“Huaagh!”

“Kuagh!”

The two vampire high lords returned to their original form and crashed into the shallow water.

“…?”! Galfredik was appalled to see that their originally pale, tight skin was withering and crumbling like sand. Although members of the Dark Clan were known to be immortal, they weren’t truly everlasting. The highest-ranking nobles of the Dark Clan had lifespans of hundreds of years, but they did have a fixed lifespan. However, all vampires were unageing in terms of appearance regardless of their status. They retained their appearance from when they were transformed into a vampire until the day they died. But now, the appearance of the two vampire high lords had changed like old men. It wasn’t just their wrinkled faces either, but their confident physique had definitely become smaller as well.

Shhhhh!

Right then, the basilisk began to move for the first time. The creature moved unbelievably fast for a being more than twenty meters long. It moved at a speed that normal knights could never hope to even cope with. However, Galfredik was a veteran and the vassal of an Origin.

Ziiiing!

As soon as the basilisk started to move, his senses were heightened. Every movement, sound, and smell of the creature was captured, and Galfredik’s concentration became several times greater than usual due to the Fear he had pushed to the limit.

Galfredik’s heightened concentration caused the basilisk to slow down. Naturally, the creature hadn’t actually slowed down, but it almost felt like time had become sluggish. Even the tiniest quivering of each of the monster’s scales and the direction of its bright yellow eyes went unmissed as Galfredik’s eyes burned bright red.

It was all useful information, and Galfrdik quickly grasped the snake’s intentions before reacting in a way that surpassed instinctive behavior.

‘Distance!’

He couldn’t simply dodge the basilisk’s attack. The vampire high lords had been transformed into stone because they had entered an area within the creature’s affective area of vision. As such, Galfredik jumped off of the ground with all his might.

Ziiing.

He could feel the tremors in the air. Galfredik could clearly feel that there was something invisible in the waves—a powerful petrifying mystery approaching him. He instinctively raised his left arm and defended himself. His gauntlet vibrated gently, and a chilling sensation shot down his arm. And it appeared to be an indication that his arm was about to turn into stone.

‘Am I too late?’

The thought crossed his mind at that moment.

Kwaaaaaaah!

Suddenly, a strong storm of spirit erupted from behind him. The energy passed through Galfredik’s figure like a powerful gust. Just as Galfredik felt that dozens of blades were brushing him by, a crimson barrier was erected in front of him.

Boooom!!!

A roar erupted.

“Get back,” A quiet, but reliable voice resounded from behind him, and Galfredik kicked off of the floor once again and jumped back.

Kwaaaaa…!

A hazy current fluttered over the tall, solid barrier.

Paracletus—it was the magic shield of the Batla Duchy. Eugene unsheathed Wolfslaughter while protecting himself against all kinds of magic and curses with the shield.

Shhhh!

The basilisk opened its maw with shock and anger as poisonous purple breath poured out.

Fwoooooosh!

The Fear covering Paracletus burned together with the breath.

Kyaaaaahk!

The basilisk uttered a cry for the first time, perhaps feeling angry that both of its attacks had been nullified. However, the creature was still completely confident of its victory. As long as its enemy was still holding up the big, weird shield, it meant that its enemy’s vision was obscured. Attacking was impossible without vision. In fact, they may not even be able to defend properly, let alone attack.

Shiiiiiii

The basilisk rushed toward Eugene while emitting a bloodcurdling sound. It could either crush its enemy with its large body or use its sharp, poisonous tail to go over the shield and attack the enemy. Unfortunately, the creature was unaware of what kind of being it was fighting against.

Paaaaa…

The stems of Fear emanating from Eugene’s body instantly stretched out in all directions. Thousands of thin threads of Fear quickly dominated the space. As long as he was protecting himself with Paracletus, he could not see the basilisk. However, he could utilize his Fear to accurately sense the creature’s every movement. The information he gathered transformed Eugene into a superhuman state, or even a state of being able to predict the future through his extraordinary senses.

Shuack!

The basilisk directed its tail above Paracletus and aimed at the top of Eugene’s head. Eugene’s figure blurred for a moment. He had predicted the creature’s actions without actually seeing them.

Boom!

The tail smashed the place where Eugene stood a moment ago with a loud blast. Simultaneously, Eugene leaped like lightning and neared the basilisk in an instant.

Papapapa!

Eugene climbed the basilisk’s long body like an animal. He arrived at the creature’s head in the blink of an eye. He saw the creature’s reverse scale in between the five horns on its head. Eugene stabbed Wolfslaughter into the palm-sized scale, and it felt as if he were slicing cheese.

Eugene concentrated his Fear on his sword.

Wooong!

Wolfslaughter vibrated lightly, and the snake’s large head rattled for a moment. Soon, it completely stopped moving, and that was the end of it. The basilisk’s head stiffened like an old tree, and it collapsed.

Boooom!

As its heavy head fell to the ground with a large sound, its huge body drooped as well. A creature that had only been seen twice in history—the same creature that the heroes of the ancients had failed to defeat—had finally been killed.

“…”

Eugene stood up from its head after realizing that the basilisk was completely dead. His Fear retracted at his will, and it was absorbed into his eyes.’

“Heuugh! Heugh…”

Eugene heard pained moans as he calmed his breathing. He turned his head. The two old, wrinkled vampire high lords were looking up at him with eyes of pain and awe while sprawled on the floor.

“O-oh great one…”

“I have no regrets. I have finally seen the majesty of your true power with my humble eyes.”

