How to Live as the Vampire Lord - Chapter 280

“I have heard of your reputation for many years now. I first looked into the matter when I heard that there was a particularly notable free knight wandering around like a wildflower. What I found was truly amazing. Honestly, I did not believe the stories at first, and I’m ashamed of it. I apologize for that,” Duke Viseche said.

Eugene was slightly surprised. He couldn’t believe that a great noble—monarch of a nation—would recognize their mistake and apologize for it. It was the first time he experienced such a thing after Count Winslon.

“Well, it’s nothing new, so there is nothing to apologize for,” Eugene said.

“Hahaha! You are truly as generous as I’ve heard.” Duke Viseche laughed, then gestured while looking around. His escorting knights and other subordinates quietly left the room. Only he, Eugene, and Prince Localope were left in the spacious room.

“I have roughly heard about the monster uprising from Sir Palo. It’s said that someone went into the evil lands and deliberately evolved the monsters there before releasing them. Is this true?” Duke Viseche asked.

“I am certain,” Eugene answered.

“Hmm.” Duke Viseche sank into thought with a solemn expression. He thought for a moment while tapping the armrest of his chair, then spoke with a cautious expression, “To tell you the truth, I had also looked into the matter on my own when the situation first began in the Bemos territory.”

“That fast?” Localope asked, surprised. Unlike Eugene, the prince used honorifics when speaking to the Duke of Viseche. It was a natural courtesy, considering that Duke Viseche could be considered to have seniority when it came to the bloodline of the imperial family running through his veins.

“Hoho. Our dukedom is quite small. There was no guarantee that the issue would remain contained within Bemos unless it was quickly resolved,” Duke Viseche responded.

“Ah…”

“I had to decide whether to provide support or not, and I also had no idea when would be the right time to send troops if I did decide to send them. I have inherited the blood of Viseche, Calcht, and Rosenberg, so it would have greatly tarnished my family’s honor if I couldn’t even be that responsible,” Duke Viseche explained.

“As I would expect from a man such as yourself, Your Majesty,” Prince Localope spoke without hiding his admiration. The Duke of Viseche wasn’t someone who simply relied on his bloodline to expand his influence to other countries. Rather, he was a monarch who truly understood the responsibility that came with authority better than anyone else, and he put his principle to practice as well.

“Anyway, I found out that similar things were happening in areas aside from Bemos. And shortly after I discovered this fact, I received a letter from Sir Palo. I was surprised when I found out that you, sir, had told them the same story,” Duke Viseche continued.

Eugene was inwardly astonished. It was his first time meeting a great noble since Count WInslon who saw fit to gather his own information without simply relying on rumors and gossip. What was even more surprising was that Duke Viseche had the ability or an organization to gather fast accurate information. Such a thing wasn’t built in a day.

As if noticing Eugene’s curiosity, Duke Viseche spoke with a bitter smile, “I guess you are curious about how I managed to obtain that information. Unfortunately, please understand that I cannot reveal it, as it’s one of the most important legacies of my family.”

“I understand,” Eugene responded. Eugene understood that there was a decisive reason behind how the Dukedom of Viseche, which was rather small and relatively weak, was able to exert its influence on various countries. In addition, no one would be willing to reveal the aces they had hidden up their sleeves.

“Your Majesty. Did you manage to discover the one responsible for this issue?” Prince Localope asked.

Duke Viseche shook his head. “No, I did not. It was impossible in the first place. Only the gods could possibly get to the bottom of an issue that was simultaneously affecting multiple countries within the span of a month.”

“Ah…” Prince Localope was slightly disappointed. However, Eugene was already pretty certain who was behind the veils, so there was no change in his expression.

Duke Viseche’s eyes glimmered with light when he saw Eugene’s reaction. He continued, “And Your Highness might not know yet, but it’s much better to focus on the ‘why’ than the ‘who’ when it comes to these issues.”

“…?”

“Why… Why… If you look for the reason and follow it, you will be able to catch a glimpse of the one responsible for this,” Duke Viseche said.

“What do you—”

“Look carefully,” Duke Viseche said while pointing his baton at a large round table. Like the tables of other great nobles, a model of his nation and the nearby areas sat atop the table.

Duke Viseche continued while pointing at a certain location with his baton. “Firstly, this is the territory of Bemos. This is the Countdom of Hisain. And this is…”

Duke Viseche placed a small red flag at the location where his pure gold baton, which symbolized the majesty of the monarch, was pointing. Soon, a total of seven red flags were on the model.

“These are the places affected by the monster uprising,” he said.

“Hmm. I see…” Prince Localopee nodded while closely examining the model. It wasn’t anything new for him. He already knew exactly where the monster uprising was taking place, as the nobles on the expedition with him were nobles from these respective territories and nations.

Duke Viseche bitterly smiled and said, “Take a closer look. Don’t focus on the Viseche Dukedom, but rather on your motherland, the Roman Empire.”

“Hmm… Huh?” Prince Localope muttered with a puzzled expression, then stopped. His eyes grew bigger in surprise.

“T-this is…” Realization dawned upon him as he stared at the model.

Duke Viseche spoke in a quiet voice, “That’s right. The affected areas either share their borders with the Roman Empire, or their rulers are directly related to the imperial family of the Roman Empire. And they are toward the west of the Roman Empire as well. Countries with no other choice but to rely on the empire for help whenever they are faced with serious internal issues. There is only one place that doesn’t fit these criteria.”

Duke Viseche placed down one last flag with his baton—it was the Dukedom of Maren.

“…!!!” Prince Localope’s eyes filled with utter shock. Duke Viseche took his eyes off the prince and stared at Eugene, who remained standing in place without any change in expression.

“Sir, you already knew about this, right?” Duke Viseche asked.

