The Vampire Commotion
"What's going on?" I asked the knights when I noticed the villagers were nowhere to be seen.
"Haven't you heard? The story about the vampires."
"Yeah. I heard it earlier."
"Right now, vampires have invaded the outskirts of the castle town."
"Vampires?"
"Yes. And they're coming in a whole swarm of them. That's why Lord Lucas ordered us to bring you and the person staying with you, Allen."
"What's the current situation?"
"When I left, they were in a standoff."
"Then we'd better hurry."
I couldn't understand it. What were the vampires thinking, invading human territory like this? They wouldn't have charged in without some kind of plan. It just didn't make sense.
When we arrived at the outskirts of the castle, Lucas and the knight order were already in battle formation. Everyone looked incredibly tense. Looking down from our position, I could see around thirty vampires. They had physiques far larger than humans and bared fangs that resembled those of wild beasts. There were also several vampire corpses lying around, suggesting a battle had already taken place.
"O-oh! Lady Serina!" Lucas exclaimed the moment he saw me and Serina. He greeted her far more enthusiastically than he did me, rushing over and grabbing her arm.
"Get off me."
"I've been waiting desperately for you to arrive, Lady Serina!"
"Why me?"
"Please save our town!"
"Why should I?"
"Because you're my master!"
"I'm not your master."
"You are. You're my master."
I had no idea what had happened between them, but this was the first time I'd seen Lucas react like this. He looked utterly terrified, yet at the same time, he seemed as overjoyed as a child reuniting with his mother. Still, the situation didn't seem nearly as dire as he was making it out to be. It looked like they'd already successfully defended themselves.
"Lucas. This doesn't seem that serious. Why did you call for us?"
"What do you mean? We nearly had a breach here!"
"Really? It looks pretty calm to me."
"That's because their leader isn't here."
"Their leader?"
"Yeah... he was terrifying. Monstrous strength. He nearly smashed through the castle gates. My legs were shaking so badly..."
"Then how did you drive him off?"
"We didn't. He suddenly retreated."
"Suddenly?"
"Yeah. Before he left, he threatened that if we didn't hand over the blood of the village women immediately, he'd turn this place into a wasteland."
"What? Those crazy bastards."
"Exactly. On top of that, he demanded we send ten young men into the forest. Said he'd return them alive."
"How can you trust a word like that?"
"I can't. Even if it were true, there's no reason for us to comply."
Lucas had clearly never dealt with anything like this before and looked completely lost on how to respond. There weren't many recorded cases of monsters invading human territory. I'd heard it had happened in some very small villages, but those were different—cases where humans had first encroached on monster lands.
A prime example was the Black Wyvern—one of the dragon race—that had devastated Jerusalem. That incident had sparked the Priestess War. The war began when Black Wyverns, who wanted to become gods themselves, attacked Jerusalem, the city that worshipped the divine. The people of Jerusalem retaliated, and priests who had contracted with demons joined forces with monsters to march on the wyverns' nests. The war ended with the complete annihilation of the Black Wyverns. After that, monsters and humans had strictly observed each other's territories.
So it seemed we'd all grown complacent, assuming monsters would never attack our villages. This small castle town didn't have nearly enough troops to fend off vampires, who were stronger than humans. Even if they gathered every available fighter, they could only muster about a thousand knights. I didn't know exactly how powerful the vampires were, but once night fell, there would be no chance of victory. It was well known that vampires became several times more agile after dark.
That said, we couldn't ask the kingdom to send reinforcements. The kingdom didn't bother paying attention to a tiny castle town like this. Besides, they were currently at war with a neighboring country over territorial expansion.
"Lady Serina, please help us!"
"Yes, Serina. He's begging you like this—please lend a hand."
"No. It's a hassle."
The witch turned away coldly. She had zero interest in the vampires and rejected Lucas's plea without hesitation.
"Lady Serina...! I'll even erect a monument in your honor!"
"A monument?"
"Yes! Everyone will remember you and adore you!"
"They'll all like me?"
"Of course! You'll become the goddess who protects our village from vampires!"
"Goddess? You shouldn't throw that word around so carelessly."
"Lady Serina...!"
"Hmph. Forget it. I'm leaving."
