76 Leaving the Moonreaver Dimension (2)
Two weeks had passed since I’d settled the duel with Sirius.
Per our arrangements, the siscon was going to honour his agreement and allow Lilith to travel on the journey with us. Predictably, Irina wasn’t thrilled with the fact that her number one rival in love was going to join us indefinitely, but my little sister reluctantly acquiesced. Needy as she was, the girl knew the importance of getting my soul whole.
Plus, with Lilith’s pull over the Moonreaver House, we were able to use the Warp Gates free of charge, allowing us to get to our destinations safely and with relative comfort.
Funnily enough, after annoying the pair for two whole weeks, they were finally unable to hold back and revealed the identities of the two remaining girls to me.
Rosalyn Shadowgarden. The oldest one of the four at twenty-six years old. Just like Irina and Lilith, she was an exalted prodigy of a Guardian House. Even without my memories, I was starting to paint a picture of how those four met me in the past. They might have been on a field trip or a training retreat where young, talented Vampires of each Guardian house gathered to boost their relationships.
Nevertheless, the pair didn’t want to reveal anything else to me as they didn’t want to give any advantages to their love rivals. But they did reveal that Rosalyn was still in the midst of training as the last time anyone heard anything from her was a full year ago.
Which leaves the final girl…
“Ysabelle Blackburn. Can you tell me anything about her?”
“Brother… Are you asking me to help the enemy?”
“She’s not going to be your enemy, Irina.”
My face dropped, and the wrinkles on my forehead creased harshly. Ever since my little sister had come out from her training, she had become extremely agnostic towards any other girl in my vicinity. Irina stuck to me like glue sometimes, and there were even days when she harshly berated a maid for just lingering her eyes on me.
And the main victim of her cat-like snarls was none other than my current Bloodmate.
Speaking of which, Lilith wasn’t with us right now as she was busy helping the Moonreaver operators determine our next destination’s coordinates. To be honest, the moment Irina left the Dimensional Domain, we could have immediately used the Warp Gate to get to our next destination, but there were some unforeseen circumstances..
For one, the Blackburn House seemed to be in the middle of a mission. Apparently, the Outer Demons in their area had been active recently, and their entire estate was on red alert. Getting permission to warp there took far longer than usual as the Moonreaver House did their best to cut the bureaucratic red tape.
As for the main reason why we spent two weeks idling around… We were just exhausted.
I had spent a whole month training for Sirius only to be caught up in a war. And when I finally beat the man, I had to deal with Irina’s wrath for signing a Bloodmate Pact with Lilith. Not to mention the numerous times Irina and Lilith ‘accidentally’ got into a tussle.
Good lord… I need to find the next volume of Lord Issei’s ‘How to manage your Harem’ immediately. Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before the two ripped each other to shreds.
“Ysabelle… No, scratch that. Even Lilith and Rosalyn. They’re going to be your sisters, people who we’ll spend the rest of our lives with. Shouldn’t you get along with them?”
“… Hard to say.”
“Hah… At least don’t start a fight, alright?”
“Fine…”
Irina pouted like an adorable little puppy and harrumphed her face in the other direction. Well, I couldn’t just change her mindset overnight. If I wished for harmony in the family, I had to take it one step at a time.
“So, can you tell me what you know about Ysabelle?”
“… Your memories have yet to return?”
“No, I can piece together some stuff.”
Ever since I returned Irina and Lilith’s souls, bits and pieces of my memories had gradually returned. Mostly, they were memories I shared with the pair, given that I had just returned their souls, unlocking the seal they placed on me. However, when it came to the other two, I could only partially picture their silhouettes.
“Ysabelle, she… She’s a warm person.”
That was the only impression I’d got from what little memories I had of her. I didn’t know why, but in the past, I’d felt the most comfortable when I was with Ysabelle. It just pains me that I can’t remember everything.
“About that… I guess you’re right.” Irina finally let out a despondent sigh. “Ysabelle… She’s probably the only one that I’m okay with among the rest.”
“Why’s that?”
“Just like you’ve said, she’s warm.” Irina let out a wry smile. “She treats me as a sister, unlike the other two. Always kind and gentle.”
“Oh? She sounds like a lovely person.”
“I know,” Irina folded her arms around mine and tightened her grip as if she was afraid of losing me. “That’s why you shouldn’t fall in love with her. At the very least, you can’t love her more than me!”
“Haha, that’s very selfish of you.”
“Hmph! I’m your little sister! I’m allowed to be selfish!”
“That’s true.”
