The Vampire Queen's Arrival

I reflexively grabbed Leo by the scruff of the neck and yanked him backward. The intensity in his eyes as he stared at the woman was far from ordinary, and a dark crimson aura was swirling violently around her. Both of them radiated dangerous energy. Fighting for fun was one thing, but this opponent was bad news. This place wasn't suitable for a serious brawl.

"Gah?!"

"Calm down."

When I suddenly pulled his neck back, a bizarre yelp escaped Leo's mouth, but that wasn't my concern. Maybe it was the difference in strength. Forcing Leo backward by the neck, I furrowed one eyebrow. Even though becoming a woman had made me lighter than when I was a man, dragging Leo back still felt heavy. 'So D-rank strength really isn't enough.'

I'd expected a gap between me and the hero Leo, but not this much. The weakness was palpable. At times like this, I couldn't help missing my old body as Damian Radius. Then I could have proudly revealed my identity to Leticia… or maybe not. I briefly imagined meeting Leticia in Damian Radius's body.

'Long time no see, Damian.'

'Where have you been without telling me?'

'I love you, Damian. I really love you. So don't ever leave me again.'

A chill ran down my spine. That was no mere delusion. Why—why did I only picture Leticia with that ecstatic expression, holding a black collar in her hands? It was terrifying. The fact that no other face came to mind was itself a horror.

Gulp. I swallowed dryly and glanced at Leticia before shifting my gaze to the woman in front of me. Right. My future wasn't what I needed to worry about now. Anyway, the woman didn't seem interested in fighting, so there was no need for unnecessary conflict. Besides, she wasn't an ordinary opponent. She was a pureblood, not a half-breed. A demon at least of noble rank, powerful enough to turn even a daytime vampire into mincemeat with ease. She had to be a vampire. Turning such a being into an enemy now would only cause trouble.

Leo, his face twisted in displeasure at the situation, looked at me and asked, "What are you doing?"

"You know. No need to fight."

"…Yeah. You're right. No need to fight that woman."

"Surprisingly quick to agree. Then…"

"Don't you know, even as a demon? Who she really is. If you knew her identity, you wouldn't say that."

Paying no mind to my puzzled expression, Leo took a deep breath and added, "I remember now. She's not someone any demon could forget. I don't know why I blanked on it."

What? Who the hell was she? Leo stayed silent even when I tried to ask. With a tense face, he leveled his holy sword straight at the woman and pressed his lips together. So she was an enemy worth that much caution. It was as if the Demon King himself had appeared. I narrowed my eyes. If Leo, Leticia, and I all attacked at once, our odds would be decent, but her power was an unknown. From the way she'd swatted Leo's holy sword aside with the back of her hand earlier, she was clearly no ordinary fighter.

The holy sword was a weapon forged to annihilate demons. A great demonic armament designed to purify unholy mana and punish the very concept of ma. It was the ultimate weapon, grandly called the holy sword. Heroes were chosen specifically to wield it. Most demons couldn't even touch it without turning to ash. Even the Apostles, called the Demon King's right hand, wouldn't dare slap it away with their bare hand. Yet this woman had only suffered a slight burn on her skin. No other wounds were visible, and even that healed in moments.

The woman lightly shook her hand and spoke. "That hurt. So it really is the holy sword. Not a fake, then."

"Why would the holy sword be fake?"

"…There are plenty of vermin impersonating heroes, so one has to check."

"So what's your goal? The Demon King wouldn't send you just for one rebel."

At Leo's questioning, the woman shrugged and glanced at the vampire in her hand. Both legs severed, arms attached but handless—yet still alive. Vampires really did have tenacious vitality. Held in her grip, the vampire let out a pained groan. "Kuh…"

"I heard one of my kin was causing pointless ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trouble among humans, so I came to deal with it myself. No other reason."

"You did?"

"Of course. If the representative of our race doesn't step up, who will?"

"Ha!" Leo snorted in disbelief at her words. "You sure know how to spout nonsense. The Queen herself gracing us with her presence—what an honor."

"Leo."

