The First Vampire

Bang!

The heavy wooden door closed behind him, and Scholar Yerug breathed out a sigh of relief in the corridor.

Apparently, his status was still not high enough to participate in the meetings of the truly illustrious figures of the Glorious Empire.

However, thinking of the sudden appearance of those three Holy Knights, Scholar Yerug didn’t feel particularly exhilarated.

Duke St. Gregorian looked frail and pallid, suggesting that his injuries weren’t fully healed.

Prince Lexie acted indifferent, clearly still holding a grudge for being entrapped and exiled by Emperor Reinhardt.

As for Mr. Ji, who now inhabited Duke St. Hilde’s body… he was essentially a demon willing to employ any means to achieve his goal.

It was hard to say whether the presence of these three Holy Knights at the Storm Fortress would bring hope for victory to the Empire, or a greater crisis.

Furthermore, their appearance had completely ruined Scholar Yerug’s plan.

These three Holy Knights combined indicate that they had reached a consensus.

In such a situation, not to mention Duke of the South Border, even Emperor Reinhardt wouldn’t be able to defy the will of the three Holy Knights.

Scholar Yerug was confident in controlling Emperor Reinhardt, but when it came to the three Holy Knights…

Scholar Yerug’s head started aching.

Just then, an attendant came hurriedly, apparently with some pressing news to report.

But the guard would certainly not let him in at this moment.

“Sorry, His Majesty is discussing important matters, you can’t go in now.”

The attendant nodded and quietly stood aside to wait.

Scholar Yerug, out of curiosity, asked:

“What happened?”

The attendant glanced at Scholar Yerug, seeming to recognize the confidant of the Duke of the South Border. He thought that his news wasn’t particularly secret, so he reported honestly:

“My Lord, Her Majesty the Queen and the Guardian of the North Territory, Count Angler, are about to reach the Storm Fortress, so I came specially to inform His Majesty.”

“Her Majesty… Count Angler…” Scholar Yerug muttered these two names, felt an idea, and said to the guard at the door, “If the Duke of the South Border asks, just say that I have gone to greet Her Majesty the Queen and Count Angler.”

“Okay.”

…

Meanwhile, within the wooden door, the atmosphere was particularly tense.

Emperor Reinhardt sat on the throne, trying to impose an image of the empire’s monarch.

Unfortunately, his sloppy attire, sorrowful stubble, and slightly drunk eyes left him without a shred of dignity.

What’s more, in the eyes of the four others present, he was no more than a joke.

“Cough cough…” Emperor Reinhardt cleared his throat, his eyes sweeping over the three Holy Knights, finally settling on the one he considered the most likely to win over, “Duke St. Gregorian, seeing you safely returned brings me utmost joy! Ŕ₳𐌽о฿ƐŚ

The fiasco at Sky Breaking Mountain Range was not because of my unwillingness to hold the fort, but due to the damned Garcia St. Hilde’s desertion which led to the collapse of our position. In such a situation, I had no other choice but to temporarily retreat and preserve our strength…”

“Your Majesty, let’s not bring up the past.” Duke St. Gregorian calmly interjected, “I only desire now to expel the Orcs, recapture Westland, and I will stop at nothing to achieve this!”

By the end, Duke St. Gregorian’s teeth were nearly grinding in determination.

Emperor Reinhardt immediately responded:

“I share your determination, Duke St. Gregorian…”

“Then why were you just talking about retreating?” Duke St. Gregorian ruthlessly interrupted again.

Emperor Reinhardt, stifling the rage in his heart, managed a smile, explaining:

“It’s not what you think. The withdrawal of the troops is just an illusion, a lie intentionally spread among the refugees. The goal is to make them retreat from the Storm Fortress voluntarily, thus alleviating the overcrowding and public security issues in the city… ”

“That’s not acceptable either.” Duke St. Gregorian didn’t save any face for him, interrupting again, “These refugees cannot leave!”

