kscans

Chapter 34 - Some Demi-humans Showed Up

It was noisy from the morning (well, night for me) on. That was because a mysterious group had arrived at the town.

"Are those... Elves?"

Having received the report from our undead, we went to get a look at the approaching group. Every one of them had ears long enough to be recognized even from a distance, giving them the distinct appearance of Elves.

"But this is strange. For a knight order, they're not uniform at all. From what I can see, only a few are wearing armor, and there are clearly children mixed in."

Yeah, my Vampire eyes could see it clearly. They had not just adults, but children and the elderly too. Some women were even carrying infants on their backs, a sight that didn't at all suggest an invading enemy force. More importantly, they were all...

"They're all injured."

Yes, every last one of them was covered in wounds. My Vampire nose could pick up the scent even from here. Still, we didn't know their objective, so I had the undead stand by with weapons at the ready.

"To the ruler of this town! We are not your enemies!"

"Whoa! They're that far away and I can still hear them?!"

The voice was so loud it was as if they were using a megaphone, which took me by surprise.

"They're likely amplifying their voice with magic."

Ah, right. This world has magic. Of course they'd have developed non-combat spells too.

"As you can see, we are a wounded party! We beg for your protection! In return, we Dark Elves will serve as your hands and feet!"

It seemed they were refugees seeking asylum.

"Wait, Dark Elves? Aren't Dark Elves supposed to be... dark?" In games and such, they were usually pitch black, but these people had normal skin tones and just looked like Elves.

"The distinguishing feature of Dark Elves is said to be the blackness of their ears. Elves supposedly take great pride in their ears as a racial trait and look down upon Dark Elves, whose ears alone are black. Furthermore, Dark Elves are ostracized by humans as an evil race. Their day-to-day practices are said to contribute to this ill repute."

Looking closer as she explained, I saw that their ears were indeed black. But from the expressions on their faces, they didn't seem like an evil race at all. They just looked like desperate people who had come seeking salvation. Especially the children.

"So that means they're not spies sent to trick us."

"At the very least, it's certain they aren't allied with humans or Elves."

Hmm, so there was still a risk that the Dark Elf race itself was trying to deceive us, but they definitely weren't on the side of the humans we were currently fighting.

"How strong are Dark Elves?"

"I don't know their specific strength, but I've heard stories that even B-rank adventurers can lose when facing them as enemies."

I see. If they can beat top-tier adventurers, they must be a pretty formidable race.

"Okay, let's invite just their representative over and hear what they have to say."

If it's just one person, they won't try anything funny.

◆

"I thank you for this audience. I am Youga, chief of the Mabu Clan of Dark Elves."

The Dark Elf who introduced himself as Youga looked at me with a flash of surprise, but quickly bowed a full ninety degrees in greeting. He was so young, though. By the standards of my past life, he looked like a young adult just entering the workforce. At first glance, he was a polite young man. But I stared at him intently.

"..."

"...U-um?"

As I remained silent, he shifted uncomfortably, a hint of guilt hiding deep in his eyes.

"The others hiding in the shadows aren't going to introduce themselves? Does that mean you came here planning to ambush us?"

"""?!"""

At my words, a ripple of agitation spread from Youga and others unseen.

"M-My deepest apologies! You two, out now!!"

Youga hurriedly bowed his head as two shadows leaped from his own. The shadows then swelled up, revealing two more Dark Elves.

"Whoa!"

That surprised me. I had sensed something was there, but I didn't think it'd be Dark Elves hiding. Is that some kind of magic? Whoops, must maintain my air of authority.

"I believe I said to come alone."

"N-Not at all! We only came to serve as the chief's guard!"

"Forgive us! We insisted on hiding in our chief's shadow!"

The two Dark Elves who appeared immediately prostrated themselves. So even in another world, the ultimate apology is groveling on the ground.

"Let me repeat myself. I said to come alone. You said you had no hostile intent, didn't you? And yet you had your men hiding in the shadows. Were you actually planning to defeat me and take this town?"

"Never! It is all my failure, my inability to command my men! But these men are necessary to protect our clan! Please, I beg you, take my head and spare them! Show mercy only to the clansmen who followed me here!"

"What are you saying, Chief! If anything happens to you, your bloodline will end! It is we who should offer our heads for disobeying your command!"

""Please, we beg you, take our lives and forgive our chief!""

Somehow this has turned into a situation where they're offering up their lives.

"Yeah, I don't need any of that."

"B-But you are a high-ranking Vampire, are you not? The corpses of us Dark Elves should prove to be a worthy addition to your forces."

Well, yeah, that might be true, but I'm not about to kill people who came asking for protection. Did my attempt to act intimidating backfire? They seem way more scared than I expected.

"Besides, what do you mean, his 'bloodline will end'?"

"Y-Yes, the previous chief died in battle against the humans, and his young son was named his successor!"

I see. So he was a rookie leader. He tried to follow my orders and come alone, but couldn't control his older, worried retainers.

"Big Sis, these are their internal problems. I don't believe we need to concern ourselves with them."

Adolnel whispered some advice to me. She's right. It's their failure for choosing a young leader based on bloodline and for him being unable to control his subordinates.

"Whatever. So, you wanted protection for your clan, right? You said you'd work in exchange, but honestly, with all the undead I have, I'm set for both military and labor forces."

That was a lie. To be honest, the individual fighting strength of my undead is low. And in terms of labor, their inability to think for themselves is a weakness, so I desperately want workers who can think and act on their own. But admitting that would let them know my weakness, so I have to avoid it.