Lucas looked like he was about to cry. If things continued like this, they'd have no choice but to give the vampires exactly what they wanted. Once you started complying with their demands, it would never end. It would be complete submission. I couldn't let that happen.
I walked over to Lucas.
"Lucas. I have a good idea."
"What idea?"
"I can get Serina to move."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But I have conditions."
"W-what are they?"
My conditions weren't anything outrageous. A few horses I could use and a mansion to stay in while I was in the village. That was enough. Lucas said that as long as we drove off the vampires, he'd accept any conditions. He was especially happy at the idea that having a witch stay in the village would keep the vampires from acting recklessly.
After getting his agreement, I approached the witch.
"Serina."
"What?"
"You haven't forgotten our bet, have you?"
"Bet?"
"We bet on whether your cuteness would work on the guy I picked, remember?"
"What about it?"
"If it works on that vampire over there, I'll do whatever you want."
"What?"
Serina glanced at the vampire I'd pointed out. Her expression showed no interest whatsoever.
"No thanks. It's a hassle."
"What, you don't have the confidence?"
"Excuse me?"
"You're avoiding it because you're not confident right now."
"That's not it."
"Sure it is. If you're not confident, just say so. You're scared you'll lose to me, aren't you?"
"I said no."
"Aww, forget it then. You really don't have the confidence."
"Hey. Stop."
"Why?"
"I'll show you. A guy like that will be finished with just my cuteness."
"Pfft. We'll see."
With an irritated expression, Serina strode to the edge of the castle wall and leaped down in a single bound.
"Ooh...!"
Everyone watched her. Lucas clasped his hands together, his eyes filled with desperate hope.
Serina approached the vampire I'd chosen.
"Allen. How did you do that?"
"I have my ways."
"Why did she suddenly change her mind?"
"It's nothing special. We have a bet going."
"Oh. Is it a bet on how many seconds it'll take her to wipe out all the vampires?"
"No."
"Then what kind of bet is it?"
"You don't need to know."
"Aw, come on. Tell me."
"It's a cuteness bet."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Just watch. She'll handle it herself."
It looked like Serina exchanged a few words with the vampire. After a brief conversation, she started shaking her shoulders and acting cute toward him. The vampire looked utterly bewildered. Then he suddenly started screaming at the witch at the top of his lungs. Serina trembled with rage, her long claws extending.
Slice.
In an instant, the furious witch severed the vampire's head. The moment it fell, the surrounding vampires charged at her. Dozens of them. Yet the witch stood alone beneath the castle wall, carving through them like a one-woman army. Everywhere her hands sliced, vampire arms and legs flew through the air. They were no match for her at all.
"A-as expected of Lady Serina..."
"They said vampires are several times stronger than humans..."
"Even vampires are helpless before Lady Serina."
"Witches really are on another level."
"She's a witch, after all. I wonder where her limits even are."
"Limits?"
"I heard that during the Black Wyvern incident, the commander who led the charge was a witch."
"Really? That's the first I've heard of it."
"There's an entry in the journal of a priest who fought in that war. The description of the being at the vanguard almost perfectly matches a witch."
"That's insane..."
"It just shows how powerful Lady Serina is."
"But why were you acting so cocky back then?"
"...Yeah. I must have lost my mind for a second."
Before long, Serina had completely annihilated the vampires. The witch trudged back toward the castle wall. The knights who had been watching her burst into cheers. Serina glanced up once, then broke into a run toward the top of the wall. Was she seriously going to jump up here?
With a light thud, she leaped straight up the wall, completely ignoring my doubts.
"Serina! Serina! Serina!"
The moment she landed, Lucas led the crowd in chanting her name. Serina looked utterly bewildered.
"L-Lady Serina! You're incredible! I'm completely smitten!"
"Hmph. Are we done now?"
"Y-yes, but... their leader is still out there..."
Serina shot Lucas a sharp glare. It clearly meant she found it annoying.
"Lucas. Let's talk about that later. Call me when their leader shows up."
"U-understood! Please go inside and rest, Lady Serina!"
We descended from the outer wall. As we walked, I spoke up.
"Serina. I saw that. The vampire got really angry, huh?"
"Shut up."
"You know you have to do whatever I say from now on, right?"
"..."
I'd been waiting for this moment. I was already thinking about all the ways I could toy with the witch from now on. I'd make her pay for everything she'd done to me.