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Baron Riwad had seven prisoners.
“There were originally about 20 people, but more than ten of them died because they couldn’t handle living in captivity. Only these people are left,” Luke reported.
“I see. Good work,” Eugene responded before looking over the prisoners. They were thin and their skin was rough, but their expressions were hopeful, likely due to how Luke treated them.
“Nice to meet you all. I am Jan of the Eugene family,” Eugene spoke.
“Nice to meet you. I am Eredoa from the Volvaran family.”
“Gote of Paramon. I am indebted to you and Count Crawlmarine after a long time spent in darkness…”
The prisoners returned Eugene’s greeting in Brantian as well. All of them were able to speak the language after living in captivity for so long.
“You should know from what you heard from Count Crawlmarine. The Riwad territory is now under the jurisdiction of the Crawlmarine family. In other words, the same is true of all of your dispositions. As such…”
The faces of the prisoners gradually brightened as Eugene continued.
“…With those relationships, the ships from the continent will soon arrive in Mungard. Perhaps they have already arrived. Both Maren and Moffern are strong supporters of mine,” Eugene concluded.
“Is that true?” A knight from the Volvaran family, which Eugene had never heard of, asked.
Luke stepped out with a hardened expression. “Sir Volvaran. I warn you. Do not doubt my master’s words again.”
“I-I apologize, Your Excellency. I made a mistake. Sir Eugene, I’m sorry.” The knight hastily apologized.
“…!”
The expressions of the other prisoners changed rapidly. They had been dubious even after hearing about the relationship between Luke and Eugene, but now, they could see it clearly. Eugene had full authority. In this place, his words were both the law and order.
“What do I stand to gain from lying to you sirs? And to be honest.” Eugene’s voice lowered and became cold. The prisoners became rather nervous upon noticing this change.
Eugene continued. “From my point of view, I will be better off without you sirs. What if you spread strange stories about me after I send you back to your families?”
The prisoners became wide-eyed at the subtle threat.
“A-are you… saying that you’re going to kill us all?”
“Please contact my family. I’m certain they will pay sufficient ransom!”
“Sir Eugene!”
The prisoners shouted urgently.
Eugene continued in a low voice. “However, there is another way.”
“What?”
“Mungard, the Crawlmarine County, the Riwad territory, the City of Brighton. All came to serve me and Count Crawlmarine. What the members of the crusade never managed to achieve, I achieved. And my ultimate goal… is all of Brantia.” Eugene continued.
“…!”
The prisoners were made speechless.
Eugene uttered a single word, “Consumables.”
“…?”
He continued. “The church and the leaders of the expeditionary force, even your families. All of them treated you as mere consumables. Even though you were brave and honorable knights.”
“Keugh!”
The prisoners clenched their fists and teeth after hearing the uncomfortable truth. But this was something they already knew.
Eugene’s voice resonated once again. “However, I saved you sirs without expecting anything. Also, I have no intention of treating you as consumables.”
“Ah!”
The prisoners raised their heads. Eugene’s voice was no longer cold, but instead quiet and powerful.
“Sirs, although defeated, all of you were brave and valiant enough to challenge Brantia’s swordmaster. Those who cannot respect that do not deserve to be called nobles. So, sirs. Why don’t you come to me?” Eugene said.
“S-sir…”
The shoulders of the prisoners quivered as they looked at Eugene with shock. Despite the lack of expression, Eugene’s eyes shone with a captivating light. Both his appearance and voice instilled a sense of deep trust in the prisoners.
“I swear on my honor, and in the name of Count Crawlmarine. Sirs… I will grant you life as vassals of Brantia’s king.”
‘Naturally, without pay for the time being...’
“Just as my master says! I swear it on my name!” Luke solemnly declared.
The prisoners shared gazes as if they were possessed. If they accepted this proposal, they could perhaps live lives as vassals of Brantia’s king. At the least, they would be vassals of a lord possessing a large portion of Brantia. On the other hand, what would happen to them when they returned to their hometown? Would they ever get another opportunity like this?
In the first place, why did they even cross the sea?
There wasn't even a need to contemplate.
“We will follow your wishes!”
The prisoners kneeled simultaneously. They had lost hope long ago, but now, a miracle had occurred.
“Good. I look forward to working with you all,” Eugene said with a grin. Using appropriate threats and sweet suggestions, he had successfully acquired seven, unpaid, highly-skilled workers.
Baron Riwad had truly been stupid. Eugene couldn’t believe that he had stuffed so many skilled workers inside of a cell instead of using them for his benefit.
“Then all of you will have to work starting tomorrow. Oh, for the time being, you will be taking orders from Master Pythamoras. He is a druid who is highly respected in the area. For now, you all should go and get some rest. Come and take care of these sirs.” Eugene gestured, and slaves immediately headed to the prisoners’ sides.
