“You think the highest-ranking members of the vampire clans are on their way?” Eugene asked.

“Yes, Master. Petrucca’s nobles have stepped up to put pressure on them, so they won’t just be standing still,” Delmondo responded.

“You’ve done a great job.”

“You flatter me. I only relied on your soaring reputation, Master,” Delmondo said while humbly bowing his head. Contrary to Delmondo’s words; however, Eugene realized that Delmondo had put in a tremendous amount of effort.

So what if he was a count of Brantia? In the Roman Empire, and especially in ancient capitals like the City of Petrucca, such a thing was valued even less than imperial knighthood.

So what if he had enough money to purchase a large manor and dozens of servants? Nobles blind to the reality of the world would get robbed in cities like Petrucca until they had nothing but dust in their pockets within just half a year. And it was obvious how the vampires of the city had threatened and coaxed him at first. Despite the hardships, Delmondo managed to become a well-known figure in the city in only a year. Moreover, he had gained enough status to exert influence over vampires with higher status than himself.

“By the way, has there been no contact or movement from your original clan? Noferos, right?” Eugene asked.

“…!” Delmondo flinched. He gave a cautious response, “There are many wanderers in Noferos. In particular, you must establish your own territory as a wanderer to become a lord or a banneret. As such, members of Noferos rarely come to cities like this where there are many members of other clans.”

“That certainly makes sense. If they are unfortunate enough to encounter any high-ranking vampires, they would get smashed apart right away. Just like when you first met me,” Eugene responded.

“I-I count myself the luckiest vampire to have encountered you, Master…” Delmondo muttered.

“Kieh? What was it that you said when you first met Sir Eugene, old man? ‘Kneel. For the cold, pure blood of the Noferos flows in my veins…’”

“Keugh!”

Delmondo took on a pale expression when Mirian mockingly mimicked him

“Hmm. Did he say that?” Eugene asked.

Mirian responded, “He did! I almost knelt down right on the spot because of his dignified appearance.”

“P-please…” Delmondo begged while bowing his head. He felt ashamed to be reminded of the biggest mistake in his life. He could not believe he had uttered such stupid words to an Origin of all vampires… If he could travel to the past, he would surely tie his own tongue.

Both Mirian and Eugene chuckled before the latter continued, “Anyway, which clan’s master is most likely to come in person?”

“Helmond and Rivoles are the most likely candidates. They have already had quite a few encounters with you, Master. They even sent high lords in the past as well,” Delmondo answered. In addition, even though it was unknown to the public, the high lords of the two clans had either died at Eugene’s hands or surrendered to Eugene. Even if the vampire families were quite independent of each other, such a critical situation wouldn’t have gone unnoticed.

“Helmond and Rivoles…” Eugene muttered.

“Helmond is known to be well versed in black magic, and Rivoles is quite powerful with many knights and bannerets. It is possible that the masters of the two clans would have magic and strength as their specialties,” Delmondo said.

“I see. And if the masters of the two clans come to Petrucca, how do you think they would contact me?” Eugene asked.

“The way of our tribe would be to contact you secretly after sunset. However, vampires of the empire’s clans, especially the high nobles, are particularly picky about dignity and courtesy. They will either send you an official invitation or notify you of their intention to visit,” Delmondo responded.

“I don’t think they would act like that considering how their high lords had tried to plot against me,” Eugene said with a smirk. The vampire high lords he had encountered had plotted insidious schemes before suffering a crushing defeat at his hands. Eugene truly wondered if the clan masters would be any different.

“That’s because they weren’t in the empire,” Delmondo said.

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t there plenty of knights and nobles whose sense of honor and dignity fluctuate depending on the time and place? The same goes for the vampires of the empire. In addition, not knowing your true face had to be a concern for them. And they would want to check whether the rumors are true or not as well,” Delmondo continued.

“So, they will act politely at first?” Eugene asked.

Delmondo answered, “Yes. And if I may dare, I think it would be better to ignore their invitations and provoke them to come in person instead.”

“Hmm? Why is that?” Eugene asked.

“I think this place would be better if a conflict broke out…” Delmondo answered carefully.

Eugene chuckled. “The clan masters must truly be amazing for you to be so wary.”