"Stay back, Leticia. Three months, was it? How absurd. Claiming to want peace between demons and humans, then sending an Apostle? That's a breach of contract. Isn't it, Your Majesty?"

The Vampire Queen. The Demon King's First Apostle, the Progenitor—Rumani Tepes. The very fact that an Apostle known as a walking calamity had come was the problem. Leo pointed his holy sword at the woman called Rumani Tepes.

"Honestly." With a cold expression, Leo revealed her identity and asked in a low voice, "There won't be a second time, Rumani Tepes. Tell me why you came yourself. Drop the excuse about handling rebels. That's something you could send subordinates for."

"Same to you, Leo Starfield. If you've ended up in such a ridiculous state, you could've sent the Sage. Instead you brought the Sage and a half-blood."

Her crimson eyes gleamed with an eerie light. The sharp jab made Leo flinch. Having seen straight through his identity in an instant, Rumani laughed mockingly.

"Did you have some desire to become a woman? Well, it suits you quite well. Much better than when you were a man."

"Should I take that as an invitation to fight right here?"

"Becoming a woman made you narrow-minded too."

"What?!"

"Lost your patience as well. No, that hot-tempered personality is still the same. How reassuring."

The woman called Rumani Tepes sneered after seeing through Leo's identity. Just as Leo parted his lips to retort, he seemed to think he'd reacted too sensitively to the provocation. He closed his mouth and spoke calmly instead.

"Since it's out, no point hiding it. Not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that I planned to hide it from the start. There's a reason I can't explain, so I won't tell you. For the record, my strength is the same as when I was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man, so don't get any funny ideas."

"So you're saying you have no intention of fighting. This incident was just me acting on my own without His Majesty's orders. While I'm at it, I might as well clean up the rebels too."

"An Apostle trespassing in human territory violates the agreement."

"If you want punishment, tell His Majesty. I won't be leaving the demon realm for a while anyway. But the fact that I helped you is undeniable. Isn't that right, Hero?"

The battle of wills continued, neither willing to yield. Come to think of it, she must have found it strange to see a half-blood vampire with the hero. Having lost interest in Leo, Rumani turned her now-cold gaze toward me. Her eyes narrowed with curiosity. Feeling as though my very identity was being stripped bare, I took a step back.

What the hell, doing whatever it wants…! Then Rumani's lips curled into a half-smile. The Yuri trait was taking effect. This felt off, I thought, just as Leticia grabbed my shoulder and pulled me toward her, glaring at Rumani.

"Don't get any ideas, Tepes. She's mine."

"…Oh my. Already taken, I see. Still, a half-blood vampire protected by the Sage… now I'm even more intrigued."

"Unfortunately, Charlotte has already formed a contract with me, so a double contract is impossible."

"Hah. You, making a contract with a vampire—let alone a half-blood."

Things were getting interesting. With an amused expression, Rumani chuckled softly, licked her lips while looking at the vampire in her hand, then tossed it toward us with a reluctant smack of her tongue. Splat. Unable to land properly without legs, the vampire crashed face-first into the ground and screamed. "Agh!"

'Its regeneration is quite slow.' I observed the pathetic figure sprawled on the floor—the culprit of the incident—and gave a cold assessment. It was regenerating bit by bit, but far slower than a normal vampire. On closer inspection, burn marks covered its legs and severed arms. Rumani wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, ran her tongue over them once, and spoke.

"Take it. One or two traitors won't matter if I hand them over."

That was not the attitude of someone facing their own kin. It was the gaze of someone looking at trash—perhaps something even lower than trash. At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same time, Leo covered half his face with a hand and let out a deep sigh, waving his hand weakly in the air.

"…Haa, enough. Talking more will only tire our mouths. I'll let this slide, so go back to the demon realm quietly."

"I was planning to leave even without being told. My business here is done. Hmm, before that—"

Still held by Leticia's hand on my shoulder, listening to their exchange with parted lips, I suddenly felt my chin being pulled and my eyes widened. When I looked forward with wide eyes, Rumani Tepes was already gripping my chin. What—

"Hooh."

Rumani's eyes, emitting an eerie crimson glow, narrowed slightly. That was when I first met her gaze directly.