How to Live As the Vampire Lord

What nonsense was this?

That was Eugene’s first impression…

He was responsible for the formation of the evil lands? How? No, before that, was it even possible that all the evil lands in the world had come into existence because of a single person? The questions only brought along more mysteries.

“I am not entirely sure about the details. The only thing I do know is that you created a rift in our world and that you were able to cross over to this world from ours,” Georg said.

“Continue…” Eugene said.

“It was very small in the beginning. That’s why only the weak ones could cross at first. And since this world is lacking in yin mana or what they call here as evil energy, they had no choice but to live near the crack,” Georg continued calmly.

“As time passed, the crack grew bigger and bigger. Eventually, the stronger, larger creatures of our world were able to pass through as well. I was able to cross over as well. Of course, much of the power I possessed in our world has been expunged.”

Eugene stared at Georg wordlessly. If his judgment was correct, the one who had introduced himself as a devil was weaker than him. Georg was likely stronger than the vampire high lords, but he was perhaps similar or slightly stronger than Galfredik. Didn’t that mean Georg was a formidable powerhouse in the Demon World, even if he was weaker than Eugene himself?

As if recognizing Eugene’s thoughts, Georg spoke with a smirk, “And the same should be true for you as well. I heard that you had to give up considerable power when you built a passage and crossed over to this world. Well, we can only know for sure when you return, but you should definitely become stronger than you are now.”

Eugene was dumbfounded. If he became even stronger than he was now, what words could describe him then?

“Existences like us have a foot set into the realm of myths. You are exceptional even among us, and that is why you are a King of Darkness. That is also why existences like yourself only resided in our world,” Georg said.

“…Is your authority the power to read minds?” Eugene asked.

“Haha. It’s similar. My role in our world is a mediator after all,” Georg responded with a grin while raising his hand. A bracelet emitting a subtle golden glow was hanging from his wrist. Eugene wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it appeared to be a magic tool that represented his identity.

“Mediator?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. I am the observer and the mediator. And therein lies my reason for voluntarily coming to this world,” he responded.

Georg wiped the smile off his face and continued with a serious expression, “Unlike before, those who survived have begun crossing over to this world.”

“Those who survived?” Eugene asked.

He immediately recalled a fact. The monsters that had crossed over via the passage were already dead. When something presumed to be their souls was absorbed by the passage wall in the Demon World, they would have reformed in the evil land’s heart.

“Hmm. Only the dead can cross…” Eugene muttered.

Georg responded as if he were confused, “Isn’t that obvious? You were the first one to create a fissure to open the passage, right? Naturally, only the dead can cross over.”

“What does that—ah,” Eugene stopped himself. He then continued with realization, “It really is because of me.”

“Yes. Since you are the king of the undead,” Georg responded.

Vampires were basically undead. Many of them were originally humans, but regardless of what race they originally belonged to, they were reborn as vampires. That was why many races, including humans, classified vampires as different from themselves.

‘This is unbelievable.’

Although Georg had introduced himself as a mediator, Eugene had no intention of taking his words as the truth. However, he had no choice but to admit one truth. The circumstances he had experienced and the things he had seen were proof of it.

“Anyway, you’re saying that creatures that aren’t dead are starting to cross over to this world?” Eugene asked.

“That’s right,” Georg responded.

“How?” Eugene asked.

“I do not know. That is why I am here. To find out. The only thing I had discovered until now is that someone in this world is playing tricks on the passages,” Georg said. It was obvious what Georg was referring to—the monster uprising. Of course, it couldn’t be said for certain whether the modification of the passage was an unexpected outcome of the monster uprising or vice versa.

‘Whatever it is, they’ve done something fucked up.’

“…That is why I have come to this world by the decision of our kind, the devils, as the observer and the mediator,” Georg explained.

Eugene felt a little curious. “Hmm. The demon I killed said that you guys think of this place as a kind of hunting ground. Isn’t it a rather welcome change when there is a problem with the passage?”

He then continued with cold eyes, “Isn’t it something you desire?”

Georg hurriedly shook his head as Eugene’s malice began to grow, “No, not at all.”

“Are you sure about that?” Eugene asked.

“Absolutely. While it is true that this world is our hunting ground, that’s only for the lowly creatures and the demons. Devils like myself have no intention of crossing over to this world,” Georg said.

“And why is that?” Eugene asked with deepening hostility.

Georg responded with a heavy sigh, “It’s obviously because of you.”

“…What?”

Georg continued, “Ha… I’m not trying to brag, but I could be considered to be within the top five existence of our world. But look now. Look how I am in front of you. This is the reality, so do you really think the other devils will be eager to cross over? They might be dukes and kings in our world, but here… what’s the term—ah, yes, they are nothing but insects.”

It was a rather cheap expression for a devil to use, but Georg felt that he had chosen the most appropriate word.

“Of course, they would only be insects for you. Anyway, you were a King of Darkness when you were in our world, and you had several hundred years to adjust to this world. No devil would possibly want to cross over and face you. In other words, if you return to our world to hold someone accountable for this situation, the devils would freak out,” Georg continued. Naturally, there would be some devils who would deny their involvement and become angry, but it wouldn’t do any good to mention them.

