It's morning, said the rays of light that were just starting to seep through the curtains. But I was already up. Yeah, you read that right. Usually, I'd be sleeping like a log right now, all the way through dusk, let alone dawn. But
today I was already sitting at my desk; no slumbering, no snoozing, just staring at the paper in front of me.
"At long last… It's finally done!"
Joy like I'd never felt before filled my heart. And how could it not? It was finally complete! My latest novel!
It was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I'd been working morning 'til night every weekday, and the sicko maid pestered me when I got home, so I always had the urge to veg out by the time the weekend arrived… Nevertheless, I'd managed to set aside some time in my busy schedule to do a little bit of writing every day. One month had gone by since I'd started, and I'd just put the finishing touches on my story. My immense talent frightens even me sometimes.
Now all that was left was to send it to a publisher… But I did have something, or rather, someone, to watch out for—the aforementioned sicko maid. I couldn't have her finding out about my manuscript.
This new masterpiece went above and beyond Strawberry Milk, so I would certainly die and never come back if it ever found its way to the public without my permission. I had to take extreme care not to let h—
"Good morning, Lady Komari."
"WAAAAAH!"
I hid the manuscript like my life depended on it.
The girl had gotten behind me before I'd realized it. This was Villhaze, "Lady Komari's personal maid" in her words, and "sicko maid" in mine. She wore an indifferent expression as usual, but do not be fooled by outward appearances, dear readers. The sickest, most perverted thoughts were going through her mind at all times.
"How rare to see you up at this hour."
"R-right? I just thought it'd be nice to wake up early once in a while. No need for your waking services today, so go on, shoo."
"I'd be glad to see myself out, right after I read your latest masterpiece."
"I was doomed from the start!!"
I held the manuscript close to my chest as I retreated to the wall. You're not getting your filthy hands on this one!
"Stay back! I'll expose your shameful secrets if you take even one more step!"
"I have nothing to hide! I'll undress right away to prove it!"
"That sort of thing is exactly what you should feel ashamed about!"
Vill didn't seem to get it. She was a genuine degenerate.
Suddenly, she flashed a smile.
"I was joking. I learned recently that undressing out of nowhere is considered indecent."
"Wait. Just recently? Seriously?"
"Plus, I don't want to force you to let me read your latest creation without good cause. I owe you my life… How could I bother you so?"
"Hmm…"
Her comment made me remember what had happened a month before.
This girl named Millicent had come crashing back into my life to try and ruin it. The events that followed were catastrophic and tragic, but they'd also been a turning point for me, allowing me to level up from a "total shut-in" to "half shut-in."
I'd tried to meet with Millicent many times since then, because I felt like we needed to talk things out again. But I hadn't accomplished that yet. The government had publicly announced that she was being held in the Empire prison, but I found no trace of her there when I visited the place myself. The
guards also insisted they couldn't tell me about her. When I asked the Empress herself, she just tried to change the subject and ask me out on a date. Where had that girl gone?
Anyway, Vill had felt indebted to me ever since that whole ordeal. I didn't think that any of what happened was worth thanking me for, though.
"So please, don't be scared. I will not do anything you might dislike, Lady Komari."
"Will you indulge me in anything I ask, then?"
"Yes, I will pamper you as you wish. So let's give it our all out there today."
"I feel like your second statement contradicts the first."
"Not at all. It's Monday. A workday."
"What happened to you indulging me?"
"Oh, but I am. After all, I've set you up against that monkey today, the weakest of your opponents. You will be facing the Lapelico Kingdom. Commander Hades Molekikki is champing at the bit to fight you."
Vill then handed me a letter.
It was addressed to me from "Hades Molekikki, of the Four Holy Beasts of the Lapelico Kingdom."
I opened it up.
"You're dead meat."
"What's the point of this?!"
"Intimidation, I suppose. In the wild, once you let your guard down, it's over."
"We're not in the wild, though!"
"I agree, this message is pointless. There is no way the undefeated Crimson Lord, Supreme Commander Terakomari Gandesblood, would cower at the pathetic howls of that beast."
"Yes, I would! I am, in fact, cowering right now!"
"Don't worry. I'm here to protect you."
"That doesn't put me at ease! Forget it, I'm feigning sickness today! Tell them I'm suffering from a fever like you've never seen before and that I could drop dead any moment!"
"I think you ought to know that you might get a week off if you win this battle."
"…Huh?"
"This would mark your tenth consecutive victory. Her Majesty is extremely pleased with your accomplishments, and I heard that she will give you a vacation as a reward if you succeed today."
"…"
Vacation. A whole week off. Imagine how much I could do in that time! I could read so many books, take so many naps, even start writing a new story…
"I see you've made up your mind, so let's get you changed. I'll take off your clothes. Please stay still."
