I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The great alliance agreement between Harker and Jeffrey was established even before Jenis’s riot was revealed or occurred. If Jeffrey had a way to know about Jenis’s rebellion in advance, she wouldn’t have so easily yielded a superior position to the Harker family and formed the alliance.

The actions taken by Jenis this time and the truth that emerged were events that inevitably threatened the political standing of the Harker household.

The Harker family did not build its power through a long lineage and tradition. In a world where bloodline is valued above all, this is a fatal weakness.

However, that doesn’t mean the Audrich Empire is so ignorant as to prioritize bloodline above merit. After all, the foundation of bloodline superiority relies on the belief that “excellent ancestors leave excellent descendants.”

As a middle manager and an important council member who has firmly established his position, the short history of the Harker family is not a flaw at all. Rather, if utilized as a narrative device that highlights the Harker family’s status of “a dragon born from a puddle,” it could even shed light on their standing.

The reason Harker’s status is so powerful is that the information held by the Harker family, which has an unmatched administrative ability, is indispensable for the most critical functions of the Imperial Assembly regarding trade transactions occurring within the empire.

The Imperial family of the Audrich Empire is strong and has never once lost control over the empire’s territory. However, due to continuous wars and an increasingly unstable political situation, they lack the credit to fully guarantee the value of the currency in circulation.

The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Imperial family through gold and silver, but they do not have a solid monopoly on mining those metals, and it is challenging to restrain the local lords’ autonomous administrative powers, making it difficult for the Imperial family to dictate economic policies or issue new currencies as they wish. Ultimately, currency transactions are based on trust in the amount of precious metals contained in the currency, and the work of the Imperial Assembly involves adjusting the exchange rate between gold and silver coins.

It goes without saying that such adjustments can lead to major incidents if manipulated arbitrarily by the assembly for economic purposes. The adjustments made by the assembly are merely a means to keep the situation stable, not initiatives for any economic policy.

Situations can arise where the proportion of gold coins in circulation changes due to various reasons, such as discovering a new vein, someone uncovering hidden silver, or, in extreme cases, the Dragon of the Demon King’s army launching economic attacks with heaps of precious metals.

Frequent adjustments of the exchange rate may lower the state’s credibility and lead to greater chaos; however, when interference from the outside is suspected or when the issuance of currency is excessively monopolized, the adjustments become essential.

The Harker family is not only skilled in administrative handling; they are also very meticulous and thorough regarding such records. As many merchants began to trust the Harker family’s accounting abilities, the number of wandering merchants benefiting from Count Harker’s assistance increased day by day.

Consequently, small territories receiving help from the Harker family multiplied, and Count Harker gained larger influence than his own territory, possessing the most accurate maps and accounting records regarding the state of commerce within the empire.

It wasn’t surprising that the small lords receiving help from Harker supported him, but the information he possessed was also crucial for the Assembly’s exchange rate adjustment procedures. Ultimately, Count Harker, who built his power through money without ever hoarding a single penny in his vault, rose to the position of the strongest noble.

It was not unheard of for those who gained power through wealth. However, such individuals often carried the stigma of corruption and greed. But Harker, while wielding vast wealth enough to shake the empire, managed to keep his personal wealth nonexistent, thereby maintaining his honor and modesty.

In many ways, he was a local lord unlike any the empire had seen before and a rare hero.

Sally Jeffrey, too, had ambitions that rivaled Harker’s, but when it came to ability, she couldn’t help but acknowledge that she was a few steps behind.

Duke Jeffrey’s territory is fertile. It is not just fertile but immensely vast. The reason why Jeffrey, the only local noble holding the title of duke, possesses such abnormally strong territory is that the Duke’s land has inherited almost the entirety of the former Jeffrey Kingdom without significant loss.

During the Great Unification War aimed at rebuilding Caprice, the Jeffrey Kingdom, which held the most fertile lands in the south, had little interest in expanding its military power. Having already secured the most fertile lands, they calculated that territorial expansion would only increase their economic burden.

In contrast, the Audrich family, having successfully concluded their disputes in the central region and organized everything up to the former capital Caprice in the north, saw the Jeffrey Kingdom as a vital location that couldn’t be overlooked. However, the Audrich didn’t want to recklessly march their army in and devastate the fertile land.

