Epilogue

With countless glimmering lights pushing away the darkness, the city center was filled with the bustling sounds of daily life and music. Like any other day, or rather, night, Wausan-ro 21-gil of Mapo-gu in Seoul, South Korea, was animated and alive well past midnight. However, an alley located only a few hundred meters away was completely absorbed in darkness. It almost felt like a lie that it was so close to an entertainment district. Only the occasional drunk and long-time residents temporarily graced the alley with their presence as they passed, and the alley led up to a gentle highland. Even the street lamps that provided a dim glow to the alley would blink and completely give up at a certain time. Simultaneously, the brave but lonesome CCTV would also lose its function, deprived of its duty as chaperone of the street.

Craaack! Crack!

A circular portal emitting a golden hue suddenly appeared in the middle of the alley, but it lasted for only a brief moment.

Fwwooooosh!

A strong gust of wind scattered dust and trash high into the sky, and the circle of light disappeared. In its place stood a black-haired man wearing a beautiful armor that perfectly suited him.

“Did we arrive…?”

“Kieeeeh?! Are we really in another world? Wowow!” The spirit only visible to his eyes shouted excitedly, but the man simply looked around with interest.

“A strange style of architecture. It’s similar but different at the same time,” the man remarked.

“Sir! Look over there! It’s a huge castle! Kieeeh?! It’s not just one or two! There are castles everywhere! And they all look the same!” the spirit exclaimed.

“Is there more than just one lord? In such a small area? No, perhaps they are mansions of wealthy merchants… No, but they stand much too tall…” the man muttered.

“Sir! Let’s go! My heart is pounding!”

“Hmm. Right, let’s move on,” the man responded before heading down the alleyway of the new world without hesitation.

***

“What? Awesome…”

“Wow, what the fuck? He’s so handsome!”

“Is he a foreigner? Look how pale he is. Just how much BB cream did he slather on his face?”

“No, look. You can see his veins so clearly. Isn’t that just his natural complexion?”

“You’re right. Holy shit, look at his eyes. Is he wearing colored lenses?”

“Damn… Check out how high-quality his cosplay is… I heard that westerner otakus were on a different level but take a look. How did he even make that?”

“He looks like a hunter. You know, they discovered a new floor in the dungeon in Yeouido recently, right? That caused quite a stir.”

“Whether he’s a hunter or a cosplayer, it looks fucking perfect on him. Damn, reality check much?”

Eugene took in the exotic sights all at once, and he caught all the attention of the passersby on the colorful, confusing street. It was difficult to tear one’s eyes off the unknown man. It was impossible to know how he had his exquisite armor made, and even the gorgeous appearance of the celebrities on the billboards paled in comparison to his beauty.

“S-sir. What are they doing? What is this place? Why are they dressed like that? Why are they shoving all those strange plates in our faces?” the spirit asked.

Click! Click!

“Hmm. I don’t feel any mana or hostility… Are they mercenaries? No, for that matter, everyone’s dressed so differently…” Eugene commented. He was confused. Some had on masks and colorful clothes, and there were even women in bold clothes that revealed a bit too much skin.

“Kieeeh! Sir! There’s a monster just walking around! Kieeeh! T-there’s even a zombie!” Mirian shouted.

“!”

Eugene jerked around. How could an undead appear in such a large crowd? He would eliminate it immediately and…

“…Why does no one seem to care? No, in the first place, why are they laughing and chatting with zombies?”

“S-something is wrong. S-sir. There’s something wrong with this world!”

“…Let’s get out of here for now.”

Eugene hastened his steps. He was already fed up with the annoying noises coming from the white, black, and silver-sized metal cubes the humans were holding. However, the attraction of the crowd toward him did not decrease at all. It was Halloween weekend, and he was standing in front of Hongdae.[1] Right there and then, the vampire lord started his life in a new world.

Side Story Chapter 1

“Isn’t it a little weird these days?” a mercenary asked while looking around at his colleagues. He was in the corner of an old, dirty pub, sitting on a squeaky chair. His fellow mercenaries sat around the same table, either slowly caressing the breasts of a prostitute or shaking the rugged ale down their throats. They stared at him with apathetic expressions.

“Weird? What do you mean?”

“The evil lands. Haven’t you noticed that there are more monsters than before? The sizes of the expeditions are getting bigger and bigger as well, right?” the mercenary said.

“Bastard. That’s what brings the food to our table. And since we have more men, there’s a reduced chance of becoming injured or dying.”

“This little runt doesn’t know how to be thankful...”

His colleagues rebuked him, but the mercenary’s stiff expression was still there.

“You fools. Haven’t you heard?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?” one of his colleagues asked.

“Apparently, a monster no one has ever seen before appeared at the Red Hill Ruins,” he answered.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s supposed to be over two meters tall, with three tails, and has a face like a flowering bud. It splits its face into three and eats people,” the mercenary said.