In the face of multiple affronts, Emperor Reinhardt could no longer keep a serene face. He clenched his fists, seeming ready to explode at any moment.

Fortunately, he was kept in check by the last scrap of his rationality.

At this juncture, Duke St. Rands could no longer remain silent, he spoke:

“Duke St. Gregorian, I too regret the fall of the Westland. However, you must remain calm. The Storm Fortress is already crowded with too many troops and refugees. Even without considering the security issue, you should think about the problem of food supply. Aside from that, whenever the Orcs launch an attack, these refugees will only become our burden… ”

“Duke St. Rands, how many people are there in the fortress now?” Mr. Ji suddenly asked.

Duke St. Rands was taken aback, but he still answered truthfully:

“There are about 450,000 soldiers left from the three territories’ armies. As for the refugees, there is no precise count. However, I estimate their number to be more than the army already.”

Mr. Ji nodded in satisfaction, saying:

“That should be enough.”

“Enough for what?” Duke St. Rands was completely baffled.

With a slight smile, Mr. Ji turned his head to look at Emperor Reinhardt and bowed, saying:

“Your majesty, my visit this time is specifically to offer you a strategy to repel the enemy.”

“Oh?” Emperor Reinhardt raised an eyebrow. Even though he didn’t believe Mr. Ji would be so kind as to help him, he still patiently said, “Speak.”

“Actually, it’s very simple,” Mr. Ji chuckled confidently. “The establishment of the Third Orc Empire is all due to Saruman, an emperor who is skilled in combat and astute. So, if we kill him, the Orc Empire will crumble.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Reinhardt couldn’t help but ask, “Saruman is a Holy Field Skull-shatterer, and he has the orc army guarding him. How are we supposed to kill him?”

Mr. Ji didn’t get a chance to answer before Duke St. Rands, who sensed something, turned deadly pale and blurted out:

“Eyes of Judgement?”

“Correct.” Mr. Ji gave Duke St. Rands a slight smile. “I can cast that Forbidden Spell in the Storm Fortress and kill Emperor Saruman!”

“So the refugees are the sacrifices for the Forbidden Spell?” Duke St. Rands looked gravely serious.

“Not just the refugees.” Mr. Ji cracked a smile, baring his hideous white teeth, “And the Imperial Army stationed in the fortress as well.”

“Your Forbidden Spell requires the sacrifice of so many people?” Surprisingly, instead of outrightly refusing, Emperor Reinhardt started to fret over the number of sacrifices.

“Yes. The Skull-shatterer from the Holy Field is too strong, I need more sacrifices, at least a million. The number of the Imperial Army and refugees in Storm Fortress just happens to be enough.” Mr. Ji said nonchalantly. It seemed that to him, a million men made no more difference than a million ants.

“No way!” Duke St. Rands immediately voiced his objection.

He was reluctant to have his hundreds of thousands of southern armies contributed as sacrifices. Turning to look at Emperor Reinhardt, he found the Emperor remained silent.

Apparently, Emperor Reinhardt was already slightly moved!

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!” Duke St. Rands begged anxiously, “If we do this, we would destroy the empire’s elite army in one fell swoop! If the Orc Empire does not crumble after Saruman’s death, then the Glorious Empire would be completely finished!”

“That won’t happen,” Mr. Ji immediately countered, “The various orc tribes are ridden with friction, only forced together by Saruman. If he dies, it’s only a matter of time before the orc army disbands. Besides, even if the Orc Empire does not crumble right away, without their most powerful warrior in the Holy Field, their momentum would greatly dwindle. The Glorious Empire would then have the chance to regroup. I believe that under your wise leadership, we can surely achieve ultimate victory!”

“Your Majesty! You must never be seduced by this devil’s persuasive words. Who knows if he is harboring other ulterior motives…”

“Shut up!” Emperor Reinhardt yelled, waving his hand, “Out! Out, all of you! I need to carefully weigh this!”

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