To go to the West continent, Lucky needed to go to Avant first.
Considering that Pandora was a nation of mostly non-humans, the countries in the West kingdom weren't willing to immediately trade with Pandora.
And thus, the sea trade of Pandora would need to take months of establishing contact, making deals and setting up trade rules.
He had already left all the details behind with the Minister of Trade, Erina.
Truthfully speaking, he could've left once the sea trade route was fully established, but he didn't want to.
Why?
Well, he needed a break.
After two whole years of administration work at breakneck speed, he was mentally tired of doing it.
And since he had never travelled the outside world all this time, he wanted some fresh air.
"My Liege, could you tell me why you're not disguising yourself as a human?" Asked Aurea.
"What do you mean? I already am disguising myself as a human," spoke Lucky.
"But you look more like a vampire elf than human, My Liege?"
"That's just part of my disguise. If a time comes where I'm forced to reveal my powers, I don't want to do so as some random human who was unknown to the world, wouldn't people suspect that person?"
"Oh, right, right," spoke Aurea.
"You don't sound convinced, not that that matters. Anyway, Victor Alucard is actually on an official outing to Avant. I have already sent them an official letter as a Prime Minister," spoke Lucky.
Then he added, "if that random person who revealed their strange abilities was the Prime Minister of Pandora, the strange and new but powerful country, then wouldn't people not suspect me?"
"I see!" Responded Aurea.
"....But, wouldn't it be a problem once we go into the West continent? People there don't know what the vampires of Pandora are like, they might think we're there to cause serious trouble for them," added Aurea.
"Didn't I tell you earlier? I'm not a vampire, but a human. Well, a half-elf half-human, that's my official identity as Victor Alucard. As of right now, the Pandora government is actively spreading word about Victor Alucard, a half-elf half-human who took position as the country's new Prime Minister. And that Victor Alucard is going on a trip abroad to build new relations with other countries, especially the ones from the West continent," explained Lucky.
"But, how are you going to explain your blood-red irises and hair? Especially that elongated fangs of yours, My Liege?"
"My official story is that my elven mother was bitten by a vampire when she conceived me, but I did not become a vampire after birth and only inherited some odd mutations. You know how we're fine in the sun, right? People outside wouldn't think of us as vampires. Even the people of Avant think that way. And for the ones that know the truth, most think that it's because of the new product we're selling!"
"That sun-blocking creamy ointment called Sunscreen?"
"Exactly. That's how tight the information-control of Pandora is. And besides, the more complex a fake identity becomes, the easier it is for people to believe it," explained Lucky.
"My apologies, I did not think that far, My Liege," apologized Aurea.
"No need to apologize. Anyway, it's about time we pick up our pace. The city where we're meeting our escorts is near."
"E-escorts?! Aren't I enough, My Liege?" Spoke Aurea.
"For a seasoned Knight, you sure sound stupid right now. I'm supposed to be a Prime Minister, remember? I can't exactly be going anywhere without proper escorts."
"I'm sorry. It's just that I personally think I am strong enough to fulfill that role, My Liege," responded Aurea.
"Don't be arrogant. Even if we both are stronger than all of our escorts combined, we still have to do this. You have no idea how many hidden monsters lurk in this world," spoke Lucky.
'If that old man survived for that long without anyone knowing, surely other strong beings from the past have done it as well,' thought Lucky.
Having just entered Avant's territory, the two vampires headed towards a certain city.
****
Hours later, they arrived.
"My Liege, this place is....."
"Yes, you know what city it is. Grandia, the mercenary city, your old guild's headquarters," spoke Lucky.
"I had my suspicions.... so the escorts are going to be mercenaries...."
"Exactly."
"But My Liege, which mercenary guild are you employing? The Golden Mercenary Guild? The Dawn Mercenary Guild? The Crystal Rose Guild? Don't tell me it's that infamous Mages of The Heavens Guild?"
"Hmmm, I don't know yet. But, I have a plan to pick which people I should bring...." spoke Lucky.
Then, he asked, "anyway, do you still have your Golden Mercenary Guild tag with you?"
"I do, but I left it at home since I'm disguising myself as a human...."
"Is that so? Well, that's good then. You abandoned your mission, so I'm sure those Golden Mercenary guys weren't happy. How much did they pay you again?"
"They paid us 40 gold bars up-front...."
Then, Lucky did his calculations, "converted into Avant Marks, that would be somewhere around 50,000 Marks. And if we convert it into Pandora Credits, that would be around 75,000 Credits. That's enough to buy several mansions in Oer. Yikes."
"...."
Aurea was silent.
"You should use a fake name as well, people will suspect you if you're still using your original name," said Lucky.
"My Liege, you should pick my name. I do not know what a good human name is, I only know goblin names."
"Then how about "Michael"?"
"Michael? Michael.... I am now Michael," spoke Aurea.
"Now, let's use our fake names to refer to each other from now on, Michael," spoke Lucky, now Victor Alucard.
"I will do so, My Liege. I mean, Prime Minister Victor Alucard...." spoke Aurea, now Michael.
""Prime Minister Victor Alucard" sounds too long, just call me Mr. Alucard."
"Yes, Mr. Alucard."
"Good. Now shall we find food? I want to try some authentic Avant cuisine. Please guide me," spoke Victor Alucard.
"Yes, Mr. Alucard, I know some great places to eat here," spoke Michael.