“That’s crazy…”

“You’re talking nonsense…”

“It’s true. I have a friend who handles by-products at the Pulmun City Hall, and he told me all about it. Half of the expedition that entered Red Hill failed to return. There were even three knights, but only one of them survived,” the man explained.

“What kind of fucking bullshit…”

“Well, there’s also that rumor on Mount Caltago, right? The rumor about a winged monster? I heard that all the trees and grass withered where it flew by…” one of the other mercenaries chimed in.

“…”

The mercenaries finally took on serious expressions. The world had been at peace since the suppression of the rebellion in the Roman Empire a year ago. The issue of the monster uprising seemed to have been resolved, and traffic between kingdoms and territories saw a significant increase. Although the knights and mercenaries were thrown into a stupor at the unexpected, sudden peace, they were able to make a living due to the increased number of monsters in the evil lands. In fact, the mercenary business was booming.

The increase in the number of monsters corresponded to a proportional increase in the number of mana stones and by-products. Territories in possession of evil lands saw an increase in the number of visitors, and large villages and cities whose economies were largely dependent on the sale of mana stones and by-products shouted with joy. But at a certain point in time, the number of monsters in evil lands started growing out of control. It grew to the point that it was now beyond the control of knights and mercenaries. They could no longer keep up. Naturally, experienced mercenaries were happy that they could earn greater amounts of money, but the time they had to rest was decreasing as time went on.

In the past, mercenaries would take on a couple of requests each month and use the remaining time to rest. But now, their workload had more than doubled. It was taking a toll on the mercenaries’ minds and bodies.

Moreover, their work required them to put their lives on the line. As such, many knights and mercenaries were pushed to the brink of insanity by extreme stress. Violent incidents regarding them were becoming more frequent as well.

Now, there was even talk of unidentified monsters. Even the larger, regular monsters were a terrifying sight, to begin with, so it was truly shocking to hear the horrifying stories regarding the new monsters.

“Dammit… Should I just retire?”

“I know. It’s good to make lots of money, but what’s the use of it if we get our heads lobbed off in the corner of a dungeon somewhere?”

A few of the mercenaries displayed signs of fear.

One of the other mercenaries shouted in response, “Hey, don’t worry! Why are you getting so worried about it? If we bring in the vampire knights, they’ll take care of everything, right?”

“Oh!”

The expressions of the mercenaries brightened at once. It was good news, at least for the mercenaries, that vampires finally started to make themselves known after staying rather quiet in cities and large cities. Although high-ranking vampires capable of wandering the day were rare, even vampire knights showed great power in evil lands.

“But you know…” It was the same mercenary who first brought up the issue of the evil lands.

“Oh, why? What is it?” The others looked rather annoyed. However, although they hadn’t worked together for a long time, the fellow always brought them lots of rumors and information. As such, they smacked their lips while inching closer to hear his words.

“I heard that the atmosphere in the Kingdom of Batla is strange these days,” the mercenary said.

“The kingdom of savages?”

The Kingdom of Batla was the nation of vampires recently erected between the Roman Empire and the Holy Empire. It took its name after Jan Eugene Batla, the King of Maren, and both its king and the nobles were vampires—clan masters and high lords. Although the leadership of the nation consisted of vampires, its residents were composed of humans, as well as other races. As such, it was considered no different than any other kingdom.

However, what was this about a strange atmosphere?

“The clans… so the nobles. They’re always supposed to be quarreling with each other, right?” he continued.

“But everyone already knows that. Besides, are there any territories or nations where nobles aren’t bickering with each other?” asked one of the mercenaries.

“But it’s supposed to be extreme. Apparently, it wouldn’t be weird if a civil war broke out right now. Besides, I’m not sure if this is actually true or not, but…” the mercenary looked around, then lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Some clans are saying that they should invade other territories and kingdoms, including even the Roman Empire.”

“Are they out of their minds? I’m pretty sure they won’t opposite the great empire.”

“Well, they are complaining about having to serve a country of humans as the great Tribe of Darkness. To be fair, everyone knows that a few vampire lords and bannerets could easily crush a couple of dozen knights, right? At night, in particular, it would be easier than taking candy from a baby for a few lords and knights to defeat an ordinary company of mercenaries. Now, what if the clans make their move? How many vampire lords and knights do you think there are? What about bannerets? What about vampire high lords? Each of them is supposed to be stronger than dozens of lords and knights, right?”

“…”

The mercenaries sat in deafening silence. All of them had many years under their belts, so they knew exactly how powerful vampires were. Therefore, they were well aware that what they had heard just now wasn’t an exaggeration. If even a single vampire clan mobilized all of its troops, even a strong nation could not be guaranteed to win against them, not to mention regular territories. Moreover, the scariest thing about vampires was that they needed no supplies other than weapons and armor.

Human knights and mercenaries had to eat food and drink water. Otherwise, they couldn’t fight. However, vampires obtained their nutrients from’ blood.’ In other words, vampires were always provisioned with ‘supplies’ as long as they had opponents to fight and kill.

