It's True Love 49 (Patreon)

"Wake up! Wake up posthaste human!" As soon as I'm ordered to do so, my eyes snap open. And the first thing I see is an endless white void...

It actually reminds me a bit of when Rudeus Greyrat talks with Hitogami, and considering who... what I am, I'm immediately filled with worry. That's why I try retracing my steps from last night...

First of all, I won the bet, and teased Touko over it... and then she kicked me out. This meant I got home pretty late, which is better than not getting home at all, I suppose. I got congratulated for winning, and then... went to sleep.

I slowly get up, and the first thing I see is... "Arcueid...?" No, as soon as I say it I realize it's not her. It's just that the girl in front of me looks very similar, but she's definitely not Arcueid.

Because my girlfriend doesn't have black hair. And she's not as young as this girl either... not to say this girl is Miyako's age however, I would speculate she's maybe a little younger than Akiha. Total little sister material!

And this total little sister material snarls at me. "Don't you dare call me by that name, human." Wow, that's a lot of hostility. Though I guess Arcueid would indeed have a lot of people who hate her.

I... suddenly remember something very important Arcueid told me the day she decided I was her younger brother. "You're Arcueid's sister..." Probably. I could be wrong.

The moon princess smiles. "Indeed, you stand before Altrouge Brunestud, human. Now wake up, before I decide to stop being so merciful." Merciful huh...? Well, I suppose she hasn't tried killing me yet.

I tilt my head. "I'm sleeping?" And here I thought I had just woken up. Though I suppose the weirdest part here is why Altrouge is in my dreams. Was she trying to spy on Arcueid or something?

Altrouge glares at me. "Don't play the fool, you are invading my dreams, so I assume you are sleeping as well." Wait, so this is her dream!?

I can't help it, I start muttering. "You're a very boring dreamer..." I definitely shouldn't say anything, since I had no problem with it when I thought it was me, but give me a break. This girl is dreaming of a white void!

Her eye twitches. "You dare insult me...?" Oh, I have a feeling I triggered a death flag. "Tell me where you live human, I shall go massacre your family." Who the hell would tell you that!? That aside... she doesn't know who I am, huh?

I shake my head. "Sorry, but I'll pass." Her glare gets worse, but... "And I'm not afraid of you either, you can't hurt or kill me here, right?" Or she would have done so already. From what I understand she's the same type of monster as Vlov.

She looks away, face filled with rage. That's all the answer I need.

I put a hand on my chin, and tilt my head. "By the way, I shouldn't be invading your dream. I have no idea how someone would even do that..." I guess it's possible for a magus, but I'm basically not one.

She clenches her fists. "Human, while I cannot hurt you now, do not believe your crimes will go unpunished once I wake up again. Lying will only make your punishment even more hellish." Spooky.

But not really. Even if she decided to march on Souya, she would be met by some real scary people. With that said, I definitely shouldn't purposefully make her mad, I don't want people being hurt because of me.

I sigh. "Look, I really am not lying to you, in fact I want to figure out this situation as much as you do." She doesn't seem convinced... "Ugh, look I'll admit that I am probably sleeping, but not because I was trying to invade your dreams."

"I was just... going to sleep because I'm a normal human who needs to, and I just had a long date so I was pretty tired. I definitely didn't have enough energy to set this up." Would Touko prank me with a forced encounter with Altrouge as revenge for teasing her?

It's scarily possible.

She raises an eyebrow. "So you were trying to court some woman...?" I'm surprised she even know what a date means.

Mostly because prior to me corrupting Arcueid, the vampire would totally be the type to not know what a date was. I guess her sister is a bit more knowledgeable, and she's also definitely less robotic.

A smirk appears on her face. "Due to the fact you were too tired to do anything, I'll assume you miserably failed?" Oi, why are you assuming the worst!? Maybe I just scored super hard! Well, the truth is somewhere in the middle...

Now it's my turn to glare at her. "Nope. I'll have you know my date went great, and she's totally into me." I can tell due to the fact that my dreams haven't forcibly been crushed with the power of magic.

