Fredo Von Ejellan occupied many roles. As a leader, he was reasonable and thorough in matters regarding his people and territory. At the same time, the Vampire noble was mercurial by nature. He was often possessed by the compulsive desire to toy with others, especially those he deemed beneath him. It was his favorite pastime. To set up piles of kindling and steel wool while leaving out a box of matches, only to vanish at the final moment so he could happily look on while his enemies set themselves on fire. Usually, the Duke liked watching his opponents bring about their own ruin, but there were certain occasions where he enjoyed crushing them himself.
The White Star was an interesting case for Duke Fredo.
Though human, he had gathered a strong array of powers and his soul was essentially immortal, meaning he was not someone Duke Fredo could easily look down upon. The Duke had been alive for hundreds of years, but the White Star had hoarded millenia's worth of strength to rise to his position.
That being said, he was also fairly one-dimensional. His actions were predictably self-serving, often disguised as things done for the welfare of the kingdom. That on its own wasn't enough to constitute a weakness, but Duke Fredo had watched this human for a long time. He'd carefully gained the White Star's trust while simultaneously capitalizing on the man's greed.
While the Duke observed the human's growth, Melundo, the head butler to the Von Ejellan estate, had spent that same length of time observing Duke Fredo. He knew virtually everything there was to know about Fredo the First, including his opinions on the White Star. He did not know if and to what extent those opinions had changed since the sudden appearance of a flesh-and-blood Fredo the Second, which is why Melundo felt especially nervous to knock on the Duke's bedroom door early that afternoon.
"Excuse me, Duke-nim."
"You may enter."
Melundo opened the door, first spotting the young master lying on the couch. He was curled up as if trying to nap, while the Duke was seated beside him reading a piece of paper from a larger pile on the table.
Stepping past the threshold, Melundo bowed to them both.
"His Highness is on his way. Count Mock and Count Hubesha will also be coming to greet the young master-nim."
Melundo lifted his head and flinched. It could not be helped.
Both Duke and young master had turned to look at him with identically sly smirks, both sets of purple eyes sparkling with mischief. It made the hair of the back of the butler's neck rise.
Having watched the Duke for so long, Melundo knew this expression well.
'He's looking forward to this.'
Even if the White Star was more of a cause of the Duke's headaches than anything else, he was clearly excited to receive him as a guest today. It might be the first time Melundo had ever seen the Duke look so vicious.
There was one obvious reason for it.
That 'reason' sat up and stretched his short arms above his head before turning to Duke Fredo.
"Looks like we should go and greet our guests, Father."
"That's right, my son."
Melundo began sweating just watching the two of them interact.
The moment Naru heard the White Star speak, a single thought came to mind. It was involuntary and immediate, like a reflex.
'I don't like this bastard.'
He was younger than Naru expected him to be, considering he was the human leader of a kingdom in which humans constituted a minority, but that wasn't the root of his unsettling feeling.
'What is up with that mask?'
It suited his name, at least. The pure white material was not unlike the castle that was erected beneath the sunlight in the center of Section 1. The rest of his appearance seemed unremarkable otherwise, a pale complexion, red hair and light auburn eyes, but that mask…
It made Naru incredibly uncomfortable to look at. What was it, power?
No, more like…
'Pressure.'
He was suddenly reminded of his time as a 20-year old. Back in the first shelter Kim Rok Soo had stayed in, after the Team Leader left for Seomeyeon but before the central shelters started to fall, he recalled the face of the arrogant bastard who took over the building after Lee Soo Hyuk.
Park Jin Tae.
Naru thought about the day he died. Park Jin Tae had shown himself capable of an emotion he had never shown before to others. There was nothing else to call it besides terror. When he felt the presence of the Grade 3 monsters coming in huge waves for the first time, and later when the Grade 2 and taster monsters showed themselves…
'Is this what it felt like for that bastard back then?'
The fact that it was coming from that white mask was especially unsettling. At least the monsters made sense. Why did he feel this way?
