Chapter 273 – Side Story 22 – Coronation (2)

When the vampire removed his mouth from Selena’s neck, two small holes were visible.

Small holes with thin streams of blood visible.

Vlad could feel hazy mana flowing from those holes.

Selena stood there with a blank expression, staring ahead with puncture wounds in her neck.

After examining Selena, the vampire licked the blood from his lips with a satisfied smile.

Then, he asked Selena:

“Who am I?”

“You are my master.”

Selena answered the vampire’s question with an expressionless face.

Hearing her answer, the vampire nodded and said to the lich who was watching:

“She may have been an extraordinary mage for her age, but with her magic sealed, she’s just an ordinary girl.”

He had worried she would resist strongly, but she had fallen under his control too easily.

As he said, perhaps it was because her magic was sealed, or because of her transformed mana, or maybe even because she had opened her heart to Vlad, but in the end, Selena had fallen into the vampire’s hands.

However, the lich seemed displeased with the vampire’s words.

[But her rank has not diminished. Even now, I can sense the rank of one worthy to become a Demon King within her.]

At the lich’s words, the vampire waved his hand.

“Ah, that’s not what I meant.”

After the vampire’s hasty apology, the lich raised its skeletal hand and pointed to the divine statue.

[Then let us proceed.]

“…Understood.”

The vampire bowed his head at the lich’s words.

Unlike the other monsters, Vlad, who was standing behind the vampire, could see the strange smile on the vampire’s face as he bowed his head.

“Walk to the front of the divine statue.”

“Yes, master.”

The vampire raised his head and gave an order to Selena.

Selena moved immediately at his command, stopping in the center of what appeared to be a magic circle in front of the divine statue.

As she stood in the center of the pattern that looked like a magic circle, all the monsters except the vampire and Vlad retreated far from the front of the statue.

This was to avoid interfering with the Demon God’s baptism.

But the vampire father and his half-vampire son remained standing right next to the pattern.

The vampire stayed close to her in case his control might break,

And Vlad appeared to be helping his vampire father.

But their thoughts were different.

[The blood of high rank is indeed helpful; even mixing just a little has been of great assistance. If I were to absorb all this blood, I could grow considerably.]

Vlad, who had been watching the situation with an expressionless face until now, twitched his eyebrow at the sudden words from his father vampire.

[No need to be surprised. Thanks to obtaining such good blood, I can use various minor abilities even before absorbing it.]

At the vampire’s words, Vlad glanced down at his hand.

He could see a thin stream of blood connecting his finger to the vampire’s finger, not far from his own hand.

It was clear that this barely visible stream of blood was how the vampire was speaking into his mind, similar to a mage’s message magic.

But Vlad was puzzled by the vampire’s sudden behavior.

The vampire he knew wasn’t someone who would show such interest in him, a half-breed.

While Vlad was pondering this, the Demon God’s baptism continued.

[Now that you stand before me, accept my power and you shall gain the power you dream of.

The power of death, the power of immortality, numerous subordinates, you shall gain them all.]

The Demon God’s words continued like a broken recording, and corrupted mana and aura began to pour from the statue like a waterfall.

It was now an aura so powerful that even those with mana couldn’t withstand it.

But no one here was struggling with the aura and corrupted mana.

Neither the monsters, nor the half-monster Vlad, nor Selena.

Everyone accepted the corrupted mana and aura as if it were a gentle breeze.

Vlad smiled bitterly for the first time since coming here as he watched the aura billowing his clothes.

To think his body was fine even in such aura.

He could once again feel that he was not human.

While Vlad was thinking this, his father vampire was having completely different thoughts.

[You’ve done well. I never thought a half-breed like you would be so helpful. Those foolish monsters probably don’t even know what they’re doing right now.]

It was hard to believe such words were being spoken in the Demon God’s temple, in a situation where they were creating a Demon King with monsters, but Vlad thought he understood what the vampire was saying.

The vampire beside him was remarkably human-like for a monster.

Unlike the other monsters who served the Demon King and sought to destroy other worlds to subjugate them to the Demon God, this vampire possessed human-like desires and anger.

If that vampire had been an ordinary monster, perhaps Vlad’s mother and Vlad wouldn’t have suffered so much.

Of course, if he had been an ordinary monster, Vlad wouldn’t have become the child of a cursed monster in the first place.

The vampire, ridiculously, had vented his anger about the suffering he had endured from knights, mages, and priests on Vlad’s mother and Vlad.

On his mother when Vlad was young.

On Vlad after he disappeared and returned.

And even amidst all that, he had rambled on to Vlad about his own pain, anger, and even his self-importance.

