Around the same time, in the capital, in the strategic planning room…

「Pew pew. Pew. Pew pew pew…」

Watching the projection with his arms crossed, Straf makes sound effects for the vampire hunters' weapons as they illuminate the vampires surrounding the dropship.

「…What was that?」

Cycelia asks, turning her concerned, and lightly frightened gaze to Straf.

「Hm? You mean him? That's Roland. Remember him? The shield guy from the tournament.」

Straf glances at her, and shrugs as the screen switches to one of the team members' circlets. Roland is walking ahead of the group with his tower shield and mace low, also wearing a circlet.

「No, I vaguely remember him… I meant that thing he stomped.」

She clarifies, and points at the magic projection above the stone slab's runic circle.

「Hmm…」

Straf humms, turning his gaze up towards the ceiling. He thinks for a few seconds, grimacing a little. Nona's smiling face briefly flashes before his eyes, before he remembers a more vivid memory of her amber eyes glowing down at him with a hammer raised above her head. He winces slightly, and returns his attention to the magic screen.

「…It had horns, so I suppose it was a demon? It was pretty weak, though. If it were one of those soul cube ones, they'd be in trouble.」

Straf remarks, and shrugs his shoulders.

「Soul cube?…」

Ursa furrows his brows, glancing at Straf's face. Cycelia gains a troubled, awkward grimace, and dips behind Straf to hide from the marshal.

「…What are these staves that they're using, minister? They are unbelievably effective, even if it didn't do anything to the demon.」

The large marshal sitting beside Straf asks, rubbing his chin with an intense gaze directed at the screen.

「Those are quick-and-dirty repurposed vampire lamps. I just added a trigger, and shitty control box to stop them from burning out the gems.」

Straf replies, and grimaces slightly as he thinks for a few moments.

「…Guess we can call them Flashlights, actually. It's a good thing Roland kept his pauldrons to a reasonable size.」

He adds, and shrugs his shoulders.

「If only we had a magic genius like you during the demon lord's times, minister!… Humanity would have been saved from the vampire menace!」

Ursa declares with awe and admiration in his voice, clenching his fist in front of himself while watching the operation on the floating screen.

「Pilot, go ahead and turn on the floodlights. It'd be a logistical problem if a vampire ripped you apart…」

Straf says to nobody in particular, and the screen switches to an external view of the dropship. The darkness immediately around the aircraft is dissolved by a circular orange glow…

…

At the same time, in the dark streets of Murusburg…

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang… Thwunkkk!

The vampire hunters and Lily follow Roland and his heavy footsteps. Without a warning, a loud noise comes from the dropship, and the volunteers look over their shoulders.

「Ah. It lit up?…」

One of them remarks while looking at the orange light coming from the lamps on top of the dropship's body. The dead demon and its shattered horns burst into a small flame, and dissolve into a humanoid-shaped pile of ashes. Beams of magic lamps shine at the windows, alleyways, and the doorways of hastily abandoned homes as they move past, warily watching their surroundings.

Thud!…

Something wooden tumbles over in a nearby alleyway, making a loud noise that echoes out into the street. Roland and the rest stop, and turn their gazes to the source of the disturbance. The volunteers point their lamps towards the alley, and the trash scattered there casts long shadows that reaches all the way to the city's tall walls. One of the men squints, and notices a shape move.

「Movement…」

He says in a hushed tone, and points his Flashlight at the alleyway. The rest of the volunteer squad joins him, with some kneeling down ahead of their line to make way.

Without a warning, a shape jumps out from beyond one of the barrels.

Thud!- Clickclickcliclick-click-click-click…

「Agh!」

A loud grunt of discomfort cones from the alleyway as many orange flashes light it up. The humanoid shape visibly recoils, and one of the men adjusts his magic lamp on his belt.

「Why isn't he burning!?」「Demon!?」

Some of the volunteers begin to panic, and Roland steps in the way, raising his shield.

「Wait!…」

One of the vampire hunters calls out, shining the weak pale blue light into the alleyway. In the alley, a man holding a crossbow loaded with a thick wooden stake is wincing heavily, visibly struggling to open his eyes, partially shielding his face with his forearm. He blinks a few times at the ground, then quickly raises his gaze to the squad.