It was a strange sensation. Naru wasn't sure he could compare it to anything, like something foreign was bearing down upon his body that he could not help but acknowledge. The atmosphere felt thick. Heavier than he was used to. Like the effort of just standing there was akin to wading through water. It wasn't so severe that his knees threatened to buckle, but it was enough that he had to make a deliberate effort to keep from dropping his head.
"Ah, there's my nephew. I've heard you're doing better these days, Naru."
Naru blinked, as if waking from a spell. The White Star was lowering himself to one knee with his arms opened wide.
It was clear he was expecting Naru to hug him. Duke Fredo looked gently towards the young boy, but Naru could sense the concern behind those upturned eyes.
'Be careful.'
Pulling in a big breath, Naru tried to imagine he was pushing open the door to that Dark Elf's bakery that made the delicious treats before running forward.
"Uncle!" It felt like he was jumping right into a lion's mouth rather than a pair of arms, but Naru didn't waver as arms crossed over the man's back and held him close. "I can't believe you came! I hope visiting is not a burden to you. You must be so busy."
"Oh, my. I can't be doing a very good job managing my kingdom if even my nephew is worried."
They pulled apart, but the White Star kept his hands on Naru's shoulders. The boy felt a subconscious desire to sneer, so he forced out a cheery laugh instead.
"Uncle, you know that's not what I meant! I am just happy to see you."
The White Star responded with a warm smile before rising to his full height again.
"It is for the future you represent that I work so hard, Naru."
'Liar.'
Naru may not believe everything Duke Fredo has told him, but his intuition was telling him that this guy was not normal. His actions were too… precise. They lacked sincerity. It was difficult to explain.
The people behind the White Star stepped forward and greeted him next.
"Aunt and Grandfather have come as well?" Naru hid his face and pretended to be embarrassed. "Ah, how could I have been blessed with such a family? All of you coming to visit me… it truly is a blessing."
'More like a nightmare.'
Why did Duke Fredo have to be surrounded by so many freakishly strong people? The situation made sense when Naru considered what he'd learned about the Endable Kingdom, but that didn't mean he was particularly happy about it. It was probably on account of these bastards that the old Vampire wanted to teach him some standard magic, not that a simple shield would be much good against them. Even Naru, who would be the first to admit he was terrible at judging a person's power since he was just starting to learn, could tell these people were monsters beneath the surface.
At the same time, the thought made him smile.
'I guess I am such a monster as well.'
Naru looked at each person as if an admiring little young master, memorizing their faces, one by one.
According to Duke Fredo, Naru's inner appearance should be 'opaque' to all of them. His ability to use mana, that he actually had the consciousness of an adult, that he had once been human… Their treatment towards him was all the evidence Naru needed to confirm Duke Fredo's theory.
Beyond gentle pats and affectionate smiles, no one seemed to pay him any mind whatsoever.
Perfect.
The White Star had one of his servants deliver snacks to the Duke's house staff, and Naru was in heaven. The adults were discussing annoying things while he was allowed to sit and eat cookies and do nothing.
'Was I wrong?'
Maybe he'd been too suspicious of the White Star. He really wanted to believe that an evil bastard would not be capable of providing such delicious cookies. As much as the Dark Elf baker had impressed his palette, these were perfectly chewy, not too sweet, just the right size and thickness. They were definitely the best cookies he's had since coming here, if not in his entire life.
For that reason, Naru tried very hard to suppress his instincts about the White Star. Hadn't Duke Fredo told him other people also wore accessories to conceal their strength? Maybe the weird feeling he got from the mask was just a result of it suppressing his powers. Was the older Vampire just prejudiced against humans? Did he want the kingdom for himself?
Naru absolutely could not let that happen.
'If that crazy Vampire is aiming for the throne, forget becoming a slacker! That would mean I would become prince and I'll never get a chance to relax.'
