“World domination could be said to be the foundation and the obligation of the demon king! We can seduce the crown prince and swallow the empire—Kiek!” the spirit muttered after having been blinded by greed. However, she was quickly flicked away to a corner by Eugene.

Eugene ignored the mushy spirit and stared at Master Helmond, who had been unexpectedly liberated from the Power of Word due to the interference.

“Vampires rule the world? That’s funny. Do you really think that’s possible?” Eugene asked.

“…”

The three masters, with the exception of Rivoles, simply stared at Eugene with embarrassment without answering. They could put up an argument, but they knew exactly the type of existence Eugene was. It was simply sacrilegious to argue against the words of someone who was equivalent—or perhaps even greater than the three beings in the imperial castle. As such, they had no choice but to listen to Eugene’s words while prostrating themselves.

“Let’s just pretend that the yellow bastard really became one of us after his ascension to the throne. Do you really think that the knights and nobles of the Roman Empire will just stand still? And what about the other kingdoms? In all likelihood, they will unite around the Holy Empire and declare war against our tribe,” Eugene said.

They could fight. Struggling was the fate of the Dark Clan, so they could fight for glory... Eugene could tell at first glance that the clan masters were having such thoughts. So, he continued, “If vampires were neglected and marginalized in the vampire society, then a fight could just be right. If that were so, I would have stepped up first. But aren’t you the ones enjoying all kinds of wealth and prosperity in the empire, which included even titles? Oi, you.”

“Yes! Oh, great one,” Master Todor hurriedly bowed while prostrating on the ground. He had completely submitted himself to Eugene after confirming Eugene’s Fear.

“When was the last time you hunted monsters? No. When was the last time you had to fight with your life on the line? The last time you fought to get something?” Eugene asked.

“T-that’s…” Master Todor stuttered at the unexpected question.

“Never mind. I had no expectations, after all,” Eugene said before turning his cold eyes toward Master Samit and Rivoles.

“And what about you? When was the last time you fought fiercely… as a member of the Dark Clan and a knight?” Eugene asked.

“…”

Master Samit dropped her head in embarrassment and fear.

Master Rivoles responded apologetically, “It has been more than twenty years.”

“Do you even remember how to fight?” Eugene asked.

“…I apologize.”

Eugene had realized it as soon as he encountered the vampire clan leaders. They did not have much experience fighting for their lives. However, it may be natural. After all, who would dare to pick a fight with the rulers of the night, especially those with noble titles in the Roman Empire?

“All of you are insignificant,” Eugene stated. They were pathetic and comical. It was unbelievable to think such creatures were kings of the clan that ruled the night, and it was preposterous to think that they had considered themselves detainees and had been acting accordingly.

Eugene growled while revealing his fangs. “You lot are domesticated sheep. What the Roman Empire and the Holy Empire offered you were both peace and shackles, and you accepted it. And that means you have the responsibility to maintain it. But now, you actually have the delusion of turning the yellow bastard into a vampire and making him the emperor? You want to put the empire at the feet of the tribe? Dishonorable idiots.”

The vampire masters trembled at Eugene’s words. It wasn’t because they were offended, or their pride was hurt. Rather, it was because they were terribly afraid of Eugene. They were afraid of the anger of the great monarch who had made them submit.

“You don’t even remember the last time you fought, so do you really think you can handle the challenge of the entire world?” Eugene asked.

“…” The masters remained silent.

Eugene declared while looking down at them, “You aren’t qualified.”

***

“Hmm.” Crown Prince Voltaire hummed while being attended by slaves in a large, elegant carriage of the imperial family. It had been the right decision to return to the empire by land instead of taking the sea route. Although it had taken longer, he had succeeded in forming meaningful relationships with various territories and kingdoms.

‘Well, it’s only natural since the future emperor had visited them in person. Hoho.’

Crown Prince Voltaire smiled with satisfaction as he recalled the scene of nobles and lords groveling in front of him. He had not visited them simply to receive respect and treatment as the next ruler of the empire. It was all because of one man—the King of Maren.