My heart was aflutter. I knew it was stupid to even consider choosing a vacation over my own life…but we're talking about a whole week here. An entire freaking week. I couldn't let the opportunity slip through my fingers.
"Oh my, you seem to be sweating a lot. Let me help you with that…SLURP!"
Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Komari. This is war we're talking about. There's nothing you and your rare scholarly intellect love more than peace and solitude. Isn't heading to battle to earn a moment of calm putting the cart before the horse? You could die!
"Ahh! Your pale skin is so smooth and silky! My tongue slides right across it so delectably!"
No, no, no. Komari. You've fought that chimpanzee, like, three times now, and you've crushed him every single time. Surely your subordinates could get you just one more win, ri—
"…Wait."
I looked down at my body. Somehow, I was already in my military uniform.
"Huh? When did that happen?"
"I had a heavenly time changing your clothes while you were lost in thought."
"WHAAAT?!"
"Now, now, it's time for work! Let us massacre those beasts!"
"Wait, no… I'm not ready! And what do you mean by 'heavenly time'?!"
I couldn't fight back from her pulling me to go.
As you might already know, I'm weak.
I couldn't bring myself to drink blood while growing up, so I barely did any growing, both physically and in terms of mana. I'm also clumsy to no end, so I'm a shoddy mess of a vampire. My frail constitution meant my school days were filled with bullying, which ultimately made me shut myself up in my room for three whole years of vexations.
I felt like I'd gotten a little better ever since everything that had gone down a month before, but I was still very much an indoorsy, intellectual-type girl. Needless to say, this job wasn't a great fit for me. I was a peace-loving
vampire of justice.
It is said that the average citizen of the Mulnite Empire has murdered 1.9 persons (far and away the highest statistic among the Six Nations), but I'd never slain a soul, and I had no plans on doing so any time soon. Now you
might have gotten the impression that I'd killed quite a few of my subordinates, but those were all accidents, you see; fortuitous, unavoidable tragedies. Not my fault.
So allow me to reemphasize: I was not fit for this job.
…However, my meathead subordinates had the wrong idea.
"Lieutenant Hades Molekikki has been defeated! The Mulnite Empire takes the victory!"
"HAAAIIILLL!!!"
An ear-piercing victory cry followed the announcement. Please don't shout anywhere near me.
We were in the Dark Core Zone, the bloody battlefield where the area of effect of the six Dark Cores overlapped.
Vill had taken me there before I could even complain about it, and next thing I knew, I was giving a violent speech to inspire my five hundred troops. I was then made to sit at the fancy chair in the Imperial General Headquarters, and like always, the gong of battle clanged before I could even take everything in.
But all my insecurities and anxiety be damned, we won.
As was custom at this point, the Lapelico army launched a full frontal assault, and Caostel used his Void spell, Dimensional Hole, to send them all to the fourth dimension. Their supreme commander didn't go down that easily, though. Lieutenant Hades Molekikki tore through the walls of the fourth dimension and returned to our world, then killed a hundred or so of my men on his way to my location. Yohann had sprung before me and said, "Guess I'll have to step up and protect your ass," before immediately getting
his face smashed in, his blond hair flying every which way. In that same moment, Bellius had lopped the chimpanzee-man's head off with his ax.
I'd almost died back there.
That phrase had been crossing my mind an unhealthy amount of times recently.
"Wonderful job, Commander! Victory is ours once again!" one of my subordinates exclaimed reverentially, while I was still trying to get my heart back inside my chest. It was the stripped-tree man, Caostel Conto.
"Hopefully the beasts think seriously about challenging you the next time. They must be aghast at the unparalleled beauty and ferocity of Supreme Commander Terakomari Gandesblood!"
"A-as they should be! There is no vampire more beautiful or ferocious than I! No one can even compare to my pinky finger!"
""""HAAAAAAIIIIIILLLLLL!!!!!!""""
The guys yelled yet again. Please stop it. It's scary.
Caostel smiled like the kidnapper he was before speaking again.
"Commander, you must be tired of fooling around with the beast-folk. May I suggest we declare war on a more worthy opponent?"
"More worthy…?"
"The commanders we've defeated up to now have been, to put it bluntly, below average. The true aces of each nation have been doing nothing but observing. I propose we take the fight to them instead of waiting for them to
challenge us."
"Y-you think so?"
"Oh, good idea," agreed Bellius Hund Cerbero, a beast-folk with a dog's head.
"With your power, Commander, we're sure to defeat any foreign hotshot with ease. As a target, I suggest…either Nelia Cunningham from the Gerra-Aruka Republic, Ayran Lynds from the Enchanted Lands, or perhaps Karla
Amatsu from the Heavenly Paradise."