She crosses her arms. "Oh? Then you have entered into a relationship with her?" She seems much less amused than she was a second ago. Not due to jealously as I'm used to, but because she seemingly enjoys my suffering.

I look away, knowing I have been defeated. "Technically not... but it's just a matter of time." I didn't want to push Touko too much, that's all. She already told me she leaves people she likes, so I know that is always a possibility I must watch out for.

Altrouge's smug grin has returned. "As expected." I have to hold myself back from bragging about dating her sister. I imagine that would mean the end of me, even though she literally can't hurt me right now.

However, it seems putting her in a good mood might actually be advantageous, because Altrouge actually continues on talking. "Very well human, I shall share my circumstances previous to this."

"I normally do not sleep unless I exercise myself, due to my dog such event rarely happens." She makes a thinking pose. "But suddenly I did feel very... tired. Perhaps due to stress? I do have many responsibilities a human like you could never come close to comprehending." Somehow I doubt that.

Still, isn't this girl's Ojou-Sama levels way higher than expected? Arcueid occasionally does act like a princess, but it seems Altrouge here is constantly on that mode.

"Anyhow, I decided to take a nap while my dog and bodyguards watched over my body. Since they didn't react, I imagine this is truly a unusual sneak attack." She points at me. "Oh, and if you wish to confess to your sins, this is the time."

I pout. "I really didn't do anything." She rolls her eyes. Does she still think I'm lying to her? "Seriously, I'm the worst mage ever. I just know the super basics and a few runes." And I also have my copied abilities, but let's leave that aside.

She puts her hands on her hips. "Assuming you are not lying, it is indeed true that such weak mystery would never reach my most sublime and perfect self." Your Ojou-Sama levels suddenly sky rocketed!?

"But there is no reason to assume you are not lying." This time I end up rolling my eyes, and here I thought I had gained some of her trust. "Do not give me that look human. Just be proud that you are the strongest survivor of your species."

"Huh?" Does she think I'm some super strong guy? I guess she did just say that she wouldn't be affected by something with weak mystery.

She smirks. "Isn't it obvious? No human has survived my presence for as long as you have." She claps. "Congratulations are in order! Perhaps a spot amongst the Throne of Heroes awaits you for such a grandiose feat!" Right...

Right...! How could I forget...! Even if it was just for a moment I should have forgot! That this girl isn't like Arcueid, she's a monster just like Vlov. An enemy of humanity. I don't need her trust, I need to leave this place and then never talk with her again.

I try calming down, picking a fight isn't wise right now. "Whatever. Is that stuff about you taking a nap really the last thing you remember? No sudden rise of mana in the air or something?"

She nods, a pout on her face. "Do not doubt me human, for I only lie to my enemies." At least she's isn't denying that she lies. It would be way too stupid, specially since she told a lie just now.

I raise an eyebrow. "Since when weren't we enemies?" I certainly consider her to be one, even if one that I will most likely never defeat... No, I shouldn't be so pessimistic. Not when I work for the Holy Church.

She shrugs. "We were never enemies. At best you're a worthless bug, unworthy of attention. At worst you're a bug who has stung me, worthy of annoyance and a quick slap." Ah... yeah, that's a vampire princess alright.

"My only enemies are those of my kind... or similar to my kind, just like you humans only declare war on other humans." Actually I'm pretty sure we have declared war on nonhuman things before, in fact the church thinks they're on a war against you.

She closes her eyes. "But about remembering things... hum..." She suddenly smiles. "Umu! I do have two details I like to share, so pay attention human!" Did you just hit me with an umu...!?

"I thought you weren't lying?" Is she contradicting herself already? I suppose that's common Ojou-Sama behavior too, even when that Ojou-Sama is a cold blooded killer who sees humans like bugs. Or snacks. Or both.

She glares at me. "You sure are combative... are all of your kind like that? Perhaps that's why humans have waged so many wars..." She shakes her head. "No matter. I was not lying to you human, I simply remembered more details, that's all." Fair enough.

