Tilea's Worries

"Guh... guh... damn it... you bastard!"

Ginieu struggles to move, each step requiring all his willpower. As a mere fifth-generation subordinate, he's crumbling under my pressure.

What to do with him? Re-subjugation isn't an option. Once turned into a vampire, a person can't be re-subjugated. If I need information, I'll have to interrogate them.

Capturing, interrogating, and updating the subordinate list seems like the best course of action. But honestly, it's too bothersome. I'll just kill them.

Jessica is unconscious from my pressure, which is convenient. Without the need to pretend to be human, I can unleash my full force.

With a menacing grin, I approach the trembling subordinates. Those who managed to remain conscious are shaking in their boots, fully aware of my murderous intent.

This should be a good stress relief.

I stand in front of one of Ginieu's subordinates, who starts to beg for his life, snot and drool dripping from his face. He senses my power and realizes that I'm far stronger than Ginieu.

"Begging won't help you. Scream all you want."

"Please... I'll do anything... I'll even hand over slave subordinates..."

His words catch my attention. Slave subordinates? How many are there and where are they?

"Slave subordinates, you say? Where are they, and how many?"

I ease up on the pressure a bit to make it easier for him to talk.

"Six... they're tied up in an abandoned house off the main street."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, yes. I'll even get more if you want."

He tries to ingratiate himself, clearly wanting to switch allegiances. Pathetic. This kind of trash needs to be eliminated.

But first, interrogation.

I slap another conscious subordinate awake and start questioning him.

"Wake up!"

"Guah! It hurts!"

"I've eased up on the pressure. You can talk."

"Ouch... it hurts..."

"Stop whining. Talk, or I'll kill you."

"Yes, yes!"

"Have you bitten anyone else?"

"Uh... um..."

"Answer me quickly!"

"Around ten people."

"And what happened to them?"

"Most of them were killed on the spot."

"Be precise. How many were killed?"

"I can't remember exactly, but some must have survived."

"Idiot! If you kill, kill them all! Don't let any more of your kind run loose!"

"Yes, yes!"

I continue questioning the subordinates, extracting as much information as I can. According to their testimonies, there are dozens of stray subordinates wandering the city.

I've scared them enough to believe they're telling the truth, but considering their stupidity, I should estimate twice as many.

"Tell your subordinates to come here using telepathy!"

"Telepathy?"

"Communicate with them. If you're vampires, you should know how."

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to do that..."

"Pathetic. Even for scum."

"But from now on, we'll be loyal to you."

They keep groveling, trying to curry favor. Enough of this.

"Yes, you'll be loyal to me?"

"Yes, anything you command."

"Then here's your first command: Die!"

"Wha...?"

"Hmph!"

I release magic bullets into the subordinates, blowing their bodies apart. I stomp on the writhing bodies, crushing their heads underfoot.

"You're next."

I turn to Ginieu. He's trembling as he watches.

"I'm releasing the pressure. Don't try anything stupid."

Ginieu gasps for air as the pressure lifts.

"Who... what are you?"

"You have no right to ask questions. Just answer mine."

"Damn you!"

Ginieu roars, smashing a nearby tree with his fist.

"Impressive," I say, sarcastically. "But I'm not impressed."

"Shut up! I won't underestimate you again. Here I come, Rikum Ultra Fight--"

Ginieu starts a dramatic pose, but it takes too long. I can kill him anytime during this.

"Attack!"

He charges with maximum power. I stop him with one hand.

Ginieu's shock is apparent. Did he really think he could be king with this level of power?

"Had enough?"

"No way... my ultimate move..."

I grab Ginieu by the neck and squeeze.

"Did you make any other subordinates, or are these all?"

"Ugh... it hurts... let go..."

"Answer, or you die."

"I'll talk... I'll talk..."

I release his neck, and he collapses, coughing.

I start to extract information, but a telepathic message from Cas interrupts.

"Cas, what's happening?"

"Edim-sama, I'm sorry. Gil broke through. He'll be there in a few minutes."

Damn, out of time.

I hoist Ginieu onto my back and head to the underground empire before Gil's team arrives.

