The Mansion of the Duke Bright.
"Is that all for those nearby?"
"Yes. It would be more efficient to proceed by calling the rest in sequence."
"......"
"......that is."
As Heinz, seated comfortably in an armchair, quietly observed the person standing next to him, the man reporting cautiously corrected his tone.
Having not used formal speech for decades, it was incredibly awkward, but there was no choice but to get used to it.
He was no longer the power behind the throne of the Talia Kingdom.
'As expected, the clan's recovery process is smooth since the Lord remains.'
Heinz looked at Mullo, who was standing beside him and sighing, and inwardly smiled with satisfaction.
At first, he wondered what to do after subduing him, but eventually, enslaving him turned out to be the best method.
After all, wasn't the clan devoured to utilize the influence Brokolak possessed?
Excluding Mullo, the most critical figure, would mean the force wasn't entirely conquered.
For decades, Mullo Brokolak led the clan from the shadows of the Talia Kingdom, forming the current power.
Even though they shared the same bloodline, neither Obor nor Frizia could replace such a figure.
'Thankfully, it worked out as planned. Otherwise, I would have had no choice but to deal with him.'
Mullo possessed a greater vampire energy than Heinz, and it was of such a high caliber that controlling him was uncertain.
Then, an idea suddenly emerged.
If the problem is the high level of the opponent, why not forcefully reduce it...?
The source of a vampire's power lay in the blood-borne vampiric factor.
What if it was drawn out just enough not to kill?
That result was the current Mullo.
'Still, he hasn't fallen below a pureblood, thanks to the dignity he's accumulated over time.'
And the power that had been whittled away would gradually recover over time through consistent feeding.
Although the process would be arduous, the satisfaction of consuming the blood of a clan lord in exchange filled his Refined Blood Essence abundantly, so the drop in combat power wasn't significant.
'Refined Blood Essence was consumed quite a bit, but the quality of blood obtained was worth the trade. The subjugation of Mullo also strengthened.'
Furthermore, with no need to hide the blood mutation anymore, other bloodlines were called one by one to generously infuse Refined Blood Crystal.
Like Heterosis, they too became excellent labor forces at their disposal.
As a result, the current power within the clan in the capital had increased by at least twice compared to before.
"Then proceed with calling those in the provinces and organizing the structure on your own. But there was a message from the Holy Order?"
"Yes... It was about the resurrection of the Immortal King."
Although it still seemed difficult to speak respectfully, it would improve with time, so he didn't worry.
'I knew the Church was preparing in various ways. But still, it's impossible to increase the Order's influence in the Talia Kingdom.'
This place was practically in my hands now.
There was no need to face an uncomfortable neighbor, so it seemed best to stick with the previous approach towards the Order.
"Then we will continue as we were."
"Ah, and prepare to collect information from the continent in various ways. Whether setting up our own information network or making agreements with existing ones, the method is up to you."
"I see. Understood. You have proven your capability, so I will support you with all my effort."
With that, Mullo bowed lightly and disappeared quietly without a sound.
'...Ah, right, there was that.'
And belatedly understanding Mullo's reaction, Heinz fell into thought, scratching his chin with his fingertips.
The statement he had made back then was nothing more than a bluff to gain Frizia's cooperation, something he had momentarily forgotten.
Now that the clan had been completely absorbed, it was a promise that could be loosely kept without much concern.
But upon reconsideration, it didn't seem entirely impossible.
'Besides, it seems like it could be helpful. Should I seriously consider planning this out?'
If aiming for something, why not aim for the pinnacle?
Becoming a 'Vampire King' that encompasses not just one clan but all vampires... didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Hmm... Vampire King..."
Heinz deeply sank into the armchair and closed his eyes quietly.
***
"Sir Heinrich! Are you returning to duty now?"
"Ha-ha I've had a long rest, so it's time to work. I have to earn my keep, right?"
"Ah, what are you talking about? No one would say anything to Sir Heinrich; you can rest more if you need."
"To be honest, I've been itching to get back."
About a month had passed since the attack of the Immortal King.
Dressed in armor and on his way to his post, Heinrich felt anew the change in his status.
In fact, he had felt it whenever he went out and met people during that time.
The people at the Great Temple were particularly friendly towards him.
'I did plan it this way, but it's more effective than I thought.'
The quietness despite the resurrection of the Immortal King was thanks to Heinrich inflicting a critical wound on him, giving them time to prepare...
...had spread throughout the Church, so the reaction was somewhat expected.
Feeling inwardly satisfied, he spotted the Saintess crouching in front of a flowerbed.
Following her gaze, unsurprisingly, a small dung beetle was scurrying somewhere.
'She's always the same every time I see her.'
He approached the Saintess with a light cough and a small smile.
"Hem-hem... Greetings, Saintess."
"Oh, ah! Sir Heinrich! It's been a while. I heard you've recovered a lot, but are you completely better now?"
"Yes. Actually, I've been fine for a while, but the healing priest in charge was so thorough. They said we had to watch for a month for any aftereffects because you never know... Ha-ha-ha."
