The Blood Empress Arrives
Before the Demon Lord Castle appeared the Blood Empress, Cardistella Moon Night. Even without manifesting her immense authority, her presence was so commanding that anyone could sense it. Cardistella clearly carried the aura of an absolute being, one who would not seem out of place even if countless people deified her. In truth, the dead of Crimson Castle revered her as though she were a religion, and their faith was evident in their every devoted action.
Nella approached slowly to get a better look at the newly arrived figure. “It is an honor to meet you. I am Nella, Captain of the Engineering Corps under the Demon Lord’s army.”
“A pleasure. I am the lord of Crimson Castle and ruler of the vampires. First Blood, Origin Vampire, Blood Empress. I have many names, but I would appreciate it if you simply called me Cardistella.”
Even in her first greeting, her lofty pride was unmistakable. Each of her titles shone with regal dignity, yet no one could call them arrogant. They were all true, each one an accurate description of Cardistella herself.
“Um… then, Lady Cardistella. Have you come to see the Demon Lord?”
“I have. I am the Demon Lord’s friend. I should have joined the Demon Lord Castle long ago, but I was delayed by important matters that needed resolving. Now that everything is settled, I came without further delay.”
“But… how did this castle…?”
Nella had never met this being before, so she could not help but suspect it might be an enemy deception. Yet there was no reason for such a powerful existence to bother crafting a lie that would be exposed the moment the Demon Lord arrived. More importantly, Lusteria’s obvious delight lent considerable credibility to Cardistella’s claim of being the Demon Lord’s friend. If she was truly the Demon Lord’s ally, then she was undoubtedly a member of the Demon Lord Castle.
“It has been so long, Lady Cardistella! I am so, so happy to see you!!”
“Oh, Lusteria. Have you been well? You are still as adorable as ever. Good girl, good girl.”
“Hehe.”
Lusteria greeted Cardistella with open affection, clinging to her like a puppy wagging its tail. Cardistella stroked the succubus’s head while offering praise, and Lusteria smiled contentedly under her gentle touch.
“You have finally arrived. I was beginning to worry that Humian had gotten to you, given how long we had gone without word.”
“You are still as unpleasant as ever, Tin Can Maid.”
After restoring order to the dining hall, which had been thrown into chaos by the thunderous noise, Beatrice appeared. With her usual expressionless face, she immediately provoked Cardistella in her characteristically dry tone. It was a taunt disguised as concern. Mentioning Humian to the First Blood who had risen from death by her own will, the Origin Vampire who had founded the bloodline, was nothing short of an insult to an absolute being, a belittlement of her exalted authority.
Cardistella countered by calling Beatrice a tin can. She dismissed the Ego Doll, built of machinery, as mere scrap metal. Yet Cardistella possessed one fatal weakness, a complex she could never overcome against Beatrice.
“Yes, Lady Anvil Empress, you remain as flat as ever.”
“What is different about your chest!? Yours is nothing but an artificial breast made of Cornium and artificial cells! What are you so proud of!?”
“Still, it is far better than having nothing at all. Fufufu.”
“Grrrrrr!!!!!”
Beatrice had compared Cardistella’s flat chest to an anvil. Cardistella, who had been struggling to maintain her composure as an absolute being, exploded at the single word “anvil.” Her chest was her trigger, the most effective way to provoke her. She tried to retort by mocking Beatrice’s chest in return, but Beatrice’s counter—that having something was better than nothing—only enraged her further. Cardistella’s counterattack failed, and she grew so furious that her sharp nails began to lengthen visibly.
Cardistella’s crimson pupils contracted, and blood rushed to her fangs, staining their tips red. The two stood on the verge of combat, Blood Empress and Killing Machine facing each other with killing intent.
“Stop this at once! What kind of disgrace is this in front of the citizens!?”
The one who pushed through the surrounding orc soldiers was Crawford. Drawn outside by the earth-shaking roar, which he had mistaken for an enemy attack, he recognized the familiar shouting and realized Cardistella was the cause. Relieved that it was not an invasion, he calmed the panicked residents before finally appearing.
“This tin can called me an anvil! And with those artificial-cell breasts of hers!!”
