How to Live As the Vampire Lord

“The eternal friend of Hisain! The Duke of Batla, the land of ancient mysteries untold! The rightful monarch of the blessed land of Maren! We welcome Your Majesty King Jan Eugene Batla!”

The minister of the countdom’s extravagant introduction was followed by a roar of applause.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I sincerely thank you for your righteous chivalry and courage. You have brought peace to the land of Hisain, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Count Hisain declared humbly, which completely simmered the fighting spirit Eugene had kindled on his way here.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Eugene felt a little taken aback but suspicious at the same time. However, his doubts melted away like snow when he saw the pile of gold and silver stacked inside the large treasure chest.

“We prepared a little something to compensate you for your great achievements and brave performance, Your Majesty. It’s twice the amount we originally agreed to,” Count Hisain said.

“Hmm. Your sincere recognition is well received, Lord Hisain,” Eugene responded. Gold did not lie. Moreover, Count Hisain could be said to be the greatest of all misers. He would devise a plot while putting forth his cherished wealth at risk.

“It is all according to the will of the three gods. They have led you to this place to punish the evil monsters and to bring peace and stability to the land of Demiere. Even my show of gratitude and sincerity with gold…” Count Hisain continued while drawing the holy symbol.

Eugene felt a little strange.

‘Hmm. Wasn’t his family excommunicated? Why is he talking about faith in front of me?’

The ex-communication of the Hisain family was well-known. However, there was nothing Eugene could do about it, as withdrawing the ex-communication and reinstating the Hisain family was something only the Holy Empire and the Papacy were capable of doing. Moreover, Eugene had no intention of becoming involved in the matter either.

So, why was the count speaking of divine will and putting on a display of faith in front of Eugene?

‘Aha.’

Eugene realized why Count Hisain was acting in such a subservient manner and even paying a greater compensation than originally promised. It appeared that the count was intending to improve his relationship with the papacy through Eugene, knowing that Eugene had been blessed by a high priest and had even gotten invited to the papacy.

‘Then, you should have never sent a twit like Carmier to pick a fight. Why are you acting like this only now?’

Eugene followed Count Hisain into the castle while having such thoughts. A particular figure caught his attention.

‘That person is definitely…’

A nobleman with a proud expression nodded curtly when he met Eugene’s gaze. Eugene had found him familiar, and now he remembered seeing the man back in the castle of the Viseche Dukedom.

‘I see. Duke Viseche sent a messenger and delivered a message of some sort. That’s why Count Hisain changed his attitude.’

Duke Viseche truly held the most political power in the nearby region. He had taken action immediately after discussing his plan of forming a union with Eugene. Eugene’s curiosity and doubts were finally resolved. He recognized that the current situation was the result of the Governor of Maren’s foresight for setting the Viseche Dukedom as the first destination, as well as the outstanding ability of Duke Viseche.

‘Then that means…’

A mysterious smile appeared on Eugene’s face. The board seemed to have been set perfectly, and all that was left was to enjoy the scrumptious meal.

***

Thanks to Count Hisain’s desperate desire to have his family’s ex-communication withdrawn and to be reinstated into the Holy Empire, Eugene obtained a much bigger reward than what he originally anticipated. The participation of the Hisain Countdom in the union was guaranteed as well, and in addition, the count promised to utilize all of his connections to convince as many territories and nations to join the union.

Moreover, twice the originally promised amount wasn’t the sole payment Eugene had received either. Count Hisain decided to treat the Knights of Dawn as Eugene’s slaves and decided to pay a large sum to buy them from Eugene.

The commanders who had been obliterated by Galfredik were real knights of the countdom with respective titles and statuses. Their ransom alone was a considerable amount of money, and with the armor and horses of the cavalry taken into consideration as well, Count Hisain owed an earth-shattering amount of money.

However, Count Hisain paid it all without any complaint or hesitation.

“You are truly straightforward. Lord Hisain, you are truly the most generous and fair monarch of the times. I am amazed,” Eugene said with sincerity while raising his thumb up. Who dared to call Count Hisain a miser—the stingiest man in the world? How could anyone frame such a generous, charitable man like him?

“It’s nothing, Your Majesty. I cannot help but think that I have been working hard on my finances so far, to this day, so that I can prove my friendship with Your Majesty and my true, dedicated faith.” Count Hisain responded while making sure to place emphasis on certain words. His sincerity was sincerely conveyed.

Eugene clasped the count’s hand and answered, “Your passionate friendship and earnest faith. I truly appreciate it. I understand it. I will never forget it. And…”

Eugene paused. He could clearly see that Count Hisain was eagerly, impatiently waiting for something. He continued in a voice filled with trust, “When I go to the Holy Empire and meet the Holy Father, I will do my best to convey your deep faith, both as an individual and as a member of the union. I will make sure to express exactly the warmth and kindness you have shown me.”

“Oh…!” The count’s face was filled with ecstasy. His long-cherished wish of reinstatement as the monarch of the Hisain Countdom and a devoted son would soon become a reality. Of course, it couldn’t be made certain that Eugene’s words would be sufficient to convince the pontiff to annul the Hisain family’s transgressions of the past and to reinstate them. However, Eugene had promised to mention not only his current status but the ‘union’ as well. Even though the Holy Empire held religious influence over many countries and seemed detached from worldly matters, they still could not turn a blind eye to real politics. After all, the union would not only be formed from one or two nations but seven. Moreover, the King of Maren, who was considered the strongest knight of the present era, would represent and advocate for the Hisain Countdom.

