It was Lynnsummoned through the group chat by Yukina's message.
He gave the incoming beam a quick glance, raised an eyebrow, then looked over at Endou.
"This supposed to be my welcome party?"
Endou laughed awkwardly, scratching her head, unsure of what to say. She just gave him a sheepish smile.
Lynn's eyes swept over the roaring black beam, then he calmly raised a hand.
His lips parted.
"Cero."
.
.
.
Avrora Florestina
A flash of bright green light spiraled around Lynn's fingertipsthen with a loud boom, it shot forward like a cannon!
In an instant, it tore through the black flames and surged ahead!
"...!"
Golan's eyes widened, his beast-like pupils immediately swallowed up by a sea of emerald green.
The very next second
The green beam swallowed him whole.
BOOM!!
The underground tomb shook violently.
Crack, crack
Cracks spread rapidly across the icy floor, the sharp sound echoing clearly through the chamber.
A few seconds later, the green light faded.
Golan along with the entire beastman army behind himwas gone. Just gone.
All that remained in the underground tomb was the sound of cracking ice. Everything else had gone still again.
Liana Caruana stared in stunned silence at the scene before her, her eyes filled with confusion.
It had happened so fast, she hadn't even processed what had just occurred.
The Black Death Emperor's executive?
He was justwiped out? Just like that?
She blinked and finally turned to look in the direction of the green user.
That's when she saw him.
A man with messy black hair and deep red eyes.
Liana's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.
But one thing was clear
That green beam just now? It came from him.
She focused on Lynn's fingers. Traces of glowing green still danced along them.
Another powerhouse?
Nosomeone even stronger. Someone who had just wiped out the very person she had absolutely no way of defeating.
That thought made her heart clench uneasily.
Why was this man here? What did he want from the tomb?
There was really only one answer: the Fourth Primogenitor.
And if that was true.
Liana's heart sank. She just wanted to restore her family's honorwhy did it have to be this hard?
—
Elsewhere
"Did... we make it?" Kojou Akatsuki blinked, still unsure.
But no one answered him.
Gajou Akatsuki was completely silent, standing frozen, not daring to move a muscle.
Inside, though, his thoughts were a storm.
He just felt the threat of actual death.
By himthat man.
Gulp.
Since escaping from the Netherworld, he'd seen a lot. Faced his share of monsters. He had even seen the legendary Warlord once.
But even then, he had never felt something like this.
Not even the Warlord gave him this kind of instinctual fear.
That unshakable confidence he'd always carriedit was gone.
Gone the moment this man appeared.
Because his body was screaming at her: this man could kill you.
He swallowed hard. All traces of his usual smugness vanished.
This guy might be even scarier than the Warlord.
That single thought ran through his mindand it chilled him to the bone.
Scarier than the Warlord? Was that even possible?
And then, his thoughts shifted back to something Endou had said earlier"Wait."
Wait... for him?
The realization hit him like a truck.
No wonder...
No wonder Endou and Yukina hadn't seemed the least bit worried.
So that's why.
—
On the other side
"Lord Lynn!" Yukina quickly bowed as soon as she saw him.
'Lynn...?' Liana frowned. 'They know each other?'
As she was trying to piece it together, the Snowdrift Wolfpreviously embedded in the icy groundsuddenly quivered.
Whoosh
In a flash, it shot toward Lynn and began circling him excitedly, like a loyal pet greeting its master.
Lynn chuckled and gave it a gentle pat like it was a puppy, then turned his eyes toward the icy coffin.
A soft laugh escaped him. "Sleeping beauty, huh...?"
It reminded him of Ingvildhow he'd first met her, sleeping peacefully in a similar coffin of ice.
Maybe I should've brought her to see this...
Liana noticed his gaze shifting toward the Fourth Primogenitor and immediately tensed. Her mouth opened like she wanted to speakbut Gajou shook his head slightly at her.
She understood.
Pressed her lips togetherand stayed quiet.
Endou noticed all this and smirked.
"Well," she said, "here's the prince to wake your sleeping beauty."
Liana's eye twitched.
Gee, thanks...
But anyway, if it weren't for this man, she'd be dead by now.
And those two kids... they'd probably be safe now, too.
She still felt a deep sense of guilt for getting Kojou and his sister caught up in all this.
Lynn stepped up to the ice coffin, lifted his hand, and tapped it lightly.
Crack
InstantlyBang!
