-947- Not to leave my side

The journey from Itogami Island to the Roman Autonomous Region was not short, involving considerable time and travel.

Starting from the central airport of Itogami Island, the plane took nearly an hour to reach Tokyo. Then, with a direct flight, it took twelve hours from Tokyo to the Roman Autonomous Region. Considering the time and effort for the layover, even if they departed at eight in the morning, they would arrive at the airport in the Roman Autonomous Region around nine to ten at night.

Of course, there was a time difference between the two locations. The time difference from Japan to Rome was minus eight hours. So, Itogami Island's nine or ten at night was equivalent to noon or one in the afternoon in Rome.

Rozen and Natsuki took a direct flight, spending over ten hours to return to the Italian Peninsula, promptly entering the Roman Autonomous Region and disembarking at the airport.

"Is this Rome?"

Rozen stood at the bustling airport, ignoring the almost one hundred percent turn rate from the passing crowd, showing a somewhat pleased expression.

Because...

"I've finally come to a place that's not so hot."

Exactly.

Different from the perpetually summer Itogami Island, Rome's temperature wasn't as extreme, finally providing Rozen relief from the tormenting heat he had endured for over a decade.

Natsuki stood beside Rozen, still holding an umbrella and lace fan. Her expression remained unchanged compared to before, but her eyes revealed a hint of satisfaction.

"It's been a while since I came here. Although I don't know what the remnants of the 'Black Death Emperor Front' are doing in a place like this, before starting work, taking a stroll around here before meeting with that snake guy wouldn't hurt."

Natsuki made this decision as if she were the only one with a say in it. Like Rozen, she ignored the gazes of the people around her, confidently walking forward.

This time, Rozen didn't hurry to catch up. Instead, he surveyed the surroundings.

"It seems there are no demons here."

Having lived in the Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island for over a decade, Rozen had developed the ability to discern demons.

Though called the ability to discern, it was essentially relying on the 'Mind's Eye' to observe the symbol of life in a living being and then judge whether the person was a demon.

For example, Beastmen, with naturally much stronger physical abilities than humans, even without transforming, exhibited life activity much more robust than humans. With Rozen's 'Mind's Eye,' he could easily tell.

Similarly, for vampires with the blood of a Beast Vassal, by observing the flow of blood with Rozen's 'Mind's Eye,' it was also possible to determine.

Not to mention that Rozen had more than just the 'Mind's Eye.' Using the 'Spirit Vision' ability, he could observe signs of magical power flow, making it very easy to determine whether the other person was human or not.

Now, Rozen could confirm that there seemed to be no trace of demons here.

"No, it's not completely absent."

Rozen detected a very subtle magical power, clearly not a scale that humans could possess.

"Vampires, perhaps?"

Rozen then outlined a smirk.

Following that...

"Demons don't frequently operate outside of the Demon Sanctuary. If you want to see demons, go to the nearby Demon Sanctuary."

With this sentence, the lace fan tapped Rozen's forehead again.

"And, didn't I tell you not to leave my side?"

Natsuki reappeared in front of Rozen, coldly humming.

"I was just looking around casually..."

Rozen covered his forehead, making a feeble excuse.

"If you want to look around, do it after we finish the job. Now, focus on the task at hand."

Natsuki scolded Rozen in this manner.

"...Didn't you say we could take a stroll before starting work?"

Rozen mumbled in a low voice.

"Did you say something just now?"

Natsuki glanced at Rozen.

"...Nothing."

Rozen chuckled awkwardly.

"If it's nothing, then come along."

Natsuki once again used the lace fan to tap Rozen's head before moving forward.

Rozen could only lament having a sister who couldn't be separated from her brother and then followed suit.

Next, the siblings would head to the hotel for a temporary rest before going to the nearest Demon Sanctuary to gather information.

This Demon Sanctuary was located on an island in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea, named Gozo. It was part of the European Republic of Malta and renowned as a tourist destination.

However, this island also held another special status.

It was the world's oldest Demon Sanctuary, once a frontline battleground during the invasion of the 'Dynasty of Destruction' by the Second Primogenitor.

Here, numerous relics were present, and the island was dotted with underground tombs and ring-shaped stone formations. Many mysteries from the pre-Neolithic period of human history were preserved in the form of ancient megalithic structures.

Natsuki believed that the members of the 'Black Death Emperor Front' should be lurking there.

The reason seemed to be that they had their eyes on something very important.

On this matter, Rozen didn't inquire further, and Natsuki didn't elaborate, maintaining Rozen's position of just being there to broaden his horizons. Perhaps she intended for Rozen to simply accompany her or perhaps get some practice by encountering lone Beastmen?

Unfortunately, Natsuki was unaware that Rozen not only didn't need to broaden his horizons but also didn't require any practice. If engaged in a full-fledged battle, Rozen could even unleash a combat prowess stronger than Natsuki's.

And this Rozen, unaware of what lay ahead, would soon have an encounter that would completely change his life in this world.

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

Rozen and Natsuki suddenly stopped in their tracks at a certain moment.

Because in the bustling airport, there was a sudden disturbance.

Shortly after...

"Esci! Esci!"

////In Italian it means "get out" but right here it should mean "get out of my way".////

A voice cursing pedestrians in rude Italian echoed from a distance, getting closer.

In front of them, a short foreign man holding a bag was pushing through the crowd, heading towards Rozen and Natsuki. Behind him, a younger person was in pursuit.

"Stop right there!"

A youthful voice.

The owner of the voice was a boy of similar age to Rozen, with short hair resembling silver wolves. While his expression seemed lazy, his eyes revealed a hint of sharpness. The boy was chasing the foreign man with impressive speed, shouting as he pursued.

"Put down our luggage!"

This statement was made in Japanese.

Evidently, the other parties hailed from the same place as Rozen and Natsuki. Their luggage had been stolen by a pickpocket at the airport, and now they were in pursuit.

"Quite a daring kid."

Natsuki gave this evaluation of the boy.

Indeed.

A boy around twelve or thirteen years old daringly chasing an adult man alone was either courageous or reckless. The boy before them... seemed to possess both qualities?

Rozen offered a somewhat subtly different evaluation than Natsuki.

At this moment, the pickpocket had rushed up to Rozen and Natsuki.

In the foreign man's sprint, pedestrians either got pushed aside or instinctively dodged, leaving Rozen and Natsuki standing nonchalantly without moving.

"Dannato piccolo diavolo(Damn little brats)!"

The man seemingly thought Rozen and Natsuki were stunned, so, in a hurry, he completely ignored them and collided directly.

Regarding this...

"Deal with him, Nichiyo."

Natsuki couldn't be bothered to intervene.

"Right, right."

Rozen shrugged and, instead of stepping back, moved forward to confront the man.