The Scarlet Devil

Gensokyo, afternoon. Somewhere within the vast Secret Realm of Gensokyo, there lay a massive lake where thick mists often drifted. Many fairies, condensed from natural forces, were active within its waters. On the shore of the Misty Lake, amidst the surrounding forests, stood a wide clearing. There, a grand Western-style mansion loomed. Its expansive courtyard was filled with meticulously maintained gardens, and its ancient brick walls were covered in ivy. The roof was tiled with dark red shingles, and within the tall bell tower, a rusted clock hand ticked forward with a rhythmic clatter. Aside from a gatekeeper leaning against the wall and sleeping with a snot-bubble lantern, there were no other figures to be seen outside the mansion.

This was the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the residence of a great foreign vampire yokai within the secluded land of Gensokyo. It was also one of the most tumultuous places in the realm. Rumor had it that the master of this house was a powerful demon over five hundred years old. Although she appeared youthful in stature, she possessed overwhelming strength and held dominion over the fates of mortals. She had once instigated an incident that swept across all of Gensokyo.

At this moment, on a balcony of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, sheltered beneath the shadows of the roof, a girl who appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old sat in her seat, stifling a yawn.

She wore a white, nightgown-like Western dress and a white mob cap that resembled a nightcap. Her skin was a bloodless, porcelain pale, and her large eyes were suffused with a crimson glow. Her short, blue-white hair had a slight curl to it. Behind her, a pair of small, bat-like demon wings were spread. When she offered an elegant smile, tiny, sharp fangs peeked out from her mouth.

"Uu..." Taking a sip of black tea from her cup, the master of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, a vampire girl named Remilia Scarlet, covered her mouth and let out a soft yawn. She looked toward the bright courtyard with sleepy eyes and spoke lazily from her chair.

"I didn't expect that even this young lady could suffer from insomnia."

As she spoke, Remilia took another sip of tea, finishing the rest in one gulp. She placed the cup back on the saucer and reached for the teapot, preparing to pour another.

Remilia tilted the teapot toward the cup, but not a single drop emerged. Seeing this, her brow furrowed slightly, and she gave the teapot a gentle shake.

"Is it empty?"

Muttering to herself, she placed the teapot back on the table. She picked up a small bell and rang it elegantly before setting it back down. She closed her eyes to rest, waiting for someone to appear, but nothing happened.

Faced with this result, Remilia opened her eyes and pouted. She raised her voice and called out, "Sakuya!"

The vampire lord of the Scarlet Devil Mansion called for her maid. Normally, the maid would appear by her side instantly, professionally and gracefully handling any trouble or fulfilling any request. But now, there was no response.

"Hmm... I almost forgot. Sakuya probably thinks I'm still asleep, so she went to the Human Village to do some shopping. That was a bit of a miscalculation..."

Realizing her maid wouldn't answer, Remilia spoke slowly after a moment of thought.

"In that case, there's no one to brew tea for me. Should I wait for Sakuya to return? No, who knows how long that will take..."

Thinking this, Remilia gave a light, haughty wave of her hand. Instantly, the demonic power within her surged, and a bright red magical array lit up on the ground beside her chair.

"This young lady cannot be without a servant. Since Sakuya isn't here, I'll just summon a familiar to use for a while~"

As she spoke, the red demon began to chant a soft incantation. She intended to use a technique taught to her by a magician friend to summon a familiar from another boundary to serve her.

Tokyo, afternoon.

Within the Tamamiya Shrine on Mount Kagami-oboro, Miketsu lay on her side in the small room behind the shrine, wearing light and loose miko robes. She was chewing on beef jerky while looking at her laptop.

Since it was still vacation time, Miketsu had spent the last few days mostly playing games. Occasionally, she would have video calls with Tsuruha to stay updated on the aftermath of the Hagoromo Gitsune incident in Kyoto and other matters. For instance, right now.

"I say, Tsuruha, has the Lunar Capital still not figured out where Eirin is?" At the end of the conversation, Miketsu looked at the screen while gnawing on jerky.

"My apologies, Lady Uka. When we contacted the Lunar Capital, they said they would notify us immediately if they managed to get in touch with Lady Eirin. However, we haven't received any news, which means they likely still don't know where Lady Eirin is currently in seclusion."

"I see. Well, alright, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Tsuruha. Go ahead and get back to your business."

Hearing Tsuruha's words, Miketsu waved her hand dismissively. Tsuruha nodded on the screen before ending the video call.

After finishing the call, Miketsu let out a yawn. She finished a bag of chips and lay flat on the tatami, starting to think about Eirin.

"Whew. I originally wanted to find Eirin to check on Nura Rihyon and Tamamura, but she's been in seclusion for so long there's no trace of her. She hasn't even contacted her own disciple. If that's the case, I guess I'll have to go find her myself."

Lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling, Miketsu talked to herself. To be honest, she could have used divination to find Eirin easily, but being lazy, she had chosen to let Tsuruha ask the Lunar Capital. Who would have thought Eirin was hidden so well?

"In that case... uu~ I guess I'll just have to make a trip myself. Those two old guys really don't make things easy."

Stretching, Miketsu sat bolt upright. She closed her eyes and began to use her Thread of Causality to divine Eirin's current location.

"...Not bad. Still in Japan, and not in some strange location. It's not too far either. Let's see, the best route is..."