"First of all, my dog did smell something foul on the air. Not an unusual thing, for his nose is far stronger than mine, but it is something interesting." He could have smelt an attack...? I'm guessing her dog is magical or whatever.

"And second of all, I sleep, but I never dream. Perhaps that is why this place is just a white void, but... I did have a dream before this." She blushes, it's a... pretty sight. Inferior to Arcueid though! "I dreamed of a field of flowers..." How girly for a mass murderer.

Now that she mentions it though... "I think I also dreamed of a field of flowers. I can't be certain though." The memory is slippery, like a dream I forgot long ago. Which is probably exactly what happened.

She squints her eyes. "That is incredible suspicious... but it doesn't actually brings us anywhere." Ah, really? "I suppose for now we shall simply have to wait until something changes."

Without saying another word she closes her eyes, making me wonder if it is possible to dream inside of a dream. Considering what she said before though, we would probably just get teleported to another white void...

I close my eyes too, if she doesn't have anything else to say that's fine by me. It's not like I have interest in talking with a monster who probably has a even bigger kill count than Vlov of all people.

Yeah, I'll just stay silent. It doesn't matter if minutes pass, or hours, or days, or weeks! "Hey, do you like... have any hobbies?" And I already lost. This does not mean I like her, it just means I hate silence.

She opens her eyes. "A weird question, human." Ugh, I know, but I wasn't planning on asking any in the first place. "But I..." She squints her eyes. "I am a bit too busy to have a hobby, I run a important organization."

She puts a hand on her chest. "As the Eclipse Princess of Black Blood, all Dead Apostles await for the day I show them their places and take the throne." I very much doubt that, but okay, you go girl.

"Though... I suppose I do occasionally watch one of my subordinates pratice his swordmanship. He possess considerable skill, so it is always... well, I won't say it's a joy to watch, but it's certainly better than nothing." I wonder if he gets nervous with his boss watching him.

A smile reaches my face. "So you're interested in swordmanship? I actually do practice it by the way..." I probably shouldn't be telling more about myself to the super evil vampire, but I repeat, I cannot stay silent.

She tilts her head. "I rather doubt you are comparable to my subordinate. He serves as my bodyguard, and the fact that he has gained such a prestigious position is a testament to his power and skill."

Well, I can't deny that I probably don't compare to whoever this guy is. If he's a bodyguard of Arcueid's sister, then he probably makes Vlov look like a complete joke after all... I do wonder how he would stack up against Senpai however.

She continues. "And no, I'm not really interested in swordmanship. It's just that watching someone who has poured hundreds of years into his craft can be rather pleasing. It's something no human could do."

"And I have no need to ever be interested in swordmanship in the first place, it's part of my style of combat. Though even then I haven't fought in a while, typically my subordinates or my dog do all the work." Don't say that with such a proud smile!

I nod. "That makes sense, though it's not like most sword practitioners train for real fights anyways." It's a sport after all. "Do you really have no hobbies though? Don't you like movies or something?"

She takes some time to respond, clearly thinking. "Well, I do know what movies are, but to be honest they haven't caught my int-" And then her eyes widen. "Wait... Human, could it be..." Did she find out how to wake up!?

A wicked grin slowly appears on her face. "Could it be... that you are trying to court me!?" Hah!? "That must be it right, since you are asking me how I spent my freetime!" She nods to herself. "I know that is quite the common way to start a conversation..."

She reached a total wrong conclusion. For once in my life I'm very explicitly not trying to make someone my girlfriend. Senpai can be blamed for this by the way, since old me would definitely not care about how many people she has killed.

My eye twitches. "I'm not trying-" But she cuts me off.

"There's no need to be shy now human, I understand that my beauty can be as blinding as..." She stops for a moment. "Well, I do not like comparing myself to the Sun, so my beauty is as blinding as something that shines a lot, but isn't the Sun." Oi.

