Chapter 24: Discussion

Vetis immediately stood up.

"I greet Her Majesty, the Vampire Lord! The almighty Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth!"

Brynhildr only waved her hand in greeting. Her blood-red eyes gazed at all the people present in the room. It was like she was assessing their level of strength.

When it was just Vetis, they could openly display their hostility, however, against this absolute monster, it was different.

"I welcome you, Undead Queen of the Vaire Kingdom." Jurnick stood up and offered a handshake.

She looked at him for a few seconds before returning the gesture.

"How do you do; I am Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth. But you may call me Selia if my first name is too much for you. So you have heard of my nation, hm?"

"Haha. How could I not? It is our neighbor after all."

Her hand felt so soft when he touched it. Exactly like that of a human woman. However, it was as cold as a corpse.

"I was worried that your nation would be under a heavy burden if you were to suddenly leave." Jurnick spoke after Selia sat down.

"Not at all. On the contrary, I have very capable subordinates who can rule in my place."

"So…this dem—Vetis is not the only subordinate you have?"

He was actually asking if there were more frightening individuals amongst her subordinates.

"Indeed. I have many others. I have nine others who are leaders who work directly under me. Each of them are a different breed of demons."

'So his words weren't a lie, after all. If there are more on his level serving this vampire then even we could fall. What will you do, Your Majesty?'

Marcus was at his wits end. He couldn't figure out if "making friendly relations" was truly their aim. Just looking at Vetis' unchanging smirk was making him uneasy.

But he was assigned a very important duty to protect the Emperor and he would do his best to fulfil that position.

He was a 9th star powerhouse after all.

"This is quite vexing. I can sense your guards' intent to kill." Selia said with a troubled expression.

"Ah…Stand down, all of you."

The four of them stopped releasing their bloodlust. Similarly, Selia's expression softened a tad bit.

"Now then. I believe Vetis has already explained the matters which concern the Juliar Theocracy's actions?"

"Indeed. While I do not understand the situation fully, I will believe what he said until new information is brought forth."

The four humans looked between the Emperor and the Vampire Lord. Despite being in the presence of such a powerful supreme being, he had kept himself composed and spoke appropriate for someone of his status.

It wasn't unexpected of him since he had faced many dangers in the past and overcame them. Marcus had been there with him every step of the way so he knew.

"He must have told you that this world's laws and such are foreign to us as well, did he not?"

"While I did hear him say such a thing, I have not a clue as to what he meant."

"Ah, I see." Selia looked at Vetis who nodded. "Then let me explain. We are not from this world. That is how I can sum it up using simple terms."

"Not…of this world? Are you from the world of demons, then?"

"No. Ah, how do I explain this…" Selia rubbed her temples. "Ah! Let me phrase it like this: We are beings from another world who came here for unknown reasons. We are still investigating how such a thing is possible, however, we have found nothing so far."

'Is she referring to her kind as a whole or herself?' Marcus scrunched up his face as he thought about it. Vetis was a natural demon but his master felt like an entirely otherworldly being.

Marcus didn't know what it was but the air she was giving off wasn't of any ordinary monster.

"H-Hmmm…I see." Despite his words, they could tell that Jurnick didn't understand. Heck, none of them did.

Other than the world of demons and the realms between Middle Earth and Midgard, they knew of no other worlds. Perhaps there existed other dimensions.

That was the most likely explanation.

"Onto other matters; I wish to sign a treaty of peace with this Empire. Since it is completely different from a vassalage, I trust the Theocracy won't interfere. I will do the same thing with the other nations in due time."

A dark shadow appeared behind Selia. It formed into a skeleton wearing a black cloak.

They were alarmed by its sudden appearance, however, when they saw that it only gave something to Selia, their vigilance decreased.

"This is a level 80 [Shadow Lich]. It usually scouts for nearby attackers and can act as assassins. It is a high level undead even amongst it species. But I called this one to bring the contract."

"I-I see. Hmm…" Jurnick nodded in understanding.