‘You had me waste my time meeting all these insignificant people…’

Jan Eugene Batla had truly been intimidating when he met the man in question face-to-face in Maren. The three Origins, or ‘her’ to be exact had warned him beforehand, but he wasn’t fully prepared. And he—the future emperor had been fear.

“Hmm…” Crown Prince Voltaire unknowingly gritted his teeth in humiliation and anger. The slaves lowered themselves further with surprise.

‘If I can’t pressure him, then I will pressure Maren instead. You are a monarch as well, so it will be hard for you to ignore your country’s crisis.’

The King of Maren was strong. However, even if the monarch was strong himself, the nation was still quite ordinary. It would have no choice but to give in if several kingdoms rallied with the Roman Empire and put pressure on it. Moreover, Maren was a port city. It was a nation founded by merchants sensitive to the flow of money. Those merchants would definitely crawl on their own if several countries blocked imports and exports while significantly raising the tariffs.

‘Maren will abandon you. Then, all you have left will be Brantia.’

A mere island. It would take less than a month to occupy it if he sent over a proud legion of the empire, as well as the soldiers and knights of various countries. After he was done forcing Brantia to its knees, Jan Eugene Batla would have nothing left. The best he could do was to stick by Essandra Archivold’s side.

“Only if you had lowered your head to me… No, only if you had recognized and respected me. Your fate would have been different.”

However, it no longer mattered. Crown Prince Voltaire had no doubt that he would become the strongest vampire in history once he turned into a member of the Dark Clan. Even the three figures in the imperial castle would surely not consider him as an easy target by then. Of course, he would have to share some of his authority with them.

“But before that… I need to take care of you first,” Crown Prince Voltaire muttered in an icy voice while thinking of someone other than Eugene. For him to become a vampire as someone who succeeded the glorious golden blood, he needed golden blood that was more powerful than his own. At first, he attempted to obtain it from his father—the emperor—who was currently confined in a secret, unreachable place. However, the blood of the aging emperor had already lost some of its mystery. As such, Crown Prince Voltaire needed another source of pure golden blood. He made various excuses and disguised events as minor accidents to obtain a little bit of blood from his siblings and other members of the imperial family. And after experimenting, he came to realize that Third Prince Localope possessed ‘pure blood’ that would have originally set him up as the next emperor. In other words, Localope was a necessary sacrifice for Voltaire, so he could become a member of the Dark Clan, while simultaneously being the biggest obstacle on his path to the throne. That was why Voltaire had persistently tracked his brother Localope even though the latter had already left the empire and had even wandered as far as Brantia.

‘Hoho. The more the King of Maren runs wild, the worse it will become for you. You won’t be able to escape the sin of treason, Localope. The day you return to the empire will be your funeral.’

Crown Prince Voltaire laughed in satisfaction at his plan. It was truly perfect. It was then when he was interrupted by a knock and the opening of the carriage door.

“Your Highness. An urgent letter has arrived from the governor of Petrucca.”

“The governor of Petrucca? Hmm…” Crown Prince Voltaire was slightly puzzled as he accepted the letter. Petrucca was a large city, but it was a self-governing city not under the direct control of the empire, so it didn’t have much contact with the imperial family. The governor of the city was a supporter of the emperor, but it had to be impossible for him to have met the emperor in person for several years after the emperor was secretly confined.

Crown Prince Voltaire’s eyes slowly widened as he skimmed through the letter.

“…?!”

With an incredulous expression, he read the letter once again from top to bottom. And once he was finished, his lips raised in a twisted smile.

“Hehe… Huhahahahahaha!”

The Crown Prince laughed boisterously.

“I’ve read it, so burn it.”

“Yes…”

Crown Prince Voltaire held out the crumpled letter before leaning back on the soft sofa before speaking, “Change the destination. Get on the path to Petrucca. And tell the messenger that I will be heading to Petrucca.”

“As you wish...”

