Volume 2, Chapter 33-1 – Eat Me, Elder Sister

Lionheart Society activity room.

A full-length mercury mirror stood in the center of the room, its surface gently rippling like water.

Remedios Bledia stood before the mirror, one slender hand supporting her chin as her brows furrowed slightly.

“Good girl, try writing anything you want on the blackboard.”

Without even turning around, Remedios gave the order.

Dorothy, who stood obediently to the side, nodded. Facing the mirror, she softly murmured an instruction.

Screech.

A piercing scraping sound rang out.

Remedios immediately turned around, only to see a perfect circle appear on the blackboard that had been completely blank just moments ago.

“Just as I thought…” Remedios curled the corners of her lips and scribbled something in her notebook. “Mirror interference isn’t a one-way projection, but a two-way material projection.”

“Without a mirror acting as the medium, her power cannot extend to this side. That instead proves… what exists inside the mirror isn’t merely a reflection. The space within the mirror has depth, and may even be a complete world.”

She stopped writing and turned around, her azure eyes narrowing slightly.

“If we could enter it… perhaps we could use it to observe the entire Abyss, or even directly observe the legendary Human Realm?”

This hypothesis had considerable academic value, but verifying it would also entail enormous risk.

After all…

What if she went inside and couldn’t come back?

As a succubus whose trait was Hundredfold Wisdom, Remedios understood very well that the first step in exploring an unknown dimension was never to jump in yourself, but rather…

Find a durable little lab rat.

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But where was she supposed to find such an unlucky bastard?

That was a problem.

Bang!

The activity room door was violently slammed open.

“Dorothy!”

Stella rushed inside, panting heavily.

“Mom?!” Dorothy jumped in fright and immediately hurried over to meet her.

But Stella had no time for pleasantries. She rushed over to Dorothy in a few strides, not even taking the time to catch her breath before grabbing her by both shoulders and urgently asking,

“Dorothy, I need to ask you… can you bring someone inside?”

“Huh?” Dorothy was stunned. “Bring someone… where?”

“Into the mirror!”

Stella pointed at the full-length mirror that was still rippling.

“Since things inside can come out, then things outside must be able to go in too, right? If I want to enter the mirror…… Can you do it?”

Dorothy blinked, looking somewhat at a loss.

She subconsciously glanced toward the mirror, her fingers twisting uneasily together.

“I… I’m not really sure.” The girl said timidly, obvious uncertainty in her voice. “Before… I only tried letting ghosts come out to purif…… no, to teach other people a lesson. But I’ve never tried doing it in reverse… pulling a living person inside. What if you get lost in there…”

Dorothy might have been rather fanatical, but when Stella’s safety was involved, she became cowardly very quickly.

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Remedios, however, instantly perked up.

Her eyes lit up, and with only a few words, she understood what Stella intended.

‘She wants to use the mirror surface as a springboard to jailbreak out of the Valentine family’s Corridor of Blood?’

‘Genius!’

‘It is art!’

‘And besides… hasn’t my lab rat just delivered herself right to the door?’

“Dorothy, this is very important to your mom.”

Remedios deliberately leaned closer, her voice full of temptation.

“Think about it. Suppose there’s a bad woman named Cheryl who wants to steal your mom away. If Mom can hide inside the mirror, then she won’t have to go to that dangerous place, right?”

Dorothy looked inexplicably horrified.

“Cheryl… bad woman… steal Mom away…”

“Please, Dorothy.” Stella said as she looked at her, deliberately softening her voice. “You’re my good daughter, right? You’re the only one who can help me now.”

That single sentence seemed to flip some kind of switch.

A blush spread across Dorothy’s cheeks.

She nodded vigorously, her tone becoming firm and twisted.

“Okay, Mom. Since it’s Mom’s wish…”

“But the world inside the mirror is very chaotic… shattered light and shadows are everywhere. If I can’t completely remember your existence, I might not be able to find you.”

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“My existence?” Stella tilted her head. “What do I need to do? Give you some kind of keepsake?”

“No need.”

Dorothy shook her head, looking just a little shy.

“You only need to… do this.”

Before Stella could react, the girl suddenly stepped forward and plunged headfirst into Stella’s embrace like a hummingbird infatuated with nectar.

“Hm?!”

Stella stood there, completely at a loss as to what to do with her hands.

Then she felt Dorothy bury her face deep against her chest, pressing into the front of her clothes, before…

“Sniff… haa…”

Dorothy closed her eyes, her expression so intoxicated it was almost sickly.

The faint lemon scent of shampoo mixed with the milky fragrance of body wash. It smelled like sunlight, very faint yet mellow, intense when it ought to be intense, gentle when it ought to be gentle, bold yet still knowing how to be shy…

“Mmm…”

“Yes… This is definitely Mom’s scent.” Dorothy murmured as she rubbed herself against Stella’s chest and let out a satisfied sigh. “Alright… I’ve completely and thoroughly memorized it now.”

“…”

Stella’s mind went completely blank.

She had only wanted to ask someone for help, so why did it feel like she had just been publicly molested in the street?

Before she could push Dorothy away…

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Knock, knock, knock.

A heavy knocking sound abruptly rang out.

Immediately afterward, Stella saw several figures push open the door and silently walk inside, their black-and-white uniforms solemn beneath the moonlight.

The Blackthorn Guard.

Unlike last time, Riko was not the slightest bit disheveled. She gracefully performed a standard courtly salute toward Stella.

“Miss Stella.”

“The Laxia Ritual is about to begin.”

“According to the ritual’s rules, no matter where you may be, the moment the blood moon becomes completely full, the gates of the Corridor of Blood will open beneath your feet.”

“But out of respect for the Valentine family’s ancient traditions, as well as our respect for the… two of you who are about to present a splendid performance during the trial.”

Riko turned sideways and made an inviting gesture. The eyes hidden behind her mask reflected the blood moon, now already full to the brim.

“Please come with us.”

“The ancestral spirits within the Sacred Blood Grail… have been waiting for quite some time.”

Translator Note

In Dorothy we trust. She will save the day… I mean, the night.