Georg continued cautiously, “And that is why I am here. To reveal the truth of the matter and to mediate any conflict between you and us. Does that make sense?”

“Somewhat,” Eugene responded with a nod. Assuming that Georg was telling the truth, it certainly made sense.

“That is a relief. Anyway, the important thing is this,” Georg said before raising his bracelet-clad hand and raising a finger. “First. The situation regarding the passage has nothing to do with us. Rather, we want to convict and dispose of those who crossed over and hunted without our knowledge.”

Georg raised another finger.

“Second, we want to find whoever is responsible and want to resolve the issue. In the first place, the blood and soul from the evil lands are enough for us. We have no reason to be greedy for this world.”

“Even if your first point is true, I find the second reason a little hard to believe. No, before that, what do you mean by the blood and soul that come from the evil lands?” Eugene asked.

Georg responded, “Naturally, it’s the blood and soul of all living things that die in evil lands. Unless their bodies are recovered, they all come to us. Monsters, other creatures, whatever it is. That’s why we call this world, or rather, the evil lands, our hunting ground.”

Georg continued with a grin, “You can take my word for it. We are very grateful to you for this. Thanks to you, we are able to make a living without having to come to this world.”

Eugene finally came to think that Georg was truly a devil after seeing his smile. As expected, creatures like him were…

“Ah, and the creatures of this world should be grateful to you as well,” Georg said.

“What are you talking about?” Eugene asked.

“The soul stone that they know as mana stones and the by-products of the monsters. Aren’t they quite useful in this world?” Georg said.

“…!”

There was no need to answer. It was already hard to imagine a world without mana stones and monster by-products. Refined mana stones were mainly consumed by people with some money and status, like the nobles, but the various by-products of monsters had already been incorporated into the daily lives of everyone across all races.

In other words, if the bodies and souls of those who perished in the evil lands were essentials in the Demon World, the products of mana stones and by-products were essentials in this world as well.

“Equivalent exchange. You could call it a trade of sorts. Our world and this world are meeting each other’s needs through the evil lands. We are interacting peacefully with minimal damage, without unnecessary interference and fighting. And you are the one who made all of this possible,” Georg said.

“…”

Eugene was at a loss for words. According to Georg’s story, it was as if he were not just someone responsible for connecting the two worlds but rather an apostle of peace.

“So I—or the devils of our world—to be exact, want to make a suggestion. Let’s work together to find the ones responsible for threatening the exchange and peace of the two worlds you achieved. What do you think about that?” Georg asked with an insidious smile. It was truly an expression befitting a devil. Eugene smacked his lips.

***

“Uh… So, you want to leave the monster uprising to that suspicious guy, no, devil, and head straight to the Roman Empire?” Galfredik asked while stealing a glance at Georg.

Eugene nodded. “That’s right. His goal is to take care of the monster uprising. It would have taken more time, but even if we hadn’t contributed, he would have still taken care of the monsters on the volcano.”

“Hmm,” Galfredik cast a distrustful glance at Georg. He couldn’t trust the devil at all, especially not with his beaming smile and all. It wasn’t just him either. Princess Lilisain also had a very unpleasant expression as she stared at Georg.

“I even entrusted him with the purification of the water source as well. He’s a high-ranking devil, so he can communicate with the spirit world. He said he would take responsibility for restoring the water source and calling a water spirit over. We can leave it to him,” Eugene continued.

“Well, I’m fine with it as long as it’s what you want, Master, but what about the other nobles who signed the agreements? They will complain if it’s not you and the expedition helping them,” Galfredik said.

Eugene responded, “I’m the only one who will leave.”

“Huh?!”

“Unacceptable!”

The two people exclaimed in shock.

Eugene continued calmly, “We are running out of time. We will have to spend more than a month helping the nations located close to the Hisain Countdom. If we are to finish helping everyone, then it will take two months at the earliest and three at the latest.”

“That’s true, but—”

“And after we take care of the monster uprising, we must enter the Roman Empire. Would the empire simply watch as we enter? A twin-headed ogre with the expedition would already cause us problems.”

“Couldn’t we just use force?” Galfredik said.

“If we think about it, I’m sure we can find a reasonable cause,” Princess Lilisain commented.

Eugene shook his head, “That may be possible. However, they will try to keep us in check with all their power if we enter the empire like that. Moreover, we have the third imperial prince accompanying us. They will try to pick a fight and interfere at every chance.”

The bigger problem was that he couldn’t simply kill them. Eugene would have preferred to take care of everything by force, but he was worried about the others involved. What if the Roman Empire turned their sights on Brantia, the home of the beowulfs, or Eland in their anger?

“We will split up after meeting with Count Hisain. You will continue to head to different countries. And you will also have to take care of the monster uprising with that guy. I will head to Petrucca,” Eugene said.

“Petrucca…?”

“Where is that?”

Galfredik and Lilisain asked. They were unfamiliar with the name.

Eugene answered with a grin, “A port city of the Roman Empire. Delmondo is waiting for me there.”