To become a king and a magician

[Hehehe, a wet dream, it makes a really good gift! Especially for men, you must have had a great time in your dreams last night, right?]

Yad's sleazy voice came from under Grey's clothes.

[But having dreams like that proves you have someone you like, bro! Who did you dream about? Tell me, let me see! Just which amazing woman has caught your eye?]

Normally, Grey would have shut Yad up immediately, since he's caused trouble with his ramblings more than once or twice, but this time Grey didn't do that.

(I'm a little curious about who my brother likes... Could it be? Is it Miss Lydia?)

Lydel likes Natsukawa Tora and even wants him to marry into the Archerlot family. Grey knows this, but she has never seen her brother respond... No, rather than not responding, it's more accurate to say that he is completely unaware that Miss Lydel likes him.

Is it because you already have someone you like that you can't perceive the feelings of others?

(Who will be the person I call "older sister" in the future?)

Thinking of this, Grey couldn't help but glance at Natsukawa Tora.

After finishing gnawing on the large bone in his hand and wiping his mouth, Natsukawa Tiger casually replied, "Would you believe me if I said it was Merry?"

Are you kidding me, buddy? I've never seen you this humorous before.

"Yeah, I was just kidding."

[Don't joke like that! Don't scare me! Even though I don't have a heart, I really feel like it's going to jump out of my chest!]

34. The second ancestor

Half an hour later, after clearing the table and making everyone a cup of tea, Natsukawa Tora asked, "Speaking of which, how was the situation in Misaki City last night? Were there any vampires?"

"Arquette and I each took care of one. It was a coincidence that we were both near the apartment, so we finished them off quickly. Although Arcueid said afterwards that there probably wouldn't be any vampires tonight, I patrolled until the early hours of the morning just in case."

Aozaki Aoko replied.

"However, something is strange. The situation of those two vampires last night doesn't quite match the situation of the victims I found last night."

"Cannot be matched?"

"The two vampires Arcueid and I encountered were probably the lowest level, just ordinary dead people who could suck blood, without any special abilities. But the victims I found last night were all charred corpses."

A charred corpse?

Xia Chuanhu frowned: "So, you didn't die from being sucked blood, but from being burned to death?"

"That should be true. In addition, there were several small fires last night, and the fire department was dispatched several times. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but according to the map, they were clustered near the North Exit Station, which is currently under reconstruction."

"North Exit Station... I remember there was a fire there the day before yesterday, the night Nero died."

Aozaki Aoko nodded: "Frequent fires... Misaki City has very strict safety regulations, and fires have been rare, almost non-existent, in the past. North Exit Station was only built in recent years, so its safety level is very high."

"So, the new Dead Apostles?"

“His name is [Flöf Arhanger],” Arcueid suddenly said. “He is the nineteenth of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles, the Dead Apostle who caused the series of fires—like Nero, he came after me.”

"They're chasing after you again?" Aozaki Aoko frowned. "You're quite popular, aren't you? Is this how it always is when you wake up?"

Arcueid shook his head: "No, this is a special case. Besides, both Frohan and Nero came to me with the intention of killing me."

"Kill you? Why? Are you in their way?"

"That's probably what the person who sent Nero thought, but Frohan didn't—but let's not talk about that, it's not important. What we need to think about now is how to deal with him. You're definitely going to deal with him, right?"

Aozaki Aoko: "He has caused so many fires in a row, and even burned down an entire station. The death toll is unknown. Regardless of my status as the administrator of Misaki City, I must deal with this mysterious and secretive rule."

"As for combat strength, with me, my junior, and Shiki, three against one is definitely not a problem. The problem is how to find him. I don't want to hear news of fires everywhere every day."

“I can help,” Arcueid laughed. “I can get information directly from the world, and I also have a sense for vampires. I can probably find out where he is by walking around Misaki City.”

"That's really convenient. But is this really okay?"

"what do you mean?"

