The Birth of a High Vampire

Vlad quietly shut his mouth. When told to shut up, he had to shut up!

How should I use Count Knema's sword...?

However, Tae-hyun was taking Vlad's warning more seriously than expected. If he got caught not being a vampire, it would trigger a penalty. If he got caught being part of the Archisus Church... would that be a penalty too?

Vampires naturally looked down on other races. If another race tried to take over their territory, various penalties would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surely apply.

"A human Count? Boo!"

"We cannot accept a master who isn't a vampire!"

But what about the Archisus Church?

"The Archisus Church? We can't accept such an evil cult!"

"The Archisus Church? That's too terrifying! We'll behave, just please, anything but Archisus!"

Tae-hyun couldn't predict whether they would rebel or submit.

For now, I should hide the fact that I'm human. There was no need to start with a penalty.

"Hmm..."

Tae-hyun stared intently at Vlad. Come to think of it, wasn't this guy a vampire?

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Vlad squirmed, feeling uneasy under Tae-hyun's gaze. According to legend, staring into the eyes of Archisus for too long would shorten one's lifespan...

"Hmm. Vlad. Meeting like this is a twist of fate, so I shall give you a gift."

"I-I am perfectly fine!"

Shlick. The blade pressed against Vlad's neck again.

"Do you want it or not?"

"...I will accept it with gratitude... *sob!*"

Tae-hyun's plan was simple. Set Vlad up as the figurehead and take over Knema Island! It was much simpler and less burdensome than Tae-hyun stepping forward himself.

Of course, to Vlad, this sounded like the sky was falling. Why else would Vlad be running scams despite possessing Count Knema's sword?

How could I possibly get involved in such a fight?!

The vampires fighting for the territory were all formidable powerhouses. If he jumped in among them shouting, "I found the sword! I am the Count!" his head would be chopped off before anyone even noticed.

A shrimp shouldn't get caught in a fight between whales!

"Please spare me!"

Vlad prostrated himself. He preferred a long, thin life over a short, thick one!

"I haven't even killed you yet, so why are you acting like this?"

"Even if I somehow become the Count... I'll be assassinated by the other vampire Counts in the Bloodstained Archipelago! You don't know how terrifying they are...!"

"Hmm. Are they more terrifying, or is Archisus more terrifying?"

Vlad seriously pondered this.

"...Archisus?"

"...I was secretly hoping you'd say they were more terrifying."

Tae-hyun smacked his lips. Honestly, he had hoped for a response like, "Oh, of course those Counts are way scarier!" But Vlad was too honest. What an excessively honest bastard!

"Vlad. If you want to live, there is a way. You just have to make the others afraid of you."

"...?"

"If you just walk up and say you became the Count because you picked up a sword, everyone will look down on you. But what if you try to become the Count with the backing of the Archisus Church?"

"They'll think I've gone mad."

Shlick.

"...T-They might also be terrified."

"Exactly. Fear! You have to make good use of fear."

Coming from Tae-hyun, who utilized fear better than anyone, his words carried immense weight. Of course, this wasn't something a holy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠church's representative should be saying.

"Think about when you usually scam pushovers like Evangeline."

"Hey..."

"Didn't they all fall for it when you acted like a wise, sophisticated vampire?"

"That... Yes, they did."

"Then from now on, let's pretend to be an incredibly terrifying, mysterious vampire Count."

"Can I really pull that off?"

"If you fail, you die, so you'd better work hard."

"......"

"Bwahaha! I, the rightful successor of Count Knema, the One Who Knows No Fear, The One Who Brought Order to the Caterand Sea, the master of all rabbits, the wielder of the Devil's Tongue, the one who deceived and defeated a Demon Duke, the slayer of dragons... No, isn't this a bit too much?"

Vlad was bewildered. It was true that such achievements needed to be grandiose to intimidate and shrink the opponent. But there was a limit. Deceiving and defeating a Demon Duke, slaying dragons, and stealing the power of other gods? Did that make any sense?

"Shouldn't it be at least this much to make them fear you?"

"No, but it still has to be somewhat plausible..."

"But those are all things I actually did?"

"????"

Vlad was horrified. Come to think of it, didn't this Archisus guy also slice up the Archbishop of the Salavian Cult...? Too terrifying!

"Well, if that's too burdensome, just say you have Archisus backing you."

"What position should I say I hold in the Archisus Church?"

"Hmm... Let's just go with 'Vampire Warrior'."

"Isn't that a bit too lazy?" Vlad grumbled. A title ought to sound grand and elegant!

"Then 'High Vampire'."

"Still too la—"

Shlick.

"...Even a simple title possesses a profound, beautiful dignity!"

"Good boy."

The law was far, but the blade was near. Vlad quickly began to explain the factions currently active in the Bloodstained Archipelago and those contesting Count Knema's island.

"The Bloodstained Archipelago is a land where vampire nobles are constantly at war. Among them, there are several powerful Counts..."

The group began to doze off. There were too many complex factions in the Bloodstained Archipelago! With all sorts of vampire nobles entangled with one another, just listening to it was a chore.

"Ah, enough. Who are the ones fighting over Count Knema's island?"

"The ones currently remaining and fighting are Count Scabio and Count Andalto..."

