"Breaking news—the popular witch-themed idol Riddell was reportedly spotted in the 10th arrondissement, sparking excessive enthusiasm and unruly behavior among local residents. The Paris Police Department reminds everyone to remain rational when chasing celebrities—"
Watching the news broadcast on TV, Riddell smirked in satisfaction: "Hmm hmm hmm, the disguise worked perfectly. He even thought of going to the 10th arrondissement. Of course, if 'I' appeared there, it would stir up some gossip. The security in that area isn't great anyway."
"But I still want you to explain—how did my clothes end up like this?"
The smile on Riddell's face had now darkened with a hint of anger.
Though the outfit wasn't particularly valuable to her, it was still hers. And now, not only was her jacket scorched in several places, but her stockings were torn to shreds, and her high heels were missing entirely.
"Tell me the truth—did you dress up as me and get ××'ed? And in an M scenario, no less?"
"Why do you have such vulgar thoughts? Have you been reading too many late-night novels from China and Japan?" Naoki sighed helplessly. "There was a minor accident. I ran into a vampire."
"What?"
Riddell couldn't help but frown.
"A vampire? In Paris?"
"From your tone, it sounds like vampires appearing in Paris is impossible?"
"Not impossible, just surprising. I've heard plenty of stories, but this is the first time I've encountered one directly. So, what happened? Did it attack you?"
Naoki nodded. "I suppose you could say it was drawn to Riddell's beauty? Or maybe my blood? Anyway, I was just walking down the street when it suddenly attacked. But it was weak—a few Gandr shots took care of it. I hung it up on a rooftop. It'll die by morning."
"Are you sure it was just a vampire and not a Dead Apostle?"
"What's the difference? Don't they both die in sunlight?"
"Dead Apostles don't die. Fundamentally, Dead Apostles can't be killed—only sealed. Even under direct sunlight or holy attacks from the Church, at most, they'll just weaken. Where did you hear that vampires and Dead Apostles die in sunlight?"
Naoki fell silent for a moment before clapping his hands together. "Wrong setting."
"Huh?"
"In Japan, there are similar vampires and Dead Apostles that crumble to pieces in sunlight. I must've mixed them up."
Truthfully, he'd been watching too much Demon Slayer.
Additionally, in the Fate series, vampires and Dead Apostles rarely appeared during the day—most operated at night, and even if they did venture out, they avoided sunlight as much as possible. So, without purification chants or Nichirin Blades, Naoki had instinctively defaulted to traditional methods.
"So... that vampire might still be alive?"
"Not sure. By the way, how exactly did you 'take care' of it?"
"Its head and heart were blown to bits. Aside from that, there were about 40 fatal wounds across its body. I also impaled it on a rooftop."
Even if it were a Dead Apostle, it'd take a long time to recover from that!
'Who would've thought? Normally so quiet and polite, yet so brutal in a fight. Ah, no—he is cranky when he wakes up, so maybe quiet and polite isn't entirely accurate?'
Thinking this, Riddell exhaled softly. "But the important thing is that you're unharmed. If you ran into a vampire, then the state of your clothes is understandable. I'll prepare a new outfit for you tomorrow. Keep up the good work."
"About that... I'd like to discuss something with you." Naoki spoke seriously. "I heard from a senior that where there are vampires, there's usually a Dead Apostle lurking."
"That's true. Vampires are essentially blood bags for Dead Apostles. Oh, so you're worried there might be a Dead Apostle hiding in Paris?"
"Just a suspicion. 'Helping where I can' is my way of life. If possible, I'd like to prioritize investigating this potential Dead Apostle."
Riddell understood Naoki's intent.
Though no large-scale vampire or Dead Apostle attacks had occurred in central Paris yet, if one was hiding there, an incident was inevitable. Naoki wanted to eliminate the threat before it escalated.
"Meddling in others' affairs." Riddell said coldly. "Dealing with Dead Apostles is the Church's job. We Magi have no reason to interfere. Besides, everything you're saying is just conjecture. Rather than wasting time proving a guess, you should focus on researching how to reach the Root."
"I'll disguise myself as you during the day and investigate the Dead Apostle at night. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"..."
Riddell frowned, then leaned in close to Naoki. "You really are a strange one. As a Magus, you're thinking about fighting Dead Apostles—your logic makes no sense. And yet, you're asking for my permission? I'm not your employer or superior. Why do you need my approval before acting?"
"Because this is your job. Once I've accepted a task, it takes priority. But now I want to do something else while your job is ongoing—that's disrespectful to the client. However, given the severity of the situation, I believe this is necessary."
"Besides, acting without informing others leads to misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble. I'm sick of dealing with that."
"So you're asking for my permission? Hehehe." Riddell couldn't help but laugh. "You're truly bizarre. Even in the Clock Tower, full of oddballs, you'd stand out as a rare specimen. Your way of thinking is not that of a Magus."
(Well, he had only entered the world of magecraft two months ago. Before that, Naoki was just an ordinary person.)
"But I do like that way of thinking. It's very... human."
Riddell straightened up. "Fine, permission granted. As long as it doesn't inconvenience me or interfere with your duties to me, go catch that Dead Apostle."
"Thank you for your understanding."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
On the rooftop, staring at the half-dead vampire impaled through the chest, Ciel and Dawn both fell silent.
"How tragic. Whoever did this would probably get along well with the police chief... a fellow sadist?"
"This method is completely unorthodox—definitely not the Church's work. But one thing's clear: Paris isn't safe. Take this vampire back for purification. I'll keep searching."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
As Dawn agreed, he yanked the vampire's mangled body free.
"Like a wet rag... ah, his arm fell off."