Party Intrigues and the Queen's Resolve
After the king's declaration, the party began in earnest.
Yet a noble's ball was never merely about eating and drinking. The heads of each house, or those of equivalent standing, gathered to exchange vital information and conduct negotiations. The feasting and revelry came only after that.
"What do you all make of His Majesty's words?"
"What is there to deliberate? The Medelgard Church has offered to send the Purification Knights."
"With the power of a church specialized in anti-undead warfare, we can deal the Saryeong Kingdom a heavy blow. We must seize this chance. Speaking of which, my house is looking to sell a few pieces of art—might you introduce me to a reliable merchant?"
Some nobles scrambled to find ways to profit from the coming war.
"Hmm… even so, half a year feels far too soon…"
"Indeed. After the civil war and the undead outbreak, we need years just to stabilize the interior and rebuild our strength."
"I agree we must strike the Saryeong Kingdom, but the timing is premature."
Those who looked beyond immediate gain fretted that the assault on the Saryeong Kingdom was being rushed.
"I suspect His Majesty intends to bleed us dry."
"The Saryeong Kingdom already crushed the nobles of the Luciarkenel royal house. Time has passed since then; they will have turned the fallen into undead and grown even stronger."
"With the Purification Knights we will win, of course. But only after suffering catastrophic losses."
Nobles well-versed in intrigue whispered among themselves that the war was a scheme to strip them of power.
Though the aristocracy had split into three camps, two convictions were shared by all.
First: with the Purification Knights of the Medelgard Church—specialists in anti-undead warfare—victory was possible.
Second: Lillian, who would become lord of the reclaimed lands, would spend the rest of her life fighting on the front lines against the Saryeong Kingdom.
While those two Masters bleed themselves dry defending the territory against the Saryeong Kingdom, we will recover our strength and claim the lands that hold the Black Soil.
To win the civil war the king had promised his vassals countless privileges. Yet if the nobles grew too strong, royal authority would naturally wane; somehow their power had to be curtailed. Openly crushing the very houses that had stood with him would only drive others away. So he dangled the Purification Knights as bait, luring the nobles into pouring out their own gold and troops against a Saryeong Kingdom at the height of its strength.
Victory in the civil war has swollen our bulk, yet the fruits of that victory still need time to ripen. Once the newly absorbed territories begin to yield, even heavy losses could be recovered in a few years. This is the perfect moment to bleed the nobility.
The common folk would suffer, of course—but to those of "noble blood," strengthening the crown mattered a thousand times more.
Meanwhile, though the party was well underway, not a single soul approached Akina. She stood alone and conspicuous. In pure beauty she yielded nothing to Lillian, yet her nearly two-meter frame kept every guest at a distance. Accustomed to such isolation, she simply sipped her wine and watched Lillian and Priscilla surrounded by nobles.
"Countess."
"…Hm?"
She reacted a beat late to the voice that called her.
"Kaisent? Do you have some business with me?"
"No. Nothing of the sort."
"Then why…"
"Even without business, smiling and enjoying oneself is what a party is for, isn't it?"
"…"
Akina stared blankly at the small figure of Kaisent, who barely reached her waist. Until now, no one had ever spoken to her without some ulterior motive.
"I simply wanted to chat about this and that… Am I interrupting?"
"Ah—no, not at all. It's fine."
When Kaisent tilted his head and looked up at her with those pitiful eyes, she answered in a fluster and quickly averted her gaze.
"Ugh… why that giantess of all people…"
"Is he being threatened? Is she threatening him?"
Countless young ladies glared openly at Kaisent and herself with naked envy.
At a party, other women are jealous of me.
For the first time in her life Akina felt a thrill of superiority as the young ladies envied her for monopolizing Kaisent. She had reached the Origin realm and believed herself mentally tempered by countless battlefields, yet the sight of girls younger than herself coveting the boy at her side was vulgar, primal—and deliciously intoxicating.
"Earlier you seemed to be speaking with the Captain. Do you two know each other?"
"How much do you know about your Captain?"
"I know she is the princess of a kingdom destroyed by the Saryeong Kingdom."
Kaisent had glimpsed their serious conversation from afar and already sensed that Akina knew Lillian's true identity.
She told Kaisent she is a princess? She means to bind him thoroughly.
Akina took Lillian's revelation of such critical information as proof of her fierce resolve not to let Kaisent go.
"I learned through my own investigations that your Captain was once a princess. And that is why I must say this…"
She paused, weighing her words.
"I hate sounding like the schemers I despise most, yet this much I must tell you. The road ahead of the princess is far too harsh."
