Chapter 88: Domestic Unification Journey
The land of the Nord Federation, a peninsula jutting out from the continent, is in fact vast. However, most of the land is mountainous, with only a few areas suitable for cultivation.
The people of Nord depend on seafood from the sea to make up for the lack of crops. However, fishing is a business done in water, and the northern seas are harsh and the time when boats can sail is short. The current situation is that people are not able to cover their needs with marine products alone. This is the reason why the people of Nord are suffering.
One way to solve this problem is to increase the proportion of mountain products as food. Since Nord is a mountainous region, it is only natural to utilize the resources of the mountains, but there is a reason why this has not been possible. The existence of the mountainous lands is not allowed to be entered by the human race. The various races of the demon race, whose dominion is in the mountainous areas.
"That's what I'm talking about. Do you understand?"
"There is no future for the Nord Federation without coexistence with the demons."
"Yes"
"But why haven't they done it before?"
"It's called the Nord Federation, but it's actually a country where the people who live in the Nord call themselves the Federation."
"Are you kidding me?"
"No. I just couldn't find a good way to express it. Both the Nord Empire and the Nord Federation are countries ruled by humans. And the Nord people are human after all. Even if they tried to control the demons, they didn't try to coexist. ”
"Does that mean that they did not give up their prejudices even under difficult circumstances?"
"I guess that's what it is."
"That's stupid."
"Yeah, that's right. However, the problem is that the demons are too proud to listen to us."
"Just like now."
"Yes"
In front of Ren and his party, a group of bloodthirsty vampires gathers.
Ren explained to Shizuku, who started to make a fuss with it in front of him, why he had to come to the demons. That is the situation now.
"Humans. Stop insulting us."
"We didn't insult you. This woman said we should run away, so I explained why we can't do that.
"We will not let you go."
"That's why I don't want to run away."
"...Do you think you can beat us?"
"If we have to, we will do it."
"What did you say!?"
Ren had no intention of doing so, but the vampire man took it as a provocation and became more and more angry.
"Then die now!"
"I won't let you do that"
"Princess! Please step back!"
This was the man's reaction to Rin, who stepped forward to protect Ren. Ren and the others were surprised by this.
"Princess?"
"...Um, I haven't explained it yet."
"Are you a princess?"
"No, it's just that my father is the king of the vampires."
"I see. A princess. And who is your father, by the way?"
"It's me"
A man from the vampires comes forward. He was so beautiful that he could be mistaken for a woman. And above all, he is too young to be Rin's father.
"……Nice to meet you"
"I have no reason to greet you."
"I see."
"First of all, I'd like my daughter back."
"No"
"What?"
"If she wants to go back, Rin will go back. It's not up to me."
"……Mila."
At Ren's words, Rin's father looked suspicious and called Rin by another name. This is Rin's real name, as his father calls it.
"Yes, Father."
"You are not bound, are you?"
"You mean, forced?"
"What else could it be?"
"I am bound. I promised to live as Ren-sama’s mistress."
"As expected……"
The father's face contorts at the thought of the humiliation his daughter has experienced. But Rin's next words turned his face into one of astonishment.
"But it is my choice to do so."
"What?"
"I am at Ren-sama's side of my own volition."
"Are you stupid? What are you saying!?"
Even after hearing Rin's explanation, her father does not seem to be convinced at all. It is impossible for a vampire to have feelings for a human.
"I adore Ren-sama. It is my pleasure to be by his side as his mistress."
"You… are you brainwashed!?"
"Father, no! I really love Ren-sama!"
"I will not forgive you! You have not only defiled my daughter, but you have also made her heart go mad! I will kill you right now!"
The other vampire men reacted at once to the father's angry voice. The moment they moved to attack Ren.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of them with a thunderous roar.
"What!?"
"……Shut up"
"No way, you?"
"Since you are Rin’s father, I didn’t let it hit you directly. I hope you'll be thankful and be a little quieter."
"Is this the power of the Thunder Emperor?"
