Moonblood - 1
Nahen was heading toward Seere’s office to discuss the conversation they had been unable to finish yesterday after she had abruptly left. Why did she leave like that yesterday…? The question still lingered in his mind. Still, she was approaching the age where puberty brought greater emotional swings, so Nahen chose to understand. At that age it was perfectly normal to swing from excitement to melancholy in the span of a heartbeat. He had gone through the same phase himself, and he intended to respond with a generous heart.
With that mindset, Nahen approached the office door wearing a gentle smile. Even though Seere had run off the day before, he planned to greet her warmly. Yet when he knocked, it was Secily who opened the door.
“Secily?”
“Good afternoon, Lord Nahen. I was just cleaning the office.”
At the word cleaning, Nahen tilted his head. “Where’s Seere?”
“Her Majesty is currently with the head maid.”
“With Rea?”
Nahen tilted his head again. It was working hours; the idea that she had gone somewhere with Rea struck him as odd. “Where exactly did they go?”
“She’s taking etiquette lessons.”
“…Etiquette?”
“Yes. It was about time she began, and it was at Her Majesty’s own request. Ideally she should have started much earlier, but it’s a little late. Still, it’s better to learn these things before she grows any taller.”
Nahen nodded. The explanation made sense, yet— “Why during working hours?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know that part either. The head maid said it was because Her Majesty insisted.”
“…Is she skipping out on work?”
“Who can say?” Secily covered her mouth with one hand, her fluffy fox tail swaying lazily. A small, delighted smile curved her lips. “Perhaps the duties have grown a touch tedious and she’s indulging in an adorable little rebellion.”
“Hmm… When I offered to split the workload with her, she refused.”
Unable to puzzle out the reason, Nahen scratched his head lightly and asked, “How long will the cleaning take?”
“A while. I only just started.”
“I see. Do you know where the lesson is being held?”
“Yes, they should be in the rear garden.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Having learned Seere’s location, Nahen set off at once. Watching his retreating back, Secily recalled the words Seere had whispered when she summoned Rea earlier and let out a soft laugh.
“Her Majesty really is too cute for words.”
Secily smiled warmly. To her, Seere was an object of absolute loyalty and service, yet at the same time a younger sibling she had looked after and played with since childhood. She wanted to grant every wish Seere held—even if those wishes bordered on obsession.
That was why, when Nahen arrived at the office, she had pretended to be cleaning. To guide him straight to the garden.
“I’ll help you as much as I can, Your Majesty.”
Humming a cheerful tune, Secily returned to her dusting.
Nahen headed directly to the rear garden and spotted Seere almost immediately.
“All right, walk this way.”
“…Yes!”
The sight that greeted him was rather unusual. Instead of her usual office attire, Seere wore a long, voluminous party dress that swept all the way to the floor. A stack of books balanced precariously on her head as she took slow, careful steps forward.
Nahen stared, momentarily dumbfounded, trying to figure out what she was doing. Watching her glide forward step by step without treading on her hem, posture perfectly maintained, he gradually understood.
Balance training?
Still, he couldn’t fathom why such an exercise would be part of an etiquette lesson, so he simply watched with a tilted head.
Seere was managing the balance beautifully. Then she suddenly lifted her gaze—and her eyes met Nahen’s.
“…Hyaat?!”
“Your Majesty?!”
“Ah…”
The books clattered to the ground as Seere startled and toppled. Nahen felt a pang of guilt. She clearly hadn’t realized he was there; the sudden eye contact must have shocked her.
“Your Majesty, why did you fall when you were doing so well?”
“T-Teacher…”
“Yes?”
Rea turned around, and her eyes met Nahen’s as well. He raised a hand in an awkward greeting. Rea’s expression shifted into one of understanding.
Nahen approached them. “You weren’t in the office, so I asked Secily while she was cleaning. She told me you’d be here. Sorry for interrupting.”
“Not at all. What brings you here, if I may ask?”
“I wanted to speak with Seere about the 55th floor.”