「…That's a human! Flashlights down!」

The vampire hunter with the lamp calls out and waves his arm downward. The squad lower their weapons. The vampire survivor lets out a relieved sigh. Roland lowers his shield and relaxes his stance. The man approaches them, rubbing his eyes with his fingers, visibly pained and struggling to fully open them.

「I thought I was the only one left fighting them!… Who are you guys?」

He grins through his pained grimace while tears flow from his irritated, reddened eyes.

「We're vampire hunters from the capital! We're here to cull the threat!」

One of the volunteers replies, and the squad return to observing all angles for threats.

「From the capital?… We thought the queen abandoned us!… There were twenty of us, but I'm the only-」

The survivor appears mildly surprised, but also relieved. A young twin-tailed girl emerges from behind the large armored man in the group.

「Vampire!」

「What!?」「Where!?」「I don't see it!」

He screams, and raises his crossbow, aiming it square at the crimson-eyed girl's chest. The vampire hunters swivel their heads around in panic.

Tfwap!- Crack!

Before Roland can react, the man shoots the crossbow at Lily. She grabs the stake out of the air, and snaps it in half in her tiny clawed hand.

「Ah, no! She's with us!…」

Roland raises his armored hand, and steps in the way.

The volunteers calm down when they realize that the vampire was present from the beginning, but are now staring with concerned eyes at Lily, who is visibly seething at the situation.

「What!? But-! But it's a vampire!-」

「It's a little complicated! The vampires and demons plaguing the city are her enemies! She's here to help!」

The confused man shouts, pointing his hand at her. Roland explains the situation, while Lily glares at the survivor.

「…You have no grasp of how close you've come to death, human. Be thankful to Straf.」

Clunk-clunk…

She remarks with a growl and a scowl on her face, dropping the two shattered halves of the thick stake onto the cobblestones. The survivor's shoulders slump. Lily crosses her arms and distances himself away from the man, looking elsewhere into the city with a disinterested, and visibly upset gaze. The man reluctantly approaches the group, wary of the vampire.

「This whole fucking thing is complicated. We were twenty men who decided that we'd rather die than bow our heads to vampires. They're all way too fast, and way too strong…」

The survivor says, looking at Roland, before turning his reddened eyes to the rest of the squad.

「…I'm the last one left, but I'm still stalwart about about my choice. I managed to land a hit on one right in the heart…」

He raises his crossbow a little to present it as he speaks.

「…But as it turns out, he had a few others with him. Before you guys arrived, I honestly thought that was it. I just wanted to do some damage on my way out.」

The man shrugs, and glances at the starry sky through the hole in the roof overhead.

「So that's why one of them had a hole there?…」

「We killed them all. And a demon, too. What can you tell us? We need information. How many of them are there? How many demons? Where is their leader? Who is he?」

One of the vampire hunters glances back towards the dropship, while another asks a series of questions.

「Who knows. I wish I could help, but I know nothing. Too many to count, is what I know. Where's the rest of you?」

The survivor shrugs his shoulders, and asks back.

「…That's all of us.」

The volunteer replies, and looks over the rest of the squad.

「…Huh!? Didn't you hear me!? We had like twenty men! You have how many!?…」

Briefly stunned, the man recoils back, and begins hastily counting the vampire hunters.

「…Like fifteen or something!? That's less what we started with! The entire city is overrun with vampires! You're telling me you're going to fix it alone!?」

The man spreads his arms, pointing towards the darkness to some vague point in the city.

「We have one pilot in the… That thing… But he's not coming along with us. And then there's the vampire…」

Another squad member remarks, pointing his thumb at the dropship, before nodding his head at Lily. She glances over her shoulder at them, glaring.

「If he's not coming then what good is he!?」

The survivor shouts, and the vampire hunters' heads perk up all at the same time along with Roland.

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「…Uhh. Lily? Straf wants you to focus on clearing the demons, and to find their leader.」

Roland turns to Lily, and leans down a little to speak to her. The circlets on the squad's heads and Roland's helmet glow slightly in the oppressive dark.

「Straf said so?…」

She asks, and her scowl softens a little while looking at Roland's helmet-covered face.

「Yeah… He said to let us know where he is when you find him.」

He nods, and shrugs his hands as he straightens back out.