A prickling, cold feeling dripped down Naru's spine. If he did somehow manage to neutralize the White Star and seize the throne, then Duke Fredo best be prepared to say goodbye to his only son because Naru would go into hiding faster than you could say 'coronation.'
The content of the conversation going on around him wasn't very exciting, but to someone like Naru, it provided a wealth of knowledge. They made predictable small talk and exchanged perfunctory pleasantries before the Counts dove into strategic political planning while Duke Fredo and the White Star chimed in on occasion, though neither said much.
From what Naru understood, Endable Kingdom's biggest internal headache seemed to be conditional to their hidden existence. Their secrecy made economic trading on a large enough scale to support their population rather complicated, and the underground landscape made any meaningful attempts at agriculture impossible. A significant portion of their funds came direct from the nearby Molden Kingdom and the Eastern continents' underworld, but that an equally exhaustive effort was spent supporting facilities, soldiers, and magic research.
Naru wanted desperately to ask them to elaborate but he knew such a thing was impossible, so he kept his mouth shut and pretended to be distracted by one of the suspenders on his outfit.
"Oh, I just recalled… There was a question I intended to ask the Marquis-nim, but he didn't come."
Duke Fredo sat up somewhat, though his typically aloof, languid expression did not budge in the slightest.
The White Star showed no sense of urgency when he responded.
"There was some kind of situation at one of the temples. I'm not sure of the details."
Raising a brow, Count Hubesha turned towards Duke Fredo. "May I ask what the question was concerning, Duke-nim?"
"Hmm? Ah, just a small thing. One of my subordinates reported yesterday morning from the west. Whatever faction it is running around over in the Whipper Kingdom said unrest is growing rather quickly. Humans are impatient as ever. Their civil war is coming sooner than expected. Perhaps another half-year or so, at their current rate?"
As if to showcase his disinterest in the subject, the Duke stopped speaking to wipe off some crumbs from his son's face.
This was something they had discussed before.
It was a signal from the Duke that Naru should pay close attention to the responses of the others, but he didn't realize the older Vampire was going to do it while he was in the middle of talking. All of the nobles were watching him pointedly, and Naru stumbled into his rehearsed lines with some genuine embarrassment as he attempted to resist. Given the situation, it actually made the act more convincing.
"Father, I'm not a baby. I'll be 152 next year!"
"Perhaps." The Duke sighed fondly. "And yet, I don't know any full grown Vampires who make such a mess while eating."
"Duke Fredo-nim, you didn't actually state your question."
Count Mock sounded irritable, pressuring Duke Fredo to return to the subject.
"Ho, is that the case? Hmm? Where was I?"
Of course, Naru knew that the Duke's forgetfulness was entirely for show. He was doing this on purpose, just to get on Count Mock's nerves.
"Heh."
Naru couldn't help but let out a brief laugh, but the others in the room didn't seem to think much of it.
"Ah, that's right. Because things are progressing a bit differently than the Marquis-nim originally estimated, I wondered if the Empire's little prince will be adequately prepared? My people can return to the north to resume fortifying the alliance if that child can handle the south, or they can stay and offer support. Since the Marquis is not here, I thought I would defer to you, my liege."
Count Mock and Count Hubesha's gaze moved to the White Star.
This was why the Duke had signaled for Naru to pay close attention–it was subtle, but he could clearly see the small differences in each of the lesser nobles' faces that revealed their true feelings. Count Mock's lips grew thinner, and his eyes became sharper; Count Hubesha's nostrils flared and her jaw seemed clenched tighter than before.
Why were they so angry?
'Because they have virtually no influence in the west.'
Naru had been able to deduce that much without being told. In [The Birth of a Hero, the Dark Elves were said to have been forced into hiding and there was no mention of the Black Knights whatsoever.
Unlike Count Mock's or Count Hubesha's factions who could not openly move above the surface, the Vampires had influence that spanned both continents, and Duke Fredo was the unifying figure under whom all Vampires gathered. That, combined with their natural proficiency in stealth, and Duke Fredo's information network was second to none.
