The First Vampire

Night descended.

The Dark Cavalry quickly established a camp, with bonfires burning here and there, dispersing the chilling air and the smell of blood a bit.

Groups of captured Trolls were detaining in batches, and the seized supplies and horses were being sorted out.

In the temporary command office at the center of the camp, Colin took a roast lamb leg from his bodyguards and began to devour it.

After finishing eating, he gulped down a jug of sheep’s blood before letting out a satisfied belch.

Seeing this, Prince Okamoto, starving to the point that his stomach was practically touching his back, swallowed his saliva in envy.

Unfortunately, Colin did not prepare a meal for Prince Okamoto. After wiping his mouth with a napkin, he said, “Okamoto, I’ve always considered you a friend. I didn’t expect you to try and plot against me.”

At Colin’s pretense, Prince Okamoto became so touched that tears welled up in his eyes. Meanwhile, he was also shaking his head vehemently, as if gravely aggrieved, and exclaimed loudly:

“My Lord Viscount, it is my honor to call you a friend! I value this friendship immensely! But please believe me; I was forced into this situation. It was all orchestrated by that Mister Ji of the St. Sean Family. Even His Majesty was deceived by him. I was simply following orders and acting against my will!”

Colin sprawled lazily against the back of his chair, grading the acting of the man before him in his mind, while smilingly asking:

“How much do you know about Mister Ji’s plan?”

“I know about his arrangements in the Troll Empire. As for the North Territory, I don’t know very much.”

“Then tell me what you do know.”

“Yes, yes.” Prince Okamoto nodded repeatedly and began to recount his tale.

As Colin had surmised, the Troll Empire had scraped together their last resources to muster an army of 80,000 combat-ready soldiers.

However, they had no intention of deploying all these forces into the whirlpool of the North Territory, for fear their empire might collapse in case anything goes awry.

And honestly, the Troll Empire really could not afford the massive cost of such an expedition.

So, Mister Ji advised them to target Colin, or rather, the Dark Cavalry in his command.

This army was a nightmare for the Troll Empire. Every Troll dreamed of erasing that Black Lion Flag from the face of the earth forever.

So, the two sides quickly came to an agreement. The Troll Empire dispatched 30,000 regular troops, along with 70,000 newly conscripted soldiers, forming a mighty army of 100,000 purportedly poised to invade the North Territory.

Then Mister Ji persuaded Charles St. Hilde to go to Ice Rock City and pass on false information, convincing Colin to march on the Troll Royal City while the Troll Empire was vulnerable.

In reality, however, there were 50,000 elite soldiers hidden in the Troll Royal City, waiting for Colin to walk right into their traps, only to be smashed and beaten.

At the same time, the expeditionary force moving south to the North Territory would turn back halfway and seize control of the three fortresses along the Snow Mountain Range, completely cutting off the Dark Cavalry’s retreat route.

This way, they could crush the terrifying cavalry that had held sway over the situation in both the North Territory and the Troll Empire right in Troll territory.

After listening to Prince Okamoto’s explanation, Colin’s expression remained indifferent, showing no signs of emotion.

A moment later, he asked again, “How much do you know about Mister Ji’s plan in the North Territory?”

“All I know is that Mister Ji has turned the Dawson Family and Uman Clan against us. They will be our main opponent against the Golden Lion Legion.”

“Just against the Golden Lion Legion?”

Prince Okamoto hesitated before replying, “My lord, forgive my candor. Currently, the only military forces the St. Hilde Family in the North Territory has left to rely on is the Golden Lion Legion. The rest of the Lords are not very powerful and won’t have much impact on the overall situation. Moreover, these people are all fickle and may not be willing to fight to the death for the St. Hilde family.”

“Of course, the Dark Cavalry you command would undoubtedly serve as a formidable force if they were still in the North Territory, which is why Mr. Ji initially conceived this plan,”

Colin shook his head, “No, I’m referring to the Lorenzo family. Do you believe the royal family would simply stand by as the St. Sean family sweeps across the North Territory?”

“The royal family?” Prince Okamoto furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before saying with a tone of uncertainty, “Viscount, as far as I know, Mr. Ji’s plan doesn’t incorporate any specific strategies targeting the Lorenzo family.

It’s as if  as if he’s certain that the Lorenzo family will turn a blind eye to the chaos in the North Territory.”

“Oh?” Colin creased his brow, asking with confusion, “But you do know about the feud between the Lorenzo and St. Sean families, don’t you?”

“Indeed, I’m aware. The St. Sean family once had a ‘Judge’ who beheaded the ‘Dark Emperor’ of the Lorenzo family. This served as a catalyst for the St. Sean family’s tragic fate.”

“Since you’re aware of this matter, you should also understand that even though it was the St. Hilde family that annihilated the St. Sean family’s forces, it’s likely the Lorenzo family was the true instigator behind the scenes.

Therefore, how could Mr. Ji plot to seize the North Territory without being wary of the Lorenzo family?”

“Viscount, I really have no idea about this,” Prince Okamoto said with a bitter expression, “Mr. Ji was only using us, he never granted us full trust.”

Colin rubbed his temples and fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Prince Okamoto, afraid Colin would suspect he was withholding information, quickly offered, “Viscount, I just remembered something else that may be of assistance to you.”

“Speak.”

“Mr. Ji is actually a powerful mage, and he also has frequent interactions with top-ranking officials of the Yevir council. I assume the chaos in the North Territory might involve the influence of mages, and perhaps that’s how he plans to deal with the Lorenzo family.”

“Mages?” Colin’s brow remained furrowed.

He didn’t believe that the mages of Yevir could prevent the Lorenzo family from intervening in the struggle for the North Territory.

Although the mages’ Forbidden Spells were exceptionally destructive, the cost of using them was equally tremendous.

Colin doubted that these high-ranking mages would be willing to pay with their lives to assist the St. Sean family in seizing the North Territory.

Moreover, Forbidden Spells were akin to nuclear weapons, and the true power of a nuclear weapon lies in its deterrent effect when it is primed but not detonated.

Once used, its threat diminishes considerably as the situation becomes a battle to the death.

Thus, if the mages wanted to interfere in the North Territory situation, they could only rely on conventional means.

However, how could Yevir possibly influence the decisions of the Lorenzo family through conventional means?

Shaking his head, Colin decided to put these thoughts aside for the moment. After all, he had too little information at present to make an accurate judgement.

Subsequently, he looked at Prince Okamoto, revealing an enigmatic smile as he casually said,

“Okamoto, I plan to visit Troll Royal City next, so I’ll need you to deliver an invitation to your Troll Emperor for me.”

Prince Okamoto stared blankly at Colin for a moment, wondering if he had misheard.

After all, he had already informed Colin that Troll Royal City was a trap filled with fifty thousand elite troops, so why would Colin want to visit?

But seeing Colin’s serious expression, Prince Okamoto realized he had heard correctly.

Feeling utterly bemused but not daring to question further, he could only nod and respond:

“Yes, I’d be happy to assist.”