NOVEL WEB Chapter 276
Chapter 276. Night Nobility
Yavka wore an obviously displeased expression, glaring with sharp eyes. Claire, maintaining a neutral face, internally grimaced.
Unbeknownst to her, when Enma visited the Evaroti Royal Castle, he must have insulted Yavka while in this body. Because of that, it seemed Yavka had taken a dislike to Claire, even knowing she was the favorite of Zilbagias.
“Hmph…”
Yavka pretended to pinch her nose as if concerned about the smell and subtly distanced herself. She waited by the wall, clearly asserting her dominance in this ‘space’ and expecting Claire to be the one to disappear from her line of sight first.
“…………”
Claire found the silly power struggle utterly unimportant and wasn’t in the mood for it, trying to walk away when she suddenly stopped.
Undead and vampires were famously sworn enemies.
But perhaps—
“…I heard Ryan Village was attacked by a manticore and is now devastated.”
Claire muttered this, causing Yavka to furrow her brows.
“Who told you that?”
“The souls that were eaten alive in Ryan Village.”
“…………”
Such a definitive source of information—if Claire’s words were true.
However, what purpose could the undead have in announcing this? Yavka cast a suspicious gaze, wondering, (What are you plotting…?)
“…And?”
“I reported it to Viscount Porkun and the demon race, and thought I’d let you know as well.”
Claire replied briskly. It wasn’t a fabrication to confuse Yavka, but rather a fact to establish its truth.
“…If that’s true, then it’s rather unfortunate…”
Yavka seemed to have decided to think of it as fact, her expression growing more sour.
“Unfortunate?”
“If the population had increased a bit more, we planned to send some people there.”
—Vampires.
Unlike the undead, they hardly had any body odor. Although a few individuals would be easy to hide, a group of several dozen could blend in even with beastmen around.
If Yavka’s subordinates had been lurking in Ryan Village’s basement or attic, they should have been able to drive away a manticore class magical beast. Granted, this was only after sunset.
“Well, for you, it might be nice to have more friends, isn’t it?”
Yavka put on a sarcastic smile, implying the more deaths there were, the more pleased she would be, snorting softly.
Claire didn’t reply, shrugging in a playful manner.
“Speaking of which, aren’t you going to go and help?”
“It’s too late. By now, the villagers are already all inside its stomach.”
“Maybe.”
Nodding lightly—
Claire then flashed a grin.
“Well, it seems a clueless soldier squad headed for rescue without knowing about the manticore or that the village has already been destroyed.”
Yavka’s eyes twitched.
“Let’s see how many will come back alive, then.”
“…What foolishness.”
Yavka’s annoyance deepened to the point she could scarcely hold back her tongue-clicking, yet she sighed in resignation.
“…It can’t be helped. If they want to go die on their own, there’s no reason for me to stop them.”
—If they foolishly went to provide aid, the existence of Yavka and her vampire kin would become exposed. They had managed to remain hidden this long, and she had no intention of risking exposure for the sake of suicidal volunteers.
“Oh dear. You’re going to lose precious blood bags, you know?”
“I don’t mind. Even if a few dozen disappear, we have an abundance left.”
It was a luxurious complaint, but they were currently not at all lacking in human blood. Captives kept coming in from the frontlines, and the population of the autonomous district was still on the rise. A mere sip, just enough not to kill, was more than sufficient for Yavka and her kin to quench their thirst.
“And compared to the prince’s blood, common human blood is… you know.”
Yavka placed a hand on her cheek with an enraptured expression.
She resembled a lovesick maiden—if one ignored the drool that was about to spill.
“Of course, you wouldn’t understand the magnificence of the prince’s blood.”
“That’s for sure; I don’t need to suck blood. I draw magic directly.”
In response to Yavka, who tilted her head with a mocking smile, Claire replied flatly, her expression unchanging.
““…………””
Silence. The previously strained atmosphere returned once more.
