The Vampire Lord and the Taste of the Demon King
“What do you mean?”
“Tasting the blood of powerful beings is my only hobby.”
“A hobby?”
“Yes! Aren’t you curious? I want to know what kind of blood gives you such immense power. Strong guys have a different flavor to their blood. I once drank the blood of a famous human swordsman, and his blood had a rich, deep flavor unlike anyone else’s! The moment I drank it, I could even feel my muscles swelling up!”
Frey raised both arms, striking a pose to show off her muscles.
“When I drink the blood of mages, it feels like my head is clearing up. The stronger they are, the richer the taste.”
She finished speaking and looked at me.
“Demon King, if it’s a Demon King strong enough to make even a Hero his own, what would that taste like? I came here because I was curious.”
“……Did you ask the previous Demon King for this, too?”
“I did. But he refused. He said he would never give it to me. So we fought a lot.”
It seemed this was the choice. Submission or symbiosis. Should I make the vampires my enemy and force them to submit, or should I make them my allies and fight together? No matter how I looked at it, being hostile to all vampires wasn’t a good option. I was already surrounded by enemies. Everyone, from humans to other races, except for those in my dungeon, considered me an enemy. Creating yet another enemy in such a situation was a bad move.
‘Symbiosis is better.’
It was a shame. I wanted to see the vampires admit defeat and kneel before me. I’d have a chance for that someday. For now, it was time to choose symbiosis.
“You want to drink my blood? Is that all?”
“Yes. I’m curious about the taste of your blood. What would you taste like?”
Frey, who had been looking at me with sparkling eyes, opened her mouth.
“If you let me drink, I’ll grant you one favor. Not a wish, but a favor.”
It was a strangely erotic thing to say. I didn’t think the proposal was bad. Being owed a debt by a vampire with this level of power was something I absolutely needed in my current position.
“Understood. I can grant you that much.”
I would need her help when I attacked the Roman Kingdom.
You have selected the Symbiosis Route.
“I knew you were reasonable! There’s something that connects us demons. Don’t you think? Humans don’t understand this. Once, I drank from someone out of goodwill, and they completely turned into a demonic beast……”
“Wait, a demonic beast?”
“Yes. They were so weak that they mutated. It won’t matter for you. You’re strong.”
“…….”
“That was my mistake, too, so I don’t drink from those who are unnecessarily weak. I just collect samples separately.”
“…….”
She didn’t seem to be lying. But a demonic beast? That was unsettling. However, if I felt something was off, I could just dispose of her then.
“Understood.”
I tilted my neck slightly and offered my throat.
“Then, I’ll just have a little.”
“You talk too much.”
My neck felt ticklish. It was exactly like the feeling before getting an injection. A strangely irritating sensation. Frey sank her teeth into my neck.
Slurp.
I could hear the sound of Frey drinking my blood right by my ear. Frey’s eyes snapped wide open.
‘Huh?’
The moment she took a sip, her head spun. It was the first time she had tasted blood this delicious. What was this? The moment she drank it, the world turned upside down. Had there ever been blood this delicious? She had been drinking blood for her entire life. She had lived for a thousand years. She had spent a thousand years drinking only blood, yet she had never tasted anything this good.
‘Was the blood of other Demon Kings this delicious, too?’
Of course, she had met a few Demon Kings. But none of them had ever said they would give her their blood. What they always chose was war. They would throw punches, claiming no one should be stronger than them, and in most battles, she couldn’t decide the outcome and would always run away. So, this was a first. Drinking the blood of a Demon King. But this……
‘It’s too delicious!’
She wanted to drink more. She had only taken a sip, but what she felt was the taste of heaven. No, since she was a vampire, the taste of hell would be more fitting. Her head felt like it was popping with excitement. She was getting tipsy. Her face flushed red. Humans drank alcohol to feel good, didn’t they? She felt like she finally understood why they drank so much. She felt good. The corners of her mouth kept curling up uncontrollably. She knew she shouldn’t, but she kept laughing.
“Hehe.”
Had she been drinking blood for the last thousand years just to feel this taste? Her heart pounded. For some reason, her breathing became ragged. The blood in her entire body began to circulate rapidly, and her body started to react. Her lower body felt itchy.