Nahen glanced at Seere. She sat dejectedly on the grass, staring at the scattered books.
“Seere.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Sorry for disturbing your lesson. Since things have turned out this way, do you have a moment?”
“Yes…”
While Rea gathered the fallen books, Nahen led Seere to a bench nestled within the garden and sat beside her. He asked gently, “Is the work boring?”
“Pardon?”
“I heard you suddenly asked for etiquette lessons. If you’re doing them during work hours, I thought perhaps…”
“N-No, that’s not it!”
Nahen tilted his head. Not it? Then why insist on holding them during office hours? She could simply shorten her regular lessons and allocate the time to etiquette.
“Then why take them during work hours?”
“W-Well…”
“You could reduce my lesson time slightly and use that slot for etiquette instead.”
“That won’t do!!”
“Huh?”
When Nahen looked startled, Seere realized she had raised her voice and shook her head. She met his eyes squarely.
“I cannot reduce Teacher’s lesson time.”
“…Why not?”
“Because… I like your lessons. That’s why I tried to shorten my work hours instead. If I concentrate, I can finish the work faster…”
Nahen blinked. “My lessons mean that much to you?”
“Of course they do. Your lessons are incredibly important.”
A sting rose at the bridge of Nahen’s nose. What teacher would not be moved by such words from a student? Anyone unmoved by them would be a fraud wearing a teacher’s mask.
“I see. I understand your feelings, and I won’t stop you. But I do have one more question.”
“Yes?”
“I understand the need for etiquette lessons, but why start so suddenly?”
“Um… well…”
Seere’s eyes darted about before she offered, “It simply occurred to me. When I thought about it, I realized I’d never learned any of this, so I decided I should begin now.”
“I see.”
Surprisingly, Nahen accepted the explanation without suspicion.
“There’s the General Assembly in two years as well. I need to acquire at least the basic etiquette before then, don’t I…?”
“You’re right. I hadn’t considered that at all.”
Even in Evil Queen Maker, etiquette lessons—tea ceremony, dance, and manners—had always been vital. They directly influenced the Grace stat, and a low Grace score led to several bad endings. Because more urgent matters kept arising, he had pushed the issue aside and completely forgotten it.
“In that case, I’ll take on part of your workload.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m not trying to steal your duties. I’ll return them once the etiquette lessons are finished.”
“I’m really all right…”
“No. What if you push yourself too hard and fall ill?”
Seere considered insisting, but the realization that Nahen was genuinely worried about her made her nod.
“Then… please take only a portion of the work. I know Teacher will handle everything perfectly.”
“What are you saying? You’re already better than me at most things.”
“What am I good at? Anyway, we have something else to discuss, so let’s set this aside for now.”
“Ah, yes.”
The original purpose of the visit had been to discuss strategy regarding the 55th floor. Nahen brought up the main topic without delay.
“At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange for Gremory to conquer every floor up to the one directly above us.”
“Indeed.”
“However, according to the report I received from Dane yesterday, it seems they wish to form an alliance with us.”
“An alliance? Why would the 55th floor want to ally with us?”
“I don’t know the exact motive, but I have a few guesses.”
Seere thought for a moment, then tilted her head. “Because I defeated Belial?”
“That’s the most likely reason. Belial was equal in strength to a mid-tier Demon King.”
“Forming an alliance with a higher floor would diminish their own influence, so they’d rather join hands with us—a lower floor?”
“That’s one possibility.”
Nahen looked at Seere. “What do you want to do? Are you open to an alliance?”
“Wouldn’t it benefit us?”
“It would. But there are risks.”
Seere nodded in understanding. It seemed she viewed the alliance as a transaction with no downside. Respecting her opinion, Nahen continued.
“If we do form an alliance, there are two paths we can take.”
“Two?”
“The first is to wait until Gremory descends to the floor directly above us and then form the alliance.”
“Yes.”
“The second is to strike upward first, pressuring Gremory, and form the alliance under that pressure.”
“The second sounds better, but… the fact that you’re presenting both options suggests the second is difficult?”
