hem of her skirt dashingly flutter in the wind as she smugly gloated on the inside.
“...Eheh, ehehe.”
Perfect! I was simply perfect! I am confident that this was enough of a display to make Nanami call me ‘Big Sis’! Ristia thought to herself as she turned herself around to see Nanami standing before her, wide-eyed and positively beaming—actually, more like wide-eyed and positively horrified.
...Wh-What? Why is she looking at me like that? Maybe that was all a little overkill, so she thinks that I’m some sort of freak? Perhaps I should have been more precise and killed it with as little power as possible instead? Human girls weren’t capable of one-shotting a dragon in the first place, but that was something that Ristia, now flustered, did not realize. As such, the adventurer man timidly opened his mouth to speak to the bewildered Ristia.
“H-Hey, what was all that just now?”
“What was all... what?” Not really catching on to the situation, Ristia cocked her head in confusion. She looked incredibly cute, but her actions just a moment ago made her seem more creepy overall instead. The male adventurer’s fear reached its limits.
“D-Don’t play dumb! I’m obviously talking about that attack that slaughtered the dragon in one hit! I’m asking how in the hell you managed to launch a monstrous attack like that!”
“M-Mr. Gawain!” Nanami desperately tried to stop the bent-out-of-shape adventurer—his name apparently being Gawain. And it wasn’t out of concern for Ristia; it was because she didn’t want to rile Ristia, the very same girl who one-shotted a dragon. Ristia herself, on the other hand, couldn’t have cared less about the reasons. There were more pressing matters, after all. Ristia was starting to panic now that she had picked up on the fact that what she’d done was overkill and had scared the other two. That much was obvious from that little back-and-forth they’d had.
A-Ah, right. Considering that baby dragon was enough to scare them, they are bound to find someone who takes it down in one shot scary. Must have come as a shock. Sh-Shoot, I should have put up more of a struggle~! Ristia panicked and tried to think of a good follow up...
“O-Oh, that? That was... um... Y-Yes, it was thanks to this rapier!” She ended up insisting that it was all the rapier’s power.
“It was... the rapier?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right! This rapier has effects that elevate physical abilities, as well as increase the force of attacks, which is why it’s this rapier that’s the incredible one; I’m just a normal girl!”
“That weapon has that sort of ability...?” Gawain’s eyes became pinned to the rapier. Ristia, upon seeing that, thought to herself in hope, Could it be that he’s buying my story?
“S-Sorry, but are you really a normal... girl?” Nanami asked timidly in place of the now-silent Gawain.
Ristia grabbed Nanami’s hand and brought the girl’s fingers to her cheek.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
“I figured that you could tell I’m a normal girl if you gave me a touch. See how soft I am? If I weren’t being powered up by something else, then I would bruise immediately, just like anyone else. I’m telling the truth.” She was trying with every fiber of her being to make the case that she was just a normal girl. If Ristia’s family were here, they would take one look at Ristia’s desperate pleading and faint from cuteness overload. However, there wasn’t much difference between the physical abilities of humans from the past and present. The only noticeable difference, in fact, was that their magic and various technologies had been far more advanced than it was now. The pair, who both would have never even dreamed of the possibility that Ristia could be a True Blood princess, bought her story that it was all the weapon’s doing and not hers. And so, that misconception was a crossroad of destiny for the man—for Gawain.
“Don’t tell me that weapon is... an Artifact.”
“Huh? It’s nothing that extravagant. It boosts physical attributes and has increased cutting abilities. Oh, it also has self-restorative properties, and upon swinging it, it unleashes flames which roast through enemies, but that’s really all there is to it.”
“That’s a goddamn Artifact if I’ve ever of heard one!”
“Huh...?” Ristia was confused. The image of an Artifact that came to Ristia’s mind was a genuine sacred treasure, the sort of item that, in one shot, could carve out a canyon so large that it would need to be plotted on maps. There was no way this weapon that she herself created during her enchantment practice could pass as an Artifact. But to the humans of this era, Ristia’s description of the rapier’s abilities classified it as a genuine Artifact, if not almost beyond that category—which sounded like a pipe dream. Therefore...
“Will you let me see that rapier?”
“Huh? Well... sure? I don’t mind.” Ristia readily passed the weapon over to Gawain.
“H-Hey, are you sure about that?” A tug on her sleeve prompted her to turn around to see a bewildered Nanami staring deep into her eyes.
“Oh, um... is something the matter?”
“No, ‘Is something the matter?’ isn’t quite the right response to this... Are you sure you should have just given it to him, no questions asked?”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“...She means this!!”
Shunk! A blunt sound echoed as Ristia was stabbed from behind. At the same time, a slight pain coursed through her chest area. Ristia wondered what was going on as she turned her attention downward to see a rapier sprouting from her upper torso.
