Marquis Lellar.

The one responsible for the front against the surviving humans on that southern island.

From what Jinlei had experienced, most nobles were trash who strutted around relying on nothing but the power engraved into their blood despite not having much ability of their own.

People like Rashir, who had lost his life not long ago, were the perfect example.

"Not at all."

But

not all of them were like that.

"There are soldiers and ghouls of native origin under my command as well. I once tried to conquer that island using information gathered through them."

"......"

"Those weapons themselves were ones taken from native outposts at key locations in the lands we seized, so the strategy of trying to use them was not difficult in itself. But I had no choice but to give up soon enough. No matter how many 'firearms' there were, the natives on that island had the ability to intercept them. I judged that at best, dragging it into a war of attrition was the limit."

The sun that had floated above that island.

She had merely been unable to truly show what she could do because she had been blocked by that wall, an absolute weakness none of the vampires could possibly oppose.

She was a genuine expert who knew how to employ real tactics.

"But...... what you brought back was different."

As if recalling the sight she had seen not long ago, she spoke with a dazed expression.

"Through the natives' knowledge, I knew the concept of it and the terror surrounding it...... but witnessing it in reality exceeded imagination."

It did not have the power to burn them just from being touched by its light like that sun did.

A powerful shockwave had surged out, but it had not reached them outside the island.

Even so.

She could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

"Even from far away, I could tell. That heat was hotter than the sun itself. If I had been in the center of it, even I...... no, even °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the Grand Duke might not have endured it......"

"If it had been the Grand Duke, I believe the Grand Duke would have endured."

"......Heh. If you truly believe that, then I shall call it admirable reverence."

She gave a faint laugh and said,

"That was clearly a weapon treated as extremely important even among the natives. Very few knew its location, and even fewer would have known how to activate it. I considered trying it myself, but gave it up because there was no one at all who properly knew how. If it had not been for you...... handling such a weapon would have been absolutely impossible."

"You give me too much credit."

"......Though, come to think of it, was it not because of you that our bloodline has now become able to seek prosperity again like this?"

Her eyes turned toward Jinlei.

"At present, you are in an ambiguous position, neither one of the bloodline nor quite an outsider."

"......"

"But once that land has been occupied, things will be different. That was the promise between you and the Grand Duke."

A smile spread across her lips.

"You resolved what had been giving me trouble so easily. When that time comes...... I may even be able to arrange a seat for you in the council."

At those words, Jinlei lowered his head and thought,

'The Marquis is the vice chair of the bloodline council.'

The bloodline was under the rule of the Grand Duke, the absolute sovereign.

But it was impossible for the Grand Duke to decide every major and minor matter personally.

Most of the bloodline's affairs were not decided by the Grand Duke, but by the gathering of major nobles, the council.

"......Thank you."

The Marquis Lellar he knew was not someone who liked jokes.

There was a very high chance those words were sincere.

The moment his promise with the Grand Duke was fulfilled, Marquis Lellar would become a powerful ally.

"......Still, I remain somewhat concerned."

This was certainly a good thing, but Jinlei opened his mouth carefully.

And for good reason.

"Is it truly necessary for Your Excellency to head to that island personally as well?"

At this very moment, someone that important was moving directly toward the island.

At that, the Marquis let out a hollow laugh and said,

"Do not be too greedy, whelp."

"......"

"This matter succeeded almost entirely thanks to you, so I understand wanting to monopolize the credit. But if you monopolize too much of it, you will draw the envy of many."

The bloodline was indeed a family.

But there was its own complicated competition within it.

"It was I who held this front and kept the natives' territory from expanding. That means I also have the right to share in the credit."

The Grand Duke left that competition alone for the sake of the bloodline's revival and even encouraged it.

"If I share in that credit, the others will not be able to complain too much, so this is for your sake as well. Since your contribution is great, this is my own consideration toward you. It would be wise to restrain your greed."

"......I had not thought that far ahead. But that is not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

Looking toward the island that was beginning to draw closer, he spoke as if he were genuinely worried.

"I succeeded in securing two nuclear warheads. The first was successfully detonated according to plan, but...... the truly important one was the second. The first was merely a setup to make sure the second warhead hit properly."

"Hm, you did mention that."

"That second explosion...... started, and then stopped. Since the operation failed, most of the natives on that island are probably badly injured but still alive. It is possible that...... that sun may rise again."

"......Ah, so that was what you meant."

At those words, Marquis Lellar smiled faintly.

"There is no need to worry about that part."

"......"

"The moment that sun vanished...... I felt it clearly."

