After breaking through the largest gate, taking down the dispatch troops of the Luminous Kingdom stationed here was a piece of cake.
In pure swordsmanship, there were indeed knights from the kingdom who could be compared to holy knights, but in terms of overall strength, we had far too many extraordinary forces on our side.
Before the priests could pull any tricks, we swiftly buried them and mopped up the few holy knights, and the battle was over in just three hours, with no real variables to speak of.
Considering we established our dominance right from the start, it was quicker than we had anticipated.
It seems the aftermath of their defeat still lingers.
“What about our casualties?”
“Extremely minimal.”
Taking over the stronghold meant the entire city had fallen into our hands.
I proudly paraded down the main street, accompanied by a line of vampires, showcasing who the master of Erma was now.
Despite being a fairly large city, the streets were as quiet as a mouse.
But I could sense it. The humans hiding inside their dimly lit homes, holding their breath, pretending to lock their doors in fear.
About half the houses seemed empty.
The rest might belong to soldiers, or perhaps to those who had fled ahead of us.
But…
“They can’t have gotten far.”
The scent of blood still lingered warm. They must have hurriedly packed and fled upon hearing the news of the walls’ downfall.
Stepping back, Martini asked, “Should we go catch them?”
“Let them be. After all, if we end up conquering this country, the result will be the same.”
There’s no need to divide our forces just to chase down some fleeing civilians. In a direct confrontation, I’m confident we could win against an ordinary group.
Originally, the Bertica Kingdom is a nation more focused on capital than military might.
Of course, being one of the three great powers of the continent, it’s not like their military is weak, but in comparison to the Luminous Kingdom or the Empire, that’s the general idea.
However, now that the Luminous Kingdom is busy fighting against the Suwong Kingdom, we shouldn’t have trouble taking Erma, which was a city they cared about.
“And tell my subordinates not to touch the civilians that comply.”
“Understood.”
“But feel free to do as you wish with the soldiers we capture or those who resist. A reward of that level is necessary.”
“They’ll all be delighted.”
Martini and I deliberately strolled through the quiet homes, speaking loudly enough for the humans peeking out to hear us.
After all, those remaining are likely too passive or weary to think about escaping. Or they might be in a situation where they’ve got nowhere else to go if they abandon this place.
There’s no need to pressure this kind of passive crowd into futile resistance.
As long as they understand that as long as they follow my orders, they won’t suffer immediate harm, they’ll comply at least on the surface.
For now, overtaking the royal capital is our top priority, and managing every city and town we encounter along the way is impossible.
For the time being, it’s enough to instill in humans the idea that there exists a path to survival in the future I envision.
What the weak need is merely an excuse to adapt to the reality.
‘Still, it feels a bit wrong to leave the lands we’ve conquered completely empty behind.’
Should I summon the remaining vampires in the duchy and have them handle the aftermath?
While I was deep in thought, one of Martini’s subordinates cautiously approached.
“We’ve discovered some Ain slaves presumed to be unsold merchandise. Notably, there are two elves, and the rest are beastmen. What should we do?”
After hearing the report, Martini looked to me for guidance.
I noticed a slight reaction from Lavina upon hearing about the elf slaves.
“Two elf slaves, huh?”
Originally, elf or dragonkin slaves were rare finds.
But having two elf slaves in a backwater city like this, especially since the fall of Albresia must have increased the supply due to captured elves.
A decent thought came to mind.
“First, gather all the Ain slaves left in the city in one place.”
*
Just a few hours ago, this place had belonged to a lord.
As the news broke that the walls had fallen into the hands of vampires and the knights of the royal capital had been defeated, the lord, who should’ve rushed to abandon the territory, was now replaced by a vampire sitting in his stead.
The fourth progenitor, Aria.
The leader of the vampires who had seized the city overnight.
The Ain slaves, suddenly summoned before her, trembled in fear, bowing their heads to avoid making eye contact with someone who held their very lives in her hands.
“Is this all there is?”
“Yes. Aside from the slaves taken by fleeing human nobles, we’ve brought all of them, including those with owners.”
