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Chapter 321

A dark green-scaled giant snake slithered across the floor. Following the snake’s body upward, it transformed into the waist of a human woman, continuing into the form of a beautiful girl dressed in a well-tailored white dress.

She was a Lamia, a creature with the lower body of a serpent and the upper body of a human. Known for their formidable strength, intelligence, powerful magic, and mesmerizing eyes capable of charm and hypnosis, Lamias were typically regarded as dangerous monsters. However, in the Bern Barony of the Kingdom of Arkrest, they were treated quite differently.

Long ago, the Lamias originated from a cursed human princess, and over generations, the curse had weakened to the point where their mentality was now indistinguishable from humans. Even so, since they could only bear female offspring and required males from other species for reproduction, they had long been considered a threat.

But here in Bern, friendly relations had been established with the Lamia village, and the husband of the female lord had chosen a Lamia as his companion. Furthermore, the laws of Bern explicitly guaranteed equal rights and obligations for all races.

Thus, she could move freely within the lord’s mansion, respected and acknowledged for her significant role in the Bern Barony. This Lamia, Serina, who had become an indispensable figure, greeted passing servants while carrying supplies in both hands and made her way to her destination. She knocked on the door adjacent to the lord’s office and waited for a response before entering.

「It’s Serina. I’ve brought the reports.」

「Please, come in.」

The voice from inside was one Serina had become well accustomed to, yet it never failed to remind her of the beauty of its owner, whose beauty was so overwhelming it almost made her swoon.

「As expected, she’s as beautiful as always, just like Chris, the diplomatic weapon of Bern!」,

Christina’s office was filled with treasures from all over the world, priceless items impossible to convert into monetary value. The secretarial office, however, was furnished with more conventional items, though still of high quality.

The head of this office was Dramina, a vampire, and Christina’s chief secretary, who also shared Serina’s husband. With silvery-white hair tinged with a faint purple hue and crimson eyes as vibrant as the most beautiful blood, Dramina’s beauty was otherworldly, an ultimate form impossible to fully recall or describe.

「Here are the reports from Jarla. Are the other secretaries away?」

Serina slithered over to Dramina’s desk and handed her the reports. Besides managing Jarla, the Lamia village, Serina held significant positions in negotiations with various tribes in the northern mountains and the eastern Ente Forest.

In some respects, her responsibilities surpassed even Dramina’s. Noticing the absence of other personnel, Serina inquired about their whereabouts, as the expanding Bern Barony required more secretaries to support Christina’s administration.

「They are accompanying Chris on an inspection. It’s time they learned to handle most secretarial tasks independently. Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any imminent assignments for the mobile knight order, so I can focus on training the next generation.」

「That applies to me as well. While I know I’m the best fit for my role, nurturing someone reliable takes time,」

「A luxurious problem, indeed. Fortunately, there have been no movements from the Demon King’s army, and the kingdom has managed to minimize the confusion from Romar’s annexation. Our territory is not declining but thriving, so expanding our personnel is a proactive measure.」

「True. Looking back, it’s hard to believe how accustomed we’ve become to these roles. While it’s expected for someone like Dramina, who was a queen, it’s surprising to see myself, Diadra, Chris, and Doran involved in land management. If someone had told me this in the past, I wouldn’t have believed it,」

「That can be said for everyone involved in Bern. Even Doran probably couldn’t have imagined his future turning out like this,」 Dramina agreed.

「Indeed. When I first met Doran, he just vaguely wanted to do something good for the village.」

「You know a part of Doran that I don’t, Serina, since you met him a few months before I did. I’m quite envious.」

「It goes both ways, Dramina. You often go on evening outings with Doran, don’t you?」

「Well, I am a vampire. I need to balance the strain of working during the day with some nighttime comfort.」

「But you said you’re almost unaffected by sunlight now.」

「“Almost” doesn’t mean completely unaffected. To prevent any buildup of adverse effects, I need to spend time with my beloved and find solace.」

Dramina winked playfully, causing Serina to gasp as if her heart had been struck. Despite being used to such gestures from both Dramina and Christina, Serina still couldn’t fully withstand their overwhelming beauty.

「With you and Christina wearing armlets, it’s manageable now, but when will you be able to meet people outside this territory without them?」

「Dramina and I have somewhat given up on that. Being able to show our true faces to those most important to us is enough,」

Serina could relate and understood Dramina’s perspective. Dramina flipped through the report, quickly memorizing the contents with her sharp intellect and experience as a former queen.

