Demon Kin Submission (2)

A suffocating silence flowed through the banquet hall.

All the oni stared, mouths agape, alternating between looking at me and the fallen Akaoni, as if unable to believe the scene before them.

,Eueum…

Just then, Darkness regained consciousness in Elise’s arms.

,Yeo, yeogin… Ah! The monster?!”

She jumped up and looked around, then let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Akaoni collapsed on the floor. And then, she turned to me with eyes full of anger.

,Haru-nim! You idiot! Moron! Hero!”

,Hero isn’t an insult, though.”

Darkness ran towards me.

,I hate you! I hate Haru-nim the most in the world!”

,Why again.”

,You were trying to kill me, weren’t you?! Right?! Making me fight such a scary monster! Using the Demon King as bait, what kind of subordinate does that?!

Darkness puffed out her cheeks and started hitting my chest with her tiny fists.

Kong. Kong. Kong.

Of course, it didn’t hurt at all.

,Sorry, sorry. But thanks to that, we won.”

I chuckled and stroked her head.

,Demon King-nim, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Elise finally seemed relieved and patted her chest.

,Keueu…”

At that moment, Akaoni, who had been lying on the floor, groaned and raised herself up.

But her eyes blazed with anger.

,Were you… looking down on me?”

Akaoni said, grinding her teeth.

,What?”

,That attack just now… you weren’t giving it your all.”

Her voice trembled.

,Was I the only one fighting for my life?! This is an insult to the oni! What do you think fighting is!

More than defeat, it was a feeling of humiliation. It was anger at the trampling of a warrior’s pride.

,Hieeik!”

Darkness was startled by the murderous aura and hid behind Elise again.

,Hoo.”

This is getting interesting.

,Then let’s do this.”

I put away the Demon Sword and threw her a cunning proposal.

,You become a subordinate of Darkness, the Demon King.”

,What… what did you say?”

,Then, whenever you want. I’ll duel with you.”

I added with a smirk.

,Of course, in a real life-or-death struggle.”

Akaoni’s eyes wavered.

,Really? Anytime?”

,Yeah. Whenever your skills improve and you think you can kill me, challenge me anytime. I won’t run away.”

,A life-or-death… real fight?”

,Yeah. We bet everything on each other and fight until we die. How about it, does it pique your interest?”

Akaoni was silent for a while. Within her red eyes, the instinct to crave battle and the trampled pride were fiercely clashing.

,Anytime… I can fight, you mean?”

,I promise.”

She clenched her fist tightly. And after a while, she raised her head as if she had made up her mind.

,Fine! I accept!

Akaoni shouted.

,But if you break your promise, then I’ll crush you for sure!

,Be my guest.”

She then walked towards Darkness and Elise and knelt on one knee.

,I acknowledge it. That brat, as the new Demon King!

At Akaoni’s declaration, all the oni who had been silent began to stir. And soon, they too began to put down their weapons one by one and knelt down.

,We will follow too!

,Long live the Demon King!

The first stepping stone for the reconstruction of the Demon King’s army was thus laid.

,J-Just now, did I really become her subordinate?”

Darkness asked curiously, peeking out from behind Elise.

,That’s right, Demon King.”

Akaoni replied with her head bowed.

,Alright! Today is a festival! Let’s celebrate the new Demon King’s enthronement!

Starting with one oni’s shout, the banquet hall instantly turned into a festive atmosphere.

The oni shouted and brought out barrels of alcohol again, and began to grill chunks of meat over the torches.

,Come on, Demon King-nim, have a drink!

,Hoe? I can’t drink alcohol!

,Kuhaha! Then at least eat your fill of meat!

According to plan.

I smiled contentedly as I accepted the cups of alcohol offered by the oni.

,Hey, Hero! No, Haru! You take a drink too!

Akaoni had already come to my side and clinked her glass against mine.

Her eyes were still burning with fighting spirit towards me, but within them, a new sense of anticipation had also taken root.

***

The road heading west, away from the oni tribe, was quite noisy.

,Now I look like a real Demon King, right? Right, Haru-nim!

Ppuuu-

Darkness said triumphantly, blowing on a small horn she had received as a gift from Akaoni.

,Yes, yes, you are very great. Demon King-nim.”

,Hihi.”

Perhaps she had gained confidence from the first success, as she was constantly grinning.

,But Demon King-nim, the next opponent is the vampires. They are not simpletons like the oni.”

Elise said to me with a face still full of worry.

,They are cunning, intelligent, and above all, they have a great pride in their ways. They are not opponents to be subdued by force.”

,Kuhaha! Then wouldn’t it be enough to smash their heads in!

Akaoni, who was following behind us, shouted cheerfully, carrying a huge iron club on her shoulder.

I guess it would be impossible to expect diplomacy from that muscle brain.

A few days later, we arrived at the entrance to the vampires’ kingdom, ‘Crimson Rose’.

Gothic-style buildings with pointed spires soaring into the night sky. Gas lamps that softly illuminate the foggy streets. Carriages moving along the clean, stone-paved roads.

,Wow… is this really the territory of the demon kin?”

