Chapter 220
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: The Archduke of Maren
"Let's do it."
Ooh...!
The mayor and guildmasters couldn't hide their excitement at Eugene's immediate response, given without a moment's hesitation.
They already knew Eugene had a straightforward personality, but they hadn't expected things to resolve so easily.
"But there's one thing I need to tell you. If you can accept it, I'll agree to your demands without objection."
"Pardon?"
Eugene scanned the puzzled mayor and guildmasters before speaking calmly.
"I'm a vampire."
...!
They had suspected it might be true, but to hear it confirmed...
The mayor and guildmasters froze for a moment, and Eugene continued.
"And not just any vampire—a high lord among them. In my opinion, there are hardly any vampires in the world above me. Of course, there are a few from my own bloodline who might be comparable."
...
The noisy room fell silent in an instant. Eugene's declaration had that much impact.
Maren traded with many nations, so the mayor and guildmasters had a fair knowledge of other races.
Of course, to them, truth and justice boiled down to gold and silver—they couldn't care less about other countries' situations or cultures.
But a vampire becoming a nation's top leader was an entirely different matter.
Eugene knew that full well.
That's why he decided to give Maren's side a choice.
'King of Maren? From my position, there's no downside at all.'
He hadn't taken the throne in Brantia because he had no ties there. Even the Bartlra ducal family had made such a fuss when granting him the ducal title—what kind of backlash would there have been if an unheard-of foreign vampire claimed the throne?
But Maren was different.
It was the first place in this life where he'd built achievements and gained fame, and the people here all liked him.
Most importantly, Maren and he were in a relationship of perfect mutual benefit.
'Still, making a vampire their king might be a stretch?'
That's why Eugene openly revealed his identity without much expectation.
Even if he didn't become king, maintaining their current relationship meant no losses.
But...
'Has there ever been a precedent of a vampire becoming king?'
'There have been cases in Brantia and the Empire where they became lords...'
'Wouldn't the Holy Empire make a fuss? Those stuffy old fogeys would probably object.'
'Where was that place that didn't treat vampires as enemies...'
Eugene didn't know the people of Maren well.
Born and raised in a port-based commercial city, the mayor and guildmasters prioritized 'money' and 'profit' over honor and customs. From the moment they'd resolved to make Eugene their king, they'd already factored in the possibility that he might be a vampire.
"We'll handle any issues with foreign powers ourselves."
"The Holy Empire can be placated with a generous show of sincerity. They're too busy dealing with that dead cardinal to bother with us."
"The holy knights might bitch about it, but with a cardinal appointed by the pope colluding with a black mage, what right do they have...?"
"Besides, Sir Eugene took down that black mage. If the priests and holy knights have any sense of honor, they'll shut their mouths."
"Hell, let's do it!"
"......???"
Have these people all gone mad as a group?
Eugene was the one who ended up flustered.
"No, wait—shouldn't you think this over a bit more? I'm a vampire, remember? A high vampire lord at that."
"From what I hear, high vampires drink the blood of mid-to-large monsters rather than humans. It's not like you're sucking our blood—what's the problem?"
"..."
"Besides, we'll have plenty of slaves anyway. If you crave human blood, we can just draw it. I hear the vampires in the Roman Empire keep slaves dedicated solely to bloodletting."
"Right. They don't even make them do hard labor, and they feed them so well it's supposedly the most popular job among slaves."
"Not just food—they even give them mana crystals regularly. Can't have healthy blood without a healthy body, right?"
"We'll even procure dedicated blood slaves for Your Highness."
"You're the archduke now. Of course we will."
"Any other vampires you'd like to summon? I hear they have clans or something—let us know in advance, and we'll prepare accommodations and everything from the start."
"..."
I give up.
Eugene looked over the mayor and guildmasters, brimming with enthusiasm, with complicated eyes before finally nodding.
"Do as you like."
"As His Highness the Archduke wills!"
And so, Eugene became the archduke of the newly formed Maren Principality.
* * *
The Maren Principality was born.
The archduke was Archduke Yan Eugene Bartlra, and the principality's territory consisted of Maren City and seven surrounding domains.
Arrangements with the neighboring lords had already been made while Eugene was away on the capital expedition, so there were no issues with the territorial decisions.
The only snag was the Evergrow count family, but that was resolved by stripping Jevin of his title and installing his five-year-old son as the new count.
Of course, Maren—second to none in tenacity—didn't let the Evergrow counts off that easily.
They demanded an enormous sum in reparations, forcing the count family not only to swear loyalty to the principality but also to sell off more than half their lands.
The other domains had submitted to Maren City early on, avoiding significant losses.
They did have to pay annual taxes, but being absorbed into the principality drastically reduced the fees they'd paid for trade with Maren, resulting in substantial net gains.
In any case, Eugene didn't have to worry about any of these complicated matters.
The mayor and guildmasters, experienced in running a great city like Maren, were tremendously capable—and they thoroughly upheld the promises made when elevating him to archduke.
- We absolutely won't bother Your Grace!
- We'll handle all the numbers, money, and state affairs ourselves!
- We'll build you a castle and ensure the interests of Your Grace and the Bartlra family are fully protected!
Maren upheld those promises with utmost fervor.
However, as with all things in the world, an utterly unforeseen problem arose for Maren.
* * *
A castle was built on a hill overlooking all of Maren City.
