(a)

Beneath the towering façade of the Red Devil Pavilion lies a grand underground library. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

There are no windows or electric lights in the building, and the light is provided by oil lamps, candles, and other unnamed magic props. As a result, it is dark, damp and smells musty all year round.

Hundreds of tall mahogany bookshelves line the road, with no end in sight. Millions of books of different languages, ages, and materials are grouped together and are surprisingly well preserved.

In addition to this, there are unusual things stored here, such as instruments of unknown purpose, small glowing medicine bottles, and parchment scrolls covered in blood books. The walls are carved with elaborate animal reliefs, the ceilings are printed with grotesque frescoes, and the floors are covered with intricate patterns drawn in chalk with unreadable code words.

All this makes this library have a strange atmosphere, a touch of unrealistic atmosphere. It's not just a library, it's a magical laboratory.

In the depths of this dimly lit library, there was a slightly warmer place. The ball of light floating in the air made it brighter than the rest of the area, and under the ball of light lay a long table covered with white cloth, and a mountain of books piled on each side of the table. There are two delicate porcelain cups on the table, and the black tea in the cups is cold, but they have not taken a sip.

There was a man and a woman with their backs to the mountain of books, arranged at the two ends of the long table, each holding a book, looking at it to themselves. There was silence throughout the vast library, except for the occasional faint sound of pages turning from the table.

"Humph......"

The black-haired boy with delicate facial features turned the last page, closed the book with some reluctance, and placed it face up on the top of the book mountain.

There was no title on the cover of the book, only the author's signature in cursive script: "Patchouli· Knowledge”。

The young man picked up the teacup, took a sip of the cold tea in the cup, and then asked the girl in front of him:

"I would venture to ask, is the part of this book about World War I that is your own experience?"

"Part," replied the girl with a blank face, putting down the book, "and partly something I learned later. After all, I was young and had limited experience. ”

The large, somewhat exaggerated book, which was large enough to cover her entire upper body, was spread flat on the table, which made her face unobstructed in front of the boy.

The girl looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, but she gave her the impression of an old pedant. Her skin was pale and bloodless, and her long, dark purple hair, the same color as her eyes, was tied up with ribbons and draped over her left and right shoulders. Because she was confined to the house for a long time, she dressed very casually: a loose nightgown with purple and white stripes, and a nightcap with a crescent moon ornament. Whether it's a hobby or something else, she wears some colorful ribbons around her clothes, which look a bit like sticky notes tucked away in a book.

This girl is undoubtedly a cultural person, a scholar, and a person who doesn't know which one to choose even if she wants to change to a new look.

"It's very well written, worthy of Pache Noregi. The boy looked her in the eye and complimented, "I see in this book things that I can't see anywhere else, things that you can probably only write." ”

"Thank you......"

Patchouli's cheeks flushed, she lowered her head shyly, stared at the book, and whispered a thank you—she wasn't good at non-professional words, especially when faced with praise.

Speaking of which, this is the first time that someone has been praised for his good writing. Before coming to Gensokyo, there were no readers for her books at all, and after coming here, the people who came to read them were all rude people.

"No, no, no, you don't have to thank me," the boy said, waving his hand, "I should thank you." Without your help, I wouldn't even be able to wear a full set of clothes right now!"

"Lift...... It's just a matter of effort. ”

The girl was telling the truth. The use of magic to repair fabrics may seem magical, a bit like the scenes that appear in Disney animated films, but for professional witches, it is pediatric. Because of this kind of trivial matter, she was solemnly thanked, and she really couldn't stand it.

Before her face could burn throughout, Patchouli hurriedly lifted the huge book again. She couldn't read a word of it, she just needed to make a corner where she could hide herself to avoid embarrassment to death.

"But it's a great place to read. Seeing that she was so embarrassed, the boy changed the subject knowingly, "It's dark and quiet, it can calm people, but the height of the bookshelf is a bit unfriendly to people who can't fly." ”

"Do you still like dark places?" asked Patchouli, moving the book down a little, revealing only a pair of eyes to stare at the boy, "Do you still like the night, even after overcoming the sun?"