As expected of a perceptive child. Nahen nodded. “Realistically, it would be hard for us to seize a floor comparable to Gremory’s power and apply meaningful pressure with our current strength alone.”
“Then…”
“Yes, waiting is probably wiser.”
If Gremory swept through floors 56 through 66—higher floors from Seere’s perspective—and then allied with them, Seere’s faction would benefit enormously. They would conserve all the blood and resources that would otherwise be spent on conquest. The only question was whether they could maintain balance against Gremory’s expanded forces afterward.
“Will that be all right?”
Seere’s worry clearly lay in that direction. Nahen offered the countermeasure he had spent the previous day devising.
“Even so, there is still a way to apply pressure.”
“There is?”
“The 55th floor possesses roughly 350,000 soldiers.”
“…That’s a lot.”
“It is. But not an impossible gap to close.”
Seere glanced at him, puzzled. “Don’t we only have about 80,000 troops right now?”
“After absorbing the 67th floor’s forces, we have roughly 100,000. Still a 250,000 difference. Without conquering additional floors, how do we catch up?”
“Recruiting more soldiers is the obvious step, but there is one other method.”
“What is it?”
In Evil Queen Maker, the Demon Realm was composed of many races. While Demon Kings ruled them, certain tribes gathered in specific areas to form small societies—like the Lamb tribe on the 72nd floor.
Those tribes pledged loyalty to the ruling Demon King, paid taxes, and received protection. In that sense they were not so different from other demons, aside from living among their own kind. Yet some races were different.
There were races that had formed societies entirely outside a Demon King’s rule. Such cases were rare, but they occurred among races with exceptionally high pride or those too few in number who needed to hide to avoid extinction. The prime example of the former was the vampire race; of the latter, the gargoyle race. And there were races that fit both categories.
Nahen knew exactly where they resided. Quite unusually, several races had fled the Demon Realm to escape Demon King rule and now lived in the Human Realm. He intended to make use of them.
“We bring the minority races into our fold.”
He had already completed the necessary preparations.
“Minority races?” Seere tilted her head at the suggestion. “But they hate being ruled by Demon Kings.”
Since the proposal came from her teacher, there had to be a sound reason, yet she still found it difficult to understand.
“That’s why we must persuade them.”
“How?”
“Do you know the fundamental reason they reject rule? Most Demon Kings only think about dominating demons. They tend to view those under them as nothing more than tools.”
That tendency, paired with their cruel natures, turned most Demon Kings into tyrants. Even Sitri, despite her relaxed demeanor in private, possessed a tyrannical disposition as a monarch. In that sense, Seere was an extremely unusual case. She was not without cruelty, but she respected and followed Nahen’s words without question. As a result, her public reputation was closer to that of an ordinary ruler than a tyrant. Among Demon Kings, that alone would qualify her as a wise sovereign.
Nahen intended to make use of that public perception.
“Forcing a merger would only end in failure.”
“Then what should we do?”
“We do what we did with Sitri—we form an alliance.”
Seere unconsciously furrowed her brow. “Alliances are formed between equals. I am a Demon King and they are merely demons. You want me to ally with them? That doesn’t sit well with me.”
“That’s not quite right.”
“Pardon?”
“The essential meaning of an alliance does not include the concept of equality.”
Seere’s shoulders flinched. A brilliant light had begun to shine in Nahen’s golden eyes.
“To achieve one’s goals, one must be willing to join hands with the weak and with the strong alike. That is politics through alliances. On the surface they may appear equal, but the reality beneath is always different.”
“Different… how?”
“Shall I give you an example?”
Nahen produced a map he had originally intended to spread out in the office. It was not a map of the Demon Realm; even Seere could tell it depicted the Human Realm.
“The region north of the territory ruled by the Northern Union. It is known as an uninhabited polar zone, but that is not the truth.”
“What’s there?”
“The vampire race lives there.”
“…What?!”