"Arquette, you're a True Ancestor, aren't you? Is it alright for you to help us fight against our own kind like this?"

In response to Aozaki Aoko's question, Arcueid simply smiled and said, "It's alright. After all, I was created specifically to eliminate the True Ancestors. Whether they are True Ancestors or Dead Apostles, once they lose control, they become my targets. Frohan's behavior can basically be considered out of control. Even if you don't go, I will go and take him down myself."

"Furthermore, I am the True Ancestor, and he is the Dead Apostle. Although we are both vampires, we are not the same kind. Aoko, don't get confused. The same goes for Tiger and Gray."

Like Natsukawa Tora before her, Arcueid spoke with ease and nonchalance, and this was not an act; she genuinely felt indifferent.

Xia Chuanhu: "Then I'll leave it to you. The Dead Apostles hardly ever come out during the day, just like usual. Let them go out at night. It's best to take care of this tonight, so that things don't get complicated."

--------------------------------

Meanwhile, at a fire scene.

"Cough cough, the smell of smoke here is really strong. It's been so long and the smell still hasn't dissipated?"

Aozaki Touko complained while fanning her nose.

In front of her, Ryougi Shiki was also covering her nose: "It's all because you, Orange, said you wanted to earn some extra money and took on a temporary commission. Otherwise, we wouldn't have come here."

"It's just that my wallet is a bit tight, and relics from the 15th century are very rare."

"You can't control yourself when that idiot's not around, can you?"

Ryougi Shiki glared at her fiercely, and Aozaki Touko shrugged slightly: "Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and do the on-site investigation, [Detective]."

Yes, detective.

The two came here specifically because Aozaki Touko had taken on a last-minute request from the police. Of course, it wasn't a formal request, but rather a private one. The person who requested it was Inspector Akimi, whom Aozaki Touko had met in Kanbuko City. Apparently, she had mentioned the series of fires while chatting with an old friend from Misaki City.

Akimi Daisuke instinctively felt that there might be something more to this series of fires, just like the Wujou Building incident last year. So, on a whim, he asked the experienced Aozaki Touko to investigate in his private capacity.

The fire occurred in a convenience store, which was completely destroyed by the flames. Several employees who were on duty inside at the time were all burned alive. According to the subsequent investigation, it seems that they did not have time to escape.

"Don't you find it a little strange, Shiki?" Aozaki Touko asked, standing at the entrance. "The counter is so close to the door, even women like us could easily step over it. If we wanted to escape... it should only take four or five seconds, right?"

People can unleash tremendous strength in critical situations, and news reports often show scenes of powerful bricks flying through the air at fire scenes.

"Yet not a single person escaped. What does that mean?"

"There's no way to escape through the door?"

Aozaki Touko smiled: "That's right. Normally, fires happen indoors, so people run outside. And that's actually true; fires spread from the inside out—but this time it's the other way around."

"The fire started outside and then spread inside the store."

Something on fire entered the convenience store, dragging the entire store into a fire, leaving no escape. It would take at least tens of seconds to get from the counter to the back door, but according to eyewitnesses, the convenience store was completely engulfed in just four or five seconds.

Was it arson from the outside?

"It would be more accurate to say they threw a bomb into the store. And—"

Aozaki Touko looked towards the staff room inside the convenience store. Due to the fire, the door to the staff room had long been burned away, and the inside was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything.

But Aozaki Touko could sense that there was something inside.

"Roar......"

A deep sound came from inside, as if something was burning. The flickering firelight dispelled the darkness in the room, and the slightly illuminated figure came into Aozaki Touko's view.

Aozaki Touko immediately understood what was inside.

There is a person inside.

A "fire man" who looked as if he had fallen into a volcano, his hair and skin burned away, leaving only the shell of a "human".

"orange."

At the same time, Ryougi Shiki's voice came from behind.

"In Misaki City, are black panthers as common as dogs, seen everywhere on the streets?"

"If that were the case, Beo would probably be very happy."