I lock Ginieu up in the vampire unit's quarters and leave the interrogation to my subordinates. Then, I head to the demon army's meeting room.

Inside are Camilla-sama, Dryas-sama, and other high-ranking officials. But Darf is missing.

"Um, where's Darf?"

"We threw him out for causing trouble with Ortissio."

"I see..."

"Edim, never bring such troublemakers to a sacred meeting again."

"Yes..."

The pressure from Dryas-sama is intense. I must handle this carefully.

"I have captured the main culprit causing chaos in the capital."

"..."

The silence is unbearable.

"And I've killed his subordinates and am tracking any remaining. Also--"

"Edim, is that all?"

"Yes, but the responsibility lies with Ortissio, right? The vampire unit is under the second division."

"Of course, Ortissio will be punished."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

"But you are still accountable for poor supervision."

"Yes."

Dryas-sama's sharp criticism and the cold stares of the other officers are piercing. My position is in serious jeopardy.

I must at least clear things up with Camilla-sama.

"Camilla-sama, please listen--"

"Hmm, you were a fun toy for a while..."

What... Camilla-sama's eyes show complete disdain. She sees me as a useless toy to be discarded.

"Dryas, no need for further discussion. Announce the verdict."

"Yes."

Dryas-sama glares at me.

"Alhas Edim, as the leader of the vampire unit, you failed to manage your subordinates, resulting in their disrespectful behavior and damaging Tilea-sama's property. Such crimes are unforgivable. Therefore, you are sentenced to death by beheading."

It's over for me.

I ended up facing hell because of that idiot Ortissio, and now because of another idiot, Jeje.

At the very least, I want to die by Camilla-sama's hand.

Resolving myself, I awaited my judgment.

"Ediiiiiim!"

I was completely caught off guard.

Tilea-sama appeared, raising her voice. She seemed excited and rushed towards me.

Was Tilea-sama here to condemn my crimes as well?

For the usually calm Tilea-sama to be this agitated...

I was overwhelmed by the weight of my sins.

"Edim."

"Yes, I deeply apologize for this time--"

"You did well."

"Huh?"

"I heard you took down the vampire causing trouble in town. Good job, yes, very good."

Tilea-sama praised me.

Her sudden words left the high-ranking officers of the demon army in shock.

"With all due respect, Tilea-sama, this disturbance was originally Edim's fault. Though he handled the aftermath, the crime of tarnishing your honor is severe," Dryas-sama advised Tilea-sama. His words were logical, and the other officers nodded in agreement.

"Well, my honor doesn't really matter. But blaming Edim for not supervising properly seems too harsh."

"Tilea-sama, Edim is the leader of the vampire unit. He should take responsibility for his subordinates' actions."

"But the perpetrator was like Edim's great-great-grandchild as a subordinate, right? It's impossible to keep an eye on all of them."

Tilea-sama's words were kind.

I felt a surge of happiness.

Even Dryas-sama was at a loss for words at Tilea-sama's statement.

"Tilea-sama, that foolish vampire proclaimed himself king. Such arrogance from a lowly subordinate vampire is unacceptable. Edim may have been manipulating him from behind the scenes," Nielsen-sama accused.

What?! Nielsen-sama now cast baseless suspicion on me.

"No, no, it's not true. It was really just a foolish subordinate acting on his own."

"Edim, did you give the orders?"

"Absolutely not! I had no knowledge of this."

"Hmm, then it's unavoidable. Forgive him."

"Tilea-sama, Edim has repeatedly failed in the past. Will you still forgive him?"

"Dryas-kun, won't you listen to my request?"

"Of course, Tilea-sama's words take precedence."

Wait, what? Did the situation just change?

Yes, it did!

Tilea-sama is truly kind.

"Edim, as Tilea-sama has decreed, we will overlook this matter."

"Thank you, Tilea-sama, for your mercy."

"Edim, you did well. As a token of my gratitude, I'll give you a pendant this time."

"Thank you very much. I'm overjoyed, like I'm in heaven!"

From hell to heaven—what a turnaround.

Not only was I spared from punishment, but I also received a reward.

