Krrrr! Kyarr!

The five vampires reacted by emitting threatening growls. Their eyes were glowing crimson like fierce flames, and saliva slowly dripped down their elongated fangs. Ordinary humans would have already lost their minds faced with the combined might of their fear. The vampires surrounded Eugene on all sides.

Shing.

Wolfslaughter revealed its slim figure from her sheathe.

Krrr?!

The eyes of the five vampires filled with great shock. They recognized the energy coming from the blade as belonging to silver crafted by the famous dwarven craftsmen of the north.

‘How could a vampire be wielding silver…!?’

They were reacting in a similar fashion to how Delmondo had reacted in the past. Eugene became convinced. The five vampires were comparable to Delmondo, or even weaker.

Eugene allowed the boiling energy inside his body to manifest and flow freely. His Vampire Fear erupted in a sudden, fierce movement.

Rumbleeeee!

Eugene’s Fear materialized in a wave of true, dark energy and swept through the room like lightning. The Fears of the five vampires could not hold a candle in front of Eugene’s Fear.

Kyaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

The five vampires screamed. They weren’t simply faced with a being stronger than themselves, but a vast, impassable, overwhelming power. The vampires of the Markus family encountered the Fear that belonged to a pureblood, an Origin who stood at the apex of the blood-bound contract that all vampires were under.

Nevertheless, they immediately came to a realization. The ‘Fate of Blood,’ which they were bound by, was even more profound than the ‘Oath of Blood,’ which was imprinted on their very souls as instincts.

The Emperor of the Night—Origin.

“Y-y… Your m…”

Shuack!

As soon as one of the vampires managed to open their lips, Wolfslaughter left behind a cold light.

Thuud!

Four heads fell in the blink of an eye. However, there was no blood. Only dark red smoke billowed from the headless stumps of the vampires. The only survivor—a female vampire—immediately kowtowed as soon as the others were killed. Although the undead could not feel cold or hot, she felt her back slowly becoming drenched in sweat as she shouted with all her might. “Please kill me! Us mere insects dared to act impudently toward the king!”

“Kieeekk?! King?! Sir, are you really a king?! Is that what this is?” Mirian shouted excitedly. Eugene was emitting an enormous energy. Originally, a lower spirit could never leave unscathed in the face of such power, but Mirian was freed from the enormous pressure due to her contract with Eugene.

“I will ask of you,” Eugene said.

“P-please, anything,” the vampire responded.

“The language of the Caylor Kingdom. Do you speak it?” Eugene asked.

“Yes, I do,” the vampire affirmed.

Eugene continued in the kingdom’s language, “Just a moment ago, you were speaking ‘butlers’ and ‘knights.’ Is that the hierarchy that exists among the vampires of Brantia?” 

The vampire didn’t even ponder why he asked such a question. Alice Bohem, a knight of the Markus family, blabbered under the direction of her soul.

“In Brantia, members of the Dark Clan are divided into seven ranks. Slave, servant, knight, butler, banneret, lord, and high lord. My humble self is one of Lord Markus’s four knights…” she explained.

‘Interesting.’

The information Eugene obtained from Alice, a female vampire knight, was similar to what he heard from Delmondo, but it was even more specific. First, among the four vampires he killed, three had been knights and one had been a butler. Butlers were direct subordinates or children of lords, and it was a position held by the most capable of the knights. Bannerets were knights under the direct control of high lords, and though they were lower than lords in rank, they were sometimes stronger than lords.

However, high lords and lords could transform others into members of the Tribe of the Night by injecting their blood into others, while bannerets could not.

‘So that’s why only those who are at least lords could be called nobles.’

“…It is very rare for there to be only one clan in a city. Lord Markus is of the Rivoles clan, and Lord Graham is of the Helmond Clan…” Alice continued.

However, Eugene raised his hand and stopped her. He had acquired quite a bit of important information.

“Stop. I will ask you another question.”

“Yes, great king,” Alice answered.

