During festivals or holidays, parties lasting nearly ten days are held for the entire capital. The empire would sponsor these events since it was tradition.
All kinds of entertainment like dancing would be available for the common folk. Although there wasn't a Christmas or any other Earthly holiday in this world, there were some that were similar.
The Promith Festival was one of these festivals. It was to celebrate the birth and death of the first Hero. Nobles, commoners and other members of society alike would come together under the same banner to praise the heroic deeds of the hero.
The Holy Sword of [Song and Light] would be displayed during the festival so that people from around the continent could see it. Even Liam didn't know where the empire hid that sword after Prometheus died.
His armor was lost after the battle of the century concluded. Of course, Liam didn't know where it was either. The developers kept it a secret from the playerbase since it was a valuable item.
Liam was never a person who could stand parties. He much rather preferred a quiet setting where everyone had different discussions. Sort of like group chat in the online menu in Star Fantasy.
'Ugh, I'll probably regret this,' Arnold stepped out of the coach and looked up at the magnificent Imperial Palace.
The sky was brightly lit even though it was nighttime. Countless nobles and people of high standing were standing in the courtyard of the palace.
Arnold was wearing a top-class suit, as usual. His hair was neatly patted down with gel and light makeup was on his face. His face glowed, which made many heads stare at his direction. Young and older women alike were looking at him with red tinted faces.
His date, well, she was equally as captivating.
Liumiala wore a long silver dress which complimented her silver hair and heterochromia eyes of blue and green. Her thin waist and back was bare for all to see how smooth and unblemished her skin was.
Liumiala also wore light makeup but that was enough to make her face glow.
The two were definitely a match in heaven in the eyes of others.
"Allow me to escort you, my lady." Arnold opened her door once he circled around the coach.
"Why thank you, sir Arnold."
She didn't call him "young lord" anymore because they were supposed to be each other's dates, thus they had to have some close relation. "Sir Arnold" sounded more affectionate than "Young lord".
That was what Liumiala said at least.
Liam didn't get noble customs.
Why did he have to circle around the coach just to open the door for her?
Her answer to this question was:
This is how a gentleman escorts a lady. I am playing the role of the daughter of a rich oil merchant so I have a very, very high standing. Thus, my date should treat me like a princess.
'Geh.'
Arnold found it disgusting having to act like this. He was an average person who would much rather be sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating junk food.
"Do you see anyone on the list?" asked Arnold.
"Quite a few. They had surprised expressions on their faces when they saw your handsome visage."
"Complimenting me won't gain you any points… In any case, we shouldn't cause a big disturbance at this banquet. The Emperor will be at the last party of the three-day banquet."
At banquets, the Emperor would only be present on the first and third day. He would open the party and only stay for an hour before leaving the Empress in charge. The last day would be different since he would stay for the entire duration and greet all his guests.
The reason this was the case was because if he was present all three days then people would only focus on trying to impress the Emperor and not mingle with the other nobles. The whole point of banquets was to build strong connections with people.
"I wonder if anyone had dared to speak with the vampire lord in the past two days," Just as Arnold said that, a disturbance erupted from the crowd.
"Speak of the devil." Liumiala's eyebrows twitched as she said that.
A black, ominous carriage being pulled by undead horses circled around the fountain.
'Are those Living Armor Knights? Where the hell did she get the materials to create those monsters?' thought Arnold as he looked at the six knights that were escorting the carriage.
The biggest one had him especially worried.
Without even having to view its status, he knew that it could crush him even with his demon lord power.
'Fuck. This thing might even be as strong as Lancelot.'
Arnold's molars clenched remembering his battle with Lancelot.
The carriage stopped in front of the stairs leading up to the palace.
A woman's long, slender leg, with her black colored toenails and exotic heel stepped out of the carriage. Soon, the person was fully out of the carriage, with a knight helping her down.
Arnold's heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't because of love at first sight. No, what made his heart pound like that was because this woman looked so familiar that he was questioning how such a thing was possible.
