I contemplated for a while before opening my mouth. Doesnt the imperial court know how to suss out the vampires?

Harman groaned under his breath. In all honesty no, we dont have any reliable methods, your highness.

Arent their bodies usually cold?

Vampires can manipulate their bodies. If they want to raise their body temperature, it should be rather easy to do so.

You can feed them holy water.

They will withstand it even after consuming some.

Wont their flesh burn away after injecting some divinity?

These blood-creations have evolved specifically to live in plain sight among regular humans, your highness. Harman swallowed his dry saliva and carried on. And their bodies are also that of a normal human.

What?

A dazed expression floated up on my face.

Vampires were monsters that could survive with their whole bodies being dismembered, as long as their head and heart permeating with demonic energy were left intact. It meant that cutting off and replacing a portion of their own bodies with someone elses was a fairly simple process.

For instance

Its possible for a vampire to sever its own arms and legs, attach the limbs belonging to another person on itself, then manipulate the nerves to pass them off as its own, your highness. It can even remove the skin of its victim and wrap itself completely with that as well. In such cases, they should be able to withstand holy water being cast on them, or divinity being injected into them.

Fomor was still fine after I injected some divinity into him merely because the hand I shook belonged to an actual human.

What would happen if you create a wound and pour holy water on it? A vampires body wouldnt heal from that, am I wrong?

As Ive said earlier, these creatures are wearing the skins of real human beings, your highness. That very skin should react positively to holy water and heal itself instead. Of course, as they are merely wearing skins, they shouldnt be able to exhibit the full strengths of real vampires.

I could only click my tongue at this information. But I didnt give up there and asked Harman for more details on the methods to ferret out the vampires.

Wouldnt it be possible after learning magic that utilised divinity?

Those without talent cant gather divinity, your highness.

What about wounds?

Vampires can simply make it so that they dont heal.

Sunlight?

Although they do grow weaker in daylight, they can walk around without any issues.

Garlic?!

There are numerous vampires with unique taste palates who apparently enjoy garlic from what Ive heard, your highness.

Undeads have demonic energy in either their hearts or heads, dont they? You can pry them open to see it, right? Medical techniques of this world seem pretty advanced to me, so cant you at least check for something like that?

Actually, a vampire hunt fitting your description swept across the entirety of the continent about five hundred years ago, your highness. During that incident, over ten thousand innocent citizens had their heads and chests sliced open. Only two among them were positively identified as vampires.

Wowsers, the vampires of this world really were insane, werent they?!

I held my head.

If there was a sure-fire way, then Id have told the Holy Emperor already. But without any indisputable proof, he wouldnt believe me even if he was my own grandfather.

Being a mangnani sure presented various problems, didnt it?

Wait, mangnani?

Aha! Cant I like, just kill them all?

Wouldnt it be easier if I just went around smacking them in the head with a shovel or maybe shooting them with my musket rifle? Sure, this method was as dumb as a pile of bricks, but I didnt have to think too hard about it, plus it was a super-quick way to confirm everything.

A huge commotion might start if I did just that, but there shouldnt be a better solution than this one. I mean, if I killed them first and proved that they were all vampires, then everyone else would start believing me afterwards.

Since it would be the actions of a mangnani, what did it matter if I was a bit heavy-handed and stuff?

Harman, isnt your position pretty high up in the pecking order?

Im a vice-captain of the Holy Cross Knight Order, your highness. I can mobilise a single Paladin corps at my discretion.

Okay, in that case, let me ask you for a favour. While saying that, I entrusted the list to him. You see everyone on this list? Arrest them all and imprison them. No, hang on. Just kill them all.

Ill bear the full responsibility for it.

Harman swallowed more of his dry saliva.

Whats wrong? You cant do it?

No, your highness. Ill do it. But will it really be alright? He asked in a worried voice, Were still in the middle of the banquet. Mobilising an armed force during such an occasion means that you will be in danger as well, your highness.

Never mind many high-ranking aristocrats attending the banquet, even the Holy Emperor, Kelt Olfolse himself, was scheduled to show up soon. And yet, the Seventh Imperial Prince wanted to gather troops to such a place?

The odds of this action being interpreted as a coup detat, an insurrection, was pretty damn high.

Coup detat or insurrection or whatever, ignore them all and just kill them. We just need to gather their ashes as proof, thats all.

The corners of my lips rose up. While leaning back, I interlocked my fingers and crossed my legs.

