Eugene scrutinized the strange symbols and letters engraved on the armor before raising his head.

“I want to know more about Armis.”

The elders had been staring captivated at Armis. They were startled awake from their trance by Eugene’s words, then responded with awkward expressions.

“Well… We don’t really know.”

“You don’t know?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. There aren’t any records of the family treasures. Moreover, Armis was such a long time ago… It’s all our fault,” the elders responded before bowing their heads in embarrassment. Eugene inwardly clicked his tongue.

Although it was known as one of the greatest families in Brantia, the Batla Duchy was ultimately no different from any other noble family. It had been operated haphazardly relying on only its status and reputation, and the family’s history had been passed down orally rather than recorded in formal documents.

‘Well, there’s nothing I can do about that. There are so many illiterate nobles as well.’

The qualifications and the honor of becoming a noble were naturally granted by one’s bloodline, everything else was insignificant for them. It was similar to the nobles in the kingdoms on the continent, but it was much worse for Brantia, which developed slower and was poorer compared to other nations.

“What about you? Do you know anything?” Eugene asked after turning his gaze to Pranbow.

The elf shrugged. “I know nothing else apart from what I have told you already. In the first place, Armis is a treasure belonging to another family. It just happened to end up in our kingdom’s hands.”

The elves of Eland seemed none too wiser.

‘I will have to ask Pythamoras.’

Eugene hoped that the druid might know better since he was well-versed in numerous topics.

Eugene stretched out his hand. He wasn’t sure why the engravings on the Batla Duchy’s armor resembled the symbols and letters engraved on his own body. However, he was certain that it had something to do with his true identity and lost memories.

“Y-Your Excellency?

“Your Excellency, it’s dangerous.”

The elders and Pranbow attempted to dissuade Eugene. Armis was a demonic armor that drew its user’s blood as nutrients, and vampires possessed significantly less blood in their bodies compared to other races.

“I’m only going to take a look,” Eugene said before lifting the crimson armor and examining it carefully. The armor had a cold, smooth texture, and it was quite beautiful. In addition, there were twelve figures and letters that exactly matched the original tattoos on his body in appearance and numbers. However, he didn’t receive a special, intense sensation just as he did when he first held Madarazika. Rather, he felt it was ominous for some reason. If he felt this way as a Vampire Origin, he was certain it would feel like a curse to others.

‘It’s not like I need it right away. I’ll try it on after I show it to Pythamoras.’

Eugene returned Armis to its box before turning to Pranbow. “I owe the elf king one. Give him my gratitude.”

“The property of the Batla Duchy has only been returned to its original owner. Our king is happy with that alone. Ah, and about the queen candidate,” Pranbow said before gesturing. One of the other knights carefully unfolded a gold-plated document.

“Oohh…!” The eyes of the elders became filled with awe. The document was a finely drawn portrait. It felt as if the figure was about to come to life. Her mysterious green eyes shone like emeralds, and her straight, tall nose provided an elegant look. However, her plump, red lips added a sprinkle of seductive charm. She was a beauty.

But that was only from the perspective of the duchy’s elders. Eugene only saw a ‘normal elf woman.’

“Princess Elgrena. She is the first daughter of our king and a knight of the royal family,” Pranbow said.

“Kieeek?! A-a princess knight? I’ve only ever heard of them!” Mirian exclaimed. Eugene wasn’t entirely sure what a princess knight was, but he was certainly unfamiliar with the term. Still, he felt that it was a rare combination.

“At first, the youngest princess was to be sent, but Princess Elgrena strongly insisted on it. As a knight, she has great respect and curiosity for the duke and Count Crawlmarine,” Pranbow explained.

“Hmm. I see. Does Princess Elgrena know how to use mana?” Eugene asked.

Pranbow responded, “That’s right. She possesses extremely pure blood, so she is capable of handling very pure mana. She is strong and quite skilled with the blade. She’s able to deal with intermediate-rank monsters by herself.”

“What?”

That couldn’t be classified as simply being strong. Galfredik had been capable of barely defeating a troll even before he became a vampire, and he had been considered a skilled knight among humans.