“The Rivoles Clan, which your Lord Markus belongs to. Is the head of that clan similar to me?” Eugene asked.

Alice’s pale face turned completely colorless at Eugene’s question. She started pounding her head against the floor while giving an answer. “This lowly servant has never even seen the high lord whom Lord Markus serves! Please forgive me for being unable to answer the question! I dare not say that I could possibly answer such a question!”

Eugene was disappointed by her answer.

He had hoped to possibly meet another Origin, but it appeared to be an impossible task to accomplish in Mungard.

“What is the relationship between your family and the Graham family?” Eugene asked.

“It’s neither good nor bad. Essentially, we have a competitive relationship with each other,” Alice answered.

In the end, it meant that vampires had a similar societal structure as human nobles and lords.

Eugene said nonchalantly. “Really? It seemed to me that you get along quite well considering that the mayor said that both of you conspired to kill me.”

“P-please kill me!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Alice shouted while pounding her head against the floor once more.

“Stop. Get up,” Eugene instructed.

“Yes, great king.” Alice struggled to prop herself up. Her forehead was covered in blood.

“Let’s go,” Eugene continued.

“Yes, yes!”

‘W-where are we going?’

But Alice dared not ask. In fact, she couldn’t even look Eugene in the eyes, and instead, she trembled with her head lowered.

Thuck! Thuck!

Eugene thrust Wolfslaughter into the hearts of the dead vampires. After their bodies had scattered into ashes, he turned toward Alice.

“What are you doing? Let’s go. To your master.”

“Y-yes!” Alice quickly answered before leading the way. It never even occurred to her that she was betraying her master. The overwhelming presence she was faced with did not allow for such thoughts.

***

“Knight Bohem.”

“You’re a little late.”

The gatekeeper vampires bowed politely after seeing Alice. They were guarding the gates leading into the mansion which overlooked the entirety of Mungard.

“And who might this knight be?” One of the gatekeepers asked. Eugene looked no different from a human knight with his Fear hidden. The gatekeeper’s transgression caused Alice to feel a sense of dread.

“How dare a mere servant! Shut up and open the door!” Alice shouted.

“I-I apologize, Knight Bohem,” the gatekeepers hurriedly apologized, as if to prove the strict bindings of the hierarchy.  

Alice turned her head slightly, then spoke to Eugene with a frightened, nervous expression. “L-let’s go in…”

Eugene nodded lightly before crossing the gate into Lord Markus’ mansion. The gatekeepers were quite surprised. They had never seen Alice acting so kindly to anyone before.

‘Hmm?’

A glint appeared in Eugene’s eyes as he overlooked the servants. His five senses had been fully activated since before he arrived at the mansion, and he detected something unusual. Three of the four servants standing guard had almost no difference in their odors, while one of them was subtly different.

However, Eugene feigned ignorance and followed Alice through the inner courtyard.

“Wow! I guess vampire lords must be rich! Look at this mansion,” Mirian chatted while looking around incessantly. Just as she said, the mansion of the vampire lord was very spacious and splendid.

‘It seems even better than my castle.’

Eugene felt a wave of subtle anger rising in his chest. At the same time, his anger toward Markus for daring to target him intensified.

“I will guide you personally.” Alice bowed deeply after arriving in front of the mansion’s main door. She then opened the door.

“…!”

Eugene frowned slightly before entering the mansion.

‘The servant with the different smell left the gate.’

Vampires possessed enhanced senses, but lower-ranked vampires could only utilize their heightened senses against other races or monsters. Alice could be considered to be on the cusp of intermediate rank as a ‘knight,’ but it appeared that she was oblivious to the disappearance of the servant, perhaps because of the extreme anxiety she had.

‘This is interesting.’

Eugene smiled coldly. Perhaps things would work out very easily.

“I will show you to Lord Markus.”

***

Eugene followed Alice through a long hallway filled with all kinds of paintings and decorations. Finally, they arrived in front of Lord Markus’ office.

Thump! Thump!