'These monsters just keep surprising us over and over again.'

Typical undead would attack the living without hesitation upon contact. Yet, this one merely glanced—although it has no eyeballs—at them.

"Now, if you would kindly read this." Selia took the document from the undead and gave it to Jurnick.

If the other person were of lower rank, then Jurnick would have a servant take the parchment. However, both shared the title of monarch so that was not necessary.

"These are quite simple terms."

"As I said, we are not accustomed to this world's laws. If we were, we would've requested for more."

The supply routes which had been closed off ever since the invasion of the Kingdom would be open to the Empire. The large plot of land which was destroyed in the process would also be restored by Selia's people. There were other concessions as well besides those two.

"I see nothing that will benefit you in any way?" Jurnick turned the pages, yet still found nothing. There was a suspicious look on his face.

'What are these two planning?' Marcus alternated his gaze between Vetis and Selia.

He wasn't really used to the warfare of mind-games and deception so Marcus was confused as to what was going on. Perhaps Judith or Arnold could see the underlying intentions if they were here.

"Is it too good to be true?"

The vampire chuckled.

"It is."

"Trust me, if we wanted to play with your mind, I wouldn't be sitting here. I would be indirectly causing wars all over the continent."

"That is a very dangerous thing to hear from such a beautiful woman." Jurnick smiled wryly.

"Gosh, to think a man would compliment me after so many years. I'm flattered. In any case, all we desire is friendship. A mutual relationship as allies. I want us to be able to rely on each other."

"That does indeed sound tantalizing."

"Then—"

Jurnick raised a hand to stop her.

"I will have to speak with my people first. Though these four are important figures in the empire, their roles involve protecting the Empire and not getting involved with political battles."

"I see."

"I will go through the contract with my Prime Minister before getting the opinion of a third party."

"Third party you say…" Selia didn't seem to understand.

Marcus did, though.

'So, you want to ask your own daughter, is that it?'

There were few who knew of Olivia's high intellect. One of them being her father.

From childhood, Olivia had demonstrated high levels of intelligence which did not fit that of a child. It began showing when she was seven years old.

The Crown Prince had gone on his first campaign when he was 17. However, when he arrived at the assigned location, a problem which even he couldn't solve came up. The enemies who Julius was ordered to eliminate had wrecked such havoc that there was no telling when they would fall.

They had a limited number of soldiers left.

He was a gifted individual who gained favor from nobles of his Empire and those abroad. Nothing he faced could pose a problem to him.

However, he had met his match that day.

Having no choice, he contacted the Imperial Palace. During a campaign, a heir was not allowed to ask for any outside help. They would have to finish the campaign all on their own.

However, Julius had no choice in the matter. Of course, he made sure no one knew of what he did.

The Emperor wasn't present that day when the communication magic went through. But Olivia was there that day and she answered.

Julius was thus led by his little sister. In the end, he obtained victory. Only the high officials of the empire knew.

To this day, he still wishes to repay her for that day. However, his sister had not once revealed what she wanted him to do.

'I'm worried that she'll make him do something drastic for her. Knowing that girl, it must be big.'

"To think an Emperor needs to inform his subordinates whether the decision must be made. Truly, this world differs from our own. We, the children of Her Majesty, Selia only respect the opinion of our queen." Vetis suddenly remarked. "For she is the greatest mind in our nation! Everything she does is correct! Every word she says! Every move she makes!"

"V-Vetis, keep quiet." Selia seemed to be flustered by his passionate speech.

"I am only preaching the greatness of Lady Selia! If that is a crime then I must be punished for treason!" Vetis stood up from his seat and bowed so much that his head hit the table. "I do apologize but why do we need to become allies with humans!? They are cockroaches that need to be crushed underfoot!"

"Vetis, you…"

Selia's expression hardened.

"Please, before you reprimand me, allow me to speak my heart out!" Vetis' entire face changed. His expression contorted so much that it was completely different from how he was before. The gentle air around him turned volatile. He had on an expression of wrath.

