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“I’m truly sorry once again about the Count’s matters, Jenis Harker. He was a good man. In fact, he was the only remaining friend of the last Hero in this world… Though we appeared to be in opposition, we shared a rare bond over political issues. This matter… is truly a great loss. I genuinely wish to mourn his death.”

Walter spoke to Jenis in a comforting tone. The Great Sage, who had been sitting opposite the Hero with his head bowed, nodded with a bittersweet smile.

“It’s a difficult time. Is there anyone in this world who hasn’t experienced the loss of a precious person? However, this loss is… a bit hard to bear. Of course, it’s clear that no one can afford to come to a standstill.”

For Walter, whose parents were both alive, it was only natural to be cautious when comforting someone who had lost their parents. Walter, born to the Hellhound Marquis House, originally belonged to a prestigious family. However, lacking a territory and holding no particularly powerful political position, it was a family with nothing but honor.

Perhaps the reason why the “Holmes” family, which was on his maternal side, chose the Hellhound Marquis House was due to this situation. According to stories passed down by Walter’s mother and grandparents, the previous Hero, Simon Harriet, had expressed concerns that one day, a descendant with the blood of an ‘Earthling’ would need to once again draw the Holy Sword.

It seems Sherlock Holmes feared that, with Moriarty corrupted by the forces of evil and the blood of vampires mingling with that of the anti-Van Helsing lineage, someone must carry on the ‘Hero’ legacy through his bloodline.

Thus, it was said that Holmes hoped that the daughter he had gained while living in this world would marry into a family that possessed enough reputation to protect her from persecution when she was recognized as a ‘Hero’ in her own right but not so powerful as to draw too much attention.

From Holmes’s perspective, it would have been worrying to see a seemingly inappropriate peasant Hero appear, while on the other hand, having a Hero from an overly powerful family might provoke suspicion and suppression from the Royal Family. Simon Harriet’s sudden disappearance occurred when his daughter was still an infant, but the daughter who inherited his extraordinary intellect understood all his wishes and married into the most suitable family, the Hellhound House, thereby continuing the Holmes bloodline.

So while there were others in the Hellhound House who carried Holmes’s blood, it was Walter alone among them who displayed extraordinary talents and aptitude, as well as compatibility with the Holy Sword.

Though Walter’s parents were alive, they lived quietly as if they were deceased. Due to the long peace, there was a prevailing atmosphere of hesitation in the Hellhound Marquis House about engaging in politics, which had become a family motto. Furthermore, there were concerns that the relatives of the Hero, who tried to get involved in politics, would be treated as “overreaching relatives” and hinder Walter’s activities.

In many ways, the Hellhound House stood in stark contrast to the Harker family. The Harker family, despite its short history, had gained a reputation and honor due to its master’s outstanding abilities and active role in politics. Yet due to its insufficient historical background and highly peculiar qualities that could not be revealed to outsiders, the family was precarious, with only one potential heir for succession.

On the other hand, the Hellhound House, because of its long history, had many renowned nobility bound to it, and even if a plague swept through the family, there were enough members that anyone could step forward to carry on that lineage. However, aside from being able to vote in the Imperial Assembly elections, their influence in politics was almost nonexistent, nor did they aspire to expand it.

Yet, it would not be surprising to see two people who popped out from entirely different families, with an ambiguous sibling relationship, share similar ways of thinking and responsibilities on their shoulders. After swallowing her sorrow for a moment, Jenis turned to Walter and said.

“You know, Hero, inheriting the Count title right now is risky. For the time being, Harker Count Territory will have no choice but to transition to a deputy count’s regency.”

“You’re still too inexperienced and lack any experience in regency. True, personally, I think there’d be no problem if you were to be promoted to Count right now, but the other nobles will think differently. No matter how great a sage you are, it wouldn’t be good to skip conventions on such matters.”

Indeed, if that were all there was to it, there wouldn’t be a significant problem. The de facto power difference between the one acting as regent for the County and a Count was minimal. However, the question of how Jenis Harker’s position would be recognized was another perplexing and important issue that was tied up in difficult knots.

