"I don't suppose you're here to avenge the deaths of these idiots?" I asked, nudging the shattered ice with my foot. Behind me, Stella stiffened and held up her sword defensively. Wolfe growled, but for some reason, he stood down and relaxed.
I glanced at the dire wolf, surprised. Wolfe had keener instincts that humans (and me), so he must have sensed that the newcomers meant no harm. As if to prove him right, the blond vampire shook his head.
"No, we're not, actually." The blond vampire noble gestured for his subordinates to stand down, and they obeyed without any hesitation. "We're from a different faction."
"Faction?"
"Ah…you must be recently turned then? Your parent must not have educated you well enough. How irresponsible."
I coughed. "Actually, I was the one who killed the vampire, and then drank his blood to survive."
"Oh? Now that's surprising." The vampire noble's eyes widened. Then he chuckled. "That would explain why you're so…ill-informed. Bringing a human around with you like that, you're asking for trouble, you know? And you're also not behaving as one befits your status."
"My status?" I echoed.
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
"Who are you? What do you want?" Stella asked testily. The vampire noble glanced at her and chuckled again.
"Ah, forgive me for my lack of manners, lady. How remiss of me to forget to introduce myself." he bowed deeply. "I am Claude Lyon. A duke in Tyranvania, and a vampire just like your lord."
He then grinned and raised his head, lifting his top hat up in a salute.
"As for my purpose…it is to swear my fealty to you, my lord."
"Huh?" I gaped at him for a moment, and then pointed at myself. "Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Why me?"
"Are you really not aware of your status, my lord?" Claude shook his head in disbelief, and then he indicated my right hand, which was still holding Blood Angel. I glanced down and saw that the Demonic Emperor's crest was glowing brightly and fiercely.
"…oh."
"That crest," Claude continued as if he hadn't heard me groan. "That crest is proof that you have been selected as the successor to his majesty the Demonic Emperor, gods bless his soul. It is evidence of your authority."
"I'm surprised that you are so quick to recognize my authority," I remarked and narrowed my eyes. "You don't even know who I am…what kind of person I am."
"I'm a pragmatic person," Claude replied airily with a shrug. "To be frank, I don't care what sort of ideals you may possess or how you intend to institute your rule. I am merely throwing my lot with the person in power."
"I don't think most will recognize my authority. Many will even attempt to usurp it."
"That is true, yes, but…" Claude leaned forward, his eyes twinkling. "The dark gods have deemed you worthy of succeeding the Demonic Emperor. And they are rarely wrong, if ever."
He then raised both of his hands dramatically.
"Besides, this is the first time in long millennia that a vampire has been selected as the next Demonic Emperor! Is this not a cause for celebration? You are the pride and joy of our race! It would be folly of the highest order and absolute shortsightedness to eliminate you over personal ambition or greed. It's not as if I would become the next Demonic Emperor if I assassinate you. There are far too many people competing for the throne."
I studied him quietly, and Claude pressed.
"Quite bluntly, I can see that you're in trouble. You only have a single subordinate serving under you at the moment, correct? You need far more support than that. I can provide you refuge. Resources. Manpower. While I cannot promise that the full might of the vampire legion will bow to your command, I at least command a substantial portion of it…and I will place my forces at your disposal, my lord."
I exchanged a glance with Stella, and she nodded. Rubbing my chin, I stepped forward and revealed a token that I had received from Silvia before we parted ways.
"Actually, I already have General Silvia Winters and her legion under me."
"Oho! That's even better! The revered Witch of Winter is such a dependent ally!" Claude's eyes widened and he looked extremely impressed. "That is very welcome news indeed. I did not expect you to already have such a powerful supporter. This vindicates my decision to serve under you."
I wasn't sure if I could trust Claude completely, but he had a point. Right now, I was lacking allies. Also, he was correct in that I was ill-informed about the ways of vampires. I also required a guide in these unfamiliar lands, which seemed populated by enemies.
"As I was saying, my lord, the vampire legion has been…split. Ever since the death of our lord, the Archduke Vincent Lucard, the various nobles have taken their own armies and huddled in their own little territories, waging war upon each other. If you could unite us all, that would go a long way in cementing your authority."
He grinned, revealing gleaming fangs.
"As you probably already know, the vampire legion is among the most powerful among the demonic legions. Now imagine what feats a unified legion will be capable of achieving. We might even be able to invade the humans' kingdom!"
"What if I don't intend to invade the Havan Kingdom?" I asked coldly. Claude shrugged. To my surprise, there was no hint of disappointment. Just apathy.
"If that is your will, then so be it, my lord. The legion is yours to do as you see fit with."
The slick bastard was trying to appeal to my ambition, but he was quick to change tunes depending on my ideals. He wasn't interested in conquest. He was simply interested in maintaining his status and power. By sucking up to me right now, he wanted to continue controlling his portion of the legion and perhaps elevate himself to one of my trusted lieutenants.
Very well. Since he was so kind as to offer himself and his army up to me on a silver platter, I had no reason to refuse.
However, there was one last thing.
"I will be honest with you, Claude. The one who killed your previous lord of vampires, Vincent Lucard…that was me. Do you not have a duty to avenge your previous lord?"