“A-Aah...”
Upon seeing the reality of the situation, she let out a bitter moan.
“Mr. Gawain, how could you?!”
“Keh, keh hah hah hah! Now the Artifact is all mine!” Gawain yanked the rapier out, instantly causing a gush of bright red blood to burst from Ristia’s chest. Then...
“Y-You put a hole in my favorite dreeeesss—?!”
Ristia screamed with intensity from the depths of her heart.
“P-Please, just hang in there! I’ll use some healing magic on you right away!” Nanami was about to cast a spell in a massive panic... but she realized the oddity in Ristia’s shriek halfway through and stopped herself before she did. “......The hole in your dress?”
“That’s right~! Jeez, this dress was one of my favorites~”
Watching Ristia pout and sulk, the two were both shocked and baffled. “W-Wait, wait a second, hold on, back up a second. You shouldn’t be throwing a tantrum about your dress, you just got stabbed through the chest.”
“...Oh, yes. And?”
“And... I mean, you got stabbed. Through the chest. He stabbed you... right?”
“Gah, he sure did~! And thanks to that, I’ve got a fresh hole in my dress, like I said.”
“No, what I mean is...”
“And you normally die when you get a fresh hole through the chest!” was the common sense-driven comment that Nanami wanted to utter, but she couldn’t find it in her to actually voice it. Mostly because she realized that the initial gush of blood was starting to stop all on its own.
It was worth mentioning that Ristia, being a True Blood, was practically immortal. Without any of the weaknesses that normal vampires possessed, even if you were to blow away her heart, it wouldn’t amount to much, if anything at all. Be that as it may, blood flow and other normal results still came as a result of getting stabbed, so she would still get hurt just as a normal girl would if she weren’t already powered-up. That was a fact... Well, “fact” was subjective, so it was safer to say that it wasn’t necessarily a lie. It was just a matter of the unbelievable speed at which she regenerated after getting hurt like a normal girl could. Those were all thoughts running through Ristia’s mind, but they were simply that—Ristia’s thoughts. Nanami and Gawain, both simply normal people, started to suspect that Ristia was far from normal. And it was Gawain who was the one most shocked by that fact. His whole plan was to kill Ristia, a regular girl, and steal the Artifact for himself. In spite of that plan, Ristia remained fine even after being stabbed with her own rapier.
“What the hell?! What in the hell are you?!”
“Huh? I told you, I’m just a normal girl, silly~”
“Like hell you are!!” Gripped with fear, Gawain lost his cool.
“Please, calm yourself, Mr. Gawain.”
“Shut your trap! I’m telling you to stay out of this, you good-for-nothing!” With his temper spurred, Gawain lightly swung the rapier. That simple swing was enough to not only cut through the staff Nanami held, but gash up her body, as well.
“Oww!!” Nanami collapsed as blood flew everywhere. Ristia witnessed this and was surprised, kneeling by Nanami’s side.
“Nanami, are you okay? Can you... regenerate?”
“...A little, if I use magic. But, aah, my staff is broken.” Nanami replied, her voice weak as tiny red flowers started to bloom across the floor of the labyrinth. It was a wound that Ristia could mend instantaneously if it had happened to her. However, the same probably couldn’t be said for Nanami. Realizing that possibility, Ristia found herself getting uneasy.
“Keh, keh heh heh... looks I was right in thinking this was an Artifact. In that case, the reason you didn’t die before was because you’re hiding a different Artifact on you. That’s gotta be it,” Gawain stated with a shrill cackle. Gawain had, of course, caught on to Ristia’s abnormal nature, but since he wasn’t strong enough to just accept reality for what it was, he was trying to give a more convenient explanation for himself. “From what I see, you don’t have any kind of jewelry on you, so that rules that out. And judging from your reaction a minute ago... Yeah, now I get the picture. Your dress is the Artifact.”
“My dress? Well, it is enchanted.”
“Keheh, so I was right. In that case... strip, unless you want me to kill you.” The middle-aged man was attempting to get the adorable young maiden’s clothes off her. This had turned into a full-blown dilemma. Ristia didn’t really feel anything from the line he delivered, however. On the contrary, she figured, So if I hand over my clothes, maybe that will convince him that I really am a normal girl? But that had to wait.
“Sorry, but that will have to come later. Right now, seeing to Nanami’s wounds comes first,” she declared over her shoulder while sitting in front of Nanami. Ristia had been asserting that she was a normal girl because she didn’t want Nanami to be frightened of her, but all of that would be pointless if Nanami were to die on her. Prioritizing Nanami was the obvious choice.
“Quit screwing with me! No way in hell I’m giving you the time to do that! Off with the dress! Now!”
“I just told you that I would remove it if you’d just be patient, did I not?”
