Chapter 151: Watch as Lance Hunts Down a Count For You

Lance, Hyperion, and Alexia sat on opposite sides of the long oak table in the center of the bedroom. Their gazes converged on the three sheets of paper resting on the table, as if all the secrets of the Krati Empire lay hidden within them.

It was late at night. The outside world was so still it seemed forgotten, leaving only this room standing apart from the relentless flow of time. The fear that had threatened to drown Alexia receded along with the disappearance of the Poet of Boundless Love. She took a deep breath, like someone surfacing from the ocean depths, and finally managed to regain control of her emotions.

The corners of the princess’ eyes were taut, and her lips were stiff. After a long silence, she couldn’t quite shake the lingering, indescribable tension in her voice as she asked, "I trust the accuracy of your intelligence, but... who exactly are you?"

Lance's gaze was as sharp as a blade, and every word he spoke carried a heavy, deliberate weight. "I am an ecologist currently conducting research on the vampire race."

Although his status as a Platinum Certified card maker would eventually secure him a faculty position at Ikerite University, he still had a long road ahead if he wanted to become the headmaster.

Of note, the position of the headmaster at Ikerite University was currently vacant. Dean Boralo of the College of Magical Engineering had no interest in power or more administrative duties, and the Dean of the Knights' College had recently been forced out of retirement, so he had even less interest.

Dean Lawrence of the Sages' College was also a High Priest at the Church of the Goddess of Fate, so he lacked the time. Finally, the Dean of the College of Alchemy was perpetually tied up in lawsuits regarding issues related to his newspaper, The Hutton Times, so he was facing the constant threat of imprisonment.

To assume the role of headmaster at such a prestigious institution, academic renown was essential. The university was not merely affiliated with the Hutton Kingdom, as it was an officially certified, top-tier institution directly under the Southern Continent Shadow Realm Management Association and the Southern Continent's Kingdom Council. With such authority and privilege came incredibly high standards.

One particularly difficult requirement was the publication of a research paper rated as having the highest level of academic value across the Southern Continent. Across the entire university, only a handful of faculty met this criterion, which was a testament to just how grueling the requirement was. So, the most challenging academic research project Lance could conceive of at the moment was On Ecological Balance and the Governance of the Vampires.

He wasn't certain if the academic community of the Southern Continent would ultimately accept such a topic. But that was precisely the attitude an ambitious headmaster ought to bring to academia: wholehearted dedication and the pursuit of the pinnacle of excellence.

Alexia had never heard of an ecologist capable of managing vampires. Meanwhile, Hyperion stole a glance at Lance as her eyelids twitched wildly. She had a feeling this guy was about to pull off something massive again!

The project to seek out the Sealing Primal Tablet in the Northern Continent, scheduled for their winter break, hadn't even begun yet, and he was already planning his next study on the ecological issues of the Krati Empire! Honestly if Lance wasn't fit to be the headmaster, then no one was.

Moreover, even if Hyperion didn't want to drag Lance into the mystery of her father's disappearance, it was likely that he would end up inserting himself right into the eye of the storm regarding the Krati Empire's internal conflicts!

After hearing Lance's reply, Alexia initially dismissed it as a joke. She fell into thought for a moment before asking again, "What is your relationship with the vampires?"

The princess tensed up, her nerves on high alert. This young man knew far too many secrets. There were only two possibilities: either he was a lackey of the vampires, or he was their sworn enemy.

For one, Alexia was certain Lance himself couldn't be a vampire. They were the easiest race to identify, as direct sunlight instantly weakened them. At high noon, their strength would drop to a mere tenth of their peak. There was no way a vampire could be as vigorous and lively under the sun as Lance was during the day.

However, Alexia couldn't determine whether Lance was a vampire thrall, which was a servant bound to the vampires. Rather than believing he possessed an impossibly uncanny gift of foresight, it made far more sense to conclude that Lance, with his intimate knowledge of the vampires, was actually on their side!

