As he walked down the castle corridor, Enrico tried to massage his own shoulders. Even after several hours of rest and Angela's care, his body still hurt because of the effect of the Sacrifice Pact. Although his most serious wounds had already been healed, the feeling of discomfort persisted.
Yumeha, who was walking beside him, noticed what he was doing. Without saying anything, she approached and placed her hands on Enrico's shoulders, beginning to massage them in his place.
"Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me, Master. I only do my best for you."
While enjoying that small moment of tranquility, Enrico decided to talk to the system. There was a question that had been bothering him ever since he discovered Vladimir's true identity, and now that the battle was over, he finally had time to think about it more carefully.
'Vladimir was Pedro's reincarnation. So, can you confirm whether he had a system?'
[No. He didn't have a system.]
'Why?'
Initially, Enrico had worried about the possibility that his former acquaintance had received a system similar to his own, which could make the situation much more complicated. However, after observing Vladimir's behavior and facing him in that battle, he had begun to suspect that Pedro had simply reincarnated without receiving any special help.
[I don't think anyone offered him a system. So, he simply reincarnated into Vladimir's body and lived as him from birth.]
'What a waste. If he had come here the same way I did, he would have already made plenty of plans and wouldn't be in such a hurry. Tell me, why did you make someone who hadn't even read the story arrive here before me?'
[I don't know either. None of the Constellations know or want to talk about it. Everything related to you is quite strange.]
'What do you mean?'
[We could say that I tried to learn more about your world, but I couldn't see absolutely anything. In fact, I couldn't even properly access its source of information.]
Enrico remained silent for a few moments.
That really was strange. Why was his world being kept secret? Until then, he had considered his reincarnation an extraordinary situation, but he hadn't imagined that there would be so many mysteries surrounding his origins.
The voice he had heard after Vladimir's death and this new information might be connected, although he still didn't have enough evidence to reach a conclusion.
The problem was that Enrico hated not knowing something important. He liked learning new things and discovering the secrets of that world, but the lack of information made planning his next steps much more difficult. Without understanding what was happening, he couldn't predict the possible consequences or prepare an appropriate response.
'Why did you investigate my world?'
[...]
'You went to research things about me, didn't you?'
[Yes. I know it can be uncomfortable to have people wanting to learn more about you, but the Constellations and I are curious.]
'I don't mind. Don't worry, because I've already left that world behind.'
It was true that Enrico had no interest in returning to the life he had led before. His past was no longer something he wanted to worry about, and the people he had met back then weren't close friends.
'Most of them weren't... I think there was one at most...'
He decided to ignore those thoughts for now.
Even so, there was one thing he couldn't ignore: his dreams.
On some nights, memories of that world resurfaced, repeating themselves in a strange way, as though they were trying to influence his thoughts. He didn't know whether that was merely a consequence of his memories or whether there was something more behind those dreams.
'To make matters worse, I feel like I know the reason, but I can't figure out what it is.'
'What are you thinking about?'
'Nothing. And even if it were something, I don't think you could help me solve it.'
[Tsk.]
The system didn't insist, and Enrico finally put the matter aside. He continued walking down the corridor until he reached a room where everyone had gathered.
The situation in the castle was relatively calm. With the rebellion's victory and the defeat of the main enemies, the vampires now needed to organize their territories and repair the damage caused by the war. The biggest problem was the destruction left behind by the confrontations, especially by the battle between Angela and Morvus.
Looking out the window, Enrico could see part of the destroyed city. Some vampires from the rebellion had gathered near the damaged buildings, discussing how they could rebuild those areas. Since they didn't possess earth magic to make the work easier, they would probably have to carry out much of the reconstruction manually.
'Serves them right. They deserve this.'
[You're letting your resentment speak.]
'Who's responsible for hurting several of my favorite characters in the story? Do you have any idea what it's like to see a character you like die?'
Enrico wasn't willing to forgive the vampires so easily yet. Even if they were now allies and the rebellion had helped preserve their race, that didn't erase what they had done in this world's future or past.
The situation had also changed since he arrived in that world. The characters he had once known only through a story were now real people, with feelings, goals, and lives of their own. Enrico had formed bonds with many of them and had no intention of ignoring what had happened just because an alliance had become convenient.
'Even if we're forming an alliance, and even if they can't refuse me now because of my blood and the First Vampire's body, I won't trust them completely. Perhaps some enemy is still hiding somewhere instead of having been killed or captured.'
[Being careful is good.]
Enrico agreed with that assessment. The victory was important, but it didn't mean all the problems had disappeared. There were still enemies who could act from the shadows, and he had no intention of lowering his guard just because the main battle was over.
"Very well, since everyone is here, I would like to thank you all, including the humans who helped us win this war in less than a day."
Eldric's voice caught everyone's attention.
The rebellion's leader stood at the front of the group, displaying a more imposing demeanor than before. After receiving Enrico's blood and reaching the Ninth Circle, he had managed to defeat several enemy councilors during the war. His evolution had completely changed the balance of power, allowing the rebellion to achieve a victory that, under other circumstances, would have been much more difficult.
However, not all the enemies had been eliminated.
"Unfortunately, one of the councilors managed to escape. He was Valen's grandfather."
