“As ordered, I have completed the mission and returned.”    

A blonde woman knelt down.  

And in front of her,  

“My master.”  

Sitting on the tank was a soldier who was casually trimming some vegetables.  

But it wasn’t just the two of them.  

Though not visible on the surface, there were beings hiding in the shadows of the buildings.  

They had a gun in one hand, and a cold weapon in the other, respectfully bowing their heads towards the soldier.  

The woman and the dozens of forms hiding in the shadows were clearly wearing military uniforms.  

However, their aura was a bit different from the other soldiers.  

[Novice Grade Vampire Knight]  

These individuals had an eerily pale complexion.  

Towards them,  

“Well done.”  

I said, as I had been working on the ingredients for a while.  

The vampires that I had recently subdued and brought under my command.  

She and the servants that she had created were faithfully obeying my orders.  

‘It’s not just that they obey orders.’  

One of the powers Ariella possessed was  

[Shadow Veil]  

A powerful ability to manifest her own mental world within the shadows.  

It turns out, it wasn’t limited to just her own shadow.  

As soon as I heard about it,  

‘I immediately transferred it to my own shadow.’  

The world she possessed.  

[Shadow Veil] had now been transferred into my shadow.  

Since then,  

Ariella and her servants have been hiding within my shadow, unless given a specific order.  

I’ve essentially gained a personal bodyguard force that protects me closely.  

‘The only downside is that the space has become smaller as Ariella’s power has weakened.’  

When I first entered her [Shadow Veil], it boasted a considerable size.  

Big enough, that even the mobile fortress Bimana could be parked there.  

The fortress that we had received as a reward was parked within my mental realm waiting to get summoned.  

When I was drawn into the Shadow Veil, it revealed itself there.  

Among the other impressive features,  

That I had noticed the most was one particular facility built within.  

[Dining Hall]  

‘A facility that grants a buff to my cooking just by entering it.’  

After taking her under my control,  

I had planned to revisit that dining hall immediately.  

If I could visit it every time I cooked, the effects of my cooking would increase tremendously.  

But unfortunately, that plan failed.  

‘So, it’s unusable again because it’s too big. How frustrating.’  

[Mobile Fortress] was excessively massive.  

Even when I visited it, it nearly filled the entire [Shadow Veil].  

Now that Ariella’s power has weakened and the [Shadow Veil] has shrunk, the fortress no longer reappears within it.  

‘A bit disappointing, but oh well.’  

Being able to conveniently bring Ariella and her servants with me, that alone produces an enormous effect, so I’ll have to be satisfied with that.  

“Master?”  

“Hmm?”  

“May I ask why you entrusted the clearing of that place to me?”  

“Simple. That market promised significant gains if cleared, but it seemed too dangerous to assign regular soldiers to it.”  

The ceiling of the market was covered by a large canopy that blocked the sunlight.  

It was a perfect environment for them to operate in.  

“So, the casualties?”  

“Two of the servants were lost, master.”  

“Two?”  

“The mother colony was quite powerful. My servants are still not strong enough.”  

Hmm.  

Two, huh.  

The woman in front of me,  

Ariella’s vampire servants were clearly powerful.  

They only have the weakness of losing a lot of their strength in the sunlight, but  

considering their rate of growth and abilities, that hardly counts as a weakness.  

Yet, two of them were killed, meaning  

‘It was more dangerous than the reconnaissance had indicated.’  

…But oh well.  

“That can be replenished quickly, right?”  

“Yes, there are still many disposable scraps to be recycled.”  

I didn’t really feel a significant impact.  

I had already ordered her to hunt down and turn the lurking plunderers across the city into servants.  

Even as we conquer the military camp now, there are likely many silent observers waiting in the shadows.  

‘If it had been ordinary the soldiers who died, it would have been quite heartbreaking.’  

But these were forces that were essentially considered expendable from the start.  

I didn’t feel a strong sense of concern.  

“Next, head towards that apartment. It’s a place full of monsters, and direct bombardment would be problematic.”  

“Hmm… it seems to be quite a large-scale place.”  

“It will be a tough battle. That’s why I’m sending you.”  

The lost forces can be replenished quickly.  

It was quite a harsh way of putting it, but  

“Do you have any complaints?”  

“Of course not. I’m actually glad.”  

The woman who has become mine vassal.  

Ariella obediently complied without any objections.  

“If I can consume the blood of those beasts, my own power will grow a bit stronger as well. Hehehe…”  

With what seemed like genuine delight,  

Ariella disappeared into the shadows, the vampires following behind her.  

I watched their retreating figures and thought,  

‘I didn’t realize she was that aggressive, having been holed up in that bunker.’  

Baroness Vampire, Ariella.  

She has become my vassal and can no longer refuse even the most trivial of my commands.  

But ‘that’s the extent of it.’  

It’s not as if her personality has been erased.  

She simply has to obey orders.  

And yet, even while obeying, she can express discontent with harsh treatment.  

But even though I’m sending her to dangerous battlefields, she shows no signs of dissatisfaction.  

‘In fact, the more intense the battle, the more pleased she seems.’  

The reason was simple.  

Fighting strong enemies means obtaining high-quality blood.  

This allows her and her servants to grow stronger.  

And it greatly aids her own personal growth as well.  

‘Well, it’s not very monster-like…’  

She has an extremely strong drive to improve.  

The reason she had been holed up in the bunker was likely because of the voice that forced her to stay there.  

“…Actually, it’s quite fortunate.”  

Such a ferocious and ambitious monster.  

If she had been able to grow her power without any constraints,  

‘It would have been a disaster.’  

An unstoppable calamity that would have engulfed us.  

But,  

‘That’s just a hypothetical now.’  

After all, that calamity has now come under my control.  

As the military zone conquest continued,  

I spotted a soldier standing in front of a building in the distance.  

“Squad leader Lee Sang-ah?”