What am I even competing about? Claire was struck by a sense of emptiness and declared, “Well, whatever,” ending the conversation and waving her hand dismissively.
“If you have no motivation, then that’s fine by me.”
She turned her back to Yavka.
Detecting an ominous presence from her ambiguous words, Yavka felt uneasy—but it was too late.
“—Even though I kindly informed you, you’re just going to let them die… I should tell the prince about this…”
Turning back, Claire wore a smug, mischievous grin.
“…………What?”
Finally, Yavka realized she had been trapped.
“Ah… you…!!”
Indeed, Yavka had been informed. The village of Ryan had been attacked by magical beasts, and the soldier squad was recklessly heading into danger, which could further escalate the damage.
Currently, the responsibility of the vampire kin was to maintain order in the Evaroti City, and the ‘security’ of the village, where they hadn’t been able to deploy personnel, lay in a gray area.
And—if Yavka hadn’t been informed of the magical beast attacks, she was sure that the rational demon lord prince wouldn’t hold the vampire kin accountable.
However.
At this very moment.
Yavka had been informed.
If she took no action now—and if Claire revealed this in a bad light—
She could very well be accused of negligence—!
Facing the risk of exposing the existence of the vampire kin, Yavka was forced to choose: either to act or to abandon the soldier squad and incur Zilbagias’s wrath. Claire had presented Yavka with the ultimate dilemma.
(That rotten doll—!)
Why had she gone out of her way to inform her of the disaster in Ryan Village? It was all just for this annoyance! As Yavka interpreted Claire’s intentions, she mentally cursed, veins popping in anger.
“Vampire Duke, acting like a noble of the night, yet you’re still just a lazy bum. At first, you were so thirsty for blood, and now, just a little satisfaction, and look at this sloth… What a truly cowardly essence.”
“Y-you…!”
Caught off guard and being lambasted, Yavka’s eyes widened.
“Y-you’re just the same! You who grasp the situation more accurately than anyone yet do nothing!”
“Because I’m undead. I oppose the management of the autonomous district from the start.”
Twisting her hair around her fingers, Claire pouted her lips.
“The prince knows about that too. This body was made for the prince—and—”
She sensuously caressed her body.
“—It’s not for combat, so it can’t be helped, can it? I have no role in that. But what about you vampires? Hmmm, if I recall, wasn’t it your duty to ensure the safety of the autonomous inhabitants in exchange for being allowed to drink their blood?”
While placing her finger to her lips, Claire feigned recalling the memory.
“N-nnngggg…!!”
Yavka could only let out a sound unbefitting of a lady.
“Well, it’s understandable. If the existence of vampires were to be exposed to the district inhabitants, it would cause a commotion, right? So, naturally, it would make sense to do nothing and let them die, right? The prince would surely accept that reasoning, wouldn’t he, Lady Yavka Cheesuina?”
“…………ッッ”
Yavka’s cheeks twitched excessively—then her expression grew serious.
“I appreciate the information, Miss Claire. I will do what must be done.”
Though her expression was composed, the undertone of her voice was frantic.
With a flourish, she misted away and bolted out through the window of the corridor.
“…………”
Watching her leave with an expressionless face, Claire turned to exit the scene, only to stumble slightly and place her hand on the wall for support.
“…………Ha ha.”
With one hand, she pressed against her chest.
If Claire had been a living human—
Her heart would surely be pounding like a drum by now.
†††
(—I’ve been played like a fool!)
Still trembling with humiliation, Yavka soared through the air.
Slipping into the castle underground, among the vampire kin’s quarters, she materialized.
“Oh, my lady. Why the rush—”
The vampire nobles in their fine attire, chatting on the sofa, gawked in shock at Yavka’s pale expression.
“Aave! Mavil! Follow me!”
Calling her two powerful subordinates, Yavka declared.
“—It seems Ryan Village was attacked by a manticore. We shall eliminate it.”