"Venor?"
"Yes. Do you know how to create slaves?"
"I know. But humans can't handle my blood. Besides, even if I were to enslave them, their condition would be obviously abnormal, so they wouldn't be of much use."
So that's how Maverick, who tried to kill himself in the dungeon, ended up like that.
A monster that only seeks blood.
Without a master, the beast itself was the vampire's slave.
"Yes, yes. But I heard from my master that vassals are different. If someone with exceptionally strong mental power accepts the blood of Origin, their ego won't collapse and their human abilities will remain intact. So, you can't make just anyone a vassal…"
Roma continued speaking, watching Eugene's expression.
"This article might be possible."
"Sir, sir! Let's do it. If we leave it like this, the big bear will die anyway, right?"
Even Mirian stepped in.
"Hmm."
Eugene looked down at Galfredic quietly.
"Galfredic isn't an ordinary human, and it's certainly a shame. It's definitely worth a try."
Eugene, having made up his mind, embraced Galfredic's body.
Then, after catching his breath, he sank his fangs into the back of his neck.
Blood and fluids began to leak out from the tips of Eugene's teeth and seep into Galfredic's veins.
Hwarur!
'hmm?'
Eugene was surprised by the sudden feeling of his whole body becoming hot.
'Huh!'
The blood flow was too fast. It was incomparable to Maverick's, and I couldn't control it properly.
That wasn't all.
Energy, or rather something more primal, was being sucked into Galfredic through the tips of his fangs.
'crazy....'
When Eugene, surprised, tried to open his mouth without realizing it.
- The ceremony of transmission begins.
A strange voice echoed in Eugene's head. It was the same voice he'd heard when he first held the red magic stone.
- The retinue is the property of the monarch.
- The souls of the servants are bound to the monarch under the blood ritual.
- All power of the household also belongs to the monarch.
- Only then does the tradition end.
Eugene's mind replayed every battle Galfredic had ever fought.
The vision of the Galfredic family's swordsmanship and the swordsmanship of those he had faced were imprinted on Eugene's brain, or rather, his soul, like a engraving.
"Ugh!"
The red currents that had been swirling around Eugene and Galfredic exploded and spread out in all directions.
"Ugh...."
Eugene, who had just broken away from Galfredick, was unable to control his body properly.
"You, Sir Eugene!"
"Your Majesty!"
Eugene, who had been intoxicated by the overwhelming sight, motioned to the wizard and spirit to say that it was okay and staggered towards the Minotaur's corpse.
Only after Eugene had drunk all of the blood that was left on the corpse and slowly hardening did he finally raise his head.
"...!"
Roma opened her mouth without realizing it, seeing Eugene's eyes shining even more intensely than before.
'I've never heard of anything like this?'
According to the Master, it wasn't easy for a powerful vampire to create a vassal, but it wasn't all that difficult either.
Although your stamina will be quite damaged, it is said that it will quickly recover if you absorb blood.
And the vassals who awaken as vampires gain new powers as members of the dark clan, but there are no significant changes on the vampire side.
It's just the same as before.
But this peculiar origin, who was pretending to be a knight, somehow felt stronger than before.
'It's strange... ... .'
Even amidst fear, Romary spoke cautiously, feeling a wizardly curiosity.
"King Eugene, are you okay?"
"It's okay. But…."
Eugene, who heard the words 'subordinate' and 'monarch' instead of 'vassal' as Romary had explained, and who absorbed all the combat skills Galfredic had acquired as a knight, hesitated for a moment.
But he concluded that there was no need to tell Romary, and turned his gaze to Galfredic, who was still lying there as if dead.
"When will you wake up?"
"Joe, please wait a little longer."
A moment when Romary is flustered.
"Whoa! You son of a bitch!"
With a loud roar of curses, Galfredick jumped to his feet.
"Hic!"
"Eek!"
The startled wizard fell to his knees, and the spirit hid behind Eugene's back.
"Ugh! Gasp! Gasp!"
Galfredic and Eugene's eyes met as they looked around, breathing heavily as if they had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Do you recognize me, Galfredic?"