The military authority of the Southern Alliance. The rights to summon, operate, and even dissolve the Southern Alliance all belong to the lord of the Harker ‘Count’. If Count Harker were unable to exercise command over the alliance due to unforeseen circumstances, the authority would fall to the deputy lord of Jeffrey’s family, Duke Sally Jeffrey.

Currently, due to the period of mourning for Count Harker, the atmosphere was still one of sorrow, so Sally Jeffrey also took a position of not explicitly mentioning military authority while personally visiting the County to pay his respects.

Yet both Walter and Jenis were aware that Jeffrey, being politically astute, was merely refraining from bringing up the military authority of the Southern Alliance to avoid appearing as a ‘power-hungry scoundrel’ in light of the death of the nation’s Hero.

It was a well-known secret that the Jeffrey family, especially the clever Sally Jeffrey, desired to reclaim some of the conveniences that the Jeffrey kingdom enjoyed as an independent kingdom in the past.

The alliance was a dangerous game from the start. Jenis felt that if Harker could hold on for at least ten more years, she would solidify her political standing in that time and create a strong Harker family that could intimidate Jeffrey into not daring to take any action, but her father had passed away not after ten years, but mere months.

The scenario was the worst of the worst. The alliance had been summoned, and the war was still ongoing. Though Jenis cannot replace her father, it was clear that someone must take on that role. The Demon King had undoubtedly been monitoring the Southern region while taking into account the delicate tensions surrounding it and aimed at Arthur Harker in that moment.

“When do you think Sally Jeffrey will start moving?”

“Oh, they’ve already begun moving. From what I’ve heard, some nobles are showing signs of formally proposing your promotion to the Count title in the Assembly to fill in for your father’s vacant position.”

“Too soon. With the vampire lord dead, the frontline should be in a lull. They’re hurrying to act on something that could wait a bit longer.”

“Isn’t the purpose rather obvious?”

Jenis inquired. Walter sighed and nodded.

“Most likely, the nobles acting under Jeffrey aim to propose your promotion to Count. If that discussion comes up formally, I expect hearing objections from the Assembly or nobility aligned with the Jeffrey family regarding your promotion being against customary law.”

“I probably won’t be able to refute that. And if the conclusion is that I maintain my title as a viscount, the conversation will inevitably lead to ‘Then who will lead the alliance moving forward?’ The justification is on their side. There’s a reputable deputy lord and duke, and it’s highly unlikely people will argue for promoting a mere child who would be distracted by matters of the Magic Tower and the Northern Expeditions to the title of Count.”

“The Southern Alliance was created to protect the South. It’s clear that the nobles will desire a leader focused solely on southern matters.”

No matter how you calculate, if there’s a dispute over the supremacy of the South, Jenis would win. No, in the first place, engaging in competition is not an option. While it might be possible to forcefully suppress them, that would conflict with the politics that Walter had practiced up till now and would not be good for Jenis’s future.

The biggest problem with Jeffrey’s scheme to use Jenis’s promotion to Count to secure his own position as lord is that Jenis genuinely has no means to defend or counter the current viscount. After all, Jeffrey’s ultimate goal is to arrive at the conclusion that ‘Jenesis cannot be appointed as a Count’ by any means necessary. If Jenis herself denies her possibility of being promoted to Count, then at that point, Sally Jeffrey’s objective would already have been achieved.

“By the way, be careful of Rose.”

Walter sincerely warned. Jenis tilted her head slightly at the rather out-of-the-blue warning with a puzzled expression.

“Of Princess Rose?”

“Ever since your father passed away, Rose has begun to express displeasure at the very idea that the Southern Alliance might continue to exist. She doesn’t seem to harbor any bad feelings towards the alliance forces led by Arthur Harker… but once the thought crosses her mind that someone else might lead that army, I’ve heard her muttering that the Southern army is just a ‘band of warlords with no permission.’ Rose’s opinion represents the Royal Family’s opinion. It would be best not to provoke her too much.”

“The Southern Alliance flag was created under the banner of Eramenia. Furthermore, Princess Margaret formally recognized that flag. While the alliance army may not have any approval from the royalty, they are recognized as an army of the Kingdom of Eramenia. Even the Audrich Royal Family cannot dismiss them as mere warlords.”

“Most royals would back down at this point.”

