“…Betrayal?”

“Kieh? What do you mean?” the spirit asked with her head tilted. She had an innocent expression. It was quite disgusting that she didn’t even think about coming down from the shoulder of the hoodlum.

The feelings of betrayal and jealousy made Princess Lilisain’s lips quiver.

“This is why there is a saying that blue-haired spirits should not be taken in,” Princess Lilisain said.

“Kieh?”

“On behalf of His Majesty, I will punish the traitor,” Princess Lilisain added.

“Kieeeeh?!” Mirian squealed when Princess Lilisain aimed her sword at the spirit.

The mysterious evildoer stepped forward and interrupted, “Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute.”

“You who enticed the spirit with your evil powers. I will take care of you as well.”

Paaaa…

Princess Lilisain’s sword started to emit mana. The mysterious man muttered with astonishment upon seeing the phenomenon, “I’ve only heard stories about purebloods until now. This is quite amazing.”

“…” Princess Lilisain maintained a cold expression, but she was rather surprised. It was extremely rare for anyone to know that pureblooded elves belonging to the royal family of Eland were capable of utilizing mana. It appeared that the mysterious enemy was well-versed with the royal family of Eland. The man didn’t look like a wizard, so Princess Lilisain couldn’t help but wonder how he became privy to the information.

“I am Lilisain of Eland. Who are you?” Princess Lillisain asked in a civil manner, considering that her opponent was rather unusual. She had attacked first because she initially thought that Mirian was in danger, but now was the time for her to regain her cool. Moreover, the opponent hadn’t retaliated even after blocking her attack. It meant that the opponent was someone she could communicate with, regardless of their true identity.

“Are you asking for my distinguished self’s true name? That’s something I can’t tell just anyone,” the man responded.

“...”

Princess Lilisain couldn’t believe her ears. Even most great nobles wouldn’t refer to themselves with such a grandiose title. Was he out of his mind? Well, it certainly made sense. Even if he were a powerful figure, no one in their right mind would be hanging around in the middle of a volcano completely overwhelmed by monsters.

“But you seem to know this one’s master very well, so I will tell you one thing. This distinguished one is Georg,” the figure said.

The one who introduced himself as Georg continued with a grin, “And I think there’s a misunderstanding here. This undine did not betray her contractor.”

“…?!”

Princess Lilisain became slightly wide-eyed with shock, and Georg glanced at the puzzled Mirian before continuing, “It appeared that this one’s contractor was someone that my distinguished self was acquainted with. I was only trying to help her find them.”

“That’s right. Sir Princess Knight, mister distinguished self isn’t a bad person,” Mirian said.

“Traitor. Did you reveal information regarding His Majesty?” Princess Lilisain asked.

“No! Never!” Mirian shouted while urgently waving her hands. She fluttered to Princess Lilisain and quickly explained, “Sir Princess Knight. This little one would never turn my back. At first, mister distinguished threatened me, but I kept my mouth shut until the end. I really didn’t say anything.”

“The undine is telling the truth. Although she seems to be a little lacking, she is a very loyal fellow,” Georg chimed in.

However, Princess Lilisain did not withdraw her sword. She observed the two with questioning eyes. Then, Georg turned his gaze to Mirian with a smirk.

“Her loyalty is as great as yours. A spirit and even an elf… I envy your master for having such devoted talents around him.”

“Kiehem! At least you’re not completely clueless. Tru-be-to[1] where could you possibly find another talent like me? Mister distinguished, you need to let my master know exactly what you said just now,” Mirian said.

“I do not know what you mean by tru-be-to, but I understand,” the mysterious man responded. Princess Lilisain was left speechless at the interaction of the two. It was ridiculous how well the two of them seemed to be getting along. However, her hostility toward the man named Georg had considerably declined. He was still quite relaxed, and he hadn’t reacted in any way even though she had attacked him. Seeing as he had no intention of stopping Mirian from coming to her, it seemed he was without any malice.

“Changing topic. First of all, what is your purpose? What are you doing here?” Princess Lilisain asked in an icy voice. She still harbored suspicions about Georg.

Georg responded nonchalantly, “It’s not something I can tell just anyone, but I will brief you since you seem to be particularly well-acquainted with the contractor of the undine.”

The smile disappeared off of Georg’s face as he continued, “Something has happened in this place, has it not? That’s probably why the contractor of the undine has come.”

“…!”

“The advent of my distinguished self is also due to the same reason,” Georg continued.

“Unbelievable. There is no evidence that you are not involved in this matter,” Princess Lilisain retorted.

“You will find out the truth when we meet with the undine’s master. By the way, you seem quite busy. Are you sure you can afford to waste your time wrestling words with me?” Georg said.

“Hmm.” Princess Lilisain hesitated. As Georg said, she had no time to waste. However, she couldn’t simply disregard someone as suspicious as Georg. Although he wasn’t showing any hostility toward her, she didn’t know how he might change once they came to face Eugene.

“You are quite the suspicious one, aren’t you? The long-ears used to be so naïve in the past. Things sure have changed,” Georg remarked.

“What do you mean by that?” Princess Lilisain asked.

“Hoho. It’s just some personal matter. Anyway, if you are suspicious of me, why don’t we do this?”

Georg raised his hands as if he were surrendering, then continued, “You are going to meet with the master of the undine after you finish your work, right? I will accompany you until then.”

“…!!!”

“I promise not to disturb you. Well, I can also provide help if you ask as well. You may not know, but my promise is very valuable,” Georg said.

Princess Lilisain contemplated. Given that Georg had easily blocked her attack, he was definitely no ordinary man. Although it hurt her pride, she had to admit that it was probably impossible for her to subdue the man by herself. However, it would be a different story along with the other elves and the beowulf warriors. Above all else…

‘If it’s His Majesty Eugene…’

The brazen man would be helpless.