'No… I must be imagining it.'
At that moment, the two of their eyes met. Arnold felt a surge of power from her gaze alone. He felt his demon sword threatening to come out but he forced it down.
It was responding to her malice.
But unexpectedly, she smiled. She looked no older than a high school girl so it was a pure smile which could melt the heart of others. Of course, Liam wasn't a lolicon who was attracted to kids. He was merely comparing her to many of the high schoolers he met.
Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth headed up the stairs leading to the palace, others giving way for her.
Since this was a formal setting, her knights cladded in red armor had to stay behind.
"Shouldn't we go as well?"
"Right… Let's go." Arnold hooked arms with Liumiala.
The two of them headed up the stairs, following closely behind the vampire lord.
◇◇
"—First and foremost, I would like to thank each of you for being here at this event. We are here to celebrate the victory of war and to welcome a new friend of the Empire," The Emperor's voice boomed on the balcony of the second floor.
The Empress, Roseria Millinisia Eulia was standing next to him.
Although Liam knew the majority of the characters of the story, he didn't know much about the emperor's first wife. She was someone shrouded in mystery.
But since she didn't seem that special, he decided to ignore her.
Roseria was the exact copy of an older Olivia. The two would look alike if they were to stand next to each other.
Roseria wasn't just the Empress but was one of the women who was part of the top 10 beauties of the empire, just like Arnold's mother.
The emperor continued, "I had my doubts whether establishing friendly connections with a nation ruled by a monster lord," He looked straight towards Brynhildr who was standing alone amidst the crowd, "There was the worry that the Theocracy would try and invade our nation because they suspect that we would want to start a war by joining hands with Selia. But I have come to understand that being a vassalage nation and making a peace treaty is remarkably different."
Power, money and connections were what drove everything in this world. It was common for a nation to be afraid that they would be attacked by their own neighbour.
The problem with the Luthial Kingdom's connection was that the Greater Demon offered vassalage even though he should've been aware that that would be taken as a threat to the surrounding nations. Since the kingdom had been in a decline, the Theocracy mistook that they wanted to increase their military power and attack another region.
The fact that the opponent was a nation with monsters also played a role in their decision to invade the nation.
This was all Arnold's conjecture. He wasn't certain if there was an underlying reason to what happened. Maybe the Juliar Theocracy wanted a reason to eliminate such a small kingdom or something.
'I can guess why they're afraid.' He remembered those Living Armor Knights.
"—Let us enjoy this final night together. I hope we emerge a more united empire by the end of this night." Jurnick stepped back.
Arnold could see his father following behind Jurnick. There were also other notable people he knew.
Vance von Penston.
Ariane Marldor.
Feldina Ulsian.
The four of them were the strongest force this empire had.
The person Arnold focused on the most was Vance von Penston.
He was a Sword Master and would later be overtaken by Flora Luthial.
'I never expected to see these amazing people so soon. Each of them played a key role somewhere in the storyline. But the one who interests me the most…' He looked at Feldina.
She was happily speaking with Marcus about something while grinning. She also seemed to be pointing at Arnold while doing so.
'As expected of the fairy race. She probably already sensed my life energy when I got here.'
His father waved at him with a smile and he waved back.
'Nothing seems to have reached him, huh? How has mother prevented the news from spreading…'
Arnold wanted to go to his father but decided to leave that for later. Not only would the Emperor be surrounded by nobles, the reaction his father would give to the information would probably ruin this entire banquet.
Arnold could imagine his father flying straight towards James and slaughtering him.
"Hey," Liumiala nudged Arnold's arm, "It seems you're very hated by these people."
"Ah…" He didn't notice it at first how everyone was looking at him with scorn in their eyes.
Some were blatantly gossiping about him even though he could hear them.
"Ignore them. I'm not here to entertain idiots."
Multiple tongue clicking noises echoed. A wave of killing intent pressed down on him. But Arnold only ignored them as he looked around.
'Where is Rein?'
Liumiala noticed this and asked, "Are you looking for someone?"
