A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

322 – Weapons of War (8)

[January 2, 100 Imperial Calendar, 2 PM. The study of the Count of Sirene.]

Count Sirene’s office where not a single ray of sunlight shines.

There were so many things holding me back that Director Bathory invited me to a place with no windows leading to the outside.

“Let’s talk about old times. 500 years ago…”

“I don’t like it.”

When Director Bathory sat down on the desk in the Count’s office and tried to start a conversation, I immediately cut her off.

“Only the conclusion.”

“…”

“To listen to old stories, I am very concerned about the current emperor’s movements.”

“What? He was just talking leisurely.”

“Originally, if I do it, it’s romance, and if someone else does it, it’s adultery.”

“…Fuha!”

Director Bathory laughed, holding her stomach.

“That’s right, that’s right. If I kill someone, it’s just revenge, and if someone else swings a sword, it’s a serious crime that needs to be dealt with right away.”

“Gibraltar has decided on its direction. The rest is up to you, Major General Bathory.”

I pointed alternately down and in the direction of the Empire.

“In recognition of your hard work, I will give you one last chance. You can either stay here or go to the empire.”

“I came here to decide that. There is one thing I would like to ask seriously personally.”

Director Bathory crosses her legs and lowers her posture.

“What happened to me in the time period you experienced?”

“…”

“Don’t be so wary. He’s the emperor’s right hand man.”

“I don’t think the emperor would have said such a thing.”

“The emperor sent me to get a feel for that. He didn’t give me any detailed information, but I am also a person with some knowledge.”

“Are you a person?”

“If you want to live as a human being, you are a human being. You know the director of the Bathory Erzsebet Research Institute… Hey, let’s just call him the director.”

Director Bathory waved his hand as if he was annoyed.

“Okay. So you don’t plan on telling me?”

“Can’t we figure it out with the information obtained from the false world of gold?”

The first world of an incompetent king.

“There were no vampires there.”

None of the Nostrum people who looked at that world mentioned the existence of ‘vampire soldiers’.

“Then why did the vampires disappear?”

“He must have been purged.”

“Why?”

“Because the emperor hates vampires and the shadow of the empire.”

“Even though they are using vampires like that?”

“Used tools are just trash. Especially if they don’t fit your aesthetic.”

“That’s right. They are people who even use their children as tools, so it wouldn’t be any different if they were the same people in the history of the empire.”

Director Bathory raised both hands.

“Let me introduce you. I am Bathory Erzsebet Tersian, the daughter of the first emperor Tersian when Tersian was still a kingdom.”

“…”

“What did you think of first?”

“I didn’t think much of it.”

All I can think is that even if I lied about my age, I lied about it.

But I am a gentleman of Nostrum.

I learned from her father that one should not attack a woman’s age carelessly.

Actually, attacking with something like that means fighting, and if you say something like that, Major General Bathory will immediately become a man of the Empire.

“Hmm… Seeing as he’s not saying anything, it looks like there’s still room.”

“Everything happens.”

“Does Gibraltar plan to accept vampires?”

“Why not?”

“…”

Director Bathory’s eyes are narrow.

“Seriously?”

“Whether you are a human, an elf, or a vampire, just live a normal life without antagonistism or fighting.”

“That’s an expression you wouldn’t expect to come from Gray Gibraltar’s mouth. Is it because of the princess outside?”

“I’ll be honest with you. It doesn’t matter whether there are dragons or vampires living in the territory, as long as you don’t bother me and pay your taxes on time.”

I raised one hand.

“What I seek is peace in the family. I am ready to accept anyone from Gibraltar, even if they are undead, not dragons or vampires, who enter Gibraltar’s culture and do not disturb the peace of Gibraltar.”

“Seriously?”

“There is the most certain way.”

I pointed to the left fourth finger.

“Become your father’s concubine.”

“Wow, you’re saying that again here?”

“I’m not saying you have to become a real couple. Isn’t there something called a marriage alliance?”

“…As the representative of the vampires, show your surrender to Gibraltar?”

“Don’t interpret it so politically.”

I approached Director Bathory.

“The Emperor will destroy not only vampires but also elves.”

“…”

“It’s no joke. Empress Erwin will be purged, and with Empress Erwin as a hostage, we will raid the elven forest and lay waste to the elves.”

“High elves of the forest. They are…”

“They may not want to move to Gibraltar, but they are willing to do so if their livelihoods are destroyed.”

“…I guess so.”

Director Bathory uncrossed his legs and stood in front of me.

“You know that I was avoiding Aperia, the Platinum Lord, right?”

“Vaguely.”

Until now, Director Bathory has never had any contact with the Platinum Mirror Aperia.

“If you look at her, she is my aunt.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Hey, aren’t you curious at all? What is the secret behind the world that the Empire hid for 500 years and Nostrum hid for 500 years?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t interested.

“Later, when everything is over and I run out of fairy tale repertoire to tell to my children, I will listen to them then.”

