Chapter 75

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 75

Chapter Title: Cute Vampire Lord, Ariel (1)

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'Family? Won't you join me?'

I mulled over the woman's words in my mind.

The human-like female monster who had suddenly asked me to join her giggled as she waited for my response.

I racked my brain, thoughts spinning rapidly.

For starters, since I looked like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vampire, it wasn't strange at all for her to ask about vampires.

'...But to recognize me as a vampire she's never seen before, distinguish my face, and then ask if I'll join her.'

I got it.

Silver horns protruding from her head and black wings.

A monster who wasn't human but looked more human than any human.

A Lord.

In this world, there were humanoid monsters called 'Lords'—superior species that commanded other monsters.

Only a few races were known, and no one knew where Lords lived or how they were born. It was one of those unresolved teases from the previous game, a major lore hook.

The woman before me had to be a Vampire Lord.

And she...

[Of all times, she shows up when Her Majesty is away... This is the end for me...]

[Kuh, just you wait, monster. You may be all high and mighty now, but when our queen returns... you'll die for sure. Her Majesty will avenge us...]

...was probably the Lord of all those vampires I'd wiped out in that cave.

Her flight path made sense too. It was a perfectly reasonable deduction.

She had clearly been heading toward the Pedros Gorge.

I activated Master of All Life to check her status.

'As expected, she's a Lord. And her stats are impressive.'

I was now certain she was the Lord of the vampires from the cave I'd cleared. She had to be the 'Her Majesty' those dying vampires had mentioned.

Lords all had monstrous stats.

I'd tensed up wondering if hers might outstrip mine, but fortunately, they didn't.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Probably because she's young.

Lords lived for centuries without breaking a sweat, but this Ariel was only 20.

Her stats were relatively low for a Lord, but that made sense for her age.

An adult, sure, but compared to other Lords, she felt like a kid.

Even so, these stats were more than enough to earn the trust of a bunch of vampires.

The vampire I'd thought was the leader back then had physical stats in the mid-30s. No wonder she'd gained his full confidence.

I looked at her. Ariel was still beaming innocently.

"Why no answer? Oh! Are you thinking it over?"

Despite being a Lord, her youth and personality gave her a fresh, rookie vibe.

"Hehe, no need to hesitate! You won't regret joining me!"

She was like a blank white canvas.

"You'll have lots of friends to hunt with, and we can chat together too?"

Ariel grinned brightly, listing the perks of joining her.

As I listened, a twinge of pity stirred in me.

I wondered what her reaction would be if she saw the cave I'd completely wiped clean.

All her 'friends' for hunting? I'd killed them all.

Even my current vampire form was made by stacking points from their corpses.

"Um... Or maybe you don't feel like answering?"

Blissfully unaware, Ariel was fully focused on recruiting me.

Her face fell for a moment, then brightened again.

"No need to be shy! I'm your race's Lord. Doesn't it make you want to follow me from the bottom of your heart?"

Lords could dominate their lesser kin just by existing.

Not total control, but like Ariel said, it made them want to submit willingly.

That had to be her 'Lord's Aura (Vampire)' skill.

A very, very, very diluted version of my Yin Gate of Love and Submission or Yin Gate of Lewdness and Worship.

Unlike mine, it didn't require sex to activate or strengthen—it was always on.

"No, ma'am. I was just so shocked to meet you for the first time."

I finally spoke.

I addressed her politely in the vampire tongue.

I'd stayed silent because I wasn't sure about the right speech pattern.

But staying quiet too long would be suspicious. Vampires surely had varied ways of talking anyway.

A little 'kirik, kirik' at the end would be perfect, but the ones I'd heard spoke fluently, especially the standout ones. This felt more natural.

Since I was transformed, I could speak aloud without telepathy.

Ariel's face lit up.

"Oh, really!? Hehe, I almost misunderstood! Nice to meet you! I'm Ariel, your race's Lord."

Ariel reached out and gently stroked my head.

Smooth, smooth—

Hmm...

Me stroking others was one thing, but being stroked?

Still, it didn't feel bad. Must be the beauty factor.

I observed Ariel up close.

She was small ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠overall, height included.

Probably the tiniest among my wives.

But her chest was decent relative to her frame.

Great proportions, killer figure, pretty face—no flaws.

Cute, adorable, innocently sweet. Not sexy, but the kind of charm that melted hearts everywhere.

On Earth, wolves would line up to hit on her.

Three cheers for this world full of strong women...!

Anyway, by my 'female scout' standards, Ariel was wife material.

Stats, body, looks.

Top-tier female, no missing pieces.

I stayed still as she petted me. After about 30 seconds, she pulled back and said,

"See? Feels good, right? If you join me, I might... just occasionally! Not often, but for good work—I could pet you like this?"

She added some fluff like, "Tempted, huh?"

I nodded, savoring her cuteness.

"Understood, Lady Ariel. I'll join you."

"Really!? Hehe, thank you! Let's get along great!"

Her face lit up with pure joy.

Seeing it, I felt my genital tentacle twitch. Hadn't even pulled out my dick yet, but it was already throbbing.

'Thank you.'

I planned to make her not just a quick fuck or reserved hole, but a perfect wife and mate.

She suited Yin Gate of Love and Submission, not the lewd worship one.

I wanted to wrap her up and ravage her right now, but when hunting prey, better to trap 'em in the web first.

Until she was fully snared in my dungeon trap, I'd play along.

"Shall I follow you now, Lady Ariel?"

"Yes! Oh, wait! You were flying the opposite way. Where were you headed?"

"Searching for a nest."

Truth was, off to loot magic stones from a rural village, but what use would a vampire have for them?

Vague cover worked.

"Oh, got it! From now on, live in my nest! Let's go—it's not far. Short flight!"

"Yes, Lady Ariel."

I nodded, and she beamed.

Then, hesitantly,

"Um... Not yet, but if it's okay, call me 'Queen' instead of Ariel!?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"Ehehehe..."

She giggled cutely at 'Queen.'

"You answer so sweetly and speak so fluently! You seem like leader material, the type to lead a group!"

"Thank you."

Flap, flap—

Ariel laughed brightly, and we took to the skies together.