Little Garden 161-165

Title: Natsuki-chan, What If Tokoyogi Aya Became Your Sister?

“But it seems only five of your Matrices have been sent.”

Natsuki sitting across from Aslan, snorted. She glanced at a message from Koyomi on her notebook and lightly sipped her black tea.

“That’s a minor issue.”

Hearing Natsuki’s words, Aslan laughed and placed his teacup on the glass table. “What’s mine will eventually be mine. Everything’s under control.”

The sixth and seventh Matrices, held by the Third Primogenitor, Giada, in the Chaos Zone, as well as Matrices No. 8, No. 9, and No. 11, held by the Fall Dynasty under the Ninth Prince, Iblisveil Aziz, had all been sent.

As for Matrices No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5, under the Warlord Empire in the hands of Dimitrie Vatler, they had long been sent to Itogami Island and allowed to roam freely.

Matrices No. 1 and No. 2 were in the hands of Balthazar Zaharias, an weapon dealer attempting to control the Fourth Primogenitor and establish a Night Empire.

He found Matrix No. 1, grafted one of its ribs, and became a Blood Servant of Matrix No. 1. He was also the mastermind behind the destruction of the Caruana family.

As for Matrix No. 10, if the information wasn’t wrong, it had a strong will. After Giada gave it to Vatler, he immediately set it free.

It was now supposedly the leader of the terrorist organization Tartarus Lapse. Due to excessive use of its Beast Vassal’s abilities, its body could no longer withstand it and was heading to Itogami Island.

“Don’t underestimate my intelligence-gathering skills, Natsuki-chan.” Aslan gave a faint smile, leaning back and resting his hands on the sofa’s armrest.

“Hmph, can you cut off the intelligence support from the Lion King Agency, Warlord Empire, Chaos Zone, and Fall Dynasty?” Natsuki sneered and rolled her eyes.

“What skills do you have, just lounging at home playing games all day?”

She now felt like she was slaving away every day to support a useless husband, having to serve Aslan after work.

“What, Natsuki-chan doesn’t believe in my intelligence skills?” Aslan waved his hand, scratched his ear, and said with a touch of confidence.

“Natsuki-chan, what if Tokoyogi Aya became your sister?” Aslan looked at her, narrowing his eyes.

Natsuki’s hand, holding the teacup, froze in midair.

Tokoyogi Aya, Natsuki’s best friend from ten years ago, also a Witch. She was a prisoner Natsuki personally captured and imprisoned in the Prison Barrier. She was also one of the key figures that led Natsuki to make a contract with her Guardian.

Because Aya used the lives of Saikai Academy students as a magical source to activate a ritual, Natsuki, then a student herself, had to become her enemy.

Thus, Natsuki’s feelings toward Aya were complicated.

Thinking of this, Natsuki sighed and said, “I don’t care where you heard Aya’s name. But that woman isn’t someone who’d submit easily.”

At this moment, Aslan smiled and said, “Creating a peaceful world without magic? Sounds interesting.”

Creating a peaceful world without magic, where Witches wouldn’t be persecuted—that was Aya’s goal.

It must be known that Aslan himself came from a world completely devoid of magic, even before arriving from Little Garden.

That world had no anomalies whatsoever. Verified by Little Garden’s Central Core, it was just an ordinary material universe. He just happened to be born there.

But that world couldn’t be called peaceful.

“I remember I came from a world without magic.”

Hearing this, Natsuki looked at Aslan with a strange expression, the corner of her mouth twitching.

“You’re sure a world without magic could produce a monster like you?”

“But if you really came from a world like that, Aya might pretend to submit, then try every means to learn how to get to that world from you.”

“Then she’d try to make this world like that one.”

“As for you, you’d obviously be discarded as a useless tool.” Natsuki cursed inwardly.

But since this involved Aya, Natsuki also felt a bit uneasy.

“What do you want to do? Tell me, I’ll cooperate.”

Hearing this, the corner of Aslan’s mouth curved slightly, and he said with a smile, “When I fully obtain the Fourth Primogenitor’s power, if I don’t control it, the generated magic will affect all of Itogami Island, which in turn will cause the Prison Barrier to fluctuate and emerge from another space. I’m not wrong, am I?”

After listening, Natsuki narrowed her eyes, calculated, then sighed and said, “If I don’t reinforce the Prison Barrier, that scenario would indeed happen.”

At this moment, Aslan looked at her with a playful and possessive gaze.

Seeing this, Natsuki couldn’t help but slap her forehead.

“Fine, I’ll release the suppression on the Prison Barrier and let it appear.”

Speaking to this point, Natsuki said helplessly, “But I don’t want any prisoners inside to survive, except Aya.”

The prisoners in the Prison Barrier were all captured by her personally. The crimes they committed warranted the death penalty. However, their identities were too special, so they could only be imprisoned, not killed, to avoid large-scale conflicts.

But now, she had Aslan. Natsuki could unhesitatingly execute the death penalty on the prisoners in the Prison Barrier. Let those behind them hold Aslan accountable.

“Kill them all?”

Aslan looked at her with slight surprise. He didn’t expect Natsuki to be like this. She was truly ruthless. For a moment, he declared he liked this version of Natsuki even more.

“Killing them all is a bit wasteful. Let’s keep them for experiments. After all, the data related to the Cleansing, as well as the creation of Primogenitors and Beast Vassals, requires plenty of test subjects.”

