Eugene had traveled around quite a few countries. Nobles had more freedom to move around compared to commoners, but only a few of them had visited as many different areas as Eugene. Even free knights who wandered around the world like wildflowers in pursuit of fame and status could not compare to Eugene. As such, Eugene immediately realized upon arriving at the Roman Empire that the empire was quite different from many of the other countries he had visited so far, including the Caylor Kingdom. If he had to point out the biggest difference between the empire and the other countries, it had to be security and safety.

It wasn’t that the Roman Empire was devoid of criminals like bandits and thieves. In fact, considering how large the empire’s territory was, in terms of numbers, there were more bandits in the empire than in other places. However, the biggest difference was that criminals in the empire did not venture anywhere near the urban centers, including the smaller and medium-sized villages. There was no need to mention the capital. No, rather, it was clear that one would be hard-pressed to find any sizable groups of criminals in any of the territories under the direct control of the empire. In other words, the inhabitants of the capital, especially the nobles, had never been brought under the threat of monsters or battles.

The nobles consumed refined mana stones every day, their everyday items were created from monster by-products, their armor and weapons were expensive, and they enjoyed the honor of having famous knights and warriors on their sides. Despite all these, nine out of ten nobles had never actually participated in a battle.

As such, the situation unfolding before their eyes was truly hard to believe. It presented to them something beyond simple fear.

Kwaaaaa…

The figure jumped down from the wall and landed inside the capital amidst the scattering Fear. He had overpowered even the divine power of the holy artifacts, and the crimson Fear that fluttered like flames and his glimmering, blood-colored eyes created a suffocating atmosphere around him. The spectators stood blankly while standing on the boundary between reality and fantasy. Then, they witnessed the black knight, the black devil, pull out his sword and spear.

Swoosh! Kyaaaahk!

The sword scattered crimson flames in the air, and the spear shot forward with a screech. The heads of the imperial nobles exploded one by one along with their helmets, while others fell like straws with fist-sized holes in their chest.

“Huacccckkk!”

“Uaggh!”

Piercing screams resounded from all over the place, and the spectators finally started fleeing after realizing that their terrible fantasy was real. It wasn’t just the imperial nobles and their soldiers either.

The capital was a large city, and numerous bystanders had flocked when Caravan came to the wall. They had been watching from a distance with blank gazes as if they were hypnotized. Taking the deaths of the nobles as a signal flare, the bystanders started dispersing like prey in front of a predator.

The vicinity of the capital’s fourth gate quickly turned into a chaotic mess. No one had ever imagined that such a disaster would descend on the capital, in the heart of the empire. Their panic didn’t come as a surprise; however, since not a single enemy had been allowed into the empire’s heart for hundreds of years.

The enemy was just a single person, but he was a devil-like existence with overwhelming power.

Eugene left the crowd untouched. He only went after those who were armed. With each slash of his sword and swing of his spear, droves of knights and soldiers fell, and his Fear materialized to suppress the minds and bodies of those who were fleeing.

The blood of the fallen rose into the air and quickly vaporized to add to the brilliance of Eugene’s wings of Fear. The blood of the deceased provided the Origin with power, and Eugene continued to exercise his Fear and power without feeling any fatigue at all.

“This… This can’t be…”

“T-three Gods… please protect your sheep.”

The priests couldn’t do anything other than tremble in fear while drawing the holy symbol. Unlike those ignorant of the Dark Clan, they had a rough idea of how dangerous the high-ranking vampires could be.

Why were they considered so dangerous?

Why had the founding fathers tried so hard to pacify and incorporate vampires into human society?

The unfolding scene was precisely why. Undead monsters such as zombies, ghouls, and skeletons couldn’t recover their bodies. Even if they could not be killed or extinguished, they could be rendered immobile and useless, even with the power of humans alone. However, vampires at the apex of the tireless undead could recover while fighting against the living.

Moreover, they would grow stronger during the battle since the blood of the living was both their food and fuel. If vampires could not suppress their desire and if they were without the desire for fame, honor, and status, the world would have long belonged to the Tribe of Darkness. As if to prove it, the Demon King showed no mercy to anyone who attacked him. He had no consideration for their statuses. Although it came in different forms, fair death was declared and enforced on all.

Everything happened in less than five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. The imperial nobles and their soldiers were executed. Their corpses were drained of blood, which left a horrible sight. Eugene finally turned toward the guard captain and approached him. The guard captain couldn’t even breathe properly in front of those fiery, crimson eyes.

He shut his eyes closed upon sensing the end of his life. He had no intention of fighting back. Neither honor nor his will to live would prove useful in front of the unrealistic mystery he had just witnessed.

Eugene’s voice resonated in his head. “You didn’t attack me, so I won’t kill you.”

“…?!”

The guard captain opened his eyes wide. Eugene gave a sweet smile. It was impossible to believe that a man responsible for committing such a terrible tragedy could give such a smile.

“It was an attack that defiled me as a vampire. That is why I paid them back the way vampires would,” Eugene continued.

The guard captain remained frozen with a dazed expression. Eugene turned away and walked toward Caravan. He grinned while looking down at Caravan, who was prostrating on the ground while looking up at him with quivering eyes.

“Shall we continue from before?” Eugene said.