Muttering, Miketsu used her causality vision to check which path she should take. She looked for the fastest way to get near Eirin. For a moment, it was like she was scrolling through a navigation app on a phone; the system provided multiple options like walking, cycling, bus, train, or plane, listing the time and even estimated calories burned for each.

Suddenly, among the countless threads of causality, Miketsu found a route that took the least time, was the easiest to implement, and burned the fewest calories. It required only a tiny bit of spiritual power to get her near Eirin instantly.

"Okay, this is the one!"

Miketsu gave a casual snap of her fingers. Immediately, amidst a surge of spiritual power, a complex magical array manifested beneath her feet. A burst of crimson light erupted from the array, swallowing her whole. When the light faded, Miketsu was gone from the room.

Gensokyo, afternoon.

On the shaded balcony of the Scarlet Devil Mansion by the Misty Lake, Remilia was performing the ritual to summon a lower familiar. As she chanted the incantation, the magic circle beside her erupted in a dazzling red light. When the glow dissipated, Remilia felt someone standing next to her.

"O loyal servant who has come to this world at my summons, go and brew a delicious pot of black tea for your master."

Without even turning her head, Remilia gave the order in a haughty tone. A gentle voice replied from beside her.

"Brew black tea?... Sure, but I see your house is quite large. Where exactly is the tea room?"

'So, according to the spell's requirements, I summoned a familiar who knows how to brew tea but doesn't know the layout? That's normal,' Remilia thought to herself. She still didn't turn her head as she spoke.

"Go out from the balcony, turn left, go straight, turn right, go down the stairs, go straight, and it's at the end of the corridor on the left. Hurry up! Don't make me repeat myself."

Leaning against the high-backed chair carved with bats and inverted pentagrams, Remilia gave the order with a hint of impatience. The voice beside her spoke with a thoughtful hum.

"Left, then right... that seems like a bit of a hassle. It's hard to remember and it's a bit far. I think I'll pass."

"Pass? As a familiar, are you defying your master's orders?" Hearing these words, Remilia finally couldn't help but frown. She turned her head coldly, looking at the presence beside her with an air of majesty, and then she froze.

"...A human? Or a miko?"

Beside her stood a black-haired girl in red and white miko robes, looking around with a curious expression.

"Hey! How could a human miko be summoned here as this young lady's familiar?!" Looking at the unidentified miko, Remilia asked loudly with a stern expression, her body emitting a faint aura of a lord's pressure.

Hearing Remilia's words, Miketsu paused for a moment. She looked Remilia over and then mimicked the other's tone.

"Ah! How did a European vampire chibi end up in this country's Secret Realm?"

Hearing Miketsu's words, Remilia's cheeks puffed out in an instant, and a vein-mark popped onto her forehead. She spoke harshly to Miketsu.

"Hmph. A mere human, and a familiar of mine at that... How dare you talk back to me like that! I was going to be merciful and not activate the contract, letting you act on your own. But since you're like this, don't blame me for being unkind. Go! Go brew a pot of the finest black tea for me right now!"

As Remilia spoke, she began to activate the familiar contract for a forced command. Generally speaking, anyone who appeared from her summoning circle was bound by the contract, and the orders carried a compulsory effect. Remilia pointed her finger at Miketsu, the vampire lord sitting in her luxurious high-backed chair, regally commanding the miko before her.

She held the pose for over ten seconds. Time seemed to freeze. Neither Remilia nor Miketsu had any reaction, making the atmosphere incredibly awkward for a moment.

"Um, thanks for the summon. But I have some other things to do, so I won't trouble you any longer. Goodbye."

Seeing Remilia frozen in her seat, Miketsu was the first to break the silence. She turned and walked off the balcony without a second glance, entering the Scarlet Devil Mansion as if she intended to find the stairs and leave through the front door.

"Hey! Don't leave! Hurry up and brew tea for me!" Seeing Miketsu walk away, Remilia gestured and shouted her command. However, her order, which carried the power of the contract, had no effect whatsoever. Miketsu just strolled out of her sight.

"Urgh... damn it. Does this girl have some kind of anti-contract secret technique? She's not as simple as she looks..."

Remilia stood up from her chair, her face clearly full of displeasure.

To be summoned as a familiar and then defy the orders of the powerful vampire lord while acting completely indifferent—this was a grave insult to the blood of her noble house! The proud Remilia could not accept this!

"Fufu... do you think you can escape from me just because the contract failed?" Standing on the balcony, Remilia calmed her heart and began to murmur with a smile. She was right; compared to the rudimentary techniques she had learned from her friend, she possessed a far more powerful ability—one that no mortal could defy!

Remilia Scarlet was the Scarlet Devil of Fate. She possessed the ability to manipulate fate to a certain degree. Under the manipulation of the power of fate, mortals would become her marionettes, dancing to her whims without even knowing it. Naturally, that human familiar would be the same.

"Now... O red string of fate, manifest before me..."

As she whispered, mysterious and complex patterns appeared within Remilia's eyes.

Immediately, the world began to change in her vision. Bright red lines connecting all things appeared in her sight. Looking at these red lines, the smile on Remilia's lips deepened.

"All things are within fate. Even if you escape the contract, you cannot escape fate."

As she spoke, Remilia began to use the lines of fate to perceive the state of the miko currently within the Scarlet Devil Mansion.