"Only those two? What, this is going to be easy."

"Count Scabio is receiving support from Count Espavio, Count Milane, Count Palacci... and Count Andalto is..."

"Ah, cut it out." Tae-hyun snapped in annoyance. "Regardless of support, only those two are actually fighting there, right?"

"The other minor factions have all been wiped out, leaving only those two facing off."

"Perfect. It'll be easy to summon the artillery and the knights to sweep them away in a frontal assault."

Artillery? Knights? Vlad tilted his head in confusion.

"A-Are you insane...?"

Vlad's jaw dropped. Tae-hyun's group had vanished for a moment, only to return with a terrifying crowd.

On one side was a mysterious bunch of madmen dragging bizarre-looking cannons, and on the other side was a group of madmen who were terrifying precisely because their identity was known.

A holy order of knights specializing in hunting the undead! To a vampire, just looking at them made their limbs tremble.

"Let's go! Is it that island?"

On the shore, a camp flying Count Scabio's banner could be seen. It was unfortunate for Count Scabio. If he had chosen the opposite shore, he wouldn't have had to suffer this!

"Intruders! This is land we have occupied. Turn back! The moment you approach, we will drink every single drop of your blood!"

As a bat flew over and spoke, the knights who saw it began to twitch. Vampires!

"Your Majesty! Please allow us to execute them!"

"Sure. You may go."

"Waaaaah!"

"Hey, wait. We're still on the water...?"

With a roar, the knights leaped into the sea. Swimming would be fast enough, but they were dismounting before even reaching land?

Suddenly, the knights summoned their horses in midair and began to gallop across the surface of the sea, rapidly closing the distance.

I'm jealous!

An exclusive skill only knights could use! Tae-hyun watched in admiration.

"W-What is that?"

"An ambush! It's an ambush!"

The sudden onslaught of an unexpected knight order threw the vampires into a panic.

"How dare those Erangs Kingdom bastards send a knight order to subjugate us?!"

"We will not forgive this!"

"Call the other Counts!"

When faced with an intruder, the vampires of the Bloodstained Archipelago would unite. There was a reason why the Erangs Kingdom couldn't easily subjugate them!

"Hey. Shout it out."

"*Cough, cough.* Yes, sir."

Vlad cleared his throat a few times and prepared himself.

"Hear me! *Cough, cough.*"

Vlad shouted ambitiously, but his voice was completely drowned out.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Stop the knights!"

"Die, filthy undead!"

The heavily armored knights charged, and the vampires desperately tried to block them. Thanks to the fierce battle, Vlad was completely ignored.

"......"

"......"

"Hear me! I said, hear me!"

"...?"

Only then did the vampires turn their heads. Who was this unheard-of vampire?

"Hehehe... I am Vlad! A High Vampire of the Archisus Church, and a powerful vampire who commands and controls this knight order! Heheh, listen well! Count Knema's sword is in my hands! I am the rightful Count of Knema Island! Kneel before me!"

Flash!

Vlad raised the sword high. Count Knema's sword emitted a sinister light, but the vampires present did not accept Vlad...

Vampires were not kind enough to back down just because someone found the Count's sword at this late stage.

"Kill him!"

"Take it!"

"His sword is a fake! Don't be fooled! But take it anyway!"

They had no intention of recognizing him; they were only filled with the desire to steal it! Vlad recoiled in horror. Even though they were at a distance, it was terrifying!

But Vlad had forgotten. There were far more terrifying entities right next to him.

Thud!

Having completed their landing, Tae-hyun's group and the Archisus Artillery began to prepare their attack.

"Prepare to fire."

"Attack! Attack!"

Half of the vampires surrounded the knights, while the other half began to charge toward Vlad. As they ran, the vampires chatted among themselves.

"Who are those guys anyway? They don't look like vampires."

"They don't look like knights either."

"Didn't that vampire guy mention some church earlier?"

"Salavian?"

"No, I think he said Archisus."

"Archisus? Archisus...?"

Most of the vampires present were young. They had never read about such things! Vlad lamented that young vampires these days had no fear.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The items prepared to deal with the Salavian Cult were now being fired spectacularly at the vampires.

"......"

"......"

As the charging vampires were instantly blown away, the ones behind them gasped in horror. What on earth was that?

"D-Did the dwarves come?"

"What is this...!"

"Yong-yong. Heuk-heuk. Come out and keep watch."

Tae-hyun summoned Heuk-heuk as well. Even though Heuk-heuk was in a vampire state, the Bloodstained Archipelago rarely received sunlight, so it didn't matter.

There are advantages to this place.

"Transform into mist and approach... Argh!"

"Fly as bats... Argh!"

The vampires who had been shredded in the frontal assault scattered in all directions, utilizing various transformations. But it was futile.

The Archisus Artillery gleefully ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pounded them, switching between fire shells, silver shells, and various other projectiles. Furthermore, Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk blasted powerful magic at anyone trying to approach in mist form.

"T-That... That is a Vampire Dragon?!"

"It's the legendary Vampire Dragon!"

"??"

-?????

Tae-hyun, Heuk-heuk, and Karbanog were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all dumbfounded. What legendary dragon?