“Excuse me?” The hostility emanating from Alucard was palpable, of all things, Gray hadn’t thought that it would be his ability that would get him killed. Alucard’s sudden change in demeanor was confusing, to say the least, so Gray had to deal with this very carefully as it seemed that the fact he was under Amaymon wouldn’t help him escape Alucard’s wrath.

“I’m asking, how is it possible that you have blood magic, magic reserved only for the higher echelon of vampire royalty? Tell me, has Amaymon been experimenting on my kind? Is he the one responsible for princess Natalia’s disappearance?” A black mist had started to exude from Alucard’s suit ever since he started questioning Gray on his abilities. They seemed to be a side effect of his anger, though Gray couldn’t be certain whether he was activating an ability or not.

[Warning, close proximity hostility.] The notification came up at the bottom right corner of Gray’s vision. After taking a quick glance at it and looking back at Alucard, he could see a name tag floating above his head in red text.

[Alucard lvl.???]

“W-Wait. It seems you’re mistaken. My abilities have nothing to do with Amaymon, in fact, I despise the demon myself.”

{You idiot!} shouted the voice in his head, however, Gray quickly shut it down, before doubling down on his explanation.

“The fiend tricked me into accepting an impossible contract, and now I’m stuck slaughtering in his name. My abilities came from elsewhere, I had them even before I met the demon, perhaps that was why he wanted to make a deal with me,” explained Gray. He had run over all the possible excuses he could think of but found that the partial truth was the best route. Though he was slaughtering more for his own fun than in the name of Amaymon, it wouldn’t help his case if Alucard found out that he was a senseless murderer. And though his task was impossible, he wasn’t tricked into it either.

“Is that so?” asked Alucard, his mist returning back to his suit.

“T-That’s it? Just like that?” blurted out Gray. All that hostility had been recalled in a second, and even though Gray wasn’t one to question a good thing, he simply couldn’t believe that he had been excused from all suspicions just like that.

“You aren’t lying, though had you tried to I would’ve severed your head in an instant. Someone involved in the disappearance of princess Natalia cannot be forgiven, especially if they are acquainted with Amaymon. However, I cannot completely dismiss the fact that Amaymon may be involved, you see I have reason to suspect that he is the one responsible, and as his subordinate, I have enough reason to suspect you as well."

“It seems I will require some sort of proof that you are truly only slaughtering for Amaymon as you say, and are not involved in his other more discreet activites,” mused Alucard as he strolled towards Gray.

“So how about this. As proof that you are indeed not on his side, and therefore not at all involved in the disappearance of Princess Natalia, I want you to slaughter the followers of Amaymon that have been running amok on the eastern border. They’ve been a thorn on both Elden’s and Kalin’s side and I've been ordered to prepare a task force on behalf of the nation of Kalin for their extermination. However, you see, I'm reluctant to send out Regina or any of my maids on such a task, so...” As Alucard continued his dialogue, a notification appeared in Gray’s view.

[New Quest]

[Eliminate the followers of Amaymon on the border between Kalin and Elden. They have been sacrificing both elves, and lower-level vampires to the demon of abominable discovery, and as such demonic creatures have sprouted up and began terrorizing civilians.]

[Quest difficulty: B-]

[Quest Rewards:       +10 Affinity with Alucard
+100 renown within the nation of Kalin and the Kingdom of Elden
-100 Affinity with Amaymon
Hidden rewards

[Accept]                                                                                   [Decline]

The same text appeared in front of Tesse’s screen, prompting her to turn to Gray as if asking what to do.                 

{This bastard. He just plans to make me do his dirty work,} thought Gray, though he kept a calm and collected demeanor. He thought it over, was he really prepared to go against Amaymon, and the answer was quite simple. If he had a way to hurt the person who slapped this unreasonable curse on him, to hurt the person who clouded his mind with the voices of hungry void-beings, then he would take it with both hands. The thought of slaying a demon had once crossed his mind, though at the time he thought it impossible, though if he could get more information of Amyamon from his followers, then perhaps bathing in the blood of a high demon wouldn't be impossible.

{That it right progenitor. The demon is our enemy, he holds no power against you apart from your contract, so you may disobey him as you will,} whispered the voice in his head.

"Very well then, if that's what it will take to prove my innocence," replied Gray, accepting the quest that was given out to him.

"Excellent choice, I shall prepare your transport and you can leave as soon as possible," said Alucard, gesturing to one of the maids standing behind him to get the task done.

"You will report to Ailre Daexalim once you reach the border town of Axiel where the creatures have been terrorizing the citizens. Tell him you are there on behalf of the Nation of Kalin, and though you seem nothing like a vampire in my eyes, I'm sure no one there will be able to discern you from the real thing."

"But let me tell you this, Deserter of Amaymon, if you think of double-crossing me, I myself shall hunt you to the very ends of this continent, and torture you until you give away the location of Natalia, or go mad from the pain of it all. Either way, it would be worth my while," warned Alucard as Gray stood up from his seat.

{Hmm, that doesn't sound like a bad way to deal with a vampire. Going mad from torture, I'm sure I'll enjoy doing that to you,} thought Gray, already thinking of different ways to get back at Alucard for using him.

======================================

[System Information]

[Followers of Amaymon]

Though Amaymon is among the more despised Arch-demons, he does have a few supporters. From those looking to explore the unknown depths of demonic research to those who merely seek out the end of all life on this plane, there are people who give sacrifices in Amaymon's name. Recently a small cult appeared in the town of Axiel, a border town between the Nation of Kalin and the Kingdom of Elden, that have been slaughtering civilians en-masse in order to bring about more destruction in the name of vengeance against their 'weak' governments.

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