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nA large palace could be seen at the horizon as the carriage moved forward on the stone-paved road. Keith looked at the magnificent scene in front of him. He could tell that the palace was several kilometers away from the carriage, but he could see it clearly from such a distance.

nSoon, the carriage entered the palace premises and a huge gate appeared. Several vampires were guarding the entrance. They were wearing a dark red suit-like uniform. In their hands, there was a knuckle-like artifact.

nAs soon as the carriage arrived near the entrance, the guards quickly approached it.

n“Invitation token and purpose of your visit.” One of the guards said.

nKeith quickly took out his invitation card and passed it through the window.

n“Keith Ennse. The next leader of the Ennes family.” The guard read all the documents and returned them to him.

n“You can enter the academy premises.” The guard gestured his hands sideways.

nThe gate opened and the carriage entered the palace. The academy was built on the ancient castle that once belonged to an original vampire. That particular ancestor greatly favored education and provided his castle as a place for the bright minds and geniuses together after he entered eternal sleep.

nAfter entering the academy gates, Keith saw the magnificent buildings and gardens spread all around. Many students walked on the premises. Several other carriages also arrived alongside Keith’s as well as officials who entered the academy at the same time as him.

n“Hah! So this is the old ass academy mother used to talk about. This is nothing special. Our palace is even bigger than this.” Someone shouted from behind Keith’s carriage.

nA flamboyant-looking boy stepped out from a luxurious carriage and started to spew whatever came to his mind. His tone was also full of disgust and he cursed every second word he spoke.

n“What the hell? Where are my servants?” The boy looked at the man beside him.

n“We are only allowed to bring one servant for the academy, master.” The man, who looked like a butler, replied.

n“Wastes. How am I going to manage everything if there are not enough servants? I want to talk to the director of the academy. Surely he will allow me to get more servants.” The boy said.

n“No young master, that won’t happen. Your father already tried to negotiate with the director and he refused to change the rules.” The butler replied.

n“Ah, what good is this academy if they can’t give us a couple of servants. Hateful.”

n“Rest assured, master. I will take care of all your affairs and you don’t have to worry about anything.”

nNow that Keith looked at the man again, he sensed his blood core. He was a final stage viscount. Someone of that caliber is a butler of an early-stage baron. Keith was shaking his head.

n‘Clearly, he’s from a powerful family. No one from lower families can afford to employ a butler of this caliber. I wonder which country he’s from?’

nBefore coming to the academy, Keith researched the five countries on the continent. His home country Kelgard which was in the southern part of the continent was one of the top three countries. As it was in the south, it received a decent amount of sunlight. The human population was also bustling compared to other countries.

nThe two neighbors, Argania and Clecia, locked the country from both sides. Argania had somewhat unfavorable connections to other countries. It closed off its borders to outsiders and only allowed high-ranking officials to enter.

nClecia was the opposite of Argania. It was a business paradise, also the center of all illegal trades. It boasted relatively warm weather, huge amounts of human labor, and free borders for traders. This also attracted slave traders and illegal merchants to its borders.

nThe higher-ups never really cared about humans as long as no vampires were implicated. So they turned blind eye to all the atrocities.

nThe two countries on the other side of the continent were sparsely populated by humans and vampires alike. Efrain was situated at the northernmost part of the continent, with ice covering half of its land all year long.

nFleidian was just below it and it was in turmoil after the king passed away a few years back. The two princes fought against each other leading their separate factions and destroying everything that belonged to the other.

nThe war still continued to this day, and countless humans were sacrificed. Many vampires also suffered because of this. The food shortages due to the war further declined the population as famines were as frequent as the full moon.

nAmong the five countries, Argania was considered the most powerful force. Many high-level vampires were in the ranks of their army. Argania had the highest number of Dukes who were the pillars of a nation.

nThe other countries were around the same level in terms of military might. They also cooperated with others who couldn’t defend against Argania. But it was just a superficial alliance that relied on mutual benefit.

nIn exchange for borrowing strength, they asked for resources from the weaker country. It didn’t matter if the normal population suffered because of it. Kelgard was relatively neutral and didn’t have any feuds with other nations.

nThe last war fought by Kelgard was thousand years ago against Fleidian. Even though there were no wars in that region, every country kept strengthening its military. So no one could take their land where they weren’t paying attention.

nLooking at the Kid’s clothes, he spotted the logo of the Argania. It was an insignia with two red swords covered in thorns. In the center, there was a crescent moon.

n“Hey! What are you looking at?” The kid yelled at Keith while pointing his finger.

n“You are from Argania, right? Nice to meet you, I’m Keith from Kelgard.” Keith introduced himself to him.

n“Did I ask your name? What a useless kid? Hmph!” The boy snorted after hearing Keith.

n“Don’t mind him. He’s always like that. Duke Arji spoiled him by providing everything to him. Look at him, he’s reeking of the narcissistic aura.”

nAn alluring teenage girl stepped out of another carriage and shot a hateful glance at the boy.

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