Chapter 30: Creating a Blood Servant (Patreon)

Some time later, Dio finished resting and casually put on his outer robe.

Stussy remained behind, recovering while reviewing the intelligence gathered by her bats.

Then footsteps approached outside.

A gentle knock came at the door.

“Divine Lord, are you here? I brought tea and refreshments.”

It was Ayame.

Stussy glanced toward the door and smiled knowingly.

“Looks like the young lady couldn’t wait much longer.”

Dio gestured that she did not need to leave.

Then he walked over and opened the paper door.

Ayame stood outside carrying a tray.

A pot of tea and several carefully prepared sweets rested upon it.

She had clearly made an effort with her appearance.

Her kimono was neat and understated.

Her hair had been arranged carefully.

A faint touch of makeup added color to her otherwise composed expression.

When Dio opened the door, she gave him a polite smile.

“Divine Lord, my father asked me to bring you some refreshments as a small gesture of respect. If it is convenient…”

Dio accepted the offering without ceremony.

He had recently expended a fair amount of energy and did not mind replenishing it.

He sat beneath the veranda, picked up one of the sweets, took a bite, then drank some tea.

Ayame knelt nearby with both hands resting neatly in her lap.

She watched him expectantly.

“Divine Lord, how does it taste?”

Dio lowered his cup.

His expression remained blank.

“Bad.”

Ayame’s smile froze.

She had not expected such a direct answer.

For several awkward seconds, she did not know how to respond.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of her kimono.

Dio, however, was simply being truthful.

Humanity in this world had been driven into fortified stations by the Kabane.

Resources were painfully scarce.

Beyond the basic crops necessary to survive, ingredients suitable for refined snacks were difficult to obtain.

Compared with the exquisite confections he was accustomed to eating in Mariejois, these were worlds apart.

He did not touch a second piece.

He simply continued drinking the tea.

Ayame remained kneeling beside him, painfully aware of the awkward silence.

She wanted to say something.

Nothing came to mind.

Then a lively voice broke the tension.

“What are you doing?”

Mumei poked half her head around the doorway and peered inside.

The instant she saw the sweets, her eyes lit up.

Like a cat catching the scent of fish, she skipped over and crouched beside the tray.

She looked up at Dio expectantly.

“If you want some, eat them.”

“Yay!”

Mumei immediately grabbed a pastry and began eating enthusiastically.

Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s.

Ayame finally relaxed slightly.

At least someone liked the food.

She rose and bowed to Dio.

“Then I won’t disturb your rest any longer. Please excuse me.”

She left the estate soon afterward.

Her hurried footsteps carried a clear sense of relief.

Stussy watched Ayame disappear into the distance.

“What an uncomplicated young lady,” she said softly.

Then her expression became more businesslike.

“Master, I should begin the next stage.”

Dio nodded.

“Do it.”

Stussy smiled.

She moved beneath the eaves and raised one hand.

A bat hanging upside down above her spread its wings and landed on her fingertip.

Stussy listened through its senses for several moments.

Then she nodded.

Her body dissolved into a swarm of bats that poured into the darkening sky and disappeared over the rooftops.

Night gradually settled over Aragane Station.

Kenshou Yomogawa sat alone inside his study.

A map lay open across the desk.

It marked the locations of the surrounding stations and the routes connecting them.

His finger slowly moved across the paper.

His thoughts remained focused on Dio.

How could he gain the Divine Lord’s favor?

While Kenshou was deep in thought, the sound of beating wings came from the window behind him.

His instincts immediately sharpened.

He turned.

Outside, illuminated by moonlight, a figure hovered silently in the darkness.

A pair of enormous bat wings spread behind her, casting a sinister silhouette.

A faint smile rested upon her exquisite face.

It was the white-clad woman who served beside the Divine Lord.

“You—!”

Kenshou’s heart tightened.

Cold spread down his spine.

His first instinct was to call the guards.

Years of experience as a ruler made him suppress the impulse.

He drew a deep breath.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

Stussy did not answer.

She simply raised one hand.

Three palm-sized bats shot from her sleeve like black arrows and flew directly toward him.

Kenshou reacted instantly.

Surviving as the ruler of a station in this brutal world required more than noble birth.

He twisted aside while pulling a katana from the wall.

Flash!

The first bat was cut in half.

It dissolved into a spray of blood-red mist.

His return strike split the second.

But the third slipped around the blade.

It landed on his neck.

Sharp fangs pierced his skin.

Pain flashed through him.

Then numbness.

A powerful wave of dizziness followed.

His sword slipped from his hand and struck the floor with a clang.

Kenshou staggered.

He caught the edge of the desk for support before slowly collapsing into his chair.

His vision blurred.

The room seemed to twist and recede.

The final thing he saw before consciousness faded was Stussy folding her wings and lightly landing on the windowsill.

She looked down at him from above.