If Damien conquered the Eastern Empire, how would the Western nations—including her own Holy Empire of Lubelius—fare?
Would they band together and continue opposing the Monster Kingdom the same way they opposed the East?
Truthfully, Luminas held zero confidence in any so-called Western alliance.
How could a bunch of weaklings possibly stand against the Monster Kingdom?
Luminas hesitated, because she realized Damien was right.
Joining the Monster Kingdom right now would be far better than refusing.
First, if she joined, the Holy Empire would effectively become a vassal state of the Monster Kingdom.
In the future it would be absorbed just like the Sky Kingdom and Beast Kingdom.
Surprisingly, Luminas wasn't as opposed to the idea as she might have expected.
What she truly cared about was the vampire race.
If Damien offered suitable terms, she really had no reason to refuse.
"Could I hear the specific details first?"
Luminas asked, "For example, what would I need to do after joining the Monster Kingdom, and what exactly would you give me in return?"
"Mm." Damien gave a small nod and waved his hand.
In the next instant, everyone—including Luminas—was transported into a spacious conference room.
A large round table stood in the center.
Damien sat at one end, Luminas at the other.
The rest of the Demon Lords took seats along the sides, keeping a respectful distance from the two.
This level of power…
Luminas and Hinata sat shoulder to shoulder, once again shaken by Damien's abilities.
This effortless, irresistible spatial transfer completely overturned everything they thought they knew.
If he truly wanted to deal with them, it would be no harder than moving them to another room.
"Testarossa will preside over today's meeting."
Testarossa stood and bowed respectfully to Damien before beginning. "First, allow me to explain the benefits and treatment the vampire race will receive upon joining the Monster Kingdom."
"The first benefit is the opportunity for every single member to receive a name."
"Huh?"
Luminas and Hinata, who had been steeling themselves for outrageous demands, suddenly widened their eyes.
Wait—they had to have misheard.
Naming everyone?
Was he serious?
"All monsters in the Monster Kingdom possess names personally bestowed by Lord Damien," Testarossa explained calmly. "So please do not doubt it."
"..."
The two women were speechless. They felt like Damien's generosity was almost inhuman.
Naming several million vampires?
Even if you measured magicules in the billions, it still wouldn't be enough, right?
Ten billion? A hundred billion?
Just thinking about it left Luminas terrified.
It also quietly highlighted how ignorant she had been.
Apparently she was the country bumpkin here!
"May I ask—does this apply only to vampires?"
Hinata was human, so she cared more about humanity's future than the vampires'.
"That concerns the Monster Kingdom's long-term planning, so I cannot disclose it yet," Testarossa replied. "But rest assured, Lord Damien will never abandon any of his people—including humans."
Destroying the Kingdom of Falmuth and placing Artoria in charge had been the first step toward integrating the human race into the Monster Kingdom.
Monsters, demi-humans, and humans.
Damien intended to balance the three groups and bring prosperity to the entire Central Continent.
"The second benefit," Testarossa continued, "is that if Lady Luminas is willing to follow Lord Damien and sign a vassal contract, she will receive a seat at the Monster Kingdom's highest council."
"Mm…"
Luminas didn't quite understand this second point.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "What exactly is this vassal contract…?"
Whoosh!
Just like he had done with Karion, Damien instantly projected the full contents of the contract before Luminas's eyes.
The Queen of Nightmares didn't stand on ceremony. She began reading carefully.
A short while later, she closed the document.
"Lady Luminas?"
"It's nothing."
Luminas gently reassured Hinata beside her. "It's not an unreasonable contract at all. In fact, it's remarkably generous."
She genuinely couldn't find fault with it.
There were restrictions, of course—mainly prohibitions against harming Damien's interests.
Perfectly standard requirements.
In exchange, however, came ironclad protection.
Yes—protection.
Once Luminas signed, both she and her entire vampire race would never again have to fear Damien's threat.
The vampires would join, she herself would follow him, and loyalty would be guaranteed.
Damien would not issue outrageous orders or force her into anything.
On paper the relationship was that of lord and vassal, but in practice it felt far more like a family with a benevolent patriarch.
It looked authoritarian, yet judging by the contract's wording, Luminas could already tell what kind of ruler Damien was.
He was an exceptionally kind and generous lord.
"One small addition," Damien suddenly spoke up with a smile, interrupting her thoughts. "If you join now, I can grant you one small request—such as taking revenge on a certain wicked, edgy middle-schooler dragon, for example."
"What?!"
Veldora thought he had misheard.
The chuuni dragon shot to his feet, staring at Damien in disbelief. "Bro, you're not serious, right?!"
"You can't joke about something like that!!"
Of course Veldora trusted Damien—he knew his brother wouldn't actually kill him for Luminas.
But revenge didn't have to mean lethal force. It could mean endless petty harassment and bullying.
"Heh… hehehe…"
Luminas kept her head lowered, her face hidden in shadow.
"You're not lying to me?"
The corners of the Queen of Nightmares' lips curved into a dangerous smile. "If I join, I can really take revenge on that wicked dragon?"
"Within reasonable limits, I won't just allow it—I'll even help you."
Damien roughly outlined what he considered reasonable. "Basically, no lethal conflicts, and neither side can suffer life-threatening injuries."
"Beyond that, whatever you request, both I and the White Ice Dragon God Velzard standing beside me…"
"We will uphold justice for you!"
If Luminas were still an outsider, Damien—who always sided with his own—would never help her.
But once both parties were his people…
Then he would have to enforce fairness, follow rules, and be reasonable.
As for the whole Storm Dragon versus vampire affair…
It was obvious that Veldora was completely in the wrong.
***
Hey, everyone! I'm currently working on a new Marvel project, and I'm really excited about it. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to give it a read:
[Marvel Apex Predator]
Synopsis:
What would happen if you were born into a world filled with bizarre races wielding even stranger powers, as a species whose sole purpose is to evolve by devouring every other race?
Chaos.
That's exactly what happens when the universe's one and only true Apex Predator is born into Marvel.
This is the story of how Xenomorph tears apart the cosmic food chain and reshapes the hierarchy of life itself.