195. Baritra (1)
195. Baritra (1)
- 1 -
The palace of the Baritra Marquis Household had been magnificent when I saw it during the day, guided by Serica.
But now, at night, it seemed to reveal its true essence—hidden during the day.
Red magical lamps flickered throughout the building, which had an ivory base accented with black.
Light caught and flowed across the ivory surfaces, and the shadows rippled as if alive.
'The mana flowing across the surface is making the shadows even deeper.'
Mana flowed through the entire palace. In the darkness of night, the dignity of a high-ranking demon realm noble house and the prestige of a Marquis's ancient vampire lineage became even more vivid.
"Welcome, Lady Libertas."
At the entrance, the head of Baritra, Marquis Velled Baritra—known as the 'Marquis of Cold Fury'—and his wife were already waiting outside the palace doors.
Contrary to his epithet 'Cold Fury,' meaning 'cold anger,' he wore a gentle smile, and his wife, standing beside him, was the first to bow to me with elegant grace.
"Your Excellency. Thank you for greeting me so personally."
When I offered my respectful greeting, the wife stepped forward first.
Her crimson dress brushed the floor with a soft sound.
"Serica always says she is constantly indebted to you, Lady."
Her tone was polite, yet subtly cold.
It was as if she intended to observe the required courtesies as the Marchioness but would permit no warmth beyond that.
A bastard daughter who had reclaimed her succession rights, and the mother of the legitimate heir. It was obvious their relationship could not be anything but complicated.
"I am the one who always receives her help. Our first meeting was not pleasant, but it has been that way ever since."
"Is that so? I am relieved to hear she has not caused you any trouble, Lady."
I saw wariness flicker across her face, but I merely offered a smile.
"Now, let us go in. Everything is prepared."
As I turned my gaze to look around, I saw that those who appeared to be the main family members of House Baritra were already seated inside the banquet hall.
Most were vampires, but there were also quite a few demons of other species.
Among them were also those who had willingly come to support my dungeon alongside Serica during the Arpina incident.
"You have arrived, Lady. We have been waiting."
"We meet again."
"It is an honor to meet you. Lady Libertas."
"I look forward to your acquaintance."
I responded to the countless greetings—sometimes with warmth, but mostly with noble courtesy.
"It has been a long time, Lady."
"Yulian. You have grown more gallant since I last saw you."
"How could I dare compare myself to you, Lady?"
I also greeted Yulian, the legitimate heir, who had personally visited my dungeon when we took Serica.
Beside him, as always, was Baroness Melody Haig, the family's administrator, so I exchanged a look with her as well.
"I have been continuously hearing rumors about you, Lady. When I heard that you had faced three Dungeon Lords of equal rank and survived, even I, who carry the cold blood of this family in my veins, could not keep my blood from boiling."
Yulian's eyes were filled with a light of pure admiration.
The way he openly displayed emotions that should have been hidden behind a noble's mask seemed somewhat immature, but there was no room to doubt his sincerity.
"Yulian Baritra."
"Urk. I must take my leave. I shall see you above."
As expected. The Marchioness's gaze, glaring at him, was sharp.
Yulian, flinching as if realizing his mistake, soon retreated from before me with a smile.
"Yulian was rude. My Lady."
"Think nothing of it. He is a fine person who could become the head of the family as he is."
"... Thank you for the compliment."
Since she was looking at my face, I smiled with sincerity.
Because it was genuine—judging by how his arrogance had diminished and his affability had increased compared to the past, it truly seemed he would have no trouble maintaining the family's prosperity even if he became the head of the Marquis household.
"Come this way."
"Thank you."
The banquet tables were divided into an upper table and lower tables, and the lower tables for guests and family members were arranged like flower petals centered around the upper table.
Here, I sent Maria and Artemis to the lower tables to eat.
After all, I would be accompanied at the upper table by my subordinate Dungeon Lords, Kamaya and Nirvana, and my guest, Mure, so there was no lack of escort; moreover, I could not bring my guards up to the upper table.
"Father."
As I headed to the upper table, Serica's figure finally came into view.
She was wearing a beautiful dress with a pure white base accented with red, like a bride.
'Her new outfit is cute, too.'
For a moment, mischief flickered in her eyes as she looked at me. The sparkle was that of a woman who loved me, not of a young lady of a noble house.
But soon, she composed her expression and approached Belred.
"Serica."
The Marquis's gaze momentarily softened.
He reached out a hand and stroked his daughter's head. The warmth that crossed his face held an utterly pure light.
If it was sincere, he was a good father; conversely, if it was an act, he was an excellent head of the family raising his daughter's value.
"Please, sit here."
The Marchioness guided us to our seats.
She seated Serica beside Belred, and placed Yulian beside herself.
It was a seating arrangement that hinted at familial tensions, but the legitimate heir's eyes only moved curiously between Serica and me.
"We met earlier as well, Lady."
"It is an honor to share this wonderful occasion with you, Lady."
Seated around us were only the direct bloodline members of Baritra who held at least some position within the family.
It was probably not my imagination that there seemed to be many vampires with a particularly stubborn air about them—vampires who looked young like the family head but were likely actually old.
"Now, bring in the dishes."
At Belred's word, the servants and attendants moved.
The servants' movements seemed cautious.
The massive Kamaya, even with her wings folded, exuded an overwhelming presence, and Nirvana's enchanting aura, her body concealed by petals, captivated the eyes of all who beheld her.
Even at the sound of a single mana-laden breath from them, the servants' shoulders flinched.
And on top of that, there was me—the 'Dungeon Lord who commands Dungeon Lords.'
Clank.