“I accept,” Princess Lilisain said.

“Good. Then can you get rid of that sword?” the man asked.

“Impossible,” Princes Lilisain replied.

“Long-ears are so strict…” Georg grumbled quietly before following behind Princess Lilisain.

***

Eugene came to stand at a high peak after eliminating all the monsters hanging around the lake and feeding on their blood.

“Hmm.”

He couldn’t secure a good view of the surroundings because of the clouds looming around the top of Mount Felipoa. Eugene took a breath before slowly activating his Fear. The crimson current started circling his body, then began to move along with his gaze. Eugene raised his right hand holding the demonic spear Madarazika.

Woooooong!

The Fear swirling around him began to gather, and Madarazika trembled with joy. The spear was colored bright red as if it were just taken out of the forge.

Craaack! Craack!

Fear fluctuated and crackled around the spear like bolts of lightning. Eugene reared back like a bow.

“Kuaaaaaaaaghh!”

Eugene let loose a mighty roar as he threw Madarazika.

Kwaaaaaaaaa!!!

Madarazika soared upward like a red meteor and penetrated the gray clouds covering the top of the mountain.

Fwoooosh!

The Fear wrapped around the spear instantly drove away the clouds. A pole with a diameter less than half of a palm had caused clouds spanning tens of thousands times its width to disappear. A huge cylindrical path emerged in the middle of the gray clouds as if a giant had exhaled downward.

Shuaaaack!

Eugene received Madarazika as it returned after completing its mission, then stared at the sight he had created. As the clouds obscuring the giant volcano parted, bright sunlight pierced the gaps, creating warm paths measuring hundreds of meters. It was truly a spectacular sight.

“That really worked. No, in the first place, can I really do something like this?” Eugene muttered. He was suddenly struck with a sudden doubt about his power. This wasn’t something a human could do. What he had utilized was an ‘authority,’ something that existed in a different reality than simply conquering evil lands and accumulating achievements on the battlefield. He wondered how he would react to a being with such powers if he were a human monarch or a noble. He would be afraid because he couldn’t understand, and his fear would soon transform into discrimination.

Eugene could finally understand why the central church of the Caylor Kingdom had been so desperate to kill vampires. Of course, it wasn’t that all vampires were as powerful as he, but it was clear that the central church of the Caylor Kingdom and their higher institutions—the Holy Empire and the Papacy—knew the power and authority Origins possessed. The only difference was that one had decided upon rejection, while the other accepted and attempted to bring it under control before it became a threat.

‘The reason why there aren’t any Origins in other countries is…’

Romari had stated that there were other Origins. The other vampires, including Delmondo, also knew about the existence of Origins. However, Eugene still hadn’t encountered another Origin until now, which brought him to the conclusion that no Origins resided in any of the places he had visited until now. Considering the various circumstances, it was highly likely that the existing Origins were in the Roman Empire.

If the other Origins were as powerful as him, the Roman Empire would have done everything in its power to keep them in its boundaries. It was much preferable to embrace an existence capable of challenging a force of thousands, or even tens of thousands, rather than antagonizing them.

However…

‘No matter how much I think about it, it feels like I would be the strongest…’

Even though clans represented far more than just blood ties or familial relations, the fact that the vampire high lords had turned their backs on their own clans was enough evidence of that. They hadn’t simply surrendered to a greater power but had genuinely submitted themselves to him in awe.

‘But Crown Prince Voltaire doesn’t know that. It’s probably the same for the clan masters by his side.’

An irregular. Could he be a mutant?

‘No.’

Eugene released his Fear once again while looking down. The monsters were left defenseless as the darkness faded and the brilliant sunlight established control once more.

“A predator is more becoming than a mutant, right?”

Eugene still didn’t know who he was and why he possessed such monstrous power. He did not know why he lost his memories and why his powers had been sealed. However, no matter what, he was still himself.

It didn’t matter who he was up against, whether it be the Roman Empire, the Holy Empire, the Demon World, demons, or even…

‘Even gods.’

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. He would use his power when he wanted, and for himself. He was a predator and an absolute. He was a vampire lord who could afford to do so.

***

“…?!”

Galfredik and the vampire high lords stood in awe as the clouds and fog suddenly disappeared, giving way to the brilliance of the sun. Then, they sensed a powerful Fear.

“Hmm!”

“Oh! Ohh…!”

Galfredik and the two vampire high lords trembled with an indescribable sense of exaltation. Even though they hadn’t been feeding, the satisfaction they felt was greater than when they drank the fresh blood of intermediate and high-ranking monsters. Even the undead twin-headed ogre raised its head with its eyes colored red.

“Did you feel it as well?” Galfredik asked with slight excitement. His entire body was filled with fighting spirit and awe.

The two vampire high lords nodded vigorously. “Yes. The great one has graced us humble ones with his marvelous authority.”

“Then let’s show off our skills,” Galfredik said while allowing his Fear to run free.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The Origin’s vassal and the two high lords released their Fear at once. The crimson stream spread out in all directions like a flame and dispelled the fog. The area of a hundred meters in all directions had become the territory of the vampires.

Although they had been incorporated into human society, they were still vampires. They were bloodthirsty creatures of the Dark Clan. They could disregard their title, status, and the gazes of others at this moment and allow themselves to rampage as members of the Tribe of Darkness. After all, their master and sole ruler had given them permission.

Kuwuuuuuuugh!!!

The vampire knights kicked off of the ground as an authoritative, wild roar erupted from the summit of the mountain.

1. She’s just condensing the phrase truth be told. ☜