[The soldiers of the snake-beast faction are devastated by your recent orders.]
[You have gained 40 evil points.]
Vani was standing in the bland garden when the notification appeared before him.
'Why the hell are they whining? It's for their own good,' he spat.
He took a sip of his coffee before placing the cup on the table.
'In any case, it doesn't matter. It will feel more like a movie than an actual war.'
A sudden gust of wind blew behind him.
A smile touched Vani's lips.
"I've been expecting you. For a moment, I thought you had been found by the enemy," Vani said, his back still turned.
Behind him were two individuals, a male and a female.
The male was from the vampire faction, and the female from the demi-humans, a cat-like species.
"Pardon our tardiness, Your Lordship. We were busy infiltrating the Farglo nation," the vampire said.
"I will expect more in the future. But for now, I will have to make do with this result."
After stating his mind, he sat down in a chair, crossing his legs.
"So, what did you discover?"
The vampire answered calmly, his head still low.
"The lizardmen don't seem as though they are preparing for war. If anything, they are already planning on taking not only the outer walls but also the entire nation."
Vani didn't react.
"And?"
The demi-human took over.
"They are planning on sending two thousand of their men out, nothing more. And from the looks of things, their lord is planning on participating as well."
"The Lord of Darkin and the lizard lord of Farglo on the same battlefield. Now that sounds like something to amp up my reputation."
A smile grazed Vani's lips as his gaze shifted to the side.
'I expected as much. Due to past encounters, the Lizard King Agis most likely thinks this battle will be an easy win. Rightfully so; he has stronger soldiers and troops. Hehe, but this victory is mine for the taking. His presenting himself at the war only makes this ten times better.'
[Careful, your evil thoughts are scaring your subjects.]
Unbeknownst to him, he had been making mad, scary faces along with his thoughts.
Reading the expressions on the spies' faces, he could tell they were terrified.
"Umm, you've done well. You may leave."
"T-thank you, Your Lordship."
"T-thank you.."
They both dashed away, leaving Vani alone in the garden once again.
With their absence, Vani could think more carefully.
'If they are only sending two thousand men, then I must assume they are bringing only their finest warriors. Even if my military strategy is foolproof, it will be useless if my soldiers are not strong enough to carry it out.'
His attention moved to the door.
"Alice, come here for a moment."
There was a slight hesitation before she replied, "Right away, My Lord."
She opened the door to the garden and then moved closer slowly.
"You called."
Vani looked at her for a while.
"Why were you spying on me? If you wanted to join me in the garden, you could have just done so."
Alice maintained her composure.
"I heard people approaching you. As a vampire, my senses were heightened, and I just wanted to make sure you were safe."
Now that she mentioned it…
'I can't remember the last time she drank any blood,' Vani thought to himself.
It's not rare for vampires to drink the blood of others, including from their own kind.
But there are certain vampires who have sworn an oath to a master; as such, they can't have blood from anyone other than that master.
Both Alice and Terra had sworn an oath to Vani, meaning they rely solely on his blood to quench their thirst.
No other blood would suffice.
But for a month or so, neither of them had had a taste of Vani's blood.
This was mostly because he was always out indulging himself elsewhere.
Vani narrowed his gaze.
"Your skin is pale, Alice. Are you thirsty?"
Alice froze; the question caught her off guard.
"I don't understand what you mean, My Lord," she responded.
"Of course you don't."
Vani sighed and stretched his hand towards her.
"I would like to attempt something with you, and I want you to be in top condition when I do, so drink up."
Alice's cheeks turned red almost instantly.
"I-I thought you made it clear that you didn't want me to drink from you anymore."
"Well, yes, but the dream changed me. Stop asking questions and dig in. My arm is starting to ache."
Alice was flustered as she stared at Vani's soft and tender arm.
Despite his being a man, his skin was flawless.
'Lord Vani's blood. I can't remember the last time I had it,' she thought to herself, trying hard not to drool.
With slow, steady steps, she moved closer and then knelt.
"In the name of Daliona."
Though her cheeks were so red it felt like they were glowing, she still managed to complete the ritual.
She opened her mouth, showcasing her long fangs, before sinking them into Vani's arm.
Hmmm…
A quiet sigh of relief escaped her as the first drop of blood touched her tongue.
'Ahh… It tastes so good,' she thought.
The influx of power was so potent that if she had not braced herself, she would have surely fallen to the ground.
For a full minute, she kept drinking Vani's blood, her eyes closed throughout, while Vani watched with a small smile on his face.
'Looks like she is enjoying it,' he said to himself. 'She has always been a loyal servant. It's only right that she gets this special treatment.'
[Alice is grateful for your blood.]
[100 good points have been given.]
'Gosh, I hate this system. Bring out her stats.'
[Alice's Stats]
[Role: Personal Assistant
Rank: C
Special Skills: Blood Arrows
Loyalty: 100]
'Ugh, Blood Arrows sounds nothing like a special skill. How many evil points do I need to upgrade her?'
[From C-rank to B-rank will cost 1000 evil points. From C-rank to S-rank will cost 3000 evil points.]
[Additionally, characters with special true names have a higher chance of an awakening, giving them multiple other skills. For example, a character with a C-rank can awaken to a C+ or even a CC+ rank, depending on their bond level. A double-letter rank is the highest possible awakening.]
'Oh? I may have just figured out a way to strengthen my army without wasting all my points.'