Dungeons, labyrinths, ruins…

There were many types of evil lands in the world. Evil lands served as hatcheries and homes for monsters. It was the home of evil monsters hostile to humans and filled with murderous instincts. It wasn’t known exactly how many evil lands existed throughout the world. It was estimated that there were about a hundred evil lands that were subjugated at least once, but no one knew for sure if there were undiscovered evil lands in forests, valleys, and islands. It could only be assumed that there was an evil land nearby if a great number of roamers were in the area.

There were also many divided opinions on when evil lands first appeared. Although there were records that priests and holy knights of the Holy Empire were the ones to explore the first evil lands, there were also records of monsters increasing in frequency even before that. In any case, with the passage of time, people became insensitive to the origin of the evil lands and the reason for their appearance.

Evil lands were definitely home to monsters hostile to humans, but simultaneously, human lives had improved due to the expansion of technology and commerce that accompanied the discovery of mana stones and monsters by-products. Over the years, evil lands became a part of everyone’s life, and no one was curious about their origins anymore.

“The passage through which you came to this world. That which could be called the first evil land is located beneath the Roman Empire’s imperial castle,” Georg said.

“…!”

Eugene had been mistaken to think that there wouldn’t be any more surprises.

Georg then continued with a grin. It appeared he was rather pleased to see Eugene’s surprised look.

“Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you have a guess? You must have known that the passage you used would exist somewhere in the world. Oh, are you surprised because it’s at the imperial castle?”

“…”

When Eugene’s eyes glimmered coldly, Georg hurriedly erased the smirk off of his face and continued. “Ehem! Anyway! The human emperor must have some knowledge about the first passage. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that a castle was erected on top of the first passage. They must have built the castle because they knew something.”

“The emperor?” Eugene asked.

“That’s right. At least, the human who founded the Roman Empire must have known something. When I asked the prince, he said that the founding emperor built the castle there despite strong opposition. There was a separate city designated to serve as the capital, but the emperor remained stubborn,” Georg answered.

“…”

Georg continued while gauging Eugene’s reaction, “I heard that the vampires who call themselves Origin are in the imperial castle, right? Why would they stay there? I think that they know about the first passage as well. That should be why could rebuild the passageways in many places to induce what you call a monster uprising. They must have studied the first passage.”

Eugene agreed without saying anything. It finally made sense why the Marecasio were staying at the imperial castle and how they were able to cause the monster uprising. In addition, he had a passing thought that the relationship between the Roman Empire and vampires, especially himself, was deeper than he initially imagined.

‘Does this mean that I knew the founder?’

It was highly likely, although it couldn’t be said for certain what kind of a relationship he had with them. However, after contemplating it, he could assume that the founding emperor was an ally rather than an enemy, as the Marecasio were staying in the imperial castle under the protection of the previous emperors.

‘No… The Marecasio were involved with me losing my memories. Perhaps…’

It was possible that both the Marecasio and the emperor were his enemies. It felt as if the answer to one question gave birth to another question. Of course, it no longer mattered. He would soon arrive at the imperial castle and come to face the Marecasio.

But before that…

“Hey…” Eugene called out.

“Huh? Why did you call me?” Georg answered. He felt rather uneasy after hearing Eugene’s voice, but he tried his best to hide it.

“You… The first passage under the imperial castle… You’re here to get rid of that, aren’t you?” Eugene asked.

“...” Georg nodded awkwardly after a moment.

“That’s right. That’s the only passage you could use to cross over.”

“As expected...”

“Well… I’ll trust that you will keep your promise not to return,” Georg said. In other words, he was asking for permission to destroy the first passage.

“Fine. But…” Eugene started.

“…?”

“If you do anything suspicious, the promise is off. Do you understand?” Eugene asked.

“Oh, what do you mean suspicious? There’s going to be no such—”

“You’d better keep that in mind.” Eugene interrupted with a fierce gaze.

Georg nodded with a shudder. “Ah, I got it. I will keep that in mind.”

***

Five imperial legions gathered near the capital. The army alone had more than fifteen thousand soldiers and more than twenty thousand total personnel with the supply units. Although the Roman Empire possessed far more troops, this was the maximum number they could immediately mobilize.

“We must have them situated facing Paolo!”

“What are you talking about?! Don’t you know that Efelgros could be split right down the middle if the traitors decided to maneuver in that direction?”

“His Highness the Third Prince is leading the army! Can we really label them as traitors?”

“Nonsense! His Highness the Crown Prince has been detained!”

“But His Majesty the Emperor was—”

“Shut your mouth! I cannot believe that you are paying attention to such a wicked lie! Sir, can you truly call yourself a high official of our great empire!?”