“O-oi! You bastard, judging by the way you talk, it almost seems like you’re taking the side of the vampires, hmm?”

“Right. What does it have to do with us whether those bastards attack and kill each other? Batla or whatever—how far do you think that place is?”

Indeed, they were currently located extremely far from the Roman Empire. Whatever took place near the empire, they wouldn’t be immediately affected.

“Ha… Do you really not know why I’m acting like this?” the mercenary asked while shaking his head. He looked as if he was disappointed.

“What’s wrong with this bastard today?”

The fellow mercenaries frowned.

The mercenary sighed and bowed his head. He then slowly raised his head before speaking, “Well, it’s because… because I’m a member of the Dark Clan.”

Sharp fangs glittered in the dim light of the pub’s candles. Simultaneously, several men rose from their seats all around the pub.

Kyaaahhhhh!

The explosion of Fear signaled the rampage of the bloodthirsty beasts. Similar events were taking place not only in this pub but in many kingdoms and territories.

The race war of the vampires had started.

***

“Are you not going to join?” Lefersha asked. Her seductive smile was befitting her nickname of the Red Elegant Queen.

“What happens to this world doesn’t matter to me, and…” The knight trailed off. His appearance contrasted hers. The knight looked rough and rather vicious.

The knight, Galfredik, turned his gaze toward the imperial city of the Roman Empire from a hill located far away. He continued. “Whatever the case, it doesn’t feel right for me to raise my sword against those who were once my comrades. I also wouldn’t take joy in hitting weaklings who would present their heads to me on a silver platter if I asked for it.”

“Comrades on one side and kinsmen on the other, right? As expected, I like you. Do you want to be my vassal instead?” Lefersha asked as her smile deepened.

Galfredik snorted in response. “I don’t like you.”

“Hoho! Then why are you following me around? You could easily find yourself a place anywhere you go. No, you could even obtain your own territory,” she said.

Even youngsters like the clan masters could enjoy lives as great lords with hundreds under their command. The vassal of the demon king could do so much more. It was even possible for him to build a kingdom for himself.

“What’s the fun in that? And even if I create a territory or a kingdom, I’ll have to keep killing to keep it alive, right? And I don’t think you or the dragon will leave me alone if I decided to do something like that,” Galfredik said.

“You’re quick-witted. I like that,” Lefersha said.

“It happened naturally because I was with Master wherever he went. In any case, that’s my reasoning, so why are you leaving that mess alone? I heard your children, the Marecasio, jumped straight into the mess,” Galfredik asked.

“Although I lost all memories of that day, I had a father, and he wanted me to stay put, as does the Beholder. And you know what? I’m just like you. What’s the fun in that? Haha.”

Galfredik laughed along with her.

But that was it…

The Queen was the only one who stood above him after Eugene’s departure, and the two of them were similar in many ways. Although their appearances completely contradicted each other, Eugene seemed to have had a similar influence on both of them. After all, he was responsible for turning both of them into members of the Dark Clan.

“Ah, I want a vassal,” Lefersha said while walking to no place in particular.

Galfredik followed behind her and answered with a shrug, “If it’s you, wouldn’t you have a pretty good result even if you were to pick a random beggar off the streets?”

“My... I’m picky about the face. I need someone handsome and strong… Is there anyone who died so tragically that they hold a grudge against the heavens? Preferably a knight,” Lefersha muttered.

“How picky. But why don’t you make it so that things would work out that way?” Galfredik asked once more.

“That’s no fun. The Beholder said that coincidence creates inevitability. That’s what fate is,” Lefersha responded.

“Nonsense… that’s what it sounds like, but it makes sense. By the way, where are you going?” he asked.

“Wherever my feet lead me. Are you going to continue following me? What about the elven princess? Ah! Where is she?” Lefersha asked.

“I don’t know. She disappeared without returning home. Thanks to that, the Eland elves went crazy,” Galfredik answered.

“Really?” Lefersha thought for a moment, then gave a mysterious smile before saying, “Hehe. I think I know where she went.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s youth. Ah, the passion of youth. It seems she wants to travel to a completely different world in search of her love,” she said.

“…Huh?!”

Galfredik frowned with confusion before asking, “Are you saying Princess Lilisain is going to follow the master? How?”

“How would I know? However, there’s someone who knows,” Lefersha responded.

“The Dragon...”

“Well, it should be impossible.”

Lefersha grinned before continuing her steps.

The only ‘true vampires’ in the world trodded down their respective paths, disregarding the various happenings of the world, even one that could bring every kingdom, race, and even the world itself to the brink of extinction.

At the same time, a female elven knight was bravely strutting through a forest filled with monsters. The forest was a place known as the Dragon Mountain Range by very few wizards and wise men.

1. Considered one of the busiest streets in South Korea. Lots of clubs, bars, etc, etc… ☜