Vampires.
Though these demons were nicknamed nobles of the night, that tale was only half true and half myth. Vampires were heralded as nobility before Helmuth and the continent waged war back in ancient times. They were demons who were highly dependent on humans — or, more precisely, on blood — compared to other demons. As such, vampires had no choice but to infiltrate human cities rather than skulk in Helmuth along with other demons.
In that era, despite the severe ostracization of demons and black wizards, high-ranking vampires managed to blend into human society without any problems. They lead lives akin to nobility.
They would hold secretive and mystical gatherings in their secluded castles. The vital blood of intoxicated noblemen and women became sustenance for vampires.
Those days were long gone.
The peace treaty between demons and humans, the treaty between the civilization of Helmuth and the continent delivered a severe blow to demons such as vampires.
Although they were once hailed as nobles of the night, they could no longer revel in human society's luxuries. On the other hand, night demons thrived in human societies thanks to their powerful queen. Although they fed on human life-force with a powerful queen, even the lower-ranking night demons managed to find stable lives in the shadows. Vampires, however, had no such formidable leader as the night demons did.
Legendary clans that reigned for centuries managed to survive, but most other clans were decimated in the era of war. Those who survived scrambled to adapt to a world where demons could no longer freely prey on humans.
The Odoth Clan.
It was once fairly prominent three hundred years ago, but now, like most vampire clans, it was left with just a name and little else. It had possessed dozens of clan members in the past, but now, only ten remained, including the lord.
Yet, even in these times, the Odoth Clan fared considerably better than the other clans. Many of the vampire clans had failed to settle in Helmuth. Though they could not indulge as in the days when they were hailed as nobility, they at least had a patron who ensured they were not destitute.
'Is this right...?'
The lord, Devian Odoth, was nearly driven mad by anxiety. Devian and his clan had settled in the shadows of Aroth, but their patron was a true vampire noble of Helmuth.
Their benevolent patron could not bear to see their vampire kin lead such dismal lives. As such, the patron sent various aids not only to the Odoth Clan but also to many small clans across the continent.
However, gratitude demanded repayment.
The Odoth Clan eked out a living in Aroth as sellers of information. Although they were not officially registered with any guild, they served as informants for the information guilds. Unfortunately, the guilds exploited their services cheaply.
Typically, they'd shadow unfaithful lovers or gather sensitive, private details to sell to guilds or clients.
While that was the public perception of the Odoth Clan, intel of any significance gathered by the clan was relayed to their patron in Helmuth. Additionally, if the patron desired insights into Aroth's political landscape, the clan would eagerly collect information for them.
However… the patron’s latest request felt far too perilous to accept. In all honesty, Devian wanted to quit immediately. He should have been cautious when he received a bottle of blood as a reward for his diligent service. The promise of compensation had been too sweet.
He should have known better….
‘It’s not like I can vomit what I’ve already consumed,’ Devian thought bitterly.
For vampires, blood was a necessity for survival. In particular, the blood of other vampires, and more so from higher-ranking individuals, was crucial for elevating one’s status.
Indeed, the blood from their benefactor had elevated Devian's status by several degrees to the point where he could confidently consider himself beyond the level of a mid-tier vampire.
Yet, he couldn't simply revel in joy. The task demanded in exchange for the blood was absurdly perilous: to surveil the Wise Sienna! The only solace was that the patron did not ask for any close monitoring. Even so, they were to keep tabs on her movements!
Refusal was not an option. Having consumed the blood, the request was no longer a request but an order. The patron’s blood was now mixed with his own inside Devian's body. It could rebel at the patron’s will and tear him apart from the inside.
Thus, Devian and his fellow clan vampires had begun to monitor the Wise Sienna starting today. Even at this moment, Devian had dispatched several bats to keep watch over her. Not only did they monitor her residence in the suburbs, but they also kept an eye on the highest floors of Akron, where she met with other Archwizards.
Surveillance was something he prided himself on. He had maintained his clan through such deeds for decades. However, he had never before watched over an Archwizard.
The target was acknowledged as the continent's greatest wizard. Moreover, she was surrounded by seven other Archwizards. Even with Devian's seasoned surveillance skills and his newfound power as a mid-ranking vampire, could he truly deceive the eyes of such powerful wizards?
Devian thought it impossible. He had long settled in Aroth and knew all too well the fearsome force the Tower Masters and Archwizards wielded.
Yet he had no choice. Devian faced two grim options: be discovered by the Archwizards and meet his end, or defy the command and have his body ripped apart by his patron.
He chose to uphold the loyalty he owed to the patron who had supported his clan. Even if it meant a miserable end, he wanted to demonstrate the dignity of a lord who led a clan, however minor.