It was the sort of situation the other nobles hated most of all.
They had no opportunity to act on their greed. If this was a proper nobles meeting, the 96 awaiters who did have the ability to freely move in the west would undoubtedly be pleading to gather their own people to take action. Duke Fredo's people had more freedom to move than any other group in the Endable Kingdom, and everyone at the table knew that.
On the outside, Duke Fredo appeared calm, no, he almost looked bored. His thoughts were moving in a slightly different direction.
'Let's teach my cute punk son a few things about the reach of the Vampires.'
Getting on the nerves of both Counts was just a nice bonus.
He wanted his son to realize exactly how powerful their faction was.
And. Well.
Maybe he wanted to show off, just a little bit.
And to speak of the results, Naru could not deny that he was at least a little impressed.
All it took was a single question to simultaneously get under the skin of both Count Mock and Count Hubesha while demonstrating his reliability towards the White Star. Rather than move without acting, he was openly giving the White Star the authority to tell him where to send his subordinates. A subtle yet unmistakable expression of loyalty. Duke Fredo was presenting his fealty and his information network to the White Star on bended knee while pissing off everybody else.
The White Star, who had been thinking the situation over, eventually responded.
"Move them North."
He didn't say anything more.
"I will relay the message, my liege."
Of course, Naru barely had time to be impressed with the Duke's antics because of all of the information he inadvertently revealed in their simple exchange. His mind was a complete mess.
Naru tried to organize all of the new information he had learned alongside his existing base of knowledge from [The Birth of a Hero].
The most important revelation was regarding his current timeline. Finally, something tangible that happened on a national stage was finally revealed.
The Whipper Kingdom's civil war.
He thought about that crazy bastard, Toonka the Tyrant. He was probably starting to build up his forces right now, but the mage's factions had been able to resist for a while before the fighting broke out into a proper war in the middle of the summer. Even if Naru didn't know the exact date of the war declaration, having this marker of events was still critically important.
'Choi Han is definitely here.'
If there was still a few months before Toonka smacked around the mage's faction, then they were probably nearing the time Harris Village would be destroyed.
Despite Naru's desire to ignore all things related to the protagonist, this realization still came with some amount of guilt. Choi Han's despair began the moment he fell into the Forest of Darkness, but it intensified a hundred-fold once the villagers that became his family were brutally killed by the secret organization.
As someone who also had to bear witness to the people around him dying, it was only natural for Naru, no, Kim Rok Soo, to sympathize with Choi Han.
'But that's not the biggest issue right now.'
No, Naru had a much more urgent subject he needed to confront.
The Empire and Imperial Prince Adin.
He really hated Prince Adin in the original novel. A selfish bastard who set the Jungle on fire, monopolized the influence of the Church of the Sun God, and upheld the Empire's slave trade.
'How can the people in this room be connected to that bastard?'
No, a better question than 'how' was 'why'?
Why did Duke Fredo care about the Whipper Kingdom's upcoming civil war, and that Toonka would inevitably clash with the Empire? Why was the White Star so confident that Prince Adin would be 'adequately prepared' that he could dismiss the situation without so much as an explanation?
And most importantly, why would the Endable Kingdom align themselves with that trash? They may not have many human residents, but even their kingdom of darkness had more humanity than Adin. A bastard who made no efforts whatsoever to end slavery, even when it was outlawed in all parts of the Western continent otherwise. Naru did not know if and to what extent it was present in the Eastern continent, but he at least knew the Endable Kingdom did not permit it.
If he wasn't so unswerving in his determination to become a slacker, Naru would be tempted to kill him just for all the shit he pulled in the original story.
'Aigoo, this is bad. Maybe I can't trust the Duke after all if he'd work with that bastard.'
An involuntary sigh started to pass through him, but, given the situation, Naru did his best to play it off as a short yawn.
The White Star noticed this and ended up chuckling. He interrupted whatever Count Mock was saying.
