Dissatisfaction and Bewilderment

Eagerly rushing towards the shop selling rice cakes, Altrouge's appetite was piqued by the soft, white, and delicate-looking sweets filled with red bean paste and white sugar, as well as the sweet treats made with soybean powder in her memory.

After all, who could resist the allure of sweets, especially girls?

However, the vendor's attitude was not what she expected.

"Sorry, Miss." The vendor explained cautiously after being captivated by the beauty of Altrouge at first glance. "All sold out..."

"...Hmph."

Altrouge, as a noble vampire, coldly huffed at the sincere expression of the vendor but didn't intend to bother him any further. After all, it wouldn't befit her status to argue with lower beings. If there were any real offenses, she'd rather opt for a formal apology or even a severe punishment.

In this regard, Altrouge had more of what one would call true 'nobility' compared to Artorius and the people of the empire.

After a light huff, Altrouge turned and walked toward the nearby stall. It was an ice cream vendor, offering a variety of flavors, from strawberry to grape, orange, and chocolate. All of them were delicious and wonderfully chilled.

By the way, chocolate, just like potatoes, existed in this era, along with many other crops that were originally from the Americas. This was probably because of the Nasuverse.

While rice cakes were indeed tempting, ice cream was a girl's best friend. Unfortunately, there were no specialized shops selling parfait ice cream with lots of toppings at this time. Otherwise, Altrouge would undoubtedly have shown a much happier expression.

However, it ended with disappointment, again.

"I'm really sorry, Miss..." The ice cream vendor also wore a regretful expression. "We've sold out."

"W-What?"

The vendor's attitude only fueled Altrouge's dissatisfaction, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was being played.

"What's going on?"

When the lady was unhappy, the duty of a knight was to step in, whether it was to offer ice cream or to deal with the trouble. In the future, when she sets her sights on a man, it will likely be the knights who will have to make the effort.

Seeing that Altrouge was growing increasingly unhappy, White Knight Blood Svelten took a step forward and opened the box in front of the vendor. Inside, there were several large barrels, insulated with blankets, and they were all empty.

Judging by the marks inside these barrels, it seemed like they had contained ice cream at some point. So, it wasn't the vendor's fault.

"Princess, it appears..."

"Hmph!"

For the same reason as before, Altrouge only gave a cold snort, expressing even more dissatisfaction. However, she didn't let her frustration show and simply turned away, taking long strides as she left.

"Princess, what's the plan now?"

"Split up! Go buy separately and then regroup. I refuse to believe that every food vendor on this street is sold out!" Altrouge said coldly while looking up at the sun.

Perhaps low-level vampires would fear the sun above their heads, but for her, a True Ancestor, this thing had absolutely no effect.

"It's barely noon right now." Using the sun as a time reference, she declared. "There's no way all the vendors have completely sold out! It's ridiculous!"

""Yes, Princess!""

The two vampire knights who received their orders quickly split up and began their shopping spree.

Barbecue sausages, fresh fruit juice, quail egg skewers, fried noodles, fried chicken wings, braised pork noodles, crepes, and creamy pastries.

It had to be said that Artorius's knowledge from the future, combined with the technological marvels of the Age of Gods, had far-reaching effects not only on agriculture and industry but also on the culinary and entertainment industries.

Before the complete decline of the Age of Gods and the restoration of production capabilities, this thriving commercial district could continue to exist for several hundred more years.

However...

"None left?"

"None left?"

"What the fuck, they're all sold out! This stuff you call 'bean juice' smells like garbage water! Is this even fit for human consumption? This kind of garbage is fucking sold out?!"

Finally, the mentally-wearing Svelten grabbed a vendor's collar in frustration and shouted in anger.

"Are you messing with me?! You must be messing with me, right?!"

"No, Sir! Even though it does smell like garbage water, it actually tastes quite amazing—"

"Do you even believe what you're saying?! Huh?!"

Svelten was on the verge of losing it.

At this point, he was absolutely certain that he was being fooled, that someone was trying to embarrass him in front of the Black Princess.

Though he didn't know who would choose such an absurd way that sounded like utter nonsense, Svelten didn't care. All he needed to know was that he had an enemy, and he was determined to destroy them!

"Indeed, there is something fishy..." Strout, the most composed and more experienced among them, said gravely.

"I've asked many humans, and they couldn't make any sense of it. They just said business mysteriously boomed and their goods were sold out fast. I asked them whether it had always been this good or if it had only gotten this way recently, and they replied that it had only gotten this good recently. I asked them why, but they had no idea. Someone must be manipulating their memories or using some other means to shield their perception."

The Black Knight Strout conveyed the information meticulously and then concluded.

"So, what's their... purpose in doing this?" Svelten pondered and felt puzzled by all of this nonsense. "Do they want to fight us vampires in this way...?"

As he spoke, Altrouge and Strout were also momentarily confused, at a loss for words. Until they heard a furious roar.

"What the hell?! All sold out?!"

This outburst resonated with what they had been thinking so that words were strangely familiar. The three vampires turned to see a girl with short, light golden hair, looking exasperated, berating the vendors.

She had tanned skin with a healthy complexion, almost like the skin color of a Western swimsuit model usually had. She wore a tracksuit on top, with a sports tank underneath, along with running shoes and shorts. She looked like a member of a track and field team.

By her side, several girls who shared a similar appearance followed her.

They wore long skirts and sailor uniforms, some blew bubbles with bubblegum, some wore eyeshadow, mouth masks, braces, and earrings, and some were carrying crowbars, baseball bats, or wooden swords. In any case, they all bore the inscription of 'Holy Sword' on them.

Although it seemed quite comical, a slight touch of their aura revealed that those weapons held a fearsome power. They were not to be underestimated.

'...Who the heck are these people?'

Suddenly seeing girls dressed as delinquent teenagers from the 20th century in the 5th century, Black Princess Altrouge and her knights were utterly bewildered.

===

Author's Note:

Artorius's cautious attitude toward Crimson Moon is indeed justified. He is currently slightly inferior to Crimson Moon, and that's normal.

In the previous volume, before Artorius defeated Crimson Moon, she had already suffered heavy beatings from the empire's Knights of Punishment and Knights of Redemption due to the empire's might and the advantages it had gained over a thousand years of development. At that point in time, the empire had reached its full potential.

However, in the current era, the empire is still in its infancy, while the Crimson Moon of this era is even stronger than the resurrected Crimson Moon in the previous Holy Grail War. This is because the Crimson Moon in the current era still receives the care and blessings of Gaia.

On the flip side, the resurrected Crimson Moon in the previous Holy Grail War has become an enemy of the Counter Force, as her true purposes have been somewhat exposed.

All things considered, in the battle between the fledgling empire and today's fully-powered vampires, the empire is slightly inferior.