The First Forced Alliance.

It was 9:10 p.m. in the citadel square of Fărtănești, a town infamous for its bells ringing alone on stormy nights.

And tonight, in the middle of Samhain, is no exception.

Ayato is running down a cobblestone street in the pouring rain, while unknowingly being watched by a bat strategically hidden under a balcony.

"Bunch of superstitious people," he muttered as he limped along. Although his wounds from the holy water were healing, he knew it was best to hide, given that the villagers and parishioners didn't see him as human, despite having the inherent weaknesses of an untrained one.

"Find the Dark Lord candidate, and kill him before he gets stronger!", shouted a guard dressed in knight armor.

"But do it before midnight! I repeat, before midnight!", said a priest, giving a cryptic omen about something that would come from that specific time frame.

Ayato hid in an alley, leaning against a wall, wet and exhausted, unaware that the bat was in the alley.

Sigh

"Great. I'm summoned to a medieval world... and my first quest is to escape religious fanatics. Bravo, Ayato. The isekai dream is gone in less than ten minutes."

"And what are you? A demon, a human... or just a piece of garbage?", a dry, cold, and sharp female voice spoke to him after he finished his tirade.

"Human! ...I think. Why the question?", he said, on high alert when he noticed a fog appearing in the alley.

Footsteps were heard, and from the fog, a tall, hooded figure in a long, black cloak materialized. Her red eyes glowed in the dark, intimidating yet mildly curious surroundings.

The hooded woman approached and in a single swift motion drew her black-edged sword, the blade millimeters from his neck.

"Your aura... reeks of darkness... Not even your human appearance and fragility can hide that putrid stench...", she said, hoping he might make a false step or say something stupid.

"Hear me!" Maybe I use cheap deodorant, but it's not like you're comparing me to a spawn of darkness!", Ayato said, acting very defensive, though he backtracks slightly.

"Though I admit my gaming resume doesn't help in the slightest..."

Suddenly, Ayato's comment is complemented when a foul-smelling saliva-like liquid lands on his left shoulder, causing a deformed ghoul to leap from a rooftop toward him. The hooded woman shifts her attention and...

SWOOSH!

In a single elegant but lethal motion, she slices the ghoul in half before it hits the ground. The hood falls off to expose its face, just as the creature's blood splatters on Ayato.

"HEY! Warn me before you activate Gore Mode! Now I smell like rotten offal...", Ayato is stunned when he sees the woman standing before him.

The woman has long, straight, ash-blonde hair that reaches her waist. Her skin is very pale with a slight pearly hue. 

She wears a black corset with crimson details, a long skirt with a side slit, and high boots, all under a long, hooded cloak with a high collar.

Her unnatural beauty and red eyes complement her elegant, menacing presence.

"If you stay here alone, you won't live to complain," the woman's words bring Ayato back from his trance.

"By any chance... Are you a...?", he says in a low voice.

"Vampire...", the woman said bluntly, as she sheathed her sword.

She began to walk as it began to rain heavily again.

"Come with me..." she said tersely.

"What?!", A feeling of confusion filled Ayato. I mean, what kind of beautiful woman would invite a human with no outstanding features, even though he was 'marked' to be the next Dark Lord?

"Easy, you don't look like a warrior... but darkness is never wrong, no matter how capricious it may be...", the woman was brutally honest with her perception of Ayato, to which he responded.

"And if I have my doubts about it, just out of caution?"

"Do you really want to end up in a cell, on a gallows, or purified?", The vampire woman's words left Ayato both speechless and without options.

"Then don't be alone. The citadel is infested with things worse than priests... Especially since monsters and creatures are more aggressive and intelligent at night..."

After those words, he reluctantly begins to accompany her, finding themselves in a lose-lose situation.

"By the way, my name is Ayato Nagatoshi... but is this a 'we're traveling together' or 'you're using me as bait or a human shield' kind of thing?", Ayato remains cautious, though he feels relieved after hearing her name (or is that relief just self-deception).

"My name is Isolde...", the vampire woman finally introduces herself in her usual cold voice, though she displays a slight mocking smile for her next words.

"And as for your role in our alliance... It will depend on your usefulness~", Isolde doesn't even turn around after saying that.

"Great... my first friend in this world, and she already treats me like her pet, and I don't even have a collar...", Ayato said internally as the two continued walking incognito, trying to escape Fărtănești against the clock.

Even more so when the town is under complete surveillance.

As far as the bell tower is concerned, there's a bird-shaped statue that subtly spins to watch over the summoned person and the vampire woman while deep chimes ring out, announcing that it's almost midnight.

***

It was 10:45 p.m., once they found themselves in another alley, away from the watchful eyes of the knights and priests after navigating the labyrinthine citadel in the midst of bad weather.Isolde makes sure there are no monsters nearby, without turning around to look at Ayato.

"Are you done...?", her tone of voice denotes slight impatience.

Then Ayato emerges from the shadows of the alley, his casual clothes gone. He is now wearing a floor-length leather coat, a white shirt, black pants, boots, and black adventurer's gloves, wearing a blue scarf around his neck (which is actually a long handkerchief he used to blow his nose).Clothes that are obviously not tailored to him, as they are more suited to a physically fit man, contrasting greatly with his slight build.

"Where did you get that from?!", After asking that question, Isolde's piercing gaze shifted to a completely drunk Demon Slayer lying in the alley, wearing Ayato's modern clothes, clearly knowing that she had basically stolen from that guy who couldn't defend himself. "Don't answer me..."

"At least I don't attract so much attention anymore with clothes not belonging to this world!", Ayato justifies his actions with his body language indicating that he wears the clothes with pride, as if he were a legitimate hero... even though anyone with experience would know that he had obtained them in the least honorable way possible.

***

Once Isolde and Ayato reached the large gate that serves as the citadel's exit after dealing with a few ghouls and crows that attacked them, it was completely closed. The townspeople closed the doors and windows, making sure no one was outside.

There was not a soul outside, so the knights abandoned the chase and took cover as the bell's ringing grew louder and more erratic.

"Midnight...", the vampire woman said, as she and Ayato noticed a strong wind in the area, and the statue of the avian creature was no longer on the bell tower.

There was a shadow of a flying creature hovering over the place until it fell and landed in front of them.

With Isolde ready to fight and Ayato on the other side, he was worried about his first boss fight, and he had to pretend he knew what he was doing.