“Tch! If that’s how it’s gonna be... I’ll just have to get it off you by force.” Gawain settled into a stance with the rapier, holding it at hip height. Reacting to his intent to attack, the rapier activated the ability it was enchanted with, causing Gawain’s physical abilities to skyrocket.
“Have a taste of my newly-obtained power, bitch!” Gawain shouted, swinging the rapier at full force. It was nowhere near the level it had been when Ristia wielded the blade, but the attack was still imbued with mana nonetheless—an attack that was directed right at Ristia. But that was when it happened...
Just as soon as Gawain made his strike with the rapier, Ristia put a spell of her own into action. The Level Four offensive magic that Ristia deployed engulfed Gawain’s attack... along with Gawain himself, incinerating his entire body without so much as leaving a single speck of soot behind. The only thing that remained were the echoes of Gawain’s final cries reverberating throughout the expansive floor.
“Okie dokie, that’s squared away.”
Ristia had just wiped a human being off of the face of the planet, yet she showed not an ounce of sentiment or care as she once again turned herself toward Nanami. Nanami was bleeding out profusely. Her face was already pale and almost lifeless. She was on the fast track to death’s door. As those thoughts coursed through her mind, she reached out to Nanami, until...
“D-Don’t touch me!”
“Whuh?!”
Nanami so bluntly shooting her down despite her labored breathing was a huge blow to Ristia. It was such a huge shock, in fact, she found herself kneeling down on the floor in despair. U-Ughhh... I can’t believe Nanami hates me now. This shakes me to my very core~! Maybe erasing that guy was a mistake? But I was afraid that if I didn’t act fast, Nanami would die... I mean, if I don’t act fast, Nanami will die. I don’t want her to hate me even more than she probably already does, but it’s better than having her die! Ristia thought to herself as she mustered what little remnants of mental fortitude she had left and reached over to Nanami.
“S-Stay back. Stay back!”
“I’m sorry. You must be terrified. But try to contain your fear a bit, okay? I’m going to heal your wounds for you.”
“...Huh? Y-You intend to heal... my wounds?”
“Mm-hmm, that’s just what I’m going to do.” To Ristia, humans weren’t much different from any other animal. If it was cute, then she’d dote over it. If it was just minding its business, she would not put her hands on it. And if it posed a threat to her wellbeing, she would fight back without mercy. That was her mindset.
Right now, this younger girl absolutely fell into the ’wanting to dote over’ category for Ristia.
“So on that note, do you mind if I use magic?” she asked kindly. Hope formed in Nanami’s once scared and forlorn eyes.
“Please... help... me...”
“Yup, just leave it to me.”
Now that she had consent, Ristia placed her hand over Nanami’s gaping wound and cast the most powerful healing spell she was capable of, a Level Eight regeneration magic. A divine light wrapped around Nanami as her wound was instantly cauterized. But that wasn’t the only thing it did. It also removed any abnormalities in her body and replaced the blood she lost. In addition, it removed any smudges or specks on her clothes and strengthened her dainty body. Before long, the light returned to Nanami’s dimmed and unfocused eyes, and her complexion was even better than normal.
“W-Whoa...” Nanami started to check her body with an expression of utter disbelief.
“Well? Are you nice and healed?”
“Y-Yes. Everything... Everything is healed. Even the scars I’ve had since my childhood. Positively everything. Also, my body feels extraordinarily lighter now.”
“Great, that’s wonderful news~” Ristia celebrated as if it were for herself, and once Nanami caught sight of that, her cheeks started to flush.
“Erm... um, thank you very much. Uh, for saving my life, that is!”
“Mm-mm, you needn’t thank me.” So long as you’ll adore me as your loving older sister, then that’s thanks enough! Ristia thought, but she naturally didn’t say so out loud. There was no point to any of this if she was having her call her ’Big Sis’ out of obligation over a favor. She wanted Nanami to call her ‘Big Sis’ of her own free will. That was how she wanted things to work out.
In exchange, she introduced herself with the best appeal she could muster. “My name is Ristia.”
“Ristia. Okay, Miss Ristia.”
“Miss... Ristia...” She hung her head in disappointment.
“Huh? W-Was I not supposed to call you that?”
“Um... no, I don’t mind, it’s just that...” Ristia had held out hope that maybe she would call her ‘Big Sis Ristia,’ so she was a little down in the dumps about that, but she scraped together her energy and tried to play it off.
“So what exactly are you, Miss Ristia?”
“Huh? Why, I’m a normal girl.”
“A ‘normal’ girl does not walk away fine from getting stabbed in the chest with a sword!”
“Grr...” Ristia started to look peevish. As far as Ristia was concerned, walking away fine from a little stab through the heart was perfectly normal. In fact, dying as a result of getting cut up a little would be more odd. However, seeing as how Nanami couldn’t even imagine that being the case, she let out a sigh.
