Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Cute Vampire Lord, Ariel (2)
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"So anyway! I just blurted it out like, bam! I said I could do it all on my own!"
Flap, flap—
The journey back was far longer than the trip to the royal territory.
Ariel seemed to see me as special, but ultimately just a "slightly exceptional vampire lord."
That was probably why she was flying slower than her usual speed. To make it easier for me to keep up.
It was slow, but not boring.
We chatted the whole flight.
"So, what happened next?"
As I shot her a curious look, Ariel shrugged and laughed.
"Hehe, I just bolted right after saying that! Flew off to another region in a flash. By the time Mother came looking, it'd already been a whole week!"
This story was about how Ariel became independent.
She dragged it out forever. Even simple stuff got blown way out of proportion, piled with tangents. She clearly loved talking.
To sum it up:
As a kid, Ariel dreamed of becoming queen, but her mother opposed it.
They argued, emotions boiled over, and Ariel ran away.
...
This was straight-up a rebellious teen in full puberty mode.
"A whole week? She must've been furious."
"Normally, yeah. But in that week, I took in thirty vampire lords safely as my family and proved my strength. So Mother had to acknowledge my independence."
"That's impressive. And you've been on your own for a year since?"
"Yeah! Pretty much!"
Ariel grinned like a kid.
Truly a pure monster.
She spilled everything without a hint of suspicion—about herself, her mother, even me. Tales most wouldn't share, she told like epic adventures. It was striking.
A monster who'd spent her life in her mother's arms or a cave... purity was inevitable.
I wanted to paint that blank white canvas of hers with my colors.
Flap, flap—
"We're almost there—my nest's just ahead. My speed wasn't too fast, right?"
"No, it was fine."
Eight hours later, Ariel and I reached the midpoint of Peros Gorge.
I nodded, and she chuckled, "Hehehe."
"You're not just talented—you listen so well! Other vampire lords tune out or wander off when I talk... I think we'll get along great!"
Her words rang true.
She'd complained multiple times during the flight that others didn't listen like me.
Vampire lords were smart monsters, sure—but still monsters.
Few, if any, had the focus to indulge Ariel's chatter.
"I love hearing Your Majesty's stories. Tell me more from now on."
"Hehehe, you bet!"
Ariel said that, flew another ten minutes, then flapped down to land.
A cave loomed here.
"Here we are! This is the cave with my nest. Let's head in!"
"Yes."
Thud—
I landed behind her.
The entrance gaped like a massive monster's maw.
Darkness swallowed the interior.
Just as I thought.
Ariel's cave was the colossal one I'd claimed in Peros Gorge.
I'd been 99% sure from our first meeting and chat. But seeing her stand before it, everything clicking perfectly—it felt oddly coincidental.
Ariel skipped lightly to the entrance, then called inside.
"Kids! Mommy's home!"
Her beaming shout felt like a mom back from the market.
"I brought a new friend too! You waited long, huh!?"
Ariel said with a smile.
—….
No reply.
"Huh? No answer?"
Ariel tilted her head. I watched silently.
She clearly hadn't considered total annihilation and called again.
"Kids! Mommy's back, I said!"
—….
Still silence from the cave.
Ariel pouted, then looked at me.
"Ugh... looks like the kids are sleeping. Let's go in!"
"Yes."
I followed her inside.
Step, step—
'Nice, this works.'
To emphasize my vampire lord vibe, I used my old 'Ultrasonic Detection' skill to navigate the dark cave.
Ariel scanned around, calling out nonstop.
"Kids!"
—….
Of course, no response.
"Kids! Mommy's back...!"
—….
Over and over.
"Kids! I brought a new family member! Come out now!"
—….
No matter how loud she got.
"Kids...?"
Ariel's pout turned uneasy as time passed.
We'd gone deep, but not a single vampire lord in sight.
The silence unnerved her. She muttered oddly.
"Wh-where are my family...? They should be swarming from here...!"
"Are they gone?"
"Uh, uhh... wait? Kids! No more jokes—come out now!"
She yelled one last time.
"Kids! Kids! If you don't come out, even I'll get mad! Come on, stop playing—please...!"
Splatter—
A noise echoed from deeper in. Ariel brightened.
"Ah! Coming! You were just pranking. You guys, I—"
Squish, squish—
But the monster before her wasn't a vampire lord.
"Huh?"
No bat wings—instead, tentacles sprouted.
No black body—a purple, fluid form.
My creation: Tentacle Minion N-5.
Following my orders, the tentacle slime emerged and locked onto Ariel in combat stance.
"M-monster...? No one enters our cave but my family...!"
I answered her calmly.
"Maybe an intruder?"
"E-even so. My family numbers tons. Plus, there's a leader like you—they'd never allow outsiders. But...!"
Ariel eyed N-5 in confusion, then steeled herself and thrust her hand out.
Whirr—!
Crimson energy gathered at her fingertips.
"I don't know what you are, but you invaded our turf—you're not leaving! Scarlet Disintegrate!"
Ariel swelled the crimson orb in an instant, then hurled it at my tentacle slime with blinding speed.
Whoosh—!
'Whoa...'
The red sphere hit N-5 before it could react, engulfing its body.
Rumble—!
It crushed N-5 from the outside in.
A 'destruction' technique—N-5 couldn't withstand the pressure and burst. It vaporized beyond recognition.
Sizzle...
'A lord's a lord, even if young. Strong as expected.'
Tentacle minions have cores like me.
With the core intact, they regenerate with nutrients. But Ariel's attack obliterated it entirely—no revival.
N-5 was an early creation; Ariel's mana rated C+. Stats no match.
Sluurp—
N-5's nutrients absorbed into me the moment it died.
As extensions of myself, its experiences and memories flowed to me too. I knew exactly the orb's power.
Not quite on par with Elena—now my wife—but Ariel was top A-Class caliber.
Her flaw? Mentality.
"Uh, wha...?"
Ariel staggered to a cave wall, eyes on a 'trace.'
I'd placed N-5 there deliberately.
For her to spot it post-fight.
As planned, she found the wall trace right after and approached.
The trace? Blood. As Dracula Bloodline vampire lord, Ariel knew its meaning instantly.
"This... n-no way..."
I sidled up calmly.
"Looks like battle traces. Someone invaded. Maybe that monster Your Majesty just took down."
"Ah..."
Ariel touched the wall with trembling hands, then turned to me.
"Th-then, maybe..."
"No reply when you called at first means no vampire lords left to answer. Total wipeout."
"N-no. That can't be. Not total—!"
"Look there."
"There? Where...? Ah..."
I pointed beside the bloodied wall.
Ariel followed my finger—her face drained white.
"Th-this... what..."
The wall was splattered like a canvas in vampire lord blood.
Dried, twisted flesh chunks clung too.
Clear signs of massacre.
"Ah..."
Ariel stared blankly, eyes shaking, body quivering.
Then.
After a moment.
Strange sounds escaped her.
"Hic."
Hic?
"Sniff, sob, hic..."
Her face—tears welled in her eyes.
That innocent, bright visage grew misty; pretty eyes brimmed with droplets.
"K-kids... sniff, hic, h-how..."
Ariel heaved, fat tears streaming like chicken droppings.
"Sob, hic, waaahhh!"
Then she wailed openly.