#177
New Talia Kingdom
The Talia Kingdom had begun coexisting with humans after vampires emerged into the light, but since they were creating a new system that had never existed before, there was constant noise and chaos throughout.
With all citizens now under Heinz II, vampires were limited in who they could feed on, and unless someone was a death row inmate, they couldn’t feast to the point of endangering lives.
However, this was a significant stress for vampires who had previously hunted at will, preying on whoever they fancied.
“It’s the inspection department. Could you come with us for a moment for questioning?”
“Are you serious? We confirmed he was a criminal before executing the punishment—what’s the problem?”
“It seems you haven’t read the [Final Draft of the Criminal Punishment Standards (Second Revision)] properly. No matter what, it was just a theft case; you should have drained moderately and kept him alive. That resource is precious, but your greed was excessive.”
“Ugh!”
Though they evolved in many ways through Heinz’s “Refined Blood Essence,” feeding was directly tied to their instincts.
As a result, it was natural for some to try and circumvent constraints to satisfy their desires.
“How long will we let monsters take our country and live like livestock? We need to band together and fight back now!”
“But it seems the church is inactive as well. What can we do now…”
“That’s not something you need to worry about. In fact, the Sharotti Kingdom has been secretly…”
Boom—!
Rumble!
“These are the troublemakers. Capture them all!”
“Ugh! How did you know we were here!”
“…Ahem, my apologies. But at least some should survive, don’t you think? Honestly, living right now isn’t so bad…”
“Betrayal…! How dare you deceive us!”
Secret factions stirring up trouble among the humans began to raise their heads.
Of course, they were quickly discovered by the hybrids who had taken complete control of the kingdom’s underbelly, but their ongoing actions were suspected to be backed by surrounding nations.
Though countries seemed to ignore them, perhaps trying to cut off the tail.
However, surprisingly, the evaluation from the majority of the common populace was not so bad.
For the lower classes barely scraping by day by day, the situation had improved to the point of being better than before.
“Thank you, healer. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s fine. It’s what the country does. Next patient, please!”
The nationwide hiring of healers to provide near-free treatment was just the beginning.
They even invited priests from the Holy Church Order to organize regular healing events at various temples and prayer sites.
All sorts of harmful narcotics were swiftly expelled from Talia, and the diseases and hygiene issues rampant in the slums disappeared quickly thanks to nationwide welfare efforts.
Moreover, they could now receive quality nutrition in exchange for blood donations, making it a veritable paradise for the once impoverished lower classes.
– Want to earn easy money? Done before you finish your tea! Side-effect-free treatments and perfect aftercare guaranteed!
– Collect blood donation points and receive various benefits! From daily necessities to luxurious housing facilities—plenty of generous gifts!
– Healthy, unmarried individuals in their twenties preferred. Additional payment based on various conditions.
Blood donation centers and public offices were plastered with promotional flyers about it.
A world where regularly selling one’s blood meant no difficulties in living.
‘Combining it with blood magic could enhance donors’ recovery more rapidly. I could draw more blood than usual.’
In fact, exemplary citizens who donate blood consistently were promised national-level rewards, and they even supported one-on-one matching services with vampires looking for specific blood types…
Truly, “blood donation centers” were becoming the center of the New Talia Kingdom’s system.
‘Of course, those young, healthy beauties with high-demand blood will be treated even better going forward… but that’s just how it is. It’s not a huge problem.’
While it was typically true that if a nation solely touted welfare policies, the economy would suffer, the Talia Kingdom under Heinz II was different.
For ages, the Brokoslac Clan had controlled the kingdom’s wealth, and the thieving bastards embezzling state money were already dwindling.
Moreover, that which appeared to be welfare spending was effectively a defense budget to efficiently operate the vampires, so it couldn’t be considered wasteful expenditure.
‘If you also add the nobility devoted solely to state affairs without any unnecessary luxury, this could indeed be called an ideal nation out of a fantasy.’
To be precise, they were closer to having neither the opportunity for luxury nor leisure…
Regardless, it was basically the same!
“Lord? Heinz? …To be thinking of someone else while someone is sitting right in front of you. I’ve noticed this for a while, you’re too self-centered…”
“Briki.”
“Oh, you were eavesdropping? Hehe— I was just kidding?”
“Cut the nonsense. How is the work progressing?”
He interrupted Briki’s playful teasing and quickly got to the point.
She was practically the only person who could speak comfortably in front of Heinz because he tolerated her casual manner to some extent when it was just the two of them.
‘No matter how much bound by a master-servant relationship, the age gap still matters.’
She had existed for thousands of years, a living fossil of the vampire race.
Considering her profound experience, it wasn’t unusual for Heinz to let her address him informally in respect for her elder status.
“…I’m feeling a bit uneasy. Were you perhaps thinking something rude?”
Briki, with her transcendent instincts as a Pureblood, seemed to have sensed something.
The black-haired beauty lazily opened her red eyes and glared at him, but that was barely enough to reveal her inner thoughts; Heinz’s acting skills were far too honed for that.
“Don’t beat around the bush—show me the report first.”
“…Hmm. Fine. First, I visited Sharotti, Tulke, and Rescue, and then I ventured into the central-west area of the Azerion Empire. Thanks to the Yufershi kids opening the blood gates, movement wasn’t hard, but…”
While the Auterica vampire clans were said to have a triad of Yufershi, Brokoslac, and Obaifo, they were not the entirety of the vampire race.
