Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Vampire Nation, King Shaiven of Baek-ah
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Vampire nation, Baek-ah's king Shaiven.
One of Shaiven's generals, Juenr, had once been a troll.
But now he was a vampire.
Juenr remembered the moment he had become a vampire.
In the land of Nix, Golden Eye, the slave trade flourished.
Especially filled with people from enemy nations: Renar's land, Enemy River, Satyros's land of Single Flame, and even the trolls' land of Asbestos.
Juenr too had lived an ordinary troll life in his village until he was captured in a Nix raid and sold into slavery.
At first, he naturally tried every means to regain his lost freedom, but having been sold deep into Golden Eye territory where Nix held high positions, reclaiming freedom was nearly impossible.
When his fellow captives who plotted a rebellion were slaughtered, Juenr gave up everything and lived as a slave.
He naturally assumed there would be no changes in his future life.
It was an era before civilization had blossomed.
Individual lives were monotonous. For Juenr to return to his homeland would take over a month on foot, and since he didn't even know the exact location, it seemed practically impossible. Only a tiny few owned mounts like horses, and even fewer knew how to draw maps.
Juenr thought that since he had already endured the great change of becoming a slave, the odds of experiencing something similar again were low.
But that was Juenr's misconception.
Civilization couldn't be called fully bloomed yet, but it was undoubtedly a budding era.
Juenr served as a body servant in a Nix provincial noble household.
The noble was one of the warriors involved in establishing Nix rule, of high status, but with a foul temper and especially cruel to non-Nix races.
Juenr had forgotten the twisted and thorny god that failed to save him even during the Nix raid.
He had once prayed to Nix's god, the Invisible Origin God, begging for freedom.
But nothing changed, so he stopped believing in gods altogether.
Then one day, word spread of a being called the God of Blood and Rotten Meat, and rumors flew that its apostle was attacking and killing nobles.
Hearing this, Juenr resolved himself.
'I've decided not to believe in gods anymore. So I won't believe in this newly appeared God of Blood and Rotten Meat either. No god ever answered my prayers. But... if that god helps me first... I will dedicate my life to it.'
Even so, he held little expectation.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
But when Juenr opened his eyes in the stable corner—the only place he could rest amid the commotion—he saw a Nix woman standing in the open stable door.
The Nix Juenr saw was dragging a Nix noble's corpse with one hand, drenched in blood spurting from its neck. The blood stench made Juenr think she was an apostle of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat.
As Juenr rambled prayers to the God of Blood and Rotten Meat, the Nix approached.
"Who are you to seek the God of Blood and Rotten Meat?"
"I am the slave of that Nix noble."
"Then, are you saddened by this Nix noble's death?"
"No."
Juenr cut in.
"I rejoice at that Nix noble's death and praise the God of Blood and Rotten Meat."
The blood-soaked Nix said,
"...Good. You are worthy to receive the power of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat."
Then the Nix embraced Juenr and bit his neck.
That Nix's name was Shaiven, and afterward, Juenr followed her, contributing to spreading vampires across the continent.
He joined attacks on three fortresses in various regions and later, appointed as a general, led four thousand soldiers to assault Nix's capital.
When attacking Nix's capital, the god's power gloriously descended upon Juenr's body.
Juenr had become Shaiven's most trusted general.
Currently, Shaiven had divided her four thousand troops. Two thousand heading north and south would devour and subjugate the remaining five nations, while two thousand heading east and west would pass the five nations' borders to attack Lizardman land Black Scale, Nol's land, and Jeol-ri respectively.
Among them, Juenr commanded the vanguard for the next target after Baek-ah: Black Scale.
But to Juenr's eyes, the other generals' movements were strange.
The vampire army received couriers for regular 'supplies' during village raids.
Intelligence via Shaiven informed of each army's status, revealing the other three armies had barely advanced.
Shaiven naturally urged advances, and the generals claimed utmost effort but cited excuses like unusual enemy movements, soldier fatigue, or terrain detours.
Juenr too had halted his army.
Without simultaneous advances, overall pressure on enemies weakened, and pushing too far risked concentrated counterattacks.
'We must seize the momentum now to conquer all continent nations, but what are the other generals thinking?'
Juenr garrisoned in a plundered village and waited.
Then one midday.
Second-generation vampires, classified as upper-tier by player standards, were strongly affected by sun and silver, so they slept in sunless places even during day.
But Juenr couldn't sleep, worried about the advance.
So he reacted instantly when the door opened.
"...Who is it? Sanghwan?"
Juenr called his human-origin adjutant, but no answer.
Thanks to that, Juenr saved his life.
The moment someone entered through the door, blinding sunlight shot toward him.
Fortunately, Juenr only suffered a light burn on his hand before dodging swiftly.
He drew the sword by his bedside and hurled it at the light beam.
The light beam vanished.
Impaled through the heart by the sword was a female Satyros, dead.
Juenr spotted the item by her hooves and realized the light beam's source.
"...A mirror, was it."
It was a smoothly polished bronze mirror.
Adjutant Sanghwan, shrouded head to toe in cloth, arrived late.
Sanghwan bowed to Juenr.
"My apologies, General. One piece of livestock fled and disturbed your rest."
"No matter. I hadn't slept yet."
"Having trouble sleeping?"
Sanghwan ordered soldiers outside to remove the corpse and entered.
Though general and adjutant, they shared deep conversations.
Juenr said,
"I can't fathom what the other generals are thinking."
"As expected, that's your concern."
"Yes. Perhaps the other generals are plotting rebellion with their troops..."
Sanghwan interjected.
"Not likely. You know the feelings that arise toward one who bites and injects poison."
"True, but... do you have any inkling of another reason?"
With those words, fourth-generation vampire soldiers carried the Satyros corpse out the door.
