The First Vampire

The night in the north district of Dragon City was dim and blurry. Using the pale moonlight as guidance, Colin walked alone on the deserted street.

The scenes from the day replayed over and over in his mind, various doubts swirling around, preventing Colin from sleeping peacefully.

Since he could not sleep, Colin set off from Phoenix Palace to wander around Dragon City.

Of course, it wouldn’t be accurate to describe it as wandering because he did have a purpose.

Knock, knock, knock.

Colin knocked on the doors of a courtyard, where he saw an emblem of a dove clutching an olive branch — the badge of the White family.

The gate creaked open, and an elderly man looking like a butler came out. On seeing Colin’s viscount attire, he hurriedly bowed and asked, “Respected Viscount, how may I assist you?”

“I am Colin Angler. Is Scholar Doan available?”

“Yes, he is! Please come in, Viscount Angler!”

Scholar Doan had not moved into the Phoenix Palace with Colin and Vera, instead, he lived in the White family mansion within Dragon City. It was not big but was a decent place to stay.

Key members of the White family, such as Viscount White, resided in their territories, leaving Scholar Doan to live here. Hence, Colin’s visit was not a formal one, so he did not notify them in advance.

Led by the butler, Colin ascended the staircase to the second floor.

By now, the attendant, who had gone to inform Scholar Doan, had already brought him over.

“Viscount, you should have told me you were coming, so I could have prepared to welcome you.”

Colin waved his hand and said, “We are past such formalities. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Of course not!”

Scholar Doan led Colin into his study, where the attendant served two cups of coffee and some dried fruits.

Colin’s gaze swept across the study. The furnishings were simple, with a sheepskin scroll spread out on the desk next to a goose feather pen, ink, and a seal. It seemed Scholar Doan had been writing a letter when Colin arrived.

What surprised Colin the most was a wall full of books; there seemed to be nearly a thousand.

In this world where printing is yet to be invented, books were essentially worth their weight in gold and the collection of them symbolized the wealth of a family.

Noticing Colin’s surprised gaze, Scholar Doan chuckled and explained, “These books were handwritten by me one by one from the library of White Tower Academy when I was a student.”

“Impressive!” Colin exclaimed.

Compared to this, the Angler family’s library was pathetically meager, with hardly any books. If they had not occupied Ice Rock City and received the Sudor Family’s library, the Red Castle’s collection would have been far less than what Scholar Doan had in his study.

After taking a sip of coffee, Colin switched to the main topic, asking, “You’ve probably heard about what happened in the Holy Light Cathedral today, haven’t you?”

“Of course. The news spread all over the city. And I also know that even Prince Lexie’s residence has been taken over by the City Defense Force, and everyone inside has been expelled.”

“Heh, they moved that quickly?”

“It seems someone has managed to jump on the bandwagon and kick a man when he’s down.”

Colin put down his coffee cup, lounged in the sofa, and asked, “What’s your take on the murder case of Governor Lattom? Do you also believe that Prince Lexie did it?”

Scholar Doan chuckled and said, “Prince Lexie had a motive to kill, and now the autopsy has revealed evidence that he can’t explain away. So whether he murdered or not doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Indeed.” Colin’s eyes flickered, and he further asked, “But if he was framed, who do you think is the most likely person to have set him up?”

“If Prince Lexie was framed …” Scholar Doan hesitated slightly, “Emperor Reinhardt would be the most probable prime suspect!”

Colin revealed a faint smile and asked again, “Because he stands to gain the most?”

“Yes.” Scholar Doan nodded but didn’t elaborate further.

Colin also realized that perhaps many intelligent people in Dragon City had seen through today’s show at the Holy Light Cathedral. However, the trap set by the emperor was too clever, no one could solve this puzzle, so they could only watch helplessly as Prince Lexie was labeled as a “murderer”.

“So, do you think Emperor Reinhardt retaking control of the imperial politics is good or bad for us?”

“It’s a good thing.” Scholar Doan responded without hesitation.

“Why?” The confidence of the other party left Colin somewhat puzzled.

Although Scholar Doan had previously judged that Emperor Reinhardt really preferred Vera to inherit the position of Northern Duke, that was when Prince Lexie was there, Emperor Reinhardt needed to woo the mages to counterbalance his own uncle.

But now, Prince Lexie’s reputation had been ruined by this murder case, he was abandoned by everyone and completely removed from the politics of the imperial capital, which greatly diminished Vera’s role.

So in Colin’s view, the fall of Prince Lexie, surprisingly, might be bad for Vera.

This is also the doubt that rose in Colin’s heart today on the carriage when Emperor Reinhardt promised to grant Vera the title of Northern Duke.

Scholar Doan looked into Colin’s eyes and said seriously, “Because his Majesty the Emperor needs a strong North Territory as an ally.”

Colin’s expression changed slightly and he fell into deep thought.

Today on the carriage, the emperor and the queen’s series of moves, especially making Prince Harrison and Princess Judy kneel and acknowledge Colin as their teacher, were indeed quite clear signs of wooing.

Colin was very confused at the time, and now seeing that Scholar Doan had also seen through it, he quickly asked, “Why does His Majesty need a strong North Territory as an ally?”

Instead of answering directly, Scholar Doan counter-questioned, “Viscount, who do you think is the Emperor’s biggest enemy after successfully driving out Prince Lexie?”

Colin thought for a while, feeling that no ethnic group outside the empire could be considered a major enemy at present, unless the orcs really could establish a third empire.

If so, the emperor’s greatest enemy would undoubtedly come from inside the empire.

Colin initially thought of the Senate, but after a careful thought, he didn’t see the Senate more than a slight hindrance, not a major enemy.

Moreover, there is no need to go to such lengths to woo the Northern Territory if it is to deal with the Senate.

Then, Colin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and blurted out, “It’s the Church!”

Scholar Doan smiled, nodded, and said: “Correct!”

Colin sat upright, all sorts of thoughts running through his mind.

Of course, he could understand why Emperor Reinhardt was wary of the Church. The struggle between the imperial power and the theocracy had started almost since the beginning of the Glorious Empire.

The St. Lorenzo family, and indeed the entire noble class, had a complicated relationship with the Church. They were both dependent and vigilant.

They need the Church to build a bridge to communicate with the Deity and thus promote knights, but at the same time, they are also constantly vigilant against the excessive expansion of the theocracy.

The Church’s reputation and prestige among the folk were too high. If left unchecked, the emperor would easily become a figurehead, and the lords would become the Church’s puppets, acting as shepherds managing the citizens for them.

Of course, given the mutual dependence of the two parties, the ultimate goal of the royal family is certainly not to eradicate the Glorious Church, but to restrict its power within the Church, preventing it from meddling in secular affairs.

Somewhat unusually, Colin suddenly recalled that back in Silver Moon City, he had deliberately planted a seed for resisting the Church in Prince Harrison’s heart, in an effort to take revenge on Queen Midela for provoking a dispute between him and Queen Isa.

Perhaps it was that time Queen Midela considered him a potential ally to win over.

But then, Colin suddenly realized something. When he looked at Scholar Doan again, his eyes became unusually sharp, and he asked in a deep voice, “Was it the royal family who sent you to the North Territory?”

The expression on Scholar Doan’s face changed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he still nodded and said,

“Yes.”

Colin’s face instantly darkened.