"The eldest son of the Rynals merchant family."
"Oho, you want to recruit him to work for you?" She seemed to think Arnold was an idiot, "Don't bother. His family abandoned him that day when he screwed up a business contract. The consequences caused a few of the family's businesses to collapse. They lost a lot of power and money because of this."
"So you have been doing your homework, huh?"
"My eyes and ears spy on every scummy noble I get interested in."
"So you're the Robin Hood kind of person, huh?"
'A person who fights evil but protect the innocent.'
It was just like Robin Hood who stole from the rich to give to the poor.
"Robin who…?"
"Never mind. I take it you have been keeping an eye on the family's finances?"
She nodded, "A lot of shady deals here and there but nothing that's obvious if you don't dig too deep."
"Shady deals…"
"They have been getting involved with some strange deals to make money. You've heard of Elf Hunting before, right?"
"Well, the name itself gives me an idea."
"A lot of elves were spotted being taken into one of the family's villages they own. There were also a lot of heavily armored guards."
"Huh? When was this?"
"Just a few days ago when there was a large gathering in the Great Forest."
Arnold frowned.
'Could it be…'
"…that Sylphiala is amongst them?" Arnold muttered under his breath.
"Hm?"
"Ah, nothing. Selling elves is good business in this day and age, huh. Even one can sell for thousands of gold," He looked at Liumiala carefully, "You don't seem bothered by this."
"Why would I be?"
"They're…"
Your people, was what he was about to say but stopped. He had forgotten that Liumiala wasn't born in a regular Elf settlement. There was no reason for her to feel bothered by the qualms of elves and humans.
In fact, regular elves hated dark elves so that just made things worse. Dark Elves were similar to humans. They were honest in their desires for power, lust and such.
Whereas Elves were creatures who were aloof to many of the things in this world. They kept to themselves and many almost never leave their settlements.
'She probably doesn't care so I should change the subject.'
"Does anyone know yet that you captured Jurius?"
"Nope. I used the same trick as we did with you—we found an expendable person and used transformation magic on him."
"I see…"
Liumiala had already succeeded in capturing Jurius. He was being held in a cell in one of their warehouses in the capital. Arnold knew that his mood would be ruined if he went to see Jurius so he decided to deal with Jurius before he was done with James and his associates.
"If the Emperor finds out then even your father won't be able to protect you,"
"He's not going to find out, now is he? The moment the Imperial Court decided to suddenly stall the trial was the moment their fates were sealed. Jurius included. His supposed title as a prince will be questioned by the people."
"I guess I should find a magic item that messes with a person's memory then?"
"No. I'll find some other way to keep Jurius quiet. Letting him forget everything will be his mercy."
"You seem like you've figured everything out to avoid the worst case scenario, huh?"
"Of course."
If he didn't then there was no telling when his death was certain. He had to consider every possibility in order to eliminate a death flag. From now on he had to be three steps ahead of his opponents.
Arnold suddenly noticed that the music had stopped and multiple people were staring at him.
'Did they hear our conversation? No, it doesn't seem like it. Then why are they so quiet?'
"—Sir Arnold von Berkley."
A sweet, harmonious voice called out to him.
Liumiala's face scrunched up.
Arnold's face almost did the same thing when he saw the person in question.
"…I-If it isn't Her Majesty Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth," Arnold gracefully bowed and took her hand.
'Cold…'
He planted his lips on her hand in greeting.
"Oh my…"
"So bold…"
"As expected of a womanizer…"
The music started playing again but many people were still looking their way.
"My, it has been a long time since a man has made my heart race." Selia fanned herself with a smile.
'What heart? Aren't you undead? Why the fuck did she come to me of all people!?'
His mind was in chaos but he knew that he had to act calm and avoid offending the other party.
"I could not resist to greet such a fine young lady. Your beauty can even make the darkest of days seem the brightest!"
"Oh, my, a young lady? I am over 200 years old but thank you for the compliment…" Selia smiled.
