—Outsider POV—
Head of the Vampire Clan’s main family, Pylkkänen Vlad.
Ravio Vlad.
Working underneath them were 50 B-minus ranked mages belonging to the Vampire clan’s main family.
Besides those, there were over 950 mercenary adventurers hired from the Adventurers’ Guild.
In total there were about 1000 people.
On the other hand, the Count’s family were headed by Count Dan Gate Vlad, and Seras Gate Vlad.
The Head of Guards Gigi, Head Butler Merry, Head Chef Malcolm.
Alongside over 40 other servants.
50 people in total.
The difference in power was by a factor of 20.
しかし伯爵側は誰1人悲観しておらず、悲壮感は全く無い。
But nobody on the Count’s side was pessimistic, no one was feeling grim.
むしろ余裕の態度を崩さなかった。
In fact, they did not lose their composure.
The place where they were to face off was a plain about 2 hours away from the town where Lute went to find presents.
The Demon Race don’t interfere with each others’ family matters.
But it’s another matter if they cause trouble for the other families.
Therefore it’s a matter of manners that when some family matter occurs, care is taken so that they don’t cause trouble for the other clans. That’s why an open place with no people was chosen.
“You did well to come and not run away you stupid brother! This time we’ll stop your treasonous acts against the Vampire clan! Prepare to be judged!”
The fat eldest brother Pylkkänen, clad in pointlessly extravagant armor and riding a white horned-horse, raised an angry voice.
The lanky second brother Ravio beside him gave an exaggerated nod at what he said and put on a vulgar expression.
“By ‘treason’ do you mean using the family’s money improperly like last time? Calling my magic schooling funds ‘improper’ is…… Anyway, wasn’t I allowed double the money under the pretext of family assistance in the first place?”
“Sh, shut up! Don’t think your crime is forgiven just by returning the money!”
“It is just as elder brother says!”
“Really, you guys are persistent as usual. Enough already, why can’t you just leave me alone.”
The Count breathed a sigh of amazement.
By doing that, he angered them even further.
“Y-You have always been that way since way back! Even though you’re just a third born, you got a magician’s license and attaining a top-notch rank of A ranked. You’re just the younger brother! Know your place! Get him, punks!”
At the cue of Pylkkänen’s yelling, the soldiers started running.
All the magicians started chanting their spells.
“My older brothers never change.”
The Count raised one hand toward everyone and walked out alone.
As if he’s saying “I’ll do it myself so stand back.”
The lump of muscle over 2.5 meters in height naked above the waist walked out.
The magicians of the main Vampire house simultaneously fired their magic at the Count.
Blades of ice, spears of fire, arrows of water, whips of wind—either because they wanted to test things or because they didn’t want to hurt the soldiers, elementary-level attack magic rained down on the Count.
“Hahahahaha! Humm, you’re better trained that before. I’m impressed!”
Bathed under the rain of magic attacks, the Count steadily walked on.
His body did not even receive a millimeter of scratches.
“Drop dead!”
The soldiers finally reached the Count
One of them swung a large sword at him.
The Count wasn’t even noticing.
“……Ha?”
The large sword easily broke like a toy as it came into contact with the Count.
He was alright, of course.
“Hahahahahaha! You still have a long way to go! Your steps are too naive! Even my Lute is stronger than this!”
“Guh!?”
The swordsman was blown off by a flick to his forehead and fell rolling down.
Meanwhile a large axe came swinging down, and a bolt from a bowgun flew to his head. A spear also rushed in, pointed at his stomach.
However, none of them could deal any damage to the Count.
“Well then, it’s about time for me to fight back!”
The Count rolled his right hand tightly into a fist and slowly drew it back.
His titanic muscles swelled up further, his veins popping out.
“Hmph!”
*flash*
The mass of adventurers were blown off by the shockwave from the Count’s attack like dry leaves.
Also, the magic barrier that took 10 magicians to create was easily pierced and destroyed by the Count’s mana shockwaves.
If Lute were there he would be reminded of bowling in his previous life and yelled out [Strike!]
“Y, you monster!”
Pylkkänen wholeheartedly swore at his younger brother, pale in the face.
His younger brother Dan Gate Vlad was an A-ranked mage.
He possessed a large amount of mana, so much that it would flow out of his body if he was careless, but he himself isn’t fairly skilled in either attack magic or support magic.
For that reason the Count was looked down upon by people around him at first.
Pearls before swine, they said.
However, the Count paid no heed, forging his body as a weapon in order to leave the Demon Continent, gaining abilities, and continuously practicing magic with enthusiasm.
Thanks to that he gained an original means of attack and defence that does not rely on attack nor support magic.
Using the magic power that flows out of his body for defense, and diverting it to attack. He could even project it a long way away like he did just now.
As a result, the Count earned himself the title of an A-ranked mage.
Neither of his elder brothers Pylkkänen nor Ravio had any talent for magic.
In the beginning they made fun of the Count for having a huge amount of mana but not able to use it, but it turned out that their youngest brother became an A-ranked mage.
The “mage” that they longed for since they were children.
The brother they looked down upon became an A-ranked mage that only a handful of geniuses could become.
Jealousy, defeat, envy, inferiority—embittered by various emotions they came to see the Count as if he were the enemy of the family.
If he were somebody else, they wouldn’t hate him to that extent.
It’s because he was their blood-related brother that they became so madly jealous.
With just one strike, the main family’s men became disheartened.
Swords couldn’t hurt the Count and even magic had no effect.
Without a way to oppose him, it is inevitable that they could not see victory and morale dropped.
But even the Count had doubts on his superiority.
They must have adapted from the previous battle.
The brothers must have started this war with a scheme or way to secure victory.
Maybe a lethal trap directed at him, or maybe some special magic or treasure-class magic device—he just didn’t know what.
The Count carefully observed Pylkkänen’s camp.
That backfired on him.
He was late to realize that something happened in his own camp.
*—guh…!*
His wife Seras screamed, then spat blood
A silver dagger pierced and stuck on her flank through a gap in her armor.
The one who pierced her was—the head of guards, Gigi.
( ̄^ ̄)ゞ