The icy blue shell exploded into powder.
The Fourth Primogenitor's figure became clear.
A golden-haired girl, limp like she had no bones, slowly tilted forwardthen thudcollapsed right into Lynn's arms.
As he held her soft form, Lynn gently called her name: "Avrora."
"Mmm..."
It was like she'd heard his voice.
Avrora let out a soft hum, her lashes trembling faintlyas though she were just about to wake up.
Seeing this, Liana's breath caught in her throat. Her hands clenched nervously at her sides.
Seconds passed.
Then finally, Avrora's eyes opened. Deep blue like ancient frost. Empty, unreadable.
Liana rushed forward, kneeling down with respect. "Liana Caruana, sixth head of House Caruana! I pay my respects to Her Majesty, the Fourth Primogenitor!"
"...??"
Avrora tilted her head slightly, peering down at Liana in confusion.
Who?
She blinked.
But rather than answering, she turned her attention to Lynn. Both hands pressed against his chest as she slowly sat upright. Her gaze swept the room as she tilted her head, curious.
"Y-You... Who art thou? Why hast thou woken me?"
(Translation: Y-You Who are you? Why have you woken me?)
She was clearly trying to sound seriousbut her really trembling voice gave her away.
Endou: "..."
The legendary Fourth Primogenitor.
Why did she sound like such a flustered kitten?
Liana paused toobut quickly brushed it off. She just woke up, she reassured herself. It's normal to be disoriented.
Looking at Avrora's cautious, catlike expression, Lynn couldn't help himself. He reached out and ruffled her golden hair.
Her eyes widened in shock, pupils trembling. She squirmed and started to pull away.
"Y-You dare touch me?! II'm very powerful! You'll regret this!"
She made an angry little growl.
But then Grroogl~
"Ugh..."
She froze, hands clutching her stomach.
And in a pitiful voice, she muttered
"I'm... hungry."
.
.
.
Be a good girl
"???"
Was that her stomach growling?
Hearing that, Liana Caruana's eye twitched. She almost couldn't stop herself from glancing at Avrora.
This... wasn't what she expected at all.
This was supposed to be the Fourth Primogenitor? Really?
From just a few simple words, Liana couldn't sense even the slightest bit of the authority or presence that should come with being one of the world's most powerful vampires.
Something felt off.
"Did I dig up the wrong coffin...?"
Liana couldn't help but question herself. But at the same time that vampire auraundeniably strong.
And her appearance... identical to the other test subjects.
There was no mistaking it.
This was the Fourth Primogenitor.
Still, why did she seem so different?
Even Endou couldn't help but mutter, "This is the Fourth Primogenitor? She's just a kid."
Standing to the side, Yukina wasn't sure what to say either.
But honestly, the Fourth Primogenitor was kind of adorable.
"Lord Lynn will probably make her part of his Familia," she thought silently.
If someone had told her before that they were planning to turn one of the Four Primogenitors into their follower, she'd have thought they were either insane or incredibly stupid.
Even now, anyone saying that out loud would probably be laughed out of the room.
After all, Primogenitors are basically the Vampire equivalent of Devil Kings. Joining a devil's Peerage? No thanks.
But.. Lynn was different.
She hadn't been in his Familia for long, but even just these past few days had completely changed her perspective.
So now?
If Lynn said he was going to make the Fourth Primogenitor one of his own. Yukina wouldn't even be surprised.
—
Meanwhile
Liana Caruana finally shook off her doubts and convinced herself.
Sure, it was strange for a Primogenitor to be hungry. But hey, having an appetite was normal, right?
Especially when someone had been asleep for who knows how long. It made sense they'd wake up starving.
Her expression shifted several times before finally settling into calm.
"Your Excellency, I'll prepare food for you immediately!"
As a proper subordinate, there was no need to ask questions. All she needed to do was fulfill the request.
She had just started to get up when
"No need."
"?"
Liana blinked, stunned.
Avrora's voice... something about it changed.
It was still the same tone, but colderlike a sudden frost sweeping through the entire underground tomb.
An invisible pressure pressed down on her chest like an icy vice.
What... what was this? A bloodline-level pressure!?
Her heart clenched.
"Y-Your Excellency...?"
Liana dropped to her knees, voice trembling.
The timid look on Avrora's face vanished. In its place was a cold, haughty indifference.
