kscans

Chapter 57 - The Empress is Born

Honestly, I'm super nervous. Being exposed to the gazes of so many people while participating in a long ceremony is mentally draining. How do principals manage to give those long, sleep-inducing speeches in front of the entire student body? Maybe that's a special talent in itself. Ugh, I should have tried being a principal at least once!

Fortunately, Adolnel told me that I just had to sit on the throne, grin like an idiot, and wait until the final declaration of the nation's founding. So, I'm doing as I was told and plastering a smile on my face. I am smiling properly, right?

"And now, Her Majesty the Queen will make the declaration of the nation's founding."

"Huh?"

Oh, crap. Is it my turn already? Or maybe I should say finally. I stood up from the throne, received a document that looked like an oath from Adolnel, and began to read out the complicated text written on it. Once I read the final sentence, the ceremony would be as good as over.

"Herein, I declare the founding of the Byakuya Kingdom!!"

""""Wooooooooooah!""""

Applause and cheers erupted from the ceremony hall. The citizens of my nation let out roars, flapped their wings, and stamped their hooves on the ground, creating a cacophony of sounds. The envoys who attended the ceremony and the Ghouls who could not speak added a rhythm to the cheers with their applause. And so, the Founding Ceremony concluded without a hitch...

"I object!!"

Just then, a voice loud enough to reverberate throughout the entire hall silenced the cheers.

"What!?"

Startled by the sudden, loud objection, I scanned the venue. I thought it might have been one of the attending envoys, but they all looked wide-eyed with surprise, not like they had just voiced an objection. Then I thought it might be one of my citizens, but there was no reason for them to object. So who was it?

"Hahaha, as expected of one of my kind. You can still move after taking a blast of my voice."

"Above!?"

Realizing the voice was coming from above, I looked up. There, I saw a monstrous figure with wings.

"What... is that?"

It wasn't a bird floating in the sky. Nor was it a bat, of course. What was there was a bizarre figure that looked like a lump of several animals fused together.

"What a greeting. And to a fellow vampire, no less!"

"A vampire!? You!?"

No way. Aren't vampires supposed to be handsome men or beautiful women with pale skin, crimson eyes, sharp fangs, and a slender build!?

"That's right! I'm the strongest Vampire Chimera! My name is Kongoul!!"

"The strongest chimera...?"

Wait, what's a chimera again? I feel like I've heard that word before...

"A chi...mera? That thing? And a vampire one at that?"

Adolnel, who seemed to have regained her composure, voiced her confusion.

"Adolnel, you know what that is?"

"Y-Yes. It was mentioned in a book about extremely bizarre and powerful magical beasts and monsters that possess body parts from multiple animals."

"Oh, that's it. A chimera!"

Right, I remember now. In my past life, during recess at school, the boys in my class were talking about an enemy boss that was too strong to beat. Later, I had a chance to see a picture of it from the game, and if I remember correctly, it was like a kid's drawing of the ultimate monster: a lion's head and body, a goat's head, huge bat wings, and a snake's head and body attached to its rear as a tail.

"But I've never heard of a vampire chimera..."

"But there's one right here."

Come to think of it, I've been mass-producing animal vampires myself, so I guess it's not that strange for a vampire chimera to exist.

"Hahaha, that's right! The fact that I exist is undeniable! No matter what you say, it won't change the fact that you're all going to die!"

"!"

I reflexively created a wall with magic.

"Too slow!"

But my opponent was faster, and my wall was destroyed before it could fully form.

"Kuh!"

I barely managed to avoid a direct hit by shielding Adolnel and leaping to the side.

"Hah, you dodged it. Well, it would be a letdown if you died from a greeting."

Kongoul, the self-proclaimed Vampire Chimera, spouted his selfish nonsense as he soared into the sky.

"And you, Ghoul over there. Not bad yourself."

Following his gaze, I saw Mummy Ichigo-kun with his sword drawn. His formal attire for the ceremony, however, was in tatters.

"To parry my charge, you're pretty damn good."

It seemed that when Kongoul attacked, Mummy Ichigo-kun had intervened, reducing the damage. Good job, Mummy Ichigo-kun! As always, you're surprisingly competent in a fight.

"Alright, alright! This is getting fun! This is what a fight should be! Beating up small fry is fun, but a thrilling battle against a strong opponent is even better!"

"Yeah, well, can't you do that with people who actually want to fight? I'm good, thanks."

"Don't be so cold! My master finally gave me permission to fight an equal! Entertain me!"

Who is this inconsiderate owner of yours?

"Hahahahaha! Alright, I'm getting serious now!"

And just like that, a battle against the suddenly appeared Vampire Chimera began, whether I wanted it to or not.