"Please excuse me. I will take my leave," Liumiala backed away with a deadpan expression.
"I did not mean to interrupt you when you were speaking."
'Your words and actions contradict each other,' thought Arnold in annoyance.
"No, it's quite alright. I wanted to speak with some of my friends anyway without my date tagging along," Liumiala glanced at Arnold, "We will have plenty of time together tonight."
The crowd sighed, seemingly implying something naughty from Liumiala's words.
'Wait! That's not what she means!'
"To think he found a woman right after Her Highness was given to the current heir… What dog trash…"
"I thought he was obsessed with her?"
Various statements were thrown around about Arnold bringing another woman into his life. It seemed that they mistook it that he was in a romantic relationship with her.
Arnold noticed Liumiala blushing when he looked at her.
'What kind of reaction is that!?'
"Please excuse me…" Liumiala quickly bolted away.
'Tch. Coward.'
Now he was left alone with Selia.
The two stared into each other's eyes. Selia was the first to speak, "I heard some interesting things about you."
"Oh, really?"
"You were recently given a city along with a large plot of land, correct? Aren't our situations similar? Both of us are rulers of small cities."
'But the difference is that you have a city filled with monsters that could destroy a small nation,' Arnold couldn't understand why she even brought it up, 'Is she trying to talk about politics? Shit, I always slept in those classes in school. I'll look like an idiot if I let her steer the conversation.'
"I am still in the process of getting used to being a city lord, Your Majesty."
"I see. It's fine if you talk informally to me, you know? I might be of undead nature but I was a commoner once before so people treating me like a monarch is still alien to me."
"When you were still alive?"
"…Yes, that is what I meant," she seemed to want to say something else but stuck with that, "How are you fairing with diplomatic matters? The city was isolated by the empire from my understanding, right?"
"I haven't really looked into those matters yet. I wanted to do something before I worry about diplomatic issues."
"Oh? Please enlighten me as to what that is."
'Shit, I almost blurted the existence of blood crystals.' He cleared his throat:
"My city has been underpopulated for quite a while. I think it has to do with the fact that there are no forces to fend off monsters. The villages are always at risk because of it. My first priority would be to get capable fighters."
"Hmm… Why not lend knights from the surrounding fiefs?"
'Is this woman crazy? There's no way someone from the empire would even give me a goat.'
His father's vassals might do it but Arnold wanted to be independent from his father and any of his people.
"I think it's better to train my own people than rely on others."
"Well, it is your decision in the end. Oh right, do you have plans concerning the large plot of land you possess?"
"You mean the forest and the plains? I haven't thought about it."
Expanding his city was the last thing on his mind(since it wouldn't be a smart move to expand a dying city). Restoring it was what was most important. There were probably less than fifty families compared to the hundreds of buildings in the city.
His second problem involved getting more people to come to his city. A city couldn't be called a city if it didn't have people.
"There are lots of things you can do with such large plots of lands to gain currency. I think building farms would be the best choice. You can start by expanding after gathering enough profit."
"Uh, um…" Arnold hadn't considered that at all. His main priority was to secure the crystals and sell them in the markets around the continent.
'I should've attended some economic classes instead of fooling around.'
"There is also the option of a Farm Stand. If you have a piece of land in a decent location, you can set up a roadside farm stand and use the rest of your land to grow or produce food to sell. Then there's the option to start a lumber business. I have seen that large forest surrounding your city along with its mountains. There are bound to be lots of trees to chop down. You can make space and business at the same time."
'Uh, I need a notebook to write all this down.'
He would definitely forget all of this. His brain cells were eaten away from gaming so much so his short-term memory was poor.
"You can buy livestock and raise them in your villages. They can produce milk or even their own meat can be sold. Oh, and you can sell the land to others as pasture," Selia finally stopped her economic lesson on farming and stuff, "I've gone too far with trying to interfere with your business. Forgive me."
"No… it's fine. Uh, would you like a drink?"