“You cannot sweep this under the rug with cute pouting. A moment ago, you said that it was all the rapier’s doing, but Mr. Gawain had that rapier, and you blew him to kingdom come. Am I wrong?”
“Was blowing this Mr. Gawain away, by any chance, not okay?”
“W-Well... he was the one who tried to accost you, so it isn’t necessarily not okay... I think.”
“Ah, okay...” Nanami’s expression as she said “I think” looked rather unsure. Basically, it was technically okay, but it was considered overkill. That was the way that Ristia perceived it.
“...Wait, so back on topic, you’re not going to sweep things under the rug that way, okay? Now, Miss Ristia, tell me. What are you?
“But I’m just a normal girl...”
“Okay... allow me to change my phrasing. Miss Ristia, you are not human, are you?”
“I mean, I...”
Ristia was in a sticky situation. After all, she knew that if her small display of strength was enough to scare her, then coming out as a True Blood princess would probably serve to scare her even more.
“I’m assuming that you don’t want to say it? I’m... right, aren’t I? After the heinous things that Mr. Gawain was trying to do to you earlier, I guess I cannot blame you for not trusting me.” Nanami was paying consideration for the savior of her life in her own way. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t have her concerns, but she ultimately came to the conclusion that putting the person who saved her life through the wringer with questions was rude. Although, despite that... Ristia was sweating bullets over Nanami’s interaction. After all, Ristia knew that getting Nanami to call her ‘Big Sis’ would be a complete dead-end if Nanami believed she was withholding facts just because she was being cautious of her.
“This is absolutely not a trust issue!”
“You don’t have to force yourself. You were just stabbed with a sword, so it’s only natural you would have your doubts about me.”
“Unghh, I’m telling the honest truth! Nanami, I do not suspect you of anything!” Ristia was desperate; she wanted to get close to this girl. “I honestly swear to you, I do not suspect you. It’s just that, um, well... you know. If I told you who I was, then you might get scared of me like before... maybe.”
“Scared? Do you mean that I would get scared even though I’m the one who asked you who you are?”
“M-Mm-hmm. You mean, you... won’t get scared?” She asked Nanami with nervous puppy dog eyes. With Ristia’s gaze upon her, Nanami’s cheeks reddened.
“I-I will admit that you do come across as somewhat intimidating, but I owe my life to you, nonetheless. I will not be getting scared.”
“...Really?” Ristia timidly asked.
“I’m sorry for being out of my wits earlier. I might end up surprised or what have you, but you will not see me afraid as I was then. I promise.” Ristia’s looks and behavior were entirely too cute, which was why Nanami scrambled to encourage Ristia, who seemed nervous and uneasy. As a result, the good-natured Ristia bought Nanami’s words wholeheartedly.
“Oh, thank you~! The truth is, I’m the youngest daughter of the True Bloods.”
Nanami was petrified.
“......Huh? T-True Bloods? By ‘True Bloods,’ you wouldn’t happen to mean... the first vampire tribe that ruled this continent up until a millennium ago... would you?”
“Yup! I’m vampiric royalty!”
Nanami’s face froze up in a way that it never had before.
“Huh? Um, pardon... something the matter?”
“O-Oh, nothing! Not at all! I’m not the least bit... scared... Nope!” Nanami fought to state that as she shivered all over. She was obviously scared, but she was probably trying to feign it for dear life because she had promised she wouldn’t feel any fear.
“Um, erm... I’m sorry?”
“N-No, I should be the one who is sorry. You saved me, so I know you have no intentions of killing me, and yet...” Nanami murmured, then gasped when she realized what she had said. She then nervously looked at Ristia. “U-Um, would you mind if I asked you one thing?”
“Huh? You don’t have to stop at one thing. You can ask me as much as you’d like, but... Yes, what is it?”
“Lady Ristia, you’re the youngest daughter of the True Bloods... which would mean you’re a vampire princess, correct?”
“...Lady Ristia...”
She sighed, lamenting her siblingship slipping further away from her grasp.
“...Um, is something wrong?”
“No, no, it’s nothing. Erm... you’re basically asking if I’m a vampire, right? That I am. I am the True Blood princess. A vampire.”
“Then, could it be that... you saved my life because you are going to, um... make me your kinswoman?”
“Huh?! W-Well, um, err...”
Seeing as how Ristia had slightly considered asking her, “Would you mind becoming my kinswoman and my little sister?” she hesitated to tell the truth. Once Nanami saw this visible hesitation, her face was filled with a sort of despair—as if she knew that the world was coming to an end. This was where tragedy struck.
