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“Barrier, no abnormalities.”

Jeongjae murmured as he thoroughly inspected the transparent magic barrier set up at the border of the territory. The war in the southern region had entered its second month, and it had been three weeks since the map of the entire continent erupted into chaos.

With the new year dawning amidst this turmoil, many territories in the South faced enemy invasions, but the Baron Harriet’s Territory remarkably remained quiet. Meanwhile, Park Jeongjae had buried himself in his own land, reinforcing the defenses of the barony while ignoring the war raging just outside his door.

He wasn’t simply hiding like a bear in hibernation, wishing to avoid conflict. Jeongjae was actively gathering information through various means, such as deploying pigeons and casting observation magic, and he was convinced that the recent offensive had begun due to Dracula’s unilateral decision.

Unless some other entity’s will had intervened, if it were indeed Dracula’s independent operations, there was no doubt that one of his main objectives was the Moriarty Machine. Therefore, it seemed reasonable to conclude that his indiscriminate attacks on neighboring territories in the South were intended to draw Jeongjae out of his nest.

Despite being more emotional and passionate than he appeared, Jeongjae was not foolish enough to rush headlong into an obvious trap laid by the enemy.

However, three weeks had passed. Several cities and territories had already succumbed, unable to withstand the onslaught of the enemy and capitulating without a fight.

Thanks to the robust trade network and material exchange between territories, and the well-maintained roads, the casualties from the territories being ‘captured’ and ‘devastated’ weren’t as high as one might expect, which was a small comfort.

Arthur Harker, as the supreme commander of the allied forces, had issued a specific strategic response to Dracula for the central and southern territories. In most cases, the recommended strategy involved soldiers defending their strongholds while buying time for the citizens to evacuate to safer territories, with strict prohibitions against lords refusing refuge to the fleeing populace based on their own unilateral judgment.

Was it fortunate? The enemies preferred to move through the air, and since there were fewer of them, the well-maintained roads were hardly used as a means of invasion. Harker’s strategy not only significantly reduced civilian casualties even in defeat but also induced a chain of evacuations that ultimately helped gather a large contingent of troops within Count Harker’s domain, thus organizing a considerable number of the disjointed allied forces under the Count’s command.

Leading a thousand soldiers, Count Harker dashed about from battlefield to battlefield, and soon he found himself capable of commanding a substantial force that reached two legions.

Naturally, it was to be expected, but if anyone thought that Count Harker’s conduct of the war had become even slightly easier, they were gravely mistaken. After confirming that his own strategy of ‘killing the lord will result in the army disbanding’ was utterly flawed, Dracula continued his unique tactic of simultaneously attacking multiple territories, draining the morale of the allied forces.

The absence of a capable commander was evident. Between the thoroughly elite Imperial army under Walter’s command and the practically leveled allies, the only equal factors were determination and equipment. While individual soldier capabilities might have been acceptable, among the nobility in the alliance, only a handful had proper military command experience from serving as commanders in the Imperial forces during their heir days.

Moreover, most of these lords had already retired and passed down their titles before the Demon King unified the demonic coalition and launched a large-scale offensive, meaning the quality of leadership in the Southern Alliance was far inferior compared to Walter’s Northern Expeditionary Force.

If there was a general equipped both with talent and charisma, it had to be Abraham Van Helsing, that is, Count Arthur Harker, who possessed a sharp mind that quickly learned anything backed by over a century of wisdom.

Barely assembling about six thousand soldiers, Harker had split them into battalions or companies to deploy them throughout, and unable to fully trust the commanders in charge of each stronghold, he tirelessly ran back and forth, leading a reserve force of about a thousand to provide support in precarious battlefields.

And yet, despite witnessing all of this, Park Jeongjae remained glued to his own territory. Clutching his aching stomach, he suppressed his urge to dash out and slay vampires at any moment and stat clung to his domain.

If only he could ascertain where the perpetrator behind all these incidents, Dracula, was and what he was doing, Jeongjae might have dared to consider moving.

Yet even the intelligence networks that were meticulously gathering information, enough to grasp the entire battlefield situation from his seated position, failed to provide any information on the vampire lord—where he was or what he was doing. At this rate, Jeongjae thought that if he simply slipped out of his territory for just a moment, Harriett’s Territory could be engulfed in flames by the time he returned.

With the anxiety that a moment’s courage might lead to lifelong regret, Jeongjae went in and out of his territory’s defenses repeatedly, only confirming the magical barrier’s state before retreating back to Harriet Castle.

Having experienced a whole territory being reduced to a sea of flames was enough. If he had to go through that ordeal again, he thought he’d likely lose his mind, disregarding love and friendship and dive headlong into the heart of the enemy.

That was how precarious his state of mind had become.

“No traps, no alarms, everything is fine…”

“Um, Baron?”

The head of the guard, Philip, cautiously approached after observing Jeongjae’s demeanor. Jeongjae looked up at Philip with weary eyes and nodded.

“Ah, Captain of the Guards. Is there something to report? Is it about the situation?”

“No, any information regarding that would come to the Baron before me. What I mean is… you haven’t even checked the magic barrier for three hours. I thought it was a bit excessive to check so frequently after such a short time… I’m just saying this out of concern. Overworking yourself can be harmful to your health and…”

“Philip, Philip. Thanks for the worry, but the magic barrier requires constant maintenance, just like a weapon. No matter how much we polish and check, it’s never enough. You know what I mean when you handle swords.”

“While you may have a point, I don’t sharpen my blades every three hours. If I handle my sword like that, it might wear out before I realize it.”