Even while panting with pain, the vampire high lords worshiped Eugene. Eugene knew well why the two had become like this. The hundreds of bats were a realization of their Fear, the source of their power. Each one could be considered their clone. And since all of their bats were petrified, the majority of their power and vitality as members of the Dark Clan had basically disappeared.

That was why they had taken on such old, miserable appearances.

“Hmm…”

Eugene contemplated for a moment. He neither had the sense of loyalty nor obligation to care for the two vampire high lords. After all, one of them had been caught making a mess out of the Tywin territory, while the other kidnapped Romari. He couldn’t care less even if they died right there and then.

‘But they are still useful...’

Eugene made a decision and approached the two high lords. Then, he grabbed them by their napes and raised them up.

“Huah?”

“Why are you so surprised? I’m not going to eat you,” Eugene said with a smirk before throwing them forward.

“Huaagh!” The two vampires shot through the air before falling to the ground right where the basilisk’s head was. The demonic creature’s hot blood had formed into a pool beneath the creature’s head.

“Drink it. When you two are revitalized, search for a mana stone,” Eugene said.

“…!!!” The wrinkled eyes of Christian and Rohime widened with shock. Soon, the two vampires began to carefully drink the basilisk’s blood with emotional faces.

“Drink hard! Then you can work like cows for Sir Eugene! Kekekekekeke!” The spirit laughed in an annoying manner. She had come out of hiding after the monster’s death. But for once, the two vampire high lords weren’t offended by the spirit’s words. Eugene had willingly offered them the blood of a monster that had only appeared twice throughout history. Even their own clan masters had never shown them such generosity. In other words, although Eugene was simply trying to ensure that the two could continue working by saving them, his action had a profound, tremendous meaning for them.

Moreover…

‘M-my powers…’

‘The mysteries of the clan are returning!’

Christian and Rohime began to return to their original form as they absorbed the powerful energy contained in the basilisk’s blood. The patchy spots on their heads were quickly covered by luscious hair, and their wrinkled skin quickly became firm once again.

And that wasn’t the end of it…

The two vampire high lords could clearly feel that the power circulating through their bodies had become greater than before, and they were thrilled. It felt as if they were being transformed into members of the Dark Clan all over again. As such, the awe and loyalty they felt toward Eugene proportionately grew as well.

“You go and look for mana stones. Just in case,” Eugene said.

“Kieyeap!” Mirian saluted before buzzing away.

“Fuck. I almost fucked up…” Galfredik muttered.

“Are you all right?” Eugene asked.

“I would have become a rock if you had been a little late. Anyway, this is embarrassing. I can’t believe I couldn’t handle a single snake by myself…” Galfredik mumbled. He looked genuinely ashamed, and indeed, he would have been petrified if Eugene had intervened a tad bit later.

Eugene shook his head. “No, there was no helping it since you didn’t know how to deal with it. I’m sure there had been similar issues when the basilisk first appeared because of its petrifying gaze.”

Long-ranged attacks were ineffective, and the basilisk either petrified or melted anything that approached it with its poisonous breath, so how could one deal with such a monster?

“Anyway, the demonic creatures must be more dangerous than the demons. There should be other monsters stronger and more dangerous than the basilisk, right?” Galfredik asked.

“I suppose so,” Eugene answered. Just as Galfredik said, the bigger problem was that he didn’t know how many more of such dangerous demonic creatures were there. Even Galfredik and the two vampire high lords had struggled against the basilisk, so ordinary knights and mercenaries would obviously not stand a chance. Of course, not all demonic creatures would have crossed over to this world, but even a few more creatures at the level of the basilisk meant trouble.

‘I’ll have to see the yellow bastard and the clan masters sooner than later.’

To do so, he would need to take care of the monster uprising as soon as possible. The Bemos territory was now cleared, but there were still six more places.

‘No. Rather than simply eliminating the monsters…’

Eugene mulled over an idea that came to mind while thinking of Crown Prince Voltaire.

‘Good. Let’s do that.’

Mirian flew back with a pout.

“Sir, there’s no mana stone. Kieeeh…”

“Right…” Eugene nodded. Although he was a little disappointed, it had been somewhat expected. He hadn’t found any mana stones in the demons, so it made sense that the same was true for the demonic creatures.

‘Then that means…’

It could be concluded that demons and demonic creatures also consumed mana stones found in the monsters. In fact, it could even be the source of their strength and why they were powerful.

“Sir, are we leaving now? Let’s hurry up and go back, so we can get all the treasures from the land’s lord!” Mirian said.

Eugene thought for a moment before shaking his head. “We have to purify this place first. If we leave it like this, it won’t be able to act as a water source anymore.”

“P-purify? How could I… Kieeh… I-I’m suddenly feeling tired. All the strength is leaving my body… Kieeek!” The spirit started to slowly crawl back into her pocket, but Eugene snatched her out of the air.

“You have to do it. Who else could?”

“You’re too mean!”

However, it couldn’t be helped. He had to come up with a better solution than simply taking care of the monster uprising as stated in the contract.

‘If we only fulfill the contract, we will become beings worthy of trust. But what if we went even further beyond?’

They would feel gratitude and grace—such was the debt of gratitude. And the ones who would harbor such feelings toward him were the territories and kingdoms surrounding the Roman Empire. That meant that as many as seven countries would stand on the side of Eugene and the Dukedom of Maren.

Naturally, some of them might shamelessly turn their backs on him, but Eugene could simply show them…

‘If you think you’re entitled to goodwill, then you’ll get fucked.’

In the end, Eugene was still a crafty vampire.