“…” Eugene did not answer. If he gave an affirmation, his plan to use the various countries as shields against the empire would be revealed. Since the Duke of Viseche was already favorable toward him, it would be better to remain quiet without affirming or denying anything for now.

“Hoho.” Duke Viseche chuckled as if he had seen right through Eugene’s thoughts. He then turned toward Prince Localope, “Your Highness.”

“Yes, yes. Please speak,” Prince Localope answered. He was still astonished.

Duke Viseche spoke in a calm, but powerful voice, “You must be quite startled by all this. I was the same when I first came to learn of this as well. But do you really think it’s just a coincidence? The affected places either share their border with the Roman Empire or have deep connections with the imperial family, so why is the Dukedom of Maren the only place afflicted that does not meet these conditions?”

“…”

Duke Viseche continued, “However, the locations of these monster uprisings are too precise for them to be a coincidence. In addition, Maren—the only place located far from the empire and unrelated to the imperial family of the Roman Empire—just happened to be… Ah, please excuse me for saying this, but the deported prince just happened to have stayed there. Could we really consider this as a mere coincidence?”

“…” Prince Localope could not say anything. Numerous thoughts and assumptions continued to fill his mind.

Eugene stared at Prince Localope for a while before speaking curtly, “Removing one’s rival and expanding one’s influence.”

“…!”

“And there are only a few who would want to do such a thing and can put it into action.”

Prince Localope clenched his fist, and Eugene stared at him apathetically. Duke Viseche watched the two closely before speaking, “It seems that you and I had similar thoughts, sir. And to be more precise, I think there are only two people who would want to do such a thing and are also capable of doing so.”

“D-don’t tell me it’s His Maj—”

Duke Viseche cut off Prince Localope’s words. “No, it should not be His Majesty the Emperor.”

“His Majesty the Emperor had never once interfered in the matters of other nations during his reign, so why would he suddenly start doing that now? It doesn’t make any sense. But it’s not like he would be completely unrelated to the matter. For example…”

“Spectating, staying silent,” Eugene answered.

Duke Viseche said with a smile, “Precisely…”

Eugene had contemplated this very issue ever since his encounter with Crown Prince Voltaire. The status of the emperor’s successor, the next absolute of the empire was certainly great. Neither great nobles nor kings could act recklessly toward the crown prince. However, status alone did not necessarily guarantee power. Even Luke, who had become the King of Brantia, was in a position where his power and authority couldn’t be guaranteed without Eugene. In the first place, Luke had only ascended the throne thanks to Eugene.

The current situation with the monster uprisings was similar in a way. From the conversation they held, it appeared Duke Viesche was also almost certain that Crown Prince Voltaire was responsible for the monster uprisings. However, it didn’t make sense that the crown prince could have planned and implemented something that required breaking into the evil lands of other nations, evolving, then releasing monsters. Moreover, there was one more requirement that the crown prince had to satisfy before implementing this plan—the silence and non-involvement of the current emperor.

It was pretty clear that the Duke of Viseche had deduced such facts while looking into the matter of the monster uprisings.

‘He’s a lot better than I thought. No wonder the governor and the parliament chose the Viseche Dukedom as the first place to go to and sign a contract with.’

Eugene felt that it had been a great choice to delegate all political matters to the governor and the parliament.

“It’s a relief that you have thought that far, Sir Viseche,” Eugene said.

“Relief?” Duke Viseche asked.

“What you said just now. I thought I was the only one who thought so,” Eugene replied.

“Haha. So that’s why you didn’t give me an answer when I asked you earlier. No, rather, you couldn’t have answered. You would have been treated like a madman if you told a foreign noble during your first meeting that you think the Crown Prince of the Roman Empire is behind the monster uprisings. Or…”

Duke Viseche continued with a fierce gaze, “In the case of some monarchs, they would have delivered your words straight to the imperial family, which would have placed the third prince in a precarious position.”

“…Sir, do you happen to be one of us vampires?” Eugene asked. It was obviously a joke, but Eugene was deeply impressed nevertheless. It was the first time he met such a wise and intelligent nobleman since Count Winslon. Eugene once again realized that not just any monarch could have significant influence in multiple kingdoms.

“If that were true, could I be sitting and speaking with you here like this? I would have prostrated myself right away,” Duke Viseche responded. It was likely that Baron Palo had already informed him that Eugene had two vampire high lords under his command.

Duke Viseche then continued, “In any case… I personally believe that the imperial household—the crown prince to be exact—is deeply involved in the matter and that His Majesty the Emperor is turning a blind eye to it. However, it’s not like I can simply wander about and spread this news. The instant I do, the sword of the imperial army will point toward me. However… I could speak of something else to the monarchs whose land has been affected by the current predicament. For example…”

He paused for a moment, then continued with a stern look befitting the monarch of a country, “I could ask for us, those who were affected by this issue, to band together. For us to lift restrictions and to freely cooperate with one another. Something like that…”

“…!”

“However, once again, if I say such things openly, it will easily lead to a misunderstanding. They might assume that I’m trying to build a kingdom or an empire, or something along those lines. And the timing isn’t so good as well,” Duke Viseche said.

He shrugged when he saw Prince Localope’s surprised expression, then turned to Eugene with a mysterious smile. “However, I thought that it would look more plausible if someone else—someone from afar and is headed to the empire—insisted on the same thing. Of course, I will handle the political side of things as someone who succeeds the blood of Viseche, Calcht, and Rosenberg…”

“Y-Your Majesty, a-are you speaking of…” Prince Localope stuttered with disbelief.

Duke Viseche stared into the prince’s eyes before saying, “That’s right. I want to form an alliance with Maren, Viseche, and the six other nations. It’s pretty clear to me that this would be much preferable compared to a neighbor who breaks into other nations and yours to release monsters.”