How to Live As the Vampire Lord

The spacious interior was lit with hundreds of dimly lit, flickering candles.

“…”

Seated around a long stone table etched with archaic letters were about ten men and women. All of them were dressed quite well, as if to display their status. Strangely enough; however, none of the gold or silver decorations or furniture commonly found in noble residences could be seen. The only metal that could be seen were the brass candlesticks. The objects illuminated under the light of hundreds of candles were those made from wood and brass.

It was perhaps natural, since this venue was not made for ordinary humans, but rather vampires. Since the lords belonging to different clans had gathered together, it was necessary to take precaution to remove any and all things threatening to vampires. That was precisely why the group had gathered in this very place.

“…”

The men and women gathered around the table kept their silence while looking around at each other in the dreamy and unique atmosphere. An attractive woman sitting at the end of the long stone table broke the silence while looking around at the others.

“I heard that this is the first Meeting of Night in Petrucca. First of all, I would like to thank everyone here for gathering together,” the woman said.

“Countess.”

“It’s nothing…”

The vampires bowed their heads at the words of Verna, a high lord of the Rivoles Clan. It was an extremely rare occurrence for a city’s clan lords and guest high lords of the clans to have gathered together like this.

Most of the vampire clans weren’t on good terms with each other. They weren’t necessarily hostile, but there was no good reason to get along since the clans were in competition with each other. However, today was different. Verna—the eldest child of Master Rivoles—a count of the Roman Empire as well as an influential figure in the vampire society had suggested the meeting after arriving in the City of Petrucca. Everyone had to oblige to save their face and honor.

“I will skip the needless formality. I think everyone should know well why I suggested this meeting and why I invited many of you lords here,” Verna said while looking around. The vampires nodded in agreement.

“J-Jan Eugene Batla. There is an issue regarding the King of Maren,” Verna said. She had stuttered slightly due to the pressure of having to call him by name, but the vampires did not notice it.

All the vampires present already knew that the King of Maren was in Petrucca, as they had planted their respective spies in the Black Dragon Manor in advance.

“Seeing as though Petrucca’s aristocracy is quiet, it appears everyone had kept the visit of Maren’s King a secret. In addition, seeing as there are other high lords here, everyone must have considered his visit quite important. It must have been hard to mobilize the high lords, since our heavy bottoms tend to weigh us down,” Verna continued. Although she had made a joke, no one laughed.

Everyone felt as if they had been seen through. As if understanding their thoughts, Verna said with an elegant smile, “Let me speak without beating around the bush. We—the Rivoles Clan—have secured the King of Maren.”

“Huh…?!”

The vampires took on expressions of shock. According to the rumors, the King of Maren was at least a high-lord class vampire. To have ‘secured’ the King of Maren could only mean one thing.

Verna parted her red lips with an even more seductive smile. “Yes. The master of Rivoles has stepped forward. My master would like to meet your masters to follow up on this issue and discuss the matter of disposal.”

“...!!!”

The gazes of the vampires quivered violently. Verna already knew that they had sent messages to their clan masters, and that their clan masters were on their way to Petrucca after hearing news about the King of Maren.

“The master has spoken. He will return to the imperial capital with the King of Maren in ten days. Everyone will have to hurry,” Verna said, provoking the hearts of the vampires to hurry. They were worried that their clan master might be late to join the judgment of a high-ranking noble who had violated the laws of the clans and caused a disturbance.

***

“Master,” Delmondo said politely after entering the room and kneeling.

“Is the meeting over?” Eugene asked.

Delmondo responded, “Yes. The lords and high lords of the clans have returned to their respective residences a little while ago. They were said to be in a hurry, so it seems that they are trying to contact their masters.”

“I see. Anyway, the name of Rivoles is quite great, isn’t it?” Eugene said.

“I’m flattered,” Master Rivoles answered while bowing his head humbly.

Master Rivoles then asked cautiously, “Then, would you like to depart right away?”