Lance spread his hands helplessly, as if he fully understood Princess Alexia's concerns. "Don't worry. Tomorrow, you'll see exactly what kind of relationship I have with the vampires."

It was true. He couldn't explain the source of his information. But that didn't matter. He could demonstrate the answer to the princess's question that very night.

"Tomorrow... What point is there in knowing anything, really?" The previous surge of resolve Princess Alexia had mustered vanished instantly as she was dragged back to harsh reality by Lance's brief remark.

Had she met Lance outside the Shadow Realm challenge, she might have clung to that sliver of hope and fought to the bitter end. But in this Shadow Realm dungeon, where death was a certainty, it was already a foregone conclusion that everyone would perish at the hands of a Rank 7 vampire count.

No challenger here, even at the cost of their life, stood a chance of surviving against such a monster until the arrival of the sixth dawn.

Lance tapped his fingers lightly against the table. The sound echoed through the quiet room, piercing the silence of the night. He appeared to be deep in thought. He then finally said, "Scared out of your wits by a mere vampire count? If the rest of the Krati Empire's imperial family is anything like you, it's no wonder the country was infiltrated so easily by them."

Hyperion glanced at Lance in surprise. She had never seen him speak so harshly to a girl. And yet, upon hearing his remarks, Alexia sprang back into motion, as if she was a wind-up doll that had been set in action.

She glared fiercely at Lance, her eyes rimmed with red, as though he had struck at the very core of what she held most sacred and inviolable. "You, you can call me a useless princess... but you are not allowed to insult the Krati Empire!"

Tears welled up in her eyes—the last vestige of her defiance. She had clearly given up, yet for some reason, there were things she simply couldn't let go of.

Lance smiled with relief as he watched her flare up again. "Didn't you think there was no tomorrow? So what is there left to argue about?"

Alexia kept wiping away her tears while still issuing warnings to Lance, "The charge of insulting the imperial family... Mark my words, I won't forget it!"

Lance retorted with a calm, easy smile, "Then I'll be waiting for you to accuse me. I'll show you exactly what the 'Southern Continent's Absolute Winner' is made of."

Alexia sputtered, "Then go take out that count first! You're nothing but a loudmouth who's all talk."

Lance countered, "And if I actually hunt down that vampire count, what will you say then?"

The princess huffed. "Then we'll do whatever you say. Though there's no way you could actually pull it off."

As someone who was watching all of this from the side, Hyperion felt like Lance's bantering tone, like one might use with a child, seemed to be constantly mocking Alexia on the surface. Yet, she realized that it was precisely these verbal barbs that kept stirring up the stubborn will buried deep within the princess.

However, even Alexia, whose will to live had been awakened without her realizing it, had failed to notice this.

"Alright." Lance smiled and stood up, pushing his chair back under the table. The sound of the wooden legs scraping against the stone floor echoed through the spacious room. Then, he and Hyperion walked toward the bedroom door.

There was no need for the princess to join the fight against the vampire count tonight. In fact, it was better if everyone else believed that the other challengers didn't trust the princess, so whatever befell the vampires had nothing to do with her.

After all, she still had to return to the Krati Empire and coexist with those vampires for a while longer. It would be troublesome if she aroused their vigilance or suspicion.

Lance pulled the bedroom door shut for Alexia as he said, "Please get a good night's rest, Your Imperial Highness. I promise the sun will rise again tomorrow."

The door slowly closed. Through the narrowing gap, his face was gradually hidden from view, and the figure of Lance quickly vanished from sight. Alexia then gazed in a trance at the now-locked door.

Even though the promise Lance had made before leaving felt as insubstantial and hollow as an impossible lie, for some reason, the hope she had all but abandoned was now reigniting, a burning fire within her chest.

She looked out the window. The starlight was dim, as if foreshadowing a long, arduous night. If she were to see the sunrise tomorrow, then how much less of a source of dawn was the man who could bring it to her than the sun itself?

"Please save me, whatever kind of sun you may be..." Alexia murmured, gazing up at the cage-like night sky as if in prayer.