Becoming the kinswoman of Ristia, a True Blood, would mean being nearly immortal, possessing advanced physical abilities, as well as a long lifespan with almost no vampiric impulses. It meant gaining the ultimate body. However, in Nanami’s mind, becoming the kinswoman of the lower-grade vampires that currently haunted the lands meant gaining slightly-enhanced physical abilities, but also introduced a host of weaknesses and meant needing to drink people’s blood for even a chance at survival—and, in worst case scenarios, it meant even losing your sanity. It was a matter of becoming what was practically a living corpse.
There was an overwhelming disparity in what sprung to mind when it came to vampire kinsfolk for the two. Unfortunately, Ristia hadn’t considered that aspect adding into the equation, so upon seeing Nanami fall into despair, she believed Nanami was rejecting her.
“S-Sorry, you don’t like the idea of kinsfolk, yes?! It’s okay, I won’t be making you into a kinswoman!”
“R-Really?”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh! I assure you, I will not do anything that you do not want, Nanami!” Waaah, making this promise means I can’t make Nanami my little sister~! But, but... Nanami looked really freaked out, so I definitely cannot afford to make her do something she doesn’t like. I would be a failure of an older sister otherwise. I don’t like it, but that’s life. A sisterless life... Sniff...
Ristia cried internally as she swore up and down that she wouldn’t turn the girl into a kinswoman.
──3──
“A-Are you really, really, really not going to turn me into your kinsfolk?”
“I really, really, really, really mean it!” Ristia said, trying to desperately soothe the worried Nanami, causing her adorable voice to ring throughout the labyrinth floor. Her perseverance eventually prevailed, as it helped Nanami settle her nerves a little.
“...All right, then. I will believe what you say, Lady Ristia.”
“Well, I thank you for believing in me.” Ristia breathed a sigh of relief.
“By the way, Lady Ristia? Why were you asleep in that cage back there, anyway?”
“Oh, that? Well... A little sister was...”
“A little sister?”
“Um, no, it’s nothing. Just forget it.”
“Oh, okay...”
Nanami remembered what was written on the pedestal and decided not to delve any deeper, assuming that the reasons behind it were too complicated. The truth of the matter was that Ristia was just too embarrassed to tell her, “A little sister was what I wanted. So much so that I ran away from home.”
“Is that all you’d like to ask?”
“Well... one more thing, then. What do you plan on doing now, Lady Ristia?”
“What do you mean...? ‘What do I plan on doing’?”
“Erm, you know... wiping out humanity? Stuff like that?”
“I’m... quite curious as to what you’ve been taking me for this whole time, my dear Nanami.” I’m a totally normal girl, so why does she think I’d do something so wicked? Ristia pondered, cutely cocking her head to the side.
“You are the princess of the True Bloods, who reigned supreme over all other tribes in an era far more prosperous than ours. And you’d massacre any tribes that you disliked, right?”
“Um, no?!”
“You didn’t?”
“I certainly did not~! I mean, if anyone ruined or disturbed places I liked or something, I’d give them a little slap on the wrist, sure.”
It was worth noting that, if things like that did happen, Ristia would descend upon the battlefields of warring tribes, shouting, “Trampling all over the flowerbed I worked so hard on? You’re all going to get it!” as she pummeled everyone into the dirt—that was the level her pleasant little “slaps on the wrists” would reach. That was just what Ristia thought; it was taught among many different tribes that one must never anger a True Blood, but... it could be overlooked.
“So... you’re not going to destroy all humans...?”
“No, I’m not~! ...Wait... did I just hear you say ‘an era far more prosperous than ours’?” It took her a second to register, but Ristia realized what that meant.
Ristia had only planned on a slumber that would last a few decades’ time. This entire time, she was under the impression that she had only slept a couple of years, since she was awakened by some unforseen incident. But, what if...
“Um, please hear me out, and try not to be startled. Lady Ristia, if you say that you are a member of the True Bloods, then as it stands... I think, well... At least a millennium has passed since your time.”
“...Huh? A-A millennium?”
“Y-Yes, Ma’am. The True Bloods disappeared a thousand years ago. It’s just my guess, but I would say that has to be the case...”
She had no good reason to lie. Plus, it was hard to imagine Nanami lying anyway, given the current circumstances. Which meant that even if the True Bloods disappeared right after she went to sleep, a millennium would have already gone by. This was why Ristia was surprised. Shocked, in fact. Enough so that she thought, How much of a jerkface is Father? Not creating another offspring in over a whole darn millennium?! Of course, there were a bevy of things odd about all this in terms of human sensibilities, but Ristia was extremely serious about things in her own way.
True Bloods were preordained with a lifespan of several millennia. What was supposed to be a few decades’ worth of sleep ended up being a whole millennium through an oversight. This was a mistake that Ristia acknowledged as less of a catastrophic shock and more of a slightly-above-average startle.
What was worth mentioning here was that barely an hour had passed in Ristia’s mind since she began her slumber. She was not yet over the rage from her spat with her Father, the most important issue in her eyes still being that she had no little sister.
