Chapter 2 – To The Vampires and The Demon Castle
We proceeded through the deep forest.
Walking in front of me was the golden-haired vampire girl I had only just met.
Following behind us were several others with similar golden hair, but a lighter shade than the girl in front.
I felt their piercing eyes on my back.
They seemed wary of me because of my sudden appearance, but it was the same for me.
“Um, where are we going?”
I called out to the girl in front of me, and she answered while still facing forward.
“To the Demon Castle.”
Inwardly, I was surprised by that.
“With mana as vast as yours, it would be best to recruit you into the Demon Lord’s army rather than leave you unattended. You have nowhere else to go anyway, do you?”
“…… true.”
Certainly, I have no place to go.
It would have been different if I were a human, but now I am a Lich, an undead demon.
Even if I happened upon a human, I would only be attacked.
“Well, as a former human, you may face some hardship, I suppose.”
That made me laugh.
“I’m used to that sort of thing.”
When I was a human, my family was cold to me because I was “of saintly blood yet possessed the dark attribute”, and my ex-fiancé didn’t love me either, leading to my execution.
Facing harsh treatment was nothing new.
And I decided I wasn’t going to take it anymore.
“Oh, aren’t you a strange lass?”
The girl laughed sheepishly.
“By the way, may I ask your name? Please call me Rachel.”
Demons and humans are enemies.
Even though I am a demon now, I was originally a human.
It was only natural that they would be on guard and filled with murderous intent, just like the ones behind me.
However, the girl in front of me showed no signs of that at all.
“Well, Rachel, I am Alexia Moon. One of the progenitors of the vampires and an executive of the Demon Lord’s army. Although I may look like this, I’ve lived much longer than you.”
“How long have you been alive?”
“Hmm, I lost count halfway through, but a thousand years have passed.”
She said it with such pride, which surprised me again.
No matter how you look at it, she looks like a girl younger than me.
I had learned that demons had different lifespans and strengths depending on the species, but I didn’t think there was such a big difference between them and humans.
After all, I had heard that only the Demon Lord was immortal.
But if they really had such long lifespans, it would already be similar to immortality.
“Th, that’s right……
A stunned voice came from the front.
“Why are you so surprised? You’re just the same?”
“Me?”
“The Lich is also known as the ‘Undead King’, a being that never ages and never dies. Perhaps you will even outlive me.”
I had a strange feeling when I was told that.
…… I’m …… immortal…
I gently placed my hand on my chest, but there was no heartbeat.
As I touched my cold body, I slowly realized that I was no longer truly human.
“What is the progenitor vampire?”
“It’s just as it says. There are five progenitors of all vampires. I am one of them. Those who created the vampires that exist today, so I am like a parent to them.”
“Does that mean that all other vampires are the offspring of the Progenitors?”
“That’s right. But not by giving birth. Only the Progenitors have the ability to use their mana to create others of their kind as subordinates.”
If that’s the case, then the ones behind me are probably Alexia’s “offspring”.
Strangely, they could increase their numbers by any means other than childbirth.
“So, the progenitor vampire is a noble being in the eyes of the vampires?”
“Exactly. Seems you’re quick to understand things.”
“Hohoho,” Alexia laughs.
“You must be wondering why a woman like me picked you up?”
I nodded in response.
“Yes. Can you tell me?”
“Hmm.”
Lady Alexia stopped and turned around.
“Rachel, I need your help to revive the Demon Lord.”
My shoulders jerk in shock.
The memory of my previous life came back to me.
…… Does she want me to die again?
“What do you mean……?”
“The Lich is known as the Undead King, so they can resurrect the dead. Well, most of the time, they end up as skeletons or zombies. But the Demon Lord is different.”
“?”
“The Demon Lord is also an immortal, but due to the seal placed on him by the First Saint, he remains in a dead state. It may be impossible for a demon to do so, but perhaps you, a former human, could break the seal.”
It was also a story passed down in the Duke of Sheringham Family from generation to generation.
It is said that the Demon Lord never died no matter how many times he was defeated, and for this reason, the First Saint sealed the Demon Lord so that he would not come back to life after he was defeated.
Apparently, she wants to break the seal of the First Saint.
“There is no loss for you. If the Demon Lord is resurrected, you will be invited as an executive of the Demon Lord’s army in recognition of your achievements. You will have a place to belong, and we will be reunited with the Demon Lord and gain power.”
I tilted my head.
“Gain power?”
“The Demon Lord is not only the pinnacle of the demon race. Without the Demon Lord, we demons cannot display our true strength.”
Then, I suddenly realized.
Without the Demon Lord, the Demons are unable to display their true strength?
Then, if the Demon Lord were to be resurrected now, what would happen to the conflict between humans and demons?
Currently, the war between humans and demons has reached a stalemate.
Due to the prophecies of Saintess Yuuri, the human side has only gained a slight advantage over the demons, but the difference in military strength is not so great.
What if the Demon Lord were to be resurrected in this situation?
Slowly, a dark emotion welled up in my chest.
At the very least, the demons will have the upper hand.
Also, I might be able to make use of the knowledge I have from my previous life.
…… Revenge, it might be possible.
Hehe, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Lady Alexia.”
…… Oh, thank you, God.
“I hate humans. I’ll be happy to help revive the Demon Lord.”
I want revenge on them. I want to show them hell and give them despair.
I want them to regret killing Rachel Sheringham, the daughter of a Duke and a direct descendant of the First Saint.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Alexia Moon smiled wryly when Rachel, the Lich lady, gave her consent.
Apparently, this lass hates humans.
It may have something to do with being left dead in a cage, but that’s irrelevant.
What is important is the resurrection of the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord is an ancient and unique type of demon, the core from which all demons are connected.
As the Demon Lord grows stronger, all demons will grow stronger in response.