To my surprise, Claude chuckled.
"Oh, I did suspect that you were the one who slew Archduke Lucard and drank his blood. Looks like my guess is right on the money." He glanced at the crest on my right hand. "Your regenerative abilities are on par with his. The only reason why you would have inherited his regenerative prowess is if you drank his blood. And the only way you could have drunk his blood is if you've defeated him. Archduke Lucard hasn't turned anyone into a vampire for centuries, after all."
I waited tensely, noting that Claude hadn't directly answered my question. He might not be hostile, he seemed to have even speculated correctly that I was the one who took down Vincent Lucard, but that meant nothing if he was honor bound to seek revenge for his lord.
"Relax." Claude raised his hands. "We don't do that sort of thing with vampires here. If the Archduke fell to you in combat, it only proves that you are worthier than him…that you deserve to inherit his position. After all, to us vampires, power is more important than anything else."
"I'm afraid I don't have as much power as you seem to think I do."
"Not yet. And admittedly, there are many vampire nobles who will not see the same way I do. As I said, they are shortsighted." Claude snorted. "I won't mince my words. As you are now, you'll probably get killed by the other vampire lords seeking to replace Archduke Lucard and maybe even aim for the throne of the Demonic Emperor."
"Whereas you look into the long term?" I asked cynically. Claude grinned and nodded.
"Of course. I'm a vampire. We live for untold millennia. If there's anyone who is most concerned about the long term, it's us and the elves."
He then clasped his hands.
"And it's not just me. There are a few likeminded nobles like me. If we can pool our resources together, we might be able to shut down the dissenters and unite the legion once more. You're a great seed with unlimited potential. As long as we allow you to germinate and take root, you'll sprout into the strongest and sturdiest tree. Our vampire legion will regain its glory and reach unprecedented heights!"
He then sighed.
"Alas, not all vampires are as farsighted as I am. So we will need to crush the rebellion." His expression turned grim. "And quite frankly, we are of the minority. I won't lie to you, my lord. This will be an uphill battle. We will be forced to fight many of our brethren. Even if we do succeed in gathering allies to our side, and even with the support of the Witch of Winter, it'll still be difficult to unite the fractured legion. And the self-styled warlords will band together if they learn of your existence."
"Because I'll present the greatest threat to their ambitions," I concluded. That made sense. If there was anyone who could destroy their dreams of commanding the vampire legion, it would be me.
"Correct. I'm glad you are quick to understand." He turned away. "If you would follow me, my lord, we should take shelter in my humble abode and discuss our plans further."
I glanced at Stella and she shrugged. Her signal was clear. This was my decision to make. She was my knight, not my mistress, and so she would follow whatever choice I picked. I took a deep breath and nodded.
"All right. I will be thanking you in advance for your hospitality then."
"Not a problem at all, my lord." Claude smiled and tipped his hat again in that cheeky salute. I nodded. Then Stella and I began packing up our belongings and throwing them into the cart. Wolfe stretched and obediently went to the front of the carriage, waiting for me to tether him to it.
Within five minutes, we were all ready to go.
Claude's castle wasn't very far from where we were.
"You're really lucky," Claude remarked as we strode toward his estate.
Unlike Bradley's extravagant dome-shaped palace, the vampire's castle adopted a more gothic design, with towering spires, black walls and gargoyles standing sentry along the rooftops. It was more formidable and defensible than the luxurious palaces that Herman, Irene and Bradley resided in, with ramparts and high walls.
"The southern region of Tyranvania belongs to me," Claude explained. "Or at least this part of the south, anyway." he looked a little sheepish. "I'll show you later, but I only possess a tiny part of Tyranvania. Nothing to brag about, especially when compared to the territories of the other nobles and warlords."
"At least you're better off than me," I replied. Stella coughed.
"Even not counting General Winters's territory, which she has kindly put under you, you still have Bravia province, which you personally conquered."
"Oh?" Claude raised an eyebrow. "I see that you've already launched a military campaign and even achieved victory. Bravia province…isn't that located in the north of the human kingdom? The one surrounded by mountains?"
"That's right," Stella confirmed.
"Impressive. Very impressive!" Claude clapped his hands. "My lord, you really are a lot better than I thought you would be!"
"Nah…I was just lucky, and I had the help of Silvia and her demonic legion. I would never have done it alone."
"Wars are never won by a single person," Claude chided. "The fact that you commanded a legion to victory in your first campaign is already worthy of praise!"
"It was also down to Silvia's tactical prowess and skill as a general."
"I know Lady Winters, and trust me, she is not the kind of person who would blindly trust and support any random person. If she placed her faith in you, she must have a good reason for doing so." Claude chuckled. "Nonetheless, I do like your humility, my lord. Sadly, modesty is a virtue rarely to be found among vampires."
He flicked his hands and the massive iron gates swung open to allow our procession entry. Stella and I followed Claude and his entourage, which I assumed was his honor guard. Behind me, Wolfe panted excitedly as he pulled the carriage through the entrance.
In a single motion, Claude swiftly bounced to the front, took off his hat and performed a theatrical bow.
"Welcome to the Lyon Estate, my lord. I hope you will find this place to your liking."