However, that was exactly why she had to accept the facts. The decades she had planned around had turned into a millennium. Basically, if that much time had passed and she was still sister-less, then the chances of one being born during a potential second sleep were slim.
Hmm, maybe I should just make a little sister myself, then~? Okay, so my last plan was kind of a dud, but surely my next attempt will go much smoother. I’m sure I can find a girl who will be my little sister so long as I just keep the fact that I’m a True Blood a secret and grow close with her normally.
“Um, are you all right?” Nanami called over to Ristia as she was pondering her next course of action, snapping her back to her senses. Once Ristia was once again aware of her surroundings, she noticed that Nanami was looking up at her with concern.
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just fine. You asked me what I’d be doing from now on, right? I’m going to take a little trip to a village full of people.”
“A village full of people? And what might you do there... if I may ask?”
“Uh... Saving children in need?”
“Saving children in need, Ma’am?”
“Uh-huh. I want to search for a child in need and provide them help.”
“Um, and... Why, pray tell, would that be your goal?”
“Well, I... Um, you see...” Ristia struggled to find her words, smiling but obviously somewhat embarrassed—looking very much like an angel sent from the heavens above. “Because I want to save a child in need; that’s why.”
What that really meant was that she wanted to save a child—particularly a young girl—and eventually turn her into a kinswoman, as well as her new little sister. It was an underhanded scheme, but... based off of just her words and behavior alone, one would never be able to make out her true intentions.
“Like... some kind of angel.”
“E-Excuse me? I’m no angel; I’m a normal girl.” Ristia was rehashing the same back-and-forth that she shared with her father what felt like a few hours ago, but unlike that time, the person comparing her to an angel had a very different degree of sincerity to her words.
“I’ve misjudged you. Wishing to save children in need is incredibly, wonderfully fantastic! The True Bloods that appear in legends are described as devils, but you’re practically an angel, Lady Ristia!” It seemed that Nanami had gotten entirely the wrong idea, and in a spectacular fashion, at that. The same girl who was once terrified of Ristia was now being moved by Ristia’s angelic utterance. Ironically, this explanation was mostly created out of concern for the fear Nanami had shown earlier. Completely changing her tune, Nanami started to adore Ristia as if she had happened to meet a real-life angel. “Um, would you mind letting me guide you around? I mean, please let me guide you around! I beg of you!”
“Huh? You intend to show me the way?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I will be your escort... although I doubt you need it. You’ll still need a guide nonetheless, right? I want to do this as a token of gratitude for saving my life. So... may I?”
“Hmm, let’s see~ If you insist, then maybe I should take you up on your offer?”
“Thank you ever so much, Lady Ristia!”
It seemed that instead of being fawned over as an older sister, Ristia was being worshipped like a divine entity. That was a tad unfortunate, but she found the feeling of being adored by someone not so bad, regardless. More importantly, Ristia had always been surrounded by her older family members ever since she was born, so while she couldn’t convince Nanami to become her little sister, she was starting to enjoy time spent with her anyway. Ristia decided that she would act together with Nanami for the time being.
“Okay, I’m going to get ready, so don’t go anywhere~” Ristia quickly scurried back to the other room. She cleaned up the Crystal Cage that lay shattered on the floor, loading the shards into her Item Box.
“Now, what else? Oh, I should change my clothes. Yup.” With a cute little grunt, she threw off her hole-ridden, bloody dress. With her clothing now reduced to only her matching light blue bra and panties, Ristia went fishing through the assortment of dresses she had personally designed and stowed away within her Item Box as her slim figure remained exposed to the cold dungeon air. Once she made her selection, what she pulled out was an adorable sundress with colors very reminiscent of spring, promptly wriggling herself into it. The last thing she did was check over her appearance in the full-length mirror she’d pulled out from the Box in a similar fashion. Letting down her tied back hair, she returned to the floor where Nanami awaited her.
“Okie dokie, sorry to keep you waiting~”
“It’s no problem at all. Welcome back, Lady Ristia. Oh my! You changed your outfit, I see!” Nanami’s eyes positively lit up once she saw the spring-style sundress.
“Mm-hmm. My old dress had a hole in it, and I figured this would work better if I’m going to be walking around. So? So? How is it? Does it look good on me?” Ristia showed off with a quick turn. She flipped her jet-black hair and the hem of her skirt, looking at Nanami from over her shoulder. Her glittering crimson eyes were extraordinarily captivating.
“You look perfect!”
“Ehehe, thank you~ Oh, that reminds me. Your clothes got ripped up as well, didn’t they?” Nanami had taken a bad gash around her chest area, which left her outfit looking quite promiscuous. Upon noticing her current state of dress, the girl yelped a charming little “eek!” and pulled at the cloth around her chest. “I can give you an outfit of mine. If you don’t mind wearing my clothes, that is.”