It had originally been a fortress, so only minor expansions and renovations were needed.
But since it was the principality's proclamation and he was the founding archduke, only the finest materials were used throughout. Though smaller than Keiler Castle, its interior and exterior were far more splendid.
And the one who loved it most was...
"I get to see the Golden Castle before returning to the spirit realm. Hehe... I could head back to the spirit realm right now, lowly one."
The spirit, making wrinkles on his face with ripples of water and babbling like some old geezer.
And rightly so—the walls and spires, built from some kingdom's specialty stone, gleamed with a brilliant golden light at sunrise and sunset, as if forged from real gold.
"You like it that much?"
"Of course! Finally, we have our own castle! Though it's a bit lacking without guardians like a real demon king's fortress. Still, with all the slaves and servants, it's pretty good! None of my senior contractors have risen as high as milord! Kehhehehe!"
Seeing Mirian grinning ear to ear made Eugene feel a swell of pride.
It felt like just yesterday he was scraping by in a rural shack, surviving on animal blood—now such a grand castle was his.
But acquiring a proper castle and becoming archduke didn't mean he could rest satisfied.
He had far more important matters.
"Sir Eugene! No, Your Highness the Archduke!"
The Rocaroph prince's group rushed up to Eugene in a panic.
"What's the matter?"
"Big trouble—huge trouble!"
"......?"
Eugene tilted his head at the pale-faced Rocaroph prince.
"My brother's with the delegation from the homeland—my brother Volteo!"
"Volteo?"
Eugene, who had only vaguely surmised rather than heard the details of Rocaroph's family situation, cocked his head.
"...He's the crown prince of our empire."
Even Eugene couldn't help but be shocked.
A crown prince—the next emperor of the Roman Empire, one of the world's greatest powers—coming here?
But compared to what came next, the crown prince's visit was nothing.
"Accompanying Brother Volteo is Marekasio. One who walks the day like Your Grace—a vampire lord."
...!!!
Vampire lord.
Given Rocaroph's agitation, it was obviously no mere clan lord.
Which meant...
"It's highly likely the head of the Helmund Clan will be with him. What are we to do?"
The Demon King of the Shadows.
It had to be the vampire from the conversation he'd overheard between Prince Rocaroph and Bizak.
"Is it just that one?"
Eugene recalled the three vampires from his memories, growing clearer with each tattoo removed, and asked.
"Well... other bloodkin might come too. He's the clan head, after all."
"Other vampires? Is that one strong? Strong enough I need to watch out?"
"Probably. And not that one... her."
A voice tinged with wistful sorrow.
But Eugene focused on the word 'her' rather than his tone.
"A female vampire? Who might that be?"
Rocaroph bit his lip briefly before speaking in a voice heavy with loss.
"Lefercha. Lefercha Ram Ventrua."
Crack!
The moment he heard that name.
Something shattered in Eugene's mind.
* * *
"So you're coming with me too?"
"Isn't that obvious? Word is one of the dark kin is attached to Rocaroph. We need to see what kind."
The heir to the world's mightiest empire, Crown Prince Volter, spoke as he sipped from a golden chalice.
The dozens of young, beautiful slaves attending him dared not lift their heads.
Not because of his supreme status as crown prince.
It was the mystical aura emanating from Volter—his dazzling silver hair and brilliant golden eyes.
The renowned golden blood of the Roman imperial family that everyone praised.
It was the glorious lineage tracing back to the 'dragon.'
Thus, ordinary folk instinctively shrank before direct descendants of that bloodline, naturally humbling themselves.
Of course, they could conceal that power if they wished, but barring special circumstances, the direct descendants rarely did.
Why forgo such a privilege when a mere glance made others bow?
Yet, among those born to that special bloodline, a tiny few did not cower even before the crown prince—the most powerful bearer after the emperor himself.
Like the woman now facing him, with her fiery red hair like blazing flames.
"Do I have to? Helmund's going, isn't he? If you insist, I'll send some underlings. I'm busy."
Volter's expression remained serene, even as she rejected the crown prince—second only to the emperor—and spoke so casually.
Because a woman blending mature allure with girlish freshness like her was more than fine.
"Come on, just go. What if it's from the Ventrua bloodline? He's built quite a reputation in Keiler—wouldn't hurt to have him under you, right? Time to shake off your father's shadow for good?"
Whoosh!
A scarlet aura erupted from her in an instant.
"Eek!"
Even the slaves not looking at her cowered in terror, slamming their heads to the floor under the terrifying pressure.
But Volter remained calm.
Thanks to the mystical golden blood from the dragon.
"I warned you, didn't I? Anything but that topic—never bring it up."
"My apologies. That was my mistake."
Even as the shameless crown prince apologized, she glared at him with her vivid red eyes.
Volter felt chills creeping up his arm.
'Not even a century old, yet she can provoke the glorious golden blood. Capturing this one was the right call. Even after my reign ends, you'll live eternally for me and my descendants.'
More than his momentary flinch, it was greed for power rivaling the dragon's blood that made Volter's eyes tremble.
"One last request, Lefercha. Grant it, and I'll make you the radiant crimson queen of this great empire."
An Origin, with a lifespan that might be eternal.
With such an Origin at his side, the empire and his name would endure forever.
Stealing her from Rocaroph had been for exactly that.
(To be continued)