Taming My Vampire Servant

The Dark Mana User that hid for many years

Ever since the miner Kruptos discovered the first batch of Dark Mana stones, he couldn't sleep well at night. It had been more than twenty years, and he could still vividly remember the fear that had been eating his conscience up.

Kruptos, a small and dark skinned man, lived in one of the smallest houses in Topazeon Town. He lived in seclusion, hoping that he wouldn't hurt anyone with the unwanted powers he acquired in the past. 

He accidentally killed his own son using Fire magic because at that time, he did not know the extent of the evil mana within his body. With only a simple misunderstanding, anger enveloped Kruptos' mind. But it was his son's death that made him conquer the power within him.

Kruptos was branded as a crazy man, but he couldn't care less. As long as he saw the Silverblade boy living healthy, he couldn't ask for anything else.

He knew he did an awful thing of controlling a random couple, making them take care of the young Zen Silverblade. But it was an advice from the God Juno, who appeared in his dream. He said that Kruptos should repent by following his instructions.

And so he did. He waited, and waited, until Ivory and Sigmund came to the old couple's house. 

Knowing that his role was done, Kruptos continued to live alone, away from everyone. But when Goddess Destinia removed all the magic in the kingdom, it made him realize that he had been living in such a lonely life. He started to turn away from his old lifestyle, and he returned to being a miner.

There came a time wherein the economy of the whole Kingdom started to get better. Transactions between Lands became even more common, and there was a big demand for coins. 

One day, while Kruptos and the other miners were busy collecting some coinage metals, one of the town guards called them out. They followed him out of the cave, and in the middle of the cleared grass was an odd-looking machine. 

"Listen up!" the town guard said, waiting for them to settle down. After catching the miners' attention, he continued, "The man here beside me is none other than Mr. Zen Silverblade, one of the best inventors of our kingdom! Now, he will demonstrate how to use his latest invention, to aid us in collecting gold faster!"

A kind smile displayed on Zen's lips, "Hello, good day! I am Zen…" 

While Zen was speaking, Kruptos couldn't help but stare at the boy he once saved. He had grown to be a fine and intelligent man. It made him wonder, if his son was alive, would he become someone amazing like him as well?

The inventor paused speaking when he noticed one of the miners shedding his tears.

"Sir, what's wrong?" he immediately went to him. 

Kruptos shook his head, "Apologies for being emotional. I just remembered my late son," and wiped his tears with his hands.

"I am sure he's looking after you from above," he patted the old man's back and out of the blue, he blurted. "Hmm, I wonder if the man who saved me's still alive. If he is, I hope he's doing well?"

Zen smiled politely at Kruptos before going back to where he was standing a while ago, while the old man clenched his hands on his chest as his tears kept streaming down his face. 

He wasn't able to properly say goodbye to the child he saved, but despite that, Zen still remembered him after all this time. Even if Kruptos lost his son, the fact that Zen acknowledged the existence of a sinner like him was enough for him to continue on with his life.

The Arrogant Shopkeeper and the King's Mantle

After the coronation, the people noticed how simple their new King was. It was quite a good thing that King Levi Silverblade was not a materialistic one, however, the nobles, the ministers, and the scholars voiced their disappointment. 

As the leader of a kingdom, a king should look presentable. He should shine majestic, and his aura should be intimidating that no one would ever dare disobey him. A king's life reflects the riches of the kingdom, therefore he should have all the expensive things. As the one who led the war to victory, he should stand proud before the people, dressed in a beautiful king's mantle.

Such were the expectations of the majority.

And so, the future queen and ex-General of the Land of Sandria, Caille Platinumcore, decided to help with this matter. She creased her brows when she saw what's inside the cabinet of the king. 

Among twelve of his clothes, only two passed her eyes.

"We repaired the castle, but we forgot to think about your clothes," she said as she removed everything inside.

"Caille, that's my newest one," Levi picked up the dull, brown linen robe on the carpeted floor. "Don't throw this out-"

But she grabbed it away from him, "No! You're a king now, you can't just go out there looking like a peasant!"

Frustrated, Caille took Levi's hand and pulled him out of the room.

The king and his future queen went to Umbria City to check the clothing stores for nobles. With them were two maidservants to assist them in shopping and four of the best knights to protect them.

Levi panned his sight towards a familiar store. He approached the shopping window and widened his eyes on the most beautiful mantle he had ever seen. It was the ermine trimmed royal blue mantle, which was hand-woven using purple silk velvet and satin, with golden embroideries on the edges of it. The collar was also hand-woven with white silk, and it was one of the most expensive mantles in the city.

Levi and his companions entered the store.

"Welcome-" When the shopkeeper saw the presence of the knights and recognized their armor, he gave a confused look.

"Bow down to the King!" one of the knights said.

With that, the shopkeeper immediately bowed down. "Greetings to the King!"

But Levi did not ask him to stand up straight right away. Instead, he said, "I came back for the mantle. I told you I'd buy it."

Hearing this, the shopkeeper slowly turned her head to see who she was talking to. "Apologies, my king… Have you been here? I can't quite recall."

"You said that a nobody like me will never get to wear that mantle. You even said that I will bring misfortune to your store."

Embarrassed, the woman bowed lower, "I deeply apologize for my rudeness! I did not know it was you-"

"Still, you don't have the right to judge anyone. I never forgot the harsh words you told me… Don't worry, I will fulfill your wish. You said that I will never wear your mantle, right? Then, I won't."

Feeling the tension in the air, Caille tugged Levi's sleeve, "If you won't buy here, why did you go in?"

"It's to say an important news," the king said in an overbearing tone, "From now on, this shop is no longer included in one of the official dressmakers and tailors of the Royal Family!"

King Levian turned against the shopkeeper, and his companions followed him outside the store.. He took a quick glance at the beautiful robe, then chuckled when he remembered how much he wanted it in the past.