Chapter 322: Vampire Count

"They were part of an old Green Dragon's collection before a Black Dragon took them. We only just recently found them," Ron explained. "No offense, but to be clear, we are definitely not thieves."

"Of course. I would never allow my heir to associate with thieves," the Count said sternly. "If I hadn't secretly looked into you beforehand, I wouldn't have decided so quickly to have Silvia inherit this place."

"You prepared the body of the Elf from the Richthofen Clan for burial, did you not? My Messenger went to the Green Dragon's former lair and found some clues there."

"Your Messenger?"

"A skeleton. I named it Hermes. You encountered an attack by Undead Creatures a while ago, didn't you? It was mixed in with them," the Count, whose domain was separated from Ron's by a mountain range, didn't seem as out of touch as one might think. "I'm glad to see you survived such an assault. Out there, far too many insignificant little factions vanish in the blink of an eye. Some don't even last through one of my short slumbers."

"So, after confirming your Walking Stick and your potential heir, you sent out the Gargoyles?" Although it seemed like their recent encounters were starting to make sense, Ron was still confused about some things. "But as far as I know, those Gargoyles seemed to be just attacking a village, and they even drove off a family of giant eagles to steal their nest..."

"Well... that's probably just their nature. I regret that I can't completely control them outside my territory," the Count said, looking a bit awkward as he spoke of the matter. "And I don't know if you're aware, but that village was occupied by a group of demons. So you could say my Gargoyles were upholding justice, perhaps?"

'A Lawful Evil Vampire, commanding a group of chaotic evil Gargoyles to attack a village controlled by demons who had pledged allegiance to the Order Camp, and then calling it "upholding justice."' Ron didn't even know where to begin critiquing that statement. 'Even for a fantasy world, this is a bit too fantastic.'

"I have no interest in this matter, but I would like to ask you a question," Yelena said, shifting the focus away from the awkward topic. "Lord Count, does your previous invitation still stand? After all, your Gargoyles were clearly incapable of accurately conveying your will. Since I was your primary target, I will now accept your invitation. What do you think?"

The Shadow Spirit didn't actually want to inherit the family estate or anything. But as a member of the Von Richthofen Clan, she absolutely could not tolerate the family's assets being handed over to an outsider who had been a homeless vagrant as a child, sold into slavery as an adult, and didn't even know who her own parents were!

'This was an absolute disgrace! A humiliation of the highest order!'

And this was Yelena's reaction, even though she and Silvia were more or less acquaintances. If Baron Green Swamp and Ming Datiss knew of this from beyond the grave, they would surely fly into a rage, declaring they would rather feed the entire territory to the dogs than give it to a lowly commoner.

But this Count clearly had a different opinion from his distant relatives.

"What do you think, Silvia?" The true Vampire looked at the descendant who possessed only half Blood Race lineage. "She is your companion, is she not? And legally speaking, she is indeed more qualified than you. If I were to entrust everything to her, would you be alright with that?"

To the surprise of the Count, and indeed everyone else, Silvia's reaction to such a loaded question was remarkably calm. She took a few steps back to stand beside Ron and bowed slightly to the Count. "You are the current master of this place. And setting aside the status you previously promised me, I am my benefactor's attendant and a guest here."

"Therefore, I believe I have no right to express any opinion. I will leave the decision entirely up to you. I only hope that my friends and I will be treated in a manner befitting our status, and that we may leave here safely."

"Silvia?!" The Vampire Descendant's answer truly astonished Victoria. The Priest, ignoring the Count's gaze, quickly pulled Silvia aside and lowered her voice. "Are you serious?! Didn't you say before that if you had this, you could... Isn't that your wish?"

"How can you just throw it away like that?!"

"You're really not going to fight for it?" Aive added, trying to persuade her. "Silvia, this is your chance, no matter what! Yelena can fight for it, so of course you can too! The Lord Count made the agreement with you first, didn't he?"

However, Silvia's immediate withdrawal made Yelena facepalm. If the Vampire Descendant had tried to argue her case, the Shadow Spirit was almost certain she herself would have received this generous gift. But Silvia had yielded directly, which meant...

"This is what I admire most about you," the Count said, looking with satisfaction at the deferential Vampire Descendant. He tapped his Walking Stick on the carpet twice. "Though you are of humble birth, you truly possess the qualities of a noble. To my distant relative here, I am very sorry, but my decision has not changed. Silvia is still my designated successor."

Yelena's expression shifted several times. After a brief internal struggle, she spoke again. "Is that your final decision?"

"Of course. It is my final decision. You can give up on the idea."

"Even if another person who shares our bloodline appears, you won't change your mind?"

"..." Only then did the Count realize Yelena's trap. He was stunned for a moment, then broke into a laugh. "Yes, I will not change my mind. Where did you learn such a clever little ploy?"

'Seeing that she couldn't gain the greatest benefit for herself, this Shadow Spirit had actually started working to secure her friend's interests instead? That's not at all like those folks from the Shadowfall Netherworld.'

"If I said I learned it in Hell, would you believe me?" Yelena huffed, turning back to examine the mural and saying no more.

Genealogically speaking, this Count might even be a generation younger than her. Yelena had no need to be respectful to him, especially when there was nothing in it for her.

"You all needn't worry, because I don't actually intend to hand the territory over to an outsider," the Count's eyes glittered like rubies under the light. "I plan to transform Silvia's bloodline and make her a true member of our family."

"Furthermore, given my current status as one of the Blood Race, this has another benefit for her. Silvia, you will no longer have to bear the title of 'Half-Blood Race.' On the night of the next full moon, you will become a true member of the Blood Race and a Countess with her own domain!"

"As for these friends of yours," the Count clapped his hands. A monster stitched together from the fragments of multiple corpses appeared before them without warning, like a ghost. "Lord Ron, I sincerely invite you and your companions to observe the ceremony on the night of the next full moon. Since our domains are a bit far from each other, please do me the honor of staying here while you wait. You are free to explore my castle, the manor, and even the entire county. My butler, Alfred, will provide you with any and all assistance within his power."

"Alfred, this is Lord Ron of Delusional Land and his friends. Please give them a reception befitting their status. Don't neglect our guests. Now, if you'll excuse me, it is already daytime, and I must rest."

"And what standard of reception would that be?" The butler, whose stitched-together head didn't seem to be very sharp, still asked this question despite his master's obvious hint.

The Count floated lightly up the stairs. "He is your future mistress's benefactor. He should, at the very least, enjoy 'second only to me' treatment, Alfred."