“An outfit of yours, Lady Ristia? You wouldn’t be offering me... an Artifact, would you?”
“Why, of course not.”
“Really, Ma’am?” Ristia felt the young girl’s stare casting copious amounts of doubt upon her.
“Why are you so doubtful?”
“I mean, you said that the dress you were originally wearing was enchanted, correct? So I’m guessing that the sundress you’re wearing is also enchanted in some way, shape, or form?”
“Yes, well, it is enchanted to a normal degree. It only has, um, let’s see... It reflects ultraviolet rays above a certain degree, has built-in temperature control, along with the abilities of making the inside of the skirt invisible and being able to mend itself, but that’s really all.”
“That’s absolutely an Artifact!”
“Wha...?” It was the basic enchantment that Ristia always gave to clothes she made. I don’t know about calling them Artifacts just because of that... Ristia thought, feeling at a loss. “Either way, you don’t need to worry.”
“I-I couldn’t possibly! I will be fine. I have a change of clothes with me, so if you’d be so kind as to wait...” Nanami hurriedly started to change her clothes.
“But... you really don’t have to worry...”
Yay, me and Nanami get to be twinsies! Ristia had initially thought, but she found herself murmuring disappointedly instead. Before long, Nanami had changed into a simple outfit and called out to Ristia.
“Thank you for waiting, Ma’am.”
“Oh, not a problem. Then, if we’re all set, let’s go above ground.”
“Right... Oh, you don’t seem to be carrying any luggage.”
“I have all of my essentials in my Item Box, so I’ll be just fine.”
“You never cease to impress, Lady Ristia!” It seemed that Nanami’s respect had reached the level of religious devotion. Though, I sure would like her to fawn over me like a sibling and not a servant... Ristia thought, slightly disappointed.
“Lady Ristia? Is something the matter?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing. Right, to the surface. Shall we?” Ristia took the lead and started to trek onward. Nanami scrambled to catch up to her, taking her place by the princess’s side.
The underground labyrinth Ristia had burrowed out with her magic seemed to be just an enormous yet otherwise run-of-the-mill cave at first glance, but the walls could withstand any attack thrown at them. To be more accurate, they wouldn’t withstand an attack the magnitude of what Ristia dished out earlier, but they would easily stay sturdy against normal attacks since magic was protecting the entire cave. And Ristia and Nanami made their way through that very cave. Along their way, they were attacked by the occasional monster dwelling within the dungeons, but Ristia made short work of all of them. She was highly motivated in doing so, thinking, Protecting Little Nanami here is totally Big Sis material!
“By the way, Nanami?”
“Yes? What is it, Ma’am?”
“It’s... well, that. The way you’re speaking. It’s so stiff and formal. You’re free to dial it back to something more casual, you know.”
“I shall do no such thing!”
“You won’t?!” Not prepared to be so quickly shot down, Ristia was hit hard. “B-But why?”
“Because it would be inconcievable of me to address you, an angel, in a casual manner.”
“A-Angel? That’s quite a jump from simile to metaphor, don’t you think?” She was no longer “like an angel”; Rista was now a full-blown divine being, whether she liked it or not. Don’t tell me she actually has me mistaken for an angel... Is that it? Ristia thought, a single line of sweat dripping from her brow.
“Don’t worry. I am not misconstruing things.”
“Well, as long as it’s not...”
“You are undoubtedly an angel, Lady Ristia.”
“That is misconstruing things, though!” Ristia vehemently denied, but Nanami appeared to be turning a deaf ear, continuing on. “Even seeing you be modest is incredible! I’d expect nothing less from you, Lady Ristia, what with you being both an angel and a True Blood!”
But you’re wrong~! Wrong, wrong, wrooong~! I’m just a True Blood vampire princess; I swear I’m a normal girl! Ristia screamed inside of her mind, completely unaware of how utterly bizarre a premise that was. However, at the same time, feelings of resignation started to set in within her. If she were to aggressively deny Nanami’s assertion, there was a chance that Ristia might scare the poor girl again. She came to the conclusion that it was safer to let things run their course, considering that risk.
“...Gah, okay, enough~! ...Anyway, why did you come to this labyrinth in the first place, Nanami?”
“We were a reconnaissance team sent on a mission by our guild to investigate the ruins of this labyrinth.”
“Reconnaissance? Here?” Ristia’s face shifted into a look of confusion upon hearing that Nanami had been doing an investigation on the labyrinth she built during her magic practice.
“My apologies. Having your home invaded and investigated must not feel good at all.”
“Well, this isn’t my house, so I really don’t mind. It’s just... you know there’s nothing here, right?”
