NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
Once the type and quantity of food to be delivered, as well as the method, timing, and subsequent plans were all thoroughly arranged, Jeongjae finally signaled his satisfaction.
Since Margaret and Jenis had also meticulously checked and verified the list on Jeongjae’s side, Count Harker was left feeling like a job seeker standing before three exacting interviewers. With Harriet’s territory heavily dependent on imports for a considerable number of items, from basic groceries to fabrics, needles, and wires, the list was undeniably long and detailed.
“This should be sufficient. Not excessive, but appropriate.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll definitely keep my promise, so don’t worry.”
The Count discreetly turned his head toward the window to check the position of the sun. Margaret, tilting her head toward the door, perked up her ears.
“It was bustling outside until just now, but now it’s eerily quiet. Did something happen?”
“Perhaps it’s past the quitting time, Princess. This room is quite soundproof, yet you heard the servants preparing to leave, so your hearing is truly sharp as the rumors say.”
“Then all that earlier commotion was the servants getting ready to leave. It seems they’re dismissing them pretty early.”
“Keeping them here late would be of no benefit. But because of us, the cook probably hasn’t been able to leave yet.”
Count Harker neatly organized the stack of documents on his desk. As he stood up from his seat, he suggested.
“Regardless, we need to finish our dinner so the cook can go home. What do you say? It seems the matters that need to be documented have mostly wrapped up. Shall we all head to the dining hall?”
With no flaws in the Count’s suggestion, the four of them amicably moved to the dining hall.
That day’s meal consisted of simple corn soup with a few pieces of white bread. While it was modest for a noble dinner, no one raised an issue about the insufficient menu since there was no one present who had a habit of eating a lot for dinner.
“So, Count, you want me to assist with the vampire problem while I’m down south, right?”
“That’s exactly right, Baron. You’re someone who should be fighting on the front lines, after all. Since you’ve been assigned to such a small village as a Baron, I believe helping with this is the best you can do for your country. The threats to Harriet’s territory are also threats to the Harker Clan, and vice versa.”
“You’re absolutely correct. I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with the vampires, Count, but I certainly don’t have any good feelings towards them. I will actively cooperate as far as I can.”
“To think we have to worry about vampires even this far back, we definitely need to come up with a countermeasure for the Monster Zone mountains. Though they’re called mountains for monsters, in reality, it’s practically the Demon King’s army’s territory.”
Just recently, the Elven Lord who had just massacred the kobolds in those mountains spoke up. Jenis nodded her head.
“On the west side of the mountains, the Empire’s forces are present, while the Kingdom of Eramenia blocks the east, but the southern border is loose. In reality, only Baron Koesernis himself is defending the southern part of the Monster Zone mountains, and no matter how great Douglas Koesernis is, he can’t effectively monitor it with merely a thousand soldiers.”
“Even if monitoring is possible, facing a proper vampire assassin with that force would be a suicidal act. No matter how brilliant a wizard might be in supporting the Baron, the looseness of the boundary towards the mountains cannot be blamed on him.”
Jeongjae spoke up. The Count sighed and pressed his bread deep into the corn soup.
“So, what is the current schedule, Baron? Even if you stay here tonight, I doubt there’s enough leeway to immediately go hunting vampires.”
“I’m considering visiting Duke Jeffrey’s Territory. Sally Jeffrey previously expressed a willingness to shelter our territory’s refugees should we face defeat. However, if we were to lose a battle, it’s evident that she wouldn’t come out unscathed either.”
“Then are you planning to approach Duke Jeffrey’s House to negotiate for something?”
“When I was only on the frontline, I couldn’t grasp the situation in the rear, but things here are far more unstable than I imagined. We need to build a stronger alliance right now. I intend to form an alliance with Duke Jeffrey’s House. No, in truth, all the lords in the rear need to ally. It wouldn’t make sense for other lords to just sit idly by while someone’s territory is invaded in this day and age.”
Hearing Jeongjae’s words, the Count looked troubled.
“Then it’s right to speak with Jeffrey. If you succeed in forming an alliance with Sally Jeffrey, I will also strengthen my ties with her. Perhaps it’s time for the regional nobles to unite not just in the Imperial Assembly but also militarily.”
“But you should be cautious with Duke Jeffrey, Baron.”
Jenis added worriedly. Margaret perked up her ears to look at Jenis.
“I’ve heard of the reputation of Duke Jeffrey’s House, but I don’t know much about him personally. What kind of person is he?”
“Sally Jeffrey is a snake-like person. She doesn’t move easily, nor does she chatter readily. She acts only at certain times and for clear objectives. You should be careful when dealing with her.”
“It’s true she doesn’t act recklessly. But the Duke’s fief is vast, and its productivity is rich. To unite the southern lords, her assistance is imperative.”
After that, no significant discussions occurred at the dinner table. The awkwardness from the earlier office discussion still lingered in the atmosphere, and Jeongjae seemed unwilling to open up due to confusion.
The meal, being simple, ended relatively quickly. The Count had Jenis guide the guests to their rooms and then hurried back to his office, almost as if he were escaping. He acted as if he no longer wished to converse with Jeongjae.
As the Count vanished from view, Margaret approached Jeongjae and subtly asked.
“Wizard. Is that Count someone from your world?”
“There’s suspicion there. I can’t be certain, though.”
