"Are you still going to refuse my request to give you a true name?" Vani asked, looking down at her.
Alice was still kneeling, hesitation etched on her face.
"I-it would be an honor," she finally replied.
Upon hearing her response, Vani smiled. He placed one hand on his waist and held his jaw with the other.
"I wonder what kind of true name I should give you. Hm…"
After racking his brain for a moment, he came to a conclusion.
"Henceforth, your true name shall be the Vampire Queen of Calamity."
Instantly, Alice's body reacted.
Her body glowed, and her hair grew longer.
In the span of a few seconds, she had gone from an S-ranked vampire to an SS+-class chaos vampire.
'Incredible…' Alice stared at her palm. 'Even though I still need to practice my new abilities, this power I feel… It's unreal. This man, whom I call my lord, has the ability to do such a thing?'
She gazed up at him, observing the nonchalant expression on his face.
'Could it be that he has surpassed the former Demon Lord?'
Once she came to terms with her new rank and appearance, Alice uttered, "It is an honor. I will forever remain your sword and shield. You have my undying loyalty, Lord Vani Dalison."
"I'll need it."
Swiftly, Vani glanced to the side, covering his mouth to hide the strain on his face.
'Dude, hell no. Giving someone a true name drains a lot of mana. Two more of those and I'll be out like a light. Hmm…'
He suddenly noticed a bird flying towards him.
It had a red fabric tied around its leg with a small tablet rolled underneath.
"Oh. Looks like they got my message," he uttered out loud.
This made Alice turn her head as well.
Lightly, the bird landed on Vani's outstretched arm.
As the bird balanced itself, Vani pulled the tablet out and sent the bird flying back into the sky.
"Is it a message from Lady Shisha?" asked Alice.
"Seems so."
Vani began to read.
Not even a few seconds later, a smile appeared on his face.
Then he uttered, "Get the carriage ready. We are heading to the northern borders."
…
Later that day, Vani and Alice headed out to join the others at the northern border.
Prior to that, Vani had sent both Terra and Rebecca there, as they were going to play a crucial role in the war as well.
He had them take at least one thousand men from their army with them, along with the newly made iron weapons.
Now that he had received the message that they were all present at the northern borders, Vani decided to make his way there.
With everything in place, all that was left was for them to march to the front lines.
…
Before Vani arrived, the women had already made sure everything was set as he had instructed.
A couple of soldiers had been sent up into the hills with food and water to camp out until the war began.
They also had tons of iron-made arrows, with no further explanation on what they should be using them for.
The rest of the soldiers, now five thousand strong, were all in straight lines on the battleground, the moonlight shining down on them, more than ready to set out.
Meanwhile…
Rebecca, Shisha, and Terra were seated inside a tent.
Silence.
"Shisha…" Rebecca uttered, seated on the ground with her back pressed against the wall. "Why did you bring all your men to the front lines? Are you planning to make this your last battle or something?"
Her gaze hardened at her final statement.
Shisha, who was standing at the entrance, replied, "What are you going on about? I have always sent all my forces to battle. You never joined me, so I am not surprised you are ignorant about it."
"Oi!"
Rebecca frowned. "That is because I have been busy making sure the nation runs smoothly! Crimes are low because of my forces!"
"Isn't Terra the one handling internal affairs? Vampires are far stronger than demi-humans, so you shouldn't even be talking," Shisha clapped back.
"What was that?!"
"The reason Father gave you the 'sister' title is still a mystery to me. Of the three of us, you are still a B-rank and the weakest."
Rebecca was about to defend herself when Terra suddenly gave out a loud grunt, causing both women to look at her.
"You guys keep it down. I can't keep tolerating your noise. Geez." Terra gripped the side of her head as she lay on the ground.
Her skin was pale, and her lips were chapped. She looked like a dying corpse.
At the sight, Rebecca and Shisha couldn't help but feel pity.
"If you are that hungry, why not just call a soldier here and drink their blood? It's better than nothing, right?" Rebecca suggested.
With a tired voice, Terra replied, "You think I haven't tried that? Compared to Lord Vani's blood, theirs has no taste and can barely satisfy me. If anything, drinking their blood just makes me feel more thirsty and disgusted."
As though the mention of Vani's name was a trigger, Shisha suddenly sat down, her arms folded.
"By the way, am I the only one getting the feeling that something is wrong with Father? He seems to be acting differently as of late."
"Well, yeah, totally," Rebecca said, looking at her. "He seems like a completely different person now and claims it's because of a dream he had."
"I see." Shisha didn't say any more, but the sadness on her face hinted at a lot.
Silence settled once again for a while, until noises began to echo from outside the tent.
Someone had arrived. And if the soldiers were this ecstatic, it had to be someone important.
"Lord Vani is here!"
"Father has arrived!"
All three of them jerked up from the ground, immediately making their way outside.
The moment they were out, they could see Vani and Alice mounted on a chariot, with two horses pulling them towards the camp.
Every soldier in sight had their head bowed, including the women themselves.