My Wives Are Seven Beautiful Demonesses-Chapter 124 - No. Veyrath’s Death & King’s Call Failed?!

Chapter 124: Chapter No.124 Veyrath’s Death & King’s Call Failed?!

[Location: Dungeon—Vampire King’s Castle]

"That’s it! Erebus is hereby my favourite!" I declared gleefully, but—

Just then, my shadow spread, and one by one, shadowy figures climbed out.

Astra, Paimon, Draugr, Vael and then came Bob—

Who vibrated at a speed that made it look like reality was buffering around him.

As only Astra can talk among them, being the General grade Shadow.

"My king, can you repeat your words~" I could sense jealousy from miles away.

Draugr did the only thing to convey his feeling, which was by— stomping.

Paimon just stared at me, as if saying, ’I was your first shadow.’

While Bob—

Bob’s vibrating intensified.

Like a phone on silent mode having a panic attack.

Astra tilted her head, smiling dangerously."My king, you like Erebus more... than us... more than me?"

Her voice was sweet.

Too sweet.

Like poisoned honey.

"NOW WAIT A SECOND—" I raised my hands.

But the shadows didn’t seem convinced.

Paimon crossed his arms like a disappointed older sibling.

Draugr stomped again.

Vael’s shadowy tendrils trembled with righteous betrayal.

And Bob—

Bob began vibrating at a frequency that looked like he was attempting quantum tunnelling out of the dungeon.

I cleared my throat.

"Ahem. You’re all my favourites. Except Bob. Bob is clearly malfunctioning."

Bob stopped vibrating.

Turned toward me.

Then vibrated harder.

WHY IS HE FASTER WHEN HE’S UPSET?!

Astra stepped forward, hands clasped behind her back, smiling the smile of someone who would happily massacre half a continent for verbal reassurance. (Her mask stretched in the place of her mouth.)

"My king... surely you didn’t mean to say Erebus is your favourite."

She leaned in.

"Right~?"

Right.

RIGHT.

Say the line, Dominic, or die.

I opened my mouth to save my life—

—only for a cold voice to echo from behind me.

"That is an incorrect assessment."

Erebus emerged from the darker part of the shadows.

Silent. Smooth. Deadpan. And radiating so much oppressive dominance, the temperature dropped ten degrees.

He stepped beside me, not looking at the other shadows, eyes fixed ahead like their emotional turmoil was beneath his notice.

"My king does not choose favourites," Erebus stated. "Favouritism is inefficient."

Astra frowned. "That is not the point—"

"—The King’s will is absolute."

Erebus cut her off.

The whole shadow squad collectively paused.

Astra’s smile trembled.

Paimon’s stoic face cracked. (His helm)

Bob stopped vibrating for the first time since his existence.

Erebus continued:

"Arguments regarding hierarchy are unnecessary. All of you serve him." He looked at them like he was observing incompetent interns. "And he prefers those who perform efficiently."

A beat.

The shadows stiffened in panic.

Astra’s eyes widened—

"Perform... efficiently...?"

Her aura flared in murderous determination.

Paimon straightened like he was about to enter a job interview.

Draugr stomped with intent.

Vael bowed deeply.

Bob began vibrating with the purpose of a creature ascending evolution.

I blinked.

"What the hell just happened?"

Erebus gave a crisp nod.

"I restored discipline."

"You turned them into overachievers!"

"Competence is mandatory."

"That’s not— WHAT DOES THAT EVEN—"

Before I could finish complaining, a body dropped from the ceiling.

THUD.

Everyone—including me—looked.

And there he was.

Veyrath.

Lying face-first on the ground like a decommissioned mannequin.

Motionless.Lifeless.Charred by shadow burns, cracked bone wings twitching once before going still.

The hole in his chest from Erebus’s spear was still smoking.

His eyes stared blankly upward.

Not at me.Not at Erebus.Not at the shadows.

Just—

Dead.

Not regenerating.

Not reforming.

Not cackling like a deranged choirboy.

Dead. Completely. Absolutely.

Silence fell.

Even Bob stopped vibrating.

Astra whispered:

"...He’s actually dead."

Paimon nodded as if saying, ’Erebus killed him faster than expected.’

Erebus, meanwhile, stared at Veyrath like he was inspecting an empty cereal box.

"He expired with disappointing speed," he said flatly.

"BRO!? YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THAT ABOUT A WHOLE ELDER NOBLE—"

But then—

[You killed a Duke-Ranked Vampire— Veyrath.]

[You have earned 100000 experience points.]

[You have collected (100) Soul of Vampire.]

...

[Collected Souls of Vampires: 6669/10,000]

[Exp. Needed for the next level up: 17,901,075/20,000,000]

NICE!