Darkness exclaimed with wide eyes.

‘It’s a completely different atmosphere from the oni tribe. This place is much more civilized.’

Even more surprising was that those walking the streets were not only vampires. Humans, elves, and even beast-kin. Everyone was peacefully strolling through the streets.

,Your neck is beautiful. Have a good night, miss.”

,Thank you. You have a good night too.”

A vampire gentleman wearing a black top hat politely tipped his hat to a passing human woman, and the woman responded with a light nod.

,Wow! It’s just like a human city! There are gas lamps and carriages! Look over there! There’s a cafe too! Vampires are drinking tea at the cafe!

,Demon King-nim, don’t get too excited.”

,Look over there! It says Blood Bank!

At the place Darkness pointed to, there was a sign that read ‘Crimson Blood Bank’. Next door, this conversation could be heard.

,With 3 packs of type A blood, you can buy this bread, customer.”

,What, why is the O-type premium so expensive?”

A society where blood is used like currency. Perfectly orderly, and even elegant.

,It’s much more… peaceful than I thought.”

,The demon kin live so peacefully? How boring.”

Akaoni snorted coldly. Her and her oni subordinates’ barbaric appearance was clearly out of place in this city.

At that moment, a vampire approached us with an elegant gait. He looked like a butler wearing a black tailcoat and white gloves.

,Welcome, honored guests. Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you.”

He bowed with perfect courtesy.

,Of course, whatever your purpose, you are welcome. Whether it’s a peaceful negotiation or a bloody battle.”

***

‘It’s a refined hobby for a vampire.’

The ancient castle we arrived at looked more like a cathedral than a demon kin’s mansion. The towering spires and stained glass filling the walls even made me feel reverence.

As we entered the main hall, a huge banquet table unfolded before our eyes. The long table, which could seat at least 50 people, was perfectly set with silver candlesticks and crystal glasses.

,Oh my, we have guests.”

Small stature. At first glance, she looked no more than twelve years old. Snow-white skin, silver hair, and eyes that were more crimson than red. Wearing an expensive gothic dress and crossing her legs, she was looking at us.

Noblesse Bloodmere. The queen of the western vampire kingdom.

‘She looks completely like a child…’

Her eyes held hundreds of years that could not be believed to belong to a child.

,Thank you for coming such a long way. I am honored to meet the Demon King in person.”

Bloodmere came down from the throne and, with an elegant gesture, grabbed the hem of her dress and gave a perfect aristocratic greeting. Her voice was clear like a child’s, but her tone was old-fashioned and full of dignity.

,However… you are a much younger Demon King than I expected. Hehe.”

Her gaze was directed at Darkness, but her words were clearly a subtle disregard for all of us.

,So, what business do you have with a frail vampire like me?”

Bloodmere asked, elegantly holding a teacup.

,It’s simple. Join the Demon King’s army. Let’s take revenge on those arrogant humans together.”

I said bluntly.

,Revenge… well.”

Bloodmere shook her head as if she wasn’t interested.

,We are living well enough now. As you can see, humans are also very valuable citizens and stable ‘resources’ in our kingdom. The current system is perfect. Is there any reason to change it?”

,Don’t you want more power, more territory?”

,Hehe, we are already one of the richest countries on the continent, so I don’t know if it’s necessary to take risks while shedding blood.”

It was logical and flawless. All persuasion was blocked by her logic of maintaining the status quo.

,T-That’s… the Demon King’s order…!

Darkness mustered up courage to speak, but Bloodmere only smiled.

,Oh my, of course I respect the Demon King-nim’s authority. But I can’t send my people to their deaths, can I?”

I was completely blocked. Does this girl have no greed?

In the meantime, the banquet prepared by the vampires was set on the table. Luxurious dishes were served on silver platters.

,Wow! It looks delicious!

Darkness’s eyes sparkled as she picked up a fork. As soon as she took a bite of the steak, her face brightened.

,It’s so delicious! I’ve never eaten such high-class food before!

Watching Darkness happily chewing and eating, I threw out a joke with a half-hearted feeling.

,Haa… then how about this.”

I threw out a joke with a half-hearted feeling.

,I’ll let you suck the Demon King’s blood. Let’s call it even with that.”

,Kehek, kehehk.”

Darkness coughed violently as if the steak she was eating was stuck in her throat.

,Why are you giving away my blood as you please! I don’t want to! It hurts when a vampire bites my neck! Ugh. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!

Bloodmere chuckled.

,The Demon King’s blood… it’s an interesting offer. But if you thought you could bribe me with something like that, I’m a little disappointed?”

She’s completely playing with me.

,Then what do you want me to do. If you don’t like the Demon King, should I give you the Hero’s blood?”

Bloodmere seemed amused by my joke and let out a small laugh.

,The Hero’s blood? Hehe… that’s a funny joke.”

She picked up her teacup and took a sip.

,What’s so special about human blood? It’s all the same.”

Bloodmere continued.

,I’ve tasted the blood of all kinds of races for hundreds of years.”

Hmm… then the only thing left is to unleash Akaoni and turn this place into a wasteland.