Chapter 23
The echo of the explosion had barely faded when the mansion rang with the shouts of demon soldiers.
Slash! Shhk!
Sharp counterattacks came flying at them— from vampires lurking in the mansion’s shadows.
Bephar’s clan had made their choice the moment things turned bad.
They were siding with Bephar, not the Demon King.
“Kyahhh!”
“Ugh! This guy—get him off me!”
“Kill the traitors!”
“There’s another vampire over there!”
Individually, vampires were powerful. But in numbers, the Demon King’s army had the advantage.
Still, the vampires fought back like cornered beasts.
Even when several soldiers surrounded just one, spells and attacks kept bursting out without pause.
Even Ariella, a complete beginner in battles like this, could see it clearly.
Wait. This is going to take a lot longer than I thought…
Her worry didn’t last.
“You filthy thing!”
The vampire nearest to Ariella was dodging the spears of six soldiers at once— and still had the energy to gather a huge wave of mana at his fingertips.
Right before he could cast it—
Crack!
“…!”
The soldiers froze, but not because the vampire’s spell bound them.
They had simply missed what had just happened.
Slash!
The vampire staggered, losing balance. His body crumpled to the ground—headless.
It took the soldiers a moment to realize what happened.
“The Demon King!”
Ludwig was moving across the battlefield so fast that even trained eyes could barely follow him.
He flowed like water across the ground, yet every strike was sharp enough to cut steel in one blow.
Whenever soldiers got stuck in a choke point, Ludwig appeared— slaying vampires in a single strike or casting his devastating magic.
Fire magic so intense it looked like it could burn the world.
Kwooooom!
“Kyahhhhhh!”
A terrible scream ripped through the air—unlike anything Ariella had ever heard.
A vampire, engulfed in flames, staggered and fell to the ground. He clawed at the dirt, writhing.
Not dying instantly was the worst luck possible.
The demon soldiers finished it quickly.
Stab! Stab-stab-stab!
Spears and swords pierced his burning body until he stopped moving. Even after death, the fire didn’t fade.
It burned until his body was nothing but ash.
Kraang! Fwoosh!
More flames tore through the night—
all from Ludwig.
At first, the vampires had handled the soldiers easily.
Now they were being pushed back.
Ludwig had turned the tide completely.
Desperate, the vampires pushed their powers to the limit— veins bulging, eyes turning white.
They no longer looked like intelligent demons— more like mindless beasts.
Crack!
“Kyahhhh!”
Another fell, Ludwig’s sword piercing through cleanly.The blade slid out without a drop of blood left on it.
He spun the sword, slashing diagonally.
Shhk!
One more down.
Then, several vampires charged Ludwig at once. They had realized that if things went on, they’d all die by his hand.
They ignored the soldiers chasing them—their only target was the Demon King.
Seeing this, Ludwig’s fury burned hotter.
Locking yourselves in, attacking my soldiers—that’s already treason…
But now, they were openly trying to kill their lord.
His head throbbed with rage.
If they could attack him without hesitation even now, then they’d never truly been loyal to him from the start.
If not for Ariella…!
If his contract holder hadn’t acted, he might never have found out.
Mixing regret with rage, Ludwig cast another spell.
Boom! Boom!
Flames exploded again.
“Gyaaaahhh!”
The vampires charging him were swallowed by fire.
Not even their fast healing could save them from these unending flames.
The battlefield filled with the stench of burning flesh, smoke, and searing heat.
Still, some vampires used their last strength to lunge at him— their claws growing longer, sharper.
They had clashed with countless swords and spears without ever breaking.
Blind from burned eyes, they hunted by touch and instinct alone.
But—
Whoosh!
Their claws swiped empty air.
Ludwig slipped past them like a ghost, sword flashing.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
In a strange rhythm, they fell one by one— without even time to scream.
Soldiers and Ariella alike watched in awe.
He’s in his element. I’d heard stories, but he’s really this good?
The magic he’d shown in the human world now seemed like child’s play.
Even compared to when he killed the orcs in front of her, his swordsmanship was on another level.
Back then, she’d wondered why he bothered with a sword instead of using magic.
Now she understood—his opponents then had been far too weak.
When he chose to use both sword and magic together—
He’s on a whole different level, like now.
The scene unfolding before her was slaughter on a scale she’d never seen.
To say she wasn’t scared would be a lie— but instead of panicking, she forced herself to watch and think.
Bang!
Another explosion from Ludwig— its heat and shockwave reaching even Ariella at the “safe” spot he’d chosen for her.
She didn’t move from it.
It was hard to say how long she stood there watching— but at last, it ended.
“Kyahhh!”
The final scream came from a vampire hacked to pieces.
It’s over.
No vampire in or around the mansion survived.
Some were in ashes, others cut into pieces.
The once-beautiful garden was nothing but scorched earth and scattered remains.
Sword still in hand, Ludwig gave the order:
“Move inside.”
He and the soldiers stormed the mansion, Ariella following close behind.
Bang! Bang!
They smashed down every door, searching every room.
Even with the traitor’s home under his control, Ludwig’s face stayed cold and dark.
The deeper they went, the stronger that expression became.
Ariella had a good guess why.
He probably didn’t expect this bastard to be living this well.
The deeper into the mansion they went, the more lavish it became.
Some parts were even more luxurious than the Demon King’s own castle.
With every room they saw, Ludwig’s face grew harder.
While his people struggled in poverty,
Bephar had been building his wealth in secret.
Ludwig felt it sharply—
This is my fault.
He’d been Demon King for over a year,
but never once had he visited Bephar’s mansion.
Bephar had given excuses,
and Ludwig hadn’t bothered to press.
He’d been busy fending off constant orc raids.
If I’d just paid more attention…
Now, too late, he learned the truth—
and realized something even worse.