"I think we should end there, Duke Mock. It appears you've nearly bored my poor nephew to death."
Naru tried to appear pleading and flustered.
"Oh, no, Uncle, Grandfather! Please excuse me, I'm very sorry."
He glanced innocently towards his father, and the Duke smiled and shook his head.
"Do you need to rest, my son? Don't push yourself, you're still recovering."
"No, Father, I'm fine! I want to spend as much time with my family as I can."
Smiling with all the warmth he could muster, Naru turned to the others seated around the table. Count Hubesha gave no visible reaction, while Naru was certain that Count Mock's smile was jeering. The White Star's own lips were quirked up just slightly, making him appear bemused by the whole thing.
Behind the mask, however, the man's eyes remained cold.
'Fredo will do just about anything to stay on my good side so that Endable Kingdom remains at peace, to maintain this child's innocence. Let's keep it that way.'
Count Mock and Count Hubesha shared similar thoughts, although neither were as skilled at hiding it.
'Naru is good for at least one thing. He'll make it all the easier to shrink the influence of the Von Ejellan's Duchy once Duke Fredo starts to become irrelevant.'
'This child does seem more lively than before, but he is still far too weak to demand the respect of his subjects. The Duchy will break down sooner or later.'
Naru made some meager attempts to convince them to stay, praying internally that they would get the hell out of his house already.
"You don't have to leave already because of me. I'm sorry. I know I cannot contribute but it feels nice just to listen."
"Don't worry, Naru." The White Star began to stand, and everyone else quickly got to their feet as well. "With your health improving, we can start seeing each other more often."
'I'd sooner die.'
Not trusting his tongue enough to speak, Naru opted instead to wear his most joyous smile while nodding.
A few more hugs were exchanged. Naru accidentally brushed against the White Star's mask and all of the hair in his body stood on end, an internal sensation akin to metal being torn apart rippling across his consciousness.
Thankfully, the accessory did not budge. Naru was grateful.
He wasn't sure he ever wanted to see that guy's face.
Though the other nobles had only visited for a few hours, Naru felt like he was closer to his age as a 151-year old Vampire rather than his childlike appearance for the first time. His mind was a mess and he felt annoyed by all of the things he didn't want to know. They still had a few hours before dinner and every fiber of his being was urging him to just ignore everything and take a nap, but his thoughts were chaotic. He was unable to relax.
After resolving a few affairs with his subordinates, Duke Fredo found the young Vampire lying down in his room, staring at nothing with a listless expression. He'd been busy after the nobles left and hadn't had the chance to talk to Naru yet.
"So, what did you think?"
Naru answered immediately.
"I think you're all crazy."
"Hah!"
A dip in the corner of the mattress indicated that Duke Fredo had sat down nearby. Before the boy could finish convincing himself not to care about anything, he subconsciously blurted out a question.
"What was that bullshit about the Empire?"
"Ho, and to think, you were such a polite child to our guests. How could my son speak so crudely to me?"
"Duke-nim."
Naru sat up, dropping the filial charade.
"I still can't tell you everything about myself, but I will admit that I am more knowledgeable about the Western continent than the Eastern continent. I'm certain Miss Solena has already told you as much. Why would you reveal all of that to me if you knew? Working with Imperial Prince Adin? An alliance in the North?"
Only one question could adequately capture Naru's disbelief and annoyance.
"Are you out of your mind?"
Duke Fredo did not respond at first, quietly receiving a stare he had never seen before.
Any emotions Naru had displayed in these past several days could be categorized as one of three varieties: completely false, shamelessly deceitful, or utterly impassive. More often than not, it was the last of these. Stoic was the best way to describe it, despite the boyish roundness in his face.
And that was nearly true now. Naru's brows were relaxed, his mouth was neither a smile nor a frown.
But his eyes. His eyes were different.
Slowly, Duke Fredo began to respond.