Aslan waved his hand casually. Since they were death-row inmates, he didn’t need to care too much about their feelings. He could go big.

“Up to you, as long as you don’t let them out to cause trouble.” Natsuki replied indifferently.

At this moment, Aslan suddenly looked at her mischievously and said, “So, letting Aya become my maid and your sister would be fine, right?”

The corner of Natsuki’s mouth twitched. She firmly chose not to answer this question. Though she wanted Aya to come to her senses, this clearly wasn’t the way.

That was too cruel!

She could already imagine Aya in a maid outfit, serving her with a sarcastic attitude. How many goosebumps would she get, and how much would Aya torment her?

According to Aslan, Natsuki would definitely emerge from the Prison Barrier. And her real body wasn’t as comfortable as her clone. Did she think she couldn’t escape? Even Aya was the same?

Then Aya would succeed in making Aslan angry, and in the end, she’d become someone not to be messed with?

Thinking of this, Natsuki sighed helplessly.

“Can’t you use a more normal way to approach a girl?”

Hearing this, Aslan retorted with a strange expression, “Are you a normal girl? Would a normal girl I approach normally support me having a harem?”

Natsuki fell silent for a moment. She took a deep sip of her black tea, expressionless.

(I really want to kick this guy out! But I can’t beat him, and I can’t do it. This is so frustrating.)

Aslan saw Natsuki, angry and upset but not daring to explode, and couldn’t help smiling. He loved seeing beautiful girls show expressions like this.

After chuckling for a bit, Aslan quietly shifted his gaze to the door and said in a low voice, “My Matrix package has finally arrived.”

(So fast…)

Natsuki’s heart sank. She wasn’t ready to face Aya yet.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed and snapped her fingers.

The door slowly opened with a creak.

As the door opened, Koyomi stepped into the room.

“Excuse me.” Koyomi glanced at Aslan and Natsuki sitting on the sofa.

Aslan just smiled, while Natsuki looked at her with an displeased tone.

“Good job, matchmaking agency girl. You completed your mission so quickly.”

(I’m not a matchmaking agency…)

Koyomi muttered inwardly in a low voice, then said with a calm face.

“Her Excellency Chaos Bride has sent all the Matrices to Itogami Island. This morning, Prince Iblisveil also handed over the Matrices.”

“Due to Duke Ardeal’s negligence, Matrices No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 are operating on Itogami Island and are being tracked.”

“As for Matrices No. 1 and No. 2, it’s confirmed they’re held by the arms dealer Balthazar Zaharias. He’s currently searching for the other Matrices on the island.”

Speaking to this point, Koyomi pulled a flash drive from her pocket.

“This is the data on the Cleansing and the Fourth Primogenitor collected by Her Excellency Chaos Bride.”

“Thank you for your hard work.” Aslan took the flash drive, stored it, then turned to the door. “So, the people outside are the remaining Matrices.”

“Yes!” Koyomi pushed up her glasses.

“Outside the door are Matrices No. 6, No. 7, No. 8, No. 9, and No. 11.”

“Along with Matrix No. 12 you have, we currently have half of the Matrices, meeting the conditions to hold the Blazing Banquet.”

Having half of the Fourth Primogenitor’s Matrices and the Origin soul of the Fourth Primogenitor can forcibly start the Blazing Banquet and awaken the Fourth Primogenitor. This is one of the conditions for the Blazing Banquet ceremony.

Currently, Aslan had more than half of the Matrices and had met the qualifications.

“No need for the hassle. Just let the little girls in.”

Aslan didn’t need to bother holding the Blazing Banquet. He had already obtained all the Fourth Primogenitor’s power. Now, he just needed to reclaim the Matrices and Beast Vassals.

-

Title: The Inevitable Shuraba

“Yes!”

Koyomi immediately bowed and responded, then raised her hand and clapped.

The sound of her clap echoed, and the Matrices outside the door walked in calmly. Instantly, golden hair shimmering like a rainbow filled the room.

The five young and beautiful Matrices, dressed in various outfits, entered the room like models stepping onto a runway.

“Oh? This is really…”

Aslan’s eyes lit up slightly as he saw the five Matrices.

Though their eyes were somewhat vacant, Aslan could faintly see a spark of liveliness in them.

“Quite surprising. I didn’t expect you to already have a bit of self-awareness.”

Aslan had thought he’d need to expend a lot of energy to awaken their self-awareness, but it seemed he didn’t need to worry at all. As long as he let them live like normal children, like Aurora, they would eventually develop true self-awareness.

Unlike Angra Mainyu, who, despite being a Last Trial of Mankind, somehow grew closer to the Winds of Decadence after being raised by Aslan and Ahriman. Without any self-awareness, it was more like an inevitable phenomenon.

It’s estimated that Human History considered self-awareness a flaw in the Last Trial of Mankind.

Look at Dystopia. If Dystopia wasn’t intentional, Aslan didn’t believe Canaria could hide from Dystopia and gain self-awareness instead of losing her Spirit Status like the other “livestock.”

Matrix No. 6, Hectos, wearing a kimono with her hair in a braid, looked at Aslan curiously and asked in a strange tone, “Origin?”

Aslan shook his head, then smiled at Matrix No. 6 and said, “The Origin died for causing trouble. Now, you can consider me the new Origin.”

“Understood, Lord Origin.” Matrix No. 6 said calmly, staring at Aslan.

Though her face was identical to Aurora’s, she lacked Aurora’s innocence. Instead, she had the calm and gentle demeanor of a refined woman.