Currently, with the Demon Lord deceased, that connection has faded and the demons as a whole have weakened.
Ever since the Demon Lord was sealed away in the battle with the First Saint around 800 years ago, the demons have steadily been weakening, and if this continues, they will one day be defeated by humans.
Meanwhile, the demons tried desperately to resurrect the Demon Lord.
However, all their attempts were thwarted by the seal placed by the Saint.
Besides, they lacked the mana needed to resurrect him.
There had been liches before, but they had gone insane over the course of their long lives, and were eventually purified by humans with holy magic.
A Lich, a demon that possesses dark attribute magic, is occasionally born when a human priest with a considerable amount of mana dies with strong emotions, such as hatred.
…… Rachel was born at an auspicious time.
A day ago, one of the subordinate vampires claimed to have sensed a strong magical reaction at the border, so she came to investigate, and there found Rachel.
Perhaps when she became a Lich, she was flooded with an immense amount of mana.
Even now, she could feel such strong dark attribute mana coming from Rachel.
She was likely originally a human with a lot of mana, but after she died and became a lich, the power hidden within her was released, further increasing her mana pool.
The subordinate vampires also feel her strong mana, so although they are wary, they probably won’t lay a hand on her.
The demon world is a meritocracy.
They follow the will of those who are more powerful and stronger than they are.
…… I was able to pick up something far better than expected.
With this level of mana, perhaps the seal of the Saint may be broken this time around.
…… Faust, wake up soon.
She wants to exchange words with her old friend.
All demons are eagerly awaiting the Demon Lord’s awakening.
“Lady Alexia.”
Her awareness returned when Rachel called out.
“What is it?”
“You will never regret picking me up. I will definitely resurrect the Demon Lord.”
“Oh,” Alexia replied, hearing the confident voice.
“Huh? Have you thought of a way to break the seal?”
The seal of the saint that could never be broken by demons.
If she could break the damn thing, then the fact that she was once human would be trivial to Alexia.
The important thing is the resurrection of the Demon Lord. That’s all.
“Yes.”
Alexia’s intuition whispered to her.
This find will surely be useful.
“Let’s get going, then.”
I haven’t heard from my old friend in 800 years.
I miss the connection that was almost severed.
I want to wield my power as I once did.
Alexia reached out and Rachel’s slender hand met hers.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
“P, please don’t drop me……!”
We were flying at a tremendous speed.
The one flying through the sky, holding me in her arms, was Lady Alexia.
She had jet-black bat-like wings growing from her back, but rather than flying with them, she seemed to be using magic to fly, with the wings only playing an auxiliary role.
“What? You basically weigh nothing. Hold on tight. Well, you won’t die even if I drop you.”
“No, I don’t want it to hurt!”
“Do liches feel pain?”
On the contrary, I tilted my head when she was asked.
“Eh? No, I don’t know……”
A body that has already died once. Can it still feel pain?
As I was at a loss for an answer, Lady Alexia laughed.
“Hohoho, I will take care not to drop you. It would be inconvenient if you used up mana for regeneration before the Demon Lord resurrected.”
As we talked, we zipped through the sky.
The dense forest and village-like places flowed by and disappeared.
The wind is cold, but perhaps because I am dead, I do not feel the cold.
It’s a little uncomfortable to be carried around by a girl who looks younger than I am, but the feeling of flying is exhilarating.
Even human magic can’t fly this fast.
“We’ll fly straight to the Demon Castle.”
When she suddenly picked me up, I thought it was some kind of joke, but as expected of a demon, she seemed to be quite strong despite her appearance.
She also seemed to have a lot of magic power.
Even though she’s been flying ever since, Lady Alexia doesn’t show the slightest sign of fatigue.
Lady Alexia’s subordinates are in her shadow.
Apparently, vampires can occupy the shadows of their own kind and can even move from shadow to shadow.
If Lady Alexia flew at full speed, even the subordinate vampires would not be able to keep up, so she decided to put them in her shadow.
Even though she was a vampire, Lady Alexia, the progenitor, had no problem with being exposed to sunlight, but her subordinates were weakened by exposure to sunlight, and even if they headed to the Demon Castle from now on, it would soon be past noon, so they were sent ahead in the shadows.
“Speaking of which, Rachel, what happened to your clothes? I have seen plenty of humans, but I have never seen anyone in such shabby garbs.”
Hearing that, I smiled wryly.
“I was an aristocratic daughter, but I was falsely accused and executed.”
“A false accusation? What crime were you accused of?”
“Because I was proficient in necromancy and possessed dark attribute magic, they claimed I was collaborating with the demons, and my power would eventually bring harm to the kingdom.”
…… But that prediction wasn’t wrong.
I was executed and became a Lich, and now I side with the demons in order to resurrect the Demon Lord.
Lady Alexia looked dumbfounded.
“Truly, humans are a foolish lot. However, if you consider that it was their folly that brought you to the side of the demons, then it has served us well.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Yes, that’s what I thought.”
They said I was disgusting and that I collaborated with the demons.
Despite being falsely accused, I was executed, denied both my dignity as a duke’s daughter and the opportunity to defend myself.
“I am fortunate to be a lich.”
I shall take revenge on those who killed me.
“Just like they said, I will become a demon and have my revenge.”
“Ironic, isn’t it?” says Lady Alexia.
“To think that you, who were falsely accused and executed, would actually side with the demons.”
I will live as a demon lich.
I am sick and tired of doing things for others, and I no longer have the energy to love those who don’t love me.
“Demon Society is a meritocracy. You have a considerable amount of mana. As you are gifted at necromancy, you will be even more valued. I can take care of you as a guardian for a while.”
“Thank you, Lady Alexia.”
I will resurrect the Demon Lord.
Sads Translates 