Her red eyes began to narrow into long vertical slits.

"There were many concerns within the bloodline about who it could be, to be using a method from the long-destroyed Empire. Maintaining a sun of that size for so long...... even if the Pope of the Empire had led the bishops here, I doubt it would have been possible."

But when the sun vanished, she had caught a scent.

Not one a younger noble might recognize.

But a scent that could not deceive her.

"Once I learned what it really was, I almost found it pitiful instead."

The scent of a great noble long thought to have already perished ages ago.

"So it could not defeat us by the proper method, and in the end it was no more than the futile struggle of a routed remnant, resisting while dredging up memories from a distant age before it became a noble."

Once, she had quietly feared that loser greatly.

But in the end, it had vanished along with the downfall of the bloodline.

"The Grand Duke suspected that remnants like that might be hiding somewhere. The Melchiorn main castle is far too vast and complex, after all. It is certainly impressive that suspicion proved correct, but......"

Puhut.

She wore an openly mocking smile.

"Still, no matter how much it thought it could not defeat us with its own strength...... to throw away its body for the natives' sake?"

In the end, it had spent all its strength stopping that explosion.

"Did it judge that doing so would improve the odds, even if only a little? To struggle so pitifully, casting aside even a noble's pride. The flailing of a fool is a truly pathetic thing."

No matter how great a noble that one had once been, by now it had probably become something that could not even move properly.

"It has already lost its power. It may have tried, in its own way, to teach that power to others as well...... but that sun was a power difficult for humans to handle in the first place. Even if it hurried to teach it to the natives, there will be no enemy among them capable of threatening me."

In truth, her prediction was fairly accurate.

The former noble who had created the sun was now in such a state that even breathing properly had become difficult, and as for the others it had been teaching for the future, there were only three who had received proper instruction, and even their level was quite low.

"Well, we've arrived."

As soon as she reached the island, she stepped onto the ground with complete confidence and said,

"You've earned great merit. Now it's my turn to work."

With those words—

Crunch.

Rumble......

Splash......

from the sea, countless bloodline forces began to reveal themselves.

Not only the Marquis's own troops, but most of the nobles who had been deployed on the front as well.

An overwhelming army landed on the island.

"Though I was blocked by that sun and could not properly demonstrate it, I am one who fought at the vanguard in every war of the bloodline."

......However.

Even she had one blind spot she had failed to foresee.

"I shall show you the tactics I have honed."

No.

Not just her—even someone with tactics and insight greater than hers would never have anticipated it.

"Ah, I should say this in advance: inside there will be another noble of the bloodline who has lost its power. That one is my prey, so do not lay a finger on it."

Regardless of the fact that the one who had made that sun, or those it had taught, could not reproduce that sun—

"Capture it alive, and I shall make it my toy......"

not long ago, a certain chef had arrived on this island, and what kind of effects that chef's cooking could have......

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!!

there was no way anyone could have predicted it.

"......Huh?"

A brilliant ash-gray light dazzlingly lit up the dark world.

***

PAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!

I could feel intense heat pouring down from above my head.

A sun burning so hot it felt like it would melt my body, and so immense it felt as if it were crushing me.

'......It's not my imagination. It really is hot and heavy.'

Which meant maintaining a power of this magnitude was by no means easy.

I moved my feet with difficulty, glanced briefly at the sun, then turned my head and looked toward the edge of the island.

Saaaaa......

An enormous amount of ash scattering in the wind, and grotesque corpses shriveled dry of blood.

'The vampires' traces.'

Just as expected.

The moment Karhin's sun disappeared, those bastards had invaded the island with everything they had.

Of course,

[You have gained experience.]

[You have gained experien......]

[You have gained experie......]

now, they had all become my experience points.

'Damn it, just how many of them had been pouring in?'

Even though quite a bit of time had already passed, the experience gain logs still kept rising in my field of vision.

'If a wave of monsters that size had actually landed on the island and fought......'

Even the people of this land, who had learned [Hunting Methods], would have been helpless before a monstrous tide of that scale.

But

not anymore.

An overwhelming flood of experience points pouring in to the point of nausea.

I absorbed them one by one and moved forward with heavy steps, one step at a time.

"Everyone, that man...... no."

And behind me, while that was happening,

"Follow him!"

"Now that the sun that protected us has risen again!"

the awakened gathered in the explosion crater, shouting noisily,

"Follow the guidance of the sun!!!"

"We are returning to our homeland, the continent!!!!"

were rallying all the awakened scattered across the island behind my back.