A Calamity-Level Younger Sister Has Appeared
Hundreds of years ago, an existence existed on the continent that made countless people tremble merely at the mention of its name.
The Vampire Queen.
When night fell, her army would move.
Those whose blood was drained became her subordinates, forced to fight until their flesh vanished according to her commands.
One army's annihilation took a day, and the destruction of a single city required three days.
In the end, one kingdom after another vanished from the map.
After countless sacrifices, the Vampire Queen fell, but her complete annihilation eluded us.
Though the body disappeared, the power within her remained.
Blood, mana, and something humans found hard to name.
People divided that power into three fragments and sealed them away.
In the northern part of the Berat Empire.
The altar of the Spirit King in the elf forest.
And the underground sanctuary hidden in the Holy Kingdom.
One in each of these three distant locations.
To prevent any one seal's failure from affecting the others, they were isolated with utmost thoroughness.
Hundreds of years passed in this manner, and the Vampire Queen gradually became a mere historical figure.
Those who had directly witnessed her were gone, and the war stained with blood remained only as faded records.
The seals fared no differently. Despite being managed across generations, no major incidents occurred.
At least until recently.
The change arrived abruptly.
The seal in the Berat Empire's north collapsed due to a massive monster, and the fragments vanished without a trace.
The village responsible for managing the seal was not spared either.
The Northern Grand Duke, upon hearing the gravity of the situation, personally investigated the site.
The scene was far more horrific than reported.
Corpses lay scattered among the ruins, making it difficult to discern any intact areas.
“The seal?”
“Completely destroyed.”
“The fragments?”
“…We could not find them.”
It was precisely the worst-case scenario we had anticipated.
“Grand Duke!”
The knight who had scouted the area earlier rushed over urgently.
“We’ve located the monster!”
The Grand Duke readied himself for combat and turned sharply.
“Lead on.”
Following the knight into the village, we soon spotted the colossal monster.
“This is…”
Yet its state was peculiar.
The tough hide was shredded to ribbons, and its massive form was brutally torn in multiple places.
Above all, the blood that should have been contained within was absent.
“How did this occur?”
“It was already in this condition when we arrived.”
If someone nearby possessed the capability to slaughter a monster of this caliber so mercilessly, it would have been impossible to overlook.
But no traces remained.
“Thoroughly search the surroundings. Do not miss even the smallest clue.”
“Yes!”
As the knights began to disperse.
“Grand Duke!”
A distant knight called out.
“There are survivors!”
The Grand Duke turned his head.
“How many?”
“One.”
“…One?”
The knight paused, choosing his words carefully.
“A young girl lives.”
The Grand Duke’s face stiffened.
The entire village lay in ruins, yet only one child had survived.
The fragment of the seal was gone, and the monster was slain, drained of every drop of blood.
It was too coincidental to dismiss as mere chance.
“Where is the child?”
“This way.”
After further investigation, all results were identical.
Nothing was discovered.
No trace of vampire abilities or the seal fragment could be found on the girl.
Nor could we simply release her.
The northern region had recently seen a surge in monsters and beasts descending from the Demon Continent.
With the borders already strained by blocking incursions, there was no room to spare for monitoring an enigmatic girl indefinitely.
Ultimately, the Grand Duke entrusted the girl to one individual.
One equipped with the power to subdue her instantly, should she be connected to the fragments.
One of the Empire’s Seven Swords.
Count Marque.
It had been over a month since my reincarnation.
I had grown quite accustomed to this life, and it was progressing smoothly.
I had learned several basic magics from Elena, and with regular practice, my proficiency had risen considerably.
[Detect]
[Current proficiency: 73%]
[Mana]
[Current proficiency: 28%]
[Mana Sensitivity]
[Current proficiency: 62%]
Behold these extraordinary figures.
And behold my incredible mana accumulation technique!
“Wara.”
I lightly curled my index and middle fingers.
No special reason, really.
It was just for the flair.
Mana began to gather slowly at my fingertips.
If it were the old me, I would have squinted and tensed every muscle, but things were different now.
-Swooosh.
Mana swirled like black mist before coalescing into a single point.
“Krue.”
The color of mana differs slightly among individuals, they say. Mine is among the rare black varieties.
At first, I thought it might relate to some form of dark magic.
But Elena had assured me it was inconsequential; the color was merely an innate trait.
I was quite pleased with it.
It looked cool.
Moreover, the realization that I could wield magic delighted me.