"If the Thunder Emperor you speak of is Master Rudolf, then I am his disciple."
Rin's father knew about the Thunder Emperor. In Ren's mind, he was surprised that Rudolf's name had even been known to the demons, but now was not the time for that.
"The Thunder Emperor died more than a thousand years ago."
"So what? Are you saying he can't become my master if he died?"
"I don't think so."
This thinking of Rin's father is more normal.
"...I'll leave the explanation for later. I'd like to correct one thing first."
"Correct?"
"I don’t remember defiling Rin in any way. I've taken good care of her, if I do say so myself."
"A vampire that has lost her chastity to humans. It is the greatest humiliation for the vampires."
"I really don’t like the way you said it. But I have to correct it first. I never took her chastity."
"What?"
"Ah, I kissed her. But it was gentle."
Ren says things he doesn't need to say. Because Rin's father is the other person, he retracted his words.
"What is a kiss?" (TN: The word kiss is in English.)
"...A kiss on the mouth?"
"What!?"
Ren's explanation makes Rin's father even angrier.
"Is something wrong?"
"Don't you know what a kiss means to royalty!?"
"……Marriage by any chance?"
"That's right!?"
"I see... we're not married. I'd say we're engaged now, right?"
"What?"
"A title was added when I made a promise to Rin. The title is [Night Princess's fiancé]. Isn't that what it means?"
Ren himself had always known that would be the case. But he had always wondered why Rin was called the Night Princess, and now that he was here, he understood.
"Such a title? Who are you?"
A title he had never heard of. Hearing that, Rin's father's anger subsided a little. It was his doubts about Ren that made him do it.
"Finally, I can say my name. My name is Kaiser Ren Breitkreutz. I'm the person who will become the king of the Nord Federation."
"The Federation is not allowed to have a king."
"Because there is an agreement? But that pact will expire soon. Besides, the powerful nations of the pact know that I will be king of Nord. I don't think they will complain."
"...I see. You're a hero, aren't you?"
"No, no. I'm the king of the Nord Federation."
Seeing Ren's insistence, he saw the strength of his will. Rin's father decided to change the subject, thinking it would be useless to talk about this any further.
"...Let's hear the purpose of you coming here."
"You should already know. I want you to follow me. I want the vampire race to become part of the Federation."
"That's why you made my daughter your fiance. Is this some kind of political marriage?"
"That's also wrong. I didn't know that Rin was the daughter of the Vampire King. Besides, Rin is my mistress."
"You can't call her your mistress."
"Then, a concubine? How about that?"
Shizuku, who is listening to the conversation right next to him, and Shizuku as well as the others are frowning. Ren's explanation is not very convincing to him.
"Are you going to keep my daughter in the shade?"
"Because the lawful wife has already been decided."
"Another political marriage? Who is it?"
"She's here, it's Luna."
"Yo"
Luna suddenly appears beside Ren, holding up one hand to greet Rin's father. The sudden presence startled not only Rin's father, but all of the vampires.
"...A demon? No, it's not."
"Heh, you can tell. Luna is a spirit."
"A spirit!?"
"Rin. Your father is a person to gets surprised often."
"No, well..."
Rin replied with a troubled face. It's normal for her father to be surprised. Ren is out of the ordinary.
"You made a pact with a spirit with this much power. What are you?"
"I already told you. I am the one who will become the king of the Nord Federation."
"Ren. I don't think that's what Father is asking."
Frustrated at the situation where the conversation was not progressing, Shizuku interrupted.
"Why are you intruding here?"
"Because the conversation doesn't progress. If he knows Ren's other titles, he'll know who you are."
"Other titles... let's hear it."
Knowing that there are still other titles, Rin's father demanded to know what they were.
"Eh? You're going to ask?"
"Is there anything you don't like being asked?"
"It's embarrassing"
"……Tell me."
"No..."
Ren still hesitates to speak.