“Since you’ve devoured the Origin, you are the new Origin. We will naturally become your strength. That is the law.”

Hearing those words, Aslan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. This wasn’t what he wanted. No wonder their self-awareness was so weak.

“Don’t you want to live?”

Matrix No. 6 looked at Aslan with a hint of curiosity and said in a tone with little fluctuation, “Why live? The human form is merely a prison for us. The Beast Vassal form is our true body. Death in human form is liberation for us, freeing us from constraints.”

Yet, Aslan could still see a trace of fear of death and a desire to live in Matrix No. 6’s heart.

Seeing this, Aslan couldn’t help but smile and say, “Don’t you want to be like Aurora, eating delicious food, enjoying ice cream, and living every day?”

“Gulp.”

Hearing Aslan’s words, Matrix No. 6 couldn’t help but swallow hard. She was clearly tempted.

After all, as a Matrix from the Chaos Zone, Giada hadn’t treated her poorly but rather treated her on par with the original Fourth Primogenitor. Even Matrix No. 10, Dekatos, who had the strongest self-awareness and pursued her dreams and identity, was immediately set free by her.

Matrix No. 6 wasn’t unfamiliar with enjoyment. It was just that, under the pressure of her mission, she suppressed her self-awareness.

Aslan raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers.

A table filled with delicious food, desserts, and ice cream beloved by little girls appeared.

“Don’t you want to eat?” Aslan said temptingly.

The other four Matrices exchanged glances, then looked at Matrix No. 6, the most mature among them, with eyes full of desire.

They were just children recently released from their seals. Facing a table of delicious food, they were already impressive for holding back.

And Matrix No. 6, as the most mature Matrix, naturally took responsibility for leading them.

Finally, Matrix No. 6 couldn’t resist the temptation. She looked at Aslan with eyes full of longing and asked in a low voice, “May I?”

She seemed to be asking not only for Aslan’s permission but also whether he could truly let them live.

“Of course you may.”

Aslan stood up and made space for them.

In an instant, the five Matrices eagerly rushed to the table and began eating politely.

Of course, Aslan didn’t forget Aurora. Since Aurora had absorbed too much of his power and reached Five-Digit level, such immense power wasn’t easy to digest or control. Aurora was usually a bit sleepy.

“Aurora, come greet your sisters.”

Aurora yawned, seemingly not fully awake, rubbing her eyes. When she saw the other five Matrices, she instantly perked up. She joyfully led her sisters to eat.

“I want to share my favorite ice cream with you…”

Beside them, Natsuki sighed tiredly. Seeing six Matrices with identical faces, she couldn’t help but rub her temples.

“I feel like sooner or later, my house will turn into a kindergarten.”

“You should think of it this way: what if you become their stepmother one day?” Aslan couldn’t resist teasing her.

Hearing Aslan’s words, Natsuki couldn’t help but sputter. “Then who’s their biological mother?”

(Damn…)

Aslan immediately felt a headache. It seemed he hadn’t gotten Leticia’s approval yet. If Leticia and Karyou found out he’d created twelve daughters for Leticia…

Aslan didn’t even dare imagine what would happen.

“You didn’t get their approval, did you?” Natsuki said gleefully. “I didn’t expect someone like you would face a day like this.”

When she went to meet Aslan’s “wife” she’d definitely watch a good show.

“Stop talking.”

Aslan slumped sadly on the sofa, starting to think about how to face the inevitable shuraba.

Meanwhile, Natsuki laughed happily beside him. As for Koyomi, at some point, she had left, not forgetting to close the door.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Itogami Island, a dessert shop near the gate.

Liana Caruana sat at an outdoor table, drinking a glass of juice with a slightly sad expression.

“Sigh, where am I supposed to find the Matrices my King needs…”

After being transformed in Aslan’s first experiment, Liana was sent out to find the other Matrices scattered across Itogami Island.

But Itogami Island was so big—how could she find the Matrices?

What experiment did Aslan perform on her?

Liana was confused. She felt no changes in her body. Nothing was added, nothing was missing. Even her Beast Vassal remained unchanged.

Had her King truly abandoned her?

Or was her King disappointed with her performance?

Or was there an accident in the experiment?

At that moment, a blond man with an open shirt sat across from Liana, smiling.

“What’s wrong? Did your boyfriend dump you?”

Liana raised her head and looked at the man with an unreadable gaze.

“Do you know the feeling of being a loyal follower, chasing a grand existence, only to be abandoned?”

“That…” The man in the shirt was a bit flustered. “I guess I understand a little.”

“If that person dumped you, you could just forget him, like finding another guy…” The man in the shirt said with a smile. “I know an interesting bar.”

“I can’t go.” Liana’s tone had no fluctuation.

“Eh, why not?”

“He told me to wait here to find something he lost. I think if I find it and return it, he might not abandon me.”

The man in the shirt fell silent for a moment, stood up, and left while muttering, “Damn, I ran into a lovesick fool.”

Liana sat in her seat expressionlessly. Aslan had told her that as long as she waited here, the Matrices would soon come to her.

Not long after, she heard a familiar voice. It was her younger sister’s voice.

“Please, sir, eat the ice cream another time!”

In front of the dessert shop’s display case.

A girl with brownish-black hair, wearing a long skirt and a leather jacket, was pulling a handsome girl with short blonde hair, dressed in a shirt and jeans, with a sad expression.

