After Dexter closed the carriage door, his expression grew sharp. Not just him, but Conan as well.
"Morro, fly to the Capital and see what is going on." Conan glanced at the coachman's seat, where Climaco and Morro were sitting. Morro said nothing as he nodded, jumping out of his seat and sauntering off.
Baffled, Climaco had his brows knitted. "What is going on...?"
"Once you reach the borders of the capital, Gustav, the head butler of my residence, will welcome you. I had already sent him a word, so you only need to follow him." Dexter faced Climaco solemnly. "Don't go anywhere and make sure this carriage with my sister in it arrives at my home safely."
"Ye — yes, my Lord." Climaco lowered his head slightly, despite not having any idea what was happening. But his brows rose when Dexter pointed at him.
"Remember what I said. You will only follow Gustav. Anyone might approach you and claim they were Gustav, but unless they come and greet His Majesty, do not stop."
"Yes, my lord." Climaco bowed slightly once more, watching Conan and Dexter exchange a look. When he blinked, those two disappeared without a trace, as if they simply teleported. If not for the fact a shadow went past him like a wind, Climaco would think they just disappeared instead of running at full speed.
"What is going on?" mumbled Climaco, shaking his head, before glancing at the empire standing gloriously from the distance. "Haimirich... it seems Lady Aries is right. This place... is different from the Maganti Empire."
Climaco took a big gulp before he maneuvered the carriage and resumed their journey. He didn't need Morro's instruction anymore since he already knew how to get to their destination. Still, this unsettling feeling after seeing how serious Dexter and Conan have lingered.
Perhaps it was because he knew Haimirich was a vampire's breeding ground, he thought. Or it could be because this was Climaco's first time going to another empire. But then again, Climaco had taken part in Joaquin's venture in claiming other small kingdoms even though he was simply a reserved. The other kingdoms didn't give him this sort of unsettling feeling — it brought him a little nervousness, knowing he could die in the war, but this anxiety settling in his heart was different for sure.
'I need to get stronger to protect her,' he told himself, eyes soaking with determination, slowly embracing the fact this land was the land of the strongest and deadliest. To protect his master — even though she had Abel and those people on her back — Climaco had to do something.
And with that, Climaco navigated the carriage to the empire with this unbending resolution in his head. If the Maganti Empire had been a dangerous place to live in and survive this far, then Haimirich was ten times more dangerous to survive in. The term weak for them was considered strong for humans, and Climaco... would be considered weaker than a mosquito they could squash down easily.
He had to get stronger, even as a human, to protect the master he vowed to protect with his life.
*****
Meanwhile...
"Holy..." Conan gasped as they stood on top of the tower to get a better view of the imperial palace. His eyes went round at the sight he caught, especially at what they were building in the middle of the palace grounds.
"That abomination... what is he doing there?" Dexter mumbled. Unlike Conan, who was focusing on the situation of the imperial palace, Dexter's eyes were fixed on Isaiah's tiny figure. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the duke's surroundings to understand the situation. The Duke was still riding his steed outside the gates of the Imperial Palace.
"They are not granting him entry?" he muttered as he raised his eyes to the glorious imperial palace. "What is going on?"
"What do you mean?" Conan snapped out of his trance and looked at Dexter, only to see the latter looking at the imperial palace. He then noticed Isaiah talking to the knights outside the gates. Conan was quick enough to grasp the situation.
"Who...?" he trailed off, holding his breath. "... could possibly challenge His Majesty like this?"
"It's either someone of his caliber or... just one of those foolish ones who think it is that easy to wear his shoes." Dexter breathed out, eyes still fixed on the imperial palace. "But from how I feel it, it's definitely the former."
Conan let out a sharp scoff, setting his eyes on the thing that caught his attention initially. "A chocolate statue... what is this? A sweet tooth devil?"
"You're getting your priorities wrong." Dexter snapped his eyes and shot Conan a look. "Can't you see the Duke is leaving?"
"Huh?" Conan's eyes fell to where Isaiah previously was. His eyes popped open when Isaiah pulled the reins and was leaving instead of forcing himself in. "What — what's going on? Why is he backing down?"
"How can a pureblood be so slow?" Dexter clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Hah!" Conan scoffed, offended by the marquess's constant dissing. "Because I'm not a hypocrite just like you? You always claim how you hate the blood running in your veins, but still use these non-humans abilities when you want to figure out something."
"I use them because a particular vampire who should be using them isn't doing his job," Dexter argued through his gritted teeth. What Conan said surely hit a nerve as the vein on the marquess's temple protruded.
"Tsk." A glint flickered across Conan's eyes as he hissed, but before this could prolong, Conan raised a question. "So what is it?"
"Nothing."
"What? Are you holding a grudge now and forcing me to scan the situation myself?"
"I mean, I feel nothing," Dexter stressed, setting aside his annoyance, and shifting his attention back to the imperial palace. "Normally, we can size up a vampire and know whether they are stronger or weaker. But if they were like His Majesty... a normal vampire such as myself will feel nothing. I don't know about a pureblood like you."
"Well." Conan cleared his throat as he pondered whether to size things up by borrowing his blood's ability. But before he could decide, both of them caught Morro flying at full speed in their direction.
Dexter raised an arm where Morro landed, and without further ado, Morro's frantic voice came through their heads.
"Too much chocolate! His Majesty! He needs to see the situation in the royal court at once!"
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