The Great Nobles prepared to fight against the demon if he attacked them.

"Just being near lowly humans is making my skin crawl. I want to bathe their nations in flames. However! My lady has ordered me and the others to not resort to violence! Still! I, and the rest of my comrades who serve you want to make your name feared throughout the world! Why can we not conquer this world and make all its inhabitants serve under us!? We have the power to do so and nothing would be able to stop us! For the sake of my master's friends who were slain by those wretched beings called 'Hackers'; can we not destroy everything they have built upon this world!? Friendship is only formed between equals. Forgive me, but how can humans be on the same level of a Vampire Lord such as my master!?"

Vetis' loud voice continued to echo in the room. Thick veins moved underneath his forehead. His razor sharp teeth made grinding sounds akin to metal scraping against metal.

Everyone went silent.

Even Selia was speechless by his sudden outburst.

One could tell that Vetis had suppressed his anger and resentment for the humans and demihumans of this world.

"Vetis…Did you have something to do with the fall of the Luthial Kingdom?"

Selia's calm voice made all of them break into cold sweat. Although her expression seemed composed, a sort of malice was leaking from her small body.

"Yes. I cannot lie. I was the one who pushed the Theocracy in secret—"

A second later, Vetis was sent flying into the wall. The entire palace shook from that blow he received. The posture in which he laid lodged in the wall was extremely ridiculous.

The one responsible for it spoke again.

"I will give your punishment after we go back." Selia, who had moved at superhuman speeds sat back down.

"Understood, Lady Selia." Vetis stood up as if nothing happened. He dusted off his suit and straightened his tie before approaching the chair to sit down. His cheek was swollen and blood dripped down his mouth.

His wound seemed to heal on its own by the second.

'What the hell just happened?' Marcus, along with the other Great Nobles couldn't process what had just happened.

"I do apologize for the damage I did to this room. I will pay for the damage." Selia said with an apologetic expression.

"No…That is fine." Jurnick shook his head.

Even the usual composed Emperor was seemingly shaken from that exchange.

"Now then! Can we proceed forth? I would like to hear more about this Empire. In exchange I will tell you about my nation."

"That is a good idea."

And thus, the two nation rulers idly chatted.

**

"Your Majesty…" Vance spoke up gravely. One could say he spoke for everyone in this room. They were all feeling the same way.

"Strange, is it not? We could engage in conversation with such a monster. I'm glad the four of you held back during that meeting."

Selia and Vetis left a few minutes ago through a [Gate]. They disappeared instantly. It was amazing what such magic could do.

"We were more worried about what they would do in retaliation."

To Vance's words, all of them nodded.

"I'm surprised." Jurnick said as he looked at Ariane. "I thought that you'd be the most likely to snap in front of them."

Ariane lowered her head. "It is only because I recognized that guy's strength. It's highly likely that I'll just get in the way if we were fight him. I doubt any of my arrows would do much damage to him."

"Since it's you who says it…We will interact with that Greater Demon with caution. Compared to him, his master is much more easy to speak to."

"It seems I've brought my private army for no reason…" Marcus sighed as he leaned back in the chair.

Ariane, Vance and Feldina seemed to share his sentiments. They also brought their private armies. It was enough manpower to destroy a small nation.

"No. I'm glad you did. For the time being, keep all your forces stationed here. Somehow, I feel uneasy about leaving the palace unguarded while my eldest son has most of the Royal Army in his possession. He won't be returning with them anytime soon."

"Aahh, no wonder the roads are blocked."

"Yes. It is for precautions in case anyone suspicious were to show up. We have set up multiple defensive lines in the capital city. I hoped for some of you to let your knights occupy those lines."

Jurnick confirmed Marcus' words.

"It's a relief that there's no need to fight. I can tell my family that everything will be alright…." Marcus patted his chest in relief.

He didn't think bringing not only his private army but even his weapon Thunder, was unnecessary.

If anything, that was still lacking to defend against those two who exited the room mere moments ago.