It was Veldiana Caruana, Liana’s younger sister.

Upon seeing Veldiana, Liana immediately recognized her.

“But who’s that in front of her…”

“What’s this?”

The pretty short-haired blonde girl pointed at a five-scoop ice cream in the display case.

The shopkeeper saw her and immediately said with a smile, “This is our shop’s special ice cream. Want to try it, kid?”

“Get one.” The blonde girl nodded, then turned to Veldiana.

“My servant…”

“Yes.” Veldiana’s eyes were teary.

“Pay.”

“Yes.”

Veldiana tremblingly pulled her empty wallet from her leather jacket pocket. She rummaged through it, pulled out her last 10,000-yen note, and handed it over.

“The total is 3,000 yen.”

The shopkeeper smiled brightly, took the note, paused, didn’t take it, then took it again.

Veldiana watched her last large bill disappear and said with a slight choke, “Matrix No. 5, no, Your Excellency, that was my last money.”

“So?” Matrix No. 5 turned to Veldiana, tilting her head.

“Uh… Your Excellency, may you be happy.” Veldiana opened her mouth, ultimately swallowing the words she wanted to protest.

But as she saw Matrix No. 5 point at another sundae model, the tears in her eyes grew.

“Veldiana?”

A familiar voice reached Veldiana’s ears. Veldiana froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up. She flew toward Liana.

“Sister!”

“It’s alright, it’s alright.”

Liana patted Veldiana’s back. She glanced at the blonde girl who never looked back. Matrix No. 5? Just as her King said.

Her King hadn’t abandoned her. Liana’s face showed joy, and her heart couldn’t help but feel moved. Perhaps the chance for the Caruana family’s revival was right in front of her.

-

Title: The Fourth Primogenitor X-Type Vampire

“Good job, Veldiana.”

Liana’s tone carried a hint of praise.

“How did you find Matrix No. 5?”

“You said you bought a plane ticket to Itogami Island. I was a bit worried at the time, so I sneaked into the airport and stowed away on Duke Ardeal’s plane to get to Itogami Island.”

“Duke Ardeal? Dimitrie Vatler?”

Hearing the name of the famous figure from the Warlord Empire, Liana’s expression changed, then she let out a sigh of relief.

After all, the Fourth Primogenitor had ordered her to retrieve the Matrices, so she wouldn’t flinch even if Vatler himself showed up. Still, she was a bit concerned.

The Caruana family had previously been Counts in the Warlord Empire, and there was a significant gap between them and a star representing the will of the Lost Warlord.

“He came to Itogami Island too?”

Hearing this, Veldiana quickly shook her head.

“No, Duke Ardeal only let Her Excellency No. 3 board the plane. I originally wanted to follow Her Excellency No. 3, but only Her Excellency No. 5 allowed me to follow her.”

“Good then.”

Liana sighed in relief. This way, the chance for the Caruana family’s revival wouldn’t be obstructed.

“If that’s the case, everything will be easy.” Liana muttered, patting Veldiana’s shoulder.

“Veldiana, you’ve been a great help.”

“Hehe… not really.” Veldiana grinned foolishly.

At that moment, Liana stepped forward to face Matrix No. 5, looking at the girl licking her ice cream.

“Matrix No. 5, His Excellency the Origin has awakened.”

“Where?”

Matrix No. 5’s tone paused briefly. She slowly turned her head and said in a flat voice, “It seems, by the side of the Witch of the Void, Minamiya Natsuki.”

Hearing this, Liana forcibly suppressed her excitement. “Lead the way.”

“He’s not going anywhere.”

A rough male voice suddenly rang out.

Liana and Veldiana froze simultaneously. Following the direction of the voice, they saw a bearded middle-aged man in a black suit.

It was the arms dealer, Balthazar Zaharias.

“It’s you!!”

Seeing her father’s killer, Veldiana immediately prepared to summon her Beast Vassal.

At that moment, four Matrices in armor emerged from behind Balthazar. They were Matrices No. 3 and No. 4, freed by Vatler, and Matrices No. 1 and No. 2, which he possessed.

Of course, the origins of these two Matrices weren’t exactly noble. Matrix No. 1 was originally held by the Caruana family.

Balthazar had started a war just to obtain Matrix No. 1. During the war, he attacked the Caruana family’s territory and seized Matrix No. 1, which the Caruana family had safeguarded.

The primary reason he lost his noble title was the loss of Matrix No. 1, a critical factor.

As for Matrix No. 2, he had taken it from the Ninth Prince of the Fall Dynasty, Iblisveil Aziz, before Aslan arrived.

“Balthazar Zaharias…” Liana gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with killing intent.

At that moment, the people in the dessert shop noticed something was wrong. Some called the police, while most fled without paying their bills.

“Customers, customers! Your bills haven’t been paid!”

The shopkeeper rushed out, staring at the fleeing customers with teary eyes, as if he were about to break down.

At that moment, Balthazar smiled, looked at Liana in front of him, and nodded to his subordinate.

A Hungarian Hound stepped forward carrying a suitcase. He opened it and poured stacks of 10,000-yen notes onto the dessert shop’s table.

“This is forty million yen in cash, as a small apology.”

Liana reached out to stop Veldiana and said in a low voice, “What do you mean?”

Seeing Veldiana hold back, Balthazar said with a wide smile, “I don’t think there’s any major conflict between us.”

“Bastard!” Veldiana nearly exploded at those words.

