Kill With a Borrowed Knife

Brunestud of the Crimson Moon.

From her perspective, this was her first encounter with Artorius. But from his point of view, it was the second meeting.

Their last meeting had been fifteen hundred years later.

So, time was indeed an intriguing thing.

Artorius hadn't had the chance to meet Aozaki Aoko, the missile launcher lady from the Aozaki family, for a deep conversation to obtain the Fifth Magic. It was a regret, but fortunately, there was a chance to make amends.

'Japan now should be in the Kofun era... Prince Shotoku hasn't been born yet. I wonder how the Ley Lines in Japan are doing now. Perhaps I can visit when I have the time.'

The reason the Aozaki family possessed the Fifth Magic wasn't due to their strength or any special abilities. It was simply because they were incredibly lucky.

They had discovered a unique Ley Line nexus in the future Misaki Town.

This special Ley Line nexus didn't possess great power or pure magical energy, nor did it provide any typical enhancement buff.

Its significance lay in one thing—it led straight to the Root.

Different from the methods other mages used to seek the Root, the Aozaki family had simply stumbled upon a place that other mages wouldn't reach in several lifetimes. It was safe to say they were exceptionally lucky.

'The Aozaki family probably hasn't risen to power yet.' Artorius mused.

As he entertained those random thoughts, he presented a perfect smile to Crimson Moon to address their conditions.

"I already know your terms, and I accept." Artorius said calmly.

Crimson Moon, with her exquisite beauty and regal demeanor, spoke calmly, "I will lead my most powerful warriors into your empire. Don't disappoint me, Dragon Emperor."

Her eyes gleamed with interest as she looked at Artorius. He confirmed that she was likely contemplating how to use him to achieve her own goal.

On one side stood Crimson Moon united with Gaia, and on the other side was the formidable Dragon Emperor.

Vampire and Human.

It felt like ice and fire, utterly incompatible, clashing.

In theory, they should have been enemies.

However, Crimson Moon seemed to have an unexpected interest in the Dragon Emperor.

"Until we meet again, young emperor. Let me witness your abilities."

===

"Sir Lancelot, I'm sure you've heard."

The image of the Crimson Moon disappeared from the communication crystal, replaced once again by the pale-faced Lancelot. He looked a bit worse for wear, probably due to his bad mood.

"Yes, Your Majesty, but—"

"—Obey the orders, Sir Lancelot."

Before Lancelot could voice his complaints, Artorius interrupted him.

"...I understand, Your Majesty." While Lancelot still had reservations about the emperor's orders, in the end, he chose to obey.

The army of vampires, which had split in two along the western border of the Holy Roman Empire, now returned to their various fortresses and tombs in Eastern Europe. The underdeveloped regions of Eastern Europe were perfect for Dead Apostles to occupy.

There was no unified nation in Eastern Europe, only scattered and broken tribes, and the vampires thrived.

They could operate openly, inspire fear, and even exert actual control in some areas, self-proclaiming themselves as nobles. All of this was unimaginable in Rome.

Only a few dozen vampires had truly entered the empire. Most of them were True Ancestors blessed by Gaia.

However, in the future, they would be categorized as the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. Even True Ancestors like Crimson Moon would fall into that category.

But in the era before Crimson Moon's death, True Ancestors were the mainstream of vampires. They enjoyed the dual blessing from Crimson Moon and Gaia, making them powerful among vampires. They were strong, legitimate, and ancient. They were the pride of the heavens.

They were generally not very old. After all, Crimson Moon had only mingled with Gaia for a few days.

Being young and spirited, they were all very confident, not yet learning the art of subtlety and discretion. They spoke openly about eradicating the humans and claiming Earth for vampires. They were all radical militarists and vampire supremacists.

This time, their invasion of the empire was no different.

Crimson Moon hadn't disclosed who the enemy really was in advance, in fact, she didn't even know. So they saw this operation as the beginning of a war between vampires and humans. They saw it as the opening ceremony for vampire supremacy over humans.

They were all excited and ready to prove themselves in the upcoming war.

But as Lancelot watched this group of True Ancestors, he couldn't help but worry.

"Are these True Ancestors really not going to cause trouble?"

"It's best if they do cause trouble..." Artorius said.

"What?!"

Lancelot was taken aback by Artorius's words, feeling confused.

"I didn't know before how to deal with these vampires..." Artorius said with a cheerful tone. "A thousand-year war? That's just too long. Our empire doesn't have that much time to waste."

"So..."

"It's best to solve them once and for all. Let the world enter the human era faster, let the Earth Federation arrive sooner. Hahaha..."

"Your Majesty... I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm completely lost..." Lancelot asked puzzled.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand, Sir Lancelot. Just watch what happens next."

After saying this, Artorius closed the communication with Lancelot.

"Brother?" Mordred, who was by Artorius's side, spoke up. "Are you planning to kill with a borrowed knife?"

"Kill with a borrowed knife sounds too harsh..." Artorius said, happily patting Mordred's head. "How can we describe it that way when it's a family matter?"

His eyes sparkled with a dangerous light, a testament to his judgment about this 'war'.

Crimson Moon was indeed powerful and beautiful. But what was the point of being powerful and beautiful if it didn't serve his purpose?

The conflicts between Artorius who represented humanity, and Crimson Moon who represented vampires were nearly irreconcilable.

And now, he had a perfect opportunity to eliminate her. To drown her with the armies of her own kind, to slay her, and seal her away. To remove her and her vampire army from the stage of history five hundred years ahead of time by using the ridiculously powerful Artoria Species.

This would be a history of the 'world of magecraft', a major event that would not be recorded in proper human history. It would not disrupt the stability of history. On the contrary, the collapse of vampires, the enemies of humanity, would bring stability. It had many benefits and no drawbacks for the empire.

"It's clearly a family conflict. Is it really a good idea to involve those vampires?"

XX grumbled after she heard Artorius's conversation with the vampire.