Vampire War 3
Brynhildr sits on an unharmed sofa, looking at me silently, while the low-rank vampires clean up the messy room.
Her face is adorable, pretty and perfectly symmetrical.
It has the feel of an immature girl yet possesses an unmatched beauty.
At the same time, I sense a cruelness as cold as ice.
If someone told me she ate humans, that expression would not make me doubt them.
No words other than “Vampire Princess” describe Brynhildr better.
I wonder how many decades it has been since we’ve met.
Brynhildr did not leave Goldonia after I departed, in fact, it was I who did not come close to this place.
「First……this.」
Brynhildr’s demeanor doesn’t change when I speak.
「A kiss to our reunion and a quick round in be――」
I receive a powerful blow to the crotch.
Brynhildr’s kick landed right between my legs.
「Ggh, with a vampire’s strength……」
Brynhildr looks down, watching me suffer, as she gracefully takes a sip of tea and crosses her legs.
Perhaps her shaking leg is a sign that the kick hurt her.
Since I’m in position anyways, I shoot a glance to her groin area, which gets me a stare which she would give to a pig.
Alright, let’s end the joking here.
I stand up and embrace Brynhildr’s small body.
「You’ve guarded this place for all this time. Thank you.」
「I also wiped the ass of my detestable sister and an irresponsible wandering man.」
「Boo, boo.」
「Yes, boo.」
It hurts to hear that. And so does Lucy’s booing.
However, Brynhildr does return a hug with a fraction of the strength that I use, to show she isn’t seriously angry.
We quietly separate from each other.
「But it will end soon. That girl has already lived to 90 years old.」
「I want to peacefully see her off. That’s why I returned.」
I comfort Celia, who becomes somber from the atmosphere of the room, and Lucy, who continues to boo, as I sit down on the sofa.
Brynhildr sits down opposite to me, followed closely by Siegfried, who stands behind her.
There’s one important question I must ask.
「Who is this Draguria?」
「Right, that. I don’t know who that is either.」
「How come you don’t know when you’ve lived longer than me……whatever.」
Brynhildr crosses her legs, annoyed.
Knowing that I’m watching, she re-crosses her legs with a snort before explaining.
「He is a legend……or rather, he’s in the realm of a myth. He’s the forefather of all vampires, the first immortal being, the one cursed by the world……is all I’ve heard about him. Of course, I’ve never seen him either. I doubt any vampire has, no matter how long they’ve lived.」
「Could it be a sham? If no one has ever met him, anybody can make stories up.」
Brynhildr makes a conflicted expression.
「I have seen Farukdor, the Death Manipulator, Gogolka of the Ultimate Flame, and Gijulus of the Ethereal Mist in their midst. Each of them are vampires nearing 1000 years in age……they are not ones to dance to the tune of a fictitious story.」
So we’re finally encountering vampires in their thousands.
I wonder if they will spoil like wine if they sleep too long.
「Regardless, it’s a fact that he has well-known vampires on his side. But above all, even with all these strong vampires serving him, the ringleader can’t be seen. Only his name has been thrown out.」
I see, Flinder said it too.
I’d understand if Dragura himself is the ringleader, but that must not be right since he hasn’t been revived.
Still.
「I’m surprised you weren’t pulled over to their side.」
If Brynhildr allied with them, there’d be nothing I could do.
「Hmph. It’s because they told me, first thing, to serve the king. So I gave them a beating for being insolent.」
When the three of us applaud her, Brynhildr stands on the sofa and puffs out her chest proudly, only to quickly yell in embarrassment and slap me.
「I guess that must have pissed them off as they decided to attack the mansion. The first time, I hung the assailants on the tower. The second time, I skewered the assailants on the street lamps, and the third time I scattered the dismembered parts of the assailants on the road. This attack just now was the fourth time.」
「That means the bizarre incidents in the city were Brynhildr’s doing.」
Now that I think about it, it doesn’t make sense for people who want to control Anastasia and take over the country to do anything so conspicuous.
Then, Brynhildr’s face clouds.
「……they are by no means weak. Those with power of a lower-middle vampire are great in numbers, and it’s not uncommon for vampires of legend to be among them. Also, they will gather human servants who are not ghouls that use muskets with silver bullets. Less than half of my servants remain in the mansion. Not that it is a big deal.」
She tries to act tough at the end, which goes to show how cornered she must be.
I’m glad I hurried over here.
「If you struggled this much, is the palace in danger?」
Lucy makes a good point.
「Obviously, they also tried to invade the palace. Certain measures suggested by me were implemented though, so no one can get close unless they are considerably strong.」
Lucy softly pounds her fist on her hand like she remembers something.
「Oh right, my head hurt when I passed near the main road one time. It felt like they did everything we hated. I felt disgusted just by looking at the palace.」
「「?」」
Celia and I exchange looks.