Through their conversation, Aozaki Touko also understood why Ryougi Shiki had said those words.

Because there was a black panther parked at the entrance.

35. Encountering a dismemberment gate on the road

Dead Apostles cannot be active during the day—although not absolutely, this is true for the vast majority of Dead Apostles. For them, being exposed to sunlight is something that makes them extremely uncomfortable, so Dead Apostles will not be active during the day unless absolutely necessary.

Except for Arcueid, which is a special case.

Because he had decided to deal with Flöf Arhanger, who had caused the series of fires, Arcueid planned to find his location first during the day when he was unable to move around freely, and then kill him at his doorstep after nightfall.

"But how did our supposed search for someone turn into shopping and eating?"

Holding the wheel cake he had just bought from a roadside stall, Natsukawa Tora looked helplessly at Arcueid, who was eating with a happy expression beside him: "I remember we just finished lunch less than an hour ago, right? You're hungry again so soon?"

"Because my body hasn't fully recovered yet. Although the wounds are basically fine, since we're going to fight Frohan, every bit of strength I can regain is important. Eating more will also help with recovery." Arcueid finished speaking and licked the remaining red bean paste from the corner of her mouth. "Tiger? Aren't you going to eat more? If you can still exert the same level of strength as you did against Nero when fighting Frohan this time, it will be much easier for us."

"I'd like to, but my wallet won't allow it. You saw how regretful Miss Aoko looked before, and I'm too embarrassed to ask her to treat me again. My own wallet isn't that generous either."

Xia Chuanhu's face was filled with helplessness.

"But it doesn't matter. He's just a dead disciple at the level of the Twenty-Seventh Ancestor. My current strength is enough."

"Really? I think you're probably going to run into some trouble this time, Tiger."

"Why do you say that?"

“It’s a matter of compatibility,” Arcueid said. “Tiger, you’re the kind of person who has no weaknesses in either ranged or melee combat, right? But comparatively, your melee ability is relatively weak, or rather, you lack sufficient combat experience. Tiger, you rarely fight against people of similar strength, don’t you?”

Xia Chuanhu nodded – let alone being evenly matched in strength, he had almost always charged straight through in his battles so far, and there were hardly any who could fight him.

His power as a Servant would be considered extraordinary by today's standards. Apart from a few others who are also extraordinary, he has virtually no rivals.

Of course, Natsukawa Torama did not believe that he was invincible. Combat strength is only one aspect that determines victory or defeat. There are many factors that affect the outcome, such as preparation, strategy, wisdom, and combat experience.

"When Floff was human, he was a knight and a master of close combat. Even after becoming a Dead Apostle, he hasn't neglected his training for hundreds of years. It's not that I don't trust you, Tiger, but if you were to charge at him alone in close combat like you did with Nero, you would probably be in great danger right now. So my advice is that you'd better go to Miss Shiki and get your scabbard back first."

"With a scabbard, even if you get beaten half to death in close combat, you won't be in danger."

"So you're already assuming I'll be half-dead in the fight with Flov?" Natsukawa Torama gave a wry smile. "Alright, I'll take this suggestion for now. I'll contact Shiki later. So, the most important thing is Flov's hiding place. Have you found it? You can receive intelligence directly from the world, so finding it should be quick."

Somewhat unexpectedly, Arcueid shook his head: "The information the world gives me is not all-encompassing. I can only directly accept the knowledge and common sense of modern society, as well as the information necessary for survival."

"If I actively ask the world for information, the world will not refuse, but it will not tell me in detail either. I would say it will just give me a perfunctory answer."

"For example, if I want to find someone and ask the world where he is, the world will only tell me which city in which country he is, or simply tell me which direction he is in, but will not directly mark where he is."

"It's the same this time. The world only told me that Frohan was here and gave me a general direction, but it didn't give me the exact address. I can only rely on that little bit of direction and my own intuition with the Dead Apostles to find him."