With various calculations aligning, the Jeffrey Kingdom lowered its rank to that of a duke, bowing its head under the Audrich’s banner in exchange for recognition of its rights as a local lord. Naturally, in comparison to other southern lords who underwent partition after unification, they could hold onto uncommonly vast and good territory.

One can’t overlook the expansive wheat fields, which are crucial for grain supply. Some high-quality lands yield corn and soybeans that others wouldn’t dare to grow. Before the war with the demon tribes escalated, they even cultivated delicacies. Of course, after the conflict intensified, they completely plowed it over to replace it with wheat fields.

In certain coastal regions, olives grow naturally, and the variety of crops being cultivated is broad. The only thing lacking in this territory is livestock and dairy farming, but even that is not impossible; it’s just that efficiency has decreased, which is why they don’t engage in it. At that pace, they could stand tall as a major power independent of the empire with their geographical conditions.

Confident and youthful Sally Jeffrey, without the massive wall that is Harker, would have likely aimed for a higher status within the empire. However, no matter how much food she produces, she’s working around the clock just to meet the demands of the royal family and the ever-increasing needs.

Holding the largest number of 4,500 mercenaries, that’s all she has. Originally, the army was provided on the condition that they would engage in agriculture as soldiers, so their function is practically more like farmers than soldiers. Both their economic and military influence are overwhelmingly overshadowed by the Harker faction.

Thus, Sally Jeffrey did not expect to negotiate favorably from the start when coming to Baron Harriet’s territory.

Given that Harker determined the time and place for negotiation entirely on his own, it was already somewhat skewed from the beginning. No matter how much it is a border region, Baron Harriet’s territory evidently falls under the influence of the Harker faction.

Jeongjae sat quietly by the beach, contemplating various issues while the two engaged in negotiations.

There were thoughts that the Harker family was actually anti-Van Helsing, that James Moriarty was the former Demon King who had likely been killed by his own son, thus losing the throne…

With various pieces of information jumbling in his mind, it was both fascinating and confusing. During this time, a letter from Rose concerning Jenis’s rebellion arrived just as the talks between Jeffrey and Harker were in full swing.

Receiving a letter summoned by a messenger from the border, Jeongjae felt a great sense of relief that it was secretly delivered to him during the talks.

If this letter had arrived before the negotiations began and Jeffrey had learned of its contents…

It would have been hard to expect a favorable negotiation result for Harker. Perhaps because he belongs to the Harker faction, or perhaps because he feels a sense of camaraderie towards the man called anti-Van Helsing, Jeongjae actually harbored some hidden support for Count Harker in taking the lead in this alliance.

Putting that matter aside, the letter from Rose detailed Jenis’s sudden awakening, the fierce duel between the two heroes that followed, and the chaotic atmosphere within the Imperial Palace resulting from that incident.

The gist was this: either Harker or Jeffrey couldn’t stay silent, and someone would have to attend the Assembly, and Jeongjae, who had long accompanied Jenis, might also find himself in a position to speak.

Fortunately, from Rose’s perspective, it didn’t seem like Jenis had gone down the path of evil. While her state appeared a bit strange, it’s a relief that someone who learns half of their lineage is a vampire might react a bit ‘odd.’

“By the way, did that kid hurt Rose?”

Jeongjae said while staring intently at the contents of the letter.

Hurting Rose is something that not just anyone can do. Probably, even counting globally, it wouldn’t be many who could do such a thing.

Although there are more than ten dragons in the world, you can’t just point fingers at them; if we lump the dragons together, those capable of harming Rose would indeed fit within just ten fingers.

Of course, Jeongjae could do it too; he is among the few who possess the power to instantly kill Rose if he desired.

To do so, however, would cost Jeongjae his own life. Indeed, outside of Manhattan, he could hardly think of a way to kill Rose, making her no infallible opponent in his eyes.

Yet, Jenis hurt Rose. In close combat… Even though Rose emphasized in the letter that she fought while having one arm bound, if Jeongjae knew Jenis, she wouldn’t even be able to graze Rose’s body without being tireless or exhausted first.

