How to Live As the Vampire Lord

“Hiek! Hic!”

Hymer was the most surprised out of everyone. Although he had encountered Eugene in the Black Dragon Manor just hours ago, Eugene hadn’t revealed his Fear in the slightest. Indeed, Hymer had been rendered immobile just from the Origin’s natural emission of spirit. But now, in his second encounter with Eugene, the vampire was revealing his Fear without any restraint.

“Heugh…”

Hymer collapsed on the spot. It felt completely overwhelming, as if he were faced with a huge, insurmountable mountain. Lord Mehen and the other vampires were in an even more precarious situation. Just like any other vampires who came to face Eugene, they were forced to their knees. It felt as if their very souls were ensnared.

“Ugh… Heugh…” Lord Mehen’s pupils dilated as he found it difficult to breathe. He had lost contact with all of his senses except his vision and hearing, as he could still hear his ragged breathing.

‘W-what the hell…’

Lord Mehen could not come to his senses due to the extreme fear and uncontrolled confusion that filled his very being. Even though many races lived in harmony, vampires were a race that instilled fear into the hearts of others. Even vampire knights were capable of standing up to intermediate-rank monsters, and vampires actively made use of their Fear on battlefields. As such, most vampires were familiar with using their Fear actively against others, but they were unfamiliar with the sensation of being subjected to Fear. And there was only one instance when vampires felt helplessness and fear—it was whenever they encountered a vampire stronger and nobler than themselves—especially vampires two or three classes above them.

Until now, the bringer of the greatest fear, the most powerful vampire, was none other than Lord Mehen. Moreover, Lord Mehen himself had only felt striking fear three times in his life, and it was when he came to face high lords. But now, the fear he felt from the presence who entered through the broken door was in a completely different dimension. Both Lord Mehen and the other vampires of his family had no choice but to lie flat on their stomachs while trembling like an autumn leaf. They didn’t even dare to think of speaking, much less meet the existence’s gaze.

An urge to submit unconditionally could be felt from ‘something’ imprinted on the souls of these vampires from the Rivoles Clan here in Petrucca City.

Tap, tap…

As the heavy footsteps slowly grew louder, the vampires struggled to even breathe properly. Their pale faces started turning blue.

Thud.

As soon as the existence sat down on Lord Mehen’s seat, the Fear grappling their bodies and souls disappeared like a lie.

“Huagh!”

“Hugh…!”

The vampires exhaled loudly and desperately caught their breath. However, they remained prostrated on the ground while trembling. No one dared to look up.

“Hmm.”

Eugene looked down at the vampires. Their reaction was certainly different from what he had experienced before. The vampires he had met in the past attempted to struggle when they first met him. It had been the case with Delmondo and the vampires of Mungard, as well as the vampire high lords. However, the vampires here weren’t attempting such a thing. Rather, they couldn’t even look straight at him.

It wasn’t as if he had evoked his Fear more strongly than normal either. Of course, he had expected it to some extent. He knew that he had changed after consuming the blood of the demons and demonic creatures that had crossed over. To be exact…

‘Have I regained my… class?’

No, it was better to say that he had become aware of it once more. And even if it may not be significant to humans and other races, his ‘class’ possessed a tremendous effect against other vampires. The current scene was proof of that.

Eugene slowly parted his lips. “Who is the lord here?”

“T-that would be me…” Lord Mehen struggled to respond with his forehead pressed against the floor.

“I heard you speaking on my way in. You said your clan master will be arriving tomorrow?” Eugene asked.

“T-that’s correct,” Lord Mehen responded. As had been the case with all the others, Lord Mehen did not dare to retort even though Eugene had casually referred to his heavenly master. It was due to the power of an Origin.

“So, when that runt comes, they will convict me?” Eugene asked.

“…!!!” Lord Mehen squirmed like a bug as he prostrated. Clan masters stood at the pinnacle of the clans. They could convict other vampires except for other clan masters. Even if the subject of reprimand belonged to another clan, they could simply give appropriate compensation afterward. However, Lord Mehen felt as if it were a terrible sin for the master of the Rivoles Clan to even attempt to convict the existence in front of him. The guilt he felt was similar to a knight harming their own lord or a child committing parricide.

“T-this lowly one has committed a great sin!”

Bang! Bang!

Lord Mehen shouted while repeatedly striking his forehead against the floor. It wasn’t an act to escape his current predicament. The mystery imprinted on his soul had naturally led him to a state of awe and worship.

Eugene nodded slightly while watching. The results of his experiment proved his assumptions correct.

‘The clan masters are not Origins.’

Many, including even high lords, considered clan masters to be Origins. However, it wasn’t true in Eugene’s opinion. Naturally, it was entirely possible that the masters of other clans aside from the Rivoles Clan were Origins, but Eugene was skeptical of it. Most vampire clans were very clandestine and shrouded in mystery, but some of the clans were known to an extent throughout the vampire world and among the wizards. Such clans were those considered ancient in the vampire world, and the Rivoles Clan was one of them. Moreover, their great antiquity was related directly to their legitimacy. Upholding one’s reputation for a long time along with a long history was something highly regarded even among regular human nobles. And since vampires lived longer than humans, being regarded as archaic meant something even greater in their society.