But strangely, Devian was still alive. They must have noticed the surveillance. Yet, the Wise Sienna, along with the other Archwizards, had not pursued him.
Devian couldn't fathom why.
***
"There’s no way they did not notice."
Baron Aber held several identities beyond his title. He was the benefactor of several minor vampire clans, including the Odoth Clan, as well as the head of the association of vampire clans in Helmuth.
The association was, in fact, sub-clans of the reclusive Lasat Clan from Ravesta.
"It is true that vampires are specialized in covert operations. But it’s an impossible feat to elude the scrutiny of Archwizards. Even I cannot manage something like that, so how would it be possible for a vampire of mere intermediate rank?" Baron Aber remarked.
He had sent the vampires of the Odoth Clan on this task, fully expecting discovery. They had been a sacrificial play to observe Sienna's reaction. Yet the vampires of Aroth had been monitoring the Wise Sienna for over a week now.
"They know, yet they ignore it," Baron Aber said.
The baron’s reception room was a vast space, and it was filled with dozens of demons. All of them were bound by a pact with Amelia Merwin.
“I don’t know what Sienna of Calamity might be up to,” a demon muttered. Whispers of dread cloaked the face of the demon. Half the demons gathered in the room had weathered the era of war and remembered the terror that was the Calamitous Sienna. That monstrous human — or rather, the monster wearing a human guise — had not aged or died even after three hundred years.
"No sign of her digging into our affairs either."
"Perhaps she takes the surveillance as a given," chuckled another demon.
"I remember Sienna was an arrogant monster. In this era, she would consider the watchful eyes of demons to be utterly natural."
"Indeed. The end of the merciful declaration of peace by the Demon King of Incarceration has been pronounced. The humans of this age might take peace for granted, but Sienna of Calamity will not."
The demons exchanged such words while nodding in agreement.
"…It makes me wonder if we should intervene beforehand,” mused a demon.
"Do you truly believe Sienna of Calamity could reach whatever is beyond the Ninth Circle?"
"The concept of Circles itself was devised by Sienna of Calamity."
"It won’t be simple for a human who’s already surpassed human boundaries to climb even further.”
"Indeed. She is already so far from an ordinary human… Is it even possible for her to surpass her current self? If she can, and she reaches the place she desires... can we even still call her human?"
They shunned the thought, or more precisely, they could not fathom it. A heavy, uneasy silence descended among their mist. After a while, the silence was broken by a demon.
"A human transcending humanity is no easy task.” The one who broke the silence was an old demon. He rubbed a scar that crossed his throat as he murmured. "Even he, who was derided as stupid by humans, in my memory, was a devil, a destroyer."
Asura Rampage — that chilling swordplay was still vivid in this demon’s mind. His throat had been slashed halfway through by the wild onslaught of blows.
"Even Hamel of Extermination, the most tenacious and ruthless of them all, eventually collapsed. He failed to surpass the wall of humanity. Therefore, I suspect that Sienna of Calamity will also fail.”
"Falling from a high wall does not leave one unscathed."
The thought of Sienna of Calamity attempting to exceed her limit and failing was nothing but wishful thinking on the demon’s part.
Yet, it wasn't entirely without possibility. It was a hope they had to cling to, for among the dozens of demons gathered, none wished to confront Sienna of Calamity.
‘Is it to that degree...?’ The younger demons couldn't help but harbor similar thoughts.
The aged demons had their moments in history. Though none had stopped the Hero and his companions, and many had lost their standing in Pandemonium by this era... not all had failed. Indeed, in this very drawing room were three of the highest-ranking demons who ranked within the top fifty of the hierarchy.
Everyone would agree. These high-ranking demons had grown much stronger than they had been three hundred years ago. They had even survived last year's great purge in Babel and received direct empowerment from the Demon King of Incarceration.
Yet, even so... the expressions of these highest-ranking demons were far from bright when speaking of Sienna of Calamity.
Crack.
What echoed through the room sounded similar to a beast gnashing its teeth.
“I didn’t think we gathered here to talk about such topics, did we?” The irritated voice came from behind a metallic mask. It drew the gazes of the demons who had been intentionally ignoring her.
The chair she occupied should have belonged to Baron Aber. However, it was instead occupied by the human woman — if she could really even be called a human.
To be frank, there was nothing particularly human about her anymore. She had previously been a mix of various things, but now, she seemed to have shredded any traces of humanity she once possessed.
Hemoria.
Before leaving Ravesta, Alphiero had given her quite a bit of blood. It wasn’t only him, either. All the vampires from the Lasat Clan had fed Hemoria their blood.
"Indeed," said a demon while nodding.
