Chapter 78: Noble’s Pledge
Marquess Cunningdal followed a step behind the enchanting beauty into a room that was a stark contrast to the rest of the building. The dark room was messy with low-grade artefacts, out-of-season clothes, and enchanted weapons placed randomly against the walls. A large leather sofa dominated the room’s central area with its back facing him. Beyond the sofa was an enormous mahogany desk, and a man wearing a bright red wine suit sat with his eyes closed in an oversize chair. The only glass window the marquess had seen in Blackthorn was behind the man casting shadows across his face.
Suddenly, many objects shot out from various directions; in the dim lighting, they gleamed as they shot past the marquess. The marquess turned in surprise toward the flying objects; the metal cards exploded in a burst of light, blinding everyone. While disoriented, the marquess felt a flare of magic as something moved with ridiculous speed past him.
"AH!" Nicholas fumbled forward as everyone’s sight returned. His helmet was missing.
The man gestured toward the sofa with a silver dagger in hand that hadn’t been there a moment ago. "Richard Cunningdal, take a seat."
Nicholas’s helmet sat in the middle of Jack’s desk. Melinda stood beside Jack and chuckled. "I told you a weapon wouldn’t matter. If Jack wished, he could have taken your head."
"Richard Cunningdal, unbreakable wall of the north and marquess of Velmira," Jack said, lying back in his chair. His eyes remained closed as he played with the silver dagger he had taken from Nicholas. "You should not be here."
Jack slowly opened his eyes and scrutinised Richard. "You bring an army to my gate. Enter my office with silver weapons and knights... Please tell me, Marquess, has there been a grave misunderstanding?"
The silver dagger cracked between Jack’s fingers, and he threw the broken weapon at the marquess’s feet. Richard saw his reflection in the polished silver blade and gulped.
"There has indeed been a misunderstanding, Duke Wilson—"
"Prince. Refer to me as Your Highness. I am a royal of the immortal vampires before I am a puny mortal duke." Jack gestured toward the empty couch. "Take a seat, Marquess. It is improper etiquette to stand during discussions."
"Yes, Your Highness." Nicholas went to block the marquess, but the marquess shoved the aged knight out of the way; Melinda chuckled from Jack’s side, earning herself a hateful glare from Nicholas.
The marquess sat on the couch as if it were a prized possession and awkwardly sat near the edge. His large frame took up a similar amount of space as Thar did during the magic lesson. Richard coughed into his hand to dispel some tension.
"We come in peace. Do you have a method to avoid surveillance?"
Jack nodded, and a minute later, a small, purple-skinned kobold walked into the room. His yellow snake eyes wearily looked at the knights that towered over him. "M-Master... I am here." The kobold carefully spelled out each word, but a slight lisp followed despite his efforts. His snakelike vocal cords struggled with human speech.
"This is Varn Yddryr, an apprentice of mine. It may be uncomfortable, but he can protect us," Jack announced, and everyone appraised the little kobold. His ears fell against his head, and he shook slightly from the scrutiny.
Jack thought back on Varn’s abilities.
[Varn Yddryr]
[Kobold]
Schools of Magic:
[Wild Magic (B)]
Primordial Mana Manipulation [C]
"Manipulate the raw and untamed mana around and inside you."
Chaos Vortex [D]
"Creates a swirling ball of wild affinity mana that destroys other mana on contact. Can be thrown."
Chaos Zone [D]
"Creates a domain of wild mana around the caster, reduces the effectiveness of incoming spells, and enhances wild mana spells."
"We need protection from the Owl. Varn, can you use Chaos Zone in this room?"
The kobold hesitated for a moment, eyes darting left and right. Eventually, Varn took a deep breath through his nostrils before nodding. He closed his eyes in concentration, and then everyone visibly winced as the room’s mana became a chaotic mess. The knights surrounding the marquess put up their fists in a boxer stance and surrounded their master. Nicholas put himself between Evelyn and Jack, ready to use his body as a shield.
"Be quick, Marquess. Varn’s mana pool is small, and this is unpleasant."
The air shuddered as mana twisted and swirled around in chaotic vortexes. If Jack had to describe the sensation, it was like gasping for air; his body was trying to draw in the mana from the surroundings, but the vortexes sucked all the mana in the room. From the couch, the marquess appeared unfazed apart from the slight discomfort on his face.
"Wild mana... yes, this should work perfectly. Then I will get right to it and save us all from this discomfort." The marquess leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Do you know of the Noble Pledge?"
Jack almost blurted out, "Of course!" but luckily held back.
’A vampire would have no reason to know of the Noble Pledge; humans created it, and vampires rarely interact with noble humans.’
"No."
Sweat formed on the marquess’s brow as his body desperately tried to draw in mana from the surroundings. "Very well, I will give a quick explanation. You likely already know there are two kingdoms on this peninsula, Veranthos and Velmira. The story goes that the humans felt inferior and broke the peninsula in two, with Velmira dominating the west and Veranthos controlling the east."
The marquess wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his coat before continuing. "That’s only half true. This peninsula is far too small with too few resources. Mages are greedy, and the path to power is long and expensive. Too many commoners were awakening their distant noble bloodlines as weak mages and consuming the resources. Not only that, the nobles found themselves outnumbered."
Jack nodded, so the marquess continued.