The man who killed all their relatives and friends, standing before them, claimed there was no conflict between them. It was utterly inhumane!

“What do you mean?”

Liana held Veldiana back, warily eyeing the three Matrices behind Balthazar.

“No other meaning. I just want to buy the Matrix you have.”

Balthazar raised the corner of his mouth, lifted the suitcase in his hand, and said with a wide smile, “Thirty billion euros. If you agree, I’ll pay immediately. Additionally, if you’re willing, I can also restore the original Count Caruana territory.”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Liana, if you kill him, these thirty billion euros, along with the Matrices and the Caruana family’s territory, will still be yours.”

Seeing Liana’s hesitation, Aslan grew a bit impatient. He hadn’t sent Liana here just to retrieve his Matrices. He also wanted to see how strong Liana was after undergoing his initial experiment and receiving the prototype of the Fourth Primogenitor X-Type Vampire, and whether her new Bloodline abilities could manifest.

The other three Primogenitors’ descendants or vampires who inherited their Bloodline each had unique abilities.

The ability to manipulate mist from the First Primogenitor D-Type Vampire.

The ability to seize others’ Beast Vassals from the Second Primogenitor G-Type Vampire.

The ability to transform Beast Vassals into weapons and change appearances from the Third Primogenitor T-Type Vampire.

These were all decent Bloodline abilities. As the Fourth Primogenitor, Aslan naturally didn’t want to lag behind. Coincidentally, he had been researching the Blacklight Virus, the life factor from Phantasmagoria, and the System Tree.

Aslan achieved some results and planned to create the X-Type Bloodline for the Fourth Primogenitor for fun.

Of course, this so-called X-Type Vampire Bloodline was merely a variation of the Little Garden Vampire Bloodline. It was a new Bloodline Aslan recreated by combining experimental processes and the principles of how the three Primogenitors transformed from Devas into vampires and acquired Beast Vassals.

The Devas in this world weren’t much different from the vampires in Little Garden. They all possessed divine power beyond ordinary humans. Devas had eternal life, resilient bodies, and telekinesis.

But like the vampires in Little Garden, the Devas in this world would suffer physical tissue collapse and turn to ash when exposed to sunlight.

The three Primogenitors became Primogenitors through Cain’s experiments, allowing them to house Beast Vassals and overcome their fear of sunlight.

Through Aslan’s research, it was more accurate to say that the vampires in this world didn’t truly overcome their fear of sunlight. What allowed them to ignore sunlight was the Beast Vassals fused within their bodies. The parasitic Beast Vassals were what made them immune to sunlight.

Since the Beast Vassals’ lives were entirely tied to their hosts, if the host died, the Beast Vassal would die too. Thus, Beast Vassals would never let their hosts die.

As Beast Vassals were essentially aggregates of magic with independent will, their essence was a mass of magic with consciousness. So, no matter how a vampire summoned a Beast Vassal, a portion of the Beast Vassal’s magic would remain in the vampire’s blood.

Additionally, since Beast Vassals wouldn’t let their hosts die, the Beast Vassals lingering in the vampire’s blood would spontaneously resist sunlight, preventing it from truly harming the host.

Due to the Cleansing, Beast Vassals and vampires were closely bound. Even the lowest Nosferatu, unable to summon Beast Vassals, had Beast Vassals in their blood.

They were just too weak to summon them, only able to use them to resist sunlight. But this couldn’t be called truly overcoming sunlight. One day, when the Beast Vassals in a Nosferatu’s blood weakened to the point of no longer resisting sunlight damage, the Nosferatu would fear sunlight again.

That day, however, was still far off. By then, most Beast Vassals in this world would likely be dead.

But how could Aslan leave such a flaw?

After Aslan’s adjustments, the Beast Vassals of X-Type Vampires were even more tightly bound to them—or rather, the Beast Vassals had become part of the X-Type Vampires.

They would no longer weaken through generations. The Beast Vassal’s magic was the host’s magic, and the Beast Vassal would grow alongside the host.

The essence of a Beast Vassal was a magical aggregate with self-awareness. They weren’t part of the System Tree and met the definition of life formed from aggregated great power, qualifying as Dragon-Type. However, they weren’t as strong as true Pureblood Dragon-Types. Calling them Dragon-Type would clearly diminish the prestige of Dragon-Types.

But that didn’t mean they couldn’t manipulate their concept.

Vampires in Little Garden were created by the World Dragon Kurma, and in the past, they were a race guarding the System Tree. The remnant trace of their role as System Tree guardians was their ability to control shadows. If a Little Garden vampire reached the highest position in the System Tree, they would gain the Gift Vestige of Dragon.

As Beast Vassals manipulated the Dragon-Type concept, there was no harm in having a Vestige of Beast.

With this idea, Aslan bound the Beast Vassals to the shadows of X-Type Vampires.

X-Type Vampires could control their shadows and merge their Beast Vassals with their shadows to gain the ability to transform into Beast Vassals.

Of course, this was just an ability Aslan designed for now. Its specific performance in battle and whether there would be any accidents were things he wanted to test.

How much would the Beast Vassal’s power increase after transforming? Could multiple Beast Vassals be merged simultaneously?

These were all things Aslan wanted to experiment with.

The best way to conduct experiments was through actual combat, as many things couldn’t be tested in a lab alone.

Fully integrating the Bloodline also required time.

This was why Aslan sent Liana here—to test her combat strength.