“…Aren’t you really curious? The clash between the Gold Dragon and the Silver Dragon, the descendants of the deceased Silver Dragon being the Blood Elves, or the nation founded by the escaped Elves being Thersian!”

“It didn’t matter if I knew half of it and didn’t know the other half, but there is a more important story than that historical story.”

I took one step closer to Director Bathory.

“Vampires. “Can you control them?”

“…Not at all.”

Director Bathory shook her head firmly.

“The reason I can operate under the sun is because I left my power behind in the empire.”

“…”

“Do you know what I mean? They take all the blood from a vampire and then use normal human blood. Except for this.”

Director Bathory pointed to his slit pupils

Rather than being something unique to a vampire, it felt somewhat similar to that of a drake.

“Is that so?”

Only.

“Then, you were reborn as a human from the moment your blood was removed, so you are now 3 or 4 years old, not 28.”

“…What?”

What’s the big deal?

“Or would you rather erase the name of Bathory Erzsebet and live as a new being? Some people are already in their second year at the academy, turning 19 this year.”

“…I have a conscience.”

Major General Bathory covered his face with one hand.

“I don’t want to go that far. At 19, I’m younger than you.”

“Do you want to be older?”

“There is to be a reasonable age difference. Otherwise, strange things will get involved for no reason, right?”

“With who. Noir and you?”

“Haha! Here…Ah, this won’t work.”

Director Bathory broke the finger he was trying to point at me.

“They are trying to kill both the person in front and the person outside.”

“As long as you don’t cross the line like this, Gibraltar is open to everyone.”

“…I see. Well, it will be a fun place.”

Director Bathory sighs and sits down at his desk again.

“The magic of a vampire, the lifespan of an elf, and master-level magic. Having lost all of that, I am just a being who lived for a long time and became an ordinary human being. Are you okay with that?”

“There is no stronger ally than having a smart, beautiful woman in love with something.”

“…”

“I will support you even if it means having that kind of relationship with your real father.”

“Isn’t it because she’s a hundreds-year-old grandmother?”

“I’m sorry, but I am Astasia single-minded.”

I stretched out my hand towards Director Bathory.

“If you join hands, I will understand that you are cooperating with Gibraltar.”

“… The Emperor will not leave a traitor alive. Especially since he finds out that it has housed vampires, he will not leave Gibraltar alone.”

“I am determined. And this is not just my will, it is also my father’s will.”

Director Bathory extends his right hand to match my hand

“How far do you plan to go?”

“If necessary, I have no intention of destroying the empire or killing the emperor.”

“Those are scary words. That you would kill even the emperor for his love her with Astasia and her family her her her?”

“That was my only thought from the beginning.”

“…Really.”

Director Bathory holds my right hand tightly.

“How could it be so different from the people of the world shown by false gold?”

“Major General Bathory.”

Hehe, okay. I’ll keep it a secret. Unlike before, I just need to keep my mouth shut and live my life, right?”

Is it because I held on tight?

There isn’t a single mana, but a little warmth comes from my particularly cold hands.

“Instead, can I deal freely with the people who have become vampires?”

“Whether you conduct research day and night like the Empire, or farm underground, you are at your disposal.”

“Oh my, I wonder if there’s someone who looks exactly like the emperor.”

Director Bathory put down his hand with a disgusted expression.

“Look, master. Who am I?”

“You are Director Bathory.”

“No, race.”

“Ex-vampire and ex-bloody elf.”

“…They say I’m a human now.”

Director Bathory had a sullen expression.

“I became a human, but can’t they think of the possibility that those people will also become human?”

“…Ah.”

Um.

“…Isn’t there a need for some extremely difficult method?”

“It’s difficult, but overcoming such difficult methods is alchemy and magic engineering? You don’t believe me, can you?”

“No. If Director Bathory decides to conduct such research, it will definitely achieve results. However… “

“Just?”

“As expected.”

No matter how much you think about it.

“If you’re not going to ostracize vampires, wouldn’t it be better to use vampires as researchers who study magic engineering day and night? Researchers won’t come out in the sunlight anyway.”

“…You’re kidding, right?”

“About half.”

If there is a job where being a vampire is more efficient and efficient than being a human, wouldn’t that be a good idea?

“Let’s create an underground city called Erzsebet County. An underground city that sparkles not under sunlight, but under magic stone fluorescent lights created through magic engineering.”

“…Ah.”

Director Bathory’s body trembled.

“I think I just had a good idea.”

“Is that so?”

“If I reproduce this idea before I die, it will definitely mark a milestone in history.”

“What do you need?”

“A safe place to study and practice.”

Director Bathory narrows his eyes.

“From the emperor, will you save me?”

“Everyone is welcome in Gibraltar, be it a member of the Empire or a vampire.”

“What do I need to pay most attention to when living in Gibraltar?”

“There is only one.”

Only one.

“As long as you don’t break the peace of Gibraltar.”