"Can we leave now?" the leader asked Norton with a strained smile.

"Of course, but first, you need to answer a few questions for me," Norton replied. "Where are you from, and what brings you to Sylvannia?"

The leader quickly answered, "We are a group of free soldiers, hired by Lord Hal of the Border Princes to protect him as he conducts trade in your country."

Norton understood the situation—they were mercenaries from the Border Princes, known as one of the most chaotic regions of the Old World. He preferred to view them as "hired soldiers," or as others in the Old World would call them, "Dogs of War."

These were men who followed the scent of blood, making their living by selling their strength with no regard for honor or loyalty. As long as they were paid, they worked for anyone, including Sylvannian vampires, dark elves, or northern barbarians.

"Trading… is he a merchant? And you address him as 'Lord'?" Norton asked mockingly.

"For a true noble like you, no one can compare. But for us poor free soldiers, anyone who pays our wages is 'Lord,'" the mercenary leader replied, even flattering Norton a bit.

"Very well, you may leave," Norton laughed again. With a snap of his fingers, the door swung open, and fresh air flowed back into the room. The group of soldiers felt as if they had been resurrected, realizing only then how suffocating the atmosphere had been, as if they had been in another world. At the tavern entrance, a regiment of tomb guardians—a hundred strong—stood silently, striking terror into their hearts.

They understood that if they had truly clashed with this seemingly small vampire, they would have surely perished.

"These bats have a sinister nature. Dammit, I’m never coming back here," many of the mercenaries vowed internally, though their promises held as much weight as a leaf in the wind—easily swayed if the price was right.

"Thank you for your mercy," the mercenary leader sighed in relief, thanking Norton once more before hastily leading his men away, as if pursued by an entire regiment of ogres.

"As for that one... cut off his limbs and hang him on the city wall. Let everyone know what happens when you offend us in Sylvannia," Norton instructed the tomb guardians that had gathered. He had summoned them through the winds of magic, and upon hearing his order, the lead guardian promptly drew its sword and severed the insensible man’s limbs in a series of swift strokes. The undead soldiers saluted Norton again before dragging the unfortunate soul away, leaving a trail of blood behind. The sight of a limbless, maimed man caused some panic in the city, but it quickly subsided.

After the guardians departed, Norton turned to the innkeeper, who had witnessed the entire scene and was now slumped on the ground. "Is the milk ready yet?"

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"It’ll be ready right away," the innkeeper stammered, scrambling to his feet and nodding vigorously before attempting to run to the kitchen. His panic-stricken demeanor amused Norton.

"Forget it. If it’s not ready, don’t bother. Maya, let’s go home."

"Yes, young master..." Maya replied, feeling uneasy after witnessing Norton’s calm execution of such a brutal punishment. She was more obedient than usual.

Leaving aside the fact that the young master of the von Carstein family had been casually killing in the city, the freed soldiers returned to their lodgings and recounted the events to their employer, the smuggler Hal, who had come to Sylvannia for "business."

Having traded with Sylvannia multiple times, Hal knew the gravity of the situation. Upon hearing that his mercenaries had offended a vampire noble, he was furious enough to want to kill them himself. But when they described the young vampire’s age and features, Hal quickly deduced that it was the only male heir of the von Carstein family—a future count high above the common vampire.

His first thought was to pack up and flee, fearing reprisals not from the young master but from other vampire nobles upon learning of the incident.

However, his second thought soon dominated:

He couldn’t leave. Not only was it uncertain if he could escape this vampiric country, but the loss would be catastrophic. Sylvannia's economic isolation by other "righteous" countries made smuggling extremely lucrative.

Hal’s wealth, as a fallen noble of the Sigma Empire and a major smuggler at the Border Princes, depended heavily on trade with Sylvannia—the import of weapons and metal from the Sigma Empire to the war-torn Border Princes, and bodies, bones, and luxury goods needed by the vampires to Sylvannia. He then exported magical industrial products from Sylvannia back to the Sigma Empire. This triangular trade could quintuple his profit with each run, and such lucrative opportunities were rare.

While big merchants had many ways to make money, and small merchants could easily rebuild after a loss, Hal, a middling merchant, couldn’t afford to lose this route.

"I need to fix this. Turn this loss into a gain. If I can satisfy the vampires, I might benefit from this misfortune," Hal resolved, deciding to use all his resources to appease the young vampire and seek his forgiveness. Establishing a relationship with him would be the best outcome.

With this plan, Hal selected gifts and personally went to the Drakenhof City lord’s residence, seeking an audience with Count von Carstein to make amends.

Meanwhile, Norton had no intention of pursuing the matter further. Killing the one who had offended him was sufficient. By the time he returned to the castle, he had forgotten the incident, directing the driver to tidy the carriage and Maya to clean the house while he headed to the basement to conduct experiments.

Though Norton learned quickly, he had yet to fully grasp the underlying principles of his knowledge. To rectify this, he frequently visited the alchemy labs, conducting various magical and alchemical experiments to truly master his studies.

The time-consuming nature of his magical experiments meant that by the time Norton had finished a few, it was time to leave. Vampires left the underground armory and labs in pairs and groups. Norton, after some thought, returned to Drakenhof Castle to rest.

He summoned Maya to pour him a glass of juice, fetch some pastries, and bring the phonograph he had made earlier to play music. Once Maya had completed these tasks, Norton sat in the first-floor hall, enjoying juice, pastries, and music.

After a while, the sound of a carriage reached his ears. The castle’s main door opened, and to Norton’s surprise, it was not his sister Juana but his mother, Lady Windsor, who entered.