-

Title: A Fairly Decent Prototype 1

“Don’t you want to personally wash away the Caruana family’s shame with blood?”

Aslan’s voice echoed in Liana’s ears.

Liana’s eyes turned blood-red as she glared at Balthazar. She looked like a wild beast ready to pounce.

She wanted to! She dreamed of killing Balthazar, slaughtering this arms dealer.

But a dream was just a dream. She still had a mission to revive the Caruana family and protect her younger sister. She couldn’t waste her life recklessly fighting Balthazar, especially with four of the Fourth Primogenitor’s Matrices standing behind him.

Liana only had one. From any perspective, if she charged forward, she’d only die in vain.

“The dead can’t come back to life. You two should think carefully. I’m sure your late father wouldn’t want you to die on this tiny island in the Far East, would he?”

“We have an absolute advantage in terms of Matrices.”

Balthazar smiled politely, bowing slightly, and spoke to Liana, who was on the verge of losing her composure.

Hearing this, the four Matrices behind Balthazar slightly raised their heads, staring at the ice cream in Matrix No. 5’s hand.

“You guys want some?”

The four Matrices nodded almost in unison.

Matrix No. 5 licked her ice cream, glanced at the empty surroundings—only one employee remained in the dessert shop—and after a moment’s thought, she grabbed several 10,000-yen notes from the table and handed them to the employee.

“Four servings, same as this.” The blonde girl said with an expressionless face.

Then, the five Matrices ran into the dessert shop, sat down, and began licking their ice creams with their small, rosy tongues.

Balthazar was left standing there, slightly stunned.

Seeing this scene, Liana couldn’t help but smile. “Now, it seems you no longer have the advantage in terms of Matrices.”

Balthazar was momentarily speechless. After all, the Matrices of the Fourth Primogenitor could also control and wield the power of the Fourth Primogenitor’s Beast Vassals, and he couldn’t control them.

Participants were merely followers of the Fourth Primogenitor, gaining benefits by supporting the Matrix they backed to become the Fourth Primogenitor. They didn’t dare interfere too much with the Matrices. That’s why Matrices with weak self-awareness didn’t care about external matters around them.

“But even so, what can you do?”

“Even your father couldn’t defeat me, so how could you, a new-generation vampire?”

Balthazar laughed heartily. The other side genuinely thought he was just an ordinary arms dealer. He was also a Blood Servant of the Fourth Primogenitor, having grafted a rib from Matrix No. 1.

“You…”

Liana’s eyes turned blood-red, glaring sharply at Balthazar. If looks could kill, she would’ve killed him countless times.

“Hahaha, come on, attack! If you want the Caruana family to go completely extinct, go ahead and attack!”

Seeing Liana still holding back, Balthazar couldn’t help but sneer.

“How could a weakling like you revive the Caruana family?”

“Kill him! Sköll! Hati!”

Finally, Liana couldn’t hold back anymore. She reached out her right hand toward the suited bastard in front of her.

“For the honor of the Caruana family! I will kill you!!!”

At her command, two wolf-shaped Beast Vassals appeared in front of her and charged straight at Balthazar.

“Useless!”

Balthazar didn’t even move. He stood in place and raised his hand.

The Nosferatu guards behind him immediately understood his signal. They raised AK-shaped magical weapons, aimed at Liana’s two Beast Vassals, and pulled the triggers.

*TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!*

In an instant, countless bullets surged toward Liana’s two Beast Vassals like a tidal wave.

Almost instantly, the two Beast Vassals were torn apart, turning into specks of light that vanished.

Then Balthazar lowered his hand, looked at Liana, and said in a low voice, “How’s that, you newborn Caruana trash? How do your Beast Vassals fare against my weapons infused with the latest technology?”

Liana didn’t respond. She felt something odd. Her body showed no side effects. Although Beast Vassals had no physical form, and being destroyed only meant they turned into magic and dissipated, capable of being summoned again, that didn’t mean there were no side effects when a Beast Vassal was destroyed.

For most vampires, if their Beast Vassal was destroyed, even vampires renowned for their recovery abilities would suffer severe side effects. At the very least, they’d be bedridden for days, unable to use magic, and their entire body would be in excruciating pain.

But now, she felt nothing unusual. As long as she expended magic, she could summon her Beast Vassals again.

(Is this the experiment His Excellency performed on me?)

“Sköll, Hati!”

Liana glared at Balthazar in front of her and summoned her Beast Vassals again. This time, however, they weren’t summoned in front of her.

Instead, they emerged from the shadows of the Nosferatu guards behind Balthazar.

Accompanied by several screams and the sound of metal hitting the ground.

“Since when?”

Balthazar only then realized that, at some point, he was already surrounded.

But when he saw the two Beast Vassals in front of Veldiana and the two behind him, a surprised smile appeared on his face.

“Even your father, an old-generation vampire, wasn’t my match. How could you possibly be?”

As an arms dealer with assets exceeding 35 billion euros, he was like a walking treasure chest. Saying he was like a child carrying gold in a bustling market was an understatement. Without absolute strength, how would Balthazar dare travel alone?

Did he rely solely on the useless Nosferatu behind him?

“Gangloti! Ganglot!”

“Sköll! Hati!”

Liana and Veldiana issued commands to their Beast Vassals.

Fire and ice spewed from the mouths of the four wolf-shaped Beast Vassals.

The fire and ice struck Balthazar.

Yet, it caused no damage to him. Balthazar twisted his neck, producing a cracking sound.