We nod, confirming silently that we didn’t sense anything.
「Ignore these two. They eat garlic and swim in flowing water. And they also wipe down their bodies with a dry towel in the morning.」
「Are you two really vampires? Did some part stay human?」
「I’m not confident now that you ask me……」
Anyways, continuing on.
「Older and more powerful vampires can force their way in. But those who have lived longer are more cautious. They are not foolhardy enough to venture into a place where they do not know what is inside. With me here, the capital is safe for the time being.」
That’s why――Brynhildr explains further.
「I will head to Rafen. They intend to conquer that city.」
Rafen, the city in the territory I first received and the city I lived in until I obtained Goldonia.
It has gradually developed from a small rural town in the wilderness to a place I am attached to just as much, if not more, than Goldonia.
「Rafen is a large city. It has sufficient methods of defense so they should be hesitant to make any sudden moves, but……I hear neighboring villages have already fallen and turned into hellscapes. We might not have much leeway.」
「Then we should make haste.」
I’ve traveled back and forth between the capital and Rafen more times than I can count.
No matter how many years pass or how the city and people change, the path practically stays the same.
I actually wanted to remain in the capital longer……however, this is no time to whine.
Seeing my resolve, Brynhildr smiles.
「You don’t seem to know anything despite wandering. We will depart tomorrow at noon. It will be faster that way. ……more importantly-」
Brynhildr blushes and turns her gaze to a vacant space.
「「Ah.」」
Lucy and Celia notice and glare.
Brynhildr was wearing underwear made specifically for sex which didn’t have any fabric covering her privates, which I also saw when she crossed her legs.
「What the-!?」
「Is that!?」
「That’s quite the pair of underwear!」
Naturally, my penis becomes erect, causing Siegfried and Lucy to turn their heads in the other direction.
Not sure why, I also turn my head, leading Celia to look in the same direction after a brief moment of confusion.
「Idiots! You didn’t realize!?」
Brynhildr yells angrily.
「Uuu, I did realize……」
The moment I come to understand that I’m the odd one out, flames surge along the walls of the mansion.
Servants who were cleaning up are immediately engulfed and are quickly reduced to ash.
Those were vampire servants possessing inhuman strength by the way.
「Tch!」
I rush toward a female vampire wrapped in fire, tear off her clothes, and fondle her breasts before tossing her into a room in the back.
Then I jump through the window, breaking through the glass, and drop down in the courtyard.
Celia follows suit while Brynhildr jumps afterward, landing on the ground gracefully. Siegfried was already in the courtyard by the time I jumped, meanwhile, Lucy took the stairs like a normal person.
In front of us stands……an old man with a cane.
He appears to be in his 80’s or 90’s, and decrepit enough for his bones to break just from walking.
「Oh darn.」
The old man exclaims, slapping a hand on his bald head.
「I was told the attack was tonight, but look how late I am. Not good, I completely lost track of time.」
「Hahaha, you’re way past the time. Your friends are either dead or have run away.」
The old man seems to be a part of the group of assailants, but he’s more than three hours late.
「Fo fo fo, it’s a real shame. Well, since I’m here, guess I’ll attack by myself.」
I chuckle again and shake my head.
「Don’t bother. You’re not exactly going to make much of a contribution.」
The only ones smiling are me and the old man.
Siegfried never had much of an expression to begin with, but Lucy and Brynhildr are tense.
「Aegir……this guy is-」
「I know, you don’t have to tell me!」
I’m aware.
That’s why I’m trying to buy a little time with some idle chatter.
「Indeed, it is all like you say. However, I would be criticized for being an old hindrance if I simply return on top of being late and persuaded by the enemy. While my chances of winning are slim……let me at least try.」
The instant the old man extends his wrinkled hand, all of us jump.
A whirlwind of flames that gradually change from red to blue to white spirals around the entire courtyard.
It didn’t take long for the grass to become black like charcoal, the flames to climb and melt the walls, and even for trees several meters away to also catch on fire.
Those flames won’t discriminate between human and vampire.
「Gogolka of the Ultimate Flame……」
Brynhildr bares her fangs.
So this is a thousand year-old vampire.
「Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Brynhildr. I thought we’d be friends……then all of a sudden I’m told to erase you. Things change too quickly for this geezer to keep up.」
「Quit your nonsense!!」
I don’t know if it’s his manner of speech or if it’s because the mansion was burned or if it’s because our love affair was interrupted, but Brynhildr is angry and closes the distance between her on Gogolka.
「-!? Wait Brynhildr! He is-!!」
Lucy unintentionally yells out in warning.
「Oh, so this is spirit of the rumored Lady Brynhildr, splendid.」
Gogolka comments as he unleashes fire upon Brynhildr.
