"The knowledge of when and how vampires first emerged likely resides only with the ancestor of the vampires. However, the first recorded instance of their interaction with humanity was during the Lepidus' Revenge campaign, where they fought alongside werewolves against us."
- A parchment from the Azderos Library
Willbert was the first to react, "But my lord, didn't we conclude that the dark knights avoid interactions with dominant powers? Why this sudden change?" His question was quite logical.
Ülgen responded, "Even though the Oldthern Kingdom is ruled by vampires, they do so indirectly through their puppets. Technically, they too are a group that interferes with the world stage in a roundabout way. Additionally, while the dark knights are servants of a necromancer, you should also know that vampires are a type of undead. The natural affinity both sides have for darkness makes their collaboration against a common enemy quite normal."
Sven couldn't help but grumble while looking at the map. "Even while surrounded by four duchies, a kingdom, and an empire, they still manage to cause us trouble. The political dynamics of the central lands are astonishing."
Linda chuckled softly. "The intricate web of marriages and alliances formed based on interests among hundreds of noble families creates a delicate balance in the central lands. No one wants to disrupt this balance because it affects everyone's interests," she remarked.
Udin's eyes gleamed with a desire to fight. "Let both the vampires and the dark knights come, they won't be able to defeat us as long as Lord Ülgen is by our side!"
Udin's enthusiastic words lightened the oppressive atmosphere a bit.
Lothi clapped Udin on the shoulder with a small laugh. "Udin is absolutely right. Hvítreiðr is our home, and they cannot easily overpower us in our own territory."
Seeing that many around the table seemed ready to fight within the city, Aral couldn't help but feel worried. "Damage to the city would place a burden on our economic strength..." After all, he was the one who had negotiated with traders following the trade agreement to secure abundant resources for the city's development at reasonable prices.
"Don't worry, Aral," Ülgen said in a reassuring tone. "What we gain from defeating our enemy will easily cover the damage incurred. The only real concern is the safety of the city's inhabitants, but if we give them the necessary commands before the actual battle begins, there won't be any issues."
The people at the table nodded in agreement and continued to lay out their plans.
They had measures in place to minimize the danger to the populace. Ülgen had built underground shelters and food stores to ensure the city could withstand sieges lasting months. Therefore, civilians had a chance to escape to the shelters before the shockwaves of the battles reached them.
Despite being civilians, the northern people had the potential to join the army at any time if needed. However, many lived civilian lives due to not meeting the conditions Ülgen set for becoming soldiers as the population increased. After all, reaching the first degree of power, even at the basic level, was not something every person could achieve.
While they believed the city could handle the damage and minimize losses, the most concerning issue was whether they could find the girl blessed with a strong destiny.
Thanks to one of the side effects of the Conquest Tower, Ülgen could prevent the enemy from locating the girl's specific position. The constructions of the Fatih race and his racial traits made it easier to conceal destinies. Thus, even though the dark wizard sensed the girl as Ülgen's subject, he could not perceive Ülgen's own destiny.
The girl named Sigrid was currently seven years old and already outperforming her peers in her newly begun education. Her father was a warrior, and her mother was a leatherworker. They were just one of many families in Hvítreiðr. Their home was quite close to Ülgen's tower.
Of course, the proximity of their home to the tower was one of Ülgen's small adjustments. By incorporating a few housing exchange projects involving other families, he ensured that the girl and her family did not attract attention.
Everyone in the core group was aware of the girl's living conditions and her family. Although their knowledge of destiny could not compare to their lord's, they understood that the girl was of great importance to the future of Hvítreiðr.
Thus, many preparations were reviewed, and a few new plans were added. After the meeting concluded, everyone left the room to rest and returned to their homes through the secret passages.
Once alone in the room, Ülgen ensured that the ominous energy waves he sensed at the boundary of the tower's perception had calmed down before slowly rising from his seat. His two-meter werewolf form had become much stronger and more imposing than Olpar had ever been.
Since the awakening of the soul seed he had planted when transforming Olpar into the Fatihs Incarnation, Ülgen's control and power over this body had significantly improved. While his main body dealt with other matters in the far north, he managed and strengthened Hvítreiðr like a clone without burdening his main body.