"Then I'll say it. [Silver Wolf], [The One Who Acts], [Sword Saint Disciple], [Thunder Emperor Disciple] [Magical Beast Tamer], [Beloved by Spirits], [Beloved by Magical Beasts], [Night Princess' Fiance], and… what’s next?"
Instead, Shizuki spoke Ren's titles.
"...You remember them well."
"But that's not all, what's left?"
"[The One who Received the Divine Protection of the Moon] and [Demon King's Vessel]."
"I see. Huh? There's more?"
"Ah, that's right."
The title of [Demon King's Vessel] that he answered when asked by Shizuku. Ren forgot that he hadn't told anyone. It wasn't hidden. He never had a chance to say it and he just didn't feel the need to.
"It increased again!?"
"I received a blessing that I had not received after the selection ceremony."
"Ah, at that time. But Demon King. We are heroes, right?"
"I have no intention of becoming a hero. I'm far better off being a Demon King."
"Certainly, Demon King would be better for Ren."
"Shut up."
Ren, who was joking around with Shizuku as usual, hadn't noticed. Even though his skin color is already white, the father's face has lost even more blood.
It's not just Rin's father. Rin and the other vampires were shocked. Rin was the first to recover.
"Ren-sama"
"What?"
"Could you show me your guild card?"
"Now?"
"Yes. Right now."
"……I understand."
Ever since he was an adventurer, he has always carried his guild card with him. Ren took a card out of his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to Rin.
Once Rin receives it, she looks down at it and shows it to her father.
"...No way."
"The guild card is made by ancient magic, no, it was created by people from another world. Are you saying that Father cannot trust it?"
"But... in this day and age..."
"Thank you very much, Ren-sama."
"Yeah... what?"
Ren doesn't understand the meaning of the conversation between Rin and her father.
"No, it's rare to find someone with a title as prestigious as Ren-sama's, and the content of the title is what it is said."
"You trust it? A title is not the only way to evaluate a person."
"A title is an evaluation of the person. I believe that evaluating a title is the same as evaluating a person."
Ren's title was not given forcibly. It is something that comes naturally to him as an expression of his existence. This is not limited to Ren alone, but it is the way titles should be.
"Certainly. The conversation has derailed a lot. Where did we stop?"
"That's right, but I want you to give me a little time."
"Yes?"
"As a king, you are the king of kings, so is it called the emperor? Is it okay to recognize you as the emperor?"
"Yes, but what happened all of a sudden?"
Ren feels confused by Rin's father, who suddenly changes his mind to a positive one.
"I understand that you are a powerful person. I also understand that you are not neglecting my daughter. But I can't come to a conclusion right away. I need time to discuss this with everyone."
"...I understand. Then, I'll stop by again on the way home."
"I'm willing to lend you a place to stay for the night."
"I'd love to, but it's a full moon tonight. I'm okay with it, but the others are not."
It was not only men in front of him. There were also female vampires. And there must be many more women in the castle in the back. It was almost impossible to resist the desire when they were near vampire women on a night with a full moon.
"I see. You understand the vampires very well. Then I'll have Mila follow you later."
"Ah, Rin… would you prefer if I call you Mila?"
"If it’s Ren-sama, I'm fine either way."
"I'm used to it, so I'm going to call you Rin. Rin will be fine."
"I'm very sorry"
"No, you don't have to worry about it"
"…Why is Mila apologizing?"
Her father does not understand the meaning of the conversation between the two.
"I'm a little strange. One day, when the night of the full moon came, I started to seek Ren-sama. I'm sorry that Ren-sama always calmed me down."
"...So you really don't have a relationship?"
"Relationship?"
"A man-woman relationship."
"Father! Don't ask embarrassing things!"
It's not a question a father asks his daughter. Rin gets angry because she thinks she's being teased, but her father's expression remains serious.
"But... is my daughter that unattractive?"
Rin's father also asked Ren the question.
"How could this happen? Earlier you were mad at me for the opposite."
"No, I'm curious about this"
"Very attractive. If I confess, I'm desperate to restrain myself. But well, after a while, Rin settles down."