“I apologize. I was being presumptuous,” Delmondo immediately responded.

Eugene shook his head. “You were simply concerned about me. But I don’t think it would be a bad idea if I accepted their invitations.”

“…?”

Delmondo looked puzzled. Eugene’s smile deepened as he explained, “Even mutts have the advantage in their homes, right? Humans and vampires, they’re all the same. They become careless in their own homes. Besides, shouldn’t they have the same ideas as we have? You, me, them… We’re all vampires, aren’t we?”

“Ah…!”

It was just as Eugene said. Their opponents were vampires; they were members of the race known for being crafty and insidious. They would play dirty without hesitation, utilizing all sorts of trickery.

“I was blind. I must have lost my head during the time I imitated the nobles here. Please forgive me,” Delmondo said.

“No. I took that into account when I first sent you here,” Eugene responded.

“You mean…”

“You haven’t really acted as a vampire during your time here, as you relied mostly on my reputation, right?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. I was extremely careful in everything I did, as I could damage your reputation with my words and actions, Master,” Delmondo responded. He had been a true gentleman and a nobleman during his time in Petrucca. In particular, he had done everything he could to protect his master’s honor after revealing his identity as Eugene’s agent, even going as far as to make donations. Delmondo was responsible for casting Eugene in a positive light in the City of Petrucca.

“The vampires here will probably project my identity from what they had seen in you. They will judge me by how you have acted and what you have said over the year. They might even consider me to be very fair and honorable, unlike the other members of the tribe,” Eugene said.

“Ah…”

“And they should be debating whether to send an invitation or to notify me of their intention to visit, just as you mentioned. Maybe they will even come secretly at night, like a rat. But… would they ever consider the opposite?” Eugene asked.

“…!”

“K-kieh! Sir, don’t tell me…?”

Delmondo and Mirian seemed to have come to a realization. Eugene continued while revealing his fangs in a smile. “Tell them all to come. Let them know that I will go personally if they don’t like it.”

“T-then the invitation…” Delmondo said.

Eugene interrupted. “No, it’s not an invitation.”

Eugene stood up from his seat before speaking with a somber expression, “It’s an order to gather.”

Why would he need to bother with all the useless, tiresome work? He had no reason to show mercy if the opponents were vampires.

***

“The count is calling for me?”

“Yes. Come quickly.”

Hymer could not hide his bewilderment at the unexpected summon. As a spy of Lord Mehen, the master of the Rivoles Clan’s branch in Petrucca, he had been disguising himself as a swordsman of the Black Dragon Manor for the last half a year.

“W-why? Why is he calling for me?” he asked.

“How would I know? You didn’t cause an accident or anything, right?”

“Huh?! What kind of accident would I cause?” he asked brazenly while quickly devising a plan to escape from the manor. Had his identity been discovered?

“Really? Then, why did he say for you to come quickly without trying anything useless?”

“…!”

Hymer stiffened on the spot. It appeared that he had been caught. He instantly regretted taking a request from vampires.

“Anyway, hurry up.”

“Ah, r-right,” Hymer forced a smile on his face before leaving his quarters.

‘What should I do?’

Hymer was contemplating whether he should attempt to escape or not when he suddenly felt a strange sensation and looked up.

“Hiek…!”

He unknowingly squealed. A fair, red-eyed young man was smiling right in front of him.

“A human belonging to a vampire clan? Which clan are you from?” the young man asked. Although the person in question wasn’t accompanied by any attendants and possessed no weapons, Hymer couldn’t even breathe properly in front of the young man. The beautiful young man looked no different from a human nobleman. However, Hymer knew that the young man was the King of Maren and a vampire, as evidenced by the fang jutting out between his lips. And unlike any of the vampires Hymer knew, the young man was showing his face even in broad daylight. The rumor was indeed true—the King of Maren was a high-ranking vampire of at least high lord status.

“I-I-I… the R-Rivoles…”

“I see. Helmond, Samit, Rivoles… Quite a few have crawled in. Anyway, you were just about to run, right?” Eugene asked.

“W-what? N-no, it’s not like that…” Hymer muttered.