“…!”

Eugene wiped the smile off of his face, then turned his head, “That place seems ideal.”

His cold eyes were on the imperial castle.

***

The imperial castle was in a complete mess. The building was designed to overlook the entirety of the capital, and those in the castle had seen what happened at the fourth gate from beginning to end. They chose to run. A small number of nobles had been opposed to using the holy artifacts until the end, and they attempted to convince their peers that the Marecasio could forgive them since they had been opposed to the usage of the holy artifacts. However, the few voices of argument went over the heads of the terrified nobles.

It was not long before the panic that started in the fourth gate and the imperial castle spread throughout the entire capital. The residents of the capital had heard the loud commotion coming from the fourth gate. Moreover, thousands of witnesses gave testimonies of the events, and there were quite a few sightings of imperial nobles hurriedly fleeing under the escort of their slaves and soldiers.

Neither the emperor nor the crown prince was present. A portion of the empire’s authoritative figures had died, and the others had chosen to flee. There were a few honorable and responsible nobles who chose to remain behind, but they were incapable of bringing the chaos under control.

Mayhem struck the capital. Chaos only gave birth to more chaos, and the city was soon riddled with arson and looting. Eugene and Georg walked behind Caravan right through the middle of the chaos.

“Amazing! How amazing! It almost feels like I’m back home!” Georg spoke without hiding his awe. A smile never left his face. It appeared that he was very much enjoying the current situation, as expected of a devil.

“Truth be told, I didn’t believe it when I heard it from the others, but now, I’m certain. You are truly a demon king. I can’t believe you created such anarchy by killing only a few hundred! You are truly amazing!” Georg continued.

“…” Eugene shrugged. To be honest, he hadn’t intended to create such a situation at all. He never had any intention of turning the capital into such a mess. After all, what did the capital’s matters have to do with him?

He had simply paid what his attackers were owed.

“Truly an idea befitting a devil! Even the smartest and most vicious of the top ten wouldn’t have thought of this. They only know how to kill and destroy like brutes. This is truly artistic..” Georg commented cheerfully.

Georg suddenly turned his gaze toward Caravan.

“Stupid or naïve? You should know who you’re up against before you decide to sharpen your knife. I can’t believe you were trying to pull the strings. You couldn’t even be considered to be in the top 100 in our world.”

“…”

Caravan remained silent. As soon as he saw Georg passing through the gate while grinning, he knew that even without Eugene here, he would have lost to the unknown existence. Georg, the unknown being wasn’t a member of the Dark Clan, but he exuded a familiar, yet unfamiliar type of energy. And Caravan was still alive because Eugene was here.

“But…”

The ridicule contained in Georg’s voice disappeared. His glistening yellow eyes turned to the imperial castle, and he continued in a slightly dry voice. “I’m not sure about that. It must be your…”

Georg had a hunch. The increasingly intense energy he could feel from the imperial castle likely belonged to the true child of the Demon King. He didn’t want to admit it, but he wasn’t confident in beating such an existence with the restrictions imposed on him.

“My child…” Eugene said. He also noticed it. The presence was different from his vassal, Galfredik. The only child of the only Origin was waiting for him at the imperial castle.

***

The imperial palace was left desolate. After the mayhem, even the royal guards had left to protect the remaining members of the imperial family. The windows, which once shone brilliantly in five different shades, had completely shattered. The statues of the previous emperors and great knights were scattered on the floor as proof of someone’s failed attempt at robbery.

Tap, tap.

Footsteps resonated through the palace. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the heart of the greatest empire in the world.

Soon, two figures stood in front of the throne. The emperor murmured while stroking his throne. He was still dressed in the same modest clothes as before.

“Is this… the true state of my empire?”

He had believed the heart of the empire to be sturdier and harder than anything else in the world, but it turned out to be nothing more than a castle built on sand.

The walls which he assumed would not budge even in the face of tens of thousands of enemies—the capital and the imperial castle had collapsed due to a disturbance that originated from one of the walls.

“I can’t believe it. Haha! This is truly unbelievable…”

The emperor’s vanity was indescribable. Historically, it wasn’t rare for nations to come to ruin due to a small, trivial matter. However, the emperor had never imagined a similar end for his own nation. Although he had been overthrown by his own son, he believed that the imperial castle and the empire would continue to thrive.

However, he couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The imperial castle is in this state because an issue occurred at one of the gates? Ha! Hahaha…”

“That depends on who was the one responsible for the issue. I guess you still haven’t come to your senses.”

“…!” The emperor flinched at the words of the Red Elegant Queen.

“He is the great monarch of our tribe. Even the founder of your family could not raise his head in front of the monarch. This castle was built for him, not for your family,” she continued.

“…”

The emperor trembled. The empire was all that he had, but it was just simple entertainment for the one who was coming. No, rather, it couldn’t even be considered entertainment at all. In addition, the castle wasn’t built here because he wanted it—it was all because of the Queen’s wishes.

“Remember. You are nothing to him. Even I—”

The Red Elegant Queen suddenly paused. She turned around, then slowly kneeled. The emperor was surprised, but he came to an immediate realization. The emperor was worthless to her, but she was showing respect because he had returned…

The true vampire lord had returned to his own castle.