"…………"
Rin's father widened his eyes in surprise after hearing Ren's explanation.
"What?"
Ren wondered about Rin's father, who reacted with many emotions.
"No, I see. You are certainly not an ordinary man."
"So what?"
"I'm sorry, but I still want you to leave my daughter for now. I haven't seen her for more than three years, and I want to have a long talk with her. I promise I will make sure she follows you."
Rin's father is about to end the conversation, leaving the question unanswered. Ren understood this, and because he did, he decided that there was no point in asking any more questions.
"...Understood. I have one request for you as well."
"What is it?"
"I need you to tell me where the nearest other tribe lives."
"I see. Okay."
"You know?"
"If you go down to the bottom here and head straight east, you'll hit a river. If you go upstream, you will find a forest, and there should be an elf settlement in the forest. I don't know how to get there."
"If we know how to get there, we'll be fine. I'll have Luna look for it."
"I see. That's good."
"Well, I'll leave you to it. I hope I get a good answer."
"I want to talk to you slowly at that time. As a king and as a father."
"...As a father as well?"
He knows what will be said. It is about his relationship with Rin. It's a topic that Ren is trying to avoid at the moment.
"It's obvious."
"I see. Then, Rin. We'll head first."
"Yes"
With that, Ren and the group headed back the way they came. Relief spread across every face. The result had been postponed, but they were not going to fight the demons. Even though they were prepared for it, they were still afraid of fighting the demons. It was a relief when it was averted.
"...Why doesn't he hold you?"
"You can say that again"
"But I can't believe he could resist the temptation of a vampire woman in heat at the full moon."
"It's rude to say in heat toward your daughter."
"That's what this is about. When a vampire woman loves a man, her instincts activate to conceive the man's child. Charm is unleashed on the man with more force than usual. And even she herself becomes excited."
"...Like me"
An abnormal excitement that occurs on the night of a full moon. For the first time, Rin knew what that meant. Once she knows it, it makes sense.
"Do you really like him?"
"I said so"
"But he doesn't. Isn't he?"
"No, that's right. But it may sound like a sore loser, but he can't love not only me but everyone. It might be more correct to say that he doesn't understand the feeling of love."
"Why is that?"
"He has known the ugliness of people since he was a child, and he himself has been treated badly on many occasions. He does not recognize the living. So there is no way he understands love."
"...That's a distorted mind."
He does not recognize the living. That kind of thinking is not normal. He was relieved to know that Rin's feelings were genuine, and a little relieved to have a relationship with Ren, but then he was painted with anxiety all at once.
"However, he is kind. He can be ruthless to the point of not recognizing people, but sometimes he is kind to people to the point of being kind to them. It is as if there are two of him. I believe that the essence of Ren-sama is that he is kind to all people."
"...If you think so, be loved. And be his wife."
Even if he said that, Rin honestly couldn't be happy. She knows the reason for her father's change of heart.
"Is it because he has the title of Demon King?"
"Yes. But not for the reason you think."
"What's the difference?"
"For that, you have to know the meaning of the title [Demon King's Vessel]. The important thing is not the word Demon King, but the vessel."
"Vessel?"
Demon King. It's a word that means the king of the demons. Rin thought that was why her father thought of following Ren, but that wasn't the case.
"In a time far back in our history, the vampires were led by one man, the Demon King, who was a member of the vampire race. The vampires supported the demon king. There have been others who have called themselves demon kings. But that one was the true Demon King."
"What made him different from other demon kings?"
"That person led the demons who were oppressed and on the verge of extinction and fought against the world. Not just all the countries on the continent. He faced the heavens."
"…………"
"I wouldn't say he won, but he survived. He created a country where the demons could live in peace, and he brought about the coexistence of the human race and the demon race, albeit only for a time and only in certain areas."
"Was there a time like that?"
The vampires do not think of Nord as a country where the human race and the demon race coexist. They have no desire to live together with the human race.
