—Serafall Leviathan—
She was stuck in an awkward spot. Quite literally.
Half-hidden behind a partially uprooted tent, she had been in the middle of attempting a tactical retreat when Faiser walked toward her, smiling as if he had caught a child sneaking sweets.
"Were you coming or going?" he asked playfully, clearly taking in her less-than-dignified posture.
"Uhh…" She froze, caught off guard. "Neither?"
She immediately cursed herself for sounding ridiculous and looked at him, only to find him studying her with open curiosity.
"Mhm." He did not press her. "I can't say I understand, but I won't ask further."
There was a soft smile on his face. Bandages still wrapped around parts of his body, though it was obvious he had already healed beneath them. Sometimes, even by devil standards, his healing factor felt unnatural.
"So, I believe you saw that?" he asked, referring to Azazel.
At this point, lying would be pointless.
"Yeah," she admitted. "But I promise I was here to make sure nothing happened."
She tried to organize her thoughts, to come up with a proper explanation for allowing Azazel to meet him. In her head, most of those reasons sounded like excuses. She just hoped they would be enough so he would not see her as incompetent. Or at least, not more than she already felt.
Strangely, he said nothing about it.
Instead, he stepped closer.
"So, how's the clean-up going?"
That completely threw her off. She had expected questions. Maybe suspicion. Not this.
"Uh, long." She let out a breath. "Too much paperwork. Too many procedures."
"And I'm partly to blame, I guess?" he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head in an almost comical way.
She could not say it was his fault. Yes, half the documents were about him. But so were half the rewards they were now enjoying.
"You solve more problems than you cause," she said honestly. "So no. You are not the trouble."
Somewhere along the way, she did not even notice her nervousness fading. The awkward stiffness melted into their usual rhythm, the easy back-and-forth she was used to with him.
"But you are in trouble," she added, pointing a finger at him lightly. "You're going to be called in for who knows how many hearings and meetings."
The elders and the devil lords would bury him in letters. Praise, yes. But also proposals. Alliances. Business ventures. Attempts to tie him to their side in one way or another.
At best, it would be exhausting. At worst, suffocating.
"I'm prepared for that much," he replied calmly. "I've been having a bit too much fun, stretching my arms too wide. It's about time I use them to lift a pen instead of firing attacks."
Politics and diplomacy. Two subjects they both found equally draining.
Talking about it, oddly enough, helped. The tension dissolved, replaced by something more familiar and comfortable.
'Does he do this on purpose?' she wondered. She did not ask. But from what she knew of him, he probably did.
"Should we take a walk?" he asked.
She nodded immediately.
"You need to make an appearance in front of the public," she said. "You're the war hero. Even if it was brief, you have to give a speech. And after that, you'll be formally rewarded for your achievements."
He grinned. "Oh? I wonder what you all prepared this time."
"You'll see." She finally let her smile return fully. "You should like it. Though… there will be paperwork."
He clicked his tongue. "Because of course there will be."
She chuckled softly as they walked side by side, passing the recovery tents.
The place was a mess. Torn structures, lingering traces of battle, healers still moving back and forth.
It would take time to restore everything to its former glory.
Even with magic.
Still, at least the aftermath would be smooth. With Tepes imprisoned and already scheduled for execution in the future, long after they had left these lands —hopefully— Queen Carmilla would rule without opposition.
He knew he had secured an incredible connection here. Serafall could see it in his eyes. He was proud.
As he should be.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
Faiser stretched his arms lightly. "Sore. But nothing too painful."
Guilt flickered across her face.
He noticed.
"You don't have to feel guilty," he said, not even looking at her. "I know how complicated the political situation was. It was a miracle Sirzechs arrived when he did. And that you all managed to come at all."
He was right. If she had interfered recklessly, a war far worse than this would have erupted.
Still, she blamed herself.
Maybe if she had pushed harder. Maybe if she had hurried more. Maybe if she had forced a teleport straight to him.
"You did your best." Faiser gently placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her warmly. "I saw the ice protecting me before I lost consciousness. You and Ingvild saved me there. Carmilla too, I think."