Walter’s tone turned deep and dark. His voice revealed genuine concern and fear for both the fate of the Empire and his beloved.

“But Rose is not one of them. She is fully prepared to wield her blade against anyone she perceives as a hindrance to her ideals. Yes, even if the opponent is Eramenia.”

“Then she isn’t a wise individual.”

“Rose is smart. She just isn’t wise all the time.”

“Dealing with Jeffrey is merely a task of fending off a coyote after my own food. But if I have to do that while also keeping an eye on Princess Rose, I lose all desire to continue this fight.”

“I’m merely warning you. I can handle Rose for now. What happens next is uncertain, but… I just wanted to give you a heads-up. The true threat looming now is not her. Right now, there’s a far greater threat looming…”

“Is it the hellfire targeting Eramenia?”

At Jenis’s words, Walter flinched. For a moment, he seemed to be curious about how Jenis knew of that but soon looked at the Great Sage’s staff and nodded in understanding.

“The Demon King’s army’s attack is the worst among the assaults they’ve conducted thus far. It’s uncertain whether Eramenia can withstand this attack.”

“Park Jeongjae is in Eramenia.”

Jenis spoke in a somewhat displeased tone. Though it was an unavoidable situation, it seemed like she held a slight grievance for sending Jeongjae to be with Margaret herself. Walter sighed in relief, grateful for Jenis’s swift action.

“Then we won’t fall.”

“But there’s no guarantee we will win. But yes, Eramenia won’t perish. Ten dragons wouldn’t dare to lay waste to the elven woods guarded by the Grand Mage. I can’t say how many fairies may perish or just how much forest might burn, but…”

Jenis lightly brushed the tip of her staff with her finger.

“Ultimately, Eramenia will endure, and rise again. Once the fairies mobilize, many problems will surely be resolved. Yes, the Northern Expeditions will also progress far more smoothly than currently.”

“I don’t want to see Eramenia burn.”

“But the normans have already been burned.”

“Jenis Harker!”

Walter shouted, flaring up momentarily at the sensitive remark. Jenis merely shook her head, unbothered by the anger Walter had just let out.

“I’m not trying to criticize you, Hero. It’s inevitable that something will burn. We must use whatever we can. You know what I mean.”

Walter understood what she meant, but could not bring himself to agree. Yet Walter did not think that he was superior or more righteous than Jenis.

He merely lacked the courage. The courage to accept and acknowledge that he himself was selfish and calculating. The courage that the former Jenis wouldn’t have had. But today, she completely embodied that disposition.

Jenis had already changed completely once. Since her awakening as a half-vampire with her staff atop the Magic Tower, she had seemed entirely different from before.

But from Walter’s perspective, it appeared that nothing had fundamentally changed about Jenis. It was merely that the power she had yearned for in secret was finally given to her. Jenis Harker had been a fox with the claws of a tiger from birth, and back then, when she had only talent to rely on, she had acted recklessly, knowing full well that if she were too proud, she could be devoured by a real beast.

However, the moment she realized her qualification as a Grand Mage, Jenis Harker became aware that she had already ascended to the position of the top predator and acted accordingly. Up to that point was merely her true nature.

But the loss of her father. This had clearly carved a deep wound in Jenis’s heart, twisting her somewhere. Until now, Jenis had been a predator, but now she seemed like… a scavenger. She was picking off the weakest enemies and prepared to devour even corpses if necessary, having evolved into a truly vicious creature.

Walter hadn’t witnessed her make a vow of vengeance against her father’s blood, but he could instinctively sense that confronting the Demon King and the events that had occurred then had given Jenis a life mission of ‘killing the Demon King at all costs.’

“Jenis. Just to be cautious… don’t let yourself be consumed by revenge. There are truly, truly many who have seen blood.”

“Being consumed by revenge… what a meaningful worry. But in my current state, I feel this way. After all, the vengeful thoughts in my heart cannot be erased now. Either I consume, or I am consumed.”

The half-vampire licked her lips slightly. Her hidden sharp fangs poked out just a fraction.

“If you say that, I’ll just swallow him whole and grow stronger.”

The Hero slightly averted his gaze from Jenis’s words. In her blue eyes, he sensed a powerful flame that could not rival even Rose Caprice’s spirit when she was most furious.

 

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