Her eyes slowly shifted to the vacant-eyed Nagisa Akatsuki. Her deep blue irises suddenly flared scarlet.
A slow, amused smile curled on her lips.
"That shrine maiden over there... looks delicious."
"!!!"
Gajou's eyes widened in alarm.
The Fourth Primogenitor had locked onto Nagisa!
This was bad.
His brow twitched. His heart raced.
A cold sweat broke across his forehead.
What now?
Gajou felt a wave of panic.
He instinctively turned to Lynn.
If he was willing to help...
But Gajou didn't know anything about Lynn's personalityor what would convince him to step in.
Tch!
He bit the inside of his cheek, forcing himself to focus and search for a way out.
...
Across the room
Liana snapped her gaze back to Avrora's now ice-cold expression, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
Nagisa?
She turned and saw the empty look in the girl's eyes. Her heart ached.
Liana opened her mouth, wanting to say somethinganything to stop this.
But Avrora lowered her gaze. Her chilling eyes stabbed into Liana like daggers of frost.
Liana gasped. Her mind blanked. The words she wanted to speak caught in her throat, stuck and unable to come out.
Avrora frowned.
"Well? Why haven't you offered the shrine maiden to me yet?"
Her voice dropped into an arctic hiss.
"Don't tell me you expect me to get her myself?"
Whoosh
A cold wind swept through the tomb like a deathly whisper, freezing the very air.
Gulp.
Kojou swallowed hard. His legs trembled without thinking.
This is it... I might die.
ButHe didn't move.
Feet rooted to the ground, fists clenched, he stood protectively in front of Nagisa.
At this point, blaming his father, Gajou was the last thing on his mind.
He only had one thought: I won't let anything happen to Nagisa.
His eyes blazed with determination, even though fear gripped him.
He stared Avrora down, trying to intimidate herthough he was the one trembling.
Avrora barely even glanced at him.
"Looks like the world's forgotten to fear me after all these years of slumber."
She was clearly annoyed.
She was the Fourth Primogenitorand yet not one person had obeyed her command.
Liana's heart dropped.
She had originally hoped to follow the Fourth Primogenitor and revive her family's fading legacy.
But now?
What good is a follower who disobeys?
No, Her Excellency wouldn't want someone like that.
And yetCould she really attack an innocent person?
No.
Especially not when Nagisa had only gotten dragged into this mess trying to help her.
That made it even harder to accept.
What should she do?
Liana's body wavered slightly, on the verge of collapsing.
It felt like everything she'd worked foreverything she'd plannedwas falling apart before it even began.
Her eyes dimmed.
"...Hmph."
Avrora let out a cold snort, but the scent coming from Nagisa was so mouthwatering that she held back her punishment.
Her crimson eyes locked onto the girl like a predator. She instinctively licked her lips, breathing just a little faster.
That blood... It had to be delicious.
She'd been in forced slumber for so longof course she was cranky.
But waking up to such a tempting offering?
Yeah, that definitely took the edge off her mood.
Step by step, she began moving toward Nagisa.
ThenA large hand gently pressed down on her head.
". . . ?"
A question mark practically popped up over her head.
She blinked, confused.
Who?
Who would dare touch the head of the great Fourth Primogenitor?
She whipped around, eyes glittering with frost.
And saw Lynn's calm face.
"Avrora Try to be a good girl."
He smiled slightly.
.
.
.
Completely Tamed (Bonus)
Avrora's crimson eyes flashed coldly as Lynn's face appeared in her mind.
Liana Caruana stared wide-eyed at the hand Lynn had casually placed on Avrora's head, her pupils trembling in disbelief.
Hehehow dare he?!
She clenched her fists so tightly that her palms were instantly drenched in sweat.
In stark contrast...
Akatsuki Gojou's eyes lit up with curiosity, even a hint of anticipation surfacing in his gaze.
Meanwhile, Endou and the others remained totally calm, showing not a trace of concern.
Sure, the Fourth Primogenitor was an existence far beyond what they could normally deal with.
But in front of Lynn?
Even a true ancestor was just another girl.
Still, Endou couldn't help but find it oddthis proud and haughty Primogenitor had suddenly gone stiff the moment she saw Lynn?
Avrora stared blankly at Lynn, then her small nose twitched as she took a deep sniff.
And instantlyLynn's scent rushed into her nose.
Avrora shuddered violently. Her chest heaved rapidly, her breath turning ragged like a set of bellows.
