Credits: hyoi

  Ciel began recounting a tragic tale in a stiff and formal tone—a pitiful story about being possessed by a vampire and sughtering all the townsfolk.

  During her narration, Ciel—or Elesia herself—showed little emotional fluctuation, but her assistant, standing nearby, was trembling. It was clear from a single gnce that she was in great pain.

  "This is Noel," Ciel said. "She is from my hometown. During the time I was possessed by Roa, she was the only one in the entire town who survived by sheer coincidence."

  "Six years ago, on that Christmas Eve, our town was chosen by Roa as the site of a certain ritual," Ciel continued. "After he fully gained control of my body, he began sughtering the townsfolk as sacrifices for the ritual."

  "However, Roa wasn't the only Dead Apostle involved in the massacre of the townspeople," Ciel said with a frown. "Besides him, several of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors came to participate in the sughter."

  "In the end, the Nineteenth Ancestor, who bore a grudge against Roa, arrived at the ritual site," Ciel went on. "In a fit of rage, he unleashed his Principle Idea Blood, freezing the entire town and killing Roa—and me—ending the nightmare."

  "Interesting," Touko raised an eyebrow. "Then, your current state—is it a doppelg?nger of Roa?"

  "You're as sharp as ever, Third Magician," Ciel replied with a faint, bitter smile. "That's right. The reason I survived is because Roa didn't die completely, so the world believed that my body shouldn't die either."

  "Then," Aoko asked, "why did you say inviting us was your personal decision?"

  "Because compared to Roa, the Holy Church and the Burial Agency care more about the Twenty-Seven Ancestors," Ciel expined. "Noel and I only want revenge against Roa. That's the reason."

  "I want the two of you to help us eliminate interference from the Ancestors while we hunt Roa, and to divert the attention of the Holy Church."

  "So, you're saying the Holy Church sent more people besides the two of you?" Aoko asked, somewhat surprised. Her memories of her previous life didn't include much detailed information about the Church.

  "That's correct," Ciel nodded. "Originally, they hadn't pnned to send anyone else, but after learning about the Nineteenth Ancestor and several others arriving, the Cardinals dispatched additional operatives in the hope of at least eliminating a few Ancestors."

  "Without the two of you, Noel and I would likely be forced into the hunt for the Ancestors, making it impossible for us to deal with Roa."

  "Who did the Holy Church send?" Touko asked.

  "Mario Gallo Bestino," Ciel replied. "In addition to him, Merem Solomon from the Burial Agency has also arrived, but his purpose is different from Mario's. He came to assist the Princess of the True Ancestors."

  "He must have decided to act after hearing about the pns of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors to hunt the White Princess," Aoko remarked, crossing her arms, which emphasized her ample chest. "The loyal retainer of Crimson Moon."

  "I won't comment on Merem's motivations," Ciel shook her head. "But from the results, his actions are beneficial to Noel and me. However, he's not enough on his own."

  "Aside from Vlov Arkhangel, how many other Ancestors have come to Japan?" Touko asked. "Our fees will depend on the number of Ancestors involved."

  "First, there's Trhvmn Ortenrosse, the White Wing Duke," Ciel said openly, without holding back. "He's a typical King of the Dead Apostles and harbors a deep grudge toward the Brunestud sisters. He's the one who initiated this hunt."

  "The first to respond to the White Wing Duke's summons was Chromcy Petastructure," Ciel's expression became more solemn, and there was a trace of anger in her voice. "He was one of the main forces behind the sughter in my hometown and is one of my primary targets for revenge."

  "What's his ability?" Aoko asked.

  "Chromcy Petastructure's Principle is [Castle, therefore kingdom]," Ciel expined, raising her right index finger. "He possesses a Reality Marble capable of encompassing an area roughly thirty kilometers in diameter, creating a city-like domain at the target location."

  "Once activated, the interior and exterior of the city are completely isoted, and within the city, he has absolute dominion and surveilnce capabilities," Ciel continued. "In my hometown, most of the residents were drained of their blood within this Reality Marble. He's one of my revenge targets."

  Aoko nodded and exchanged a gnce with Touko. This Ancestor's Principle seemed quite interesting—perhaps it could even be repurposed as a vacation fortress.

  In truth, Aoko was a bit surprised to learn that Roa would be resurrected in 1992. In both the original Tsukihime timeline and the Tsukihime R timeline, this was far too early—even Shiki Tohno and Akiha Tohno hadn't grown up yet.

  However, for reasons unknown, Roa had accelerated his reincarnation timeline. Upon learning of Roa's imminent resurrection, both Ciel and Arcueid Brunestud began taking action, which in turn attracted other Dead Apostle Ancestors.

  "Besides the White Wing Duke and Chromcy, Nero Chaos might also have come to Japan, but I can't confirm it at the moment," Ciel said. "He's an ally of Roa and was likely summoned by the soon-to-be-resurrected Roa."

  "The wandering magus of Ats?" Aoko asked in surprise. "How did he become a Dead Apostle?"

  Aoko was shocked by the fact that Fabro Rowan, still active during the construction of Chaldea, had become Nero Chaos. Wasn't this guy supposed to have been killed early in the Tsukihime R story?

  "The exact reasons are unclear," Ciel replied, shaking her head. "But based on existing information, it's specuted that one of his research projects involved Roa, and as a result, he became a unique Dead Apostle Ancestor."

  "Very few people can connect Nero Chaos to Fabro Rowan," Ciel added, her tone curious. "Does Miss Blue have any connections to Ats?"

  "No," Aoko shook her head. "I don't know him personally, but an acquaintance of mine might have some dealings with Ats, so I've heard of him."

  "I see…" Ciel said. "These are the Ancestors I know of so far, but more may show up just for the chaos."

  "Dealing with this group shouldn't be too difficult," Aoko said casually. "Now, let's discuss the details of our payment, shall we?"