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

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Of course, the tea was not actually poured by the Count himself but by the servant on his behalf. The taste of the brewed black tea made from dried leaves was not particularly bad, yet Jeongjae, who had only tasted tea lightly, suddenly felt a surge of curiosity about the Count.

“What do you think of the taste of the black tea?”

“Well, I don’t really know much about that. Tea is something you just drink as it is, right?”

Hearing the Count’s words, Jeongjae smiled with a grin on his face. The Count, however, looked a bit uneasy and asked again.

“Could this be some sort of test, Baron?”

“I’m just curious if you’re English or not. After all, at least your old friends would have been English.”

“Are all English strict about tea? Well, don’t worry about that. It’s been too long since I lived on that planet. I doubt it resembles the place I remember at all.”

“At least the ruler of England is still a queen. Last I checked.”

“It can’t be Queen Victoria.”

“It’s someone referred to as Elizabeth. She’s a bit older, but she doesn’t seem like she’s about to pass away anytime soon.”

“Then it’s likely Elizabeth II, or III perhaps. Was there not already a ruler with that name during the Tudor dynasty?”

“I believe it was Elizabeth II. By the way, I’m curious now. You seem quite knowledgeable about contemporary England, but if it’s not England, where is your homeland, Count?”

At Jeongjae’s words, the Count let out a grin. Jeongjae, who normally didn’t have much interest in 19th-century history, felt quite satisfied just to hear stories about the homeland he had departed from through death.

“What if I said Finland, would you believe me?”

“That’s strange. Do they use the Harker surname in Finland as well?”

“Think what you like. What significance does my story really hold?”

The Count made it clear he was hesitant to discuss his life any further, so Jeongjae decided it was best to drop the matter.

The situation now was different from when he had pressed the Count earlier. Back then, the Count’s concealed issues could have been crucial leads indicating a hidden agenda.

However, if it was merely about hiding who he was on Earth, then harboring distrust over that alone seemed unreasonable. Jeongjae himself was not one to openly share who he had been in his previous life.

Inside his heart, Jeongjae subtly drew a line. It was not about himself and others, but rather about himself and himself.

He held an impossible, undesirable intent within his heart.

Jeongjae wished to separate his persona, his emotions, himself. He was deeply saddened by his longing for a homeland he could not greet with a farewell, resenting the reality where he couldn’t even guess how his family had fared after his death. He had once resolved to entirely sever ties with his past self.

There was a time when just speaking of his homeland brought him agony. Clinging to nostalgia for a place he could never return to was not just frightening; it was horrific.

Now he had somehow moved past that stage, but it was less about conquering it through any special occasion and more about having grown numb to it, becoming accustomed to it. Jeongjae still had not found a compromise or a way to reconcile between his two selves, nor was he able to clearly define the meaning of his existence in this new world.

What was he, stripped of his power? Apart from his formidable magic, what value did he hold?

In this place, if he could not use this power to protect many people, what on earth should an insignificant foreigner like him live for?

He had not taken this matter lightly regarding his own life. If after only three years in this world Jeongjae bore such complicated feelings, what must the Count, presumed to have lived for about 120 years, be carrying?

Jeongjae didn’t want to intrude on that part of the Count’s mind recklessly.

“Then is it alright if we move on to the letter?”

“That’s right. You’re correct. If you’ve come all this way to see me and have no message for my daughter, she will surely become suspicious. So, what are you curious about?”

“First, is the person receiving this letter indeed you, Count?”

Harker nodded slightly.

“Tell Jenis he’s as good as my grandfather.”

“Got it. Then the person who sent this note is the legend Simon Harriet, then? Is that confirmed?”

“He definitely sent me this note. Yes, I lent him that book.”

“For what purpose? The book fervently denounced how the Church deceived people during the chaotic time just before the unification of the Audrich Empire.”

“Just like the Church wasn’t always rotten, the order didn’t commit such wrongs during the chaos of the continent either. The book’s content has a strong tendency towards agitation.”

“I’m not really interested in that. The dual nature of religion’s influence on society is always prevalent. What I’m curious about is what the two of you were investigating through that book.”

“It’s about Dracula. That’s where the problem lies.”

“Is that really the case? Then did you summon that vampire to this world?”

“Do you know about Dracula?”

Count Harker raised an eyebrow. Jeongjae shrugged his shoulders in a ‘What’s obvious?’ manner.

“Most people in this world probably know that name. While they may not know the details, it’s almost unheard of for anyone not to recognize it in our age.”

“Surprisingly so. I never imagined his story would spread so widely.”

“Are you talking about Bram Stoker’s horror novel? It’s still a bestseller, you know.”

“He’s a good writer. Certainly a good author, but… No, that’s not the point. If the story he published became popular enough to reach your country, seeing my name would definitely evoke a sense of déjà vu for you.”

“Of course. The story itself begins with the recollections of a man named ‘Harker.’ Jonathan Harker, to be precise, Count. Perhaps your real name is…?”

“Stop. Let’s not go there. It’s not a story suitable for Jenis, and I’m not yet ready to face all aspects of my past.”

The Count cut off Jeongjae’s words without confirming or denying. Jeongjae nodded with a firm expression. Ultimately, he too was struggling with the mental issues of facing his past self from his life on Earth. He had no right to press the Count further, who was showing a similar reaction while avoiding discussions of the past.

“Regardless, the important thing is that both the past Count and the hero were aware of the existence of Dracula. And they realized that this being might have crossed over into our world…”

“We studied everything about the vampires that exist in this world. It didn’t take long to find out that creatures like vampires are not special beings here. We also learned that although these vampires are very similar to those from our world, they are entirely different beings…”

“Entirely different beings, you say?”