No matter what happened in the Magic Tower, or how her realization of vampire powers affected her body, it is clear that she has become far stronger than before.

“A vigorous defense will be necessary.”

Not only as a personal matter but convinced of the need for rescue efforts for Jenis on a grand scale, Jeongjae muttered.

Among the wizards, the name of the ‘monstrous new talent’ known as Jenis Harker is recognized, but among the aristocratic families, aside from the fact that she is the only daughter of the famous Harker family, her popularity is not particularly widespread.

Of course, it is true that there are not many nobles who are also capable wizards, so Jenis’s position is that of a subject of diverse gossip and rumor; however, gossip is just that. In the end, such hearsay does nothing to inform people of what the ‘real Jenis’ is like. She was not very interested in widening her social network at school and was too young to make a political debut.

In the end, it is only those who truly know her that can save Jenis from the scrutinizing eyes of the nobles who judge her based on ambiguous gossip.

Perhaps someone as perceptive as Rose gauged Jenis to be “a useful and determined promising contender” after just one encounter. That’s a significant boon. So long as Rose sees her favorably, one can assert with certainty that no matter how dire the situation becomes, Jenis will never face execution.

Regardless of how much he thought about it, Jeongjae could only conclude that, as an observer, he would need to be the one to speak at the Imperial Assembly. As evident from the rule that everyone must stand when Walter’s group makes an official appearance, Jeongjae’s political status in this world is not low at all.

While it may not be as high as Rose, one can expect that any nobles worth their salt would become wary and start to watch their tongues once Jeongjae shows himself. Just by the fact that both Rose and Jeongjae are advocating for Jenis, it would significantly increase the likelihood that most Assembly members would abandon their offensive and withdraw.

Unless one were a brash individual like Douglas Koesernis, who couldn’t wait to take a swing at someone before having even weighed the opponent, it’s a different matter. Walter, who quaked at just hearing the name Koesernis, did not feel from his perspective that Koesernis was inherently a bad person.

Fortunately, as far as Jeongjae has studied imperial law, there is no law punishing or discriminating against those of mixed blood due to being a ‘demon bloodline.’ Of course, since Walter has a history of administratively expelling succubi hybrids and smashing brothels under the name of the Imperial family, there is a chance it could be cited as precedent, but outside of that, there aren’t many legal precedents that would be unfavorably decisive for Jenis.

As Jeongjae walked toward the castle, trying to calm his swirling feelings, he caught sight of Count Harker striding towards him with a content expression.

It seemed the agreement was proceeding as intended.

“How’s it going?” Jeongjae asked.

“Very well. We’ve nearly reached consensus on the most fundamental and important issue, which is making Asher Harker the head of the alliance. It’s highly likely that I will effectively monopolize the approval authority regarding the alliance’s military summons and operations. Of course, Jeffrey will also hold significant authority due to his responsibility for supply issues, but he will remain in a mostly subordinate position.”

“It seems even Sally Jeffrey is out of options.”

“It felt like she was very keen on avoiding backlash from being too obstinate. By the way, you don’t seem to look so good. Is something wrong?”

The Count glanced at the letter in Jeongjae’s hand. Lowering his voice, Jeongjae spoke to the Count.

“Something happened. Do not reveal it, and listen carefully. We need to finalize the agreement before Jeffrey learns about this.”

Count Harker lightly gasped as he read the beginning of the letter Jeongjae had handed over.

“This is dangerous.”

“It is. Please hurry to finish the signing. It would be best to establish detailed countermeasures after the alliance agreement is made.”

Duke Jeffrey is currently within this territory, and there’s no way for a divine message to be conveyed except through Jeongjae. As long as they can reach an agreement quickly, the Count could conclude the discussions favorably without disclosing this significant fact to Jeffrey. Once the signatures are made, there’s no turning back.

It feels a bit underhanded, but what can be done? If they decide that the fact that Jenis is half-vampire is not essential to the alliance agreement and play dumb, it is unlikely that Duke Jeffrey would strongly protest.

If he remains dissatisfied, he should have chosen the negotiation’s venue better from the start. If she had had the option.