NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78
Keeping the Count for too long wasn’t proper etiquette, so Jeongjae expressed his gratitude for the adequate conversation with the Count and left the territory.
Even without Jeongjae being a nuisance, Count Harker had been overwhelmed with serious work lately. This was partly because he had brought a particularly troublesome issue to the Count not long ago.
For Jeongjae, the Southern Alliance proposal was merely a defensive plan to protect his own territory, but for Harker and Jeffrey, it marked the beginning of a power game that could determine the political second-in-command in the continent.
Jeongjae couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility that the Southern Alliance could become a massive political institution capable of raising its voice to some extent, even if not equal to the royal family.
However, even in this moment when most local nobles were dissatisfied with the royal draft orders, if the Imperial Assembly decided to increase conscription, there was hardly any way the local nobles could resist it. Although the local factions appeared to act whimsically, the centralization of the Audrich Empire maintained a proper form through the powerful decision-making body of the Imperial Assembly.
Moreover, Jeongjae believed this alliance would inevitably bring about a struggle for power between the two major noble families, Harker and Jeffrey. Even if they were bound by the covenant militarily, both families would have no choice but to compete for authority over military operations and their political stance within the alliance.
This likely meant that while the Southern Alliance would unite militarily, it would not unite politically. Jeongjae had his own calculations—if he played his cards right, he might use the strife between Harker and Jeffrey to achieve military objectives while minimizing political drawbacks.
However, after directly speaking with Sally Jeffrey, much of Jeongjae’s confidence had vanished. Jeffrey seemed to have seen through everything Jeongjae had envisioned when outlining this plan and appeared to have figured out how to maximize his own benefits from it.
Once again, Jeongjae realized that he was not in a position of “using” anyone. He was merely the one tossing out bait, while the two nobles were the ones pondering how to utilize that bait.
Harker, already tense about the problem with vampires, found himself in a difficult situation where he needed to resolve both the alliance issues and the vampire problem simultaneously. Both problems were deeply intertwined with Jeongjae, who had no choice but to stay involved.
The reasons for the interconnection between these issues were largely twofold.
The first was the military matter. Vampire hunting was a major issue concerning the fate of the entire South; thus, if the Southern Alliance could be successfully formed without any obstacles, it would be a legitimate matter for the South to mobilize its own soldiers.
In this case, Harker would face his first challenge. If Harker were to assume a position of dominant authority within the alliance and mobilize the Southern Army, it could solidify his status as the leader of the alliance, much like how the Caprice royal family showcases their prestige through the mobilization of noble armies.
However, if Harker were to languish under the vampire attacks and seek help from other lords, especially the Jeffrey family, then Harker would suffer the humiliation of having his prestige undermined from the very inception of the alliance.
If he had no confidence to win such a subtle game, it would be better not to rely on the alliance’s power. But if he avoided seeking the alliance’s power for political reasons, the very significance of the alliance could be reduced to mere scraps of paper. This could further tarnish Harker’s honor as the established leader responsible for the organization.
From any perspective, this was no simple game.
Another issue was related to trade. The authority of the Harker family stemmed from their count territory functioning as the logistics hub of the southern region, with Count Harker managing the supply and trade of goods among the small territories within his domain.
Even the Jeffrey territory found it difficult to supply their grains to the north and purchase other essentials without going through Count Harker. The reason a small landholder like Count Harker could dominate over the land-rich Jeffrey family was precisely because of this background.
However, if vampires continued to lurk near the Harker family, they couldn’t just hide this fact forever. If the trade route itself through the Count’s territory was deemed to be seriously dangerous, the Southern territories would have to consider alternative routes for their own safety.
Finding a trade route that does not pass through the Harker Count Territory in the already well-connected South wouldn’t be too difficult. It was just that the management of Count Harker was so thorough and exceptional that most territories recognized his authority in trade.
In that case, if the vampire issue persisted for a long time, it could severely shake the Harker family’s influence and cause significant deterioration.
Jeongjae thought that merely enumerating the various problems faced by Count Harker felt like a headache. If he was truly in a position to resolve these issues, he might just explode with stress.
It would be better if enemies just attacked. They could wipe everything out or retreat and wait for an opportunity. In the first place, the options were quite limited, and the variables pertaining to those options were very few.
However, such political dilemmas between humans could trigger a butterfly effect that would be irretrievable from a mere small mistake. What about Jeongjae’s position in this issue? Was he really in a comfortable position as an outsider who could say, ‘Harker’s problems are his own’?
While pondering such thoughts, Jeongjae suddenly detected a dark aura and halted his words.
“Shit…”
Jeongjae muttered irritably as he jumped down from his words. I don’t know when it started, but I had been followed or surveilled.
Jeongjae wasn’t endowed with extraordinary intuition, but he held an immense sensitivity to mana, which he possessed. Perhaps he thought he wouldn’t be threatened, leading to him not detecting such overt and potent dark mana until now.
In fact, at the current level of aura, it would have been strange if he hadn’t been ambushed already.
As Jeongjae carefully looked around in the middle of the road, he suddenly shouted.