"No, I…"
"Check it!" a gaudily decked-out rapper yelled out of nowhere; it was Mellaconcey, the most dangerous and incomprehensible member of the Seventh Unit. "Commander Komari's on the rise. Use my bombs and the enemy flies. The outlanders look strong. But they'll see they were chumps all along. Just like Bellius, who's all bark but good dog. Woof!"
Then he was sent flying backward, nose completely demolished.
Why did he always have to go and add something that would piss people off? Oh well, not that I cared.
Back on topic: Declare war on the strongest outside commanders? Awful joke. I'm not risking my life like that! …Is what I would've liked to say, but I couldn't afford to plant the tiniest seed of suspicion, lest they find out I'm a wimp and do me in before I know it. This was the time for my scholarly intellect to shine.
"Hey, Vill. What do you think about this plan my lovely men have here?"
I asked my maid beside me.
She had chosen an easy-to-defeat opponent this time and had promised to indulge me that very morning. Surely she would convince my subordinates not to do anything rash and stu…
"Sounds good. I will make the preparations to declare war on them as soon as we're back at the Imperial Capital."
…pid?
"Which country would you like to fight, Lady Komari?"
"Um, Vill? Remember that thing about spoiling me rotten?"
She flashed a broad smile.
This ain't funny, you witch!
"Are you out of your mi—?"
I grumbled, but before I could finish, I noticed that all eyes were upon me. My subordinates were looking on with high expectations. My survival instinct kicked in, and my mouth went along with this nonsense against my wishes.
"…M-my, my, my. Yes, oh my. Out there in the, uh, the Enchanted Lands. Yup, let's go with the Enchanted Lands!"
"The Enchanted Lands, it is. Their commander, Ayran Lynds, aka 'Tridragon Star,' is quite famous. They say his magic allows him to burst the hearts of his enemies with mere thought."
"O-oh! Perfect enemy for our troops! I can use a similar spell, too! Yeah, a couple of hearts are nothing before my explosive might!"
"Oooh!" "Commander, I kneel!" "There's no vampire like her!" "A worthy holder of the title of strongest Crimson Lord!" "I eagerly await the day she becomes Empress!"
Please. Stop. Seriously. No, don't clap. C'mon. Don't bring me even more attention. More eyes means more bullshit I have to make up. No, Komari, calm down. Don't say any more. Stop digging this hole. Think, Terakomari
Gandesblood, think!
"Lady Gandesblood! Is it true you will declare war on the Enchanted Lands?!"
"Oof."
A girl was standing in front of me before I knew it. I recognized her face. How could I not? It was her damn fault that everyone around the world thought I'd turn them into omelet rice.
She was a Sapphire. In each of her hands she held a pen and a notebook, ready to spin her latest fabrication. Melka Tiano, journalist.
Just then, she brought her face right up to mine. Stay away, you creepy slanderer!
"Long time no see, Lady Gandesblood!"
"M-Melka. How's it going?"
"Oh, my! You remembered my name! It is an honor!"
"I have a good memory… So why are you here?"
"For an interview! I have another long list of questions for you! May I?!"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Caostel nod. You're saying I should accept? Fine! Damn it all!
"Sure, but let's keep it brief."
"Thank you so much!" The journalist's eyes lit up. "So first of all, was what you were talking about with Lady Villhaze true?! What is your
motivation for challenging Mr. Ayran Lynds?! Is it because he's strong?! Who do you think is the strongest of all?! No, second strongest, after you, of course! Who are you most wary of?! A fellow Crimson Lord?! Or a commander from the other nations?! Perhaps your own mother?!"
Get me ouuuuuut!!
"First of all, keep your distance!"
"Eep!"
I kicked the journo back by reflex. Fire burning in my chest, I gave my answer.
"I told you last time! I only care about domination! On a global scale! Thinking of a reason to declare war on this nation or any other is pointless! I'll trample them all in the end anyway! Got that?! And as for who I consider strongest… I don't know, the Empress, I guess! Done, go away!"
I heaved a mental sigh as soon as I shut my mouth.
…I've gone and done it again.
I knew I was only shooting myself in the foot with all that nonsense, but I had to spout it, lest they shoot me in the head. Not fair. But… Well, I suppose my pretending to be strong was getting me surprisingly good results…so far. Or was it?
Man… I want to give in. I want to stay cooped up in my room. Is there anyone out there who feels the same? I think we could be friends…
Then I sighed aloud, surrounded by my subordinates who were dancing and leaping and howling like beasts.
***
The sun had already gone down by the time the Imperial Council meeting ended.