Now is the time to turn this monster into my employee~

[Name: King’s Call]

[Level: 2]

[Type: Active]

—Required Mana to activate: None

— Creates a shadow soldier by extracting Mana from the recently deceased lifeform.

— The odds of extraction failure will rise higher depending on the target’s original Stat values, as well as the length of time since its death.

— Number of shadows that can be extracted: 148/150.

Only two spots left.

Perfect.

I crouched beside Veyrath’s very dead, very crispy corpse and cracked my knuckles.

"Alright, you deranged choir-bird. Time to become my latest intern."

The shadows leaned in like gossiping aunties.

Astra: "My king~ surely you don’t want him among us?"

Paimon: (judging silence)

Draugr: STOMP. (Translation: "He ugly.")

Bob: bzzZZzzzZz?? (Translation unclear—possibly "eat him?")

Erebus simply said, "He was inefficient. Reject the concept."

"Shut up," I hissed. "Let me at least TRY."

"Rise Up."

When I did that, the shadow cast beneath Veyrath began to wiggle as if it came to life.

’Okay, good!’

I clenched my fists tightly. I had a good feeling about this.

[King’s Call has commenced.]

[Attempting to extract....]

I wonder, what would Veyrath look like after its extraction? My hands became slick with the sweat of anticipation.

Unfortunately...

Ting!

A mechanical beep akin to a metal plate breaking in half rang inside his head.

[King’s Call has failed.]

[Two more attempts remaining.]

"Yeah, I expected that. Totally."

...Tch.

Fine.

Round two.

I rolled my shoulders, glared down at Veyrath’s corpse, and placed my hand on his cracked, feathery ribcage.

"Alright you stupid aristocratic pigeon," I muttered."You think death is gonna stop me? You think one failure is gonna stop me? You think I won’t extract you just because you’re a pretentious, bloodsucking, bone-winged, choir-screaming—"

Astra poked my shoulder.

"My king. Motivation speeches typically... motivate the target."

"He’s dead," I snapped.

"I’m motivating myself."

Erebus nodded.

"A sensible adjustment."

I exhaled, focusing.

"Rise. Up."

The shadow swelled again—twitching, writhing, crawling under Veyrath’s body like fog trying to force its way into a locked coffin.

The floor vibrated.

The corpse twitched.

A dark shudder rippled across the room.

Everyone watched in tense silence—

Tti-ring!

[King’s Call has failed.]

[One attempt remaining.]

"..."

Astra clapped her hands softly, as if applauding a funeral.

"Well. He was an Elder Noble. Perhaps he simply refuses to serve—"

"NO, so were you and Draugr and let’s not forget Erebus," I hissed.

"He doesn’t get to refuse. He screamed at me like an opera singer going through divorce. He owes me."

Paimon placed a hand on my shoulder.

A gesture of solidarity.

Draugr stomped—a solemn stomp.

It’s a Funeral stomp. VERY important

Bob hummed at a frequency that sounded like a microwave about to explode.

Vael bowed respectfully toward Veyrath’s corpse, like honoring a fallen enemy.

Erebus, however...

"He was inefficient in life," he said dryly. "Expecting competence in death is misguided."

"Shut up," I growled.

"I have ONE attempt left."

Astra’s mask cracked wider in a smile.

"Oh my king~ if you fail... that means he stays dead. Forever."

That was the opposite of encouragement.

I shook out my hands and placed both palms on Veyrath’s chest.

"Okay, you leech psychopath. This is your LAST CHANCE to be useful. LAST. CHANCE."

Deep breath.

Dark mana surged.

My shadow ballooned outward, swallowing the floor.

Shadows roared.

The cathedral groaned.

Astra stepped back.

Paimon steadied himself.

Draugr froze mid-stomp.

Bob vibrated so fast he may have transcended reality.

Erebus watched calmly, as if analyzing the structural integrity of failure itself.

Everything dimmed.

"RISE—"

The shadow beneath Veyrath snapped upward like a striking serpent.

The corpse jerked violently.

The darkness swirled...

Trembled...

Split...

And—

Tti-ring!

[King’s Call has FAILED.]

[Veyrath cannot be extracted.]

[Target’s soul has already dispersed beyond reach.]

"..."

The silence that followed was so absolute it felt like the dungeon itself was judging me.

Then—

Astra placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"My king... at least he died ugly."

Paimon bowed sympathetically.

Draugr stomped in mourning.

Bob vibrated respectfully.

Erebus finally spoke:

"His worthlessness has been confirmed."

I threw my hands up.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THREE ATTEMPTS?! THREE?! AND NOT EVEN A WEIRD MUTANT SHADOW?!"

I glared at Veyrath’s corpse.

"You leech-brained, bloodsucker-screeching, opera-failing tax evader—!"

Astra coughed politely."My king... he cannot hear you."

