"…"
Arnold silently stared at Selia.
'Was… that a little too straightforward…?'
She now knew that Arnold wasn't someone who liked to beat around the bush so she took the same approach. But maybe she took it a little too far?
"Eh… But how will I aid an entire nation?" Arnold seemed genuinely confused as he tilted his head.
"…."
'How should I do this…'
Ah!
"You must know that I possess strong subordinates by my side, right?"
"…"
"I, myself am also strong. There are probably few people in this world who can challenge me in a one-on-one fight,"
"Are you advertising yourself? This seems rather pathetic, Your Majesty."
'Geh.'
"No, I am merely offering you an accord. You said your city and the surrounding regions needs protection, right? I can offer that protection. I am a level 100 so whichever race I create will emerge level 70 and in some cases level 80."
"Huh…" Arnold's expression changed when she said "level 100".
'Hahaha~.'
She was already aware that it was rare for level 100s to exist in this world. Even the most famous people couldn't even reach level 90 in their lifetime.
There were only two people in the Testaments that were close to level 100. Other than that, she knew of no one else who could've achieved the level cap.
"Think about it, would it not be better to have such strong subordinates on your side? Although it would be difficult to create an army of those knights over a short period of time, I can at least summon strong monsters to protect your people," Selia looked at Arnold's expression carefully, "You've heard of golems before, right?"
"…Their lifespan corresponds to the kind of resources used to create them."
"That's right. But you wouldn't need to worry of the resources needed to summon monsters like Golems and the like. I can create them on my own and give them to you."
"Hmm…." Arnold put his hand on his chin.
'Did it work? Did I manage to pull him to my side?'
Arnold's city's large deposits of minerals would be enough for the Undead Nation for decades. The sheer worth of the minerals would outshine that of minerals such as gold and platinum.
"I would like you to think about the benefits of becoming my ally. There shouldn't be any discord from other nations since you are the ruler of a city independent from the empire. And even if they try to attack your city then I'll protect you. I learned from my mistakes with the Luthial Kingdom. While you think it over, I would like to give you a gift. It isn't necessary to give it back even if you refuse my offer."
'But I hope you don't. Otherwise Vetis and the others will lose their loyalty in me.'
They revered Selia as a god and praised her left and right. What would happen if they found out their ruler wasn't able to ensnare a single human?
'If worst comes to worst then I might even have to offer my body. He's known as a massive playboy so surely that will increase his chances of accepting. Ah, but I shouldn't use this form. I look like a high schooler.'
Of course, that—along with any Star-class items—was her last resort.
"A gift, huh? In that case…" Arnold pointed below where the carriages stood.
His finger was pointing towards a specific individual.
The level 90 Living Armor Knight.
"Give that guy to me."
Selia frowned. She couldn't just give the knight away. They were creations of Vetis.
What would Vetis think if she arbitrarily gave away the soldier he trained from the ground up? It wasn't easy for one to increase the levels of your summon unless you had the means to farm thousands of XP like they did.
"I… I cannot do that."
"Hmmm… Well whatever. It's a shame but I'll recede for now."
Selia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed that he was only curious about the knight and didn't really wish to have it that much.
"Then do you have anything else that can convince me to place my trust in you? A partnership should have equal trade after all. I can't just take your word for it, Your Majesty."
Selia's brain went into overdrove trying to think of what she could give Arnold.
'Giving a gift to someone is so simple yet I'm finding it this hard…'
She tried to recall all the things inside her inventory. Besides her full gear, there were mostly other junk she obtained by completing events and such. She wouldn't carry around important stuff in her personal inventory.
She suddenly thought of the Star-Class Items in her Treasury.
'But those are the things my friends obtained… I can't just give it away…' She also touched the [Beyond Star—☆☆] item around her neck. These items were much too precious to just give away. If it were that simple then they wouldn't have resorted to bowing their heads to a human for money but would've sold all their valuables.
Arnold spoke when she was about to ask for some time to think about it.
"You've lived long, right? Being a vampire and all."
"Yes?"
'Wait. I only came here about four years ago so that isn't the complete truth.'
Technically she was nearly eighteen years old if she considered her biological age—even if she looked younger than her age suggested. But the person she possessed was definitely far older.
"Then you must know some pretty interesting things about this world. Yes—I would like your knowledge as well."
"My… knowledge?"
"Dungeons, relic tombs, underground civilizations… Anything that holds historical value."
"But some of those wouldn't benefit you in any way, right? What's the point of trying to go to such dangerous places where there might or might not be something of worth?"
"Oh? So you do know something?"
'Shit.'
"…I do have a few places in mind. But I only know of those places from hearing about them from others. Getting there would be dangerous. Even the easiest dungeon can harbour the most dangerous monsters and traps."
"Of course, I understand that."
"But why do you want to go there despite the risks?"
Even Selia wouldn't go to an ancient place such as a relic tomb out of greed. The dangerous monsters protecting the artifacts would even threaten her life if she didn't bring one Star-Class Item at least.
