The First Vampire

“I, Judy, the eighteenth emperor of the Lord of Glory Empire, by the name of the Lord of Glory and the sacred ancestors, hereby confer the title of duke upon Colin St. Chapman and grant him the position of the Empire’s Guardian!

I hope you will protect this honor with loyalty, courage, and wisdom!”

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Judy’s clear yet slightly immature voice echoed.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will protect the honor you bestowed upon me with my life!”

Judy smiled slightly, moved the sword away from Colin’s shoulder, and took the duke’s seal from the platter held by her attendant to bestow it upon Colin.

The nobles who were present didn’t express much surprise at this scene.

...

After all, considering Colin’s current reputation and strength, his ennoblement as a duke is far from abrupt.

And there have long been rumors and speculation about Colin’s “true identity”.

But this time, the newly crowned Empress Judy formally recognized Colin’s identity and returned the honor and status that originally belonged to the St. Chapman family to this newly admitted Holy Knight.

On the other hand, most of the nobles finally understood the real reason behind Colin’s repeated actions against the Church—

Revenge for the St. Chapman Family!

Thinking of Duke St. Chapman’s past nearly successful attempt to restrain the Church, many nobles began to be restless.

Since the founding of the Lord of Glory Empire, the Church has always had the upper hand in its open and secret struggles against the nobles, but now, things seem to have taken a turn again.

The nobles stared intently at the heroic young duke in the center of the main hall, suddenly feeling that the longstanding wish of the Duke St. Chapman from three hundred years ago might actually come to fruition in the near future.

Unconsciously, the nobles no longer resisted or found it objectionable that Colin was the real puppeteer of the Empire.

The St. Chapman family had always been the right-hand of the royal family. It was only natural for Colin to be appointed as the guardian of the Empire, assisting the Emperor in controlling the Empire.

That was also why Colin accepted this position so readily.

Inheriting the political legacy of the St. Chapman family would help him control the Empire more effectively.

After the coronation ceremony, Judy announced a series of edicts.

First, she appointed Duke St. Gregorian as the commander of the Imperial Allied Army, responsible for leading the Imperial Army stationed in Luwal Valley to advance westward, expelling the orcs and reclaiming lost territories.

This appointment was quite unexpected for everyone.

They had originally thought that the position of the commander of the Imperial Allied Army belonged to Duke Colin St. Chapman, but to their surprise, it was given to Duke St. Gregorian of Westland.

In fact, this was Colin’s idea.

Originally, he had indeed planned to personally command the Imperial Allied Army to reclaim the lost territories, but the changes in the east were of concern to him. He felt he had to go there personally for a detailed check on the eastern forces to ensure that they would truly become his support.

Besides, calculating the time, Vera’s delivery was fast approaching. Colin didn’t want to miss the birth of his child, so he planned to go to Winterfell City first, then cross the river to the Eastern Territory, coincidentally to also take Marquis Garcia’s remains back.

As for the orc situation, Colin was not worried at all.

After all, Orc Emperor Saruman was already dead, and the Third Orc Empire had disintegrated, leaving behind a scattered group of self-serving, contradictory forces. Colin believed that as long as Duke St. Gregorian didn’t make any big mistakes and fought steadily, there would be no problem in advancing.

In addition, Judy also appointed a new commander of the Imperial Guard, nominated a new Governor for the Crimson Flame Territory, and made some adjustments to the Cabinet Ministers.

In general, she promoted her confidants and consolidated her rule.

With Colin and the Blood Knight Army backing them, no one dared oppose this series of appointments.

After the imperial conference ended, the nobles dispersed one by one.

It wasn’t until the hall was left with only Colin and Judy that the newly enthroned queen reverted to her playful, adorable demeanor.

She cheerfully hopped over to Colin and looked up to ask:

“Sir, how did I perform today?”

“Perfect!” Colin patted Judy’s head and laughed.

Being praised by her teacher, Judy’s face instantly blossomed into a smile.

“Sir, when are you returning to Winterfell City?”

“Tomorrow.”

“So soon?” Judy’s face dropped, she held Colin’s hand unwillingly, “Can I go with you?”

“No, you’re the queen now, you can’t run around as you please.”

Judy pouted her lips in dissatisfaction, then, with a worried expression, asked:

“What if someone bullies me in your absence?”

Colin rolled his eyes, and said,

“At present, Dragon City is our territory, who would dare to bully you?”

“The Church!” Judy immediately retorted, “Didn’t you see Mensai’s expression at the Holy Light Cathedral this morning? He surely would have harmed me if you weren’t there!”

Colin chuckled and shook his head, he said:

“Mensai is just a coward who looks fierce but is soft at heart. Today, by humiliating him and the Church, we’ve undermined the basis of the theocracy over the monarchy. Yet, he still didn’t dare to oppose openly.

That said, I wouldn’t necessarily assert that Mensai will admit defeat so easily.

However, given his cowardly behavior, he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on you, at least not until he can get rid of me. Accordingly, you won’t face any danger.”

“Ah? Sir, will you be in danger then?”

“I’m a Holy Knight, and I’ve got the Blood Knight Army to protect me. What could possibly go wrong?” Colin laughed, “Moreover, whilst Mensai is planning against me, I’m intending to take down the Church from their pedestal. However, dealing with internal and external issues of the Empire should come first.

When Duke St. Gregorian retakes the Westland, and I intimidate the Eastland into submission, and finally ensure the South Border remains loyal, it will then be time to deal with and reform the Church.”

Only then did Judy feel slightly relieved, but she still grabbed Colin’s arm and whined,

“Sir, how should I govern the country after you leave?”

“You just need to listen to Baron Heidegger, the Prime Minister. He may be stern and strict, but his loyalty to the Empire is undoubted, and he possesses enough governing ability.

In the meantime, I’ve sent people to the North Territory. They will bring back some scholars to assist you in governance… Also, I plan to spread the agricultural reform from the North Territory throughout the Empire. You don’t need to worry about this, as Scholar Sunny will discuss how to advance this with Baron Heidegger…

There’s also the establishment of the welfare system. Don’t underestimate this because it’s a powerful tool to undermine the foundation of the Church! Gregory had tried desperately to destroy Vera precisely because he saw its formidable potential.

If we can establish a welfare system that is under our control in the Empire of Glory, the status of the Church among the common people will drop straight away…”

Looking up at her teacher, Judy watched as he spoke with confidence and assurance. While she didn’t quite grasp a lot of what he said, Colin’s confident demeanor filled her with inspiration, helping her momentarily forget the sadness of their upcoming parting.

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