"HE HEARD PLENTY WHEN HE WAS ALIVE—!"

I kicked his corpse.

It flopped like a dead bloodsucker.

Then—because the universe hates me— his cracked bone-wings creaked, and one of them slipped off and dropped to the floor with a pathetic clunk.

...

"Okay," I breathed, massaging my face, "okay, cool, fine, whatever. That’s fine. We’re fine. I’m fine. He’s dead. I get no shadow. Great. Amazing."

The shadows gathered around like a support group.

Astra: "We are still here~"

Paimon: (solemn nod)

Draugr: STOMP.

Bob: bzZzzZz... (processing sympathy?)

Erebus: "Choose better targets next time."

I sighed deeply.

"Great. Fantastic. Perfect. King’s Call failed. Veyrath’s dead. My extraction streak broken. Amazing day."

Tti-ring!

[Floor Cleared: 50th Floor — Vampire King’s Castle]

[Collected Souls of Vampires: 6669/10,000]

[Exp. Needed for the next level up: 17,901,075/20,000,000]

[Rewards: Random Skill Level Up, Access to Floor 51]

Sigh!

"Alright, get to work— Bob, look for loot. And everyone else looks for the entry permit to the next floor. Come on! CHOP! CHOP!"

The shadows scattered instantly.

Not walked. Not ran.

Scattered.

Like a pack of over-motivated, emotionally unstable, hyper-competitive murder-spirits desperate to prove their worth to Daddy.

Astra vanished in a streak of feminine menace.

Paimon strode off with the dignity of a veteran soldier silently vowing to outperform everyone.

Vael slithered through cracks like an eldritch Roomba.

Draugr stomped away with purpose—each stomp echoing like a drum of WAR. Bob—

...Bob detonated into motion.

BZZZzzZZZzzZZZ—!!!

My hair blew back.

"WHY ARE YOU THIS FAST WHEN IT DOESN’T MATTER?!"

Bob vibrated up the staircase, down the hallway, through a wall, back through another wall, circled me three times, and then phased through the ceiling like a depressed neutrino.

"...He’s gone feral," I muttered.

Erebus stood beside me.

Silent. Hands clasped behind him. Looking like a CEO evaluating a company after firing the entire board.

"My fellow soldiers are... enthusiastic," he said.

"That’s YOUR fault."

"Correct," he agreed, absolutely shameless.

I opened my mouth to lecture his emotionless ass—

CLANG!

Something metal hit stone.

I turned.

Draugr stomped back into view, holding something shaped like a warped shield covered in old vampire insignias.

STOMP.

He raised it.

It was not a shield.

It was a door.

A whole-ass gothic metal door ripped clean off its hinges.

"Draugr," I rubbed my temple.

"I needed the ENTRY PERMIT. Not—whatever that is."

STOMP. (This is ’door is now portable, my king.’)

Astra reappeared next, mask grinning.

She held an obsidian-inked strip of parchment with a red seal shaped like fangs.

"My king~ is this what you seek?"

Before I could praise her—

Vael skittered up, holding a dusty... stone?

A completely ordinary, absolutely useless, depressingly unmagical, rock.

He held it up like it was a sacred treasure.

Shadow-tendrils quivered proudly.

"...Vael," I said slowly, "that is a rock."

Vael trembled harder.

"No, I mean it. That is literally a ROCK. Not a key. Not a relic. Not a clue. Not even a fancy-looking mineral. It’s just a rock."

His tendrils curled sadly. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Astra patted him on the back of his... shadow mass.

"There, there~ It is a very nice rock."

"NO! IT ISN’T—" I caught myself.

Deep breath. Stay calm. Be supportive. You are the king. Emotional stability is important.

"...It is a very... rock-looking rock," I said.

Vael brightened immediately.

Paimon returned next—holding five vampire skulls.

"...Paimon?"

He stared.

"Those are skulls."

Nod.

"Why?"

Silence.

Astra leaned in.

"He thought they might be ceremonial. You know how vampires are."

I sighed.

"Fine. Good job. Please go put them... somewhere."

He nodded and walked away like a soldier who had accomplished a noble mission.

Then Bob returned.

HIGH-SPEED.

A blur of vibrating doom slammed to a stop inches from my face—

BwZZZZzzZZZ—!!

Pointing at several... mountains?

Seeing the familiar scene, I gave my most dutiful Bob a thumbs up.

BwZZZZzzZZZ—!! BwZZZZzzZZZ—!!

...which caused malfunctions in Bob to be in pure ecstasy.

I calmly approached the supposed mountains and—

[You found Item: Blood of High-Ranked Vampire.]

[Take it?]

[You found Item: Blood of High-Ranked Vampire.]

[Take it?]

