Episode 102: The Attack on the Count’s Mansion
Several nights had passed since Siegfried von Kreving departed for the Eastern Army—within the Kreving Count’s mansion.
The butler, Evan Easton, was reviewing a pile of documents in the study.
In Siegfried’s absence, he had been granted broad decision-making authority, effectively acting as the ‘proxy head of the household.’
Of course, major matters required Siegfried’s judgment, but routine affairs were entirely entrusted to Evan.
While silently reading a report, he mentally confirmed its contents.
(A report from Byuren Village about an aging bridge—understood. Urgent repairs are needed. I’ll arrange for carpenters.)
He made a swift decision and reached for another document.
(This one… an offer from a merchant to broker artwork. Lord Siegfried has instructed me to flatly decline such proposals. I’ll politely refuse.)
Evan went through the documents one after another, making quick judgments.
He had always excelled at administrative tasks, but now, having become a vampire with no physical fatigue, his processing ability was extraordinary.
At that moment—
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking broke the silence.
“…Is there something you need?”
Almost simultaneously with Evan’s question, the door opened.
A woman appeared, her silver hair flowing beautifully, clad in a maid outfit yet exuding an overwhelming presence.
A legendary vampire who once brought two nations to ruin. One of the ‘Seven Great Calamities’—Celestina van Volfenstein.
“Good evening, Sebastian.”
“…I am not Sebastian, but Evan, Lady Celestina.”
“Hehe… right, my mistake.”
With a bewitching smile, she spoke.
“They’re here.”
“They’re… here?”
“The enemy—they’re here.”
◇
In the forest stretching behind the Kreving Count’s mansion, several men moved stealthily through the dim trees, muffling their footsteps.
Each carried a weapon, their appearances clearly marking them as no ordinary men.
They were rogues, reeking of the underworld.
“…Just to be sure, let’s go over the job one more time.”
One of them, a man with a scar on his cheek, whispered to his companions in a low, restrained voice.
“Our task is to set fire to the Kreving Count’s mansion and burn it to the ground. As for the pesky servants… do whatever you want with them.”
“Got it loud and clear, Boss.”
Another man responded with a vulgar grin.
“This is a cushy job, ain’t it? The head of the house, Siegfried, is off leading the army. It’s mostly just servants in the mansion, right?”
When Siegfried departed, he had left half his soldiers to guard the territory.
However, those soldiers were scattered across various villages, tasked with patrolling and maintaining security.
The mansion itself was guarded by only a handful of soldiers.
“Easy job, no doubt. But don’t get sloppy and screw it up.”
The man called Boss warned his crew sharply.
“If word gets out that we burned a noble’s mansion and killed their servants, even we won’t get off scot-free. Kill every witness.”
The mastermind behind this attack was a man who once served as the top student at the military academy—Randolph von Rekrem-Steyart.
He had been utterly crushed by Siegfried in a territorial dispute.
Even now, he suffered daily from searing pain in his organs, a lingering effect of the attack he endured then.
Yet, as a man Siegfried himself acknowledged as a ‘mid-tier boss,’ his tenacity was far from ordinary.
Despite his agony, he meticulously planned his revenge against Siegfried.
The target—the Kreving Count’s household, now without Siegfried.
He knew full well that a direct confrontation offered no chance of victory.
Thus, with Siegfried absent, this was the perfect opportunity for retribution.
However, he couldn’t mobilize the soldiers of the Steyart Duchy.
If his involvement were exposed, Siegfried’s wrath would surely drag him to the depths of hell.
So, Randolph turned to the underworld.
“Who’s the client this time, Boss?”
Another man posed the question.
The Boss shot him a sharp glare.
“…Don’t pry into the client’s identity.”
Prying into the client was the ultimate taboo for them.
For nobles who hired underworld organizations, nothing was more detestable than having their identities exposed.
In this case, only the Boss knew the client’s identity.
“No unnecessary questions. That’s how we, the ‘Bear Fang Syndicate,’ operate.”
The ‘Bear Fang Syndicate.’ A moderately notorious group in the Kirchhen Kingdom’s underworld.
Extortion, illegal gambling, slave trading, and assassination—
For the right price, they’d carry out any atrocity without hesitation.
Interestingly, they maintained a certain relationship with noble society.
After all, even nobles had ‘troublesome matters’ they couldn’t handle publicly.
In such cases, they hired underworld operatives to keep their hands clean.
If exposed, only the hired thugs would take the fall.
The noble could continue their daily life, their public image untarnished.
“Heh, sorry for stepping outta line, Boss. Well… long as we get to raise some hell, I’m happy.”
The men nodded, muttering to themselves.
“Heh heh… the folks working at a count’s mansion are probably a bunch of stuck-up pricks. Can’t wait to hear their screams.”
“Bet there’s plenty of pretty maids, too. Grr… gonna have some fun with ’em.”
“Nothing beats blowing off steam by slaughtering weaklings on a job like this. Man, I can’t wait to kill.”
The men laughed, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
They were men who found pleasure in inflicting pain and taking lives.
That’s why they’d fallen into the underworld. Tonight’s mission was, to them, nothing short of a feast.
But—
The moment they emerged from the forest and the Kreving Count’s mansion came into view—
They saw it. A slender figure, illuminated by moonlight, standing in the darkness.
It stood quietly, yet firmly, like an ancient tree enduring a storm.
There, clad in a butler’s uniform, was an elderly man.