"Is this a dream?"
"It's reality."
"No way… It's like there was some kind of bloody tradition going on in some bloody hellish place."
"...!"
At the moment when Eugene was inwardly surprised, Galfredic tilted his head and turned his eyes to Romary.
"Huh? Who is that woman?"
"He's a wizard."
"It must be a dream. Or is this the devil's last gift? Well, even though her body looks a bit out of shape, her face is still pretty, so let's have one last go... Whew!"
"King Eugene. Do you think I need to hit you harder to bring you to your senses?"
As Eugene mercilessly slapped Galfredick across the face, Romary offered some emotional advice.
"This isn't a dream, this is reality. Galfredick, you're alive. And from now on, you'll have to change the way you address me and the way you address me."
Eugene sent a message to Peer.
Then Galfredic's eyes flashed once and he flinched.
"What are you talking about, Master? Huh?"
"You're still speaking informally. Is this not working properly?"
"So, what's going on here, Master? Huh?"
Galfredick, who had twice used a title he had not intended, looked up at Eugene with wide eyes.
Eugene, who saw the reddish light in Galfredick's originally light brown eyes, smacked his lips in regret.
"It seems like it went well, but it doesn't seem like it. Anyway, welcome to being reborn as a vampire, Galfredick."
"Kkieeeek! Our lord has finally gained a vassal, right? Are you on the path to becoming the Demon King? Kkieeeek!"
Mirian's loud voice rang in Eugene's ears.
* * *
"So the Master was originally a vampire, and he took me as his vassal on the day he was dying?"
In reality, he was not a vassal but a retainer, but Eugene nodded.
"Yeah. Well, if you wanted to die with dignity and honor, I could do it right now. But you're not that religious, are you?"
"That's… well, that's true. Ha! This is true."
Galfredick, who had been staring at Eugene with a pang of disbelief, scratched his head. He had thought he was dead, but upon waking up, he found himself a vampire, a reality he couldn't quite believe.
"Really. If it weren't for Sir Eugene, you would have died for sure. And become food for the monsters. It would have been better if you had left it that way."
He was impressed by Romary's last words, which had not been a very good first impression of Galfredick.
"You're a petty wizard. But you said you had a pretty face, didn't you?"
"Huh? What do I need?"
Perhaps still hurt by the criticism of her body, Roma turned her expressionless face away.
"Anyway, wizards. Anyway, does that mean I won't see the light of day anymore? I'll just have to suck human blood?"
"If you cover it properly, you can walk around in the sunlight. I used to do that too. And as for the blood sucking problem, you can just suck the blood of a monster. I'm fine with it once every two months, but you wouldn't know. It's the first time I've made a vassal."
"I see."
Even when he was human, Galfredic liked Eugene quite a bit.
And even if it was because of the contract, the fact that Eugene came into the labyrinth to find him and even revived him doesn't change.
Above all, his words and actions gave me a deeper and stronger sense of trust than before.
'Is it because I became a vassal? Perhaps this is fate.'
A smile appeared on Galfredic's face, unaware that it was all due to the strong bond between the Master and his followers.
"But Master, can I ask you two favors?"
"ask?"
"Master, that armor is nice. Get me something similar. And buy me a few nice hats."
"Okay."
Human nobles also give horses and armor when recruiting knights.
Eugene agreed, as it was only natural for a vassal to invest that much in something he had just taken under his wing.
"What else?"
"When I get out of here, just let me kill one guy."
"Kill? Who? Oh, maybe..."
Galfredic smiled at Eugene, who had guessed something, revealing his elongated fangs.
"Lugetz, that son of a bitch is why I ended up like this."
* * *
"Huh! That's...."
Entler couldn't close his gaping mouth as he looked back and forth between Galfredic and Eugene, who lay as if dead, their faces so worn out that they were unrecognizable.
Of course, Galfredic was only pretending to be unconscious, but no one could tell.
"The Cyclops killed all the Templars of St. Lagren's Monastery?"
"To be exact, it was the monsters he commanded. The battle took place in such a large area that he had no countermeasures. He really is a cunning guy."