“Since you’re already on your way, then deliver a message for me. Whoever is in charge has three days to get their ass over here, clan master or whatever. If they don’t come, tell them that I will be visiting them personally. And make sure you remind them that it won’t be fun and games if they force to go,” Eugene continued.

“…!!!”

Eugene turned around while leaving Hymer awkwardly standing there in shock.

“The weather is quite nice today,” Eugene commented.

“It’s super-duper good! The gold coins are even shinier, too! Kihehehe!”

Hymer’s gaze turned blank as he watched the king step away under the sun with a faint ball of light hovering around him.

***

The spies in the manor, including Hymer, all left on that day. There were guards, maids, handymen, and others. They had been sent by families of vampire clans based in the City of Petrucca. It was common for the clans to send humans instead of vampires so that they could avoid any possible suspicion. They had been counting on the fact that a foreigner unfamiliar with the vampire society of the Roman Empire would never think that vampires would cooperate with humans and other races. However, Delmondo previously served as an official in the Roman Empire. He was well aware of their tactics and allowed the spies into the manor.

However, even that decision was among Eugene’s instructions. The vampires would not judge Delmondo by how he acted outside while interacting with the nobles of Petrucca but by how he spent his days in the comfort of his home. Moreover, information about Delmondo was an important criterion for accurately grasping the one he was serving. As such, Petrucca’s vampires had made a judgment about Eugene as well after collecting information through their spies.

Eugene was a man with a plan, but he was timid and thrifty, as expected of someone who had experienced a sudden rise to fame. They concluded that Eugene had sent an agent with a plan to increase and expand his reputation in the Roman Empire.

Therefore, they were struck with disbelief when their spies were suddenly revealed and when they were delivered an astounding message.

“G-get my ass over there…?”

“Y-yes, Lord Mehen. That’s exactly what he said. T-the king himself.”

“…!”

Surprisingly, the spy was untouched even though their identity had been discovered, and the message they brought with them was truly shocking.

Lord Mehen and his subordinate vampires wore incredulous expressions.

But then the atmosphere around them changed in an instant…

“How dare he?!”

“It seems that becoming the king of a little city from nowhere has gone to his head!”

“He’s a mere roamer who doesn’t know anything about the rules of the clans!”

“We must discipline him in the ways of our strict laws, my lord!”

The vampires of the Mehen family roared in fury. They did not bother hiding their anger and Fear as they demanded action from Lord Mehen.

‘T-these crazy bloodsuckers…’

Hymer felt faint when he saw the vampires growling with their fangs revealed. However, even in the midst of fear, he remained true to his duties as a spy.

“L-lord Mehen. And the rest of you…” Hymer started.

“…?!”

Hymer felt his pants dampen as dozens of red eyes jerked in his direction. Even so, he continued, “W-when he came to see me today… The King of Maren was dressed casually.”

“What about it?” Lord Mehen asked.

“W-well… His face and arm were revealed in the sun,” Hymer replied.

“…!!!”

The vampires were startled. Yesterday had been a bleak, cloudy day. As such, even vampires lower than lord-class could have roamed during the day if they covered their entire bodies with clothes and wore hoods or masks.

However, today was different.

It would be impossible for any vampire to go outside today unless they were a daywalker of at least high lord status or they were completely covered. However, the King of Maren had actually revealed his skin in the sun?

There was only one thing it could represent...

“H-he truly is on the level of a high lord…” Lord Mehen muttered with shock.

Could it be that the many rumors were…

‘No. That’s impossible. And even if that’s the case…’

Lord Mehen looked around at the frozen vampires and raised his voice. “Tomorrow, the great monarch of Rivoles will attend to this place! The great one will condemn this arrogant man!”

The expressions of the vampires brightened. They would only have to wait a single day.

However, all of a sudden…

Boooom!!!

“Huaagh!”

The door of the sitting room was smashed to pieces. It was out of the blue, and Lord Mehen hadn’t even detected anything!

The vampires were stupefied as they stared at the broken door.

“Since you have heard the message, you should have immediately rushed over. Were you really planning to wait three days? What else did I even expect from fucking vampires?!”

An overwhelming, powerful Fear accompanied the cold voice, and it began to apply pressure on Lord Mehen and the vampires. This was the first time they were ever faced with something so overbearing.