Though Crawford’s stern rebuke made Cardistella withdraw her threatening aura, she continued to seethe. Beautiful appearance, immense power, overwhelming authority over the dead of Terraris—she possessed everything a perfect vampire could desire, yet she harbored a deep complex about the one thing she lacked. A single strawberry on a cake always stood out more than several on a salad. Beatrice knew this all too well.
“Fufufu. The Master was quite fond of these breasts, you know.”
“…!!!”
With a mocking smile, Beatrice kneaded her own chest to flaunt it. Had it been an ordinary chest, Cardistella might have managed to suppress her anger. But Beatrice’s chest, while not as large as Neromeltia’s or Lusteria’s, was still full and ample. Moreover, it was flawless in shape and curve, a perfect embodiment of ideal proportions, so beautifully formed that one could almost feel its alluring softness just by looking. It was the masterpiece of the magical engineer Ronald Gutman, so perfect that one could believe it had been sculpted by the creator himself. Watching this flawless being massage herself in front of her was enough to make Cardistella want to spit fire. Her fury surged so violently that she could not even scream.
Crawford sighed in exasperation and looked toward Lusteria. Even the Sword Master of Hemonigent was not equal to restraining both the Blood Empress and the Killing Machine at once. If Lusteria helped, they might prevent the worst, but he worried whether the soft-hearted succubus could intervene properly. As expected, Lusteria merely hopped in place, flustered by the confrontation.
“Let us stop here. That was merely a small revenge for turning the dining hall into a mess.”
“What!? I am nowhere near finished!”
“Welcome to the Demon Lord Castle, Lady Blood Empress.”
Beatrice erased her irritating smile in an instant and unilaterally ended the fight with a polite greeting. There had been a reason for her provocations. The thunderous noise and tremors caused by Crimson Castle’s appearance had shaken the entire dining hall, spilling food from the tables. Since the unannounced arrival had ruined precious meals, Beatrice had taken her own form of petty revenge as the one who managed the kitchen.
Cardistella had no intention of letting Beatrice end the fight on her own terms. Starting a fight was one thing, but unilaterally stopping it was unacceptable. Beatrice had withdrawn so abruptly that the word “how dare she” nearly left Cardistella’s lips. Yet when Beatrice addressed her properly by her title, “Blood Empress,” with her usual expressionless face, Cardistella realized that continuing to press the issue would only make herself look foolish.
“Haa… Very well. My castle appeared rather noisily and disturbed the dining hall, is that it? My apologies.”
“You two truly never change. The moment you meet, you are at each other’s throats…”
“By the way, where is the Demon Lord? It has been quite some time since I arrived, yet she still has not shown herself.”
Having cooled from her earlier rage at the absurd situation, Cardistella readily offered an apology and ended the quarrel. Crawford let out a sigh of relief and voiced his nostalgic recollection of the past. Once the commotion that had consumed everyone’s attention subsided, Cardistella began looking around, eager to fulfill the wish she had longed for during their time apart.
After their brief reunion, Neromeltia and Cardistella had been forced to part again. The Blood Empress had worked tirelessly to resolve the crisis facing Crimson Castle so she could see the Demon Lord once more, and thanks to Beatrice’s advice, she had achieved results far sooner than expected. Yet even that short period had felt unbearably long, so she had waited impatiently for this moment. The moment the problem was solved, she had used the drastic method of relocating her entire castle in an instant to rush to the Demon Lord Castle. But when Neromeltia, whom she had expected to come greet her, failed to appear even after considerable time, Cardistella’s heart grew anxious, and a wave of disappointment washed over her.
At Cardistella’s displeased remark, Crawford hesitated. Beatrice, Lusteria, and Nella were equally puzzled. Given Neromeltia’s personality, she should have arrived instantly to welcome her friend. Especially since Neromeltia adored beautiful women, it was only natural that she would have rushed over to embrace Cardistella. Yet there was no sign of her.
Feeling the weight of everyone’s gazes, Crawford reluctantly spoke. “The Master departed in haste to find the dwarves.”
Neromeltia, who had shared breakfast with them that very morning, had left without a word. Lusteria, Beatrice, and Nella could only stare at Crawford in stunned silence, wordlessly demanding an explanation. When Cardistella realized that she and Neromeltia had once again missed each other right after their reunion, she erupted in fury.
“Neromeltiaaaaa!!!!!”