The vampire race. A people so proud they had rejected rule by any Demon King who was not their progenitor and left the Demon Realm. Their pride originated from the Primordial Moon, their ancestor. It was common knowledge in the Demon Realm that the progenitor of the vampires had stood on equal footing with the first Demon Kings.
“They refused to be ruled by any but their progenitor. They believe their progenitor, who will one day lead them, will awaken from eternal sleep and return. That is where they went.”
“…How did you know that, Teacher?”
The answer, of course, came from the game. All of this was fully revealed setting information. The method Nahen planned to use was one of the builds he had employed in Evil Queen Maker. It had not been intended for this exact moment, but Gremory’s movements had altered the original story, leaving him no choice.
“Teacher simply knows many things.”
“…I see.”
Though she still looked puzzled, Seere did not press further. She really was a good child. Nahen smiled with satisfaction and continued.
“If we form an alliance with them and bring them into our faction, we can raise a vampire legion of at least fifty thousand.”
“…That’s not bad at all.”
“True. But it would be troublesome if they began acting arbitrarily because they believed themselves our equals, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“So I intend to use this.”
Nahen drew a small, round orb from his pocket. It was the very first thing he had sought after seizing the Demon King castle on the 67th floor.
Crystallized Blood of the Vampire Progenitor
Contains the sealed power of Ersha Scarlet, the first vampire.
Those who carry the blood of the moon will answer its call.
“What is that?”
“It is called Moonblood.”
“Moon’s blood…?”
“The moon itself does not bleed, of course. It’s a metaphorical name. Seere, do you know what the progenitor of the vampires was called?”
“Um…?”
Seere tilted her head, then her eyes suddenly widened as realization struck. When she looked at Nahen, he nodded to confirm her thought.
“This is the blood of the vampire progenitor.”
“Ah…”
“If we awaken the progenitor from her eternal sleep for a brief time using this blood and form an alliance through her, would the vampires beneath her consider themselves our equals?”
“No…”
Because the alliance would be made with the monarch of all vampires, those who followed her would naturally become Seere’s subordinates. Since the progenitor would return to sleep after the brief awakening, the result was effectively the same as Seere absorbing the entire vampire race.
“This way, even though we call it an alliance, we can clearly establish the hierarchy. You will reign over them.”
Nahen smiled. Seere stared at the expression that appeared whenever he was confident in his schemes and felt genuine awe. Discovering the vampires’ hiding place, locating the crystallized blood left by their progenitor, and crafting a flawless plan around it—his intelligence was astonishing.
She inwardly marveled at how remarkable he was.
“The vampires desperately wish for their progenitor to awaken. Gaining entry should be easy.”
“I suppose so.”
“Well? Is my proposal still unsatisfactory? If you dislike it, we can devise another plan.”
Seere looked at Nahen. Today his golden eyes seemed different—almost like the eyes a true monarch would possess. Seeing them, she smiled softly. She recalled what she had written in her notebook the previous night and answered.
“Yes, Teacher. It sounds good.”
“Thank you. Then may I proceed with this?”
“Of course. As you wish.”
“Good. I will definitely succeed, so wait with peace of mind.”
“I always believe in you, Teacher.”
With that, Nahen returned to the office first. Persuading the vampire race had to be done quickly; he needed to begin preparations at once.
After he left, Rea approached cautiously. “Your Majesty, are you truly all right with this? The vampire race abandoned life in the Demon Realm.”
“It’s fine. They still possess pride as demons.”
“…I sometimes feel Lord Nahen’s schemes are excessively cold. He cannot be unaware of what it means to drag back those who left the Demon Realm for the Human Realm.”
“Rea.”
Seere smiled. “It is something I have permitted.”
“…Forgive me, Your Majesty. I overstepped.”
“Not at all. I understand your concern. But didn’t you once tell me that men like women who can firmly support them from behind when they set out to do something?”
It was a lesson Rea had given her during sex education—one of the ideals men supposedly desired in a woman. Therefore Seere had decided—
“So I will trust in Teacher.”
With a mature heart, she would allow Nahen to do exactly as he wished.