"I know."
"Suppose everything goes well and a portion of the Saryeong Kingdom is reclaimed and granted to her. She will never rest again—day and night she will fight the Saryeong Kingdom as it tries to take the land back."
"I suppose so."
"I understand you feel indebted to her and wish to repay that debt. But with your current ability it will be difficult. Every talent needs a solid foundation if it is to grow straight and true."
Kaisent could only nod. He knew his own gifts were extraordinary, yet fear of combat had kept him from ever learning how to fight efficiently. Had he even mastered the simplest self-defense arts from his father or sisters, he could have faced the Outer God cultists without a single casualty. He possessed vast inner power yet did not know how to use it efficiently; he had brilliant talent yet remained ignorant of the methods of true masters.
"Even so, I will stay with the princess."
"…Haa. Fate always denies us the things we most desperately desire."
Akina sighed at the cruelty of destiny and frantically turned over every possibility in her mind.
If I let Kaisent go like this, the boy will either die at the hands of the Saryeong Kingdom before his talent can bloom, or his foundations will remain so weak that he never fully blossoms.
For a child of such kind nature and rare gifts to grow upright and realize his potential would be a blessing upon this world.
By accepting the king's proposal the princess has become half a royal soldier already. In that case…
Akina spun scheme after scheme, determined to give Kaisent at least a chance to build his foundations. With the evolved mind of an Origin-realm warrior she searched for a way—even if she could not claim him herself—to ensure he received proper training.
This is it.
A method possible only because Lillian was no longer a mere mercenary captain but had one foot in the royal army.
"I must be going."
"Pardon?"
"I've thought of a proposal for the princess."
Akina started toward Lillian, who was still ringed by nobles. Something tugged at her trousers; she looked down.
"You're leaving already?"
"Eh—yes?"
"I was so happy to see Countess Akina again after so long…"
"Ugh…"
The sight of Kaisent looking crestfallen because he had looked forward to meeting her filled her with crushing guilt; a soft sound escaped her throat unbidden.
"Th-then… just a little longer."
"Yay~"
Allowed to stay at her side, Kaisent brightened and began chattering about one thing after another.
So cute! I want to nibble him! I want to scoop him up and hug him tight! Should I just take him home and adopt him as my son?
She pictured Kaisent as her adopted child, smiling adorably and running toward her calling "Mother~".
D-dangerous! Just imagining it makes me so happy my facial muscles are going to melt!
Countess Akina had always presented herself as a strict mother and lord to her children and subordinates. Yet every time she looked at Kaisent that severity dissolved into the soft feelings of an ordinary woman. It was the power of his bloodline, but she herself believed it was simply because he was too adorable; she never once suspected an external influence. Especially after mixing with so many women, Kaisent's combination of cuteness and sensual charm could melt even sturdy wariness. Only deep hatred or hostility could resist it.
"Countess."
"Y-yes."
"What do you usually do in your territory?"
"Nothing particularly interesting… Just training the soldiers and knights, patrolling the borders…"
"But even in ordinary days, unusual things must happen sometimes."
"Unusual things… Ah, one of my knights once got so drunk he vomited disgracefully right in the middle of training—wait, no, that was too crude. Sorry."
Akina was a knight, warrior, and lord respected by all, and precisely for that reason she had never simply chatted with anyone. Having been enormous since childhood, she had never made friends her own age; her small-talk skills were catastrophic.
"Why was that knight drunk?"
"Hm? Oh… nothing dramatic. Just a drinking contest among the knights…"
"Even knights do things like that. But since they're knights, I bet their drinking games are special."
"Not really. This world draws people from many dimensions, so there are all sorts of drinking games. Among them…"
Kaisent oiled the rusty, creaking machinery of her conversation skills.
Wait… am I actually making small talk with this child? Not just exchanging business?
When she came back to herself she found she was chatting smoothly.
This is the first time. Aside from my own children, I've never spoken so comfortably with anyone.
Led by so small a boy, she felt a strange warmth bloom in her chest. She did not yet know what the feeling was, only that she wanted to keep feeling it.
"You two seem to be enjoying yourselves."
While they lost track of time in conversation, Lillian suddenly cut in.
"If you befriended the nobles it would make many things easier. Why not mingle a little longer, Princess?"
"Hoho. I spotted a large vixen trying to bewitch my precious comrade."
"You need not worry. Your comrade is not so spineless that a mere vixen could seduce him."
"Which is precisely why I treasure him."
Both women smiled, yet their words were sharp as blades.
"In any case, this is convenient. I was just about to seek you out, Princess."
