Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 143

Vampire Consulting (6)

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“Hmm.”

A dwarf stroked his beard atop the outer wall of Mikena’s capital.

His gaze was fixed on the skeletons stacking stones below the wall.

Clack, clack.

A group of skeletons was repairing the fortress. The dwarf Taznok clicked his tongue, watching them divide the work—stacking stones, mixing sand with lime for mortar—to fix the collapsed sections of the wall.

“How bizarre.”

He shifted his gaze to the necromancer.

The necromancer controlling the skeletons was a dwarf.

One of Taznok’s kin, yet a traitor who had become a vampire.

Two dwarf warriors glared at the necromancer.

Ready to crush his head if he harbored any treacherous thoughts.

Whoosh—

The necromancer extended his index and middle fingers from his clenched fist.

Magic gathered at the tips of his fingers, and as his hand moved, several skeletons broke away from the group and joined another task.

“Maybe my mind is rigid, but the act of commanding the dead is unsettling. Don’t you think?”

Taznok asked Elsdorim, who stood beside him.

He narrowed his eyes, made a ‘hmm’ sound, and replied.

“Still, if we can control them, they’re better than humans.”

“Better than humans? In what way?”

“If you can bear that clattering sound, there’s nothing to worry about except supplying magic. Humans consume food, are susceptible to epidemics, and tire quickly, but skeletons don’t.”

“Hmm.”

Taznok let out a groan mixed with discomfort and examined the skeletons again.

The work they performed, clattering their bones, was far from precise. Humans would have done a more refined job.

“Hundreds are controlled by a single mage. There’s bound to be a limit to their precision. But considering how increasingly difficult it is to find humans, replacing them with undead, even with a loss in precision, seems acceptable.”

Taznok stared at Elsdorim with wide eyes.

“Are you serious?”

Eldorim’s tone was not a joke.

His intent to introduce necromancy and the magic they wielded as a substitute for human slaves was clear.

“Why not?”

“The magic necromancers wield is deeply connected to Tiamar.”

To be precise, it was the power of Akakosk, but since Akakosk had been consumed by Tiamar, it was difficult to separate the two.

Even the souls dwelling in sacred objects were like fragments split from Tiamar’s main body.

Not to mention that Akakosk was the one who corrupted Tiamar.

“Have you forgotten why the Council was wary of using magic associated with Tiamar and Akakosk? The reason they called magic related to them ‘black magic’ and rejected it was out of fear of being corrupted by their influence.”

“That damn Tiamar. How long will they keep dragging out a thousand-year-old story?”

Eldorim clicked his tongue.

“That Council you mentioned, they recently said Tiamar has weakened.”

“······.”

“The result of vampires, including Vlad, using black magic freely. Black magic isn’t related to Tiamar. It doesn’t corrupt the user, nor does it awaken Tiamar.”

Taznok opened his mouth to retort.

But he couldn’t argue, because he had no proof.

“There’s no evidence to support the claim that black magic has a negative impact on the user. We’ve rejected black magic for a thousand years, and only Vlad and his empire have actively used it. What has been the result?”

At least no side effects were outwardly apparent.

Situations the Council had feared, such as Vlad being controlled by Tiamar or causing significant changes to Tiamar’s seal, didn’t seem to have occurred.

At least, not to their eyes.

“Those are just concerns. Don’t forget that Vlad, though now our enemy, was once one of the heroes who sealed Tiamar.”

At Eldorim’s reminder, Taznok reluctantly nodded.

‘Right. Vlad used black magic even before Akakosk was consumed by Tiamar. He’s been using black magic for over a thousand years. Yet, he’s never shown the signs we feared.’

Moreover, Vlad was one of the figures who stood against the dragon Tiamar when she tried to burn the world.

It was difficult to assume that he had succumbed to her now.

“If we could easily find humans like before, it would be different. But if it’s as difficult as it is now, we have no choice. We need to introduce something to replace humans.”

Taznok frowned and didn’t answer.

He imagined the sight of skeletons and zombies filling the workshops.

‘If the supply of human slaves doesn’t normalize, that will become the norm.’

It was a trend he couldn’t stop, even if he opposed it.

Because all races except humans lived in a slave society.

They had no choice but to accept black magic.

‘I hope there really aren’t any problems.’

What if problems were discovered later?

If issues such as being influenced by Tiamar, becoming corrupted like her, or being bound were discovered, what would they do then? That worry settled in a corner of his mind.