Alice knocked on the iron doorknob twice before opening the thick door without any difficulty. A man was seated in the office, which was lit by various lights. He jumped to his feet and raised his voice. “Alice! Where have you been? Why are you so late? Where are the others… Hmm? Who is that man?”

A glimmer appeared in the man’s eyes. He appeared to be in his mid-30s, and he was rather thin and of medium height.

Fwoooosh!

Eugene shot forward while erupting his Fear.

“Keugh…Agh!”

The man attempted to retaliate by releasing his own Fear, but Eugene grabbed him by the collar and raised him into the air. Eugene kicked Markus’ knee, and a dull thud announced the breaking of a bone.

“Kuwwwuuugh!” Markus howled in pain and fury. Simultaneously, a crimson energy began to engulf his figure.

Eugene immediately realized what Markus was planning to do.

‘Transformation?’

The foreign vampire was about to utilize the same transformation ability Eugene had gained when he consumed the red mana stone he acquired from the giant bat monster. Eugene forced Markus to the floor and pulled him hard by the collar before whispering. “You’d better quit unless you want to die.”

“…!”

As soon as Markus peered into the two glowing orbs of red inferno, the crimson energy that engulfed his body disappeared without a trace. At the same time, his body went limp as if he was a frog faced with a serpent.

Eugene threw Markus onto the floor. The vampire seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

Markus looked up at Eugene with trembling eyes, then he barely forced himself to speak, “I, a lowly servant scrounging the darkness of Rivoles! Greet the great king!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The vampire lord of Mungard, who ruled the city’s darkness for over a hundred years, pounded his head against the floor with both his legs broken.

***

“I have committed a grave sin by not recognizing your honored presence. I plead guilty to eternal extinction,” Markus said while trembling. His head was still held against the floor and both his knees were smashed broken.

Eugene looked down at Markus with interest.

‘I was expecting more from a lord, but he’s not even up to Galfredik’s level.’

Markus’s Vampire Fear had fallen short of Eugene’s expectations. However, Markus immediately started speaking in the Caylor Kingdom’s language after their initial dialogue. It appeared that he was quite quick-witted.

“I am willing to call it a mistake since you didn’t know who I was,” Eugene said.

“Your mercy is as wide as the sea, oh exalted one. Your lowly servant dares not express his gratitude, for I am unworthy,” Markus responded.

“It’s quite unsightly, so fix your legs,” Eugene continued.

“I will obey your orders,” Markus replied before slowly connecting his broken bones. Then, he knelt on one knee.

“From what I heard, you were planning to kill me with a guy named Graham. Is that true?” Eugene asked.

“Please kill me!” Markus shouted.

“I’ll kill you when I see fit, so just answer my questions,” Eugene said.

“T-that’s right. Our lowly selves had been blinded by greed. Please, I deserve to suffer eternal damnation…” Markus stammered through his words.

“You wanted my armor and my sword, didn’t you?” Eugene asked.

“P-please, kill m…” Markus started.

“If you say that one more time, I will really kill you,” Eugene interrupted.

Markus immediately paused his desperate shouting and closed his mouth. Eugene looked down at him for a moment before slowly walking toward the windows.

Click.

The night's cold air began to fill the room alongside his murderous intent.

“Mungard. Isn’t it rather small for two families to share?” Eugene stated.

“F-forgive me. Your humble servant is having a hard time understanding,” Markus responded.

“Let me put it plainly. According to the rules of your clan, what are you supposed to do if a member of another clan attempts to kill you?” Eugene asked.

“According to the Covenant of Blood, I am supposed to protect myself and kill the opponent,” Markus answered.

“I see. But right now, I’m keeping you alive, even though you tried to kill me. Furthermore…” Eugene paused before turning around. He looked over Markus and Alice before continuing. “I might let you live once more. So, what does that mean?”

“…?!”

Markus flinched before slowly raising his head. Eugene’s smile was as cold as the moonlight streaking through the window.

“It looks like the traitor of your family has brought those known as Graham.”