The next second, his body suddenly swelled. Countless jet-black hairs grew across his body. He looked like a giant wolf standing upright.

“This is Divine Bestialization.”

Liana’s face showed despair. She hadn’t expected Balthazar to be a Beastman, and a Beastman who had mastered Divine Bestialization. It was the same despair she felt facing Golan Hazaroff on Gozo Island.

Their Beast Vassals couldn’t harm a Beastman in Divine Bestialization, covered in a dense layer of magic. To defeat a Beastman in Divine Bestialization, they could only rely on absolute physical strength or overwhelming firepower suppression.

“You’re the second after Count Caruana to see this form of mine.” In his massive Beastman form, Balthazar spoke with great satisfaction, seeing the despair on Liana and Veldiana’s faces.

Liana stared at Balthazar, especially when she heard the name Count Caruana from his mouth. Her heart filled with rage. Count Caruana was their father!

“Die, you bastard!”

Liana, nearly losing her sanity, had, at some point, recalled her Beast Vassals and fused them with her shadow.

By leveraging the connection between her shadow and her real body, Liana successfully wielded the Beast Vassals’ power. But what surprised Aslan was that Liana didn’t transform into a Beast Vassal—or rather, only her shadow transformed into a Beast Vassal.

She herself gained the physicality and abilities of a Beast Vassal, performing a transformation similar to a Beastman’s Divine Bestialization. She saw Balthazar approaching, waiting for the moment he crouched to crush her head and kill her completely.

Liana pierced Balthazar’s heart with a single claw, and her shadow did the same. Or rather, it was precisely because her shadow breached Balthazar’s defenses that she could kill him.

“Dead?”

Liana stared at her right hand, still in the form of a blood-stained ghostly claw, and at Balthazar, lying on the ground with a massive hole in his chest. Her face showed confusion.

The great vengeance of her family was avenged just like that?

For a moment, Liana felt an absurd sense of unreality. And it was done by her own hands.

Liana stood there in a daze, unaware of her surroundings for a long time.

“Hmm… is this an Oni-Type Transformation?” Aslan stroked his chin, observing Liana’s arm and her current state.

“Somewhat unexpected, but not bad.”

Though Little Garden vampires were said to be molecules of humanity’s distant future, they were classified as Oni-Type in the System Tree. Even a vampire’s Gift could turn others into Oni-Type through bodily fluids.

So, it made sense that fusing a Beast Vassal into a shadow and enhancing physical strength would result in an Oni-Type Transformation.

After the Oni-Type Transformation, she simultaneously possessed a vampire’s recovery abilities and the physicality of a Beastman post-Divine Bestialization. Her strength was also decent.

Aslan judged that as Prototype 1, it was sufficient. Her Bloodline was rated as Six-Digit, and upon maturity, she could reach a standard Six-Digit level.

Even in Little Garden, that was quite good. Even Little Garden vampires had similar levels before becoming Little Garden Knights. After maturity, Five-Digit was only Demi-God, and Four-Digit was only the Strongest Races like Natural Gods or Buddhas.

Six-Digit was already very good.

After a while, Liana finally came to her senses. Seeing Aslan jotting something down, she quickly pulled Veldiana to kneel on the ground.

“Thank you, Your Excellency, for granting me the power to take revenge.”

Liana spoke with utmost sincerity, quietly handing over the treasures brought by the arms dealer to Aslan.

-

Title: Only You Left, December

“Keep it.”

Aslan was still looking down, organizing his data, pondering where he went wrong. He didn’t care about the wealth of Balthazar Zaharias, the ambitious weapon dealer.

If he wanted, building an industrial chain wouldn’t be difficult. He only needed to sell properly adjusted products from Little Garden’s Umbrella Corporation in this world. After all, when his power reached a certain level, wealth was merely a string of numbers.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Liana bowed and responded, then obediently stepped forward to start organizing the documents. Veldiana was a bit confused but stayed silent and helped her sister.

After finishing his notes, Aslan put away his tablet and snapped his fingers. A long black limousine stopped beside him. Koyomi stepped out just in time and opened the door for Aslan.

“Come on, girls, get in.”

Aslan waved to the five Matrices.

They looked at the ice cream in their hands, then at Aslan, who wasn’t doing anything.

Aslan wasn’t angry. He immediately said to Koyomi, “There should be desserts prepared in the car, right?”

“Considering the other Excellencies’ fondness for desserts, a special refrigerator has been prepared inside to store them,” Koyomi said with an expressionless face.

The only pity was that she was wearing Saikai Academy’s high school uniform now, not a suit. Otherwise, she’d look more like a bodyguard.

Hearing Koyomi’s words, the other Matrices clearly showed tempted expressions. After glancing at Aslan’s smiling face, they followed his lead and got into the car.

“Head to where Matrix No. 10 is.”

Now, only Matrix No. 10 remained. Once all twelve Matrices were gathered, Aslan could almost hold the Blazing Banquet.

Though it made no difference whether the ceremony was held or not, this announcement, declaring the Fourth Primogenitor’s return to the world, still carried a slight bonus in terms of merit gains.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

As the car steadily drove toward Matrix No. 10’s hideout, which had been investigated by the Lion King Agency, a familiar voice sounded in Aslan’s ears.

“I really don’t know why you took that guy in.”

Somehow, Natsuki was sitting beside him.

Aslan didn’t look up. He placed his hand on the head of Matrix No. 3, who was lying on his lap, and gently stroked her.