'There's a rumour of a divine beast being at one of those locations as well. It'll be suicide for him.'
She was confident in killing a Divine Beast on her own but what worried her was their immortality. They could simply revive again. It was a troublesome foe if you didn't have the means to stop it.
"Have you heard of the Sky God Mountain?"
Arnold's eyes widened slightly at the name. It seemed that he heard of it before.
"No." but he quickly denied having heard of it.
"I heard that there is a secret martial art hidden within one of the labyrinth's abandoned towers."
"Martial art, huh…"
"I'm not sure what kind it is but I do know one thing... It is a pure martial skill."
"Which means it has kept its power after being created by a god…" a wide smile emerged on Arnold's face, "Are you sure you should be telling me something like that? I wasn't being serious about exploring those dangerous places. It was merely of interest to me."
"Well, I don't have a need for the martial art so you may do what you please with the information I told you," She stretched out her hand, "Is it a deal? Will you join me?"
"…" Arnold silently gazed at her for a few seconds, "What makes you so sure I can support your nation financially? Everyone else thinks my city is a worthless dump."
"…We found this." Selia took out the crystal Vetis showed her before.
Arnold's face twisted.
"So you entered my territory illegally, is that it?"
"N-No, my subordinate found this near one of my domains," She put the crystal in Arnold's hand.
"Hmm… Is it possible that there are other places where blood crystals could manifest naturally? I didn't know of this…" he muttered to himself.
'So these are called blood crystals…'
"Have you found any other deposits of this?"
Selia shook her head, "This was the only one we found."
Arnold looked at Selia and then back at the crystal, "There's no hiding it and acting ignorant since you've shown me this, huh."
He sighed loudly.
"This accord sounds very appealing to someone like me who possesses no private army of my own. But the fact that they are monsters is a factor I have to take into consideration. My people will fear me even more if they see I'm being guarded by monsters. But I'll think about it."
"Wonderful!" Selia chirped happily, "I will send one of my people, Lupus, to hear your answer. She will also bring all the paperwork along."
"Alright. Send everything to my residence in my city. Any time in the next few weeks should work. I won't be staying long in my father's city, after all."
"Understood."
Selia wanted to jump around and dance but she knew that would look unsightly.
But Arnold didn't seem to be finished yet, "There's one last thing…"
"And that is?"
"Can Your Majesty summon creatures of divine nature?"
"Divine nature? Hm…"
'I think Lilith is able to do that. She's a fallen angel after all. Even if she is banished, her angelic powers should still work.'
"I can ask one of my subordinates. What kind of creature are you looking for?"
"A cherubim."
Selia frowned.
'That's an odd choice. I thought he'd want Holy Gatekeepers.'
A cherubim was the size of an average medium dog. It was a giant eye with wings coming out of the back of its body. Though it possesses no brain or mouth for that matter, it could speak.
The summon was also very weak in terms of pure power. It dealt only 4 DPS. That wasn't even effective against level 1 monsters which usually had 100 HP.
The only thing useful about the monster was its ability to cast divine magic to perform miracles.
There was a one in a million chance that it would be summoned with a special skill as well.
'It's like a gamble.'
"It's an odd choice. Would you reconsider?"
"No. I would like a cherubim. A seraphim would be a better choice for my situation—since it is an evolved form—but I know it's impossible to summon them with orthodox magic."
"Well… If you want it then that's fine."
'He seems like a weird person but I guess it doesn't matter.'
Arnold finally shook her hand.
"I hope to hear from you soon, Arnold von Berkley."
Both smiled.
◇◇◇
"Phew… That was nerve-wrecking."
Selia leaned against the balcony and exhaled. The city was serene from where she stood—peaceful and quiet.
The gentle lights and the occasional music was booming from inside the banquet hall.
'This empire is unlike my city. People fear me just because I'm a vampire.'
There was a time when Selia was depressed over this matter. Every person who found out what race she belonged to feared her.
The first few years in this world was a horrible experience. Things changed once she was able to amass enough SP to be able to use the system interface.
A while after she summoned her first subordinate which was none other than Lilith. Perhaps it was because she had known Lilith the longest but Selia always found closure whenever the two of them were together.
"Big sis… I hope you're alright wherever you are…" Selia tried to imagine her big sister's face.
It was no use. Her memories were too clouded to even paint a proper picture. She could only remember that her sister was a righteous person who led others with dignity.
Selia wanted to be like her.
'Haven't I become just a little like you, big sis? I am also leading others and protecting them. Almost like a Guild Master…'
Selia noticed that some nobles were looking at her through the glass.
The door opened, "Um, Your Majesty, if I may have a minute of your time."
Selia forced down the emotions which was about to erupt from within. She tried to put on her best smile as she spoke, "Of course. How may I help you?"
The time for thinking about the past was over. It was better to just focus on her future.
The future of Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth, the Fallen Valkyrie.