After having dinner with the mercenaries, Eugene told them to get some rest and then returned to his room.
He had also instructed the slaves to stay with the mercenaries, so in the spacious room there were only Eugene and Mirian.
To be prepared for any contingency, Eugene placed Wolf slaughter on the table where he could use it at any time and waited for Romari to arrive.
About ten minutes after the slave Mark had come in to light the lamp and left, there was a knock at the door.
"Sir Eugene, it's Romari. May I come in?"
"Come in."
With Eugene's permission, Romari—wearing a loose brown robe—opened the door and quietly entered.
She flinched when she saw Wolf slaughter on the table but soon pushed back her hood to reveal her face and bowed her head.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am not actually from the Stonesand School, but Cirinoa Romari of the Blood shadow School. It is an honor to meet a member of the Clan of Darkness."
"...!"
* * *
Romari, a mage of the Blood shadow School, was in a state of great excitement.
As one could guess from the name of the school, the grandmaster of the Blood shadow School was a vampire.
And today, Romari was meeting a vampire for the first time—one she had previously known only through stories.
Vampires mostly lived in the northern regions or in places where the influence of the Church was weak, so it was not easy to encounter one in this area.
'How lucky.'
Judging by the fact that he was walking around openly in broad daylight, he had to be an old and highly experienced vampire.
'And they say vampires are friendly toward our school, so surely—'
But Romari's thoughts did not continue to their conclusion.
The vampire, possessing incomparably beautiful features, seized her by the throat like a flash of lightning.
"Ghk!?"
"I don't know how you figured it out, but you're asking to be killed, aren't you?"
"Ghk! No, that's not it… first, please take a look at this—"
"Milord, milord! I've heard from the seniors that the Blood shadow School is tied up with monsters! Let's make her swear an oath first and hear her out!"
At Mirian's quick advice, Eugene pressed Wolf slaughter to Romari's throat and opened his aura to its maximum.
"Swear it in the name of yourself, your school, and your magic. Swear that you will speak no lies to me here and that you will not use magic."
"I swear in my name, the Blood shadow School, and the name of magic. I will speak no lies and will not use magic here."
Completely terrified by the sudden turn of events, Romari rattled the words off in a panic.
According to Mirian, for a mage, breaking such an oath was equivalent to abandoning the path of magic itself.
Only then did Eugene finally release his grip on Romari's neck.
Even so, he did not withdraw his aura, and he kept Wolf slaughter in hand, ready to swing at any moment.
"Then tell me. How did you know I was one of the Clan of Darkness?"
Romari stammered, her face still pale with fear.
"Our Blood shadow School's grandmaster was himself a member of the Clan of Darkness. Because of that, we can immediately sense vampires when we meet them."
"The grandmaster?"
At the unexpected answer, Eugene withdrew his aura.
Finally able to breathe, Romari suddenly flattened herself on the floor like a frog.
"I failed to recognize your noble origin and committed a grave offense. Please forgive me, Sir Eugene!"
It was not something Eugene had done deliberately to show off.
Romari thought that the overwhelming aura that had just crushed her was extremely similar to the aura of an Origin that her master had once described.
Like most mages, Romari had strong perseverance and mental fortitude, but faced with a terror that was hard to resist, her heart had raced and her entire body had trembled.
It was due to the nature of her school, which traced its beginnings back to an Origin—that is, a Progenitor Vampire.
The natural enemy of the Blood shadow School was not high-ranking priests or holy knights, but true progenitor vampires.
'They said you wouldn't even be able to breathe properly, let alone think of casting magic…'
Romari barely managed to lift her head.
But then, the vampire who was almost certainly an Origin frowned and tilted his head in confusion.
"Origin?"
"Yes?"
"What is that?"
"...!"
Romari's eyes widened slowly, like those of a dead fish.
It seemed she had encountered a member of the Clan of Darkness who didn't even know that he himself was an Origin.
* * *
"So, an Origin is basically the highest-ranking nobility among vampires?"
"Yes. Among the Clan of Darkness, the direct lineages of the most noble families are called Origins. I'm still inexperienced, so I can't be certain, but judging by the aura you released earlier, Sir Eugene, I believe you may be an Origin."