“Didn’t I tell you? Just an experimental subject, a lab rat.”

Hearing Aslan’s words, Liana couldn’t hide a sad expression. Her movements while organizing documents paused.

“But, Natsuki-chan, you suddenly came looking for me—do you miss me?” Aslan turned, looking at Natsuki with a narcissistic smile.

“Tch, who’d miss you, you idiot?” Natsuki couldn’t help but scoff.

She already despised him, let alone liked him. She came only to shatter someone’s unrealistic illusions.

“I came just to remind you. Keep the Blazing Banquet small. I don’t want to run around cleaning up your mess.”

Natsuki turned her face away, glancing at Liana and Veldiana organizing documents. She didn’t want to add a romantic rival for herself—or rather, someone with thoughts she shouldn’t have.

Did she really think Aslan couldn’t see through her?

Due to Aslan’s experiment, Liana had developed thoughts she shouldn’t have.

Perhaps she hadn’t fully developed them, but regardless, Natsuki had to extinguish that spark first. To join Aslan’s harem, Liana didn’t meet the criteria in terms of appearance, status, or ability.

In Natsuki’s view, to join Aslan’s harem, one had to meet at least one of those three criteria. If not, at the very least, Aslan had to have feelings for the woman, right?

Unfortunately, Liana had none of the three. Though she was a pretty girl with decent looks, she was far inferior compared to the women Aslan had met, even compared to Natsuki herself.

But coincidentally, due to the irresponsible Fourth Primogenitor, her workload had increased, and she was short on staff. Liana could be considered talented, and she had been modified by Aslan. So, she shouldn’t be left wandering outside.

“By the way, I’ll take these two girls,” Natsuki said, pointing at Liana and Veldiana.

“Take them.”

Aslan smiled, the corner of his mouth slightly upturned, and said to Natsuki, “Natsuki-chan is always so kind-hearted.”

Natsuki felt a bit embarrassed under Aslan’s gaze and hurriedly left with Liana and Veldiana.

“You’re shy, Natsuki-chan.”

Aslan smiled, muttering to himself, uncaring whether Natsuki heard him.

Then, the car fell silent again, with only the sounds of the little girls sharing and enjoying their desserts.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In an ordinary apartment on Itogami Island.

Several boys and girls, who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, were doing their own things in the living room.

“I’m back!”

Suddenly, a cheerful and melodious girl’s voice came from the apartment door, along with the sound of it opening.

A girl dressed in very trendy clothes walked in. She had short, rainbow-golden hair, with flames flickering in her pupils.

She wore a baseball-style jacket, denim shorts that reached only to her thighs, and black leather boots with striped socks—one longer than the other. Between her striped socks and denim shorts were a pair of snow-white, flawless legs.

At a glance, she looked like a delinquent who disliked studying and always skipped school. She also had a slight tomboyish aura.

“December!”

Upon seeing the girl, the boys and girls in the living room, who had been occupied with their own tasks, exclaimed joyfully.

“I bought food for all of you. There’s also dessert from the shop downstairs today. Come on, eat up.”

December cheerfully placed the large bags she was carrying on the table beside her.

A petite Beastman girl, who had been playing with a large sniper rifle in the middle of the living room, jumped up and ran over. She excitedly grabbed the bags.

“Yay, December! We get dessert today—you must be tired.” The small Beastman girl wore a dress, looking like an elementary schooler, with cute cat ears on her head.

“Carly, I’m not tired. The money in my pocket is still from Teacher Senga,” December waved her hand and said casually.

The Beastman girl opened the bags, taking out bread and desserts. But she didn’t eat immediately. Instead, she called her friends.

“Rogi, Rahn, come eat too.”

“Coming.”

A boy named Rogi, with an ordinary appearance, blue hair, and a very outdated green jacket, responded to Carly’s call and ran over.

A girl named Rahn, with long ponytail hair and a somewhat emotional demeanor, forced a smile when called by Carly and joined them for dinner.

“December, aren’t you eating?”

Carly, a young child who had been abused since childhood and never ate her fill, enjoyed this delicious dinner and asked December, who was daydreaming beside her.

To Carly, who had been starved, these ordinary desserts were the most delicious dishes in the world.

Carly’s words snapped December back to reality. She looked at her and said with a smile, “Teacher Senga is preparing the base point for the initial ritual.”

“Once the ritual is ready, Teacher Senga will use the Fengshui Technique to destroy this Special Zone!”

Hearing December’s words, Carly and the others showed joyful smiles.

At that moment, December’s face suddenly paled, and she looked panicked.

“December, what’s wrong?”

Seeing December’s trembling body and distressed expression, Carly and the others immediately put down their desserts. They approached and surrounded her anxiously.

“H-He’s coming…” December said with trembling lips.

“Who’s coming?” Carly and the others asked, confused.

“The Origin, the Fourth Primogenitor, is approaching,” December said, word by word, biting her lip.

She had thought the Blazing Banquet would start soon, but she didn’t expect it to be this fast.

Would the Blazing Banquet end before she and Senga Takehito could execute their plan?

In an inexplicable state, she seemed to see a man speaking to her.

“Only you left, December.”

As Matrix No. 10, December knew full well this wasn’t an illusion. This was a declaration from the Fourth Primogenitor Origin, coming to reclaim the tenth Beast Vassal—herself.

Though she didn’t resist her fate, if she left, what would happen to her friends here?