He would have survived regardless. All she had done was lessen the damage.
She did not think that was enough.
He clearly did.
"And I can already guess you must have caused quite the ruckus in the elders' meeting."
He was not wrong. She had nearly flipped a table when someone suggested cutting ties with Faiser if things turned unfavorable.
"So thank you," he said sincerely. "For always having my back."
She did not say it aloud, but whenever he said something like that, her heart warmed. It fluttered.
She was not foolish. She knew what that feeling meant.
And yet, knowing did not make things easier.
As a Satan, she carried responsibilities. She could not act simply because her heart told her to.
And besides, there was already another girl.
"Lord Faiser?"
Ingvild hurried toward them, having spotted them from afar. Several women followed behind her, carrying trays of food.
"Why did you walk out? You should be resting," she said, offering Serafall a quick nod of acknowledgment. "You're injured."
"It's fine," he replied with a sheepish chuckle. "I just wanted some fresh air."
Ingvild glanced at Serafall more than once. Both of them, excluding Faiser, understood exactly why.
Neither spoke about it.
They were both fully aware of how the other felt. Even when one tried to hide it, the other knew.
Ingvild was more open about it. She showed it in small ways. Though she had never confessed outright.
Serafall believed Ingvild had her own reasons for holding back, just as she did. But she was certain Ingvild would eventually resolve hers.
Unlike herself.
For now, she simply smiled at them.
And silently wished that at least one of them would find happiness.
"Boss!"
Bova came running from the other side, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"They're calling for you!" he yelled. "The celebration is starting!"
* * *
{Moments Later}
I knew Serafall felt something. Whether she was confused about it or not, she felt it.
And right now, I was not sure I could handle that.
It would have to be addressed eventually. But for that to happen, she had to be certain of her own feelings. Me being certain was not enough.
For now, I pushed it aside.
There were more immediate matters.
Or rather, I could not even call it a problem.
"Everyone!"
Carmilla's voice echoed across the area. We stood behind her as the crowd turned their attention toward us.
"I apologize for calling you all together on such short notice," she announced, "but I am grateful that you could come."
At least those who were still capable of standing or walking had made it.
The rest were bedridden, recovering.
Devils, or whatever was left of my legion, and vampires stood gathered in the same place, all looking toward us from below.
I stood behind Carmilla, alongside the Satans and members of the noble vampire houses. I had expected at least some of the devil elders to show up. Zekram, at the very least. So not seeing him here felt… noticeable.
Most of the noble vampires were unfamiliar to me. Aside from Elmenhilde, who stood with a bright smile, and a couple of other faces I vaguely recognized, I knew almost no one.
Most of them had fought beside the Queen, not on my frontlines, so it made sense.
"I know we have lost a great deal," Carmilla continued. "Friends, family, our kin in this war."
There were grim expressions across the crowd, and rightfully so. War only seemed fascinating when romanticized in books and legends. In reality, it was anything but glorious. It was ruinous. If not for storytellers polishing its edges and our own tendency to search for light in darkness, no one would ever call war interesting.
It would be taboo.
Especially for those who had actually lived through it. Like the people standing before me.
"You have all sacrificed much," she said, her voice amplified by magic. "You have lost much. You have risked much. And still, you fought. You fought not for me, not for yourselves, not even just for your families and friends. You fought for our entire kind. For our future."
The vampires of Carmilla's faction stood tall. Even injured, even weary, they held themselves with dignity. On the other side, the former Tepes vampires looked defeated, hollow, stripped of will.
"You fought against tyranny. Against blind and foolish beliefs of supremacy. You fought for justice and equality." Her voice remained firm and unwavering. "And your courage prevailed. You won. We won."
Not once did she mention herself.
A calculated move.
"Because of your sacrifices, because of your blood, we can build a better future."
Blood carried weight among vampires. Even a single drop lost held meaning.
"I commend your actions. I praise your resolve. I respect your bravery. And I grieve with you for your sacrifices." She raised a glass. "I hereby declare the end of the Great Vampire War. The end of our civil war. The unification of the vampire race."