"That is correct. I did learn from Solena that your origins are in the west, but you misunderstand my intentions. You said you wanted to make your determinations about enemies and allies on your own, and out of respect for your decision, I decided not to hold back. You should evaluate me based on exactly who I am and what I do."
"...Uh?"
Naru's gaze became complicated. What was the Duke saying?
"It may take a long time to discover how you ended up as Naru. The fact remains that you are both my son and also not my son. Even if you were my real child, I would not want to control your choices. I'd prefer if you didn't lump me in with that White Star punk, but I'd prefer that to earning your resentment. That's why I will respect whatever judgment you make. I have spent a long time building Naru's identity, but it is your's now, whether I like it or not."
As if speaking so much was a very exhausting chore, the Duke rounded off his claim with a sigh before laying back onto the bed. He ended up reclining across Naru's short legs, who frowned at being used as a pillow.
"I'll be as honest with you as I can be. However, I might not be able to answer everything. Starting with the White Star… His reach is farther than you can imagine. It is more concentrated in the east, but he has extensive influence on the Western continent as well. This is all only possible because the man has been cursed to reincarnate. His soul cannot die. He has already lived for 1,000 years, and has spent over a hundred lifetimes building up a group that acts independently from the kingdom. It is called 'Arm'. The White Star does not consider those within Arm to be qualified to become Endable Kingdom citizens, so he controls them by offering crude power and minor authority within that organization."
Naru felt like he'd been hit in the head.
The word 'organization' echoed in his ears.
A thought, one he had empathetically refused to acknowledge before, began stirring in the back of his mind like it had been sleeping and had finally just woken up.
The secret organization in [The Birth of a Hero] that caused trouble on the Western continent, that had some connection to the mermaids and the Eastern continent.
The Endable Kingdom, which could be considered the White Star's 'home' was also located on the Eastern continent, a place where he had built an organization of his own that has almost complete control of the underworld, and at minimum, the Molden Kingdom… and who knows about the state of the other kingdoms.
Naru could see a vague image beginning to form in his mind, a truth that was much more shocking than waking up in [The Birth of a Hero, but he desperately did not want to believe it. If he could, Naru would wave his arms until the image dispersed like smoke, but he knew such efforts would be in vain. There was no defeating his own thoughts.
The secret organization that gave Choi Han so much grief–it was the same as 'Arm,' a huge and complex creation of the White Star's own design, wasn't it?
'Aigoo, I hate it here.'
It was unbelievable, but at the same time, it was very simple. Every piece of the puzzle fit together, each confusing half-truth made perfect sense, if Naru just accepted the horrible picture of reality that Duke Fredo was painting for him.
'I want to ignore it. I really want to ignore it.'
Naru sighed and mirrored the Duke's action, except he dropped back into his pillows while the older Vampire still laid across the boy's legs.
'But I can't ignore it when it's staring me in the face like this.'
"Father."
The Duke leaned up, sensing the conflict in his son's gaze when their identical eyes met. He ended up reflexively reaching out to pat the top of Naru's head in a comforting gesture.
"... Tell me the rest."
Naru thought the White Star might just be a slightly crazy bastard, but he was wrong.
"… He is an extremely crazy bastard."
A human who was connected to the demonic realm. A device that could turn him into a demon. Ancient powers, clashing attributes, an unbalanced plate. Dead mana and human experimentation.
He did find it a little impressive that the Duke could obtain so much useful information despite his terrible personality.
"Haaa…"
Naru could not help but think about the people he knew existed in this world but had never met, and the many, many lives that would be lost because of a single crazy bastard. Then he thought about the ones he had met in this world, like the nervous Melundo and loyal Solena, the kind Dark Elf baker and the polite Vampire coach driver.
His unfocused gaze transformed into a glare, directed at the ceiling as his hands subconsciously curled into fists.
"I can't imagine the citizens of the kingdom would be very happy to learn their leader wants to become a demon."