The carriage started to move slowly. Crown Prince Voltaire slowly sipped and savored the wine that filled his crystal glass while grinning.

“He has been caught? Isn’t this proof that even the gods are with me?”

Capturing Jan Eugene Batla was no different than getting his hands on Localope. Crown Prince Voltaire’s heart became filled with immense anticipation. He was so close to the seat of the absolute. And he could already see the light at the end of the path, which had forced him to detain his own father and was now about to force him to remove his own brother.

***

King Jan Eugene Batla was subdued and detained by the master of the Rivoles Clan—the surprising news quickly spread to the nobles of Petrucca in a few days. Everyone was in doubt, but the rumor came from the Government General. Moreover, the vampires of the Rivoles Clan neither denied nor affirmed the rumor, so it became solidified as the truth. Eugene had made himself known through incredible achievements in recent years, and the fall of the vampire knight raised quite a few concerns. Many expected a war to break out. After all, Eugene wasn’t just an ordinary noble but a monarch of a nation. Some predicted that the King of Maren would become subordinate to the Rivoles Clan in exchange for his submission, while others assumed that the Dukedom of Maren would become subordinate to the Roman Empire. Many of such predictions were the topics of gossip.

The Governer of Petrucca, Count Rudiger, was slightly taken aback by the rumors, but he had expected most of them. Therefore, he patiently waited for Crown Prince Voltaire’s reply, as Crown Prince Voltaire was the only person who could wrap the situation up in his stead. However, Count Rudiger was soon faced with an unexpected situation.

The knights of the empire doubtful about Eugene’s achievements and reputation visited the governor as they burned with the intent to challenge.

“Please arrange a duel with the King of Maren.”

“Huh?! Sir. Do you think that makes any sense? Moreover, the king has already lost to the master of the Rivoles Clan. A defeated—”

“I; no, we cannot believe that.”

“W-what?” Count Rudiger was dumbfounded as he looked at the knights. All of them were quite famous in Petrucca and the nearby regions.

“The master of the Rivoles Clan is not a knight. He must have overpowered the King of Maren with special tricks.”

“The King of Maren might have lost to the Rivoles Clan’s master as a member of the Dark Clan, but the King of Maren is a knight. He must fight a duel fair and square as a knight.”

“Knights from all over the world—including Maren—will mock our empire if this becomes known. They will say that we do not know honor and chivalry. So, please arrange a showdown between the King of Maren and us as soon as possible.”

“No, that’s not…” Count Rudiger was flabbergasted. The knights weren’t dumb and ignorant, and the argument was highly logical. Certainly, it had been for similar reasons why he passed the baton to the Crown Prince without making a decision on the issue regarding the King of Maren. If the King of Maren had been overpowered and defeated in a legitimate confrontation, it would have been considered a highly honorable method of winning, and the victory would have been honorable as well. However, no one knew exactly how and when the King of Maren came to Petrucca and how Master Rivoles had subdued him. As such, the City of Petrucca would land between a rock and a hard place if Maren made an issue out of it.

“Your Excellency. Even if we are allowed a duel with the king, there won’t be anything bad for you,” one of the knights said.

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Count Rudiger asked. He was in a large dilemma since he couldn’t simply reject the request of the knights, as they all came from noble, prestigious families.

“Regardless of whether he wins or loses against us, he has already been secured by a vampire clan, right? Even if we lose, that fact won’t change. Moreover…”

“Hmm?”

“If one of us defeated him… What better outcome is there than a legitimate battle with spectators?”

“And please keep in mind that he is in a weakened state right now. You must know what it means to be defeated in a battle between members of the Dark Clan.”

That was the decisive reason behind the knights’ request. Even in a battle between ordinary knights, the losing side would still greatly suffer. It was impossible for the loser to remain unscathed in a battle between powerful vampires. Even wolves stood a chance against a lion—the king of beasts—if the latter were seriously injured.

“Hooh…”

Count Rudiger’s expression quickly changed at the plausible explanation of the knights.