Ancient Empire Calendar, Year 1832
The two-million-strong army under Ricardo's command was marching north.
Every night at midnight, the army would rest in the regions along their route, and at dawn, they would continue on their way.
It was another midnight. They were resting in the Gideros region of the Central Lands.
A delegation of envoys had arrived at the camp from a small city near this region.
The leader of the delegation, Ferhat Andronicus, stepped forward.
"We salute the brave conquerors. I am Ferhat Andronicus, uncle of Aras Andronicus III, Lord of the Andronicus Dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Gideros region."
George Kislavein greeted the envoys and introduced himself.
"I am George Kislavein. What is your request?"
Ferhat continued his speech.
"We wish to speak with Krael II Kislavein, the Dynasty Lord of Kislavein."
George was surprised.
"Even if they are one of the Great Dynasties, wishing to speak with the Lord of an Ancient Dynasty like Kislavein, especially after we have conquered their lands... Unless these..."
George suspected this delegation might be a group of assassins.
George drew his sword and pointed it at Ferhat Andronicus, then ordered his soldiers.
"Search them."
The Kislavein soldiers found no hidden weapons or poisons, aside from the swords at the envoys' belts.
"Commander, we found nothing suspicious," said a Kislavein soldier.
"Alright, fall back," George ordered.
"As you command, Commander."
Once the Kislavein soldiers withdrew, George sheathed his sword and stepped forward a few paces.
"Please forgive my rudeness just now. I suspected you might be assassins, but I see it was nothing but an unfounded suspicion."
Ferhat adjusted his clothes and calmly replied.
"It's no problem at all, honorable commander. So, can we speak with Krael II Kislavein, the Dynasty Lord of Kislavein?"
George wondered about the envoys' insistence on speaking directly with the Dynasty Lord.
"Why do you wish to convey your troubles to the Dynasty Lord directly, instead of telling me?"
Ferhat answered.
"Because none of you would believe what I have to say. That's why I wished to speak directly with Krael II Kislavein, the Dynasty Lord of Kislavein."
George's curiosity grew exponentially.
"What kind of thing could you say that is so unbelievable and requires the Dynasty Lord to hear it directly?"
Ferhat hesitated to speak, which began to try George's patience.
"Either you tell me now, or you can turn around and leave."
Ferhat panicked, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you. The reason we came here..."
At that very moment, a powerful voice emanated from the Dynasty Lord's tent, emanating waves of Aura strong enough to shake the tents like a powerful wind.
"Stop harassing the envoys, George. Step aside and let them come to me. Don't worry, even if they were assassins, they couldn't even scratch me. If you're so curious, you can come to me afterwards, and I'll tell you."
Without a word, George stepped aside and gestured for the envoys to proceed.
Ferhat and his companions walked towards the tent of the Kislavein Dynasty Lord and stopped before it.
Ferhat Andronicus, the head of the delegation, asked with a respectful and noble tone and manner.
"Dynasty Lord of Kislavein, if you are available, may we enter?"
Ricardo replied.
"You may enter."
The two Blood Falcons guarding the tent entrance opened the flap for the envoys.
The envoys entered slowly and respectfully; they were afraid and very tense.
"Soon we will face the Conqueror of the Central Lands, the most powerful and cruelest man in the Five Lands. I hope we don't die. At least if he listens to our troubles, we won't have died in vain."
Ferhat Andronicus and everyone with him, expecting to see a terrifying monster, could not believe their eyes.
They were in the presence of a Ruler: tall, broad-shouldered, with dense muscle mass, long dark blood-red hair and beard, and eyes of the same color. Though in his late thirties, he possessed a dazzling handsomeness despite his age.
Ferhat and the envoys felt as if they were closely witnessing the greatest artistic masterpiece of humanity, created by a sculptor blessed with the most sensitive hands in the world, devoting his entire life to it.
"In the name of the One God, such an appearance... how magnificent."
Ricardo asked, maintaining his composure without breaking his initiative.
"Yes, gentlemen, what is this story of yours that is so unbelievable?"
Ferhat and the envoys snapped back to reality at Ricardo's words.
"Yes, well... ahem... first of all..."
Ferhat and all the envoys knelt and bowed their heads.
"We present our respects and most sincere reverence to Krael II Kislavein, the 66th Dynasty Lord of the Kislavein Dynasty. You may not believe what we are about to say, but please listen."
Ricardo sat on his throne and turned his attention to the envoys.