Plates covered with silver lids were placed on the table at even intervals. An appetizing aroma wafted from them.
"It is a traditional dish of our family. We call it the 'Garden of Blood.'"
As the lids were lifted, dishes centered around red and black colors revealed themselves.
The overall appearance was that of a salad, but it was a type of food mixed with red meat. Under the magical lamps, the dish emitted a luster as if it were alive and moving.
"It is a dish said to be prepared only for particularly special guests."
Mure whispered in a small voice.
But I was detecting a subtle fishy smell from the dish.
'Spirit-type mana... it might be elf.'
The likely ingredient in a traditional dish of a vampire noble house was quite obvious, but I could not ignore their sincerity and courtesy.
I slowly lifted my fork and picked up a piece.
Red juices beaded on the silver fork.
Fortunately, the meat itself was ordinary.
"This is an undeserved hospitality. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it. You, Lady, are someone who is to form a special bond with our family, are you not?"
At Belred's words, I felt a subtle stir around the table.
Agitation flickered among the vampires with stubborn expressions.
This 'confirmation' spoken by the family head was apparently not a predetermined matter, at least.
"Our House of Baritra boasts a history of thousands of years."
One of them, the one with the most decrepit appearance, opened his mouth. His voice was filled with pride and wariness.
"In that time, we have formed bonds with many. However, with a Dungeon Lord..."
His words trailed off.
Dungeon Lords were candidates to succeed the Demon King. For nobles, a relationship with them held meaning beyond a mere political alliance.
The faction of the Wrath Duke had yet to clearly support any of the successor candidates on the surface.
But if they were to form a relationship with me, it could potentially turn most of the Archdukes on the surface into enemies.
In other words, this was raised to check the family head's statement.
"Our Baritra."
And that remark clearly touched the family head's nerves.
"Does not cower."
His voice was still gentle, but the chill contained within it froze the spines of everyone present.
A faint red light spread around the family head's body, and sparks of mana tore through the air.
"We were merely waiting. For one who is worthy."
His lips parted slightly, revealing fangs that gleamed coldly under the magical lamps. His words were directed at the elder, but his mana was pressing down upon the entire table.
"Is that not so? Elder."
"Y-yes... you are correct, my lord. Absolutely."
The old vampire's answer came out in a trembling voice.
At that moment, Belred's mana vanished as if it had been a lie, but the meaning of his epithet 'Cold Fury' had already been sufficiently demonstrated.
Velled Baritra's demeanor remained unchanged throughout.
He continued to maintain his gentle smile; only the dismayed look of the Marchioness beside him reconfirmed the shift that had occurred moments before.
Clank.
In the midst of this, I was calmly eating my food.
From across the table, the sight of Serica eating gracefully in accordance with noble etiquette caught my eye.
Her hand movements were perfect, but I recalled how she used to pick up and eat fruit with her bare hands back in the dungeon.
'To be honest, she was cuter back then.'
Perhaps intrigued by my composure even amidst the commotion, another vampire spoke to me.
"One would imagine that a Dungeon Lord of your caliber would not have been left alone by rivals on the surface."
He seemed unconcerned about what had just happened beside him. Either the members of this family were fearless, or it meant such incidents were commonplace.
My guess leaned toward the former.
"Word travels fast."
I lifted my wine glass and savored the aroma.
The blood-mixed wine glowed with a mysterious light under the magical lamps.
As I took a sip, the mana contained in the blood subtly seeped in.
"After the three Dungeon Lords, there were indeed further attacks and attempts at appeasement. All were attempts to bring me under their command."
The most direct attack came from the Secret Duke's faction, who had sent Arpina to attempt assassination, but before and after that, there had been one or two more attacks from Dungeon Lords bearing the names of viscounts and barons.
They were pathetic ones who hadn't even attempted to probe my information, and some hadn't even properly grasped their own abilities.
"In that case...?"
"However, no such attempt can affect me. The same will be true in the future."
At my words, the gazes of the kin changed. A degree of favor was beginning to show in their eyes.
My assumption that they, being of the Wrath faction, would value 'strength' had been correct.
"A wise choice."
Belred spoke. His voice held a subtle satisfaction.
"The Archduke's shadow may be peaceful, but to form a bond with them..."
"Would mean losing my way."
When I finished his sentence, Belred's eyes gleamed.
His smile, which had been merely gentle, deepened—a bonus.
"Serica."
"Yes, Father."
"You made a wise choice."
At Belred's words, Serica's face brightened.
The Marchioness tipped her wine glass with an expressionless face, and a smile rose to Yulian's lips.
Before we knew it, the second course was being placed on the table.
As the blue fish dish was divided onto plates after the soup and bread had been cleared away, the family head, who had been silent, soon opened his mouth and made an offer.
"I heard you will be staying in the Demon Realm for a week."
"That is correct. I have various things to attend to."
"It would be a great honor if you would stay at our palace during that time."
"..."
Belred's proposal held a certain meaning.
The fact that a prestigious vampire noble house, a vassal of the Wrath Duke, was welcoming a Dungeon Lord into their palace. It was nothing short of a political declaration, beyond mere courtesy.
'It reminds me of matters back on Earth.'
I was silent for a moment.
In any case, protocol had to be observed, did it not?
Considering the position of my dungeon, which was already forming a certain relationship with the Marquis household, and Satan's position of not currently supporting any Archduke on the surface, the answer was already decided, but—
"The honor is mine. Your Excellency."
With my answer, the atmosphere around the table softened further.
"The honor is mine as well."
I met the family head's eyes.
His eyes, still wearing a gentle smile, continued to observe me.