‘What if it’s not that they haven’t been affected, but that we haven’t noticed? No, let’s stop thinking about this.’

But his worries found no resolution.

It was too late to return to a life without human slaves.

If they couldn’t find humans, they had to replace them with something else.

Even if immense risks lurked.

“Let’s end this conversation here.”

The two dwarves ended their conversation, unable to reach an easy conclusion, and changed the subject. As they walked along the wall, they talked about everything from personal matters to public affairs, soon bringing up the topic of winter encampment.

“The numbers will likely decrease significantly this winter.”

“I heard the elves and lizardmen have decided to withdraw.”

“They’re leaving only the minimum forces to defend the occupied territories and withdrawing everything else. It’s not a complete withdrawal, but only we and the water serpents will have the capacity to attack.”

“Huh.”

In reality, it was just the dwarves.

The Nagas had only occupied the coast.

They weren’t a race that advanced inland.

“Why, though? Why did it suddenly turn out like this?”

If you asked why, the reason was clear.

The elves were under attack by orcs and goblins.

The lizardmen’s conflict between the two Incarnations had intensified.

“The elves say their barrier was breached, and the lizardmen say their Incarnation was killed, but honestly, it’s such an absurd story that I suspect they’re lying.”

“For an Incarnation to be killed by a human… There are rumors that the breaching of the barrier was also the work of humans.”

“Nothing has been revealed yet. Orcs and goblins have been targeting the elves for a long time, so it wouldn’t be strange if they did something.”

The timing was too perfect, so suspicion lingered.

But there was no evidence to prove this either.

The elves’ barrier wasn’t just a tall wall.

It was fortified with all sorts of magic, making it difficult even for dwarves to breach. How could mere humans have breached it?

Was there a weakness somewhere? If so, how did they find out?

Taznok sighed at the unresolved doubts.

“So they aimed for a decisive battle before withdrawing.”

“Vlad isn’t stupid; he must know that.”

Even they thought it was an obvious move.

Who would fall for it when the play was so transparent?

If they avoided a decisive battle and bought time, the enemy’s forces would dwindle on their own.

Why would they create a disadvantageous situation for themselves?

“It’s become troublesome.”

“It’ll be quiet for a few months.”

By the time the allied forces, unable to wage a decisive battle, decided to retreat, it would be winter.

Mikena’s winter was quite harsh, making military activities difficult.

They had no choice but to enjoy a brief peace following the course of nature.

“Hmm?”

Taznok suddenly noticed something rising on the horizon.

“What is it?”

“Look over there.”

He pointed to the horizon.

Eldorim followed his finger with his gaze.

And his eyes widened.

“······!”

He didn’t say anything.

There was no need to speak, as the spire reacted first.

Ding, ding, ding——

The spire’s watchman urgently rang the bell.

He had seen the undead army crossing the horizon.

Soon, dwarves began running busily in the city center.

“Is it the enemy?”

“Weren’t they going to have a decisive battle?”

“Did they lose? Or was it a feint?”

Amid the chaos, the dwarves, though alarmed by the sudden appearance of the enemy’s large army, didn’t forget their duty as they armed themselves and took their positions.

“Send a messenger! They couldn’t have fought a decisive battle already! The enemy’s main force is a feint! While the allied forces chase after the enemy’s main force, they intend to recapture the capital!”

A dwarf riding a mountain goat dashed out of the city gate.

Watching him, the dwarves raised their fighting spirit.

“Just buy time.”

“If we hold out, we win. Reinforcements are coming!”

They actually welcomed the battle.

A tedious war that had lasted for years.

Once the winter encampment began, they would have to spend time without war.

How great would it be if a single decisive battle determined the outcome?

There wasn’t a single person who hadn’t thought that.

“Reinforcements will arrive before they breach the wall.”

“Vlad was impatient. He would have had many opportunities if he had waited until winter was over.”

The dwarves stationed in the capital numbered only 3,000.

On the other hand, Kiriyan’s army had more than ten times that number.

It had reached 50,000 at the start of the campaign, but the number had plummeted due to the loss of many necromancers in the previous battle. However, it was still an overwhelming number compared to the defenders.

“Undead, will they even know how to climb the wall?”

But the dwarves weren’t intimidated by the numbers.

They knew that the undead’s numbers were just a bluff.

Moreover, they were defenders, and they had a high wall.

“Let them come!”

“You fearless mosquitoes! We’ll smash your heads!”

The city walls were towering.

Parts of it had collapsed during the siege, but they had been repaired discreetly.