‘I want to touch it. Ugh.’
But she was a vampire with integrity. Even if the Demon King had delicious blood, touching herself in front of a strange man? That was unthinkable. Even if that strange man had seen her chest…… Her face flushed red once more.
Slurp!
So she took another sip. It was delicious. Truly delicious. She felt like she was going crazy. She wanted to keep drinking this. What is this? What is this stuff? She didn’t know. To think such delicious blood existed. It was sweet, bitter, strangely nutty, mixed with the iron-like and fishy taste peculiar to blood, and it even had a deep, complex flavor. It felt like every taste in the world existed and was harmonizing freely. Let’s drink just one more time. If she drank more……
Slur……
“Stop.”
“Huh?”
Frey dangled, held by the back of her neck by the Demon King.
“Didn’t you say you were just going to have a taste? Just how much are you planning to drink?”
“Hehehe. It was so delicious, I couldn’t help myself. Hehehe.”
“…….”
“Can’t I have just one more sip?”
Dangling there, Frey felt the world spinning. Round and round. In that spinning world, the only thing she could see was the Demon King. ‘Why does he look so cool? The Demon King wasn’t my type at all…….’ Her preference was for men who were a bit slimmer and more delicate. This man was a bit more rugged and masculine than that…… His thick forearms and heavy muscles weren’t her type at all. Why did her eyes keep drifting to him? She shook her head. What is this? Am I crazy? Get a grip, Frey.
She snapped back to reality. But she didn’t want to lose all of the intoxication washing over her.
“I feel so languid. Really.”
“Aren’t you going back?”
“Can’t I stay like this for a little longer? I feel so limp, I don’t want to do anything.”
“…….”
“Just a little. Okay?”
The reason I couldn’t answer Frey was for a different reason.
Frey is resisting the charm. Failed. Frey is becoming intoxicated.
It was because the word ‘Intoxication’ had appeared above Frey’s head. ‘Intoxication?’ Intoxicated by blood. No wonder her face was red and her focus was hazy; she looked exactly like someone who had been drinking. Just like a human getting drunk on alcohol.
“Hehehe! The sky is spinning, spinning.”
“Stop it and go to sleep.”
“I can’t sleep now. I have to go back before the sun rises……. My body is weak…….”
“Then sleep and go tomorrow.”
“There’s nowhere without the sun……”
“There’s a dungeon. You can rest there.”
“Ughhh. It’s damp there, I don’t like it…….”
“You’re a guest, yet you’re quite demanding.”
“Because I’m a guest. Guests are kings.”
Now her speech was incoherent. She was no different from a completely drunk person.
“Then let me have just one more sip…….”
“No.”
“Huiiiing.”
“Don’t you have a subordinate with you?”
“I have one lackey……. But I came secretly. They probably don’t know I’m here.”
“…….”
Contrary to what she said, I could feel a presence heading toward the castle from afar.
“Stay here and rest for a bit.”
“Ah~ Whyyy. Where are you going, leaving me behind? If you’re going to leave a guest here, give me something before you go.”
“…….”
I let out a deep sigh. I had to enter a symbiosis with someone like this? It would have been better if she were a bit more dignified; she became completely annoying when she drank. I thought about forcing her to submit right now, but I quickly dismissed the thought. The loss if I failed would be too great. Sighing deeply, I drew blood from the hole in my neck. Red blood, wrapped in demonic energy, filled a cup. The feeling of drawing blood was truly disgusting. After filling the cup with about a coffee cup’s worth, I handed it to her.
“Drink slowly. It looks like another guest is coming.”
Frey’s gaze was fixed on the blood, unable to look away.
“Okay. I can handle that much. Who do you take me for? I am Frey of the great Gestell family, Vampire Lo…….”
I didn’t listen and walked out. And I faced the being flying toward our castle. Thud. A soft landing. The owner of the energy was a handsome man with black hair. A presence that made it obvious to anyone that he was a vampire. He looked like he could command hundreds of bats.
“Greetings, Great Being. I am Roy, the humble butler of the Lord. I have come to escort my master.”
“You mean Frey?”
“Yes.”
“She’s inside.”
I pointed toward the castle, feeling annoyed.
“Might I ask if my master has committed any rudeness?”
“She committed something similar to rudeness.”
