kscans

Chapter 54 - Vampires and Pecking Order

"Are we undead now?"

The slaves whose blood I had drained were, for some reason, speaking fluently instead of turning into Ghouls.

"Huh?"

What's going on? Did the undeath process fail? No, if that were the case, they would just be dead.

"You all seem to have your consciousness perfectly intact. What's the deal?"

"Um, I wouldn't know if you ask me..."

I took a closer look at the slaves... and yes, they had become my familiars. I felt the same kind of connection to them as I did with the Ghouls and Mummy Ichigo-kun. So there was no doubt they were undead and bound to me as my kin.

"U-Um, it's embarrassing when you stare at me so intently."

"Oh, sorry."

Perhaps embarrassed by my staring, the slave girl blushed and fidgeted.

"My lady! If you're going to stare at someone, please stare at me!"

Adolnel, you can be quiet for a bit.

"Still, why can they talk?"

Until now, everyone whose blood I had drunk and turned into a familiar had lost their sense of self and become a silent Ghoul. The only exceptions were Solfi and the other Vampire Bats, but they were familiars I had birthed directly, so I don't think they count.

"My lady, could it be that they have become vampires?"

"Vampires?"

Her words made me start, and I quickly examined the slaves' mouths.

"Their canines have grown into fangs, their skin is paler than Adolnel's, and their eyes have turned red."

Now that she mentioned it, I finally noticed. They've turned into vampires!

"But why did they become vampires? They've always turned into Ghouls before."

"Could it be because you have grown as a vampire, my lady?"

"Grown... have I really grown?"

Honestly, I hadn't felt like I'd leveled up through fighting or anything. But then again, after occupying a territory for a long time, the land started emitting Miasma. Maybe there are some conditions I'm not aware of.

"Well, what's done is done! Besides, vampires are stronger than Ghouls, so this is great!"

No point in dwelling on what I don't understand. I'll just accept what happened!

"We've become vampires?"

The slaves looked confused upon being told they had become vampires.

"Hmm, seems like it. Well, they're stronger than Ghouls, so you lucked out, right?"

"Ah, um... I see."

Well, I guess that's a hard thing to react to. But the fact that they've been reborn as vampires, who are stronger than Ghouls, means I might be able to expect them to act as commanders for the Ghoul forces. The birth of undead who are strong and can act on their own volition is a welcome development for me, so I hope they do their best.

"But don't you forget! The senior familiar to Master-waster is me, Solfi!"

Solfi interjected herself into the conversation.

"Y-Yes, we understand, Senior Solfi."

Overwhelmed by Solfi's energy, the slaves meekly lowered their heads.

"Senior... ah, what a beautiful sound..."

Solfi savored the word 'senior' with an ecstatic voice. However, a shadow tapped her on the shoulder—or rather, her wing.

"..."

It was Mummy Ichigo-kun.

"..."

He pointed a thumb at himself as if to say he was the senior.

"Hmph! Solfi was born directly from Master-waster! A 100% Master-made familiar! In terms of familiar ranking, that makes me the top!"

100% Master-made? Do familiars have a country of origin now?

"Oh my, is that a declaration of war against me, who is not even your lady's familiar?"

"Bgyuh!"

Adolnel joined the fray. She grabbed Solfi and began to shake her up and down.

"Dee-jooooooooooooo!!"

"Ho ho ho ho ho."

Perhaps the fact that she was the only one who wasn't my familiar was a sore spot for her, because Adolnel continued to shake Solfi mercilessly.

"...Jerk, jerk."

"Ah, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Senior Ichigo."

"Nod."

In stark contrast to the hellscape unfolding beside them, a peaceful exchange was taking place between Mummy Ichigo-kun and the slaves. Well, after seeing that, I guess they realized it was pointless to get hung up on hierarchies.

In any case, the slaves became a new force as vampires.

◆

"Hyaah!"

The slaves were fighting monsters. The reason being, I wasn't sure how strong my new familiars actually were. Were they as strong as me? Or were they incredibly weak? Adolnel had told me that I couldn't assign them roles without knowing their combat strength, so we decided to measure their power.

With a BOOM and a CRASH, the ground split and rocks shattered.

"They've got power, alright."

"Indeed. If only their attacks would land, they would be perfect."

The slaves' strength was immense. They were fast, too. Their physical abilities were, without a doubt, battle-ready. However...

"They're completely timid."

Yep, that was the problem. They were incredibly hesitant against the monsters, and their attacks were easily dodged, hitting nothing but air.

"Well, from what I've heard of their backgrounds, it seems they've never received any combat training."

Adolnel had looked into their pasts, and for the most part, they were ordinary people. The reasons they became slaves varied—some were taken to pay off their parents' debts, others were kidnapped—but as they had been chosen as my meal, they were mostly young girls. So, it was understandable that they had no combat training.

But now that they were vampires, their physical abilities had definitely improved, and with training, they could undoubtedly become a valuable asset. In fact, the monsters were wary of their power and were hesitant to attack recklessly.

"Hmm, maybe I should ask the Dark Elves to train them? But I've already given them a lot of work to do."

The Dark Elves were skilled enough to take on high-ranking adventurers, and they were also smart, so they were busy acting as on-site supervisors. I felt bad giving them, mortals that they were, even more work.

"Pat, pat."

Just then, Mummy Ichigo-kun tapped me on the shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Shing."

He drew his sword, gave it a few practice swings, and then pointed at the slaves.

"Um, you'll train them?"

"Nod, nod."

Mummy Ichigo-kun as a teacher... Can he really do it without being able to speak?

"Hmm, well, I guess it's worth a shot."

Mummy Ichigo-kun's swordsmanship was incredible. If they could learn from him, they would surely level up significantly.

"Okay. I'm counting on you, then."

"Nod, nod!"

He nodded enthusiastically, ran over to the slaves, and in a flash, annihilated the monsters they had been struggling with.

"...Shing!"

"W-We understand! We look forward to learning from you, instructor!"

Somehow, his intention got across, and the slaves bowed deeply to Mummy Ichigo-kun, showing their eagerness to be taught. Yep, they didn't look down on him just because he was a low-class undead without a will of his own. They were good, honest kids.

"...Wait a minute. Does this mean the pecking order has been established?"

"Smirk."

I'm starting to think that mummy has a will of his own after all.