# Enhanced Translation
People are the same everywhere, and proverbs remain similar across nations, ethnicities, and even interdimensional barriers.
For example, where one might say "The walls have ears," in Krasilov Kingdom, it translates differently.
Daytime rumors are collected by the Internal Intelligence Bureau of the Counterintelligence Command. Even more meticulously if the subject is nobility or influential. The Bureau's competence extends to knowing the exact number of teacups in provincial nobles' salons.
Nighttime rumors, at least within Pritzenkaya city limits, are heard by vampires. (Bats have hearing at least six times more sensitive than humans within the audible frequency range.)
Of course, the Internal Intelligence Bureau was efficient at night too, and vampires had sharp ears during the day, so both collected rumors regardless of time.
"Ooh..."
"Wow..."
Huddled together on the terrace behind the curtains instead of under the eaves, master and disciple were swallowing hard.
Lucia kept her eyes covered while repeatedly uttering exclamations. For reference, covering her eyes didn't obscure any information since they were eavesdropping through walls anyway. It was more about focusing on her hearing.
"Ugh... they're doing that there like that?"
"Whew... *sip*"
In the cultural nation of Joseon, people would drill holes in rice paper windows for peeping. Sadly, this tradition disappeared when people stopped using paper for windows.
However, Krasilov's vampires possessed persistence and thoroughness that wouldn't be deterred by non-paper windows. Bats could use echolocation, allowing them to convert sound to visual information within audible frequencies.
In other words, they could practically see images just by hearing sounds.
Especially repetitive sounds.
Especially intense sounds.
Fortunately, they weren't dogs, so they weren't disturbed by repetitive and intense sounds.
"By the way, Master?"
"Sip... hm... yes?"
"Shouldn't we stop them?"
"Stop what? Why?"
"Well, that... um...?"
Lucia, who had been deeply focused, tilted her head as she peeked through her fingers at her respected master's face.
To be frank, her perception of Ivan didn't extend much beyond "admiration for a capable but annoying senior."
He was impressive, capable, somewhat annoying, and even somewhat her type, but still.
But wasn't her master different? Enrique openly flirted with Ivan. The depth of emotion, the years spent together—it was different.
And to Lucia, who was half-human, half-vampire with slightly more human ethics, romantic relationships were fundamentally 1:1 matches.
"Well, why... if the princess... no, if Her Majesty monopolizes our senior like this, won't you miss your turn, Master?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"What?"
The full vampire seemed to have a different opinion.
"How much longer will Elizabeta live? Maybe 60 more years?"
"...Pardon?"
Surprisingly, she shared the same opinion as a certain elf imprisoned in the underground dungeon at that same moment.
"Will any other girls even be visible in 60 years? I'll still be this beautiful."
"I can't deny that... but, um. I mean, if I may say so... Senior will age too, won't he?"
"Aha!"
Enrique nodded with a giggle. Ivan is human, so he'll age, of course.
Unlike the young elf, this cunning vampire had a definite solution for this issue.
"I just need to bite him once!"
"Wow."
"What else can he do? I'm an Elder, what's he going to do about it?"
"That's true."
Lucia, who now allocated more ethical modules to her vampire side than her human side, nodded in admiration.
"But if that's the case, wouldn't it be better to bite him now?"
"Nah, I can't win against him right now."
"...Pardon?"
"Well, I'd have to try to know for sure... maybe 50-50? I'm slightly disadvantaged in direct confrontation, slightly advantaged in prolonged battles? It varies depending on circumstances and conditions... I'm not sure. Can't be certain."
But humans cannot escape aging.
"Humans weaken as they age, but vampires grow more powerful the longer they live. Remember this, Lucia. Of all the races in this world, time is always definitively on our side. Never be impatient, under any circumstances."
"I'm grateful for your teaching."
"Yes, yes. There's nothing we can do anyway. Bring me a blood pack, Lucia."
Lucia nodded with emotion, feeling her respect for her master grow even greater. Enrique closed her eyes while deliciously sipping the emergency blood pack Lucia had brought out.
"Gulp."
"Wow, it's going up there...? Ugh... *sip*"
"Phew."
Ivan exhaled briefly as he rose from his place. The mingled body scents made him dizzy. And something else was bothering him unbearably.
He roughly wrapped a blanket around himself, strode over, and flung the window wide open.
"Oh."
"Hello, my disciple!"
There in the corner of the terrace were Enrique, waving her hand with a bright smile, and Lucia, whose face was bright red as she shifted her gaze around.
Standing in the cool night air with steam rising from his body, Ivan asked:
"What are you doing here?"
"Watching...?"
"Visiting the sick...?"
The two vampires answered with sheepish grins. It was interesting that Enrique's answer was more honest.
"Um, I can't get up right now, Master. My, uh, legs are weak..."
"It was too intense a sight to use as sex education material."
Sadly, there were no axes in the palace chambers. Ivan, unfazed, raised his fist. Seeing his stance, Enrique stood up with a giggle.
"Is Elizabeta alright?"
"She's sleeping."
"Shouldn't that be described as 'passed out'...?"
Enrique glanced at the situation inside the bedroom and clicked her tongue. The silhouette of a proper lady collapsed in an improper posture was visible.
"Do you have something to report?"
"To whom? To Elizabeta? No, not really. I genuinely just came to see you since you were awake. I really came to check on you and was just waiting because it felt awkward to leave!"
Shouldn't one normally come back later rather than wait and eavesdrop in such situations?
Ivan shook his head at the uncivilized customs of this pre-modern fantasy world.
"She was making sounds rather inappropriate for a proper noblewoman..."