“But… but is that really possible? Our father is from the professor’s planet?”
Jenis spoke with a still unconvinced expression. Jeongjae didn’t respond to Jenis’s words but continued to mumble something to himself.
“Harker… Harker… Harker…”
“Is there a problem with our family name? What’s wrong with you?”
“Jenis. What I’m saying might have no significance, so don’t attribute too much meaning to it. Perhaps, perhaps…”
Jeongjae questioned Jenis while wearing an expression of uncertainty about his own words, as if asking himself, ‘Does it really matter to ask such a question?’
“In your family history, have you ever heard the names Jonathan, Mina, or Quincy?”
At Jeongjae’s sudden question, Jenis blinked her eyes. It was an expression that she didn’t understand the meaning of his question. Seeing Jenis’s response, Jeongjae waved his hands and shook his head.
“Forget it. Forget it. I don’t even know what I was talking about.”
“For now, I haven’t heard those names. You’re talking about someone from the Harker Clan, right?”
“As far as I know, yes, but it simply doesn’t make sense. Those aren’t even names that exist in our world in reality. It’s strange. I should view it as merely a coincidence.”
The names Jeongjae muttered, namely ‘Jonathan Harker,’ ‘Mina Harker,’ and ‘Quincy Harker,’ were all names of characters appearing in Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula.’
The character ‘Dracula’, showcasing his existence as a symbol of vampires through numerous media, often finds himself misinterpreted by conspiracy theorists, yet he undeniably remains a fictional character even on Earth.
Created in the British Victorian era, he is a fictional being from the horror genre.
“But then why does Victoria come up again?”
Is this really coincidental? Or is there another possibility hidden that Jeongjae can’t fathom? An ancestral hero from the Victorian era. A suspicious Count reminiscent of Victorian era creations.
A Count, no less—how ironic that the title is even Count. The Grand Mage couldn’t contain himself from spiraling into conjecture and thoughts, forcing himself to stop by slapping his forehead hard.
“Ouch!”
Jeongjae shouted as he felt his mind clear. Margaret widened her eyes in surprise.
“What sudden self-harm is that?”
“Just a moment, my mind got cluttered with meaningless thoughts. If I keep thinking like this and fall asleep, my dreams are going to be terrible. It’s not good for my health, really.”
“But don’t you usually have terrible dreams, Baron?”
“True. You’re so overly sensitive that you almost have nightmares as frequently as the Hero… Wait a minute, kid. What did you just say?”
Margaret glared at Jenis, who was casually agreeing with the Baron, her eyes suddenly sharp. Jenis widened her eyes, stepping back a bit from Margaret.
“No, I mean, it’s not like I’ve ever slept with the Baron or anything, uh, I mean I might have dozed off beside him while he was down, but it wasn’t anything strange…”
Under Margaret’s pressure, Jenis floundered as she began to defend herself while looking dazed.
“Then how in the world do you know anything about the Baron’s sleeping habits, Miss Princess?”
“Ask the questions you need to ask. Do you think we’ve only camped together for a day or two? I can tell from just hearing the snoring whether that sound came from Walter Hellhound or from this wizard.”
“Hold on, I snore? Rose said I don’t.”
“I certainly do snore. It’s a little louder than the sound of a fly rubbing its wings.”
“Almost not at all, okay, I get it.”
Jeongjae nodded with a slightly relieved expression. Jenis pouted, looking frustrated.
“So Lady, how did you come to know about this wizard’s sleeping habits anyway?”
“Ah, part of that is probably your fault, Margaret.”
Jeongjae burst out laughing as he finished grasping the situation. Margaret stared at him, her expression showing she didn’t understand.
“My fault? What on earth does that mean?”
“From what Jenis said, it seems to be right after you sent the letter that I was down and out. You thought that I already knew all the threats approaching our Baron territory and just sent me a brief notice, right? But until that point, I had no clue what kind of threat was coming to our territory.”
Upon hearing Jeongjae’s words, Margaret showed a look of disbelief.
“Since Walter Hellhound didn’t explain it in that much detail, I assumed you knew everything and were prepared for it, right? If that were the case, it would have been very puzzling.”
“It was puzzling. As soon as I sensed something had happened, I took a look to the north from the beach. My observation magic spread out well enough, but just when it was going smooth, I was hit by the counter magic from the Kraken, and my magic circle shattered in an instant. I fainted for a day and had to rest for days afterward. Most likely, Jenis was taking care of me back then, so she must have seen me having nightmares.”
“Y-yes! It absolutely doesn’t sound suspicious! If anything, it should be something I’m praised for?”
As Jenis confirmed Margaret’s growing annoyance, Margaret still wore an apologetic expression and nodded.
“That was my slip-up then. I feel like I unnecessarily troubled you, and even after sending such a letter, I almost missed the battle, which seems rather embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing, you say? I’m just grateful that you came.”
During all these conversations, Jeongjae succeeded in achieving his original goal of ‘pushing thoughts of Count Harker out of his head.’ The previously tense atmosphere began to dissipate, and neither Margaret nor Jenis openly engaged in their antics before Jeongjae.
However, while their tension eased, a tremendous sense of tension was slowly creeping in from another side.
As the sun began to set beyond the mountains, the highest-ranking officials of the Demon King’s army, the Succubus Queen, launched a large-scale attack on No Member Fortress.