「Hmpf… Very well. Keep those bumbling idiots safe, then. You will know what path is safe by the trail of corpses…」

Lily lets out a small huff, and declares as she walks towards the darkness. Her form merges with it, seemingly melding with the shadows cast by the roof. When one of the vampire hunters turns his magic lamp her way, she is nowhere to be found. Roland, the squad, and the man exchange glances.

「…For now, go hide and sit things out. You've done enough. I've killed some vampires in the past, and the boys here turn them to ashes in an instant with these lamps. We'll be fine.」

Roland turns his attention to the man, and nods towards the dropship's lamp. He gestures his armored head for the squad to follow, and turns towards the darkness.

「…Good luck! You're seriously going to need it! Don't try to fight them up close! It's impossible!」

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang…

While backing away towards the dropship, the survivor calls out towards Roland and the vampire hunters.

「I disagree…」

…Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang…

Roland nonchalantly replies, and continues onward. Weak, pale blue lights illuminate the dark path ahead…

…

A few moments later, elsewhere in the city…

Lily casually walks down the streets as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Elsewhere, at an adjoining street, a small group of vampires squatting in a circle turn their scarlet eyes toward her, then promptly ignore her. They return to whatever they were discussing, chuckling and grinning. She ignores them too, and continues onward. After a few minutes of casually strolling ahead, she comes across a pale-skinned, amber-eyed, horned fiend with slits for a nose.

It flashes a grin of its sharp teeth at her, standing idle with its arms hanging at its sides as she approaches.

Shwip. Thunk-Thud.

Passing by and without missing a beat, she swipes her clawed hand across its neck. Its head flies off, cleanly detached from the rest of its body, and lands on the cobblestones with its horns. Its body collapses backwards, splashing the building behind it with blood. As its head bounces off the horns and rolls a few paces away, Lily's disinterested gaze catches a glimpse of its expression. The demon's severed head bears a face frozen in confusion. She nonchalantly continues on ahead.

「Hm… They left the regular lamps be?」

Lily remarks to herself as she arrives at the main street. She tilts her golden head in mild surprise. The street is fairly well lit from the gate, and the blue light from the lamps stretches on beyond the bridge over the river, disappearing, but definitely not ending beyond one of the buildings there. She shrugs, and decides to head for the bridge.

A patrol of vampires pass by, meeting her on the arch of the bridge. The armed and armored vampires look at her, and she looks back at them with an air of apparent superiority. The vampires in the patrol exchange gazes between each other, lightly furrowing their brows, but continue onward without saying a word. One of them glances at Lily over his shoulder, but then simply carries on with the rest. Lily scoffs, and turns her eyes to the water rushing underneath the bridge.

「Hmpf…」

《…They definitely recognize me. At least some of them. So comfortable with their new ruler, that they refuse to bow to me?… Or do they think I wouldn't notice?》

An amused smirk appears on Lily's pale face, though her scarlet eyes are filled with anger, and far from amused.

Beyond the bridge, she arrives at a major crossroads nearby an inn. The magic lamps end here, and shattered remnants of vampire lamps litter all paths ahead. There is a small group of armored vampires standing nearby, discussing something amongst themselves. A hulking demon, half the size of one of the buildings flanking the streets, is keeping them company. It notices her first, and watches her with curious amber eyes that seem to have a very faint purple hue to them.

「You… Are you from the capital?」

Lily asks the group of vampires with a disdainful look in her eyes.

「Hm? Nah, I have a lair in a cave near Kreisfeld. Man, what a surprise this was!…」

One of the men replies, grinning at Lily with his hands spread. She turns her gaze to the rest of them.

「I'm from around Kreisfeld too.」「Never been to the capital. I don't like rules.」「I've got an abandoned fortress!」

They casually reply, shrugging their shoulders and nodding back.

「I see… It's fine in that case…」

「Hm? What is?」

Lily nods, lowering her golden head. The vampire at the front raises his brow lightly.

「…Where is your leader?」

She asks with her arms crossed, and her disdainful glare softens into a mere look of conceit.

「Huh?… You mean the baron, right?…」

He asks, and glances over his shoulder at the rest. They shrug.

「…He ought to be somewhere around the mayor's mansion, right?…」

「Yeah.」「Think so.」「Probably.」

The vampire asks his group, and they nod along in agreement.