"Of course. The boy replied, "How can a man forget his roots?"

"In that case, why would you abandon magic?" she continued, "I heard Remy say that you used to fly. ”

"I made a choice and lost the power of my magic, which is an equivalent exchange. ”

"What kind of choice is that?"

"That's a long story, if you don't mind......"

"Na-Lan-go-go-go-"

A shrill cry from the door of the library interrupted the conversation between the two and shattered the precious silence.

"Knock knock ......"

With the sound of hurried, uncultured footsteps, a little girl who looked to be less than ten years old appeared in front of the two of them.

The person who would make these noises in the Red Devil Pavilion would be none other than Remilia Scarlett, the sister of the owner of the Pavilion, Flandrew Scarlet.

Like her sister, Flandoro has a pair of wings, except that instead of full bat wings, she has a pair of dead branches with seven-colored crystals hanging from them. She has the same red eyes and sharp teeth as her sister, and wears the same nightcap as her sister, but she has a golden side ponytail on her head, and her shirt and skirt are more red.

The biggest difference between her and her sister is that her sister is a high-ranking lady, and she is just a little naughty little girl.

"Brother Nalan, come out and play!"

This lively and lovely girl pounced on the teenager as soon as she came up, and this action almost crushed his internal organs.

"Oh......" Nalan Yu tried not to let his expression collapse, forced out a smile, and said, "Wake up, ...... Fran"

"Hmm!"

Flandoro rubbed Nalan Twilight twice affectionately, then grabbed his hands and pulled him up from his seat, completely ignoring his wishes.

"Come out and play, Brother Nalan. Fran: I learned a new trick in my dream yesterday, and you'll be amazed to see it!"

There was no hint of asking for his opinion in Flandoralu's words. Her idea was simple and childish: I want to play with you, and you definitely want to play with me.

"Oh, is it?" Nalan Twilight was dragged out by Flandora, but there was no trace of displeasure in her tone, "Then I want to see what kind of Tao you got in your dreams!"

"Hey, hey!"

Flandore grinned evilly, and made her little calculation in her mind. She had never won against Nalan Twilight, but this time, she felt that she had a play.

"I'm so sorry, Lady Pachouli, I didn't bother you by not being able to control the second miss. ”

The long-overdue maid went to the long table and bowed to Patchouli.

"Hey......" Pache sighed and said with some regret, "It's not a big deal, it's just interrupting a somewhat interesting conversation......"

"By the way, Sakiya, my tea is cold, please refill it. In addition, Nalan Twilight's tea set can be taken away, and he won't be back here today. ”

"Okay. ”

(b)

Tonight's Red Devil Pavilion is unusually quiet.

This time in the past was the time when the lights were shining and the plans were staggered.

But with the arrival of Nalan Twilight, the usually depressed Flandorow suddenly became noisy. After she made such a fuss, up to the owner of the pavilion, Remilia, and down to every maid, they were not at peace.

So now, the vampire sisters, who were originally nocturnal, are in dire need of rest after a long day of tossing. Those fairy maids who are usually swaggering, even if they still have the strength, they don't have the courage to come out and have a party. To be precise, it was the head maid who strictly forbade the maids to leave the house at night in order to let the two sisters have a good rest.

The huge Western-style pavilion was empty for a while. Everyone was in their rooms and closed doors, some had already fallen asleep, some had not slept yet, but they did not dare to make any noise. Accompanied by the night, there is only the moonlight and the mournful cry of autumn cicadas.

As a result, in the dead of night, Nalan Twilight, who had a normal schedule, lost sleep.

Nalan twilight made her way through the long, seemingly endless crimson corridor to the dining room. He didn't want to admit that he had gone seven wrong times to get here, but it was exactly what he had done – he had lost his way in his own home.

Although it was only the home he lived in hundreds of years ago, it was really uncomfortable to get lost in this place that seemed very familiar and very unfamiliar to walk in.

The rococo-style restaurant was spacious enough to accommodate dozens of people, but right now, Nalan Twilight was the only one inside. Moonlight pierced through the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the room. In the center of the dining room is a long table with a crystal chandelier directly above the table. On the wall behind the head of the long table hung a large portrait of Remilia, and under the frame were several oak cabinets containing various banquet supplies.