Eugene told a lie he had planned in advance, as he had decided to hide the fact that he had killed the Minotaur.
"That's right. That's why I tried to avoid it whenever possible. But what about that guy?"
"He was frightened by Lord Romari's magic and fled inside. I wanted to chase after him, but there were so many low-level monsters he controlled. Because of that, Lord Romari couldn't properly use his magic."
"I'm sorry. As Sir Eugene said, there were too many monsters. Furthermore, Sir Galfredic's details seemed to be in critical condition. I felt saving him was the most urgent task."
"Hmm."
As they reached Romali, Entler nodded solemnly.
The purpose of this expedition was not to kill monsters and obtain byproducts and magic stones, but rather to determine the life or death of Galfredic and his team.
In that respect, Eugene and Romary's judgment was correct. Chasing a cunning, large monster alone in an unfamiliar labyrinth is tantamount to suicide.
Moreover, didn't they bring Galfredic with them?
"I see. By the way, Sir Galfredic doesn't seem to be in good shape."
Eugene nodded, looking down at Galfredic, whose acting was as good as his swordsmanship.
"You'll be fine, since you were fed the magic stone that Lord Romari himself created. He said you'll wake up within three or four days, so there's no need to worry."
"Thank goodness. It's just the Templars who were killed. Oh, and what happened to their bodies?"
"It was so damaged that it was almost unrecognizable. Furthermore, the situation was so dire that I had no choice but to bring only the sword."
Eugene, who had thought about the answer in advance, showed the Templars' swords.
"Phew~ I guess there was no other way. At least thanks to you, their honor was preserved."
The black sword bestowed by the Church upon the Templars, who had cut ties with the secular world, was nothing less than the very embodiment of honor and an alter ego.
There were more than a few knights who couldn't find a body in the Demon Realm, so the monastery would be grateful that they were able to bring back the sword safely.
"Anyway, thank you for your hard work, Kyung Eugene. It's all thanks to you."
"No. I don't know what would have happened if the Templars hadn't been there. So, how about making them the heroes of this expedition? Aren't those three the only ones who died?"
"Hmm. Not bad. Anyway, it's true that they fought the Cyclops..."
Entler was lost in thought.
In reality, he died disobeying orders and acting alone, but if the truth is revealed, the honor of the Templars will be somewhat tarnished.
Moreover, the position of the Monastery of St. Lagren, which sent them, will also become difficult.
'I guess Galfredic was saved too. I guess I'll do as he says.'
Entler made a decision.
"Okay. Let's do that. But is that okay with you? Wasn't it you who actually defeated the monsters and saved Sir Galfredic?"
"I'm satisfied that my friend is safe. It's only fitting that the fallen Templars receive the credit and honor."
"her!"
Entler opened his eyes wide.
What a freedom knight, not only with true friendship, but also with such deep consideration and compassion for the fallen!
"Your honorable decision will be remembered forever by me, Entler."
Entler nodded repeatedly, greatly increasing his evaluation of Eugene.
* * *
The expedition force returned to Count Evergrove's castle.
Although they failed to rescue the mercenaries, Counts Jevin and Evergrove were satisfied with the mere fact that they had brought Galfredic back, and they greatly praised the expedition.
As discussed with Eugene, Entler assigned more than half of his major to the dead Templars.
Although he didn't care whether the Templars he didn't know died or not, Count Evergrove sent a letter of consolation and gratitude to the Abbey of St. Lagren.
The abbot, who was worried about the Templars who had secretly stolen the anti-magic stone and ran away, and who had participated in the labyrinth conquest without permission, had to feel both sadness and relief.
And he expressed his deep gratitude to Eugene for collecting the Templars' swords even in the midst of a crisis.
Of course, there were many things he wanted to ask, but the abbot remained silent, fearing that Eugene might learn of the existence of the Anti-Magic Stone.
It seemed like the matter related to the subjugation of the Evergreen Territory Labyrinth was finally coming to a close.
Even after returning to the count's castle, it was not until the knight Galfredic, who had been lying as if dead for over three days, got up from his bed.
(To be continued in the next episode)