A vampire, dwarf, and half-orc sat around a table with complicated expressions.

"So in summary, each card can hold two runes, with all one hundred cards that would be two hundred runes feeding off Master Damiens mana supply simultaneously," Thar said with a sigh, "It is simply impossible to manage that many runes at once."

Dalon chimed in, "Aye, even as a Master Mage."

Damien almost couldn't hold back his laughter. They had strapped the angry dwarf to a chair with a thick rope since he kept trying to stab Damien. Surprisingly, after discussing runes for a while, the dwarf opened up and stopped cursing Damien.

Damien assumed that Dalon's ancestors had a deep hatred for vampires, considering his family heirloom was a silver-coated dagger made to kill his species. Still, Damien decided not to ask about it.

Damien turned to Thar and asked, "So either I decrease the number of cards or use only a few cards at a time?"

Thar nodded. "I think that would be the best course of action, but I have another suggestion."

Damien nodded, and Thar turned the card on its side, showing its razor-sharp edge, "We could enchant the card's all we want, but the weapon's damage will come from this sharp edge."

"Yeah, so?" Damien asked, and Thar put the card right in front of Damien's eyes, "If I place the card on its side, it's so thin it's difficult to see, especially in low lighting."

"I think you forget I am a vampire. I have perfect eyesight…." Damien said with a smirk.

Thar just shook his head and adjusted the magnifying glass on his right eye. "My idea is a light-bending or illusion rune. They require a lot less mana to maintain compared to creating defensive shields or making the cards indestructible."

Damien's eyes lit up as he twirled the card in his hand, "The unseen blade is the deadliest… if they can't even see the weapon coming, then how could they prepare to defend against it?"

"Well, let's get to work!" Damien exclaimed as he untied the dwarf. For the next two hours, Damien crushed mana stones into dust and inscribed "ᛒᛖᚾᛞ ᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏ (Bend Light)" and "ᛗᚨᛋᚴ ᛈᚱᛖᛋᛖᚾᚲᛖ (Mask Presence)" onto the metal cards.

They did this on eighty of the cards. The remaining twenty had various other runes to deal with different situations. Some examples included, "ᚠᛚᚨᛋᚺ (Flash)," "ᛈᚱᛟᛏᛖᚲᛏ (Protect)," "ᛞᛖᚠᛚᛖᚲᛏ (Deflect)."

Finally finishing the work, the three exhausted men rested in the tavern over lunch. "Alright, let's pick up our escort and head to my Dukedom." Damien had not forgotten that the Princess promised him some guards. It has been a few days, so they should have assembled the guards for him.

***

An elderly psychic mage opened his eyes and looked at Edward Greentail with a concerned expression, "My Lord, the Vampire is on his way to the palace."

"Did you catch what for?" Edward asked in a worried tone.

The elderly mage stroked his beard, "I am sorry, my King, but my clairvoyance skill cannot detect sound, so I can only guess."

Edward Greentail let out a sigh, "I still haven't officially announced him as a Duke. I planned to pressure him more through political channels, but who would have thought he would join the Mage Tower and emerge as a Master Mage after only a single night? This complicates things… I planned to use him as a bargaining chip with the vampires, but his relationship with them is still unclear."

Edward looked towards the mountains on the far horizon through the magnificent palace window. "Boundless riches are awaiting us over the border. Both Kassinki and Oshal have been isolated for far too long at the bottom of the continent. But if we move on the vampires with our elite forces, Oshal will attack us immediately from the west. This stalemate has lasted for the last five hundred years."

The old mage, a close friend of Edward, also had a sad look. "There are too few elemental stones and spirits in this backwater area of the continent." He said in a dry voice.

Edward nodded, "I am still stuck at the B grade because of this. Why are there so few Nature elemental stones around? Anyway, please get in touch with Beldroth for me. I will have him lead the guards for Duke Damien and gain some information about him on the side…."

"Very well, my King." The old mage bowed, and the King left.

***

A man with dazzling blonde hair stood by a window with a deep frown. His eyes turned an abyssal black as he gazed down at the palace courtyard. Then, with anger in his voice that sounded ancient and evil, he muttered, "He became a Master Mage in a single day? What secrets does he hold?"

He watched intently as his spineless Father, that was the one obstacle between him and the throne, greeted his newest subject of interest. Never in his dreams did he expect Damien to refuse the position he offered him in the university. "Did he notice it was a trap?" August wondered to himself on numerous occasions since yesterday.

Prince August planned to pressure Damien to obtain information about the vampires through various means. But, despite August believing that his Father is a spineless coward and his sister is a retard, he had to admit it surprised him at how well they fostered more significant relations with Damien than he had.

"Tsk, after denying my offer yesterday, I planned to have him killed, not only for the humiliation I suffered, but he is also a danger to my plans. If my dear sister becomes too powerful, then my position for the throne could be shaken. Never did I expect he would immediately head to the Mage Tower without delay and become a Master Mage!"

"I don't give a single fuck about the nobility that isn't on my side. Why should I? It's a noble duty to serve their future King. Once I become King, I could slaughter Damien and his stupid little territory for treason. But the Mage Tower… I cannot offend them. They would allow me to slay all of my citizens and not even bat an eyelid, so long as I continue to pay them for their research. But if I touch a single strand of hair on a Master Mage's head, I might not even wake up tomorrow. Archmages are terrifying beings."

August then let out a sinister chuckle. "Soon, I can plan my Father's demise and ascend to the throne. My plague is nearing the end of its development and should be ready next spring. Unfortunately, some poor commoners will have to die alongside their beloved King to make it less obvious… but oh well, I can raise them as undead to serve as cannon fodder against the vampires."

Looking out the window once more, he watched as Damien's car left while being flanked by a small platoon of thirty soldiers. Apart from Beldroth, who was leading the car from the front, if someone inspected the rest of the platoon's wrists, they would notice a small black skull tattoo.

August laughed to himself, "Be careful who you surround yourself with, Damien…."

***

The capital city of Kassinki was split into four distinct sections, with the palace in the center place upon a hill above a mana vein. The eastern district focused on education and study of both magic and other fields.

The eastern district is famous for its university and Mage Tower. The west and south are residential areas filled with Beastmen and Humans living together. However, the south area is more expensive and desirable because of its proximity to the eastern district, where the highest paying jobs are located.

On this chilly January afternoon, people walked along a wide road that led directly from the palace's northern gate to the city wall.

Many stood and watched with interest as well-dressed and arrogant-looking knights in enchanted armor flanked an intimidating-looking carriage that was moving by itself, leaving a muddy path in its wake. Five horse-drawn wagons filled with supplies followed the group from a distance, trying to avoid the waves of water that left the car.

The entourage moved unimpeded through the dense city. The guards stationed on the walls waved the group through as they left the city.

The castle next to the Blackthorn village is thirty miles away. If the car moved at its max speed of forty miles an hour, it could reach the castle in under an hour, but alas, with the slow horses tugging wagons of supplies, soldiers walking on foot, and the lack of a well-made road, the entourage is limited to a pathetic five miles an hour.

As the sun slowly fell below the horizon and the surroundings became dark, the soldiers used light stones and attached them to the top of their helmets.

"Young Master… At this rate, we will reach the Nightshade Dukedom by tomorrow morning. So please get some rest." Walter said in a calm tone.

Damien nodded and turned his body sideways. Then, he casually used Fay as a lap pillow, putting a handkerchief behind his head. Then, with a calm expression, he closed his eyes and fell asleep to the constant swishing of the water jets.