"I'm listening."
Ferhat continued his account.
"Recently, there have been many disappearances in our region. At first, we thought it was the work of some kind of human trafficking organization. However, a few days ago, we found the lifeless bodies of some of the missing people. The most horrifying part was that all the blood had been drained from their bodies."
Ricardo couldn't believe what he heard, but just then, something his father had told him came to mind.
"He mentioned a race called the Cybele Vampire race. Although I did some research, I couldn't find anything about them. But according to a legend, they feed on human blood. Of course, this legend is even more absurd than the possibility of this race being real."
These words that came to mind made Ricardo succumb to his curiosity.
"Could it be real? A vampire... perhaps the last one. Might it know something about the eras before the Ancient Empire? I must find out."
Ricardo gestured with his hand for the envoys to raise their heads.
"Leave the rest to me and return to your homes in peace. I will personally look into this matter."
The envoys looked at each other with relieved faces; each felt at ease. They bowed their heads and respectfully expressed their gratitude.
"We are grateful, we are grateful! Krael II Kislavein, Dynasty Lord of Kislavein, thank you very much!"
"Rise. I will assign a few of my soldiers as guards to accompany you. You go ahead, and I will set out to investigate the matter. Now, give me every detail, down to the finest point."
Ferhat and the envoys explained everything they knew to Ricardo in detail.
They explained the first victims, the locations where the bodies were found, the geographical information of the region, and every other piece of information to Ricardo.
As the envoys left the camp under the protection of Kislavein soldiers, Ricardo sent a soldier to tell George to come to him.
As soon as George received the news from the soldier that the Dynasty Lord had summoned him, he quickly came to Ricardo's tent, asked permission to enter, entered, knelt, bowed his head, and spoke with a respectful tone.
"You have summoned me, Dynasty Lord. What is your command?"
Ricardo gestured for George to rise.
"You seemed quite curious. I'll tell you what I heard from the envoys."
After Ricardo explained everything he had heard from the envoys in all its naked detail, George couldn't believe his ears.
"This is impossible. This is absurd. It sounds like nothing but the ravings of a madman."
Ricardo was seeing George like this for the first time. He found it amusing, but George also had a point.
"This matter greatly intrigues me. I have decided to investigate it personally."
George was surprised. Unaware due to the shock, he spoke without permission.
"No, Dynasty Lord! You have just conquered the Central Lands. While the area is teeming with enemies, while everyone is after your head, while the surroundings are full of assassins and foes, you cannot leave the camp!"
Realizing his mistake, George knelt, speaking with fear and panic.
"Forgive me, pardon me, Dynasty Lord! I spoke without permission! I beg you, forgive me!"
Ricardo spoke in a calming voice.
"I forgive you, George. Rise and lift your head."
George, relieved as if water had been poured on his anxious heart, lifted his head peacefully. As he stood up, he saw a terrifying expression.
"George, keep this in mind: I will never forgive a second mistake. You will pay for your carelessness with your head. Now, I permit you to speak. Speak."
George swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He spoke fearfully and timidly.
"As you command, Dynasty Lord. It's just... if you would permit me, instead of you taking action and risking your life, I could handle this matter myself with a few units."
Ricardo laughed.
"Hahaha! George, did you really think I wouldn't consider that?"
George panicked once more.
"Never!"
Ricardo cut George off with a gesture.
"This matter interests me, so I will investigate it personally. If I didn't care, I would have already given your commander a battalion of soldiers and sent you to investigate it. Anyway, this conversation has dragged on longer than necessary. You may withdraw."
George offered his respects one last time and walked backward towards the tent's exit.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Ricardo's reassuring voice.
"Don't be afraid. I destroyed three colossal walls of Costinopolis. Whatever is out there can never harm me."
George gathered all his courage, turned around, and asked permission to speak. When Ricardo granted it, he spoke his mind.
"Please take care of yourself, Dynasty Lord. We cannot win this war without you. Moreover, your only male heir, the Young Lord Richard, is only ten years old. Please survive. For us, for your Dynasty, for your family."
Ricardo had heard words from George he never expected. This both struck him as odd and pleased him.
"You may leave, Commander George."
When George left the tent, Ricardo was alone with his thoughts.
"I should rest a little. It's going to be a long night. Let's see what this so-called blood-drinking vampire of ours is really like."
After resting for about an hour, Ricardo left his tent, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the direction the envoys had described. He did not know what or whom he would encounter there, nor what he would learn.