Additionally, thanks to the soul seed, he had gained some knowledge about the werewolves' hidden location from Olpar's faded memories. However, the adventuring members of the werewolves had erased specific memories of their hidden place, making it impossible for the young Fatih to pinpoint a location. This was the primary reason he had sent scouts to investigate.
Scanning the city with his senses, Ülgen took a deep breath. "I can always search for the werewolves' hidden den later; focusing on the immediate threat is more prudent right now," he said before descending swiftly and entering a secret passage known only to him.
The secret passage led him to the city's sewers. Once in the sewers, he marked several locations with his senses. Then, he began inscribing runes with the magical beast blood he had brought along before leaving the tower.
Unlike his main body, which could easily use dragon blood, as an incarnation, he could only gather the blood of powerful magical creatures at most. Since magical beast blood lacked the quality of dragon blood, he used more blood than usual when inscribing runes.
Meanwhile, the foul smell of the sewers did not affect his concentration in the slightest. Thus, time continued to flow, and he inscribed runes at the locations he had marked through the sewers one by one.
The runes he carved were markedly different from those he had used before. Once completed, they emitted a subdued energy. From a bird's-eye view, it was evident that the runes formed a hexagon.
Feeling the purity in the energy radiating from the runes, Ülgen chuckled with a malevolent tone. "I've prepared plenty of surprises, and if those aren't enough, they'll get a taste of this!"
When the sun rose, he returned to the Conquest Tower through the secret passage. Drawing energy from the area, he quietly sat in his chair. He had done everything he could; the rest depended on the enemy's moves.
...
In Hvítreiðr, days passed with remarkable stability, unlike the constant struggle against nature faced by other northern clans.
Hunting parties roamed the snowy forests, battling magical beasts and returning triumphantly with their prey. Since it was the beginning of the year, they had reduced their hunting expeditions. During this period, many magical beasts were mating and trying to continue their species.
The clan people refrained from provoking the beasts, as they had no intention of committing genocide. After all, no one wanted to cut off their own source of income.
Loki, who had brought the carcass of a young mutant snow rabbit to the city, was quite happy as he had successfully completed his second and last hunting expedition of the month.
In Hvítreiðr, aside from large-scale wars requiring the assembly of all soldiers, there was a mission-based military organization. The city issued various missions daily, and the soldiers would share these tasks among themselves. Soldiers earned both merit points and monetary rewards from these missions. While they could sustain themselves with the monetary rewards, merit points were used to acquire things that money couldn't buy.
The most popular uses for merit points were mostly related to receiving personal lessons from high-level aura warriors. There were many benefits available, from the most expensive blood blessings to tips that could accelerate power growth and magical beast blood that could strengthen the body. Regardless of their expenditures, the maximum merit points displayed in the team ranking motivated all soldiers.
The minimum requirement to be a team leader in the army was to be at the 2nd degree, and Loki had managed to step into the initial stage of the 2nd degree last year through hard work. He had gathered his close friends to form a team, and they were making relatively good progress on missions.
Due to their power levels, they could only hunt the weakest type of magical creatures, the mutant snow rabbits. However, even though mutant snow rabbits were the weakest type of magical creature, they were not easy prey.
Throughout the month, they had escaped their grasp three times, and when caught, one had managed to seriously injure one of Loki's subordinates. Their size could be compared to a small pig, and their kicks were not to be taken lightly.
After delivering the carcass to the mission center, they took their injured friend to the infirmary and then went to the tavern to celebrate their earnings.
Although they weren't wealthy enough to spend money on wines imported from Vinumregnum, their reward was certainly enough for a few pints of strong northern beer.
Entering the tavern, Loki cheerfully shouted, "Innkeeper, set up your best beers for me and my friends!" and then he and his friends took a seat at a table.
Shortly after, a young and beautiful northern woman brought beer mugs for Loki and his nine friends. Before leaving, she gave Loki a playful wink. This not-so-subtle gesture didn't go unnoticed by Loki's companions.
"Ooo, team leader, looks like your bed will be warm tonight, haha!"
"Hahaha, just as expected from the team leader!"
Their praise made Loki puff out his chest proudly. "Heh, don't talk nonsense like you didn't know Oline and I have been together for half a year!"
The team soon immersed themselves in their drinks and engaged in a long conversation. Their chat was going well until Loki, who was keeping an eye on Oline, noticed a group of men in black cloaks.