Armand Gandesblood was all stiff from sitting for such an extended period, so he did little stretches as he walked through the darkness of the Mulnite Imperial Palace. No one was there; it was always like this around that time of day.
"Those damn Elders…" He muttered with weariness in his voice, and for good reason.
The Elders held the reigning Empress in low regard because she'd ascended the throne solely through merit. Consequently, they dragged out meetings to no end by nitpicking all of her innovative ideas.
The topic of the discussion was "What to do to get rid of the terrorists."
The incident involving a member of Inverse Moon infiltrating the center of the Mulnite Empire and going on a rampage was still fresh in memory. The more extremist factions were screaming at the top of their lungs for
measures to destroy Inverse Moon and prevent them from "trampling the nation" any longer. Conservatives like the Elders (or the "Eldiots" as the Empress called them), however, had a more wait-and-see approach in mind— they thought they'd be better off letting the other nations take care of the
terrorists.
Armand did not agree with them. Inverse Moon posed a great threat. They were researching and using Core Implosion, a mysterious technique outside the usual system of magic. If the Imperial Council didn't do anything to stop them, the terrorists' blades could soon reach the heart of the Mulnite Empire: The Dark Core.
They needed to be wiped out as soon as possible.
After all, Komari was in this country, and Armand's goal was to furnish her and the rest of his family with a safe place to live. He didn't care about anything else.
"I should have a private chat with Her Majesty…"
Armand and the reigning Empress knew each other from when they'd been students. He'd always found her bizarre, and her weirdness only amplified the moment she took the throne. She would always take executive action on the Empire's most important matters without consulting him, the chancellor, and she even seemed to be plotting something during the meeting they'd just had. He needed to ask her what she was truly planning before she did something outrageous.
"Hmm?" Just then, he felt someone's presence.
Someone was standing in the shadows at the end of the hallway. Though he couldn't see them clearly due to the lack of light, they didn't seem to be very tall. They appeared to be wearing a Mulnite Empire military uniform. At
first, he thought they were a soldier on patrol, but that didn't seem to be the case. Still, he didn't raise his guard. The figure didn't appear to be holding a weapon, nor did it seem like they would cast magic.
Armand put on his usual business smile and addressed them.
"To whom do I owe the pleasure? Could you please name your—?"
The silhouette disappeared. Armand looked around suspiciously. Was it a sort of specter? He broke out in a cold sweat, and suddenly felt a dull pain in his abdomen.
"Guh!" Blood spurted out his mouth.
He looked down. Someone had plunged their arm right through his stomach.
"Who…are…?"
It was the person wearing the military uniform. They had no weapon, used no magic, and didn't even show a shred of hostility. With their bare fist, they'd punched right through Armand's midsection as if it was nothing.
The attacker's right eye was shining red. The color that signified Core Implosion.
"It can't…be…"
He could think no more. Weakness spread from the pit of his stomach throughout his whole body, and before he knew it, he was on his knees. As his vision clouded over and his mind went into disarray, he realized that he
needed to alert the Empress… Then Armand's heart stopped beating.
***
Murder was the most annoying thing.
The gorier it was, the stronger the victim's pain clung to your heart.
That's why it was best to conceal your presence and do it as silently as possible, without the target even noticing. That way, no unnecessary memories would stick.
The corpse of a man at her feet. Armand Gandesblood's body. Empire bigwig. Taking him out without him noticing turned out to be impossible, and she couldn't stop the tsunami of emotions from crashing in on her.
"Ugh…"
Felt like choking. Almost threw up. She could manipulate other people's minds, but she had no way of controlling her own. This secret Core Implosion technique wasn't so omnipotent after all.
She focused only on the memories relating to the Dark Core, trying hard to let the rest wash over her.
"Good."
The examination was over.
Now she had to make herself scarce. Otherwise, she would have to take care of any witnesses, too. Just as she turned to flee, however, she realized her uniform was drenched in blood.
She got flashbacks whenever she saw that viscous shade of red. The blood. That stench. Her dining room, dyed scarlet. The members of her family, each slain in a unique way—beheaded, limbs severed, guts strewn all over the carpet. Not one murder alike.
"…"
She felt the contents of her stomach rise in her throat, but she gulped it down.
There was nothing she could do to rid herself of this trauma. What a useless power.
Then she felt a mana reaction—she was getting a call on her Correspondence Crystal. She poured in some of her mana to answer, and the raspy voice of a man emanated from the stone.
"Any findings?"
She was silent for a second before responding.
"None. Armand Gandesblood knows nothing."
"Not even the chancellor? How diligent."
"What do we do now? Stop?"
"No. Follow the plan."
His voice was overwhelming. She gulped down her fear and gave an indifferent answer.
"Roger. I will proceed with assassinating the Seven Crimson Lords."