Although I had only mastered a few basic spells, magic proved far more potent than expected.
The temperature-raising magic Elena demonstrated, the creation of small lights, the summoning of gentle winds.
“Krueh.”
I strolled the corridor, idly rolling the mana in my palm.
I wanted to experiment with other spells soon.
“Master.”
“Ugh, damn it. You startled me.”
“…”
The mana dispersed at the voice coming from right beside me.
I turned to see Sebas regarding me with an odd expression.
“I, you told me to make some noise when moving about…”
“I did.”
“When?”
“Ever since you uttered ‘Wara’ in that peculiar stance.”
“…”
He had seen everything.
“Never mind that.”
“I shall endeavor to forget.”
Forget, don't try.
Sebas shifted the topic as if nothing had transpired.
“The Count has returned.”
“Mother?”
“…The Count.”
“Mother as well?”
“Yes… She accompanied him.”
Mom!
“And there’s one more thing…”
“Where are you now?”
“…In the reception room.”
Perfect.
I turned on my heel immediately.
Sebas appeared about to say more, but his words slipped away.
It had been a month since I last saw my mother. I wanted to greet her face and boast about my magic.
On the way, I had roughly decided what to showcase first.
Mana, naturally.
“Hmm-hmm.”
Humming cheerfully, I reached the reception room.
-Bang!
“Mother!”
Upon opening the door, mother’s familiar face greeted me first.
The face I hadn’t seen in a month. As expected, Mom.
And before her sat Father.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled.
“…”
For a brief moment, our eyes met, and Father raised one eyebrow.
Why.
I wasn’t happy, so what.
“Rian, you’ve come?”
“Yes, did you go? Mother… Father.”
Since I had greeted, that should suffice.
At that moment, Mother shifted her body slightly to the side.
“Rian, there is a child I wish to introduce to you.”
“Eh?”
Only then did the small girl, previously hidden behind Mother, come into view.
Silver hair, snow-white skin, and strikingly vivid red eyes.
“She will be staying with us for a while.”
Staying with us?
It was sudden, but it didn’t matter.
I had nothing to say, and there was no reason for discomfort.
“I see.”
I nodded casually.
“She is one year younger than you.”
One year younger.
The gap wasn't as significant as I had imagined.
“The name is…”
Mother gazed at the girl.
“Will you tell her yourself?”
“…”
The girl looked up at me briefly, then spoke in a small voice.
“…Lucia.”
“Lucia?”
In that instant, something clicked in my mind.
Silver hair.
Red eyes.
And the name Lucia.
No way.
No, it most certainly was.
In the early to mid-game, the tragic fate of the Marque Count’s household.
Most residents of the mansion and territory were slaughtered in a single night, turning the entire estate into a bloodbath.
And the culprit behind that catastrophe was one of the Five Great Disasters.
The Vampire Queen.
Lucia.
“…”
She had entered our home.
I remained silent for a long while.
Lucia.
An existence that had slain countless souls and earned the title of one of the Five Great Disasters.
Knowing this, it was hard to greet her without reservation.
Yet.
“…”
Lucia averted her gaze.
Her small hands clutched the hem of her garment tightly, and she seemed timid.
The Lucia from the game was nothing like this.
She would laugh while trampling through blood-soaked streets, smashing heads bare-handed.
That was the Lucia I remembered.
But now...
She fiddled with the hem of her clothes without meeting my eyes.
‘She’s nothing like the crazy girl I remembered.’
Overwhelming slaughter, insane regeneration.
Ordinary defenses meant nothing; limbs regrew in seconds.
With the power to manipulate blood at will, she rained down thousands of spears from above.
I don’t even recall how many times I died the first time I confronted her.
“You seem quite tense.”
Mother gently stroked Lucia’s head.
“She didn’t speak much even during the journey.”
“…”
“It’s understandable, given she’s been suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar place.”
With Mother’s words, I looked back at Lucia.
If one merely glanced at her current state, she resembled a soft, white mochi rather than a calamity.
“Rian.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, please take good care of her.”
“Me?”
Mother smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Then, since you’re the older brother.”
Is that how it works?
“Yes…. I suppose so…”
I answered with reluctance.
I had promised to handle whatever came, but I hadn’t anticipated this sudden arrival.
‘What the hell did you bring?’
I quietly glared at Father.
Looking at it this way, this man was the real issue.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“…No.”
It was a lot.
