Black Iron Magician

Chapter 410 The Red Throne

Crocus Castle, the pride of the Flower Country, was actually a well-known tourist spot. The overall coloring was white and it was lovely, but the castle also had an old-fashioned atmosphere that made you feel its history. The rich nature, which is the characteristic of Crocus, also blended harmoniously with it. It was like something out of a fairy tale, an ideal castle. In normal times, the castle was popular among the female population. One of the factors was the queen of the country, Clarius Crocus, who’s a princess inside and outside if you ignore her size.

However, that was in the past. The castle, now in the hands of the third rank of the Great Eight Demons, the 『Vampire Princess』 Maria Irygal, has been dyed in vampire color. The white and pure walls of the castle have been transformed by Maria’s magic into the color of the walls that cover the country, a dark red color, as if the blood has hardened. The green of the trees and the clear blue of the water have become the same color as the blood that runs through the body. Even if one were to compare the same place before and after the change, no one would believe that it’s the same place. That’s just how terrible the sight is.

The throne room, which has been set as the destination for the trial, also has changed drastically from when Haruna and the others visited before. The ones lining up here aren’t the dwarven guards, but only those who belong to the vampire race. Among them, there are the three remaining daughters of Maria. The clear air is now so heavy that it’s bad for the skin.

And the one sitting on the extremely large throne in the center of the room is not Clarius, but Maria, the mastermind behind the disturbance. She is petite, so it’s obvious that her size doesn’t match the large throne. However, Maria tends to prefer gorgeous and pretty dresses, and she is a beautiful girl who boasts the finest appearance as long as she keeps silent. She has more dignity to sit on this throne than Clarius, and the world’s greatest power hidden in her small body makes her look bigger, making her strangely suitable for the throne.

「I’m back.」

The one who knocked on the door of the throne room was Ursula, who had been negotiating with Alezel just a few minutes before. Her large wings can’t be seen on her back now, perhaps she intentionally made them smaller. She walked up to the front of the throne, kneeled on the floor, and bowed to Maria.

「Ursula-chan, welcome back~. How was it~? She was really angry, right?」

With a wine glass in her hand, Maria asked so while making a devilish smile. The red liquid poured into the glass was shaking as if to express the excitement in her heart.

「Yes, she lost her composure considerably. But it seems that she understood the line that shouldn’t be crossed, and she seemed to know her place on the surface. I think she won’t do any rash actions for the time being.」

「Mostly, it’s as planned ♪. Now, if Alezel cooperates with Deris and Nell, my battle with the 『Unprecedented』, which I missed a long time ago, will be resumed. In addition, their promising disciples will come along. It was worth waiting patiently until now~. Just like waiting for this wine to age ♪」

「Mama, isn’t that the special concentrated grape juice that Rimudo gave you before?」

「U-Ursula-chan, you were supposed to keep it secret! It’s important to create the atmosphere!」

By the way, according to Maria, she is someone who can’t drink, or at least that’s the setting. It’s not that she can’t drink, and she can easily digest alcohol. But for her, who thinks of herself as a lovely idol, drinking is taboo. Whenever she tries to create a certain atmosphere, she will use a substitute like this.

「Right, I’m sorry. Also, I have one more thing to report.」

「Is it about Veronica-chan and Eliza-chan~? They are prideful and greedy, so they probably got on the provocation. Can they manage to escape on their own?」

「No, the opponent is the cunning Alezel. She knows exactly what the two are capable of, so I think they will be locked up in a way that they won’t be able to move properly. This is the result of them misunderstanding their own power. They are pathetic little sisters.」

「Now, now, save your anger for later. Besides, Veronica-chan and Eliza-chan acted for my sake. As someone generous, I will forgive them!」

「As expected of Mama, you’re big-hearted.」

「Ehehe, you can praise me more, you know?」

The vampires in the throne room threw praise at Maria at once. Then, Maria stood up with a signature pose on the throne and was pleased.

「But Mama, at this rate, the pieces for the war will be lacking. The only sisters left are me, the third daughter Odile, the fourth daughter Katarina, and the fifth daughter Riara. Of course, we will do our best, but considering the opponents, we won’t be enough to cover the whole area of Crocus…」

「Fufu! I really like Ursula-chan, who doesn’t show off and talks about the battle situation accurately. I have good news for you, my dear daughters! I can’t leave the throne, but I will make substitutes for Veronica-chan and Eliza-chan with magic! Give applause!」

――――Clap clap clap!

When Maria said so, the sisters and the vampires started to clap their hands in unison. This was not forced, but rather a kind of inevitability that occurred because of their sincere adoration of Maria.

「Thank you for your consideration, Mama. I’m sure Veronica and Eliza will be happy too. If you’re going to use magic to make them, you’re going to use 『Celestial Zoa』, right?」

「That’s right! They are substitutes for my lovely daughters, so I have to do at least this much, right?」

In the middle of the applause, a large amount of fresh blood dropped on the throne. Maria cut off both of her arms, and they rolled on the floor. It was so surprising that the vampires stopped applauding. It seems that even Ursula didn’t expect this that she unusually looked somewhat panicked.

「…… M-Mama? What are you doing…?」

「I told you, didn’t I? I’m preparing the substitutes.」

Meanwhile, Maria’s arms were completely healed in an instant. She then pointed her regenerated arms at the arms that were cut off while humming.

「Now, get up. My brilliant right arm 『Jabberwock』, my brilliant left arm 『Bandersnatch』. Show me your face now.」

It’s unknown whether it was really a spell. In response to Maria’s words, the detached arms swelled up and instantly turned into something big that Ursula has to look up. Their forms are barely humanoid, and they are covered in dark red mist that they can’t be seen clearly even though they are nearby. However, since they are made with magic power equivalent to that of Maria’s arms, they have terrifying power. Everyone in this place understood that intuitively.

「Yep, it’s a great success! Your faces are also perfect!」

「■■■…!」

「■, ■■■.」

Apparently, the two monsters turned their faces to the throne where Maria was. They speak indescribable and terrifying words to speak of their love for their creator.

「…… It’s wonderful. But isn’t it a burden to maintain them?」

「Hmm~, I wonder about it? My power dropped about 10% for each body I maintain, I think? But I’m fine. After all, it’s natural in this Love and Peace world for parents to risk their lives for their children! Take care, everyone. If something happens to my lovely daughters before the fun war starts, I will hurt myself again ♪. Should I cut my legs next time? Or maybe my head? I don’t want to feel pain~」

From then on, the vampire sisters didn’t act on their own until the time of the trial.