But she leaps up into the air beautifully, doing a half spin, drawing an arc in the sky that could leave a trail of stardust behind, and dodges before swinging her claws.
A vampire’s greatest weapon, their claws, tears Gogolka from his forehead to his――
「Guh!」
Brynhildr groans and falls backward.
More precisely, her collar was pulled by Siegfried.
Her hand from the wrist up was completely carbonized.
Blue flames shroud Gogolka’s vicinity like a cloak.
She was burned by that.
「Are you alright!?」
When I grab Brynhildr, Siegfried immediately faces and runs at Gogolka.
It’s my assumption that he “runs”. Based on the information captured only by my eyes, it’s more accurate to say, he disappears.
「Hoh, quite fast. This old man’s eyes simply can’t follow.」
A wave of dust sweeps across the courtyard and the outer walls of the mansion.
Like Celia, Siegfried probably intends to use the surfaces as a jumping platform, but all his movements are so fast that I see them all at the same time.
He prepares to launch a single deadly strike which can come from any angle.
It was right when I heard a significantly louder sound of him planting his foot.
「-!!」
Siegfried gets covered in flames and rolls on the ground.
He was blocked. No, he was intercepted.
「One at 500 years hardly has enough experience. You’ve never seen the extinction flame defense before, have you?」
Celia, who was about to jump in at a time delay, halted herself right on her tiptoes.
As cute as that is, she avoided death by a hair’s breadth. She would have gotten burned.
「I exploited the gap. It was defended without him realizing.」
Siegfried mutters as he regenerates the burnt body parts.
The extent to which his face to his waist was burned in that split second is unbelievable
「Unconsciously……so it must be a type of ancient magic. If he can’t break through, then it’s impossible to bypass his defense with speed.」
Brynhildr adds, regenerating her arm.
As sexy as her dress is after being singed at the shoulder, now is not the time.
I don’t care if it’s a hundred year-old or a thousand year-old, nobody hurts my Brynhildr……
「Move!」
「Gueh.」
I fall forward from an unexpected ambush.
It’s the enemy female vampire who was captured.
「Gogolka-sama, forgive my ineptitude. I will also lend you my――」
She stands in front of Gogolka, chanting some kind of spell in our direction.
「Let’s see.」
Following the short sentence, both legs of the female vampire are scorched.
「Wha-!? Gogolka-sama!! It’s me, Limran!」
Losing her legs, the female vampire drops to the ground, and Gogolka simply smiles like a good-natured old man.
「Did I have any acquaintances among the servants of other vampires? I think I’m going senile.」
Hellfire continues to burn the immobile Limran.
I can’t overlook internal discord.
The reason is because she belongs to me.
「She is my woman.」
I jump toward Gogolka.
It’s a guard which catches him off-guard, but he doesn’t panic one bit.
「If you can’t understand after seeing it twice, maybe you’re more senile than――!?」
Gogolka has a composed expression but he becomes speechless upon seeing my attack and hops backward.
The weapon I swung was not a sword nor a spear.
It was a four meter iron pole that I pulled out from the courtyard.
Flames at his feet intercept the iron pole and melt it.
However, they can’t erase the force which I used to swing it down.
As a result, the liquified metal rains down on Gogolka.
Molten iron sears his flesh and burns his robe.
「Ggaaaah!!」
「It hurts to get splashed by molten iron even as a thousand year-old vampire, right?」
I use the opening to retrieve Limran and toss her into the tool shed.
Gogolka waves away the smoke as he leaps, uncharacteristically nimbly for an old man, onto the road.
「Cocky youngster!! The same trick won’t work――」
「That depends on how I use it.」
Goldonia is way more developed than when I used to live here.
In the past, nobody could walk around at night without torches, but now, many “streetlamps” illuminate the city.
I yank one of those streetlamps and swing it laterally.
「Eek!?」
「What? You have that extinction flame defense yet you’re going to run?」
Gogolka seems to have lost his cool and is desperately fleeing.
The iron pole misses, hitting and destroying the fence of an adjacent house, then I do a flip and swing the pole diagonally.
Gogolka rolls again, but the extinction flame defense intercepts and melts the iron pole……once more causing molten iron to pour over his head.
「Gaaaah! You bastard!!」
This time, he displays the fighting spirit of a thousand year-old vampire and points his palm at me.
A line of flames changing from red to blue to white surges forward……it was more like a beam of light, which grazed my ear, scorched my clothes and charred my ear lobe……but that was it.
「Fumu. I get it.」
The fire moves according to his will when he attacks.
It is in his complete control however it moves at his speed.
Conversely, they move automatically on defense.
They are faster than Siegfried, but he can’t control it, instead they intercept any kind of attack that comes within roughly a one meter radius. If that previous attack wasn’t intercepted, he still would have barely dodged.
