Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 5

“Of the same level?”

The Vampire King, Vlad, twitched his cheek, a subtle sign of his disbelief.

He had become a vampire in ancient times, back when humans still lived as hunter-gatherers.

Having been human himself, he retained a particular fondness for human blood, maintained frequent contact with humans, and considered himself an expert on their kind.

Therefore, he found Raeragon’s words preposterous.

‘Humans are an inferior race. How could they possibly become strong without transcending their inherent limitations, as I have?’

“Nonsense,” Vlad scoffed.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Raeragon gestured toward Edar with a tilt of his chin.

Edar picked up a piece of bread from the silver plate before him and placed it in his mouth.

Only the sound of his chewing filled the otherwise silent conference room.

“Delicious.”

“It’s called Mobrang. A pastry created to commemorate the Battle of Brang.”

“They fashioned the bread in the shape of the enemy’s symbol at the time,” Edar added.

“You seem well-informed?”

Raeragon’s eyes gleamed with interest.

Edar wiped the crumbs from his lips with a finger.

“Do you have a question for me, Vlad von Holstein?”

Vlad scrutinized Edar, his eyes narrowed.

‘He knows me? How is that possible?’

He shot a glance at Raeragon, who simply shrugged.

‘If not Raeragon, then who?’

No one else present could have introduced Vlad.

‘Strange indeed.’

No human who had ever laid eyes on Vlad had lived to return to human society.

The only times Vlad, who resided far from human civilization, encountered humans were when he sought a meal.

Vlad wasn’t a mere mosquito content with a few drops of blood.

He was a monster who sank his teeth into flesh and gorged himself until his belly was full, leaving not a single drop behind.

To see Vlad meant to be devoured, and the prey never survived.

“Who are you?” Vlad demanded.

“Edar. The eldest son of Duke Thredret.”

“Thredret, you say?”

Wasn’t that the most powerful noble family in Germania, arguably the most powerful of the human kingdoms?

Humans had never truly established an empire, but Germania came closest to achieving that feat.

Thredret was a powerful noble whose influence rivaled that of the king within Germania, but…

‘At the end of the day, he’s still just a human.’

Does an ant become human simply because it holds the greatest power among the ants in the garden?

To Vlad, Germania and Thredret were essentially the same: insignificant.

An ant remains an ant, and because it is not human, it cannot comprehend human affairs.

‘Yet this man knows me, despite being human.’

Humans were an inferior race, so fragile that their bones would shatter with a mere breath.

However, the human before him spoke of things a weakling should not know.

‘Even his presence… There’s a strange feeling that he’s not entirely human.’

‘Perhaps I should provoke him and gauge his reaction?’

He extended his index finger, willing blood to coalesce at its tip.

With Vlad’s power, it could be launched like a needle, piercing the human’s skull in an instant.

“Do you have something to say, Vlad?” Edar asked, his voice calm.

Their eyes met.

Vlad retracted his outstretched finger.

A strangely ominous feeling, present since he entered the conference room, now intensified.

He realized it emanated from Edar.

‘He’s not simply fearless.’

There are two ways to assess an opponent’s strength: direct combat or intuitive assessment.

Vlad couldn’t discern the depth in Edar’s eyes.

His intuition screamed that Edar’s power was far greater than his own.

He never ignored his intuition.

“How do you know me?” he asked, abandoning any pretense.

He didn’t bother with the expected denial, ‘Thredret couldn’t possibly know me.’

Edar gently rotated the teacup in his hand, a corner of his mouth lifting in a subtle sneer.

It was as if he were privy to Vlad’s innermost thoughts.

“I wonder,” Edar replied cryptically.

Vlad felt as though an unresolvable suspicion had solidified into a massive wall erected between them.

Faced with this barrier, he hesitated to advance, instead locking eyes with Edar in a silent, tense standoff.