[You found Item: Blood of High-Ranked Vampire.]

[Take it?]

...

A tidal wave of identical blue pop-ups kept slamming into my vision.

[You found Item: Rusty Sword of High-Ranked Vampire.]

[Take it?]

[You found Item: Rusty Sword of High-Ranked Vampire.]

[Take it?]

[You found Item: Throny Dildo For Adventure Type.]

[Take it?]

"..."

I blinked twice.

Because surely.

SURELY.

Surely I did not just see—

[You found Item: Throny Dildo For Adventure Type.]

[Take it?]

"NO, I DO NOT TAKE IT!"

The pop-up vanished.

Instantly replaced by another.

[You found Item: Used Throny Dildo For Adventure Type.]

[Take it?]

"A—A USED ONE?! WHY IS IT USED?! WHO USED IT?! WHO EVEN—?!"

Astra reappeared beside me like a summoned demon of schadenfreude.

"My king~" she purred, voice dripping with malicious entertainment. "Would you like me to store it in the royal vault~?"

"NO! WHY WOULD WE— WHY WOULD WE HAVE A VAULT FOR— FOR THAT?!"

She leaned closer, mask stretching wider.

"For... research?"

"NO. NO RESEARCH. NO STORAGE. NO TOUCHING!"

Paimon appeared next, saw the cursed item, froze... and then slowly, slowly turned his helm away like he had witnessed a murder.

Vael slithered up, curious, looked at the cursed item—

—and IMMEDIATELY curled into himself like a frightened tarantula.

Draugr stomped once.

STOMP.

His stomp translated clearly:

Destroy it. Destroy everything. Burn the dungeon. Salt the ashes. Leave no witnesses.

Even Bob vibrated at a traumatized frequency.

bzZzZzZzZz–??

(The uncertain, horrified vibration of a creature too young for this sin.)

Erebus, meanwhile, simply walked up beside me with the stoic calm of a tax auditor reviewing the apocalypse.

He glanced once at the cursed item.

Just once.

Then—

"...I see."

He turned toward me.

"Recommendations: Reject. Purge the item. Execute whoever used it."

"WE CAN’T EXECUTE THEM, THEY’RE ALL DEAD—!"

"Then execute them again."

"THAT’S NOT HOW THAT WORKS!"

Another pop-up slammed into my vision.

[You found Item: Bloody Vampire Duke’s Underwear.]

[Take it?]

"WHO IS PROGRAMMING THIS FLOOR?? WHO?! I WANT NAMES!"

The list continued.

[You found Item: Vampire Duke’s Grooming Gel.]

[Take it?]

[You found Item: Special Edition ’Bite Me Harder’ Perfume.]

[Take it?]

[You found Item: Vampire King’s... Wig?]

[Take it?]

I pressed both palms into my eyes.

"I WANTED LOOT. LOOT. LOOT. I WANTED TREASURE. NOT A—NOT A HAUNTED SEX SHOP!"

Astra giggled behind her mask.

"Oh my king~ but this is treasure in its own way."

"NO. IT ISN’T. STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT!"

She leaned in even closer.

"...Should I test the ’adventure-type’ item?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

Before this could devolve into a war crime, Bob vibrated harder—then pointed rapidly at a different mound.

BwZZZzZzZ—! BwZZZzZzZ—!

"WHAT? IS THIS ONE NORMAL?"

He pointed again.

I approached cautiously.

A new pop-up appeared.

[You found Item: Ancient Treasure Chest of the Vampire King.]

[Take it?]

I froze.

Everyone froze.

Even Astra’s smile faltered.

Even Erebus inclined his head.

"...Finally," I whispered. "Something normal."

I hit YES.

The chest materialized in front of me—massive, ornate, covered in dragon-blood metal and wrapped in cursed chains.

The shadows gathered around silently.

Astra: "Shall I open it for you, my king~?"

Paimon: (shakes head violently)

Draugr: STOMP (Translation: "Let king do it.")

Bob vibrated nervously.

Vael peeked from behind Paimon like a shy calamity.

Erebus stepped forward.

"...Proceed," he said calmly. "If there is a trap, I will eliminate it."

"I’M the one opening it, I’m the one who would die from the trap—!"

"Correct."

"HOW ARE YOU SAYING THAT SO CALMLY?!"

But I knelt anyway.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Hands on the cold metal latch.

I exhaled—

Clicked it open—

And—

The lid rose with a long, ancient groan.

Light spilt out—

Golden. Sacred. Powerful.

Astra gasped softly.

Paimon stiffened.

Draugr froze mid-stomp.

Vael’s tendrils curled in awe.

Bob vibrated reverently.

Even Erebus’s unreadable gaze sharpened.

Inside the chest...

Was...

A curled up... girl?!

***

Stone me, I can take it!

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