“Sure. One surprise was enough, so I will go first and wait,” Eugene said.

Master Rivoles smiled bitterly. He had been the victim of the ‘one surprise’.

“It will be their first glorious opportunity to come into your presence, Master. It should only be natural for them to wait on you, but—” Master Rivoles paused.

“They don’t know who I am, so it’s fine. And some of them wouldn’t dare to come if they knew my identity,” Eugene responded.

“Although sacrilegious… That would certainly be the case,” Master Rivoles said while bowing his head. Eugene was correct. As was the case with Master Rivoles, many of the clan masters believed that their roots came from the three beings in the imperial castle. Many clan masters believed the three beings to be true Origins—the founders of the vampires. So, what would happen when they found out that the King of Maren, the one who had caused such a great disturbance while violating many laws of the tribe, was actually an Origin? Some, or rather, the majority of them would immediately return to the imperial castle to report back to the three beings. After all, it wasn’t as if they could handle the issue on their own.

“They will be curious about me, and they will want a role to play in punishing a sinner who had disturbed the order of the tribe. They should be running over as if their asses are on fire,” Eugene said.

“You are completely correct,” Master Rivoles responded. Eugene smiled. This was one of the reasons why he had spread the lie to the lords and high lords of other clans—the lie that he had been overpowered by Master Rivoles and that he would be transported to the imperial castle. He knew it wouldn’t have worked the same way had it been any other noble, but the protagonist of the situation was the master of the Rivoles Clan. As such, the other clan masters would have no choice but to join in.

“If there aren’t any unexpected situations, I think all of them should gather together as you have intended, Master,” Master Rivoles said.

“Unexpected situations?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. For example, the nobles here. The governor, in particular. Wouldn’t it be problematic if the governor noticed the current situation?” Master Rivoles cautiously mentioned the governor. No one would deny that a master of a vampire clan possessed great status. Neither the great nobles of the empire nor members of the imperial family, aside from the direct descendants, could treat them carelessly. However, clan masters could not act recklessly toward great nobles either. Even if they possessed superhuman powers and immunity to both the sun and silver, all vampires were still bound by an absolute restriction.

- Vampires could not enter buildings without the permission of the owner.

This was why the prestigious clan masters did not dare to act recklessly toward great nobles. In particular, Petrucca was a city of the Roman Empire, and the governor was a representative, as well an agent of the emperor. In other words, even clan masters could not pass through the city gates without the permission of the city’s governor.

The only reason why the masters of the clan—including Rivoles—could freely enter the city without any additional procedure was that they had already received the governor’s permission to establish a branch, or a family of the clan in the city. In other words, the governor could well prevent vampires from entering the city at any time if they felt like it. Such was why Master Rivoles was concerned about the involvement of the governor in the current situation.

“Master, although it isn’t known to the public that you have come to the city, we must still prepare for unexpected situations. I will have Verna relay to the lords of each clan to keep this matter on the down low…” Master Rivoles said.

“Why?” Eugene asked.

“What?” Master Rivoles asked with a puzzled expression.

Eugene said with a smile, “The governor should know that I’m here rather than anyone else.”

“…My apologies, but please forgive me for being unable to understand your great will, Master,” Master Rivoles said. He was trying his best to express his curiosity while remaining polite.

Instead of answering, Eugene turned his head to Delmondo. Delmondo had been quietly kneeling on the floor after entering the room before Rivoles.

“You said the governor was born here, right?” Eugene asked.

Delmondo answered, “That’s right. Petrucca is a bit of a special place, so its governors have all been from prestigious, long-standing families of Petrucca.”

“Right. However, the emperor wouldn’t let just anyone take over the post of governor for a city as big as this, right?” Eugene asked.

Delmondo responded, “Yes. The current governor, Lord Rudiger, is also famous for being one of the emperor’s henchmen.”