Since I finally decided to make a move, I needed to do it as quickly as possible.

Do it as soon as possible. Or else, Ill find myself in serious trouble later.

Both Harman and Charlottes eyes grew wider from my remarks.

I glanced at them. Its obvious, isnt it? I openly tried to confirm whether Count Fomor was a vampire or not. Which means that hes already suspecting me and will definitely try to take my life. So, before that bastard makes his move first, we

It was right then.

The outside of the banquet halls doors were getting noisier.

Even before the chamberlain could say something, those same doors were flung wide open.

I-Imperial Prince Luan! Your highness, you mustnt! If you keep pushing that body of yours!

My gaze shifted towards the doorway.

A man resembling a mummy with numerous bandages tightly wrapped around him stumbled inside. Not just mine, but everyones gazes were quickly focused on him in an instant.

The aristocrats screamed and hurriedly covered their noses and mouths. Their alert and wary reactions were similar to how youd look at a patient infected with a pandemic.

I looked at the mummy man and furrowed my brows deeply. The stench of death was coming off of him.

What the heck was he? An undead? No, hang on, hes still alive. But seeing as how all that demonic energy was wafting out of him

A curse, is it? One that necrotises the hosts body.

Harman looked stunned by this event, then he hurriedly looked at me. With an anxious sounding voice, he opened his mouth, Your highness, how about we leave first and

Allen Olfolse!

The patient wrapped in bandages glared at me in pure rage. Then he walked up to me next. He shoved aside the knights blocking his path, and even pushed and overturned the tables getting in his way.

First Imperial Prince, your highness. Just what

Harman stood before me as if to provide protection. He then tried embracing the approaching First Imperial Prince to stop the latter.

First Imperial Prince?

That guy was my older brother?

His eyes were bloodshot and he looked like an undead with his mouth wide open like that.

[Name: Luan Olfolse

Age: 27

Traits: benevolent personality, vicious personality, rotting body, excellent talent in swordsmanship, qualities of a wise ruler, thunderbolts, qualities of a tyrant.

<ul>

Allen Olfolse! I shall punish you bastard for insulting our mothers memories!]

</ul>

Now those were some seriously contradictory traits. On top of that, the stuff written in the + section was uncomfortably close to pure hatred.

Wait a second, it couldnt be that the siblings born from the same mother were trying to kill each other, right?

I recalled the Witch Morgana incident and was overcome with some fear that maybe she had been dispatched by the First Imperial Prince, instead.

Charlotte too stood in front of me to act as a shield.

You bastard, you even dared to insult my loyal vassal too? You cant be satisfied with dragging our mothers honour through the mud and attempt to rape the esteemed daughter of an archbishop, so you now even decided to attack my vassal?!

Your highness Luan. If you force your body like this!

Harman couldnt make any careless moves here. Every time he tried to stop the First Imperial Prince from going forward, drops of blood fell and pooled on the floor.

Y-your highness!

Numerous healers and an old man wielding a crosier belatedly rushed into the banquet hall.

You dare to blaspheme and dishonour our mothers memories! And as if that wasnt enough, you even tried to insult the loyal vassal that served her as well! Just what is your reason for tarnishing our mothers honour to this degree?! What is your damn reason!

Luan finally managed to shove Harman aside.

As if he had completely lost his reasoning, he pounced on me. Charlotte grabbed his arms, but just before she could subdue him

Just what the hell do you think youre doing?!

A loud roar reverberated throughout the hall. The Spirit Speech containing divinity completely filled up the banquet venue in an instant.

All of the aristocrats flinched and shielded their heads.

Charlotte, Harman, Luan, and myself froze up and slowly shifted our gazes in a certain direction.

The grand chamberlain kowtowing on the floor made his announcement with every ounce of his energy.

U-under the divine protection of the virtuous empire the g-great and noble ruler of the Theocratic Empire

He took one step at a time. The floor beneath his foot shattered and electricity ominously cackled.

The old man kitted out in a white robe with golden engravings might have boasted only a slight physique, but right now, he was exuding this sense of immense weight.

With every step he took, it felt as if a giant was walking towards us.

His majesty has graced us with his presence!

The Holy Emperor of the Theocratic Empire, Kelt Olfolse, was now glaring at the instigators of the commotion in the banquet hall.

< 033. Imperial Prince is Attending a Banquet -4 (Part One and Two) > Fin.