She giggles. "And I'm as charming as they come indeed. I imagine you now worship my brain and heart? Good for you." Well, I do love Ojou-Sama's... when they aren't cold blooded killers who think of humanity as bugs.

"Alas, I recommend giving up your love human. Even amongst the vampires I am untouchable when it comes to love... it may be that not sapient being on this planet is worthy of my hand in union." You could always marry your sister.

Huh, if Arcueid started considering me her younger brother after I got her ability and obtained access to the castle, I wonder what Altrouge would think... I better stay silent, I doubt it would be positive.

She giggles. "Yes, you have truly aimed for the stars human, for the only woman more unreachable than me is my sister." Really? That's such a crazy and interesting fact. Heh. "Though I suppose trying to do the impossible is an admirable trait."

She nods to herself. "Very well. Once you are awake head to your nearest Dead Apostle that follows me, and ask to be recruited to my service, you have my blessing." Huh, and to think she was promising to end my town a few moments ago.

"You will most likely never see me again, but who knows, perhaps after a few centuries you shall become a Dead Apostle Ancestor and worthy of my gaze. A very platonic gaze of course." Wow, that sure is a tough way to the friendzone.

I chuckle. "Eh... We will see about that." Isn't she strangely happy about this? And she's definitely not into me, considering she rejected me without hesitation. I guess this is the result of feeding her ego.

She chuckles back. "Worry not human, even if you are worthless and untalented at magecraft, immortality does offer plenty of time to practice, just like with with my subordinate." Becoming a Dead Apostle huh?

Like I would ever do that myself. Arcueid is one thing, she's a special case, but I know most bloodsuckers are evil to the core, or become evil to the core because their existence forces them towards that path. It goes without saying that I have no intention of ever becoming such a monster.

Altrouge starts humming to hersel, we don't return to silence, because she won't allow it. I suppose this is better than when we both just closed our eyes and tried to ignore the other's existence.

But eventually Altrouge addresses me again. "By the way human, here's a helping hand for your favorite, perfect vampire princess." Did Arcueid suddenly show up? "Change your attire, it's not enough." What's wrong with my clothes.

"Why? My clothes are fine." I'm lucky I even have clothes in a dream if I'm being honest, even if they're fairly normal. Specially when compared to Altrouge, who is wearing what appears to be a black dress made for royalty.

She glares at me. "For a peasant." Is she for real? "If you wish to court someone of my station... or someone of a much lower station such as that woman you mentioned before, you should dress better." I literally did.

I roll my eyes. "Understood princess, I guess I will try to dress like a knight from here on out." I'm saying that jokingly, but considering what Vlov wore she might now genuinely expect that of me.

She clasps her hands together. "Good. Please understand that I am simply giving you my wise council. It's up to you to be wise as well and follow it, or to be foolish and ignore it."

"Oh, do keep in mind that the people who do not follow my advice tend to meet rather gruesome ends, human." Is that a threat or just something that genuinely happens? I can never know with this vampire...

I wave her off. "Whatever you say princess. Maybe next time we meet I will be dressed like King Arthur himself or something." I won't ever meet her again if I'm lucky.

Once we leave this place I'm telling this story to Arcueid and asking for some dream protection magic. And if Arcueid can't help, perhaps my new teacher who loves me even if she won't admit it could do something about it?

She waves me off. "I rather doubt you could reach such levels of elegance, but do your best." She smiles. "Though I will most likely have forgotten your existence at that point anyways, I won't even remember such a promise."

"Let me guess, a bug isn't worthy of being remembered by a princess?" At least that would be consistent with how she has been usually thinking about stuff.

Surprisingly she shakes her head in denial. "No, that's not... exactly it. The truth is that this is a dream, and so it shall be forgotten like most dreams. The only way one would remember it would be if it was something truly remarkable."

"Oh, my memories may be shaken from us meeting again however, just as you remembered you too had a dream about flowers once you learned about mine."

I nod. "I understand. Well, I imagine we probably won't be put in this situation again... I have no idea why this is happening, but surely someone wouldn't be able to invade your dreams again?"