“Come to think of it, I should check all my weapons too. We need to ensure that the offensive spells meant for undead are functional. When dealing with races like vampires, simply sharpening the iron and honing the blade isn’t enough. If there are no special spells set for dealing with undead, it won’t do much damage at all…”

“Umm, Baron. I already completed checking all of that two days ago. You personally oversaw it.”

“Hasn’t it been too long?”

“In typical cases, weapons enchanted with spells last for years without issue. Even then, most don’t cause any problems. Besides, it isn’t just any sorcery, but the carefully cast spells by the Baron directly.”

“That makes sense, but it feels off. This territory feels strange. I can’t shake off the uneasy feeling that someone has been casting unusual mental spells around here. There’s no way to track or sense it, but something is definitely there… there’s definitely something…”

Jeongjae hastily poured out his thoughts, only for his voice to trail off at the end with a sigh.

He realized that even to himself, his lời sounded like the ramblings of a paranoid patient. Philip, as the only competent person alongside Village Chief Huck in the village, looked at Jeongjae with genuine concern in his eyes.

To reassure him, Jeongjae patted Philip’s shoulder and nodded.

“Right, you’re right. I should take a break. Lately, I’ve felt like I’ve become a hero. While I used to think, ‘Why is that guy acting up again today?’ whenever I was with the hero, now that I’ve become the one in charge, I find myself jumping through the same hoops. Not to mention, unlike his hysterics, there’s no rationality to any of this. It’s strange. Very strange.”

“Does the hero tend to act like that in private?”

Philip widened his eyes and asked. Jeongjae chuckled, enjoying the lightness of their conversation.

“You cannot even imagine how bad it gets! Someday, when the war is over and a manifesto about the hero is published, there will be an endless list of scandalous content. Even I, who have only been with him for three years, have that much, imagine how much more others have!”

“You should also be cautious about a manifesto concerning yourself, Baron.”

Philip lightly joked. Jeongjae chuckled and replied to his jest.

“I don’t mind too much, but be careful. If a scandal war starts between us, I might get enlisted with my crimes as well due to their rebellious organization.”

“That sounds like a death sentence. Best to keep my lips sealed for life.”

It felt like it had been almost a week since they shared jokes and casual banter. Jeongjae, feeling somewhat revitalized just from light chatter, turned to head back to the castle when—

“Wait.”

He stopped dead in his tracks, turning slowly to look behind him. Philip, who had been walking beside him, also froze in place, tense.

“What’s the matter?”

“I sensed something.”

“Sensed what…?”

“A vampire! One vampire was detected just 1 kilometer outside the territory!”

“Ki… kilometer? How did you detect that from such a distance with the alarm magic…?”

“Do you think the title of Grand Mage is just for show? Anyway, I’m going to confirm this, so brace yourselves and wait. This one feels very powerful! It’s getting closer…”

As Jeongjae hurriedly moved, he suddenly stopped and widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Did it disappear?”

“No, it came right behind you, Professor.”

A voice so familiar. Jeongjae recognized it the moment he heard it, but his heightened senses caused him to react instinctively first.

The magic circles in Jeongjae’s hands were aimed straight at Jenis Harker, who had appeared behind him.

Draped in a blue robe, holding a staff adorned with red orbs, the Grand Sage showed no signs of fear despite seeing Jeongjae’s magic circles; instead, she smiled lightly.

“It’s a bit sad.”

“Ah, I apologize. But you were also at fault. Sneaking into a heavily fortified camp like that is quite a mischievous prank.”

Jeongjae hurriedly retracted both magic circles before Jenis, bowing his head. Philip also bowed his head in surprise, greeting the Grand Sage of the Magic Tower, stepping back awkwardly after waving a hand in greeting, she wore a somewhat bitter expression.

“Ah, you are aware that you are overreacting. No, that’s not it. It’s just that I feel a bit bitter that I might be captured as a vampire in your magical barrier.”

“If it were only due to bloodlines, then that could be overlooked, but if I wield magic from that lineage and cannot perceive it properly, that points to an issue with my abilities.”

“That is true. However, I can’t avoid using a useful power either.”

“As long as you can control it.”

“Balance is essential… At ‘You’ll manage just fine.’, my age is still too young to reassure others. Even the eldest and wisest sometimes lose balance between power and desire; to be overly confident in one’s safety is the most dangerous thing of all. All I can say is, I will do my best.”

Jeongjae found more reassurance in Jenis’s words than in his own declaration that ‘I am absolutely in no danger of succumbing to the powers of evil.’ At the very least, it seemed that Jenis understood the dangers of excessively wielding dark magic brought about by her vampire lineage.

Although Jenis’s visit was unexpected, it wasn’t entirely out of the blue. If anything, it felt a bit late. It had been three weeks since the onset of Dracula’s campaign in the South, and for Harker’s heir to just now make an appearance was curious. While the Upper Expedition was important, if the South were to be devastated, nothing would remain of that either.

As if she had read Jeongjae’s mind, Jenis spoke up.

“I have been here for a while now. It has also been quite some time since I left the North. However, there were some things that needed investigating, which delayed my arrival. I had to deliver the results of my experiments first.”

“Experiments? What experiments?”

“Dragon’s blood. The differences in the effects of dragon’s blood on native vampires versus foreign vampires.”

Jenis whispered and glanced around. When the Grand Sage’s gaze met Philip’s, he understood instantly and bowed his head before retreating from the scene. Jeongjae bit his lips, looking rather grim.

“Sounds like we have things to discuss in a place that’s not here.”

“Let’s head to the office. It feels a bit like it has been a while, and I’m curious about the state of the office as you manage it all by yourself.”

There was no longer any reason for Jenis to assist in Baronial duties. She had risen to a higher status than Jeongjae even in her countess title alone.

 

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