Vlad, having returned to the castle, finally enjoyed some leisure.
In addition to handling government affairs each day, he often teased the little maid at his side.
Sonja, though still shy, had grown noticeably bolder.
She no longer faltered when speaking to Vlad as she once did.
Aside from this, because of the abundance of magical materials with spatial attributes, Vlad eventually decided to send Muriel to prepare manpower and inscribe space-teleportation arrays at several key nodes.
Although the magical world of today lacked the strength to construct a large-scale teleportation array, carving smaller short-range ones was still possible, albeit costly in terms of materials.
According to Muriel, the best time to carve such an array was right after breaking free from mortal shackles—when one reached the first level of life as a wizard. At that stage, the reserves of knowledge and the total magical power were sufficient. Otherwise, the chances of success would drop sharply, wasting countless resources.
Of course, if someone managed to master the skill in advance and successfully carve a space-teleportation array, it would provide a powerful boost to their advancement into a first-level wizard.
After all, a wizard's progression depended not on sheer energy, but on deep reserves of magical knowledge and the pursuit of truth. This was precisely why wizards valued experiments so highly.
But such peaceful days lasted only half a year. Then, news arrived that shattered the calm.
During that time, in both the surrounding lands of Wallachia and the northern kingdoms, a new sect devoted to the God of Blood and Fire had begun to rise in secret.
Its spread accelerated after believers claimed to have received undeniable signs and the gospel of the mighty deity.
Soon, devotion to this new god began to circulate wildly in hidden corners.
Among its followers, the tall eight-foot-tall girl played a crucial role.
While spreading the gospel of the Blood and Fire God, Aqina herself seemed to undergo a form of baptism and sublimation.
This transformation turned her into Vlad's first true fanatic in under half a year.
It was through her that Vlad discovered a new way to wield the power of faith.
He realized that by channeling it through Aqina, he could perform so-called miracles.
Of course, these "miracles" were in truth nothing more than blood magic under his control.
However, the cost in faith energy was so immense that Vlad abandoned the practice after just one attempt.
As a resource with many potential uses, the power of faith was far too precious to squander recklessly.
The real issue, of course, was that he simply did not yet have enough followers.
Through months of exploration, Vlad found that faith energy could not only accelerate his training but also serve as a reserve source of power.
With it, his stamina and explosive strength in battle could be multiplied many times over.
No wonder the so-called gods were so obsessed with gathering believers.
Just as Vlad was leisurely answering Cinderella's questions and divining her future, a brief message flickered into his magic communication crystal.
The crystal itself was the result of six months of breakthroughs from the Wizard Academy's alchemy laboratory.
In the present magical world, nearly all known communication crystals were ancient relics from thousands of years past. They were rare, and most no longer functioned.
The reason new ones could now be produced was not due to better materials, but because Muriel and Adrianna had each broken through to the first level of life.
With greater knowledge and elevated life force, many once-unsolvable problems were being overcome, and real progress was being made.
Thanks to these breakthroughs, both the Wizard Academy and the Wizard Council had begun drawing large numbers of witches from surrounding lands to join them.
Everything seemed to be moving in a promising direction.
Staring at the glowing message within the crystal, Vlad's eyes narrowed in thought.
After a long silence, he turned and walked into the castle's hidden chamber.
Kingdom of Laer, Segovia Castle.
As a battered carriage halted and its door opened, a delicate white foot slowly emerged. Slender legs followed—smooth, pale, and undeniably enticing.
The jade-like toes bore a faint touch of red, enough that even a single step caught the gazes of the soldiers nearby.
Even King Lyle, who stood waiting by the carriage, could not help but swallow hard.
Then came cascades of soft golden hair, framing a timid yet captivating face. Wide eyes glanced nervously at the unfamiliar surroundings.
The woman was tall and long-limbed, and even beneath her ragged cloak, her voluptuous figure was impossible to hide.
Though her fair face was smudged with dirt, her beauty and aura still shone through, dazzling all who saw her.
She looked around nervously and whispered, "Where is this? I… I want to go home."
Her voice was gentle and melodic, snapping King Lyle out of his trance.
He hurriedly assured her:
"Don't be afraid. This is my castle—no one will harm you here.
Stay here, and I will marry you. You shall be my queen."
At his words, intoxicated with her beauty, the woman smiled faintly.
By the king's order, she was bathed, dressed in fresh garments, and escorted to the royal bedchamber.
Meanwhile, in the castle's secret chamber, Vlad stood silently as the floor beneath him lit up in dazzling colors.
Light spread across the room, forming ripples of spatial fluctuation.
When the glow faded, a figure appeared before him.
It was none other than King Lyle, the very man so recently bewitched.
At the sight of Vlad, Lyle dropped to his knees without hesitation, bowing in reverence.
"My only true God—your loyal servant awaits your command."
"Well done. Where is she?" Vlad's voice carried a wave of power as his life force radiated outward without restraint.
The overwhelming aura of a peak second-level life form, combined with the innate dominance of his vampire bloodline, left King Lyle drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.
Seeing the terror in the king's eyes, Vlad withdrew his aura.
Lyle exhaled shakily, then replied with deep respect:
"I have already bathed her, clothed her, and sent her to the royal bedchamber."
A cold gleam flashed in Vlad's eyes as he sneered.
"Very good."