Eugene, who had no memories at all from before a certain point in his past, felt both shocked and doubtful.
'I might be an Origin? Then that means I'm a top-tier vampire?'
Still, he couldn't simply take the words of a mage he'd only just met at face value.
"Tell me about these noble families."
"There isn't much information available, so I don't know many details. However, I do know that the grandmaster of our school inherited the bloodline of 'Ventroa.'"
"Ventroa?"
"Yes. But they say the grandmaster hardly left behind any stories about the clan, because of an oath. So even Master Velopa, who taught me magic, didn't know much."
"Even so, tell me everything you can."
Since it might reveal something about his own origins, Eugene pressed Romari for more information.
"I really don't know. To learn about Origins, you'd have to go to the Library of Abilonia. But it's extremely far, and these days wars keep breaking out everywhere, so I haven't dared to make the trip."
"The Library of Abilonia? How far is it from here?"
"From here, probably about half a year…"
"Nana, I know that place! I heard about it from a senior. But just anyone can't get in. Only extremely high-ranking nobles or famous mages are allowed inside."
"Hm."
There was no reason to spend half a year on such a journey, and with his current standing, it would likely be a wasted effort anyway.
"Fine, then. Why did you try to get close to me in the first place?"
"Because of the labyrinth subjugation. If I could work together with a member of the Clan of Darkness, things would go much more smoothly for what I want to do. I wanted your help."
"Help?"
When Eugene crossed his arms, Romari hurried to explain.
"It's true. Actually…"
According to Romari, only one high-ranking monster had ever been spotted in the Morrison Mountain labyrinth so far—a Cyclops.
And for the sake of her magical research, she needed a Cyclops's fingernails and blood.
"I happened to hear that the Evergrow territory was urgently seeking a mage. I thought it was a good opportunity, so I came here pretending to be from the Stonesand School. I can use a bit of earth-aspected magic as well."
"You've got some nerve. Didn't the count suspect you?"
"The situation was urgent, so he let it slide. And if he had suspected me, I was confident I could escape."
'At least, until I met an Origin like you.'
Suppressing her inner thoughts, Romari continued as Eugene questioned her again.
"I see. But why do you specifically need materials from a Cyclops?"
"Because they're essential for creating a chimera."
"A chimera?"
"A hybrid monster made by mages! Wow, milord, she's got talent, doesn't she? I've heard from the seniors that it's not something you can even attempt unless you're truly skilled."
As Mirian chattered away, half her body sticking out of a leather pouch, Romari continued her explanation.
"It's a kind of artificial monster. For mages of the Blood shadow School, creating one's own chimera is our ultimate calling. It's been three years since I became independent from my master, and ever since then—"
"I'm not that interested in that part. So, in short, you needed Cyclops materials, and you thought my cooperation would help, so you approached me?"
"Yes. Vampires are friendly toward our school. Master Velopa said he'd met two of them before and received various kinds of help."
There are no vampires who simply appear out of nowhere without a master.
Just as with humans, vampires pass down their knowledge from generation to generation.
Unless one has been abandoned somewhere alone, every vampire knows about the Blood shadow School.
That was what her master had told her.
'Everyone except you, that is…'
"Hm. I see."
Eugene, for his part, found the situation oddly refreshing.
He knew that mages did not automatically regard vampires as enemies, but he had never imagined there was a school that treated them so favorably—especially one whose grandmaster was a vampire.
"What about the Cyclops's magic stone? Do you need that as well?"
"No. I don't need the magic stone at all."
As Eugene's demeanor softened a little, Romari quickly shook her head.
"Good. I'll cooperate."
"Oh… Yes! Thank you."
Caught off guard by the unexpected consent, Romari clasped her hands together to show her gratitude.
Strange as things were, if she could at least secure the cooperation of Eugene—who seemed without a doubt to be an Origin—then capturing the Cyclops would be entirely feasible.
"However, there's a condition."
"A condition… what kind of—"
"Help me find Galfredic."
"Th-that knight may already be dead. And, if I may be so bold, why would an Origin with the coldest and noblest blood concern himself with a mere human knight—"
Fwoosh!
