Nobles’ blood, passed down from the Great Progenitor.

That blood was exceedingly noble.

And because of that, nobles took immense pride in their blood.

In vampire society, the nobility of that blood was the symbol of their authority.

“...You tried to create a new noble. My God.”

Powerful people, by nature, hate sharing power.

And the nobler the blood, the more cautiously the birth of a new noble was handled.

If a knight rendered outstanding service, most often, that service would be praised and a title bestowed.

On very rare occasions, nobles would also have offspring among themselves.

But.

In both cases, the noble born that way would generally be folded under the one who granted the title—as a subordinate noble.

And yet.

“An equal noble... you tried to create an equal noble.”

Very, very rarely.

So rarely that, across the long history of the nobility, you could count the instances on one hand.

There were cases where a noble was born for reasons other than those.

“And you know what that means in noble society better than anyone, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You knew, and you still did it? Good lord... that’s unbelievable.”

There were nobles who were newly born for reasons other than those.

And.

When the grand duke’s thoughts reached even that possibility...

“Tell me. What was your name?”

“...?”

“Your name.”

He smoothed his hair as he stepped back, then looked down at the one collapsed there in blood and said,

“...My name is Shin Youngjun.”

“I see. By the native culture, I should call you Mister Shin, then.”

And then.

He stared into empty space as if lost in thought for a moment.

“...It seems I was mistaken about this.”

With a deep sigh, he continued,

“I apologize.”

***

“I’m sorry about that, Mister Shin.”

After hearing Ariella’s explanation, the murderous pressure from just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.

With a face full of embarrassment, the grand duke offered me an apology.

‘...?’

It made no sense at all, and I could only stare at his face in a daze.

The grand duke turned to Ariella and said,

“If that was the reason, then I can see why you didn’t make him a knight. Entering that sort of relationship with a thrall... isn’t something that looks good.”

“...You understand?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m not particularly interested in the origins of my own kind. Of course, it isn’t something I’d recommend, either.”

He looked between me and Ariella, then let out a sigh.

“In your case, your origins are similar, so it’s not as though I can’t understand it. And besides, I’m the one asking you for a favor. When you’re the one asking, it’s not your place to criticize someone else’s tastes.”

“If you’re willing to let it go, I can only be grateful.”

“Grateful for what. Anyway.”

Once the hostility in the room had completely settled, the grand duke looked at Ariella with a strange expression and said,

“Isabella is going to be very sad.”

“.......”

“No. Saying that is ridiculous, isn’t it? That child only poured affection out one-sidedly, and it doesn’t seem like you and that man are like that.”

...What?

What kind of {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} conversation was this?

“I understand why you didn’t make him a knight. But then what was that oath? It would’ve been unfavorable to you.”

“I promised I would make him a noble.”

“Hah... you even made a promise. How romantic.”

“But. As you know, Grand Duke, a promise that’s only words can be broken at any time, can it not?”

“That’s true. So?”

“I wanted to show I was serious. So I simply made the promise in a way that could truly be trusted.”

At those words, the grand duke sucked in a deep breath.

“...You’re far more serious than I thought.”

“...Yes.”

“Ha... and here I was, misunderstanding everything. I’m truly sorry.”

He walked up to me again, patted my shoulder, and kept apologizing.

“Indeed... hmm.”

Then, the grand duke studied my face closely.

“Indeed. I don’t know how it is among natives, but looking closely, you do have a rather noble face.”

No.

I mean—

“Come to think of it, even while your life was being threatened earlier, I didn’t feel much fear in your eyes. At the time it only seemed insolent, but now that I think about it, wasn’t it the spirit of someone who feels no fear even before a powerful enemy? When you consider even that... hmm. Your choice isn’t completely incomprehensible.”

What...

are you even saying?

‘Even if everything else aside, why is he suddenly talking about my face?’

I understood that Ariella’s explanation had succeeded in persuading him.

But since I didn’t even understand what that explanation was supposed to mean, the grand duke’s sudden change in attitude made no sense to me.

“Then what you said to me during that succession ceremony was also true.”

“Pardon?”

“If that’s the kind of relationship you have, then... yes. It wouldn’t be strange for you to show your true self during the succession ceremony.”

Whether I understood this situation or not—

“Hah... then it can’t be helped. I have my own promise as well.”

The grand duke kept talking on his own while looking at me, then said,

“I’ll reward you as promised.”

And then, he actually brought it up.

***

“A promise, you say?”

“In truth, during your succession ceremony, I spoke briefly with that man. We made a small wager.”

At that, something came to mind.

—If that really is the case, then the fact that I failed to understand Sir Ariella’s intentions and meddled on my own... intervening in another noble’s affair without permission... that is clearly my mistake. Later, I will provide compensation separately.

—Of course. That is only if what you said is true.

During that succession ceremony, we definitely had that conversation.

And.

‘That was just a shameless lie.’

What I’d said at that ceremony had been a brazen lie, but—

because of Ariella’s explanation,

“Hm... I never imagined it would turn out like this, so I didn’t even think about what compensation I should give. And since I was mistaken, I should give something proper.”

