Chapter 354: Blood Alliance (02)

--This Chapter is written in Catherine’s POV—

Throughout my life, I had a recurring nightmare that would haunt me whenever I closed my eyes.

Save for the cold embrace of darkness, I could feel nothing.

The feeling of solitude lasted an eternity and then some.

But then, as I opened my eyes in the dream, the visage of everything I left behind would shatter that comfortable darkness.

Places I couldn’t return to; times that would not repeat.

Sealed vampires, dead demons.

Faces lost to memory.

Catherine: "..."

It was always with a heavy heart that I parted with them, so why would they haunt me?

Was it because I was a coward? I never pretended not to be.

Was it because I was heartless? But so were all vampires.

I lived as a monster. As a Queen. As a Goddess.

Yet I was never satisfied.

Catherine: "What do you wish from me?"

My eyes fell upon Elizabeth yet again.

Her posture, even as that man held her, remained the same as when I met her...

It was a cold, grey day.

I had starved for too long to avoid Elizabeth or her generals’ attention. The hunger was killing me.

"As long as I’m far from the front lines..."

I thought that, as a soldier, accidents and training exercises would provide plenty of opportunities to feed.

In a small town, away from any cities, I enlisted in Elizabeth’s army.

A small party of 18 soldiers welcomed me. Though few in number, they celebrated me warmly, as if I were their hero.

Not knowing my identity and powers, they assigned me to the easiest, safest position in the entire town: Its watchtower.

The demon I worked under was an Oni called Yami.

Despite the temperament issues expected of one of her race, Yami left her heart exposed for all to see. Before long, I fell victim to her foolishness and shared a few of my own secrets with her.

Yami wasn’t strong. She wouldn’t survive long.

Even if she did, I could always run away for a millennium.

She never knew these thoughts circled in my mind. She accepted my secrets and, despite her nature, protected them as best as she could.

I enjoyed her presence.

However, I dreaded one thing about Yami.

She would never shut up about the Demon Queen Elizabeth and her late father, Albion.

It was the same for most demons in Hell, of course, but... She possessed only one story about encountering each of Hell’s monarchs.

Even though the story of her meeting with Elizabeth was as simple as the Demon Queen visiting the town’s training ground for an inspection, Yami’s eyes sparked every time she spoke about it.

Yami would speak for hours about Elizabeth’s presence and how the Devil’s strength was so unfathomable that her breathing alone made the Oni’s bones tremble.

I would roll my eyes when she started talking, and when she’d tell me how much she wanted to see Elizabeth again, I’d secretly wish the opposite...

One day, Yami’s wishes came true.

Under the guise of an inspection, Elizabeth visited the town.

Her first unannounced stop was the watch tower.

After avoiding the calamitous Demon Queen for so long, I already expected her power to be on another level. I had not expected, however, that it would take me only a second to understand what Yami meant.

Elizabeth was regal.

Elizabeth was confident.

She imbued the pride of a demon, the power of our world.

Her eyes were invaluable jewels. Simply too clear for a demon.

Knowing I served under her, I felt a strange sense of pride for the first time in my life.

I wanted to dedicate myself to her. It felt right.

As I struggled with these conflicting feelings, the Demon Queen let out an offhand comment.

"...How immature."

Using her [Blood Magic], she launched a tiny, almost invisible drop of her blood toward my mouth.

That small drop was enough to satisfy me for the rest of my life.

It was the richest, most addictive blood my lips had ever tasted.

I knew I would never taste something as great again, but even that knowledge didn’t spoil the ecstasy I felt.

Only when she had already passed me by did I realize...

She had seen through me.

And all it took was a single glance.

Miwen: "...While I didn’t mind your nightly visit, there’s one thing I can’t forgive."

Souls were the domain of Devils. As a vampire, I could only judge what I saw.

His blood didn’t smell particularly strong. He looked good for a human, but his tongue alone should have gotten him killed the moment he met Elizabeth.

Rude. Overconfident. Lustful.

In every way, he was Elizabeth’s complete opposite. Someone the Demon Queen would never contemplate giving the light of day before.

So why...