'I need to get away for a while and arrange my thoughts. This woman will give me a heart attack. And what does she mean by she has seen my city? Does that imply that she's been eyeing my resources? Shit, how much does she know?'
There was no way he would simply allow someone to take his land(his delusion).
"Yes, please. I would like a light drink since I cannot tolerate the taste of alcohol."
"I'll be right back."
The people gave way as Arnold quickly left Selia's side. She was now left alone again just like before. No one seemed brave enough to even approach her.
◇◇◇
'Hmm… How do I get him to talk about the crystals?'
Selia watched as Arnold walked away with a rather troubled expression on his face.
'Why does he seem so nervous? Am I releasing killing intent unknowingly?' Selia looked down at herself, 'It doesn't seem that way. Then why is he so on-guard?'
Perhaps he was taken aback that she would approach him out of all people.
She wasn't surprised why that was so. From an outside perspective, Selia had no reason to be interested in Arnold. He was just some son of a duke and nothing else.
However, those crystals changed everything. Its value was extraordinarily higher than that of gold or silver in large amounts. Its uses didn't just lay in keeping summons.
Vetis had done some research and found out that the crystal could also act as a spell carrier. Meaning, spells could be contained inside.
The highest rank it could hold was unknown since there wasn't anyone in her army who could cast spells up to 17th rank to test it. Selia herself could only use the spells inside her ring but there was no way to transfer the spell over to the crystal since she wasn't a guru when it came to magic arts.
'The bigger question should be who to sell the crystals to once he trades some with us.'
There were seven magic towers on the continent. She was told by Vetis that it would be better to sell it to the towers unless a better buyer came along.
'But still, a single gram being equivalent to thousands of gold should be an exaggeration, right?'
Vetis said those exact words. Perhaps he was implying that the crystals were just very valuable?
Selia didn't know.
'How long is he going to take with the drinks?' Selia thought in annoyance. Arnold was taking longer than she thought he would.
'Charm magic would probably not work on someone like him since the magic is ineffective against people with strong mental fortitudes.'
While Selia was thinking to herself, Arnold was already coming back with two glasses in his hands.
'Hmm… His troubled expression is gone. That's some recovery he has.'
"Here you go, lady Selia."
"Thank you."
'Now that I think about it. Can I even digest this? I haven't tried eating food yet since that desire is gone,' she smelled the peachy scent of the beverage, 'It smells tasty.'
"…!" Selia's eyes widened when she took the first sip of her drink.
'How have I not done this before!? My throat is being filled with the sweet taste of fruity nectar.'
"You seem to be enjoying the drink." Arnold smiled amiably and drank his own drink.
"We undead never get to enjoy the luxuries of the living which includes eating and drinking. Some of us are even incapable of eating at all. Anyway, back to what we were discussing—"
She noticed that Arnold's smile was getting wider and wider as he was looking at her, "Surely you didn't approach me just to give me a geoeconomic lesson?"
"Hmm…"
So I was found out, thought Selia.
"What is it you're really after?" Arnold asked as if he enjoyed the situation.
Selia glanced around to see if anyone was in listening range. She took Arnold's hand and gestured for him to follow her.
The two left the banquet hall and went to the balcony. The outside air blew strongly against their faces.
"The only reason I came to this banquet—in a nation where everyone hates monsters—wasn't just to show my friendship with Jurnick."
Arnold silently listened.
"You must've heard that my nation was already in a terrible state even before I took control," Selia paused as she thought of what to say and what not to say, "The city slowly imploded due to the previous ruler's spending habits and unwise decisions. The city lord was killed along with his family by his own citizens. That was when the chaos ensued. People started murdering each other just to put food on the table, shop owners fled the city to start their businesses in other regions… The list goes on but listing it all would take a lot of time."
"I think I get it. My city went through something similar."
"Is that so…"
"So what is it that I can offer a queen of a kingdom? You should know that I have no money to my name."
Selia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She exhaled and began speaking, "I… No, we are hoping to receive financial support from you, Arnold von Berkley."