"I understand! I'll find him! Even if it's just the corpse, I'll make sure to find it!"
Overwhelmed once again by the vampire aura opened to its maximum, Romari flattened herself against the ground.
'Why on earth does a vampire care about a human? I shouldn't have approached him in the first place…'
Romari felt a twinge of regret, but it was already too late.
And in any case, given the nature of the Blood shadow School, anyone in her position would have made the same judgment.
* * *
The next morning, the subjugation force—centered around Eugene and Entler, a knight of the territory—departed from the castle.
Then, about five or six hours later, the force arrived at a village at the foothills of Mount Morrison.
In the village, where the chief and residents were giving them an enthusiastic welcome, an unexpected group of unwelcome guests was waiting for the subjugation force.
"We cannot allow anyone without permission to enter the demon-tainted region."
"We sensed an evil presence in the Morrison Mountain labyrinth. Isn't that why Count Evergrow hired a mage in the first place?"
"Lady Romari was invited to assist with the exploration of uncharted areas. This has nothing to do with any evil presence."
"Then why oppose it when we're offering our help without asking for anything in return? Are you perhaps not a brother of the faith, Sir?"
"I believe in God, but I also believe in magic. Above all, I believe in my sword."
"That is blasphemy, Sir!"
The ones engaged in a fierce argument with Entler were Templars who had come from a monastery near the Evergrow territory.
Though they were affiliated with the Church, they were distinctly different from holy knights.
Holy knights were all of noble birth, and most had been supported by the Church from a young age, becoming knights directly under bishops or diocesan heads.
In contrast, Templars were warriors who devoted themselves to the Church through faith alone. Their backgrounds were diverse, and since they belonged to austere monasteries, their equipment was little different from that of mercenaries.
'This is a headache.'
Though not as troublesome as holy knights, Templars were still an uncomfortable presence. Eugene carefully observed the three of them.
"How is it blasphemous when I don't deny God? I even go to the chapel to pray when nothing's going on. In any case, I cannot accept you."
"Sir, please look here. This is a direct order from our abbot. A letter with the same contents was likely sent to Count Evergrow as well."
The Templars, wearing surcoats emblazoned with the Church's circular emblem and sacred flame over their worn chain mail, were adamant.
"Hm."
Entler smacked his lips as he read the letter the Templar handed him.
It was one thing if they were ordinary Templars, but the abbot of their monastery was of noble birth—someone even Count Evergrow treated with courtesy and respect.
'Will these Templars even listen to me inside the labyrinth? Odds are they'll act on their own.'
Templars were infamous for charging ahead and causing incidents, whether good or bad, and then insisting they had merely followed God's will rather than their own.
That was why knights thoroughly disliked getting involved with Templars.
Any knight knew how troublesome it was to have allied forces that were hard to control.
Just then, as if reading Entler's thoughts, the Templar who seemed to be their leader spoke.
"We will cause no trouble, Sir Entler. We promise to follow orders inside the labyrinth."
"Hm."
Entler's expression eased slightly.
Still, he didn't want to place men like these under his direct command—men who might act unpredictably once inside.
'Oh! That's it.'
"Then you should join Sir Eugene's team over there. They're a bit short on capable fighters. Sir Eugene, that's fine with you, isn't it?"
"Hmm."
Just as Eugene, frowning deeply inside his helmet, was about to say something, the Templars rushed over to him.
"We look forward to working with you, Sir Eugene."
"Are you the knight who defeated the evil orcs using Romer beasts in Maren? A merchant who visited our monastery praised you highly, saying you were as devout as you are brave."
"It's an honor to fight in the demon-tainted region alongside such a faithful knight as you!"
"...."
Eugene was left speechless.
"Kyahahahahaha! They say a vampire is deeply faithful! Faithful! Kyahahahaha!"
As Mirian doubled over laughing, Romari—the only person present who knew Eugene's true identity—twitched the corners of her mouth as if laughing and crying at the same time.
"Let us fight together in God's name, Sir Eugene!"
The Templars' eyes sparkled with fervor, while Subjugation Captain Entler looked on with a satisfied expression.
It seemed there was no way to refuse.
(To be continued)