"Of course not. You've seen it yourself. We are creatures with the darkness attributes, not monsters. Demons lack any conscience and destroy anything they don't deem worthy of their time. Their existence is chaos incarnate. That combined with his ancient powers, and the kind of being the White Star wishes to become is tantamount to a god."
Like the end of a record that kept catching on the final rivet, Naru could only repeat himself each time Duke Fredo told him more about the White Star.
"... A really crazy bastard."
A quiet laugh came from the Duke's mouth at the same moment there was a knock at the door. It was Melundo, announcing their evening meal was about to be served. Had they really been talking for hours already?
Both Von Ejellans stood up and Duke Fredo moved towards the door. He glanced back when he realized Naru had not moved after jumping down from the bed.
The boy had a serious but calm expression, and his eyes were clearer than ever.
"What about the rest?"
"...The rest?"
"Yes, the rest. The part you're still not telling me? Hmm? Don't tell me you're going to feign ignorance now, Father?"
Naru's eyes curved up into half-crescent moons.
"Why else would you tell me not to trust the White Star if you didn't already have a plan? Hmm? You intend to stop him, don't you? We should definitely stop him. If he becomes an actual monster, it would be a nightmare for the entire kingdom."
What Naru did not say was that it would be an even bigger nightmare for his slacker life. How the hell could he ever relax knowing the person in charge of the kingdom was a maniac who was trying to become a demon? Even if Naru could ignore Choi Han and all of the madness that would come to pass on the Western continent, he could not ignore what was happening in his front yard.
'Damn it.'
Choi Han might be a scary bastard, but the White Star was a complete freak.
"Oh, I've been caught?"
An innocent smile appeared on Duke Fredo's face. Actually, it was a rather conniving smirk, the exact kind of expression that would have given Melundo the chills if he had not already exited the room.
"But come now, if you say it like that, it makes me sound like some kind of twisted schemer."
Naru's expression did not change at all. It was as if Duke Fredo hadn't even spoken. Of course, the older Vampire took this as an invitation to continue with his nonsense.
"Sigh. To think, my adorable son said he wanted to form his own opinions, and when I give him the opportunity, he goes and makes me seem like such a villain. Sigh. Your heart is even blacker than mine."
"You're so… haaa…" Groaning, Naru scrubbed both hands down his face. "I already said I will work with you to stop the White Star, isn't that enough?"
"But your reactions are so entertaining?"
"Forget being my Father, you're a crazy bastard, too."
"Heh."
The Duke laughed while returning to the young Vampire's side. He knelt so they were at eye level.
"You are right, there is more. I haven't been alive for hundreds of years just for show, you know. The White Star has too much power for him to be taken out in a single blow. Besides the fact that he would reincarnate and recoup his losses, his subordinates are all very loyal to him–mm, well, present company excluded. If I were to openly make a move against him, they would retaliate en masse. So, knowing all of this… what would you do? How to eliminate someone who has made themselves untouchable?"
"...Ho."
Naru gasped before beginning to smile. It was a grin so vicious, his short fangs became visible. Duke Fredo quite liked this expression, feeling it suited his son despite Naru's outwardly gentle appearance.
It could not be helped. Naru could start to see a plan formulating in his mind, taking everything he knew from the original novel and what Duke Fredo had told him into consideration. It felt like he had a painting that had been split down the middle into two canvases.
The Eastern continent and the Western continent.
The past and the future.
Cause and effect.
All of the White Star's power came from one thing and fed into the other.
"He isn't the kind of enemy we can just smack from the front or from behind. If the white bastard's power comes from the time he's spent building up each pillar of strength that supports him, we just need to target each of those pillars, one by one. We need to drag him down until there's nothing left. We need to completely destroy him."
The White Star was like a destructive force of nature. Like fire incarnate. You could throw water on the flames, but if it was too big, the water would just evaporate. The only guaranteed method to snuff out a flame was to deprive it of oxygen.
Naru smiled. He would squeeze all the air from White Star's lungs until there was nothing left.