As such, if there were any Origins among the clan masters, Eugene judged that it would most likely be among Rivoles, Helmond, and Noferos. However, a vampire lord of the Rivoles Clan had basically denied his clan master in front of Eugene. In fact, he was even begging for forgiveness for his sin. It meant that the authority and Fear Eugene possessed were greater than the authority of blood their clan master held over their subjects.

‘Then, shall we try the last test?’

Eugene said to the vampires in a calm voice without evoking his Fear, “Raise your heads.”

“…!!!”

The vampires trembled. Then, they began to slowly raise their heads one by one from the floor. Although the depth of red in their eyes varied, each of them turned their gaze to Eugene, who was looking down at them with his legs crossed. The eyes of the vampires wavered like a wave. Even though vampires were naturally resistant to magic, they all stared at Eugene blankly as if they were possessed. They were in awe and in reverence for an absolute, divine being.

“Turn your backs on your clan master and swear allegiance to me. Surrender,” Eugene said.

The answer was immediate.

“This lowly one will swear on his blood!” the vampires shouted desperately. They felt an even stronger exaltation than when they feasted on any sweet blood. They were overjoyed. With this, Eugene became completely certain.

The vampire clan masters were below him.

***

“You live quite well.”

“They are the lord of Petrucca after all. If you would like, I will prepare a place for you here right away.”

“Never mind. No parent would take away their children’s home.”

“As you wish, my lord.” Four men and women bowed their heads toward a middle-aged noble with smooth and slick-back white hair. Their eyes were as red as blood. Their fair skin was without a single blemish, and it was as white as snow with all their blood vessels clearly visible. Even though the orange sunset was coloring the western sky, they had their faces exposed to the light. They were the high lords and the clan master of Rivoles.

“Whose child was Mehen?” The middle-aged noble, Master Rivoles, asked. He had seen six children during the hundreds of years he had walked this land.

A seductive lady who looked to be in her mid-30s had been walking right behind him with a parasol. She answered his question, “A child that I took in, Master. It has been more than twenty years since I last saw him.”

“I see. A child of yours, Verna. Then, they are quite close to me as well,” Master Rivoles responded.

“That’s correct, Master. In a human family tree, he could be called your eldest grandson. He is a child who is very loyal to the clan and you, Master. He sends gifts every year,” Verna answered. Lady Verna was Rivoles’ first child, the high lord he first took in.

She was once a daughter of a count as a human, and she continued Rivoles’ name as a woman after becoming his vassal. Becoming a direct child of a clan master was a hugely influential event that allowed her to exert influence over her human family.

“Hoooh. A child who knows the honor of our tribe, unlike other youngsters these days,” Rivoles said.

“He is a nice child. That is why I personally made a request to you, Master. Please treat him kindly,” Lady Verna said. Although she spoke very softly and politely on the surface, the same could not be said for her thoughts. It was because of the words that Rivoles—her father and the ruler of the clan—had spoken just now: to know honor unlike the other youngsters these days. In other words, he was saying that there were those who had betrayed the honor of the clan. Lady Verna could guess who he was referring to.

‘Markus…’

A vampire lord who led a branch in a faraway port city of Mungard. Even if their relationship had faded, Markus had always sent one or two gifts every year. However, he had suddenly gone off the radar. And that wasn’t the only thing either…

There was a ridiculous rumor that in addition to Markus, the vampires of Mungard and all of Brantia had surrendered and sworn allegiance to a certain vampire. Although they led separate lives for a long time, the clan was still the clan. The oath of the noble blood was eternal. Markus had broken the sacred oath without giving any excuses!

Lady Verna was set on condemning Markus and punishing the roamer vampire responsible for the event. However, the whereabouts of a high lord who was believed to have encountered this existence had suddenly become unknown. In addition, the figure even became a king.

Even though they were all members of the Tribe of Darkness, the man had climbed to a place where he could no longer be easily punished by the law of the tribe. That was what it meant for a vampire to possess titles and high status among other races.

However, the vampire had come to the empire—to Petrucca—a city considered part of the empire but not directly under the influence of the imperial family.

‘I don’t know what you were thinking that you actually came to Petrucca, but you chose the wrong place.’

She had been determined to take care of the matter alone, but she had relayed the issue to Master Rivoles and asked for his presence for one reason—to have the clan master condemn the King of Maren as a heretic who had violated the law of the clans, rather than a king. The City of Maren would protest furiously, but the imperial family wouldn’t have to take responsibility. The responsibility of the matter could be entirely relegated to the governor-general of Petrucca.

‘Anyway…’

Lady Verna’s satisfied smile turned into a slight frown. She felt irritated that Mehen hadn’t come to welcome them, even though his mother and the absolute of Rivoles were here to visit him. She had definitely informed him that they would arrive sometime today, so what was he doing instead of waiting for them at the city’s gate? What great disrespect was this?

‘Did something happen?’

Master Rivoles suddenly came to a stop after taking a few more leisurely steps.

“…?”

Naturally, the gazes of Verna and the other high lords turned to their master. Master Rivoles stood rooted on the spot like an old tree without even turning his face as he said, “Perhaps… the monarchs of the other clans were summoned as well?”

“…!!!”

Verna became slightly wide-eyed. As one of Master Rivoles’ direct children, she shared some of her monarch’s emotions. She was surprised because she could feel a bit of anxiety within Master Rivoles’ voice.