Of course, they were being cautious for his sake, but for Heinrich, who had no issues, it was frustrating.
Because of that, he had to settle for the makeshift training facility attached to the healing room.
'There were no heavy weights there. I need to train hard from today to make up for the loss of muscle during this time.'
Fortunately, that facility was made at the request of previous paladins, so in a way, it was a blessing.
"Considering it's a curse from the Immortal King, it's only right to be extra cautious! It's only natural."
The Saintess nodded earnestly, then suddenly looked apologetic as if remembering something.
"More importantly, Sir Heinrich. I'm sorry for not visiting you often. I've been too busy preparing countermeasures..."
Her face fell with a sigh.
She had been too busy dealing with the Immortal King, barely having time to breathe.
Communicating with various forces and reviewing cooperation strategies were just the basics.
She had been searching through documents to devise specific countermeasures, consulting with the Mage Tower Federation, making contacts with information organizations, and even interrogating dark wizards through the Inquisitors to analyze Hans, the Immortal King...
She was literally using all means available, so as the person in charge, the Saintess had been too busy to show her face everywhere.
"Of course, those on the front lines must be busier than I am..."
She glanced around the garden with a faint smile on her lips.
"Today, I finished my work early for once and managed to come out to the garden after a long time... To run into Sir Heinrich as well, it's quite a lucky day in many ways."
The dung beetle that had been there was gone, but the Saintess continued to stare blankly at the spot where it had been, as if following its trail.
Heinrich quietly cocked his head at her tender gaze.
'...It feels like I've been equated to a dung beetle.'
Maybe even less, but that was probably just his feeling.
Probably.
"Hem-hem, Saintess. Then, I shall head to my post now."
"Ah! I've kept you too long. You're still in training with the Glorious Guards, aren't you?"
"Yes, that's right. Due to the incident, I still have a few more days to complete before I'm assigned to the next order."
His time in the healing room didn't count towards his training period, which was unavoidable.
"I see... Sir Heinrich, you mentioned that your ultimate goal is to become a free paladin, right?"
"Yes. I want to travel the continent, helping those in need and spreading the word of the Divine."
Becoming a free paladin would still allow him to receive support from the Order, and being tied to a knightly order could make it difficult to prepare the necessary stages for his mission.
From a director's perspective, the less restriction on the actor, the better.
"Hmm I see."
The Saintess slowly nodded, pondering something at his response.
As Heinrich turned to leave after bidding her farewell again.
"Oh, wait! You should expect some good news soon!"
He turned back at her sudden words, but she just smiled broadly and waved her hand.
'Leaving me hanging after making me curious...'
Still, I could somewhat guess.
It must be something like a promotion.
He had made a significant contribution this time, and it would be awkward to keep a paladin with bishop-level holy power in a lower position forever.
'I'll be grateful for whatever it is.'
With a pleased smile of anticipation, Heinrich hurried back to his post.
He was quite delayed, so he felt the need to hurry not to be late.
***
[Karma Store]
[Unique Skill Enhancement (900,000)]
[Status Enhancement View Details]
[Owned Karma - 1,393,934]
Naturally, the recent acquisition of the Brokolak clan had earned a significant amount of karma.
It hadn't been long since I had enhanced my unique skill following the attack on the temple, but this was a very encouraging result.
'Everything is going smoothly according to plan. Now, what shall I gain this time?'
The last enhancement had granted me [Customizing], allowing him to create an elf avatar named Harris.
It significantly contributed to his path as a spirit mage by adjusting his stats.
Changing Hans's appearance while he was actively maintaining public order was an added bonus.
Since he was wearing a mask anyway, it seemed wasteful not to use the acquired ability.
'I couldn't make too drastic changes to the face because it would be hard to cover with a mask, but I did put some effort into it.'
The result was...
A skull with a perfectly sculpted, smooth cranium, sharp jawline, orderly teeth, and sharply raised eye sockets.
A charismatic and handsome skeleton.
'Being an Immortal King, he deserves at least this much. Now, shall I start the enhancement?'
There was no need to delay further.
I immediately selected 'Unique Skill Enhancement' and braced for the impending headache by closing my eyes tightly.
[The avatar's potential will significantly increase. The growth rate of the entity will accelerate.]
[Your unique skill grows, unlocking new possibilities. You acquire the special skillEntity Projection.]
After the usual headache passed,
I opened my eyes, unable to hide my confusion when no further changes seemed to occur.
'...Nothing?'
The usual option of 'Increase in Avatar Count' that came with every enhancement was not given this time.
All I got for this enhancement, worth 900,000, were two lines of system messages.
'It feels like I've been scammed.'
Of course, having many avatars and increasing their growth rate wasn't bad, but this seemed too little.
"Ah?"
While checking the newly acquired skill with a sense of discomfort, I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Hans, Heinz II, Heinrich, Halli, Hubert, Harris.
My proud avatars, each with exceptional abilities and personalities.
And the effect of the newly acquired Entity Projection was...
Once a day, the ability to project one of the avatars entirely onto my body.