"It was only for a time. He knew that the peace would not last forever. At the time of his death, he left a last will that all the demon race should obey those who are recognized by the Demon Sword Kamui, no matter who they are."
(TN: This story is from "Rebellion Against This Cruel World", the first story from the three stories of the "Demon Sword Kamui" series. I still haven't read it though.)
"What is the Demon Sword Kamui?"
"That person always had a sword. A sword with a will that was said to be the alter ego of that person."
"Is there such a sword?"
"That's what it's been said. A few hundred years later, the Demon Sword Kamui was recognized. It's called the [Demon King's Vessel], and it's the one who actually led the demons into battle."
(TN: This story is from "Demon King's Vessel", the second story from the three stories of the "Demon Sword Kamui" series. I also haven't read it xD.)
"...What do you mean by vessel?"
"It is said that it means a vessel that accepts the Demon Sword Kamui."
"Then Ren-sama is also a vessel for the sword."
"The demon sword Kamui was lost a long time ago, I don't know if it still exists now. And yet that fool is...... no, this is irrelevant right now."
"......I see. Then why?"
He sees Ren as a being recognized by the demon sword and not following the will of the past demon king. If the demon sword is lost, then there is no possibility of being recognized by the demon sword in the future. Then why did her father feel inclined to follow Ren?
"The question of whether or not he was recognized by the demon sword is not important for the Vampires. The problem is the fact that the vampires, who should have been the first to go to the [Demon King's Vessel] when it appeared, didn't."
"Why?"
"It must be arrogance. It was the vampires who served the true demon king as a close aide and supported his supremacy. It would not have recognized him so easily."
"But the demon sword Kamui."
"...The [Demon King's Vessel] did not use the power of the demon sword. It seems that the [Demon King's Vessel] tried not to fight as a Demon King, but as a king of the human race, or as an individual."
With some hesitation, Rin's father explained the reason. He chose a reason that would be easy for his daughter to talk about and would not bring shame to the vampires.
"Why is that?"
He tried to deny it even though he was the Demon King. Rin's face showed her dissatisfaction at receiving such a response.
"Strength is something to be admired, but when it goes too far, it is feared, and when it goes too far, it is beaten. This is what the demon race has always been subjected to."
"……Yes"
"That's why I was concerned about the way the human race fought. That's how it's been handed down."
"In other words... our race didn't keep the will of the true Demon King. That we should never do such a thing again."
"That's right"
"......Then it would be impossible for Ren-sama to trust you."
She understands her father's thinking. But it would not convince Rin.
"What?"
"Returning calculation with calculation. That is Ren-sama's way. Allies are not objects of trust for him. He only uses them because he can."
"...What do you suggest I do?"
"There is only one way to gain Ren-sama's trust. Trust him and don't betray him. I'll tell you one thing. It is not one-sided. If he decides to trust you, he will not betray you. Even if you don't believe him, he won't betray you if you make a promise."
"......How can he do that if he doesn't recognize the person?"
Using someone you do not believe in. Keep a promise to someone who may betray you. It requires resolve. How can a person who cannot trust others have that resolve? That is something Rin's father does not understand.
"I tried to kill him at first. But he made a promise to me, and he has kept his promise. He still does. Ren-sama has kept his promise to me."
"I see……"
"That's why I won't betray Ren-sama. Even if the vampires disobey Ren-sama, I will stand by Ren-sama's side."
"I understand...... your thoughts to that extent. I will think about it more carefully."
Rin's feelings for Ren are real. Rin's father knows it well. That Ren is probably a person worthy of trust.
"Is that all you have to say? Then I will go to Ren-sama."
"Don't be in a hurry. From now on, I want to spend time as a family. After all, it's been four years. You runaway girl!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Apologize and be forgiven!? Running away from the castle without saying a word! Do you know how worried we were!?"
As the daughter of the king of the vampires, there was no way that Rin could leave the country so easily. But Rin had left the country. The princess, her daughter, had returned. There was no way she would be allowed to leave again so soon. Rin's joining will be much later than Ren had thought.
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