Some cheered. Some remained silent. Most murmured among themselves.
"Your actions are your own. Your burdens are your own. Your sacrifices are your own. And the consequences are your own," she continued. "But not all of this was by your will. Many of these sacrifices occurred because I was not competent enough. Because those of us in power were not capable enough. And because of that, you suffered."
A pause.
"War is often fought over beliefs. But it is also true that most of you do not have the freedom to chase your own beliefs. More often than not, it is the beliefs of leaders that send you to your deaths, while we reap the benefits of the ideals we preach."
She turned toward the Tepes vampires.
"Former members of the Tepes faction. Your actions were not yours alone. Yes, you carried certain beliefs. But they were misaligned, ignited, and distorted by the one who stood at the top." Her voice sharpened. "It was King Tepes who led you here, not your own will."
That was debatable.
"It was King Tepes who fed poison to you and your children for centuries."
And not once had they rebelled.
"It is because of him that you cannot hold your heads high."
And because of themselves.
"But rejoice!" Her voice rose again, cutting through the air. "You are no longer bound to a tyrant. You no longer have to sacrifice for the misguided beliefs of a mad old king."
The Tepes vampires didn't just support King Tepes because he forced them to. Somewhere, somehow… they shared the same belief too, and they fought for that cause.
But I knew what she was doing.
"Form your own beliefs. Choose the correct path, the right path. Choose the will of the Ancestor. And choose to live your life with pride."
She had lost numbers. Huge numbers. She couldn't just kill the entire Tepes population either, it would be genocide, and the other races would interfere.
She needed to bring them to her side. To make them believe they weren't wrong, that they were made to do wrong by King Tepes. That their beliefs were never truly their own, that it was all Tepes' fault.
"Join us! Become one! Let there be no division between us vampires!"
People always went against their own morals and beliefs if it meant they could live. If they wouldn't die. If they could still keep their heads held high.
Carmilla was doing exactly that, allowing them to switch sides and join her. Allowing them to keep their lives and assimilate.
She was increasing her numbers, her popularity, and erasing the Tepes name entirely.
"Vampires!" she declared. "You are one, we are one! Don't let the leaders and fools of the past divide you! We are vampires! We stand together! We stand strong! We stand tall!"
Those words made even the Carmilla vampires look at the Tepes vampires with pity. They saw them as pawns used by King Tepes, and in a way, began accepting them as their own.
Of course, it wasn't perfect. Of course there would be protests soon. And most certainly there would be segregation of the former Tepes vampires if Carmilla hadn't thought this through.
But for now, it would work. For now, the Tepes vampires would try to assimilate with the Carmilla vampires. And for now, they would be tolerated.
As for the future? I didn't know.
I wasn't interested in such politics. That was for the vampires to deal with.
"King Tepes, his entire lineage, and his supporting houses will be executed tomorrow at dawn."
She was eliminating all possible variables. This was the moment to do it, while the anger and heat from the war still lingered, while the Tepes vampires felt small and desperate to be accepted by the reigning side. There would be no protests against the executions.
If it were later, things would be different.
She had thought it through, and I could only sigh.
She was a leader, after all.
"We are all vampires!" she repeated. "We are one!"
And the entire crowd burst into the same chant.
Ingvild stood next to me, grabbing my hand tightly, a little intimidated by what she was witnessing.
Bova looked both amazed and disgusted. He might be young and hot-blooded, with his own sense of justice, but he knew when to stay quiet.
The Satans didn't say a word. It was normal for them. They had done the same in the past, and they would do the same again.
Of course, the most ideal situation would have been to get rid of the entire Tepes population, including the common vampires. But that wasn't possible, so this was the next best option.
After the cheers and a few more speeches, including some from the Satans promising support to Carmilla and the vampires, multiple deals regarding trade and schemes were set in motion. Finally, the award ceremony began.
The grand celebration would be held afterward, with good food and alcohol. At that point, I was far more interested in the food than the rewards.
But I wasn't stupid enough to refuse them.
And I was curious about what they had prepared for me.
It couldn't be something useless… right?
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{A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters + Other Stories. }