"Let us change the topic; there is another matter I would like to discuss with all of you."

"Yes. We are listening."

All four of them attentively listened to Jurnick.

"It concerns my son, Jurius…"

"Ah…" Marcus realized what Jurnick was about to say. However, he continued to listen. It seemed Jurnick didn't hear about that incident at his castle city. If he did then he wouldn't be so composed.

"My wife(the empress) and I have decided to strip him of his title. I have already gotten the signatures of the Royal Faction and my eldest son."

"Hold on, Julius agreed to this? I thought he held no grudges against his siblings even if they are willing to kill him for the throne." Vance said incredulously.

"Indeed. But not because of the reason all of you are thinking right now. I believe he only wants to protect his brother."

"Protect?" Feldina titled her head.

"Think about it, if I do not act then someone else will…."

"He'll be assassinated by one of the nobles in this Empire…" Vance finished the Emperor's sentence.

"Exactly. That is why I sent him to Marcus' city since his is the closest domain to the empire of the four of you. I told Olivia to inform him once she departs to meet the new heir of your household."

"So you've heard." Marcus smiled wryly.

"Hoho. To think both of us had the same thought of revoking titles from our sons. Aren't we too cruel?"

'The difference is that Al wasn't at risk of being killed by any nobles.'

Marcus wanted to say that but he refrained from speaking.

Many knew what punishment came from harming any of Duke Berkley's family. Death was the easy way out for such people.

"Now then; let us go to the ballroom. It isn't much but I prepared a feast for your welcome. I want to be able to discuss many things with my old friends."

The Emperor and his four Great Noble left the meeting room.

Part 2

It was already sunset when they were done. The Vampire Lord and her subordinate, Vetis had already left.

The Emperor scheduled to meet Selia at a later date. In a more formal setting, that is.

"My lady, forgive my asking but why allow a human to call you so informally?"

As they walked down a dark, cold hallway, Vetis posed a question.

They had arrived back at their own castle after using [Gate].

"It is merely because I hate the name I have been given. Its origins irks me for some reason. I feel that it is because of my undead racial change."

"Brynhildr? But why? If I were to describe it, it would be a majestic name. Fitting for a queen of your species."

"I see. But do you know my origins before I turned undead?"

"My apologies, I do not recall serving under you during that time."

'Well, you weren't sentient before I came to this world. None of you were.'

Selia came to a stop as she gazed out of an open window. Much of the palace was destroyed. Of course, it was because they forcibly took over this city.

Most of the population was also dimmed down. The citizens lived in fear of being erased if they dared defy her rule. Many were even scared of leaving.

Of course, a gloomy and dark atmosphere surrounded the city.

"I came from another world. In that world, I was a level 100 [War Maiden] named Brynhildr. Well, this isn't a game anymore."

"Game?"

"Ah, it is a type of simulation."

"I see. Then it is vastly similar to this world that's controlled by Gods."

Selia didn't disagree but she didn't agree with that remark either. She ignored what he said and continued speaking.

"When that day happened, and I opened my eyes the next moment, I was in this world. I was standing in front of you all as the Vampire Lord that I am today. For some reason I underwent a class change from [War Maiden] to [Vampire Lord]. The good karma I once had is now long gone. Perhaps it was because I came to this world that I became undead. Who really knows? My status still shows that I have my original powers even though I possess this body. One could say that that is the only good thing about ending up in this world alone."

'Well, I had to fight immediately after coming to this world.'

She had to kill the previous reigning Vampire Lord immediately after waking up. It was a known fact in the game that there must never exist more than one Monster Lord in a certain area. It was actually forbidden since they were already so powerful. It would be troublesome if there was more than one.

Selia met up with this Vampire Lord when she wanted to exit her domain to see the outside world.

It was the first time she had ever killed.

Selia locked eyes with Vetis. For some reason, he was crying.

"To think My Lady went through so much. It is a story I will definitely convey to my fellow comrades!"