"Let's talk about war."
What a stirring resonance the word held.
The expressions of the demons shifted slowly. Their fear and wariness of Sienna of Calamity were undeniable. But the word ‘war’ was fraught with deep and heavy emotion, even beyond the feelings they harbored towards her.
Sienna of Calamity was deliberately ignoring the surveillance. They were not ignorant of its implications.
It was clear that Sienna of Calamity was backing Melkith El-Hayah. Although she was currently located in Aroth, should the demons intervene in Nahama's affairs… there was no doubt Sienna would take action.
"The Demon King…."
The highest-ranking demons could hardly contain their excitement at the mention of war and the possibility of ascending to become a Demon King.
It wasn't a baseless narrative. Iris, after all, had become a Demon King. How exactly she managed that remained unknown, but it was related to the long-sought ambition of Edmund Codreth, the former Staff of Incarceration. He had exchanged his life for the completion of a ritual to become a Demon King.
The demons in the room did not have blind trust in this proposition. Among them were those proficient in black magic who had examined the core structure of the ritual and confirmed its feasibility.
But there was an issue.
In Helmuth, it was absolutely impossible to use humans as sacrifices.
All human citizens and tourists in Helmuth were under the protection of the Demon King of Incarceration. Even if Amelia Merwin offered the ritual, it could not be performed within Helmuth.
"My master will—" Hemoria started. Her lips twisted into a smile behind her mask. "If you make a spectacle in the desert, she will immediately prepare the ritual."
"Will Amelia Merwin come in person?" asked a demon.
"She will be there when the ritual is activated,” answered Hemoria.
It was a venture fraught with danger. Would the Demon King of Incarceration remain silent? The demons of Helmuth would be waging war on foreign soil. If... if the Demon King of Incarceration interfered….
"I will mobilize all my subjects,” said the thirty-third-ranked demon.
He knew the risks. In particular, he was imbued with the Demon King of Incarceration’s dark power. If the Demon King of Incarceration wished to avoid war and chose to punish them... the dark power could tear his body to shreds.
Despite the risk, he did not desire to be guaranteed safety here. According to Amelia Merwin, Edmund Codreth had nearly reached the status of Demon King through a ritual in the Samar Forest. Yet, the Demon King of Incarceration had neither intervened nor condemned his actions. Rather, the Demon King of Incarceration had tacitly permitted it.
The Demon King of Incarceration had shown leniency even to the black wizards with whom he had direct contracts. Despite maintaining peace for three hundred years, he had turned a blind eye to many things.
Perhaps, even the benevolent demon king sought a pretext for action. It was a grave impertinence to speculate about the Demon King's intentions, yet the aged demons could not completely dismiss this possibility. They remembered just how cruel and bold the Demon King of Incarceration had been in the past.
'According to the Demon King of Incarceration's decree, the moment the Hero advances on Babel marks the end of peace,' they recalled.
Even if they simply waited, the peace of this era was destined to end.
In the impending war... could they possibly play a leading role? The demons gathered in this room would never be the protagonists. It was the same even for those ranked among the top fifty demons. A couple of dukes would become the main actors of the war, and the Demon King of Incarceration himself, should he stand up, would trivialize all conflicts.
But if they caused a war in Nahama….
There, neither the Demon King of Incarceration, the Blade of Incarceration, or the Queen of Night Demons would be present. It wouldn’t be swarming with the demons of Pandemonium, and the Black Mist wouldn’t be present either.
They could become the protagonists of the war. They could amass fear and sacrifices to become Demon Kings. Such an opportunity would never find them again.
"Melkith El-Hayah,” spat Harpeuron, ranked fifty-seventh among the demons. He crushed the armrest in his grip as he spoke. "That human wench will die by my hand."
"Don't think to monopolize her," someone said.
Melkith was the name of the deranged master of spirit magic. She had been attacking the dungeons of Nahama without restraint, and the mention of her name sparked a murderous glint in the eyes of Harpeuron and several other demons.
"You're not the only one who desires her death."
The desire for vengeance echoed among the demons who had endured Melkith’s scathing mockery.
'My master is dying,' Hemoria brooded alone. 'I've harbored animosity for so long without any restraint coming down on me. The control over me has weakened.'
She wasn't completely free. Hemoria still felt the presence of the stake in her heart. But one thing was certain: Amelia no longer had the capacity to monitor everything about Hemoria as before.
That meant Hemoria could deceive and betray Amelia.
'War….'
How could she betray her? How would she kill Amelia?
As she pondered, Hemoria envisioned the war.
Yet in this, her wishes aligned with her master's.
Hemoria, too, longed for a war to erupt. She wished for the world to plunge into dreadful chaos.