Could it be that I'm one of Tilea-sama's favorites now?

With that, my court-martial ended.

Next, the treatment of Ginieu, the mastermind behind the disturbance, was decided.

I brought in the captive Ginieu.

He was bound hand and foot and had several injuries.

"Ugh, ah, what monsters. I'm such an idiot," Ginieu groaned in pain.

Naturally. Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?

Suffer to your heart's content!

"So this is the vampire king. I heard he killed dozens in the square, including women and children. It's infuriating," Tilea-sama said angrily. Though she is usually kind, she has no mercy for her enemies. Her anger was evident towards the one who dared to tarnish the demon army's reputation.

"Sister, I am equally outraged. This trash proclaimed himself king and dared to harm your property. His crimes are unforgivable. I will subject him to all sorts of tortures," Timu said.

"Tim, no tortures..."

"Sister, considering his crimes, it is only fair."

"Well, yeah. Considering the victims' feelings... But dealing with scum like this is exhausting."

"Understood. Then we shall execute him immediately."

"Execution... Yes, explaining this to the public is a hassle. Let's just kill him quickly."

"Understood. I will execute him at once."

Nielsen-sama stepped forward, ready to carry out the sentence.

"Wait, wait. Nielsen, stop. Even though he's injured, this is a vampire. Let Edim handle the execution."

"Yes, ma'am. Edim, you are to take responsibility and behead him!"

Tilea-sama entrusted me with the execution.

Indeed, as the leader of the vampire unit, it was only fitting that I execute this vampire as a matter of responsibility.

"Prepare yourself."

"Please, spare me. I was wrong."

"Don't bother begging."

"No... wait! This whole mess was on Ortissio-sama's orders."

"What?!"

The demon army officers were shocked.

So was I. What was he saying?

When I captured him, he said nothing of the sort.

Wait, could it be due to the interrogations by my subordinates?

Who acted independently like this?

Was this an act of revenge against Ortissio?

While I appreciated their loyalty, this was a double-edged sword. If exposed, I'd be punished for perjury.

"Is that so? Ortissio, you traitorous dog!"

"Trying to stage a rebellion with a puppet king!"

The demon army officers began denouncing Ortissio, blaming him for the entire incident.

Is this my chance?

Not only have I been rewarded, but I might also get rid of Ortissio.

I almost laughed out loud.

"That's a lie."

"What?!"

Tilea-sama's sudden words silenced everyone.

"Do you really think Ortissio threatened this vampire to rampage in the square? That's ridiculous."

"Um..."

This is bad. Tilea-sama is skeptical.

Why?

It makes sense for Ortissio to use his power to control a vampire for his own gain. He even incorporated the vampire unit into the second division. The other officers believed it, but Tilea-sama did not.

Does she trust Ortissio that much?

"Edim, you hate Ortissio, so you forced this vampire to lie, didn't you?"

"No, I mean, um..."

Sharp as ever. This isn't the usual Tilea-sama.

Ginieu was probably coerced into lying by one of my subordinates. I was just about to condone it, so the blame lies with me.

"Tilea-sama, it seems plausible that Ortissio did this," Nielsen said.

"Nielsen, are you an idiot? Ortissio could never do such a thing."

"Tilea-sama is right. As much as I hate to admit it, this testimony is false."

This is bad. Dryas-sama also sees through the lie.

Who came up with this half-baked idea?

It's put me in a precarious position.

"Edim, I'll forgive you if you tell the truth now."

"Yes. I'm very sorry. It seems my subordinate acted rashly and made this up..."

"You fool! You dare lie in Tilea-sama's presence!"

"I'm deeply sorry. I have no excuse."

"Edim, you won't get the pendant after all. I'm disappointed that you'd betray a comrade."

Guh! What a roller coaster.

From heaven to hell...

Damn it, I grab Ginieu by the collar.

"Who told you to lie?!"

"Jeje-sama said I'd be forgiven if I did..."

I'll kill him! That bastard is trying to ruin me!

I begged Tilea-sama for forgiveness and somehow managed to avoid punishment.

It seems I need to eliminate Jeje before Ortissio.