Even my master who taught me so much back at the castle said, 'High-ranking Vampires are beings superior to other races. As such, you are expected to conduct yourself with the dignity of a noble. You must never act subserviently. The honor of all Vampires would be called into question.'

By the way, he didn't mean it in a simple 'we're superior so we're better!' way—though it seems he felt that way a bit—but more practically. The image of Vampires as an impossibly strong and dangerous race acts as a deterrent, so he was warning me not to tarnish that image and cause our entire race to be underestimated.

"We beg you to reconsider! Our people have lived hidden away in remote lands to avoid contact with other races, but the humans' sphere of influence ever expands. Our homes have been discovered time and again, forcing us to relocate each time. Those beings known as adventurers, in particular, relentlessly seek us out no matter how deep into the wilds we hide. We have not known a day of peace."

Ah, I get it. Adventurers go into remote areas to gather rare herbs or find hidden ruins for treasure, so they'd stumble upon Dark Elf settlements by accident, and that information would get back to the kingdom via the Adventurer's Guild. And then the kingdom, figuring it's too dangerous to leave a hostile race's village unchecked, would dispatch knights.

From the Dark Elves' perspective, it would seem like adventurers are hunting them down with a vengeance. And since they are a long-lived race, encounters that feel rare to humans—spanning decades—would feel like they're being found every few years or even months. That would be terrifying.

"But to hide in lands even more remote means encroaching on the territory of monsters more terrifying and vicious than humans. We could neither advance nor retreat. We were trapped."

Ah, right. Even if they moved to a remote area, they'd still have to deal with territorial disputes with other creatures. And this world has monsters. Until now, they'd managed by choosing territory with monsters they could handle, but it's not like there are convenient territories with only weak monsters.

"Then, when our previous chief died in battle against the humans and we thought all was lost, a miracle occurred!"

"A miracle?"

"Yes. The humans pulled back their forces to retake the town that had been conquered by a white Vampire. That white Vampire is none other than you!"

"Pfft!"

Wait, what? So because I caused a ruckus in this town, I indirectly saved the Dark Elves?

"We knew we could not let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass, so we attempted to break through their encirclement. Many were wounded as a result, but we made it to this town with almost no fatalities. O savior of the Dark Elves, please, we beg you to save us!"

""Save us!""

What a butterfly effect. Or maybe, since potential subordinates came to me, it's more like a 'when the wind blows, the coopers prosper' situation?

"I-I see. So that's how we were connected."

"Yes! It is truly a miracle from the gods!"

U-uh, well. Being reincarnated in another world is kind of a miracle from the gods, I guess? Maybe.

"The humans infest every corner of this world. If we are driven from here, only death awaits us! Please, have mercy!"

Their situation was more desperate than I thought, and their earnestness was palpable. But living, non-undead demi-humans... can I trust them as allies? I spent so long living as a bat in this world that I have no idea which races are safe and which aren't.

"Adolnel, what do you think?"

And so I decided to toss the decision to my strategist. Yep, better to leave it to Adolnel, who knows all sorts of things, than to me, who knows nothing. See, proper delegation of tasks. I do the rampaging, Adolnel does the thinking.

"Let's see. I see no issue, as it increases our military strength. They are called an 'evil race,' but that is likely from a human perspective. For you, a Vampire, their reasons may be trivial. In the worst-case scenario, we can simply turn them into undead, so in that sense as well, they are a valuable addition to our forces."

Whoa, hey! Saying you'll just turn them into undead if things go wrong right in front of them is a bit much!

"Hah, if you cannot trust us, you may turn us into your thralls at any time. But please, show mercy to the non-combatants of our clan!"

And this guy is way too prepared for that outcome.

"Then let me ask you this. We are in a state of war with this kingdom. That means you too will be drawn into the conflict."

Right. Even though the humans retreated, they would never give up on this town. After all, their own territory was occupied. If they simply gave up, they'd be seen as weak by their own nobles and by other countries. The royal family absolutely cannot back down.

"We are aware. Left to our own devices, our extinction is certain. We have resolved that if we must fight, we would rather do so under a king who will lead us."

Yeah, but I'm just doing whatever I want because I wanted my own territory. I have no intention of fighting a war for the survival of a race...

"I see, I understand. Big Sis, these people are already backed into a corner. Therefore, fighting under our command offers them a better chance of survival than being destroyed individually. At the same time, we gain a useful fighting force, so the exchange is fair."

In other words, there's no downside to making them our subordinates. In fact, Adolnel seems to think we definitely should.

"Hmm, alright then. I accept you as residents of my town."

"Oh, thank you!"

""Thank you!""

"However, as you've likely seen on your way here, this town is being developed to repel all outside intrusion. If you live here, you'll have to be completely self-sufficient. Be prepared for that."

"Rest assured. Most of us Dark Elves cannot enter the villages of other races anyway."

Right, they were hiding from humans.

"In that case, our savior. There is a ceremony we would ask of you."

"A ceremony?"

Is there something else they want besides protection?

"Yes. I wish to offer my blood to you, as chief, before all my clansmen."

"Wha—"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Just as I was about to ask why, my voice was drowned out by Adolnel's shriek.

"Wh-wh-wh-what are you saying?! It is my duty to be Big Sis's meal!"

What are you talking about?

"Your anger is justified. But by offering my blood before my people, I can reassure them that we have truly gained our savior's protection."

Hmm, ah, I see. If I accept the payment in front of everyone, they'll feel secure that I'll protect them for the price paid. It's not just a verbal agreement, but a formal transaction with a clear payment.

"No, no, absolutely not! Big Sis, let's drive these people out immediately!"

"Adolnel, let's calm down."

"In any case, I object! I object completely!"

Ugh, this is a mess.