「…Yeah. You'll want to head that way. But he doesn't let just anyone in-」

「That is fine by me.」

He turns back to Lily, and points his thumb down the street that they're standing at with the fiend. She cuts him off, and walks towards the troll-sized demon.

The vampire shrugs, and returns to his previous discussion, ignoring Lily. Meanwhile, the demon is watching her draw closer. It tilts its massive head, apparently confused, and Lily regards its elongated, flat face with a disinterested gaze. She jumps, floating into the air like a dandelion seed. While the vampires are oblivious, the fiend watches her drift upward above itself.

FWOOOP-THUD!

Lily suddenly shoots downward. The demon catches a glimpse of the frills under her dress.

「What the fuck!?」「What!?」「The fuck!?」

The vampires jump up at the loud noise of the demon's body slamming into the ground with an earth-shaking rumble. Lily is standing on top of its caved-in head, which is inside a small crater in the street. The group look at her with their crimson eyes wide open, and exchange a quick glance between themselves.

「How the fuck did she even do that? She's tiny…」「It's dead?」「…How'd it die so easily?」

They vampires in the rear mumble amongst themselves, staring at Lily with their brows furrowed in utter disbelief.

「H- Hey! What the fuck are you doing!? You can't do that!」

The one at the front shouts, pointing his armored finger at Lily.

「Oh? Says who?」

She casually jumps off the demon's flattened skull back onto the cobblestones. Blood flowing from its nose slits and mouth fills the small crater.

「T- The baron is going to be angry about this! He doesn't have a lot of these!」

He continues shouting, and the vampire group runs up while Lily nonchalantly turns towards the mayor's mansion.

「Hey! You can't just leave! You're coming with us! You'll have to explain yourself to the baron!」

Exasperated, the vampire and his group follow Lily. He continues pointing his armored finger at her, shouting angrily. She abruptly stops in her tracks.

「I don't have to explain myself to anybody.」

She replies with a cold glare, and continues onward.

「Y- Yes you do! How old are you!? Don't you know how this works!?…」

He insists, shaking his fist in frustration.

「Hmpf… Pathetic.」

An amused huff escapes Lily's small nose, and she shakes her golden head while ignoring the group trailing behind her.

「…Stop right there, or we'll-!」

「Or you'll what?…」

Lily abruptly stops again, and glares at the group gripping onto their sheathed swords. They freeze, and tight-lipped grimaces appear on their faces.

「…You'll draw your swords to make yourself feel less weak? Are you not strong enough to rip through vampires with your claws?…」

She asks, tilting her golden head with a neutral expression and lightly raised brows, but her scarlet eyes are filled with concentrated disdain. The group exchange nervous glances.

「…You're wearing armor. Is it because you still feel pain? Will you scream if your legs are torn away?…」

Her eyes briefly glance at the vampire's breastplate, likely taken from the garrison troops along with the rest of their equipment. The vampires stare at her in silence.

「…You were helpful, and you are not from the capital, so I've decided to let you be, but feel free to change my mind. Go on, draw your sword. You'll find out how old I am.」

As Lily explains, a small, fanged grin appears on her face. She nods her head, goading the vampire as her malice slips through her mask of serenity.

「Wait…」

The frontmost vampire takes a step back, pushing into the ones behind him, and his eyes widen in realization as he takes in Lily's appearance.

「…The capital? Wait… Shit…」

「What?…」

The backs out, and his nervous grimace grows into an outright fright. The rest of the group warily backs away.

「…You're that baroness!?」

The frightened vampire shouts, pointing his shaky finger at Lily. Her grin turns smug.

「He doesn't let just anyone in, doesn't he?」

She asks, and glances into the eyes of the rest. When they realize who Lily is, if they had any color to them to begin with, their faces would definitely turn pale.

「F- Fuck this! I'm out of here! Something's going on, and it's bad news!」

Clunk!…

The vampire discards his helmet onto the floor, and runs back towards the crossing. A few paces later, he drops his cuirass with a loud clank.

The remaining vampires take one last look at Lily's smug face, and turn to run as well, dropping the pieces of their equipment along the way as they follow him.

「Hmpf… Petulant children…」

Lily scoffs, and continues on her way, leaving the fiend's massive body collapsed, and its flattened head buried in the road like an ostrich…