「Kah! Don’t think you’ve beaten me just because you’ve seen the prison flame and extinction flame a few times!」
An incredibly high-temperature fire――is unleashed via the prison flame.
The heat rays are hot enough to kill a vampire instantly, but the threat is basically no different from a bandit with a crossbow.
I determine the trajectory of his attacks from his line of sight, his discharge timing, and the direction of his palm.
I dodge the first and second heat rays that fly left and right.
I lay flat on the ground as he loses his patience and sweeps his arm to launch a flame horizontally right above me, then I jump to dodge the fourth shot when he tries to burn me along with the ground.
「It’s slow.」
I say, pulling out a streetlamp and throwing it at Gogolka. Sure enough, the extinction flame activates and melts the pole, turning the metal into scattershot bullets.
「Gaaaguhh!! This kind of attack is like a scratch to this thousand year life!」
「Is that so? I’m uninjured here, though.」
I pull out another streetlamp and swing it.
He keeps running so I am able to find the next streetlamp.
I strike the ground with all my might, kicking up a cloud of dust and brick fragments.
Even a vampire whose eyes can see in the dark will have zero visibility in this.
「I’ve seen this kind of overused smokescreen!!」
I can sense Gogolka change his position from the other side of the dust cloud.
Gogolka is strong, but he’s an amateur.
He is merely an old man relying on the physical capabilities, magic and vitality of a vampire.
He has no experience fighting true battles where one slash means death.
I send a slight glance behind me.
No matter how many times I see it, that guy’s handsomeness irks me.
As the smoke clears, I swing the iron pole in the spot where Gogolka intends to dodge.
It was a half-assed attack with the trajectory being somewhat a shot in the dark and the swing is excessively large, meaning a vampire can easily dodge it with the exceptional physical abilities granted to their bodies. Well, that is if the extinction flame doesn’t activate.
「Eek!」
Gogolka’s fear-stricken face is once again bombarded by the burning droplets.
Noticing how unexpectedly slow my attack is, he switches attention to the Brynhildr estate.
His target is Siegfried.
Siegfried has yet to recover from the earlier attack and is still on his knees.
Now, what is he going to do?
With his extinction flame still active, he’ll get bathed with more molten iron, but with it off, he can narrowly dodge my attack.
And currently, Siegfried is recovering and appears unable to move.
Gogolka chants a spell unlike the ones he casted before.
He took the bait.
『Cancel Extinction Flame』
A thin stream of wind blows through.
The moment those final incantations left Gogolka’s mouth, his head was sent spinning in the air.
Standing ten meters away from us is Siegfried, who had leapt from the mansion and swung his sword to decapitate Gogolka.
「So fa――」
He isn’t able to finish his thought as his head is split into seven sections in midair.
The sliced product resembles a pickled dish.
However, a vampire who has lived long defies logic.
Even if he loses his head, he can still regenerate if his heart remains intact.
「That’s why you have to do this.」
I lower my hips with both hands wrapped around an iron pole, then swing it at the headless body of Gogolka with a scooping motion.
The old vampire’s body is sent flying at a 45 degree angle, accompanied by a satisfying metal clank, and gets buried in an observation tower on the edge of the city.
「Home run.」
Lucy comments, but I’m not done.
I throw the streetlamp like a javelin, aiming at the center of Gogolka’s torso, and gouge a chunk from his shoulders to his waist off his body.
The remaining pieces of his broken body fall to the ground.
「Good on you to realize.」
「……」
Siegfried sheaths his sword, not saying anything.
To be honest, Gogolka was a rather annoying opponent.
Despite the one-sided attack, the numerous showers of molten iron did nothing to kill him.
It would have been a tough fight if took the offensive, and Siegfried’s aid was indispensable.
With that said, Siegfried got hit first, and I was the one who launched a relentless attack on Gogolka.
「Meaning, it’s my win.」
I raise both arms in a victory pose.
「He’s getting cocky.」
「Well, that’s what makes him cute.」
Brynhildr and Lucy stare at me unamused, but a win is a win.
I show off the victory pose to Siegfried at a closer distance.
「Ah! Aegir-sama, not good!」
Like Celia says, when I turn around, the observation tower tilts and debris begins to fall.
「That’s what happens when a streetlamp goes straight through the middle of it. Even if it’s made of reinforced brick, it won’t hold up.」
The tower crumbles with a thunderous crash.
A few seconds later, fire erupts from what looks like the office of the public security unit, and lights turn on along with the ringing of an alarm.
「By the way, let me tell you. The first pole you swung was the origin of a barrier I set up for the mansion.」
『The observation tower was destroyed! Is it an attack!? An accident!? It looked like it was shot by a cannon!!』
『There’s a fire in the noble mansion district!! It’s a large one! Dispatch all fire extinguishing teams urgently!!』
Lights converge from all directions.
We had to escape without being able to savor the taste of victory.
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