I showed him my neck as an answer.
“Ah, my apologies.”
“It’s fine. It was done by mutual agreement. Go on in for now.”
***
“Haa, haa.”
Frey moistened her tongue with the blood and touched her lower body. The moment she scratched her itchy crotch, a thrilling pleasure pierced her entire body. It felt like electricity was flowing through her. The blood that made her feel good, and masturbation. She felt so good that her head was dizzy. If this had been her castle, she would have locked the door, stripped off her panties and clothes, and fallen into the depths of masturbation.
“What is this, why do I feel so good?”
It felt like she was going crazy.
“Huuuugh!!”
Squish, squish.
“Haa, haa…….”
Was drinking blood always this enjoyable? Frey felt a sense of buoyancy from the unfamiliar sensation. Floating. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment as if her body were drifting away. If she did just a little more here. Squish, squish. Her fingers went deeper. The sound of moisture and her moans began to grow louder.
“Ah, I’m coming……. I’m coming.”
Just a little more. Just a tiny bit more…….
At that moment, the drawing room door burst open.
“Lady Frey!”
“Kyaaaaaa!!!!”
Startled, she covered her lifted skirt. “Who are you! When did you get here!”
“Did you think I wouldn’t be able to find you just because you disappeared?”
“H, h, how did you know to come here?”
“My Lady, let’s go. You are causing a nuisance.”
“G, get out right now! Why did you come so suddenly! It was just getting good…….”
“My Lady, this is not our castle. We must return at once.”
Frey wanted to scream at the butler who had walked in without reading the room. However, she didn’t get any angrier. What if the Demon King had walked in before him? Her head felt dizzy.
“My apologies. She has never been like this before.”
Frey’s butler, Roy, looked at the cup containing the blood she had been drinking.
“This is blood I’ve never seen before……. Is it perhaps the Demon King’s blood?”
“Yes. Do you know why she’s so dazed?”
“Yes, this happens occasionally to vampires. It’s a hyper-blood symptom that occurs when a vampire drinks too much blood, or drinks a lot of blood with powerful energy; it’s a phenomenon caused by the body being unable to detoxify the foreign blood.”
“So you mean she drank too much blood?”
“Yes. She has never been like this before. No matter how much she drank, because the power she possessed was so strong…….”
Roy dipped his finger into the blood I had left in the cup and tasted it.
“Ugh!”
Roy’s face twisted. It was the expression one makes when drinking strong liquor.
“The power is immense. If it’s this much, I think I understand why Lady Frey is so out of it.”
“Is that so?”
“The mana contained within is enormous. Most vampires would have their bodies explode after drinking just one sip of this blood.”
“Hmm…….”
“Since it’s Lady Frey, I think she only ended up like this.”
I looked at Frey, who was glaring at me and Roy with flushed cheeks. What was she hiding? She was huddled up tightly. She looked just like a cat.
“My Lady, let’s go.”
“Ugh…….”
Roy, who had helped Frey up, handed me a small crystal ball.
“And Demon King, this is a communication orb. You will be able to contact us, so please reach out at any time.”
“Understood. I have something to receive from Frey later anyway.”
“I’ll come again later.”
Frey moved away with Roy. Her hair tips looked like they had been dyed slightly black. Must have been my imagination, right?
***
Diana and the delegation from the Non-Human Alliance arrived at the Imperial Palace. Empire. That was the name referring to the Imperial Palace. The palace was filled with hallways decorated with flashy ornaments and treasures made of gold. The Empire was a place where the few strongest individuals from the Non-Human Alliance were scattered everywhere. They followed the knights’ guidance. And they arrived at the massive throne room. The high ceiling was filled with glowing stones shining with mana. Huge spheres of light hung there, signifying that the Empire’s power always shines even in the darkness. Diana, admiring the magnificent sight, looked up at the Emperor sitting on the golden throne high above.
Was he in his mid-twenties by human standards? The young Emperor was looking down at them with an arrogant expression. Pitch-black hair, and eyes as red as blood looking down at her.
“An uninvited guest has come to see me. What is the matter?”
The voice he uttered contained an irresistible power. This man was the Emperor of the Empire. Diana bowed her head and paid her respects.
“I greet the ruler of the Empire.”