“Vampires in this world are unaffected by sacred relics. Even my silver cross has no effect on the pureblood vampires of this land.”

“I understand that as well.”

“However, beings mixed with Dracula’s blood exhibit a violent rejection towards garlic, crosses, and all sorts of Christian relics.”

“Beings mixed with Dracula’s blood, you say? You mean those that he turned into vampires and subdued?”

“Exactly. We fought against the strongest villains among those turned by him and ultimately defeated them. Along the way, we realized that the bloodline of Dracula was completely different from that of the vampires of our homeland. And we also learned how Count Dracula achieved overwhelming victory in the power struggle between the two vampire factions, emerging as their lord.”

“Is he still alive? I mean Dracula, Count.”

“He’s certainly alive. We’ve never succeeded in killing him.”

Jeongjae momentarily wore a gloomy expression. The fact that the enemy he would soon face was someone they had failed to defeat even with the power of the legendary heroes made him uneasy.

“Is he really that strong?”

“A century ago, the Demon King’s Army wasn’t this strong either. However, on our side, there were almost no heroes worth mentioning. There was no excellent talent like the Crown Princess of Steel, Caprice, nor were the Elves caught up in the conservative majority, stuck in isolationism and passivity. Back then, they couldn’t even push through to the borders of Eramenia’s forests as they can now.”

“I wonder what Margaret was doing back then.”

“She hadn’t risen to prominence yet. Rumor has it she was already leading a small group of expansionists, but she remained silent, unable to oppose her father, who favored isolationism. However… there are strange rumors that at a decisive moment, Margaret and her companions led a small support unit for a surprise attack against the Demon King’s Army. The Eramenian royal family has never confirmed or denied those rumors.”

Knowing Margaret’s temperament and ideology, Jeongjae couldn’t help but burst into a chuckle.

“That sounds just like her. Anyway, without the help of the elves, it seems that the only one capable of leading the imperial army at that time was really just the hero.”

“While the hero showed a considerable obsession with hunting Dracula, he didn’t have the luxury of focusing solely on that. Eventually, after the Demon King’s spear was broken and the northern tribes were pushed back, the vampire lord disappeared and lay in wait.”

“So the hero killed the Demon King?”

“It’s believed that the current Demon King is the one who killed the Demon King of that era. Supposedly a child of the Demon King, yet their gender, name, and race are all a mystery. After the former Demon King was defeated by the hero and pushed back, the Demon King’s heir suddenly rebelled, killing the Demon King and taking over the existing army.”

Jeongjae couldn’t help but let out a short gasp of admiration upon hearing that. Even after living here for three years, he had never properly heard the backstory of the Demon King.

He had only vaguely known that the previous Demon King died and that the current one was launching fierce attacks against the Empire, nothing more than that. He hadn’t even given it much thought beyond that.

“Then the current Demon King must be a highly skilled individual, since he managed to convince powerful demon tribes and even dragons that he could be a substitute for the failed former king, forming today’s force.”

“And he actually showed them real results. Not long after the Demon King’s throne changed hands, Simon Harriet, who was appointed as Baron Harriet, suddenly went missing. Right after the hero disappeared, the Imperial Army faced an unprecedented fierce attack from the Demon King’s Army. The Imperial Army, which had been advancing over decades into the old Audrich Empire territory and into the Evra region, began to be gradually pushed back and eventually reached the situation we are in now. The Empire no longer governs even a fraction of the entire continent.”

“I can understand why the Demon King’s rule remains strong. If he managed to build his power up to that point, no one would be able to disregard him.”

“It’s lucky that the hero left behind his seed before disappearing. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened in our world if there hadn’t been a hero like Walter Hellhound.”

Although Jeongjae felt like they had deviated from the original topic, he found himself enjoying this story nonetheless.

It had been a long time since he had lost his suspicions or animosity toward the Count. Currently, he sat listening to stories from someone he could comfortably relate to, beginning to feel a genuine fondness for the Count as a person.

Seeing the expression on Jeongjae’s face, the Count offered a concerned piece of advice.

“I can tell you haven’t yet let go of your attachment to Earth. But let me give you some direct advice. It would be better to shake it off as quickly as you can. No, even if you cannot let go, it’s best to overcome it somehow. After all, this is your world. It’s the world you live in, and it’s the world you’re fighting for with everything you have.”

“I have one more question.”

Jeongjae inquired.

“Is the hero… did he possibly return to his original world?”

“You’re not listening to me.”

The Count sighed.

“I have no idea. I don’t know what happened to him—whether he was secretly killed by the Demon King or miraculously found a way back to Earth. But… don’t get too curious about it. There are many people here who love you and also need you. It’s a bit rude to think only of leaving whenever you get the chance in such a world.”

“That makes sense, Count.”

Jeongjae’s voice was flat. However, Harker sensed an insurmountable feeling of helplessness and despair hidden within that flat tone.

“But sometimes I think this way. What do they, whom they love and cherish, think of me? Are they recognizing me because I’m fighting for what’s right? Or…”

The Grand Mage looked down at his own hands, hands flowing with mana so powerful that no one in this continent would dare to contend with.

“Or is it because I have the strength to achieve what they think is right? Strength that I never possessed before and never grew up with, in fact, power that isn’t even part of me.”

The Count didn’t reply. He seemed to understand that any answer would only be an imperfect resolution.