The grand duke had mistaken what I said as the truth, and was saying he had to give me the compensation he’d promised back then.

“Ah, then let’s do this!”

He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded as if he’d come to an insight.

“Sir Ariella. When do you plan to carry out your plan to make Mister Shin a noble?”

“That... well.”

“If you haven’t thought it through in detail, then do it like this.”

On his face, a very benevolent smile spread.

“When you rise above marquis to declare the revival of the Karshtein Bloodline, as I requested. At that time, make him a noble. If you do that...”

I didn’t fully grasp what was happening, but since it sounded like he was giving some kind of reward, I found myself expecting what it would be.

But then—

“At that glorious moment, I will join as well, and I will share my blood with that man.”

After hearing it, the very first thought that came to mind was—

‘Don’t need it.’

Blood as a reward?

What was I supposed to do with that?

But then—

“B-But... are you really all right with that?!”

Ariella cried out in shock.

Startled, I looked at her face.

“T-To bestow the grand duke’s blood on someone who isn’t even a noble yet!”

Ariella looked genuinely horrified.

“I did think it might be a bit excessive. But a promise is a promise, and I tormented you two because of my own misunderstanding. Consider it the meaning of my apology.”

“Even so, such a great reward...”

“Think of it as a bribe—so you’ll grant my request properly.”

Apparently.

It really was an extraordinary reward.

“However, it will likely take quite a long time for you to reach that level of status. So it would be difficult to simply trust this promise.”

“...Pardon?”

“It just so happens I’m pleased to see an old tradition again, as well.”

In that moment, mana gathered near the grand duke’s lips.

“I will make a promise that can be trusted as well.”

“...Don’t tell me!”

“Someday, once Sir Ariella has achieved sufficient status, and makes Mister Shin a knight.”

That mana braided together like a single thread, and then—

I felt it approach my body.

“I will bestow my blood upon Mister Shin.”

And.

The instant that thread touched me—

[A pact has been formed!]

That message rose before my eyes.

***

“This way.”

A little later, we left the building where the grand duke had been staying, and moved under the guidance of a noble who seemed to be in charge of managing this city—Luor.

“The grand duke said that support for Count Ariella would be prepared soon, so until then, you may stay here comfortably.”

My compensation had been decided by that promise, and aside from that, all that remained was the deal to support Ariella’s growth.

So we would wait here until preparations for that support were complete.

“If there is anything you need or any inconvenience at all, please call for me at any time without hesitation.”

“You’re saying I should call for you directly? I could have a thrall do it.”

“Perish the thought. When serving the grand duke’s guest, I cannot possibly use a lowly thrall.”

When we first met, Luor had shown a slightly hostile attitude toward Ariella, but after we returned from meeting the grand duke, Luor was extremely polite.

I could guess why.

At first, we’d entered this city in the position of criminals awaiting judgment.

Now, we had become people acting at the grand duke’s request.

“Then I will take my leave. I hope you have a comfortable time.”

After Luor left like that, I looked around the manor I’d been led to.

‘For a city packed with monsters, this place is way too pretty.’

Was it because this was a space meant to host the grand duke’s guest?

A grand, lavish estate.

So classical and elegant it was hard to believe this was a city crammed full of monsters outside, and it was quiet without a single unpleasant noise.

Yeah.

“.......”

“.......”

In this manor where Ariella and I had been placed, there wasn’t even the sound of conversation—let alone any unpleasant noise.

‘Ahem.’

Normally, this wouldn’t have mattered, but since things were different now—

“Hey.”

I opened my mouth while watching its mood.

Then—

“What is it.”

“.......”

“.......”

At those words, I couldn’t help but form a slightly bitter smile.

There wasn’t anyone around who might overhear, and we had [Mental Language] turned off—

but instead of “What is it?” like “What’s wrong,” it was “What is it.”

Inside, I smiled bitterly and opened my mouth.

“I’ve got a few questions. Can I ask?”

“...Ask.”

“Back there, what you were talking about with the grand duke... this whole ‘making a noble’ thing. What did it even mean?”

I carefully asked what I was most curious about first, but—

at my words,

“...Tsk. Don’t ask that.”

“Oh. Okay.”

With an annoyed look, it frowned and clicked its tongue.

Yeah.

Normally, this wouldn’t have mattered, but things were different now.

‘The pact between Ariella and me was destroyed.’

Literally.

The grand duke grabbed that pact and tore it apart roughly, and it broke.

‘...I never even imagined it was something that could be broken.’

At the time we formed this pact, Ariella had been, at best, around the level of a junior baron.

Even if those words were spoken with mana, that mana itself would’ve been extremely shallow.

So someone like the grand duke really could break it.

And because the pact was destroyed, it could refuse my question.

Seeing that, I watched its mood a little more, then finally gathered my courage and opened my mouth again.

“Then can I ask this one?”

“Depends on what it is.”

The pact had been destroyed.

And if so—

there was one thing that bothered me.

“Why did you save me?”