Though these three clans comprised about half of the race, the converse meant that the other half consisted of minor clans.
‘And even that level is no comparison, they cannot be overlooked.’
Through the process of bloodline inheritance, some either dwindled from losing their Pureblood or broke away from the mainstream to form minor clans.
Due to their weaker status, they developed the trait of secrecy, making it difficult to locate them accurately.
However, enough had been revealed by the Yufershi clan, whose activity stretched across the entire continent, allowing Heinz to have an approximate idea of their locations.
Briki’s new task was to visit those locations directly and persuade them.
If they wanted to live, they needed to willingly join the Auterica Vampire Clan Alliance “Hybrid.”
‘Threatening is also a magnificent negotiating tactic. After all, that’s what diplomacy is all about.’
In fact, it wasn’t a bad offer for those clans.
It was a perfect time to escape their current hiding lifestyles and become part of the largest vampire power on the continent!
Joining now would also provide an opportunity for enhancement through “Refined Blood Essence,” which made it quite strange for them to refuse.
And it seemed Briki shared that sentiment as she confidently continued her report.
“However, there are some foolish ones who don’t understand the good proposal we made, so I had to persuade and… er, bring them over, you know? Heheh.”
The suppression was wrapped up smoothly, and now her subordinates were delivering them one by one through the blood gates.
And it included quite a decent haul of Truebloods and many Purebloods.
‘Indeed, having a Pureblood-level talent under you makes everything easier. Without Briki, this task would have been a much bigger hassle.’
Naturally, even minor clans would have at least a Trueblood level among their ranks.
To subjugate a clan of that level, they needed to dispatch a force that was even stronger.
Yet, with the Talia Kingdom in the midst of transformation, the elite were all busily occupied, leaving Briki, who had been twiddling her thumbs due to the fact that her work had nothing to do with her.
Heinz, who couldn’t bear to see his subordinates idling, had almost forced Briki to undertake this task…
And the results were clearly, as you can see, very satisfactory.
“Hmm, good. Well done, Briki.”
“Recognizing my efforts? I think I’ve worked pretty hard this time, too…”
“Well, then after taking a little break, I’ll need you to take care of the remaining areas. There are still plenty left. Shouldn’t take more than a day, right?”
“…You’re really too self-centered…”
Thus, the hybrids outwardly consolidated the internal affairs of the state to match the changed system, while in the unseen shadows, they absorbed vampires spread across the continent.
Yet amidst all this, Heinz II kept his keen senses tuned, always on the lookout for opportunities.
Naturally, the last one of the three vampire clans.
The Obaifo Clan, situated in the eastern continent, in the Zephia Republic.
*
Chirp, chirp— Rrrr—
All sorts of birds sang beautifully in the peaceful morning.
“Good morning, Harris. How are you today?”
“Mr. Harris, we just picked these fruits—please have a taste.”
“Are you at peace? The weather is splendid today.”
Harris Granwood, the new High Elf of the Elven Kingdom, was strolling through the royal palace, the only structure connected to the World Tree, receiving everyone’s warm welcomes.
“Hahaha, thank you. May the blessings of the World Tree be with you all.”
Could he truly be called a High Elf?
He had only just awakened, and he hadn’t particularly showcased anything yet, but the elves here showed him boundless goodwill.
‘Well, they have to. The embodiment of a god stands right next to them, and the High Elf can be considered its priest.’
Still, being treated this way felt rather pleasant.
To be more honest… he had grown so accustomed to being revered by those around him that he was now accepting it almost unconsciously.
‘By the way, I’ve only heard about it, but this is my first time here. Let’s see… where are the gardeners’ quarters…’
Harris had his own reason for making his way here.
Today, he had learned a particularly intriguing piece of information while studying the basic qualities of being a High Elf with Cecily.
After his classes, Harris went directly to where the “gardeners,” the ones who managed the World Tree, resided to check it out himself.
‘Though I did meet the elf leader shortly after I awakened, I’ve never been to where the others stay.’
The gardeners of the World Tree were akin to priests or monks who entirely dedicated themselves to serving the World Tree, refraining from involvement in any worldly matters.
No matter how divine the World Tree might be, being a tree manifested on this land meant it was always better to have some management than none.
‘Though, as the World Tree, there shouldn’t be that much to attend to. But if that weren’t the case, how many people would it truly take to manage such a colossal tree…’
Thus, their usual duties involved flying around regularly to check for abnormalities and collecting dead branches that the World Tree naturally discarded through self-pruning.
“Is that you, Mr. Harris? What brings the High Elf to our place…?”
“Greetings! Now that I’ve been blessed as a High Elf by the World Tree, I thought it would be nice to meet those who serve her most closely, so I came here to visit.”
“Oh…! You think so highly of us…!”
And that was precisely why Harris had come here.
Although the branches of the precious World Tree were withered and the lifeblood had weakened, there was still a heap of its precious branches piled up here!
“…So may I take a look at where you work?”
“Of course! I’ll guide you. It’s a shift day, so there aren’t many of us left, but everyone else will surely be pleased as well.”
“Hahaha, I hope I’m not causing any inconvenience.”
With a gentle smile, Harris’s usually idle eyes, in contrast to ordinary days, now sparkled with ambition as he surveyed the surroundings.