"Makes me want to turn her into a proper vampire."
"Good, you seem mentally and emotionally stable. Let's take a walk."
Enrique grinned and nodded toward the garden beyond the terrace.
"I have so much I want to hear."
Beolgrin is gone. Whether dead or annihilated isn't certain, but the difference is essentially nonexistent. It means he no longer exists in this world.
The elves created the Seven Dragon Generals and died. This implies that the Seven Dragon Generals can be "manufactured." Though it requires artifacts like Milestones, who can say with certainty that only one such thing exists in the world?
Two important implications arise from this.
First, there are extremely few individuals within the United Kingdoms who can defeat a Seven Dragon General, and at least four more Seven Dragon General-level beings are still alive.
Second, somewhere, a new Seven Dragon General could be born.
"These are troubled times."
After hearing the full explanation, Enrique shook her head with a bitter smile. Moonlight illuminated the garden. All kinds of flowers decorated the spring garden of Pritzenkaya Palace.
"So the ones remaining are me, Einarr, that fool, and Patricia. Just the three of us."
"Patricia would have lost her power."
"Yes. There are no more Hero Parties left in the United Kingdoms."
Ivan wasn't surprised by the news that divine power had disappeared. If Beolgrin's "world free from divine intervention" had arrived, it would be normal for divine power to vanish.
Even if grace had been bestowed capriciously, the disappearance of all types of divine power also signified the weakening of the United Kingdoms.
After all, priests' healing arts were an extremely valuable strategic resource on the battlefield.
"The Church's authority will plummet. So that's why."
"Hmm?"
"Beolgrin asked me to protect Patricia. He must have anticipated this too."
"Then shall we make some more predictions?"
Enrique stretched and continued.
"Even if divine power disappears and authority diminishes, not everyone will lose faith. But now the Church's authenticity... say, the 'integrity of faith' will begin to be questioned."
"Power holders whose authority is questioned tend to divert attention with extreme policies."
"Do you think the Pope will do the same?"
"Has there ever been a power holder as strong as the Pope?"
"Then what form will these 'extreme' policies take?"
"They'll instigate internal division."
Enrique readily nodded at Ivan's words. Divide and rule is practically a fundamental doctrine of governance.
"On what grounds?"
"I suspect something like, 'Unbelievers have corrupted the Church, causing God to abandon us.'"
"I think so too. What else, my disciple?"
"Beolgrin asked me to protect Patricia."
Asking someone to protect another implies that person is exposed to danger.
Therefore...
"Simply targeting a few for interrogation won't help much. To alleviate the Pope's burden, it would be appropriate to dispose of someone whose impact would be significant."
"And Patricia has been in this country since the year before last."
"It's convenient to explain that a high-ranking priest who left for a foreign country has apostatized."
Ivan closed his eyes heavily.
"Tilles has become paralyzed, and Kalion is no longer a unified country. The political landscape of the United Kingdoms will change now."
The United Kingdoms consists of a loose federation of 10 countries. It encompasses all human nations that united to fight against the demon armies.
Ten countries excluding those that perished during that time. Among them, Kalion, Tilles, Droan, and Krasilov are classified as major powers.
This classification isn't simply based on territory, war mobilization capacity, or economic power.
It refers to powerful nations that were forced to bleed the most in the war against the Demon King's army yet managed to survive without perishing. This means they were able to claim the most spoils after the war.
Countries other than these four dared not establish military governments or colonies in demon territories. The gap in national power between them would only grow larger over time.
However, now Kalion is divided, and Tilles has lost more than half of its national body.
The post-war period, the current era, could be called "difficult times for everyone." Most of the population was lost during the war, and economic power has hit rock bottom.
In these challenging times, rulers tend to attribute the cause not to their own inadequacies but to the machinations of other countries. It's more rational that way.
"If the Papal State officially condemns Krasilov in the midst of this..."
"A crusade will break out."
"Crusade?"
"Holy war."
The demon territories are too distant, barren, and dangerous. Seven Dragon Generals are beings that armies cannot face.
But now there are almost no strong individuals comparable to the Seven Dragon Generals left in the United Kingdoms. All those who could be considered immediate combat assets are dead.
Beolgrin, Maximillian, Gil Ber, Einarr. These four were the real strength of the Hero Party.
Maximillian's disappearance is already widely known, and Gil Ber's death has long been spread throughout the United Kingdoms.
Although Beolgrin's death hasn't been announced, he wasn't particularly respected within the United Kingdoms to begin with. Elves don't directly interfere in inland politics. (Though they always do indirectly.)
Finally, Einarr...
"Cannot leave Droan."
The moment Einarr leaves with his forces, Droan will fracture. That kingdom of barbarians is maintained solely by Einarr's personal charisma.
Einarr couldn't even leave his wife and children in his homeland and had to take them to the battlefield. This implies he judged the frontlines against the demons to be safer than his own country.
"My goodness."
Enrique looked at Ivan with a giggle.
"You're isolated?"
Finding oneself isolated without having done anything.
In response to Enrique's words, Ivan nodded gravely and answered:
"The United Kingdoms is finished, Enrique."
The dwarves, once classified as part of the demon army, have joined hands with Krasilov.
The elves, once classified as part of the united forces, have attempted to extend their reach inland.
The Papal State, which led everyone's faith and maintained the center of the United Kingdoms, is about to declare a holy war against the United Kingdoms itself.
Now there is no god in this land, and thus humans will live in a more human form than at any other time or moment.
"These are troubled times."
This must be human instinct.
Historically, humans have always belonged to the category of carnivores that prey on other humans. Through nations, economies, cultures, and even ideologies.