Wolf of the Blood Moon - Book 4 - Chapter 11 - War Conference (Patreon)

                                                       Scarlet

The rest of the cave isn’t very difficult to deal with after killing the evolved demon in it as all of the remaining beetles grow frenzied and uncooperative with each other. So I end up finding the crystal just a couple more hours of searching after managing to regain my mobility. Then I bring it straight to Gramps who compresses the things into orbs that I absorb along with the hearts.

Which just leaves me with one final requirement for reaching Class IV.

“For this requirement, you’re not allowed to hunt unless you’re doing it solely to level this skill,” Gramps warns me, reminding me of how much blood lycans despise wasting a hunt. But then his face freezes for a moment, only for him to get a creepy grin the next that has shivers running down my spine. “Actually, I just thought of a perfect way for you to level Life Drain to level thirty in a rather fast period of time.”

Oh please don’t be something I’m going to hate.

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                                                  Two hours later

I glare at Gramps from my throne next to him as I continue using Life Drain on him and Blood Empowerment on Life Drain with the life energy the other skill is taking from Gramps. All while he ignores the skills, using himself as a way to level the skills. Because apparently skills level faster when used on higher level beings, and the System only stops you from getting credit for the skill if you have no intention of killing the person you’re using the skill on. So to train Life Drain on him, all I had to do was convince myself I was gonna kill him with Life Drain as I started using it, and it worked.

Even though my skill isn’t doing anything to him at all as the man continues talking war talk with the various dukes and Demon Lords scattered around the long table beneath us from where we’re sitting on the raised dais.

“As of yesterday, we managed to claim the Eastern half of the Earth’s Eastern Continent, gaining a major foothold on the world,” random duke A declares as I continue Life Draining the Demon King. Although I keep an ear on their conversation since it will probably be helpful to have insider information like this when I go back to Earth.

Which does kind of make me wonder why Gramps is letting me listen in like this. Does he really care more about me than his own war effort?

Because I kind of find it a little hard to believe that a man who has spent thousands of years hating humans would suddenly prioritize his granddaughter who he has known for not even half a year over that hatred. But then again, I guess he was already doing that when he ordered the demons not to kill civilians.

It is a little disheartening to know that the world has lost all of the continent that used to be called Asia though. Because that was a massive continent, even if it wasn’t a major one in terms of the Republic. Since most of the Republic’s biggest cities are stationed in what was called America in the old world. The Western continents.

“And the civilians?” Gramps asks, glancing at me in the process, something I can see out of the corner of my eye as I focus on the other demons. While still Life Draining him, of course.

“As you requested, Your Majesty, the human civilians have all been corralled into their cities under guard,” random duke B answers Gramps’ question with a bow of his head. “There were no civilian casualties during the offensive thanks to the Earthen Republic’s desire to keep them out of the fighting along with out own. However, a large majority of the human civilians from the territories we’ve conquered were evacuated to other human territories on Earth.”

“As expected,” Gramps mutters while rubbing his chin. Then random duchess C chimes in, “At this rate, the humans will never be able to retake the continent. Not now that we have dozens of Gates opening up of Classes I through III all around the continent.”

Gramps nods at that, and I can’t help but grimace a little.

That’s not good.

Random duke D nods his head as he says something in affirmation of random duchess C, but my attention is brought to the tanuki as he asks in my mind, “Why are you calling them that? They have names, you know…”

Yeah, but I’ve never been good at remembering names. And remembering the names of hundreds of dukes, only a few dozen of which could attend, is not something I plan on doing in my lifetime.

“But you could just identify them…” Tar mutters.

True. And I’ll do that if I ever speak to them.

Too much trouble to do that when I’m just thinking about them in my head though.

Tar stops talking, and I can’t help but notice Gramps’ lips quirking up ever so slightly.

Actually, come to think of it, why exactly aren’t the demons questioning Gramps’ sudden decision to ban the demons from killing the civilians?

“Because they have absolute trust in him,” Tar answers rather plainly. “The demons evolved rather uniquely compared to the human. I guess you could say the Demon King is like a god from old world Earth to them. They borderline worship him since he was the one who raised them up from nothing, taught a lot of demons how to control their instincts back in the early days, created the nation they have, the power they have, and is by far the strongest amongst them. Strong enough to be known as the strongest being in the universe, and not just out of Earth and Tartarus either. He’s the strongest being in the universe at large, including the other planets as well. The closest mortal to ever reach Class VI.”

Oh. So it’s blind trust then.

They don’t bother to question it because there’s nothing to question in their eyes. He’s never wrong to them. And if he is, then he’s strong enough to become right despite that.

Is that what you’re saying?

“It is,” Tar answers, making me purse my lips a little, only to be distracted by a System Message.

[Skill ‘Life Drain’ has leveled up to level 26.]

Oh. Nice.

My attention is reclaimed by the Demon King as he continues talking, although what they’re talking about right now is mostly logistics and their numbers. Not what’s actually happening right now on Earth.

So it’s less interesting since I’m absolutely sure I won’t remember most of this after this meeting.

Doesn’t change the fact that I’m gonna listen though.

Because I might just remember some of it.

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