"Ahaha…" Selia laughed awkwardly.

The two continued walking down the hallway. It was like a maze in this castle.

'Why is it so big!?'

Selia complained from within as they walked. Maybe the reason it was designed like this was because the owner wanted to confuse any thieves or enemies who come into the castle. They need time to escape, after all.

As with many other castles, this one had secret passages. The undead assassins she summoned found a lot of tunnels underneath the castle and the city. Each of those in the city connected with the castle. She could tell that the city was built by Dwarves who were such expert miners and builders. Their talents didn't just lay in blacksmithing.

"Is there anything else you're curious about, Vetis?" Selia addressed the demon who was quietly walking next to her.

"Lady Selia, I am indeed curious about something."

When Vetis and Selia finally arrived in front of their desired destination, he spoke.

"What is it?"

"Why are we really establishing ourselves as a friendly nation and seeking to ally with the other neighboring nations?"

"That is a question I answered before, no? I want to show everyone that we are not monsters who only know how to kill. To get rid of the stereotype associated with demons and undead."

"Yes, but…"

Vetis' eyebrows furrowed.

'I guess he won't give up then, huh?'

"In due time, Vetis." Selia said vaguely.

She had expected them to have many questions regarding her actions thus far. Why did she choose to leave their previous domain and found their own nation? Why should they bow down to humans? Why could they not eliminate any weakling in this city who dared defy their rule?

That was because Selia was only a normal human before coming to this world. She didn't have the guts to actually invade a nation.

Her move from earlier where she punched Vetis wasn't orchestrated beforehand. She was actually reprimanding him for his actions.

'Maybe because his previous master was a Demon Lord who enjoys killing, he assumed I am one as well?'

Selia mentally shook her head.

She was contradicting herself. Although she doesn't want to kill unnecessarily, she had done this much damage to a nation. It was Vetis' idea to invade the city she now ruled. Of course, Selia only found out about this afterwards.

The nation is already suffering under their idiot city lord. Why not take it from him?

She left everything in his hands before but looking at the destruction he caused, that was a bad idea.

'Sometimes I feel like this demon is plotting something.'

Selia had that same thought every time she she sees Vetis' unchanging grin.

Her eyes lingered to the bottom of the screen that opened in front of her. It was a list of all the people who were her friends in the game. Sadly, all of them were offline. That meant that none of them was in this world.

'I can't give up searching for them yet. With the help of my friends' star class artifacts, I should be able to protect this place until I find them.'

Of course, that depended on whether any of them transmigrated. Since they aren't using their in-game characters, they could've become one of the NPCs of this world.

There was also a worry of the players she finds being hostile. Of course she wouldn't hesitate to kill any such players.

As her thoughts came to a halt, the throne room door opened, revealing a black haired woman with golden eyes and a beautiful face. Behind her back was a long black tail which had a pointed tip at its end.

She was wearing an exquisite ball gown which emphasized her curvy body. Behind her back was one wing which sprouted from her left shoulder.

That was a sign that she was a banished succubus.

Gathered inside with the woman was one hundred underworld NPC's over which Selia herself ruled. They were the ones she had gained control of and received their loyalty. They were standing at both sides of the red carpet which led to the throne.

Around that throne stood her top commanders who were all level 100. They were the ones she called her most trusted subordinates. Besides Vetis who was a pure demon from the Demon King's underworld, the others were beings who were crafted using the Star-class artifact called "Racial Creation". She could create any kind of specie depending on the level of the user. Naturally, since she was at the level cap, their levels were also high when they were first summoned.

Over just a few years, they were able to reach the level cap as well.

Vetis stepped forward first onto the platform where the throne stood. He adjusted his tie and gestured to Selia who was trying her best to not roll her eyes.

"Her Majesty has returned!"

One hundred plus NPCs got onto their knees and welcomed Selia. Their voices reverberated throughout the castle. It showed their extreme eagerness to see her even though she had only been gone for a few hours.

""""""Welcome back, lady Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth!""""""