"Me? I thought our business was finished earlier."
"Speaking with this child made me realize something."
Akina smiled at Lillian.
"Enter my service, Princess. For half a year I will personally train all of you."
"In the end the humans have bared their greed, Your Majesty."
"We have word that the church of this world specialized in anti-undead warfare is dispatching something called the Purification Knights."
In a lightless chamber, an audience hall of clashing, bizarre décor, elegantly dressed vampires reported to the vampire woman seated upon the throne.
"…"
The vampire queen sat expressionless, legs crossed with elegant poise, regarding the speakers. High-ranking vampires who knew her well recognized the look of deep contemplation.
"Your Majesty. We understand the guilt you feel toward the humans of this kingdom."
"…"
"Yet they have trampled every attempt at dialogue you offered, and they claim the 'accidental' mass undead outbreak was our conspiracy."
"Ridiculous! Had we truly set our minds to it, it would never have ended so mildly!"
"Exactly! Because we stayed quiet, every problem is laid at our feet!"
"I hear there are other vampires in this world besides us! Yet simply because we are vampires they pin every crime on us—we cannot stand for it!"
One high vampire's bitter complaint drew fierce agreement from the rest.
The queen and her people had learned too late that the war with Luciarkenel had been born of misunderstanding. Both sides had royalty they were sworn to protect; by the time cooler heads prevailed, the other side had already been annihilated. Having destroyed an entire kingdom through error, the queen lived with crushing guilt and carefully tended the surviving people of Luciarkenel. Fortunately the Black Soil made food abundant. Even after she blanketed the entire former kingdom in artificial clouds for the sake of vampires who could not walk in sunlight, no one starved.
"They crushed the hand we extended in dialogue and spat upon it. Now they shift their own troubles onto us and even raise weapons. The time has come to act."
The queen had tried to explain the tragedy to neighboring kingdoms and express her remorse. They only pointed fingers, branding them wicked undead and fastening upon them the dishonorable name "Saryeong Kingdom." Envoys were attacked on sight, their words never heard. Thus even the vampires who had once wished only to atone for Luciarkenel's tragedy and coexist with humans gradually filled with rage; voices rose demanding they first subdue the humans by force.
"Give us your decision, Your Majesty."
"Give us your decision."
The reporting vampire bowed, demanding a verdict; the other high vampires joined in one voice, insisting on a response to the crisis.
"…We cannot yet gauge the strength of these Purification Knights. Therefore smash them head-on and show them how powerful we truly are."
"Yes!"
"We shall demonstrate our might to the humans!"
In a voice too pure to belong to the undead, the queen ordered the counterattack; every vampire answered with fierce enthusiasm.
Yes! All our plans have succeeded!
The high vampire with the splendid beard and sharp features—Durack Jallin Cimeike—clenched his fist in silent triumph. It was he who had dispatched vampires into Halrot Kingdom territory to create undead. More precisely, it had been a joint effort of several high vampires including himself.
Had we wished, we could have raised undead on a scale that would have swallowed Halrot Kingdom whole. But then the queen would have hunted for the culprit.
Their conspiracy would have been exposed.
It had to look like our doing to the humans, yet not like our doing to the queen. Finding that balance was difficult, yet we achieved it perfectly.
High vampires who had done nothing yet again found themselves the scapegoats of human fury; news that holy knights specialized in anti-undead warfare were coming pushed their patience past the breaking point. Even Durack, architect of the plot, had expected retaliation from Halrot, but never that a kingdom still reeling from civil war would commit so fully.
The king of Halrot must have his own designs—or else he is a fool. Either way it no longer matters. Next we will topple Halrot Kingdom itself.
And in the expanded territories they would create new bloodkin and usher in a second golden age in this new world.
The humans of this world know nothing of our blood magic. We, however, have already catalogued their weapons. We must exploit that advantage.
As Durack and the other conspirators departed with smiles, the queen, left alone, spoke quietly.
"Sirin."
"Yes."
The armor standing behind her moved at the summons.
"You will join this war as well."
"Pardon? But I am Your Majesty's guard…"
"To force the humans into swift surrender without prolonged resistance, we must display overwhelming power."
"…Yes. I receive your command."
Even in her original world the queen had been gentle; the shock of destroying a kingdom the moment she arrived in another world through misunderstanding had made her passive. This was the decision she had reached after long agony.
Forgive me, humans. But to save as many of you as possible, this once I will become the worst of murderers.
The strongest knight, once called the Knight of Regret in her original world for the way she made every enemy who attacked her kingdom scream in despair, now moved to the front lines at her queen's command.