Catherine: "Ah... W-What would that be?"

Despite everything, there were glimpses of something extraordinary behind his eyes.

I felt it when he confronted me and every time he played the fool.

The clearest moment, however, was when he leaned forward to face me.

His eyes possessed no bottom.

They refused to reflect me.

As if I wasn’t worth it...

Disrespectful as they were, the abyss they hid seemed to call my name.

If Elizabeth and this man shared one thing, it was that feeling of facing an all-consuming, irresistible monster.

Miwen: "Your little tournament made my sister cry. Earn her forgiveness, and you’ll earn mine."

This was what scared me the most about him.

His complaint was silly and unreasonable. His solution even more so.

I wanted to laugh and ask if he was serious, but his expression...

Miwen: "Oh, but don’t think an ’I’m sorry, teehee~" will work, though. Knowing Maya, she’ll set you on a journey of self-improvement before she’s satisfied."

The firmness in his expression melted the moment he mentioned his sister.

Yet, his softness brought me no relief.

If anything, his ability to change so much from one moment to another made him as terrifying as the other monsters at the table.

Catherine: "...Is that your condition for becoming my familiar?"

I was being as serious as ever, yet the man chuckled at the thought, as if the mere idea was hilarious.

Was it because he saw me as inferior? Or was it that he saw himself as superior?

Whatever the case, the audacity to laugh at his world’s Goddess...

If even I felt it was unbecoming and worthy of reprimand, surely Queen Elizabeth would punish him.

But she did no more than smile from the corner of her lips.

Miwen: "I told you before. I appreciate you not threatening to make Erik your hero, but I’m not interested in that offer either. I’d love to welcome you into my Kingdom, though..."

I almost offended him by laughing.

No God would accept abandoning Asdrea’s domain over a mortal’s.

Catherine: "It will be impossible for us to negotiate if you remain unwilling to budge."

Though I was terrified of staring at Elizabeth for too long, she seemed to agree with me.

The mortal did not, though.

His pride surpassed that of a Devil. He casually shrugged off the most basic of manners when negotiating.

Miwen: "You got it wrong. If our goals align, I’m more than willing to work together with you..."

His constant smiling at both serious and trivial things gave him an unorthodox weapon. It was impossible to know whether I was being played, or whether he was playing himself.

If he were aware and doing this on purpose...

I might’ve been outclassed.

Miwen: "That condition was for making friends."

Such a ridiculous statement, spoken with the most childish tone imaginable, almost made me fall off the chair.

Miwen: "If all you want is an alliance as equals, then I have a much better idea."

After tapping Elizabeth’s shoulder, the Demon Queen stood up, allowing him to step away from the table as well.

Miwen: "Let’s go to our next stop. Liz and I will answer any questions you have on our way there. Consider it forward payment and proof of my willingness to work together."

This time, I was sure of the seriousness behind his words, so naturally, I asked the most pressing issue on my mind first.

Catherine: "...Where are we going?"

The man stopped in his tracks. After a long pause, he stared directly into Nyxie’s eyes.

Miwen: "I want to take a look at how the Gods live, so I was thinking you could let me in your room."

He tried to wrap his arm around Nyxie, but the maid refused to be touched and turned to fog.

As she materialized, Nyxie kicked the man to the ground.

Despite the absurdity, Elizabeth watched unamused, as if already expecting this development.

Nyxie: "My chambers are reserved for His Majesty only. The day I let such a waste of space so much as breathe inside it will be the day I burn it to the ground."

Their back-and-forth only lasted a second before the mortal turned to me.

Miwen: "In that case, how about your room, Goddess?"

I knew what his reasoning was. It was obvious.

Since I never answered whether he could trust me to speak the truth, he decided to investigate my character for himself.

Had he brought this idea from the beginning, I would have politely refused. However, I felt a silent pressure coming from Nyxie, as if she were telling me to accept the offer and free her from the headache.

Astonishing.

He had trapped me, and I had failed to notice.

How long had it been since someone outmaneuvered me like this?

Were the circumstances different, and had he the power and desire, would I have survived?

The chill in my spine told me otherwise.