"I'll see...... Well...... Sure enough, in this ......."

By the light of the moon, he stood for a long time in front of the cabinet containing the wine before he found the wine he wanted.

"Mr. Nalan, this is your wine glass. ”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, which really startled Nalan Yu. But when he realized it was his familiar voice, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me, Sakiya. Nalan turned around and smiled at the meticulous head maid.

"I'm sorry. Sakiya nodded, "I happened to see you walking into the restaurant when I was passing by, and I wondered if you wanted to have some drink, so I took a wine glass for you." ”

"You've thought of this, and you're a professional maid!"

"I really don't dare to do it. ”

"Forget it, since you're here......"

Nalan Yu said, and with a break of his hand, he directly broke the cork, together with the spout of the wine bottle. He poured a full glass of red wine into the crystal cup in Sakiya's hand, and then said:

"It's your share, I'll just drink it with the bottle. ”

"Thank you. ”

"We're now, there's moonlight, there's wine, and ......," Nalan Twilight looked into Sakiya's eyes and said slowly, "...... Beauty. ”

The flawless moonlight froze on Sakiya's silver hair, cold as frost. She held the cup of crimson liquid in both hands, as if she were holding a huge ruby. The reflection of the gem reflected on her face, staining her eyes a bright red.

Strange, her eyes were originally red? Nalan Hao clearly remembered that they were blue, perhaps the cold moonlight shook his eyes, so that he couldn't even see the person in front of him clearly.

But it doesn't matter.

"Why don't you talk to me, through wine?"

After finishing speaking, he directly raised the wine bottle and took a big sip. The cold alcohol flowed deep into his body, burning a flame in his stomach.

"Yes...... Sakiya tilted her head, a little confused, "but what should we talk about?"

"Let's talk about you, for example. Nalan said, "You're having insomnia, aren't you?"

"Yes, I can't sleep after tossing and turning, so I'm going to go out and take a look at what hasn't been cleaned, and I run into you. ”

"Ah, it's jet lag, right? Unlike those guys who sleep upside down, you're the one who needs to be on time. ”

And he is also the only human in this demon mansion.

"Sort of......

Sakiya raised her glass and took a sip of red wine, feeling the slightly astringent taste swirl in her mouth. As a servant, she knew how to taste wine better than her master. The Vampire Sisters are not interested in drinks other than fruit juice and black tea mixed with sugar water, and Nalan Twilight only knows how to drink nonsense, which is not a taste at all.

"You might think it's funny, I got lost in the Red Devil Pavilion just now, and I think I renovated this house back then. I can get lost here, and it seems that I am indeed a little confused......" Nalan said as he glanced into the distance, his expression full of nostalgia for the past.

"I don't blame you, but later, at the behest of the eldest lady, I renovated the space in the museum several times. Although the current Red Devil Pavilion still looks like that, the structure is actually completely different from before. ”

"Haha, it's a shame that you can change its spatial structure without blowing it up...... But then again, manipulating time is a wonderful ability, isn't it?" Nalan Twilight took a step forward, closer to Sakiya, "Even if you don't give up your human identity, you can live as long as you want." ”

"With all due respect, how do you know?" Sakiya didn't look shocked at all.

"Even if I don't ask Remilia and think about the secret of your abilities, I can guess your age from this sip of wine. Nalan Yu took another big sip, clicked his lips, and continued: "This is wine from two hundred years ago, and it is really a peerless wine. Someone sealed it in a moment of stillness, and it wasn't until the bottle was opened that the seal was broken. ”

"You know, I just happened to drink the same batch of wine before and never forgot what it tasted like. I don't drink alcohol, but I have a good sense of taste and a good memory. ”

"Indeed, as you can imagine. Sakiya nodded, still unchanged.

"Can you tell me a little bit about that time? I mean, when you met Remilia. I think I left too early and missed the best part. Of course, if you feel embarrassed, don't talk about it. ”

"No, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Sakuya took another sip of red wine, sorted out the fragments of those memories, and slowly narrated:

"That's when I was a vampire hunter......"