"Ho, my goodness! I think you really must be my son after all."
The Duke ended up hoisting the boy up into his arms, carrying him downstairs on the way to their meal. Naru was so focused, he did not even complain about being picked up.
Since they were no longer in the privacy of the bedroom, Duke Fredo dropped his voice.
"So what do you think? Would you like to know the White Star's greatest weakness?"
Naru scoffed, responding with a question of his own.
"Why ask something so obvious?"
"Do you recall what Count Mock was discussing earlier?"
Blinking, Naru was surprised by this change in topic. He replayed the events of the afternoon while the Duke unhurriedly headed towards the dining room.
"He was talking about trade, mostly. The economy of the kingdom is difficult to maintain because it is not self-sufficient."
"Yes. Now, where do you think the White Star gets the resources to support a kingdom with a deficit?"
Naru's expression remained calm.
It was because the answer was obvious.
"Arm."
The older Vampire now trusted that Naru was sharp enough to keep up with his explanations and continued without hesitation.
"Indeed. That organization has steadily grown to the point where it now operates like a machine. A large, self-sustaining machine, one that the White Star has devised specifically to take care of all his needs–it supplies him with dead mana, powerful subordinates, disposable soldiers, a constant source of income, and everything else besides the ancient power to balance his plate. He does not allow anyone in Arm to investigate the ancient powers with the possibility they might try to take them for themselves. So, why is it that now of all times he decided to build up a kingdom? Endable Kingdom was founded only 18 years ago, although it was being developed in his last life."
Naru had been wondering something similar. Why would a bastard like the White Star form a kingdom at all? Why did he need to maintain such a place when he had so much power through Arm alone? It was worth accounting for powerful individuals like Count Mock, Count Hubesha, and Duke Fredo who were too strong for the White Star to easily oppose. But was that the only reason?
'Arm and the Endable Kingdom aren't mutual benefactors. The Endable Kingdom reaps the benefits and the noble awaiters can go above ground to try to earn merit, but Arm doesn't even know this place exists.'
"It is because of his pride. That is the White Star's greatest weakness."
That was not the response Naru had anticipated. It felt too... iffy and inexact.
"... Pride? Really?"
"More accurately, he has become overconfident. The White Star believes he is untouchable, and that Arm is too big to fail. He no longer needs to do anything to maintain his strength or influence, so he can fully focus his efforts on balancing his plate and, after that…"
The Duke did not finish his thought, but Naru could hear the rest in his mind just the same as Duke Fredo set him down at the table.
'He'll focus all of his efforts on becoming a part of the Demonic race once that happens.'
Naru realized how hungry he felt now that the food was placed in front of him. He waited until Duke Fredo took his seat before picking up his fork.
"His machine."
The Duke smiled like he knew what Naru was going to say next.
"We'll just have to break it."
They both began to eat, thinking different but related things.
Duke Fredo was ticking off the boxes one by one. Decimate his forces, cut off his supply of dead mana, and ruin his financial backing.
What does that leave the White Star?
Nothing but the Endable Kingdom.
And once he has only that single leg left to stand on, they'll take that from him, too.
But for Naru, that wasn't enough. He needed to look at a bigger picture, one that removed the threat of the White Star but also kept Duke Fredo from becoming the Endable Kingdom's ruler. Vampires were proud and powerful and he could see merit in Fredo becoming king, but that was also the worst case scenario for him.
Prince Naru Von Ejellan?
Chills spread across his childlike body.
Naru could not let that happen. Absolutely not.
The Endable Kingdom and that stupid hole they called the sky.
This place was precious because it gave the creatures of darkness sanctuary from discrimination, but then they turned into more than that. But, just like how the White Star's palace did not deserve to be the only place the sun reached, the residents of the kingdom did not deserve to be restricted to the underground. If that was the life they chose willingly, it would be different story, but they didn't have much of a choice to begin with.
'I'll just have to flip the whole damn thing over.'
Naru could at least do that much.