Tohno Shiki felt like he might be dreaming. Although he had already suspected it when he saw her back, because it was such an absurd thing, he didn't think much of it. But now that he saw her clearly, he was certain: Arcueid was the woman he had killed a few days ago!
'What exactly is going on here?'
'Didn't I kill her? I cut her into seventeen pieces, how could she possibly survive in that condition? Or could it be that she resurrected in that state? Is she immortal?'
"You... you actually are..."
"Tohno-kun, what's wrong with you?"
Noticing something strange about Shiki, Ciel unconsciously asked, "Is she an acquaintance of yours?"
"No... Ah, well, not exactly..."
He couldn't say it, that he had killed her once and so on. He just couldn't say it!
Shiki could even now feel Arcueid's meaningful gaze. If gazes could kill, he would have been dead already!
"Cough cough!"
Suddenly, a cough pulled Shiki out of his panic. Naoki cleared his throat, then extended his hand towards Shiki and the two people beside him—if he wasn't mistaken, their names were Yumizuka Satsuki and Inui Arihiko?
*SNAP!*
With a soft flick of his fingers, the gazes of the three people instantly froze, then simultaneously and inexplicably turned away, quickly leaving without looking back.
Seeing this scene, Arcueid unconsciously pouted her lips: "Naoki, why did you suddenly use Suggestion Magecraft? I still wanted to talk to that person."
"This is on the street. If you want to talk, at least find a place that isn't too crowded. There are too many people here. Besides, Ciel, you probably don't want to cause unexpected trouble either, right?"
"Initially, because I saw someone who seemed to be a True Ancestor's daughter with you, I wanted to confirm, so I greeted you. I didn't expect Tohno-kun to be related to a True Ancestor's daughter. This is my oversight." Ciel sighed, "Using Suggestion Magecraft is also good, so I don't need to bother explaining to Tohno-kun and the others."
"But what exactly is going on here? It's only been a few days since we last met, why are you suddenly with a True Ancestor's daughter?"
The daughter of a True Ancestor, Arcueid Brunestud. Ciel had seen her in France, but at that time she was still possessed by Roa, with little of her own consciousness, only able to glimpse a bit from the remnants of memories afterwards.
Of course, the Burial Agency's records also had information about her. Back when she was looking for records about Roa, she had also seen some things about Arcueid.
"Arcueid and I are now in an alliance, you could say. She came to seek revenge on Roa, but because she was killed once by Tohno Shiki before, her strength is greatly weakened. So before she fully recovers, I am temporarily her ally."
"Killed by Tohno-kun?" Ciel unconsciously frowned, "But according to my observation, Tohno-kun doesn't have anything special—"
"Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."
Arcueid interrupted.
"That person has Mystic Eyes that are monstrous even among Mystic Eyes. Otherwise, why do you think I could be killed by him once?"
"Mystic Eyes of Death Perception... I've heard of them. Does Tohno-kun have Mystic Eyes of that level?"
"It seems he himself isn't very aware of it, but it's better if he doesn't realize it. If he uses those Mystic Eyes carelessly, the trouble he causes could be huge."
After Naoki said that, Ciel immediately shook her head: "There's no need to worry about this. Tohno-kun is always under the Church's surveillance. If he takes any actions that go too far, I will definitely stop him."
The Church is monitoring Tohno Shiki?
'Ah, come to think of it, that's right. Because they weren't sure who would become Roa's reincarnation vessel, Ciel initially made Tohno Shiki a suspect.'
After noting that Tohno Shiki possessed the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Ciel continued to ask: "By the way, what are you two doing? I know you hunt vampires at night, but vampires won't come out during the day. Don't tell me you're on a date?"
"No, we're looking for a Dead Apostle. Since we happened to meet you, let's discuss it together."
"Discuss? Discuss what?"
"Exterminating an Ancestor."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At a coffee shop near the shopping center.
"The Nineteenth Ancestor, Vlov Arkhangel, came to Japan?"
Hearing the information Naoki spoke, Ciel unconsciously frowned: "Although I did receive information that he was on the move, I didn't expect him to come to Japan... What are those people in charge of information doing?"
"No, that's not the point. You said you were going to exterminate him?"
Naoki nodded: "You also know about the consecutive fire incidents that have been happening in Misaki Town recently. Arcueid said it's Vlov's doing. It has already had a considerable impact on the public and can't be left alone."
"For the sake of concealing mysteries, is that it?"
"Not entirely. I don't care about concealing mysteries at all. I just can't stand seeing the scale of casualties continue to expand. If he keeps causing trouble and starting fires in Misaki Town, sooner or later it will definitely cause problems."
"I see." Ciel understood, "Then, what is it that you wanted to discuss with me?"
"The aftermath. Although your Holy Church is expert at dealing with Dead Apostles, our side already has more than enough fighting power. Having you doesn't add much, not having you doesn't make us lack anything. So at least please help us a little with the handling afterwards."
"For example?"
"Information manipulation and the like. I remember the Holy Church is very skilled in this. Back in Fuyuki City, no matter what trouble the Magus caused, the church there could always cover it up with the excuse of a gas leak." Naoki said with a smile, "I also don't know how much commotion we'll cause when fighting Vlov, so at least please prepare for evacuation and the aftermath, so as not to harm civilians and expose the mysteries."
"What, that's all..."
Ciel sipped her coffee: "I thought it was some big deal. Even without you saying so, the church will directly handle the aftermath. The incident in the park before was also like that. By the way, that incident in the park was also your doing, right? The commotion was really big, couldn't you have made it a little smaller? Do you know how much manpower it took to cover it up?!"
"That one, huh... you could say it was because I was too full and lost control a bit, or maybe because it was rare for me to be in good condition. This time it shouldn't be."
"Why don't I believe you?"
Intuition told Ciel that this time Naoki would definitely cause a commotion no less than the incident in the park—he had always been like that. Expecting him to resolve something completely silently was impossible!
'Later, I'll just insist it was a gas leak, it should be fine.'