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Volume 5 Vampire Tea Party Part 1

Vampire Tea Party

The breath of the sleeping Giant Dragon could be heard echoing throughout the deepest reaches and depths of the aerial citadel

At the current moment, the dragon’s giant body is longer than rivers in their entirety and so massive that it could no longer fit itself into the deepest of the mountain valleys. Every time it was inhaling air into its lungs, it would cause the clouds in the sky to be gathered in a single place, and every time it exhaled, the air that it was breathing out had enough force behind it to break even the oldest and the sturdiest of the trees in the forests as easily as if they were matches or dried-up twigs.

Even in the world of Little Garden, a place where various Gods, Demons and Buddhas gather, happening upon a dragon that would be this large was not an easy feat to achieve. And even if you would be lucky enough to meet such a dragon, there is no telling that you would live long enough to tell the tale of that encounter to the rest of the world.

Since ancient times, Dragon have been known as the hoarders and protectors of all things made from silver and gold, and this particular Giant Dragon was by no means an exception to that rule. The place where the Giant Dragon was sleeping in a coiled position right now was an aerial citadel that floated in the sky, moved around from place to place wherever the wind currents would currently take it. Although the castle town has been weathered down by the elements to the point where it hardly retained its original shape now, the castle’s outer walls did not have but a single scratch on them. And since not only the walls, but the structure of the entire castle looked to be completely untouched as well, the most logical explanation for that would be that it must have received some kind of protection that made it this way. The only things what were the closest to being called dirty in the entire castle’s structure were the human-shaped stains on the outer walls of the observation deck. Even among the Communities belonging to the upper echelons of Little Garden’s hierarchy, very little of them could boast about having such a magnificent castle in their possession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . .  even more so if it was not only a simple fortress, but actually a mobile weapon floating in the sky. That is why this citadel would be an irreplaceable treasure for any Community that is ambitious enough to rule over not only a single castle, but an entire country as well. That is why from the moment when the rumors about the aerial citadel began circulating, there appeared many a Communities who expressed their desire to claim that flying fortress as their own and so they were promptly seeking it out in order to challenge and conquer it, but out of the many Communities who set foot in there, not even one of them came back, be it with their shields. . . . . or on them. They were all destroyed without a trace for the barbarity that they have committed.

Many have challenged the Giant Dragon in hopes to obtain the right of ownership to the aerial citadel after they slay it, but the moment they appeared in front of it, it was already too late for them. They were not given even the shadow of a chance to escape with their lives after realizing that the Giant Dragon was well and truly invincible. They were all burned to ash, leaving only the stains of their silhouettes as the only proof of them ever being there. Every. Last. One of them. They died without exception, for none who dared to disturb the Giant Dragon’s slumber were allowed to live.

And that is how the fortress floating in the skies above Little Garden became known as the impregnable lair of a terrible Demon Lord who would leave no survivors if they ever dared to disturb him by setting foot in his domain ever again.

Yes, that is correct. The true horror of the aerial citadel is not the Giant Dragon that is guarding it. The real terror and the master of that place is a villainous Demon Lord who turned that place into his evil lair from which he was planning to wipe out all those who would try to oppose him. A Vampire with blonde hair that shined so brightly that they might have easily been mistaken for strands of gold. She is one of the Organizers of the 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority who keeps sleeping as she sits on the throne of her aerial citadel, Leticia Draculea, the Vampire Queen. She is that castle’s most valuable treasure. . . . . and the biggest threat that looms in its throne room.

「. . . . . .  .  」

Sitting on her throne, neither one of her beautiful eyelids moved with even a single, smallest twitch. At first glance she could have been mistaken for a porcelain doll, but her snow-white skin still has the ever-so delicate shade of red to it, and the sound of her soft breathing could still be heard, although it was very faint, to the point where one would have to listen with all their hearing focused on the Vampire Queen alone if they wanted to confirm that they were still there. The presence of those two things was an unmistakable indicator that even though she was sleeping in a state that might have been otherwise indistinguishable from death, she was definitely still alive. But yes, in her current state, she could definitely pass on for a beautiful, meticulously crafted work of art rather than for a human being, and no one could be blamed for thinking about her like that, because that is how she looked right now. If a stray gust of wind was to make its way to the throne room and were to ruffle the elegant golden hair of hers, throwing them aflutter in the shape of a fan. . . that would definitely paint the most beautiful of pictures.

But alas, the throne room is blocked off from the corridor that was leading outside of the citadel by a pair of huge, ornate door with intricate designs etched onto its surface that make sure that no gust of wind, and not even a single sound will make it past them and onto the Vampire Queen’s side. So unless someone comes in to open the door, no one will be able to feast their eyes upon her golden hair, shining like the rays of the sun itself even amidst the darkness of the blackest night. Nothing is going to change in this place. . . . . . . . . . .  unless a fearless hero appears, slipping past the watchful Giant Dragon and its breath of hellish flames.

「. . . . . .. . . . .  ? ? ? 」

But then she felt it. A gentle breeze brushing off against her golden hair, almost as if it wanted to caress them in the same way that a lover caresses the cheek of his beloved after they finally get reunited with one another. . . and then she also heard voices. Two of them. A beautiful one that was singing a song, and an off-tune one that was repeating the words sung by the first voice.