Time passed quickly, and before Naoki and Gray realized it, night had fallen, the sky turning dark.
Since they always lived on the outskirts of London, far from the city center—and especially in the Clock Tower—once night arrived and the sky darkened, the lights would go out. So, in their perception, the night was quiet and dark, something they were accustomed to.
Now, seeing Paris' city center still brightly lit even at night, Gray remained indifferent, but Naoki finally felt like he was living in the modern era.
The shimmering neon lights, the loud music playing on the streets, the endless sea of people...
"In any country, as long as it's the city center, the scenery is basically the same, huh?"
Sitting side by side with Gray on a bench by the street, Naoki couldn't help but mutter softly.
"Even though we only played for an afternoon... how do you feel today, Gray?"
"It was really fun." Gray smiled. "But, Big Brother, next time don't force me to wear clothes like this again. They're too revealing."
What Gray was wearing now wasn't her usual black-gray graveyard keeper outfit, but rather a child's outfit, still mostly gray but much cuter. And contrary to what Gray said about it being "too revealing" that was purely her own judgment.
For Gray, as long as the outfit didn't cover her head, it was considered too exposed.
"I know you're still a little obsessed with your appearance, hoping people who see your face will say they hate it." Naoki placed his hand on Gray's head. "But no matter how you think about it, you'll have to live the rest of your life with this face. You can't keep rejecting it forever—you have to accept it."
Accept it.
Accept the face that was identical to the hero of the past.
Gray bit her lip and fell silent.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to accept it right now. You can take it slow. The first step is to stop covering your face."
"That's... too fast. I still don't dare look in the mirror."
Even so, Gray also knew that Naoki was right. If anything, she was just being stubborn.
"Big Brother... do you hate my face?"
"If I followed your wishes, I'd say I hate it. But honestly, I don't. In fact, I quite like it."
After all, Naoki was a former fan of Artoria—there was no way he could hate it. The reason he had "betrayed" in the past was simply because he realized his true nature—he was someone who loved seeing beautiful women.
Naoki's answer made Gray immediately pout.
Patting her shoulder, Naoki pulled her up: "Alright, let's change the subject—it's six in the evening now, time for dinner. How about we try some authentic French cuisine in Paris? I remember there's a famous restaurant nearby."
"Okay. What about the Logos React replica... is there no problem there?"
"For now, I've set up shared vision, so there shouldn't be any—"
His words cut off mid-sentence. Naoki's relaxed expression suddenly turned serious: "Well, seems like we'll have to warm up a little before dinner."
"Did something happen?"
"Yeah. The Logos React replica ran into some unpleasant trouble—it's being stalked."
"Reporters?"
"If it were just reporters, I wouldn't be this tense. Anyway, let's go."
"Okay."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In a small alley in Paris' 10th arrondissement, Riddell was running at full speed without looking back. Her luxurious outfit had inexplicably been scorched in several places, revealing pale skin beneath, and her golden-rose hair was also singed in many spots. The dust covering her face made her look disheveled.
If people saw the globally popular idol in such a state, it would surely cause an uproar.
"Hah... hah..."
Riddell panted heavily. Her high heels, unsuitable for running, had already been discarded, and her expensive stockings were torn in several places by the rough pavement—yet strangely, her legs weren't bleeding.
"Damn it, to think I'd be stalked by a vampire. This is so annoying."
Yes, a vampire.
Not a Dead Apostle, but a vampire beneath the Dead Apostles. Though they had regained their human knowledge and retained some rationality, they still couldn't resist the urge to suck blood.
"Damn it, if I could use Magecraft, a lowly vampire like this wouldn't be a problem at all."
Due to Zepia's restrictions, the current Logos React replica was limited to mimicking appearance—meaning looks, internal organs, muscles, and such. Personality had to be adjusted separately, while Magic Circuits, Magecraft... things like that couldn't be replicated. So now, Riddell couldn't use Magecraft.
However, physiologically, Riddell was undeniably a living being. She had all the necessary parts of a living creature, and the reason the vampire was chasing her was likely because it was drawn to the scent of her blood.
*PLAK!*
A small stone suddenly fell from the sky and landed in front of Riddell.
It was an utterly ordinary sight, but Riddell's expression instantly turned panicked. She immediately sprinted away from the spot—and just as she did, the small stone transformed into a fiery serpent, lunging at her!
"I knew it!"
Turning stones into fire, or transforming any substance into flames—this seemed to be the vampire's special ability.
Sometimes things like this happened. When someone with a particular talent turned into a vampire, that talent could be triggered. Earlier, Riddell had already been hit by this ability several times.
"Enough. No more running."
From around a corner not far away, a man entirely cloaked in a black coat emerged, his hands in his pockets. His crimson eyes pierced through the darkness, fixed on Riddell. He glanced at her disheveled appearance, then licked the corner of his lips.
"I'm tired of playing hide-and-seek. It's time to finish the appetizer and move on to the main course."
"You think you can catch me? Or are you ready to be my last meal?"
"Tough talk is useless." The man sneered. "But don't worry, I won't let you die so easily. I'll turn you into a higher being like me, then make you my eternal companion—"
*BRAK!*
The vampire's arrogant speech was cut short as his head was blown off by a Gandr shot from behind.
Riddell couldn't help but stare in shock, but when she saw the figure emerging from the deeper darkness, she immediately relaxed: "Took you long enough. Next time, be faster."
"Hmm, was the personality data setting too realistic?"
Touching his chin, Naoki walked up to Riddell and lightly flicked her forehead. Instantly, Riddell dissolved into red dust, then reformed into a small spherical orb.
Storing the Logos React replica away, Naoki glanced at the vampire's corpse lying behind him: "Didn't expect to find a vampire here. If there's a vampire... there might be a high-level Dead Apostle too? This is a bit troublesome."
As he spoke, Naoki fired several more Gandr shots at the corpse, suppressing their power to normal levels, punching clean holes through its body.
"Head destroyed, heart destroyed, a total of 38 fatal wounds across the body. That should be enough... no, just to be safe, let's hang it on the roof and wait till morning. Let the sun burn it away."