Upon hearing those words, Valen shuddered. The news that his grandfather was still alive immediately filled him with concern, and he lowered his eyes for a few moments, trying to process the information.
Eldric noticed his reaction but continued explaining the situation.
"Of all the vampires we faced, he was the only one who escaped. Therefore, it will be difficult for him to do anything for quite some time, especially with you on our side, Councilor Solin."
Everyone turned their attention to Solin, who was sitting in the most important chair in the room.
After the deaths of several councilors, the vampires had decided to reorganize their power structure. Instead of simply replacing the dead with individuals of the same category, they intended to build a council that would help their race evolve and prevent the mistakes of the past from being repeated.
Solin had been the first chosen to occupy one of the most important positions, mainly because of his power and influence.
"I never liked this councilor business, but if it's to keep my family from suffering, I'll accept."
Solin let out a sigh, showing that this responsibility wasn't something he wanted to take on of his own free will. Even so, he understood the importance of his position.
"Thank you, Father."
Ysabella smiled at him, standing right beside his chair.
Solin responded with a small smile. After obtaining his revenge much more easily than he had imagined, he could finally focus his attention on other things. The rebellion had completely changed his family's future, and he intended to take advantage of that opportunity to build something better.
After a few moments, Eldric turned his attention to Enrico.
"Now, I would like to know what Sir Belthar intends to obtain from us in exchange for helping us so much. Could you explain it to us, Sir Sylas? Is the goal really just to form an alliance with the other races?"
Finally, the moment had come for Enrico to present his request.
He took a piece of paper and asked Eldric to place it in front of him, since he was sitting a little farther away from where the rebellion's leader was positioned. One of the conditions he had established earlier was that the vampires do everything possible to form an alliance with the other races.
At the time, many would have considered the proposal absurd. The vampires had a terrible reputation, and the other races would hardly agree to cooperate with them without very strong reasons.
However, the situation had changed after Solin reached the Tenth Circle. The vampires now had enough power to become a decisive force, and the other races had concrete reasons to reconsider that alliance.
"Besides the alliance, my master wants you to hunt down these three cults."
Eldric opened the document and began examining the information. It listed locations where followers of three evil gods could be found, along with details that would allow the groups to be identified and operations against them to be organized.
Enrico didn't know where all the other cults were. Some information had not yet been revealed in the original story, and he had no means of locating every one of them at that moment. However, eliminating those three would already be a significant step forward, since a considerable portion of the evil gods' forces would be weakened.
'I need to find the others, especially once I reach a suitable level to begin my own hunt.'
[That will take quite a while.]
It certainly would.
Enrico didn't intend to face the most powerful cults without being prepared. To begin a hunt of that scale with some degree of safety, he would need to reach at least the Seventh Circle, although he would prefer to reach the Eighth to reduce the risk of dying during the operations.
Until then, he would have to keep training, gathering information, and strengthening his allies. There was no reason to act recklessly and risk ruining everything.
"Is that all?"
Eldric looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"To me, that's very little compared to the blood debt we owe you. To tell the truth, I don't even think we could refuse any order of yours."
Enrico understood perfectly what he meant.
The rebellion's main members were deeply indebted to him, especially because of the blood they had received. Furthermore, Solin's presence, now that he was the most powerful among them, made it even harder to imagine anyone attempting to betray him openly. Eldric had also reached an extraordinary level and held a leadership position, further consolidating that relationship.
Even so, Enrico didn't want to rely solely on debts or obligations.
"I just hope that when I need help, or when one of my allies needs it, you'll come immediately."
"You and Sir Belthar seem to be planning something big."
Eldric commented in a rather calm voice.
"We could say that my master, Belthar, discovered something quite important, and we're preparing carefully."
Enrico had no intention of revealing every detail of his plans. The war against the evil gods would require careful preparation, and disclosing too much information could put his allies in danger. For now, it was enough for the vampires to understand the importance of cooperating with the other races.
With Solin on their side, their chances of success would be much higher. Enrico also hoped Eldric would be able to reach the same level in the future, since having more than one ally of that caliber would be essential when the war truly began.
"Then, Sir Sylas, when will you bring more of that blood?"
Eldric's question made everyone look at him with a certain hunger and expectation. Enrico remained silent for a moment.
'That's right... Now I need to feed all of them.'
The number of vampires who had received his blood was already considerable. Finding a way to provide more without harming his own body would be a complicated problem, especially since he couldn't simply keep using his own blood without consequences.
Fortunately, he had been developing a method that could help him deal with that situation. He still needed time to perfect it, but if he managed to make it work, he would prevent feeding the vampires from becoming a constant problem.
"In a few weeks, my master will tell me when it will be possible. As soon as I know, I'll let you know."
"Excellent. Then this little meeting is over. Now it's time to let everyone who fought rest. We'll also hold a ceremony to celebrate the victory. Will you attend?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
Enrico turned his eyes toward Angela, who was waiting near him. It was time to return to the original world and resolve some important matters. There was still a lot to do, and he couldn't remain in that dimension any longer than necessary.
'I need to try to convince Angela to give me more time so that the pact I requested can be prepared. To do that, I'll use my visit to the Solcren Ferreira family as an argument.'