Rise of East Reaperman

"Huh?!" Mistral, Marrie, and Luciana exclaimed simultaneously, their voices overlapping in surprise.

"Uncle isn't joking, right? Isn't the Queen of Timania supposed to be Princess Xesinus the Barbarian?" Shadow questioned, his brow furrowed in disbelief.

"She's not as barbaric as people think. After all, uncle is still here," V responded.

"Could this be uncle's plan?" Shadow asked, intrigued.

"Your father had everything prepared. He knew that Belarus would win and sent uncle here for that purpose. The King of Timania agreed and passed away a year ago, replaced by Princess Xesinus," V explained.

"And uncle..." Shadow trailed off.

"He serves as the liaison between the secret forces of Azeroth and the forces of Timania. You're still on an adventure, aren't you?" V remarked.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, I had no idea..." Shadow admitted.

"Your father also left a letter, didn't he? I bet you never read it," V stated.

"Yeah, seeing the letter reminded me of my father, so I never read it," Shadow confessed.

"I had a feeling..." V sighed. "So, what does it say?" Mistral inquired.

"Ask Shadow," V replied, gesturing towards him. Shadow immediately retrieved the letter and began to read its contents.

To Shadow,

Father knows that today has arrived, Azeroth Kingdom has fallen into enemy hands and your uncle has completed his revenge. Father has asked Uncle Vergil to go to Timania Empire to arrange your marriage with Princess Xesinus. King Timania has agreed to this request, and I have entrusted the kingdom seal to Uncle Vergil as a sign that Azeroth still exists. With this, you will have the power to strike back. Your aunt and cousin have a weakness, which is their dislike for the diversity of the Azeroth population, and father has given a mandate to all the leaders of the races that if they are treated unfavorably by the new government, they can rebel. Shadow... the secret of the Heart Royal Family is that we are closely associated with the God of Painless Death, Thanatos. Father has also asked the God of Painless Death himself to meet you, giving you additional strength. The rest is up to you, father believes you can do it.

Shadow remained silent, tears streaming down his face as he read the contents of the letter. Luciana could only bow her head in solemnity. "It's okay, Shadow. Everything has been arranged by your father. Luckily, you've arrived at Tranvila Village, and there's an issue we need to address," V reassured him.

"What issue, uncle?" Shadow asked, wiping away his tears.

"To the Adventure Guild. The details are there," V replied.

Nodding, Shadow led his group towards the Adventure Guild. As they reached Tranvila Village, a tense atmosphere pervaded the air, with many villagers too afraid to leave their homes. The weather remained dark and foreboding, occasionally punctuated by the glimpses of residents peering out from behind their doors.

"What's going on with this village?" Mistral asked, puzzled.

"It's as if we're strangers to be feared," Luciana remarked.

"This village has long been terrorized by bloodsucking monsters. Every few months, a girl goes missing, and the Empire has been trying to eradicate these creatures," Vergil explained.

"Bloodsuckers, huh? Could it be..." Luciana began.

"That's right... a vampire rules this area, and they've formed quite a large Vampire family," Vergil confirmed.

"There must be a way to fight against them," Marrie suggested.

"There is, and only the Adventure Guild is a safe place to discuss this," Vergil said as he mounted his horse.

"The Adventure Guild always finds ways to protect themselves," Marrie noted.

"Is that so? Alright, let's head to the Adventure Guild," Shadow declared, urging White Fangs forward, followed by the others.

Upon arriving at the Adventure Guild, Shadow observed other adventurers engaged in a heated debate about how to defeat the vampires. The reward for their extermination was substantial, but they couldn't agree on a plan.

"So, vampires, huh? It's actually quite easy to defeat those creatures, but it requires at least a month of observation," Shadow commented, surprising the other adventurers.

"Oh, right! You were once known as the Azeroth Vampire Hunter," Vergil chimed in.

"Don't bring that up, uncle," Shadow responded.

"Shadow... you're here?" Lisa approached him.

"Yeah, that's right. From now on, I'm the most wanted person in Belarus," Shadow replied.

"Call him Prince Blackheart," Luciana added.

"So, the rumors were true about the Heart Royal Family still existing," Lisa remarked.

"Knights of the Black Dragon Legion, stand ready to serve Prince Blackheart," Lisa said as she knelt before Shadow.

"Rise, Knights of the Black Dragon Legion. It's time for Azeroth Kingdom to return to its former glory," Shadow declared, prompting the other adventurers to kneel before him.

"Everyone, please rise. No need for formalities... I'll share what I know about this Vampire family," Shadow said as he sat down, with Vergil handing him old notes and the kingdom seal of Azeroth.

"I've long suspected that the vampires I faced in Black Water City were a branch of the Timani Vampire Family, and I have an idea regarding that," Shadow continued.

"So, what's your plan, Prince?" Lisa inquired.

"Like any family, they have territories ranging from weak to strong. Do you want to bring them down? Topple them from the weak and rise to the strong," Shadow replied.

"Indeed, if you want to destroy the main vampire, you have to defeat its subordinates. Isolate the head alone and crush it," Shadow elaborated.

"In that case, here's the map of their territories. The ones marked in dark green are the weakest, but their power is feared by the church," Vergil added.

"We can make this territory our main headquarters once it's liberated from the vampire's rule," Shadow suggested.

"Where did you get information like this? The Adventure Guild doesn't even have such details," a archer questioned.

"Uncle Vergil and I hunted and studied the behavior of these vampires for a full month. After that, we trained with the Holy Cross Crusader Order to kill these creatures," Shadow explained.

"That's right. I also guided Shadow on how to track the vampires, as well as some things they like and dislike," Vergil confirmed.

"It can be divided to capture them, but what about the reward?" Lisa asked.

"Split it in half. Your group and mine will start from this point, and your group can take the city afterward," Shadow proposed.

"So, what are the weaknesses of these vampires?" another adventurer asked.

"Holy Water and silver stakes... anything silver, wood doesn't matter as long as it can penetrate their hearts," Shadow replied.

"What about Silver Arrows?" a member of Lisa's group inquired.

"That works too, as long as you can shoot it directly into the heart," Vergil answered.

"Lisa, you use a Mirror Shield, right? That can work as well," Shadow suggested.

"Uncle, how's the condition of this territory?" Shadow asked.

"This territory is ruled by a vampire named Lord Slandamar, a rather brutal but cowardly vampire," Vergil explained.

"Alright then... Marrie, Luciana, Mistral... we'll prepare here," Shadow decided.

"It's better if you ask Adrian first. He's a Day Walker who is quite feared by the vampire race," Vergil advised.

"A Day Walker?" Marrie questioned.

"We call them Dhampires, Half Human and Half Vampire... natural vampire hunters, although their vampires are immune to everything vampires hate," Vergil clarified.

"So, he's a Half-Breed then? Interesting. I also want to learn more about these bloodsucking creatures," Shadow commented.

"Alright, I'll take you there," Vergil agreed.

"Luciana, take Marrie and Mistral to rest," Shadow instructed as he left.

"Uncle, I have a question... what's the name of this horse?" Shadow inquired.

"His name is Red Hare. I brought him from a kingdom far to the east. He can run 500 kilometers in a day, which is why I chose this horse," Vergil explained.

"I've never seen your horse before, which is why I asked. He's quite impressive and looks noble," Shadow remarked.

"I have others besides this one, but for here, this horse is more than enough," Vergil replied.

"Adrian is waiting for me at the cabin near the palace," Vergil mentioned. Shadow and Vergil then hurried towards the cabin.