"That’s when the royal family of Velmira and the nobles had the idea to split the peninsula into two and stage wars. Then the commoners would fight in wars, reducing the amount—"
"Of wasted food and magical resources," Jack cut in with a grin. "Very clever. So the nobles sit back and laugh as the commoners exterminate each other."
The marquess nodded. "This is what we call the Noble Pledge. If we have disputes, they are resolved through staged wars instead of killing each other. The agreement was made hundreds of years ago and has been in place ever since."
Jack caught Evelyn’s shocked face in the corner of his eye but decided to ignore it. "You still haven’t explained why you appear on my doorstep, Marquess. Have I broken this Noble Pledge? Victor was a bastard son cast away from your family; this Noble Pledge doesn’t protect such disgraces."
Richard Cunningdal nodded sadly. "That is not why I am here... Prince August is a threat to all of us. I also have suspicions that he has turned his faction into undead puppets and has therefore violated the Noble Pledge."
Jack shook his head, white hair falling over his blood-red eyes. "I am merely an honorary duke awarded with this wasteland. The vampires reside outside Velmira and Veranthos’s jurisdiction, and I never agreed to follow such a pledge. Therefore, if your wish is to call me to arms, I will have to disappoint you."
"Are you not of the princess’s faction? I heard you taught the princess magic, and Beldroth said you would support us in the civil war."
Jack licked his lips. "The princess... has something I need. It’s a mutual agreement. If she ascends to power, then I am glad, but this matter of the prince... is of no concern to me."
The marquess bit his lip and mulled over his thoughts. "We need a location to train and plan. Jannalor suggested Blackthorn, and I agreed with him. So is there a way we could stay here?"
Jack struggled to hold back a smile.
’Seems I have more power over the conversation than I thought; the fear of the unknown is a powerful trump card. He doesn’t know my motives or backing and therefore is being cautious even though he could squash me like a bug and wipe Blackthorn from the map in a single night with such a massive army placed outside.’
"Marquess... I believe this could be the start of a fruitful partnership. But unfortunately, the princess faction is small. If Prince August has already taken control of the nobles in Velmira, then there is little hope left for Velmira’s continued existence. The end is coming, and you know it."
Jack leaned back in the leather chair and interlocked his fingers above his knee. "You wish to prevent your territory from being destroyed as you find yourself surrounded by ’enemies’ on all sides. Blackthorn to the north, Veranthos to the east, and Velmira to the south. Although the wars are staged, there are still tensions between Velmira and Veranthos, and if a civil war broke out, Veranthos nobles would swarm your lands like vultures. As a result, you would find yourself penniless, robbed blind of all you hold dear."
Jack stood up and tried to use levitation to escape the chair’s comfortable clutches but found Varn’s wild mana interfering with his spell. He pushed himself up with a grunt and walked over to the window.
"The wastelands are vast and filled with many hidden secrets sealed away behind monstrosities warped by mana. They are far too numerous for me, but conquering the wastelands is possible with an army." Jack paused. "I support the princess, and our objectives align." He gestured at the shabby Blackthorn town outside the window. "But this is honestly pathetic. Blackthorn needs resources and a workforce to recover. So here is my proposition, Marquess."
A shadow cast over his face as his fangs glistened in the morning sunlight. "Let’s form our own nation; combine the vast wastelands with the territory of Cunningdal. Together, we would rule the top half of the peninsula."
The marquess’s mouth hung open. "But—"
"Listen," Jack interrupted the man. "Once we defeat the prince, we put the princess on the throne as a mere puppet. We then gather power together here in the wastelands. Trust me, within the year, we will have the fighting potential to deal with anything Velmira and Veranthos could throw at us."
"But the Noble Pledge..."
Jack smiled. "My nation has no such thing. Stay as a marquess, hiding in fear within your border territory, and continue your phony and pointless wars. Or join me and become so much more."
The marquess looked toward Evelyn in thought before lowering his head; his long, reddish-brown hair fell over his aged face. He then began chuckling, which devolved into full-on laughter. His booming voice filled the room; even Nicholas joined in the merry laughter. Varn collapsed in the corner in exhaustion. The wild mana faded away.
The marquess slowly stood, gasping for breath from laughing too hard. He then locked eyes with Jack and grinned. "Interesting! I got bored of these staged wars anyway. I like the way you think, you crazy bastard."
Richard Cunningdal reached out his massive hand. "Looking forward to our future success, Your Highness."
With great relief, Jack shook the outstretched hand. "Likewise, may we prosper together."
As they completed the handshake, forming a brand-new nation between human and vampire, a voice whispered in the back of Jack’s head. It had always been there—since the beginning. But it was becoming louder and louder as the days went on, taunting him to no end...
’You cannot escape a [Villain’s Fate].’
’I don’t know what you are, but know this—’ Jack narrowed his eyes. ’I was kind once—then the world taught me better. You made me a villain in your story, but I’ll make myself a god in mine. So, whoever you are that sent me here, just sit back and watch me defy fate itself.’
He turned and looked out the window at the distant horizon. Whatever happened, he refused to die a pitiful third-rate villain like the world so desperately desired. Instead, he would strive forth with everything he had to become an unbeatable final boss. Only once he stood at the apex of this world could he defy the [villain fate]
{Thank you for sticking with me so far! We’ve made it to the end of the volume one! And It can only keep getting interesting so stick with me! Vote, comment and also recommend}