And it was still the same now.

[Our clan’s control cannot be escaped even by a Demon King. Moreover, this blood will make me stronger than the elders of our clan. This ability can only be undone by a vampire stronger than me. Even if that child becomes a Demon King, she certainly won’t be able to break my control. Therefore, that child becoming a Demon King means that I will control the Demon King and thus rule this world!]

Such an absurdly naked desire.

Indeed, this vampire was closer to a human than a monster.

And he felt even worse than the worst humans Vlad knew.

Perhaps one reason the vampire had spoken to Vlad was to boast about his plan.

Of course, there must have been a more important reason.

Feeling the blood connecting his hand, Vlad sent the message he had just heard back to the vampire in reverse.

[Should I distract their attention while you digest that blood?]

As Vlad immediately imitated what the vampire called a minor ability, the vampire looked at him with surprised eyes.

[You figured out how to use it right away? You’re really quite useful for a half-breed. It’s also good that you immediately understand what I want… Very well. After that child becomes a Demon King, I’ll release you and your mother.]

That flattery from his mouth.

Once again, Vlad could hear it without fail.

Though it was praise and a promise that seemed generous in his own way, Vlad didn’t believe his words.

How many times had he deceived his mother and him with such words?

He had clearly said he would release Vlad’s mother once Vlad finished spying on the domain.

And now, more of the same talk.

Though he hadn’t believed it from the start, Vlad trusted his father even less now.

[Keep them distracted well. As you know, being a half-breed, when we drink human blood, our bodies temporarily freeze and become vulnerable to attack. Those fools probably won’t notice, but we still need to be careful. Ah, right. You couldn’t even change your body, could you?]

Why did he have to express his hatred for his child at the end of every sentence?

Vlad had heard it so often that it no longer hurt him.

But it only reinforced his conviction about what he was planning to do.

The aura that had filled the massive temple now converged on the pattern where the young lady stood.

The pattern, or rather the magic circle, turned black as the aura gathered, floating into the air, and Selena’s body was also gradually lifted into the air, pushed by the aura.

Thus, the Demon God’s baptism to create a Demon King was reaching its final stage.

[Now, accept my power and become my new servant. And make all gods and all worlds kneel before me.]

The Demon God’s final words before becoming a Demon King, words that Selena’s father couldn’t hear.

If Selena accepted the aura according to those words, she would become a new Demon King.

As all the monsters watched the birth of a new Demon King at that moment.

Strange words flowed from Selena’s mouth as she floated in the air.

“No. I don’t want to.”

The words were so unexpected that even the monsters and the lich couldn’t say anything at that moment.

But one person, or rather one monster, opened his mouth at her words.

“Gack… What is this,”

It wasn’t words but a scream that came from the vampire standing next to the black magician.

The vampire was looking down at his chest with an incredulous face.

Red blood was flowing from his chest.

The blood wasn’t his own, but human blood he had just sucked from Selena.

And protruding from his chest where the blood was flowing was a blade.

A silver blade still shining where it wasn’t covered in blood.

What was protruding from his chest was a dagger made of silver.

After looking down at his chest, the vampire forcibly turned his head to look behind him.

Behind him stood his son, Vlad, who had been standing beside him.

“What, what are you doing?”

At the vampire’s words, Vlad pushed the dagger he was holding deeper into his father’s back once more.

Gack.

Now red blood was flowing from the vampire’s mouth as well. Seeing this, Vlad spoke.

“It was partly a gamble, but as you said, human blood shouldn’t be drunk carelessly. Of course, even so, it would be difficult to kill you with an ordinary weapon, but this silver blade should be quite effective.”

Of course, an object imbued with divine power would be better than a silver blade, but carrying such an item would have inevitably been discovered by the monsters or the vampire.

But a silver blade wouldn’t be detected.

It was a weapon specifically for vampires, ineffective against other monsters.

Of course, even with a silver blade, it was impossible to kill a vampire that could transform into mist, darkness, or a swarm of bats.

The only time this silver blade could kill a vampire was at that moment when the vampire’s body was fixed.

Only when it had consumed human blood.

“But, but… if I were to control the Demon King, you wouldn’t have to suffer anymore…”

Perhaps because he was still a monster after all?

With his heart pierced by the silver blade, the vampire turned his body and reached for his son’s neck.

But Vlad wasn’t worried. There was no strength in the hand grabbing his neck.

So he could speak comfortably.

“I saw something written in a place called Earth.”

Vlad grinned at the dying vampire.

“I’m in the middle of succeeding to the throne. Father.”