Sanghwan, watching, said,
"...Not everyone follows the will of the God of Blood and Rotten Meat."
"I know that. That Satyros woman just now surely followed a god proving life with death."
"No, that's not what I mean."
"Then?"
Sanghwan hesitated before speaking.
"There are such among vampires too."
"What?"
Juenr was stunned, never having imagined it.
"How... can such exist? We know gods deceive us into living. Some have been abandoned once before. Only the God of Blood and Rotten Meat cared for us again. Yet vampires who don't follow the god?"
"...Yes."
Sanghwan said,
"Because not everyone wanted to become a vampire."
"...I see."
"Surely His Blood Majesty carefully chose you generals and first fangs for those who follow the God of Blood and Rotten Meat. But those generals and first fangs weren't as meticulous as His Majesty. Second fangs even less so. Not everyone endured what you did, General."
Regrettably, 'not everyone endured what I did' failed to convince Juenr.
Juenr shot up, eyes blazing with fury.
"Then we must find those bastards at once. They're sabotaging advances. Send a courier to His Blood Majesty immediately and..."
"Calm yourself, General."
"Why?"
"It's not solely their issue."
"Then even among generals?"
Sanghwan nodded.
"Whether all three, two, or one, I don't know. But some generals sympathize with such soldiers, thinking no need for further advance."
"But you, as a vampire, should know. We... love the master of these fangs."
Sanghwan nodded.
The eternal scar on Sanghwan's neck was from Juenr before him.
"But General, love doesn't mean total obedience."
"Impossible."
"They obeyed His Blood Majesty's orders to survive. Becoming vampires made all enemies. But with Baek-ah established, they envision the next world."
"Next world?"
"Yes. Have you not imagined a continent ruled by Baek-ah? Then, to rule better lands, they'll compete with other vampire generals, naturally preserving more troops. Thus, exploiting dawdling soldiers with excuses to report no advance to His Majesty."
Juenr wanted to retort but had to admit Sanghwan was right.
No issue with other generals.
He had been the fool.
"I see. Your words make it all clear. I won't punish insulting other generals."
"Thank you."
"Instead..."
Juenr said,
"...As soon as night falls, inform all troops. We march. I won't show His Majesty only such generals exist."
"I get that vampires have weaknesses,"
Kramphus said to Seong-un.
"But how do we exploit them? Knowing the weakness only tells us they're confused and paused briefly. They'll move eventually, right?"
"Right. Soon one unit will move. They halted seeing others stop. Checked a general's history; one has stronger loyalty."
Kramphus asked,
"They'll move again? Then that weakness is useless..."
"No."
Not Seong-un, but Wisdom interjected.
Wisdom said,
"Knowing vampire actions reveals their next moves. For example, miracles could manipulate generals to desired spots or halt them. Supplying excuses alone buys time. Delaying supplies disintegrates the army. Not one army, but each general's private force."
"Thanks for explaining, star-head."
At Seong-un's words, Wisdom replied irritably,
"This isn't a star."
"Then?"
"A large dodecahedron from Kepler-Poinsot polyhedra."
Seong-un paused silently before saying,
"...Uh. Sorry. I'll be careful next time."
Seong-un vowed never to comment on Wisdom's head again.
Seong-un said,
"Wisdom's method works. Fomenting division lets generals and mid-tier vampires take loyal underlings elsewhere. Safe inside Baek-ah borders, no armed foes. ...But I won't use it."
"Why?"
"Too slow. Scattered ones will raid unconquered villages of your kin, causing massive damage even after reclaiming Baek-ah land."
Wisdom nodded its dodecahedron.
"Then what method?"
"I think opposite is better."
"Opposite?"
"Unite them again."
The lion-masked Jangwan tilted his head.
"Unite? Curious why, but method first."
"Simple. They're overconfident against all here, peering everywhere frantically. Make them focus on me alone."
"Focus?"
Seong-un raised a clenched fist.
"One solid conk on the head."
"General! Wake up!"
"...What's happening? Seems too early."
Juenr, having ordered troop assembly via Sanghwan and barely slept, rubbed his eyes awake.
Sanghwan said,
"Enemy army!"
"Enemy? Who? No, inside Single Flame borders, so Satyros obviously."
"No."
"No? Then?"
"Black Scale Lizardmen. Very close."
Far off, the Lizardman army cautiously approached the Baek-ah vampire forces during daylight.
Though daytime vision barely declined, night-attuned body rhythms left sentries somewhat dazed. Black Scale forces closed in considerably before vampires noticed.
As vampires raised clamor from the village, Yur hiding in bushes said to a nearby warrior,
"Heard of Tatar?"
"Ah, yes. Of course."
The warrior who soloed a troll unit.
Now said to handle bigger tasks on Rakrak's orders from southern isles.
Yur grinned,
"I work hard too, but great warriors abound. Not one or two. Effort doesn't always pay. Opportunities rare. But today, trolls yonder—must strive to steal Tatar's fame."
The warrior laughed incredulously.
"No, Yur is grand general and top warrior, no? Yield such nicknames."
"Hmph. Foolish talk. Know what it takes to be top warrior?"
"Hmm. No idea."
Yur bellowed laughter,
"Greed. Lots of it."
Unfortunately, Yur failed to satisfy his greed.
All Lizardman warriors heard Yur and rushed to slay trolls, vying for Tatar-like fame.
Yur lost all his targeted trolls.
In the end, Yur killed nine trolls total.
Yur griped to warriors, carrying General Juenr's corpse last slain.
"This is the leader. Won't count as two-head?"
Passing warriors laughed,
"One head—how two?"
"Grand General! Vampire anyway. Give up."
"Damn."
News of Lizardman army's great victory spread across the continent.
Naturally, it reached Shaiven's ears too.