She nods back. "Most likely. I develop resistance against a specific mystery once it has been used against me." She yawns, even though we are in a dream. Am I making her bored? "And I will be avoiding sleep from now on. It's such an annoying thing..."

She goes back to humming. And that makes me think about how long we have spent together in this place... a couple minutes? A few hours? It definitely doesn't feel like days, but time itself feels weird here. Most likely because we are in a dream.

"Human." Yet again she addresses me. "I grow rather tired of enchanting your ears with my beautiful tunes, it is now your turn." She thought she was making me a favor with all that humming?

It wasn't anything special, but sure. "Do you want be to hum a song or something?" I'm not the... worst singer, in fact I think I'm a natural! Though I also haven't trained at all either.

She immediately denies me. "Nay. I would like you to pour your heart upon the song. That is to say, serenade me." This girl... She has gotta be crazy. I obviously already knew this due to all the killing she does, but this is a different type of crazy.

I sigh. "You want me to dress like a knight, you want me to serenade you... What's next, should I bring you a banquet of flowers? Write you a dozen poems in a letter? Save you from a dragon?" She's certainly living up to the title of princess.

She raises an eyebrow. "If I was captured by a dragon I myself would slay the Phantasmal Beast." She's definitely missing the point. "And it's only natural to expect all that you have mentioned. The fact that you say that in a mocking tone makes it easy to see why you have failed in courting another maiden." She's calling me maidenless!?

I pout. "Well then, my apologies fair maiden, but I seem to remember being told to forget my love by a certain princess. As I am a loyal subject, I have done as ordered." I'm definitely not a loyal subject.

She pouts right back. "I can see right through your lies, no man could forget me so easily." Plenty could, considering you look so young. "Now sing a love serenade for me, it will not steal my heart of course, but it may bring me laughter, and isn't that enough?"

"Absolutely not." If this was Rika, Arcueid, or any other girl in my harem asking, I would do it without hesitation. Sadly Altrouge is the first girl in my life who is technically very interesting, and yet I don't want to date. So I won't embarrass myself.

She stomps the floor. "But I wish to listen to it, human! Your princess is commanding you!" I know I said I was a loyal subject a moment ago, but I haven't joined your faction. So I simply look away.

And then she starts pulling my cheek. "Do not get rebellious with me human, your town is still under the threat of my existence!" And you still don't know where I live. "Ugh, humans are so, so annoying and disrespectful!" We are bugs after all!

"Serenade me! Serenade me! Serenade me right now!" Is she really throwing a tantrum? If vampire kind learned about this I imagine she wouldn't be a princess for much longer... It's a shame I can't record a dream.

Eventually she seemingly gives up, huffing as she does. Guess I won this battle of attrition.

"F-fine..." She gains my attention again. "I suppose it is only to be expected that you would not pour your heart out for the sake of my laughter at your embarassment if I did not offer a suitable reward."

She slowly raises a finger. "One. A single smooch. On the cheek of course." Ah... I'm not moved at all. "So serenade me human, and enter the hall of legends for your species for doing the impossible. Right besides men such as Julius Caesar and Napoleon you shall stand." With the great achievement of getting a smooch?

I chuckle. "So about that..." The world cracks. We are wacking up, I know that instinctively. "Well, no time for serenades." Thank goodness, my luck decided to save me for once.

Huh, I just realized that I never told her my true name.

...

"Yuta! Beach! You promised!" As soon as my eyes open I am greeted by the sight of my vampire girlfriend, who's basically jumping on top of me.

I chuckle. "Right... I'll get ready." I did promise I would take her to a beach date once the bet was over, so I might as well fulfill that. With that said, something about her face is messing with my head...

Maybe I had a weird dream with Arcueid? Probably. It doesn't really matter, I already forgot.



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AN: I can now confidently say I'm one of the few people to have written Altrouge Brunestud... But she doesn't really have a canonical personality, since she has never shown up in anything before.

So I decided to make her a super duper prideful psychotic princess, hopefully she came out as a fun character.