The slaves held their breath, eavesdropping on the conversation between the two vampires.
The notoriety of the progenitor and the vampires had recently spread, even reaching the ears of those living as human slaves.
Their chances of dying a clean death were now slim.
As the chill of the stone floor seeped into their knees, the beastmen imagined the grim fate they believed they had no means of escaping.
“Good.”
With a snap of her fingers, the restraints on all the beastmen slaves—except for the two elf slaves—were neatly severed in half.
The sound of broken restraints crashing to the floor echoed, and bewilderment flickered through the eyes of the beastmen.
Could it be confidence born from knowing they couldn’t run even without their bindings?
Even after regaining their physical freedom, the beastmen merely kept their heads low, rolling their eyes but not daring to move.
“Hmmm.”
Seeing their demeanor, Aria made a sound of interest.
However, before the slaves could read her intentions, Aria opened her right hand dramatically before subtly curling it back into a fist.
“Gak!”
Delicate threads of blood so thin they could hardly be seen with the naked eye shot from the tips of her fingers.
In an instant, these threads wrapped around the bindings of the two elf slaves, pulling them up forcibly.
The faces of the elves, now forced to tilt their heads up, were revealed.
Their expressions were a mixture of fear and rebellion, but upon seeing the elf standing confidently next to the progenitor, their astonishment replaced their emotions.
“Lavina, do you know these faces?”
“…Lavina?”
One of the elves mumbled softly.
However, Aria pretended not to hear and awaited Lavina’s response.
Lavina’s eyes widened momentarily. She glanced around the atmosphere before leaning in close to Aria and whispering.
“This one is a henchman of the elders; that one is one of the guardians of the forest.”
“Are the ones from the elders the ones who expelled you? Do you have grudges against the forest guardians as well?”
“Huh? Oh, no. Aside from the younger generation of elves or the elders… I don’t have any particular grudge or connection.”
“Is that so? Then leave this one alive for now.”
Thud, the elf designated as the elder’s underling collapsed, losing consciousness.
Only after a moment did the slaves comprehend that Aria had ‘disposed’ of the elf.
The reasoning? A single sentence that said she held resentment against Lavina, who stood beside her.
“Make sure to clear that one out of the way. It would be inappropriate to dine here.”
At Aria’s order, one of the vampires hastily darted out to carry away the unconscious elf.
Once her subordinate was completely out of sight, Aria continued, now in a heightened atmosphere.
“The remaining beastmen. Choose whether to die here or obey me and survive. As long as you don’t betray me, you’ll live not as slaves, but as my people.”
At this unexpected remark, several beastmen lifted their heads in surprise, only to quickly retract them, realizing their impolite behavior.
However, no reprimand came for their rudeness.
After removing the restraints from the remaining elf slaves as well, Aria leaned against the lord’s seat, waiting for the slaves’ response.
While some remained uncertain, a glimmer of hope shone in the eyes of several beastmen slaves.
It stemmed not from believing the progenitor but from a desire to believe. They clung to a small flicker of hope, having nowhere else to fall.
Still, it wasn’t entirely unfounded.
If she had truly intended to kill the slaves, she could have ended it with a single gesture, and if she only wanted slaves or blood sources, there would’ve been no need to unbind them and inquire about their will.
Moreover, the presence of dragonkin and elves standing beside the progenitor added a degree of trustworthiness.
To the perspective of the beastmen slaves, the Ain, clearly standing in a similar position to the others, could be seen as a form of precedent.
Perhaps, just perhaps, the progenitor was indeed trying to offer us a chance.
At this moment, even the prevalent aversion to vampires failed to influence the judgment of the beastmen.
While certainty was elusive, the beastmen slaves did not wish to meet the same tragic end as the elf who was just carried away.
The memories of living as less than livestock—humiliated and in pain—played a significant role in their decisions as well.
As a result, the beastmen, rationalizing their actions, pledged their allegiance to Aria.
Remarkably, there were no exceptions among them. The only one yet to give an answer was the remaining elf slave.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