Besides, the enemy didn’t seem to have any siege weapons?

That meant they would have to either knock on the gate or climb the wall. It was the best method of attack from the defender’s perspective.

“Spread out widely on the wall! After all, the enemy is undead! Even if dozens surround you, they won’t be a match!”

“Just watch out for the beasts climbing the wall!”

No matter how many there were, the undead were still undead.

If they dealt with the few monsters, the enemy was nothing special.

Just as the dwarves were thinking that and trying to raise the corners of their mouths,

Boom!

Their delusion shattered with the explosion.

Bang!

The wall shook as it was hit by an iron cannonball.

The part of the wall that hadn’t been fully repaired caved in where it was hit by the cannonball.

“Wh-what…”

An explosion like magic.

But no magic was felt.

The dwarves knew instinctively.

It was an explosion caused by gunpowder.

“…Gunpowder?”

Many dwarves knew that humans had been using gunpowder as a weapon for several years.

“How did they get gunpowder weapons?”

Recently, there had been an incident where a dwarf named Bruno tried to create and spread weapons identical to those made by humans, but failed.

In a dwarf society that valued creativity, rumors about an eccentric who had copied the creations of lesser monkeys spread quickly.

Along with that, information about the original human gunpowder weapons also spread widely.

“Could it be that Bruno was a minion [a subordinate or follower of a powerful person]?”

“That can’t be!”

“He’s in the southwestern peninsula right now!”

Bruno was in the southern part of the Human Empire, intending to showcase his inventions modeled after human weapons. There was no way he would cooperate with Vlad.

Then who had given them those weapons?

Would the vampires have made them themselves?

“Are humans involved…!”

The dwarves were shocked.

Humans had intervened in the war led by the Council [a governing body or assembly]?

“What’s the damage? Is the wall intact?”

“They’re hitting the places that haven’t been fully repaired! It won’t hold if it keeps getting hit!”

Several dwarves hurriedly went down the wall.

They temporarily reinforced the wall by setting up supports behind it.

However, it wouldn’t be very effective if it received the same impact again.

Bang!

The cannonball hit the side of the wall, slightly away from where it had hit before.

The wall shook as the stones were pushed back in the same way.

“Artifacts! Bring the artifacts!”

“Quickly, install them on the wall!”

The cannonballs that followed didn’t hit the wall.

The space rippled just before they reached the wall, deflecting the cannonballs.

It was magic. Magic emitted by the artifact.

“The city is too big. There aren’t nearly enough artifacts to cover the entire wall.”

“There’s no choice! Install them only in the areas under repair to help the wall hold out as much as possible. We need to buy as much time as possible.”

Dwarves were a race as friendly to magic as elves. However, there were no mages in dwarf society. There were beings who were skilled in magic to the extent that they could be called mages, but they weren’t very interested in studying magic itself.

If they had mastered magic, they should imbue their creations with magic.

That was the dwarves’ attitude toward magic.

“Those monkey bastards!”

Taznok was busy running around as the commander of the garrison.

Having witnessed the cannonballs being deflected, the enemy began to fire their siege cannons at the places where the artifacts weren’t installed. And they were advancing their troops below the highlands where they had set up the siege cannons.

Zombies teeming with maggots, skeletons with flesh still attached, ogres covered in black bloodstains, beasts walking on all fours.

Indeed, an army befitting a nation that was rumored to be an empire of evil.

And at the end of the left flank, there was a cavalry unit approaching, the only one properly aligned.

“······.”

Taznok stopped walking and carefully examined the cavalry unit.

It was impossible to be sure that they were humans riding horses.

Just as Vlad was of human origin, many vampires were of human origin, and they usually covered their entire bodies with cloth, wore masks, or wore armor to shield themselves from the sunlight.

The cavalry unit was no different.

They were covered in armor from head to toe, so they could only only be presumed to be humans or elves.

Vlad also operated real cavalry units in addition to beast units, so there was a possibility that they were those units.

“But those weapons are human-made.”

But one thing was clear.

The weapons currently battering the wall had been provided by humans.

“There’s no way those ‘lesser monkeys’ [a derogatory term for humans] could have made them already.”

Clearly, humans had helped.

“How dare they…”

Crack.

“What do they think of the Council, no… of us!”

His anger toward humans surged.

“I won’t let them get away with this if I survive this crisis.”

But suddenly, he remembered.

What if he didn’t survive this crisis?

What if Mikena’s capital was taken?

Taznok clenched his fist tightly.

The color drained from his face.