“Stop hiding and come out!”
Jeongjae’s voice carried an irresistible call of mana. Hurriedly pulling a blue robe from his pocket and putting it on, he took a combat-ready stance and heightened his senses.
With a rustle, a figure clad in a black robe slowly stepped out.
Jeongjae, overwhelmed by the stench of powerful mana, spread magic circles in both hands. A man emerging from the bushes spoke to Jeongjae.
“You’re from Asia, aren’t you?”
“Who are you…?”
“I have never disliked Asians. I might have had some emotional conflicts with West Asians, but I had no reason to dislike East Asians. The unique culture and etiquette of China sparked my imagination. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask about your hometown…?”
“It’s not China. I hope that suffices as an answer.”
The robed man showed disappointment at Jeongjae’s sharp response. The tall, thin man sighed as if it was unavoidable and pulled back his hood to reveal his face.
The moment Jeongjae recognized that face, he gasped, forgetting to maintain his magic circles.
A face seemingly devoid of color, a prominent hooked nose, hair so sparse that his forehead was bare, and thick eyebrows. And crucially, the sharp fangs barely visible below his lips silently revealed his identity.
“I know your name.”
“That’s delightful. But it’s also unfortunate.”
The man spoke politely. Although Jeongjae wasn’t particularly short, this vampire was tall enough that he had to look up to make eye contact.
“The fact that you know my name must be the residue of my failed dreams.”
“Are you referring to the incident where you were beheaded by Count Harker after losing to Professor Van Helsing?”
“In that case, it seems quite certain that you know my name.”
Dracula bowed his head towards Jeongjae.
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Dracula, a noble of the Scythian tribe, blood of the conqueror Attila. In this region, the locals revered me as a protector and a true warrior.”
Unable to withstand the dark mana exuded by Dracula, Jeongjae quickly unleashed a repulsive force attack toward him. Startled by the sudden ambush, Dracula spread his arms in resistance, but lost his balance and was knocked back.
Dracula, rising with a very displeased expression, grumbled.
“This is not proper etiquette! No matter how much we may be at war, you don’t just start casting magic on someone you meet in the street!”
“That would be true if we were meeting in a neutral area, Count. But this is clearly part of the Empire’s territory, isn’t it?”
“However, this is not your territory. I could have shown you a bit of leniency.”
“Well, at least I didn’t blast you with explosive magic.”
Jeongjae shrugged. Dracula tilted his head, then nodded as if he agreed with Jeongjae’s point.
“True, true. If I had directly invaded your barony, I would have been roasted by lightning or magical bolts already. Certainly, I can’t complain about that.”
“Then shouldn’t you be thankful and explain why you’re in front of me with that pale face?”
Upon Jeongjae’s words, Dracula seemingly confirmed whether his face was truly pale by gently touching it. Unfortunately, since even Dracula’s hand was pale, this method wouldn’t confirm anything.
“It’s a message from His Majesty the Demon King, Baron. Please hand over that castle to me.”
“That’s crazy talk.”
“No, the conditions are quite decent. You should think it through.”
“Don’t say such nonsense. The next thing flying will be lightning, not repulsive magic.”
“The Demon King’s army will not be stationed there. Even if surveillance forces are positioned near the territory, I won’t drive them away. Harriet Castle won’t be used as a base for the Southern campaign either, as no troops will be deployed! I’m also willing to wait until all the residents evacuate. More than anything, there will be no separate attacks on the South again, if I peacefully receive that one castle. But if the conditions are harsh—”
Dracula began to ardently enumerate his absurd ‘conditions,’ leaving Jeongjae who couldn’t possibly grant such ridiculous demands. With both hands brimming with mana, he lightly muttered an incantation.
He applied the destructive magic ‘Star’s Light,’ a spell he developed himself. His slightly embarrassing film tastes were clearly revealed through this single-target attack magic.
“The light of the crystal shines green.”
The magic circle in Jeongjae’s hand began to glow bright green. The next moment, a thin green beam shot forth from Jeongjae’s hand, striking directly at Dracula’s chest.
“Takkin.”
“Ugh!”
A small hole appeared in Dracula’s robe from the powerful light magic. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem that the Count was penetrated, but Dracula clutched his chest with a pained expression as if he had suffered significant damage from the recent attack.
“Can I take this as… a response?”
“No, it’s still insufficient. Would you wait until I shoot one more?”
Jeongjae truly pulled up the ‘Takkin’ magic circle in his hand and asked. Dracula seemed to feel he would have no chance against Jeongjae and gritted his teeth with a frustrated look. The vampire’s fangs could be seen protruding, contorting into a grotesque shape.
“You will pay for this. Know that I am not simply joking!”
“I never expected to hear those lines in reality.”
Jeongjae muttered as he watched the vampire lord turn into a bat and fly away.
Certainly, the sudden appearance was surprising, but the contents of the demands were even more astonishing. Jeongjae still couldn’t precisely define what had just transpired, even as he got back onto his mount.
Should this be classified as a skirmish, or should it be seen as a mere incident?