Chapter 131: Next Course of Action

Monica is an excellent scout. From reconnaissance to gathering intelligence, the skills that she picked up while serving Rainel are something not even I can copy with the incredible powers I gained after transforming into a noble vampire.

Above all else, she is my savior. If not for Monica and Oliver, I would probably still be six feet under. Though we were enemies once, I decided to consider everything water under the bridge.

I had looked at them suspiciously, questioning their reasons for going to great lengths to track me down, but Monica simply stated that I... had become Rainel's legitimate successor upon defeating him.

Evidently, Monica and Oliver are rather duty-bound. Or should I say, the gamelyon, Rainel, was that charismatic to earn such loyalty from them.

I guess even I could have ended up as Rainel's subordinate had it not been for Senri. His army was horrible in many ways, but Rainel himself was rather an old-fashioned soul.

It's unlikely that Monica would ever betray me. Vampires have too many weaknesses, hence even Monica who isn't a fan of close combat could easily assassinate me if she so wished. And if she really wanted to betray me then all she had to do was not revive me in the first place. Worrying isn't going to get me anywhere, and now I also have a familiar who is excessively loyal towards me.

Monica Ultivia is a dark being called a demon.

I don't know much about demons, but what I do know is that not all demons are built the same and that Monica has the power to charm people.

She can take on a human form, has command over a number of dark spells and flies over the clouds with a pair of black wings. And compared to Senri or Mirele, she has a more voluptuous body. Her charm magic is different from my magic and though inferior in terms of potency or immediacy, it's quite effective on men irrespective of their strength.

I happen to think that Monica is a Succubus, but if she really isn't one, then it leads me to wonder just how much more powerful a real Succubus is.

I reexamined all the information Monica brought back. With darkness spreading its wings everywhere, there's very little communication between towns, so the information that can be gathered has dropped in quantity and accuracy.

The present world is dangerous not only to humans but also to weak dark beings. The few dark beings I came across, after being freed from the grasp of their mortal enemies, the Death Knights, were all living as they pleased.

Goddammit, such monsters are the reason a harmless little vampire like me is always getting flak.

Mirele pouted and said, "I could also be of help to you Brother if I could use Fascinate Eye."

"It would be troubling if you happen to accidentally expose yourself to sunlight and dissolve while out on an investigation."

The disadvantages of the curse increase in proportion to the number of evolutions an undead goes through. Naturally, that applies to me, a noble vampire as well but Mirele can also not function under the sun for even a second.

Monica and Oliver, who aren't weak to the sun, are valuable in that regard as well. Vampires need to stay indoors during the day. Just like back when I was traveling with Senri, as long as we keep a low profile, there's lower risk of us getting attacked, but if we intend to put ourselves in the front and center, then we need someone to protect us during the day.

Any basement or cellar where sunlight can't get through is perfect for activity even in the day and considering the undead in the vicinity have been taken care of, there's no real need for protection either....

I flipped through the pages of Monica's notes and maps that she had drawn up.

"Looks like you were pretty thorough."

"There's too little information going around so most of it's just speculation..."

I had entrusted Monica with investigating Senri's whereabouts and the degree of influence exerted by the Demon King near this area.

Something that would have been simple before the world order changed has become complicated after communication has grown extremely difficult between towns. I have Olive hunting down those that don't belong in human towns, Mirele and I have been following hearsay and training at the same time as we wander from place to place, but we've never happened upon any juicy tidbits of information.

I guess the recent investigation didn't bear much fruit either and Senri's whereabouts are still a mystery.

"I think the only way to find out their location is to follow the trail of provisions delivered to the Death Knights. If rumors about them being at war are to be believed, then there ought to be a supply route."

"I know! How about putting me in a box and shipping me off to the Death Knights?"

Not to toot my own horn, but I can make myself as compact as can be.

Monica sighed upon hearing my half-serious suggestion.

"... Lord End, I think we're past the point of such shenanigans being effective. The trade network is in shambles. You'd be hard pressed to find even a peddler in the vicinity."

"Then, how about we become one?"

"In big cities, we'd have to go through several layers of identity inspections conducted by humans. We'd be found out in a second."

"Brother, I wanna be a peddler!"

Senri would have shot me down nicely, while Monica really doesn't mince words.

I guess we are too small a group. Our forces only consist of four members and that's including me. Well, our combined strength is really up there but it's true that we're severely understaffed.

I don't mind going with the flow and saving human towns, but with the way things are progressing, we won't be able to keep them safe forever.

"But that doesn't mean I didn't find any leads. The fact that they're holding their own over the allies of Stake King must mean they have a geographical advantage. And they also probably have the backing of a powerful country. If we take all that into account and slowly narrow down our scope..."

Monica's words made sense. But it wasn't enough.

The world is vast. Time is a non-entity to me but the same can't be said for Senri and in the three years I was asleep, I'm sure she has grown up. If I take my own sweet time with things, Senri will become an old lady soon.

I need to meet Senri who's blossomed into a young woman right now.

Monica rambled on as if to admonish me. Mirele had no choice but to listen as she kept calling out to me. I put both of them out of my mind for a moment, closed my eyes and came to a decision.

"Okay... Monica, go and bring Oliver. I've decided on a plan. It's time we stopped playing defense."

The search for patients with Dead Soul disease and the investigation, not only take up too much time but also have poor returns.

It's no good to over-complicate things. Thinking back, I've always broken down all barriers in my path through sheer force. Then I should simply do the same now.

Prudence is a virtue, but there's only a fine line between prudence and cowardice.

There's no need to make more retainers, just like back when I dealt with Rainel, I can let my fist do all the talking.

I examined the map Monica had drawn up on the Demon Kings' armed forces. With a rough outline of the neighboring area as reference, it's clear that there are several beings arrogant enough to claim themselves King in the vicinity.

I'll beat every single one of them down and make them serve me. If I find any human settlements under attack, then I'll make allies of those humans while I'm at it. I'll expand my influence and defeat the allies of the Stake King, reunite with a grown-up Senri and get my happy ending. This is the shortest route to achieve it.

Did I become muscle-brain like Senri?

As Mirele and Monica looked at me eyes wide, I solemnly declared, "We're gonna beat everyone into submission. I declare that as of this moment, I'm a Demon King."