I placed my hand on her soft, silken white head and tenderly rubbed that familiar head swirl. I might be spoiling Irina a little, but she did just spend a full month training alone. No, she had Variel and Luminita by her side. However, that didn’t excuse the fact that I’d been neglecting her for Lilith. Besides, if I wanted to keep my lovers happy, I had to pay attention to all of their wants and needs.
Speaking of which, should I get a present for Ysabelle? According to Lilith, the Blackburn House knows that we’re coming, and she’d sent a message to Ysabelle.
What kind of present would make the girl happy? Would jewellery be enough? Or should I bring some delicacies? Crap, I really know next to nothing about her. That has to change soon…
“Is it time for our departure?”
While I was brooding on how to make a great first impression, I could see the operators around the Warp Gate turn rowdy. Lilith, who had been busy working with her fellow Moonreavers, finally walked over towards us with Capella and Lisa following close behind.
Like how Variel and Luminita were selected to be Irina’s bodyguard and maidservant, respectively, the current heiress of the Moonreaver House was bringing in assistance. It might be a little overkill to assign one of the Moonreaver House’s most extraordinary agents, a member of the Asterias, to play the role of a mere bodyguard, but Sirius wasn’t playing around when it came to safety.
Evidently, the Bloodborne attempt on Lilith’s life still haunted the man, and he could only feel safe if there was someone he trusted escorting his precious little sister. As for Capella’s feelings on it, well…
“Lisa, your posture!” The silver-haired lady clapped Lilith’s maidservant’s back twice, gesturing for her to straighten it up.
“Sister Lissandra… Stop treating me like that!”
“If you want me to stop treating you like a child, behave like a respectable adult! We’re about to visit the Blackburn House, one of our closest allies. I can’t have you dishonouring the family with your poor manners!”
Irina, Lilith and I watched the sibling interaction with a hapless smile.
Rather than treat this as a guardianship mission, Capella, that siscon, was more interested in spending time with her beloved sister. According to Lilith, Capella was training Lisa to one day take over her role in the Asterias, but Lisa was still much too immature. And since Capella had always gone on missions, she couldn’t train Lisa, who had been serving Lilith since she was fifteen.
But with this guardianship mission as an excuse, Capella can finally whip her lazy sister into shape.
“Good to see that the siblings are getting along,” I joked in good fun, drawing ire from Lisa’s aggrieved eyes.
“Thank you, Jin.” Capella smiled in response. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to take care of Miss Lilith appropriately. You won’t have to worry about her safety.”
“Haha… Thanks?”
What about my safety? You don’t care, do you? No, it might be more accurate to say that the man behind Capella didn’t care about my safety. He was the most likely candidate to smother me in my sleep, after all. Shaking my head, I changed the topic of conversation:
“Are we going to depart now?”
“Yes, in ten more minutes,” Lilith responded to my question while beaming. “If you’re not ready yet, I suggest you make preparations.”
“Understood.”
Truth to be told, there wasn’t much to prepare. All of our luggage had been stored in dimensional pockets, and since we were going through a warp gate, there was no need to prepare for a long journey. Although, there was an incident where Lilith refused to keep Irina’s luggage in her pocket dimension. Fortunately, before the two could erupt once again, I used my Creation magic to create a larger pocket dimension that could house all of Irina’s carry-ons.
I guess the only thing to prepare was my mental state.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
Lilith walked over, avoiding the hissing Irina, who had locked my right arm in her chest, and whispered in my ear.
“No, I was just getting a little sentimental.”
“Sentimental?”
“A lot of things had happened here, after all.”
I wasn’t joking. The month that I’d spent in the Moonreaver Dimension was likely the most eventful one in my entire adult life. Yes, the month prior was quite memorable as well, given that I was turned into a Vampire and introduced to Irina. But thus far, this month has been far more action-packed.
I’d been attacked by Sirius, leading up to a month-long training period that explosively grew my magical capabilities. Then, I was thrust into a war that was utterly none of my business. Fighting against an elite Shadowfiend and defeating him with much difficulty. And finally, I had to duel against one of the strongest Vampires alive, barely beating him through the handicap I was given.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t exhausted.
But still, everything that I went through… It was all worth it with the two flowers falling into my hands. I watched the two beautiful faces that were moments away from nagging once more and couldn’t control the smile on my face. Grabbing both of them by the shoulders, I dragged my two lovers into my chest and blissfully announced.
“I’m probably the happiest man alive right now.”
“B-Brother!”
“J-Jin! W-We’re in public!”
Hehe. Both of them are in their mid-twenties, and they still get embarrassed by the funniest things. I resisted the urge to nuzzle my nose against theirs and gazed longingly at the Warp Gate that would soon bring me to the next important person in my life.
Ysabelle… Rosalyn…
I’ll meet you two soon.