Furthermore, the Holy Empire was composed of a large city and a few small territories. It was lacking in productivity and was financially dependent on donations from the churches of each country. It was impossible for the empire to ignore a ‘special donation’ that would be made under the name of the union, which included an extremely wealthy port city like Maren.

“Really… I will fully trust in you, Your Majesty. Haha, hahahaha…”

“I will try my best to live up to your expectations. Hahaha.”

Even though the two men had met for the first time today, Count Hisain and Eugene shook hands while laughing heartily as if they were old friends of decades. A few people watching shook their heads.

“It’s strange no matter how many times I see it. How on earth does he handle people and shape them however he wishes?” Prince Localope marveled.

“Even the members of the Dark Clan of our empire couldn’t hold a candle to his insidiousness. Indeed, we couldn’t be luckier that we are on the same side, Your Highness,” Vizak commented.

Selena asked with a puzzled expression, “Huh? But I thought you would harbor distaste for His Majesty until the end?”

“Well, t-that’s…” Vizak stuttered.

“The same with you, kid. You picked a fight with him without knowing your place, and you ended up getting destroyed. Hehe,” Galfredik commented.

“…I would appreciate it if you could forget about my shameful past, Master,” Selena responded.

“I was also the same as Miss Selena. But keep in mind that it’s no shame to be beaten by His Majesty. Rather, it’s an opportunity to hone yourself and to sharpen your blade,” Vizak said.

“Yes. However, I was given that very opportunity to hone my blade thanks to my irresponsible master,” Selena said.

“I can attest to that. Selena and I had basically been abandoned in Brantia, and I also had to—ugh!” Romari shed a tear as she remembered being subjected to the tedious labor of purifying mana stones every day.

“Please don’t cry, Miss Romari. It’s all in the past now,” Selena attempted to comfort her.

“Uwaaah! I just get so angry and upset whenever I think about it…” Romari muttered.

“Uhahaha! Let’s forget about the past, kid! Wizard! Uhahahahaha!” Galfredik burst out laughing as he patted Romari and whacked Selena’s back.

One person inwardly broke out in a cold sweat while eavesdropping on their conversation from a distance.

“Maybe I should relinquish my position as the mediator. No wonder there was constant quarrel between the demon kings when the Demon King of Blood was present…”

Even Georg had only heard stories of the past, and the man in question seemed as if he couldn’t remember the events of the past either. Still, Georg could see that the majority of the stories told about Eugene in the Demon World were true or even understatements. No demon king, nor powerful, prestigious demons could put on such a display in front of mere human nobles. Those from the Demon World viewed humans as beings beneath them and insignificant, albeit with a few special existences. However, Eugene—the Demon King of Blood—had casually lowered himself and used sweet words to exert influence over others. Georg came to realize that the other kings of the Demon World had to be afraid of him because of this very reason, even more so than the power and the mysteries he possessed.

***

Eugene left the City of Vienna with the expedition two days later while receiving a warm sendoff from Count Hisain. As decided earlier, the expedition split into two groups. To be exact, only Eugene and Edmund separated from the expedition.

Prince Localope and the foreign nobles expressed their concern and opposition, but they had to be satisfied that Galfredik and the two vampire high lords, as well as the twin-headed ogre, would remain with the expedition. It also helped that they had finally realized exactly how powerful the elves and the beowulfs were during the resolution of the monster uprising in the Viseche Dukedom and the Hisain Countdom.

It couldn’t be said how they would fare in a war of tens of thousands of troops, but everyone had to agree that there was no other force more effective and efficient than the elves and beowulfs when it came to hunting monsters. Moreover, Galfredik and the two vampire high lords were real knights with proper education and a plethora of experience in subjugations and combat, not to mention that they were also powerhouses in their own right. It couldn’t be denied that there was no one else more trustworthy than them, even when they were compared to mercenaries or troops in different countries. On the contrary, in terms of strategies and tactics, Galfredik was slightly superior to the King of Maren. As such, the prince and the nobles accepted Eugene’s decision.

“Then… The next time we meet will be in the empire,” Prince Localope said. His gaze was filled with disappointment and regret. In the past, he would have insisted on following Eugene unconditionally, but he had matured during the journey. A sense of responsibility and a small tongue of flame called ambition had cultivated Prince Localope.

“That’s right. If something happens…” Eugene said.

“I will immediately send a messenger to the City of Petrucca. By the way…” Localope said before glancing at the two vampire high lords standing near Galfredik. He then continued, “Please do not forget that there are vampires stronger than them in the empire. And some of them stand by the side of my brother. No, by now, it could be possible that most of them are already standing by his side.”

“Are you talking about the clan masters?” Eugene asked.

Prince Localope shook his head,” No. I’m talking about those I mentioned before.”

“…”

Eugene took on a somber expression. The mysterious, unidentified vampires Prince Localope had mentioned back then—according to the prince’s explanations, some, or even all of them were Origins. Above all else…

“The Red Elegant Queen. Be most careful of her. There’s a rumor that even the clan masters bow their heads in front of her…”

The Red Elegant Queen—no one knew the female vampire’s true identity. And she was perhaps the most powerful member of the Dark Clan residing in the Roman Empire.