‘She will respect me if she’s my aide’s wife, right?’

Eugene had high expectations at the thought that he might be able to make use of a powerhouse free of charge.

“When is the princess set to come?” Eugene asked.

“She will arrive within a month as long as you give permission. She wanted to come as soon as possible after hearing your stories,” Pranbow answered.

“Hmm. She’s a rather unusual princess, isn’t she?” Eugene said.

“Well… She is quite unusual.” Pranbow said with a bitter smile. There appeared to be more to it, but Eugene didn’t ask any questions. Princess Elgrena would be Luke’s partner anyway. Whatever the case was, Luke would have to deal with it.

“Kieee… A princess knight should be very strong. Sir, aide number two… He’ll receive beatings quite often!” Mirian said, apparently concerned.

“That’s none of my business,” Eugene murmured softly before turning to the elders.

“Call for Count Crawlmarine. Have the master druid come with him as well. Send someone to Mungard as well. Tell my wizard to come,” Eugene said, giving out his orders.

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Orders bearing the seal of the Batla Duchy left for their destinations. The messengers were able to reach their destinations relatively quickly and safely. It was something that would have been unimaginable only a year ago, but most of the territories had already been stabilized after being occupied.

Fifteen days later, Romari and Luke arrived from Mungard and the Crawlmarine County.

***

“Uwaaaah! Sir Eugene!” Romari ran forward with teary eyes. She had transformed into a zombie since their last encounter. Eugene felt glad to see her, but not to the point of returning her hug. He sidestepped to avoid it.

“What?! Aren’t you being too mean? I had such a hard time purifying the mana stones,” Romari complained.

“But you were able to funnel the money that came out of it into your research, right? I heard you spent quite a fortune on ingredients,” Eugene responded.

“…You haven’t changed.” It was only right for someone to change after earning a great position such as a duke. However, Eugene was still as stingy as before. However, Romari didn’t bother voicing her opinion. She continued while looking around. “What about the others?”

“I sent them to take over other territories,” Eugene responded. He gave a quick summary of the current situation, then turned his gaze toward Selena.

“What’s wrong with her? She doesn’t look very good,” Eugene asked.

“Well, I’m not sure. Ah, she did receive a letter from Marquis Archivold the other day. She’s been a bit grim since then…” Romari responded.

“Hmm.”

Selena was an important link between himself and Marquis Archivold. As such, Eugene felt a little uncomfortable leaving Selena alone since she appeared depressed for some reason.

“Oi, Galfredik’s aide. Come over here.” Eugene said.

“Y-yes!” Selena rushed over.

“Your aunt sent you a letter? Did something happen?” Eugene asked.

“Well, it’s…” Selena hesitated, then breathed a deep sigh before continuing.

“The royalists finally caused an incident. The king labeled my family as rebels and gathered his army. As such…”

Selena’s story was surprising in many ways. After filtering out all the unnecessary information, the conclusion was that the King of Caylor and the central church were preparing to wage an all-out war against several cities, as well as the Carls Baggins Peninsula. Naturally, Maren and Moffern were included as well.

“He’s out of his mind. Isn’t that a civil war?” Eugene asked.

“Yes, that’s right. My aunt said that she might be unable to contact me for a while,” Selena responded.

“Hmmm.” Eugene frowned.

He had a good relationship with Marquis Archivold or Essandra. She was a loyal person who took care of Eugene’s territory while he was away in Brantia, and she was quite good to him in many ways.

‘But she didn’t ask me for help? Well, it’s not like I can afford to help her right now, but…’

Furthermore, given that Delmondo hadn’t sent him a letter, it appeared that the issue wasn’t all too serious yet. If it had escalated to the point where Eugene’s involvement was required, Delmondo would have sent him a letter.

‘I’ll have to find out. It’s time to tell Count Winslon about the progress so far as well.’

Count Winslon was another one of his strong supporters along with Essandra. He wasn’t on good terms with the central church, so it was highly likely that he was involved with the current predicament.