“Lie? On that note, what you say about His Highness the Third Prince…”

The officials of the empire were on edge due to the message they had received, and they continued to raise their voices day after day. With the current situation, they had failed to even delegate a commander-in-chief for the five imperial legions. One of the five legion commanders would have to take on the role of leading the army, but with the absence of both the emperor and the crown prince, no one could assign a commander-in-chief. Although the empress or the second prince could make a decision according to the procedure, the empress had already passed away, and the emperor didn’t look for another wife. In addition, the second prince had already given up any lingering attachments to the throne and had basically holed up in his territory. A messenger had been sent in a hurry, but there was no reply yet.

For this reason, the high officials of the empire secretly pushed for members of the imperial family who had good relationships with their own families. However, there was no one suitable or capable of taking on the vacancy of command. If a candidate stood out a little, other officials would come together to drop their competitor, which added to the overall confusion.

“The minister of state has to step up! Lord Kelbear is the only one suited to overcome the current predicament and lead the great empire…”

“In absence of His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, the military authority is with the Minister of Attendants! He has always served the two at close proximity, so…”

“Let’s just leave it to the commander of the first legion! Sir Loen is a true knight of His Majesty the Emperor and…”

It felt like a marketplace rather than the great hall of the imperial castle. Suddenly, the royal guards made their way, and a knight in full armor slowly crossed the hall. Their appearance sharply contrasted with the elegant clothes of the nobles.

One by one, the nobles stopped their shouts and turned their heads. Some of them frowned as if they could not believe that someone dared to break into the great hall of the empire. However, the knight maintained a confident attitude, so the nobles failed to react for a moment.

“Who are you? How dare you…”

One of the hot-headed nobles blocked the knight’s path with hands akimbo.

The knight continued on his path and lightly waved his hand.

“What? W-what?!”

The noble was lifted off the ground, then thrown against the wall of the great hall. Although he wasn’t seriously injured, he had a dazed expression as he slowly raised his head.

“A-a wizard?”

Someone shouted, but most of the nobles knew that the uninvited guest wasn’t a wizard. Wizards didn’t walk around clad in armor. Moreover, this was the imperial city. There wasn’t a wizard unknown to the high officials.

After arriving at the stairs to the ownerless throne, the knight stopped and turned around. He spoke while looking over the officials, “I command as a true friend of the glorious golden blood and as one with the authority to walk the empire’s day.”

“…?!”

The nobles were thrown into confusion in the midst of the shock. The voice of the knight was heavy but rather quiet. Even so, the officials had accurately grasped his words. Even the farthest noble had vividly heard his words as if the knight were standing right in front of him.

However, the nobles weren’t surprised because of the mystery he had displayed.

They were surprised by the actual words of the knight—a true friend of the glorious golden blood and one with the authority to walk the empire’s day—Most of the nobles were puzzled when they heard it.

The glorious golden blood referred to the imperial family, particularly the direct descendants of the blood. But a true friend of the imperial family? Besides, what did the authority to walk the empire’s day mean? However, the questions of the nobles were soon replaced with astonishment.

They had forgotten it with the passage of time. They had forgotten the meaning of the expression.

“M-Marecasio…” someone muttered.

Everyone’s eyes became filled with bewilderment.

Marecasio—it was a term all high officials had heard when they were first appointed. However, only a few people aside from the emperors and the crown princes had actually seen a Marecasio during the long history of the empire, so everyone simply regarded them as legends.

But now, the knight in front of the high officials was claiming to be a Marecasio.

“T-that’s ridiculous…”

“A Marecasio… It’s real?”

The nobles buzzed, and the man grinned. A crimson glow burst from his eyes, and his fangs elongated. A vampire had revealed himself in the middle of the great hall, which was filled with sunlight coming through a large circular window on the ceiling.

“…!!!”

The nobles were forced to admit it, but some of them continued to voice their doubts.

“Couldn’t he simply be a high lord of a clan?”

“Even if a stranger suddenly insists that they’re a Marecasio…”

The knight turned his gaze to the doubtful nobles.

“Is this a place anyone can enter without permission from His Majesty?” he asked.

The nobles were silenced. Indeed, the imperial castle was the property of the emperor. Vampires couldn’t enter without permission from the emperor. In other words, the emperor had directly granted permission to the vampire knight, and a vampire with such a privilege in the imperial castle could only be…

“A true Marecasio…”

They could only be a Marecasio—a supreme monarch of the Dark Clan. They were vampires as old as the empire itself.

“As a friend of Rome, I, Helmond, will protect the imperial city as of today. In addition, Caravan and Lefersha will support the armies gathered outside the capital. Since we are facing an unprecedented situation potentially regarding treason, all officials…”

Helmond’s voice contained Charm, and the imperial officials were immediately persuaded by his words. After staying in the darkness for hundreds of years, the daywalkers of the Roman Empire finally revealed themselves under the sun with pride.