The ground rumbled as the being yawned.
“How long have I been asleep…?”
The voice was inexplicably deep, as though the mountains themselves spoke.
Cold air drifted around its body, carrying the fragrant smell of nature. Droplets of water continuously dropped in a rhythm, breaking the silence. Darkness consumed the space, not letting light linger for long.
Suddenly, two spheres of red lazily blinked, the crimson adding to the ominous atmosphere.
“Where…the hell…am I?”
The being stirred, and its floating eyes slowly scanned its surroundings.
“Is this a cave?”
The being exhaled, the force of it enough to scrape the walls.
“Did my mansion collapse?”
Silence.
So many questions and yet still no answers.
The eyes narrowed.
“Bea, please stop staring at me and answer my questions.”
The voice addressed the cave.
And the darkness responded.
In front of the being, the shadows cast by its blazing eyes slithered, amassing the void all around it into a dark blob.
The abyssal clump condensed in the middle, slowly rising to the height of a person.
The obsidian hair formed first, flowing freely like a stygian waterfall. Next, the dark blob turned lighter, until fair skin replaced all the absence of color. Two beads of red, identical to the being’s, formed the eyes, followed by the sharp nose and thin lips.
The body soon fully materialized, with all its seductive curves displayed in their full glory…or not.
The shadows, now clearly a woman, wove a fully black maid uniform out of thin air and immediately covered her body.
What a shame.
“...You really like your theatrical entrance, huh.”
The woman bowed with a flat expression, but her eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief.
“Good morning, master.” Her voice silky.
“Is it actually morning right now?”
“No, the sun just set a few hours ago.”
“...”
Bea rose and tilted her head cutely.
“Shall I answer your question?”
Her crimson eyes trailed the abyss that her master resided in. “Or do you want to make a new body first?”
The floating eyes looked down, examining its non-existent body.
“Explain everything that I missed. I’ll listen while I create my body.”
“Wait!” The maid stepped forward hurriedly.
She lifted her skirt, but never actually revealed anything, and pulled out a thin, black rectangle.
“...What weapon is that?”
Bea sighed. “It’s called a smartphone. I’ll explain later.”
After a few taps, she flipped it around and showed it to her master.
“Can you gain some inspiration from this?”
“Wait, how did you trap a man in—”
The maid rolled her eyes. “Again, I’ll explain later.”
Noticing how she wouldn’t be giving any answers soon, the being returned its attention to the man.
The red eyes narrowed. “...That’s not what I would normally choose.”
“Pretty please~” Bea hugged the portrait, squishing her breasts and making them more prominent.
“You made a compelling argument.”
A thin smile bloomed on her face.
She released the portrait from her embrace, and the black object floated.
It flew towards the ominous eyes and halted mid-air.
In the next moment, it closed its eyes, and the darkness sank deeper.
The ground trembled once again, but even more violently this time. Dust fell from the roofs, alongside the occasional rubble. Cracks appeared on the cave walls like the jaws of a hungry beast.
Bea, however, remained silent.
She did cup her plentiful curves with her hands, preventing them from bouncing around.
“Master, you pervert.”
“It’s just a happy coincidence. Can you begin?”
The nonchalant voices contrasted with the chaos that unfolded.
The maid bowed, still clutching her breasts. “Certainly, master.”
“You’ve been asleep for around two thousand years. The Roman Empire has long collapsed, so your mansion is now just a bunch of ruins.”
“Already? For all his boasts, little Octavius doesn’t seem like much, huh?”
“Actually, he called himself Emperor Augustus when he ascended, and he’s pretty respected for all things considered.”
“Heh, he’s still just the brat who hid behind his adopted father in my eyes.”
At that moment, a massive boulder crashed next to the woman, fracturing into multiple pieces.
Bea never flinched.
Any fragments that even got close were swallowed by the darkness surrounding her.
“So where are we now? And where are the…others?”
The maid exhaled. “We’re still in your territory. I made this cave to give you some privacy when the region started to be cultivated again.”
“The others eventually left after you slept. They all eventually got bored and left to do their own thing.”
She dropped her hands when the ground slowly began to settle.
“All of them? Even Severa and Rin?” The voice’s pitch rose into a frequency that wouldn’t immediately cause eardrums to explode.
Bea fixed the creases in her uniform. “Yes.
The tremors lessened gradually until none were left.
“Then I suppose we have to find them.”
Footsteps echoed from the abyss.
The maid snapped her fingers, and black wisps emerged from the ground, illuminating the space with a dark ambiance.
The visage of a man emerged, looking utterly out of place.
His golden blonde hair shimmered as though producing its own light. His tall, lean body with faint traces of muscle was revealed behind the red silk robe. His charming smile and gentle, sapphire eyes were framed by a strong jawline that looked sculpted.
He was radiant.
Like he belonged under the blue sky rather than the cold, depressing cave.
In the next moment, his smile faltered.
“Yeah, no. Blue is not my color.”
He closed his eyes, and his right arm glowed in a dark-red light.
When he finally opened it, the familiar yet sinister crimson eyes greeted the room.
Bea shrugged her shoulders. “Worth a shot.”
She studied his body closely, her eyes dissecting every detail. Her attention briefly lingered on his crotch.
The man chuckled. “Are you satisfied?”
He closed the distance in a few steps. His right hand reached around her back, tracing it with a gentle caress, and pulling her body closer to him.
Her soft curves were squished against his firm body. She rested her hands on his bare chest, but not to push him away.
Her face remained flat, revealing nothing.
But as his hands trailed down, a faint flush began to form on her cheek.
The man’s free hand rose to stroke her cheek with his thumb, and then nudged her face to look up.
Her red met his as though compelled by an invisible force.
His lips curled into a smirk.
“I’m feeling a little…hungry after waking up.”
Bea swallowed, her breath uneven.
“Master, wait…” Her voice came out airy. “You still haven’t decided a name for this body…”
The man paused his movement. His eyes stared past her in deep thought.
Then, the smirk returned. It was wider this time. Inhumanly so.
The maid shivered at the sight. But there were no traces of fear in her eyes.
There was only devotion, and that devotion was trickling down her legs right now.
“Surely, he won’t mind that I borrow his name, right?” the man asked no one in particular.
He laughed. “After all, I already “borrowed” his woman… permanently.”
Bea furrowed her brows and began opening her mouth when another sound instinctively came out.
“Anh~!” She shrieked as his hands grabbed her supple rear.
“Beatrice,” he began, continuing to grope his loyal maid, “you can call me Julius.”
The woman didn’t register his words, as the ravenous beast feasted on his first meal in centuries.