If the two figures stood opposite the royalists and the central church…

‘We have to fight together.’

The central church of the Caylor Kingdom was Eugene's irreconcilable enemy. As such, Eugene was determined to help Essandra and Count Winslon in any way possible.

“If your aunt contacts you, let me know as well. I might be able to provide help somehow,” Eugene said.

“Ah… Yes! M-my aunt said that she is always thinking of Your Excellency’s great honor and deep loyalty!” Selena exclaimed.

She was forced into becoming Galfredik’s aide, but she respected Eugene. How was it possible for any knight to gain such a large territory and exert great influence less than half a year after arriving in the country? Moreover, even though there was less discrimination in Brantia, Eugene was still a vampire.

Selena could fully understand why her aunt wanted to continue her relationship with Eugene, even if it meant sending her niece as an aide.

“But why did you call for me, Sir Eugene?” Romari asked. Although she technically needed to address him with more formality, befitting his new status as a duke, she was still unaccustomed to it. Eugene didn’t care much for formality for certain individuals including Romari and Galfredik.

He responded nonchalantly, “Just follow me first. I want to show you something.”

“What? Ah, yes…” Romari felt slightly puzzled at Eugene’s attitude. Nevertheless, she followed behind him.

Soon, Romari gasped with surprise after entering Eugene’s residence deep inside the castle. “Hiek! W-what is that?!”

A bluish, luminescence was circling over the red armor where she pointed.

“Ptooey! Ptooey! Hmm? Oh, it’s you, raccoon,” Mirian said.

“Hiek! A-a fly is… talking? No, it’s a spirit?!” Romari exclaimed. She couldn’t hide her excitement as she approached Mirian. “It’s the spirit that you were talking about before! Ah! Is it finally visible to my eyes?” Romari wondered.

“Ehem! I have evolved. Of course, I can hide, but displaying my gorgeous figure will make sure that ignorant and foolish people will offer up their money to… to Sir Eugene and respect him more… Kieh?!” Mirian started.

“This little thing is so chatty. How fascinating. Spirits are usually shy and rarely show themselves in public.” Romari noted. She grabbed Mirian and poked the spirit’s cheek.

“Kieeeek! Let me go! Let go of me! You raccoon!” Mirian roared.

“Ooh! I can’t believe she has a material form and can feel physical touch. Ah! If I use a spirit in making a chimera…” Romari’s sunken eyes glowed with a hint of insanity.

“Kie! Kieeehh?!”

“That’s not what I wanted to show you, wizard,” Eugene suddenly spoke up.

“Ehehe…. Huh?” Romari awakened from her trance. She raised her head. Eugene was pointing at the armor that the frightened, trembling spirit had been spitting on until a while ago.

“This is an armor with magical powers. Take a look,” Eugene said.

“…?!”

Romari took a close look at the demonic armor.

“I can definitely feel the mysteries of magic. The material… I’m not sure,” she muttered.

“More importantly, do you know what the letters and shapes engraved on its surface are?” Eugene asked.

“Ah, these? These are ancient scripts,” Romari answered.

“Ancient scripts?” Eugene asked. He decided to ask Romari just in case, and it seemed that a wizard was still a wizard.

“Yes, yes. Of course, I can’t read this. Well, no, I should not read it.” Romari shook her head.

“Why?” Eugene asked.

Romari’s expression changed. Her usual dazed expression was no longer seen. She replied seriously, “Even wizards do not use ancient scripts because they contain magic and curses.”

“Magic and curses?”

“Yes. The moment one reads it, it will trigger the power contained within. If you read it without knowing its meaning, you could get into trouble,” Romari explained.

“Hmm. Then what about this?” Eugene said.

“What? What are you… Oh my gosh! Ahhh! Ahh!” Romari’s face dyed red in an instant, and she started to make a fuss.

“What are you doing?! I-It’s true that I like men’s bodies… No! I-I may be curious, but the relationship between me and Sir Eugene… Huh?” Romari stopped while peeking through her fingers.

The tattoos engraved on Eugene’s wide back were the same as the ancient scripts engraved on the armor.