“If he’s the emperor’s henchman, then he should have some relation to the yellow ba—no, the crown prince, right?” Eugene asked.

“…!!!”

Delmondo’s eyes filled with shock. Master Rivoles also appeared quite surprised after hearing the conversation between the two. For some reason, their true master, the Origin, wanted the crown prince to be aware of the current situation.

***

“What?!” The Governor of Petrucca, Count Rudiger, exclaimed with wide eyes.

“The King of Maren is in our city? When? N-no! Before that, are you completely sure?” he asked.

“It has been a few days since he arrived. The lord of the Rivoles Clan directly told me to notify Your Excellency of the matter.”

“Huh!”

There was nothing to doubt if the words had come directly from the lord of a vampire clan within the City of Petrucca.

Count Rudiger hastily opened his mouth. “But why didn’t you deliver such important news more quickly?!”

A foreign monarch had visited a city of the Roman Empire for the first time. Moreover, it wasn’t just anyone else but the King of Maren. Count Rudiger knew that the next absolute of the empire was very interested in the King of Maren. As such, he felt not only irritated, but furious as well.

“W-well, apparently, he had gotten into some conflict with the Rivoles Clan on the day of his arrival. All those beneath lord-class were quickly subdued by the King of Maren…”

The secretary recognized that his boss was in a bad mood and quickly recounted the story he had heard. The anger swirling in Count Rudiger’s eyes disappeared, and his eyes were even colored with surprise as the story progressed.

“T-the master of the Rivoles Clan is here? And Master Rivoles personally overpowered the King of Maren?!” Count Rudiger shouted.

“Yes, yes. I didn’t confirm it personally, but that’s definitely what the vampire lord said.”

“Huh! Huh…!”

Count Rudiger was greatly shocked as complicated thoughts started to fill his mind.

“The monarch of another country… What are they going to do here…?”

It was a serious situation that could well lead to a war with the Dukedom of Maren. Unfortunately, it had taken place in his city.

“How many others know about this aside from me?” Count Rudiger asked.

“All vampires above lord-class know about it. However, Master Rivoles made sure that the information wouldn’t leak,” the secretary responded.

Even if they belonged to other clans, the vampires would keep their mouths sealed if it were a request of a clan master.

“Then…”

Count Rudiger quickly counted his options. It was an unprecedented situation, but the Roman Empire was very far from Maren. In other words, even if war broke out, the conclusion would take a very long time.

‘No…’

If information about it hadn’t spread just yet, then the whole incident could well be brushed under the rug or even result in a completely different outcome. Naturally, Count Rudiger had no intention of stepping forward to take care of the ridiculous situation himself. Why would he place his honor, political life, and even his actual life at risk by attempting to personally tackle the situation?

‘I must not tell His Majesty right away either.’

The emperor would unconditionally give orders for him to take care of the problem. In the first place, passing such a large problem to the emperor would be akin to the governor confessing his own incompetence.

‘I must inform the crown prince.’

The crown prince had been quite interested in the King of Maren—enough to volunteer himself in a mission to offer congratulatory remarks to the founding of the dukedom. As such, he would surely attempt to take care of the problem.

“Wait a minute,” Count Rudiger said.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Count Rudiger rushed to his desk after leaving the secretary standing, and then he started writing as fast as he could. In an instant, he wrote a letter and quickly sealed it before handing it over to the secretary.

“It’s an urgent message. Deliver this letter to His Highness the Crown Prince as quickly as possible.”

“What? B-but Your Excellency, I do not know where His Highness is currently located…” the secretary muttered.

“Find out somehow! I will give you everything you need! Find out where His Highness is located and deliver this letter!” Count Rudiger roared.

“Understood, Your Excellency!”

The startled secretary rushed out of the office. The secretary truly employed everything at his disposal after experiencing the governor’s anger and desperation. Less than ten days later, Count Rudiger’s letter was finally delivered to Crown Prince Voltaire.