「The report seems fine. It matches our expectations, so there shouldn’t be any issues when reporting to Chris or Doran. The interaction with the Lake Mermaids, the various tribes in the Ente Forest, and the dragons from the Moles Mountains is well-known, and as long as there’s no malice, there shouldn’t be major problems. Lynette and the others are keeping a close watch.」

「Lynette and her group have adapted well to their roles as maids and guards. Though, they sometimes overdo things to get praise from Diadra and Doran, which can be troublesome.」

「To us, it’s endearing, but it must be a nightmare for those being chased, like the Holy Law Kingdom and Romar once experienced,」 Dramina said with a smile.

「Indeed. Despite the captures, they still send more, so we’ve left it be for quite a while. It would be nice if they gave up.」

「Running a nation isn’t that simple. Causing enough damage to make them give up would be rather cruel, and we have the luxury of going easy on them,」 Dramina reasoned.

「Though I’m part of it, it does feel a bit unfair… I guess it’s too late to complain,」 Serina laughed.

「Indeed. Though we’ve talked longer than expected, my schedule is free. How about you, Serina? I’d love to offer you some tea.」

「Well, I’ve finished today’s tasks and preparations for tomorrow, so I can spare some time for tea,」

「Thank you for indulging me. I’ll prepare it quickly.」

Dramina deftly prepared tea, showcasing skills that belied her past as a queen. Soon, the fragrant scent of tea leaves from the Ente Forest filled the room. The high-quality tea, an export from Bern, still managed to make Serina’s cheeks relax in delight.

「It’s nice to have the time and peace to enjoy tea. There haven’t been any major incidents lately,」
「Even when busy, it’s a satisfying kind of busy. Chris has gotten used to her duties, and our sparring sessions for stress relief have decreased. A positive trend,」

「Indeed. Um, I have a delicate question…」

「A delicate question? Please, ask away,」

「You were a queen across the sea, right? You mentioned handling matters there, but what if they come to reclaim you as their queen?」
「A nostalgic topic. I left a capable heir, supported by loyal ministers. I helped establish a solid foundation, and they should be fine without me. Even if they ask for me, I doubt they’d go through the trouble of crossing the sea.

Perhaps, when official diplomatic relations are established, there might be some greetings. But I don’t think it’ll come to that. Did you think of this because of our children growing up?」 Dramina replied.

「Yes. They’re reaching an age where they could be chosen as successors. I trust they won’t be easily swayed, thanks to the education you and Doran provide. But seeing Alexander get scolded by Leviathan and Bahamut for meddling worries me a bit,」 Serina admitted.

「Alexander tries to instill reverence in our children from a young age, which is troublesome,」

As anticipated, Alexander and Lenia meddled heavily in the lives of Doran and his children. Lenia treated the children as her siblings, while Alexander tried to instill reverence in them, often leading to scoldings from the other original seven dragons.

「Doran scolds him a lot, but he’s persistent. The children adore him, so it’s not all bad,」

「Despite being one of the most powerful and ancient dragons, Alexander can be quite immature,」
「We’ve come to understand that the gods and dragons are not as mythical as they seem. It’s something only we can appreciate, even if no one else would believe us,」 Serina laughed.

「Indeed. And as for my children, they’re doing well. It might be time to consider passing on the relics, though we only have six, so not everyone can receive one. We might need to consult the gods who created them.」

「We could ask the gods or creators of the vampire relics, but it feels like cheating. Plus, the dragons might provide overwhelming gifts, which would be both a blessing and a problem,」 Serina mused.

「True. Alexander and the others tend to go overboard with gifts because they rarely get the chance to give them. It’s a bit of a challenge,」

「It’s a luxurious problem. If Alexander and Vritra knew, they’d probably faint,」

「They’ve built some tolerance, but Alexander still manages to shock them, like when he fainted for real, which wasn’t funny」

「Thankfully, it happened in Bern. If it had been in the Arkrest palace, the repercussions would’ve been significant」

「Indeed. It’s quite unique to us」

Outside the window, as the two exceptional beauties laughed over their tea, Dhampir and Lamia children trained with their father, soaring through the sky. Such was the ordinary day for these two mothers.