“No, there was an angel hidden away here, Lady Ristia. That’s you.”
“O-Oh, stop, you. But aside from that, there’s nothing else here. Right?” Ristia felt like the more she denied that claim, the more she would sink even further into the quagmire, so she tapped into her small reserve of zen-like patience and moved along.
“You are correct that this dungeon is shockingly barren as far as ruins go, but the reconnaissance team did not come here to find anything in particular.”
“Hm...? Mind explaining what you mean?”
“The guild found the entrance to a set of magic-protected ruins—what seemed to be a labyrinth from the old era—on land scheduled to be recultivated, so we were ordered to do reconnaissance to determine whether or not it presented any danger,” Nanami said, adding in a whispered tone, “but, granted, there seemed to be many party members who had their eyes on reclaiming treasure from here.“ She was probably implying that that was the goal of Gawain and the others, causing them to act with reckless abandon and suffer huge losses as a result. However, Ristia seemed to be more interested in something else Nanami said—the words “land scheduled to be recultivated.”
“...Recultivated? There are humans? Out here?” When Ristia originally built the labyrinth, no humans lived in the vicinity because it was situated within a forest that housed relatively combative tribes like dragons and whatnot. So, have the humans spread their influence out over the past thousand years? Ristia pondered. “That reminds me: What state is this era in?” she asked while continuing to muse to herself inside her head. Considering that they mistook that fledgling for a full-grown adult, I’m guessing that dragons have taken a hit in power and influence...
“Um... I believe that humans have reign over this continent.”
“...Huh? Is that so?” They were a tribe similar in appearance to her own, but humans were weaker by leaps and bounds. In fact, they were the weakest of all the tribes Ristia knew of. It was a shock to hear that those same humans had taken control over the continent.
“Naturally, there are places that people have declared off-limits due to the threats that inhabit them, so it isn’t as though humanity is the strongest. But nowadays, humans live on a majority of the continent.”
“Hmm... Then, this business about the True Bloods disappearing. You did mention that earlier, correct?”
“Well... it’s precisely as I said. The story goes that they suddenly dropped off the face of the map a millennium ago.”
“Dropped off the face of the map, huh?” Ristia’s family being wiped out by another tribe was simply unimaginable. Maybe they packed up and moved someplace elsewhere? she thought, tilting her head.
“Incidentally, they say that war broke out between the tribes not long after.”
“Aah... That seems likely to happen.” Even in Ristia’s time, all of the more powerful tribes were trying to expand their territory, which was why she wasn’t all that surprised to hear that war broke out as soon as the True Bloods disappeared. Even so, that still left some questions unanswered. “So, how did the humans come to rule the continent?”
“Well... they say it’s due to a human’s life being so short.”
“Hmm...? Oh. Ooh... So I see.” Ristia pieced it together from that single statement.
The True Bloods lived long and rarely gave birth to children. In fact, it was so rare that the only children born to the True Bloods in several centuries were Ristia and her elder sisters. That being the case, if there was a huge population drop, then they would need centuries upon centuries to return their numbers back to normal. It seemed that something similar had happened to the other tribes, like dragons and demonkin. Basically, some sort of battle royale among the strong tribes reduced their numbers across the board, and as a result, humans managed to conquer the vacant continent with a boom in their population over a few hundred years.
And that also meant that... There are a whole bunch of cute and likely candidates to be my little sister around here! Coming to that conclusion, Ristia was overjoyed.
“I bet there are a lot of children in need.”
“Why, yes. The sudden rise in population has been causing a multitude of issues as of late. Things like food shortages, the gap between the rich and poor widening, et cetera...”
“Is that so? In that case, I’ll just have to save every last one of them.”
“You are a marvel, Lady Ristia!”
Nanami was again misinterpreting Ristia’s simple desire for a little sister in stupendous fashion. Be that as it may, Ristia was not attempting to extend help merely as pretense so she could trick a girl into becoming her sister. She was honestly trying to help children in need so that they would come to adore her as an older sister. So she couldn’t say that Nanami’s appraisal was necessarily mistaken... Far be it from that. If she predicted what Ristia would be doing from now on, it would probably be an underestimation. That was because Ristia, the vampire princess unaware that she was the strongest around, would never hold herself back if it meant helping her little sister. That being said... she did vaporize a dragon to save Nanami, meaning she didn’t comprehend the fact that she possessed abilties far removed from that of humans in the slightest. There would be no way for Ristia to go out into human society and not cause some sort of blunder. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a soul around in the dreary labyrinth that shared that prediction.
“Oh, I see the exit!” They hit the surface—a sight that Ristia perceived as having seen only a few hours prior. However, what spread before Ristia’s eyes was the unknown landscape of the human world after a thousand years.
Praying that there was a little sister out there waiting for her in a ray of hope, Ristia dashed forward.
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