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DN : [426] Watcher!
🕑 Added 2025-01-26 16:00:10 +0000 UTCItogami Island—a man-made marvel situated at the heart of the Pacific Ocean, floating roughly 230 kilometers south of Tokyo.
This artificial city, constructed by linking colossal floating structures, is a technological and magical masterpiece.
Spanning a total area of 180 square kilometers and home to a population of approximately 560,000, the island operates as a special administrative district with its own political system. It’s also known as the Demon Special Zone.
Thanks to the warm ocean currents, Itogami Island enjoys perpetual summer. Even in winter, temperatures rarely drop below 30°C, making this a place where cold weather is nonexistent.
Strolling through the streets of the island, enjoying a Häagen-Dazs ice cream, August appeared relaxed.
Heat meant nothing to him. As a Primogenitor, his immortal body rendered such inconveniences irrelevant. Still, August found himself puzzled at how someone like Kojou Akatsuki—a Fourth Primogenitor—could struggle with high temperatures to the point of frequently skipping classes during an entire school term. It was baffling.
Today, August’s destination was none other than the core of Itogami Island—Keystone Gate.
Located at the island’s center, the Keystone Gate was an immense, 12-story complex and the tallest building on the island. Shaped like an inverted pyramid, it housed government offices, municipal buildings, hotels, and various commercial establishments, serving as the island’s vital hub.
As he rode the maglev train, August admired the ingenuity behind the artificial island. It was a miracle born from the fusion of technology and magic, a testament to humanity’s boundless creativity.
When he arrived at his stop, he stepped off the train and gazed at the imposing Keystone Gate. His sharp eyes glimmered with intrigue.
Deep beneath this structure lay the very core of Itogami Island, the foundation of its existence, and the repository of its keystone.
Suddenly, August felt a gaze fixed on him.
It wasn’t the first time. He was often watched—unsurprising, given his striking appearance. However, this particular gaze had followed him all the way here. Now that he’d disembarked, it still lingered. That was unusual.
As the Sinful Demon King, August’s senses were exceptionally keen. He quickly locked onto the source of the gaze.
In an instant, he vanished from where he stood. The space around him shimmered as he reappeared atop a nearby rooftop.
Moments after his abrupt disappearance, a girl carrying a violin case emerged from a nearby corner.
Dressed in the uniform of Saikai Academy’s middle school division—with its distinctive bow at the collar—she appeared to be a student. High school students didn’t wear bows, making it a clear marker of her status.
She scanned the area where August had been moments ago, her face filled with confusion and uncertainty.
August recognized her immediately. She was Yukina Himeragi, one of the main characters in the original story, the first familiar of Kojou Akatsuki, and the one who helped him awaken his fifth Beast Vassal, Regulus Aurum.
But why was she tailing him?
Wasn’t her mission supposed to be monitoring Kojou, the Fourth Primogenitor?
Could it be that the Lion King Organization had reassigned her… to him?
That wouldn’t be impossible. After all, August had previously subdued Kojou, defeated Regulus Aurum, and even repelled the Eldest of the Three Saints, Kanon Kanase.
Such feats would undoubtedly draw the Lion King Organization’s attention. It wasn’t unreasonable for them to want to curry favor with him.
“Where did he go? He was just here…” Yukina murmured, looking around anxiously.
As a Watcher, losing sight of her target was a glaring failure. To make matters worse, she had no idea where she was. She had followed August here, but now that he’d vanished, she felt a twinge of panic.
“A Sword Shaman of the Lion King Organization, hmm?”
A voice suddenly spoke behind her.
Without hesitation, Yukina turned and attacked.
“Raika!”
Her hands moved in a practiced motion, unleashing a combat technique she had mastered during her training as a Sword Shaman.
But her attack never reached its target. A shadowy force intercepted her strike effortlessly.
When she turned to see who stood behind her, Yukina’s eyes widened.
It was August—the very person she had been sent to monitor.
Caught red-handed and completely unprepared for such an encounter, Yukina froze. Her mission as a Watcher had just turned into an embarrassing disaster.
“Wow. Attacking me without so much as a word? Should I take this as a declaration of war from the Lion King Organization?” August’s voice was calm, yet sharp.
“Please, calm down. That was not my intention,” Yukina replied hastily.
“Oh? Not your intention? Then what was it? Surely you weren’t trying to attack me?”
“I am not with the Marriage Agency! I am Yukina Himeragi, a Sword Shaman from the Lion King Organization.”
“Marriage Agency? Come now. Isn’t your organization notorious for grooming adorable girls like you to act as spies, companions, or even wives to influential figures? All to form alliances?”
“That’s impossible!” Yukina shot back indignantly. “The Lion King Organization is a government agency, a special operations division under the National Public Safety Commission!”
To August, her conviction only proved how deeply indoctrinated she was.
In the original story, this wasn’t the first time someone had pointed out how the Lion King Organization treated Sword Shamans and War Dancers as mere tools.
“Don’t change the subject,” August said, his tone growing more severe. “I’m asking you—was your attack just now a deliberate provocation?”
“No, not at all!” Yukina answered quickly. “I was ordered to monitor you, not harm you. Your power poses a potential threat to Itogami Island.”
Her blunt honesty darkened August’s expression.
Unlike Kojou, August was a Demon King—a being who commanded respect and fear. The notion of being monitored was not just insulting; it was outright provocative.
No self-respecting powerhouse would tolerate being spied on. For August, this was a matter of principle.
Yukina’s candid admission was, in itself, an act of recklessness. If this had been any of the other Primogenitors, her organization might already have been wiped out.
To monitor a Primogenitor was to challenge their authority. And challenges like that often ended in bloodshed.