The slaves were Brantian, and they had been thoroughly educated by Pythamoras. They would be monitoring and reporting the prisoners’ every move out of their fear for the druid. However, the prisoners knew nothing about it. They were simply grateful that Eugene was taking good care of them, even though they were prisoners before.
“Then, gentlemen, follow me,” Luke said.
“Yes, yes.”
Even Luke, a count, was personally guiding them. Their suspicions finally disappeared.
“Ah, Sir Edmund, right? Stay behind for a while,” Eugene said.
“Ah, yes.” A young man with a sturdy build stopped at Eugene’s word.
Mossin Edmund. He was the holy knight from the Caylor Kingdom who had crossed the sea during the crusade.
***
“Sir, first, take that,” Eugene said.
“What? Ah, t-this is…” Edmund’s eyes widened. He had initially been nervous about being separated from the others.
Two slaves carefully carried over a plate mail armor.
“It was originally yours, right? It’s probably a little different from what you used to wear, but it should have been reinforced since Baron Riwad had it worked on. Try it on. Hey, help him out,” Eugene said. The slaves immediately assisted Edmund with the armor.
Soon, a proud knight stood in his place. Edmund knelt on one knee. He was deeply moved. “How can I ever repay you for the boundless you have shown me…?”
Eugene responded, “Do you really want to pay me back?”
“Of course. I’m not an ungrateful beast who doesn’t know grace,” Edmund spoke confidently.
Eugene asked with a curious expression, “As you know, I am a vampire, and you are a holy knight. And yet, you are going to repay me?”
“…!”
Edmund flinched, then spoke with a sigh, “That’s right. I am a holy knight of the Caylor Kingdom. But before that, I was an aide to a knight of the Roman Empire.”
“Hooh?” Eugene was surprised by Edmund’s unexpected story.
The knight continued. “I’m…”
Mossin Edmund had been captured after participating in a border dispute as an aide to the Roman Empire’s knight. Usually, knights never betrayed their aides, but his master left him behind and ran away. As a result, his loyalty toward his previous master completely disappeared.
“I defected in order to survive. Fortunately, my sword skills were quite useful, and my family name was well-known. I was given the opportunity to serve as a knight of the kingdom or become a holy knight.” Edmund continued.
Defected descendants of foreign nobles were highly valuable in many ways. Edmund had decided to become a holy knight to fulfill his grand ambitions.
“I was educated as a holy knight at a late age. At first, I intended to work hard. However, the priest who taught me faith and the master who trained me as a knight… Even the other holy knights had no trust in me,” Edmund said.
“Kieeeh? A loner. Sir, he was a loner,” Mirian flew over and whispered in Eugene’s ear. She had been plopped down as if she was bored.
Edmund kept talking in a grave voice, unaware that a spirit was talking about him. “In the end, joining the expeditionary force as a holy knight was the only option left for me as a defector.”
Edmund dropped his head, and Eugene silently observed him. Edmund’s heart rate was normal, and he wasn’t displaying any typical signs of lying in humans. There was a good chance that he was telling the truth.
‘Hmm. A defector. How can I use him?’
Eugene agonized since Edmund’s identity was completely different from what he initially expected. Most importantly, it was still too early to completely trust the holy knight.
‘What should I do? It would be a waste to just kill him.’
While Eugene contemplated, Luke returned and walked through the door.
“Master! Please excuse me. A message came from Mungard and Maren,” Luke said.
“Is that so?” Eugene responded. He was pleased since he had been a little concerned that nothing had arrived until now.
“Hmm?”
There were two letters. One, as expected, was from Romari, but the other was from an unexpected figure.
“Vice Executive?” Eugene said curiously as he opened the letter from Priscilla.
“Hmm.” He narrowed his eyes as he read the letter. Priscilla’s letter was riddled with all sorts of apologies, and its content was quite serious and unexpected. Then, Eugene opened Romari’s letter and read it.
If Priscilla’s letter could be summarized as “I’ve committed a grave sin!” then this was…
- Please save me! Waaaah!
‘What? What is… Ah, right.’
Eugene agonized while rubbing his chin, then suddenly raised his head.
“Sir Edmund. I would like to offer you a chance,” he said.
“What?”
“Whatever the case, you are a holy knight of the Caylor Kingdom. That won’t change, wouldn’t you say?” Eugene asked.
“That’s… true,” Edmund answered.
“And a holy knight is a figure who gives trust to knights and mercenaries from the Caylor Kingdom. Wouldn’t you agree?” Eugene continued.
“That’s also… true,” Edmund said.
“Then I must ask you to immediately head to Mungard. Ah, Sir Galfredik will accompany you,” Eugene stated.
“What?” Edmund said with a puzzled expression.
Eugene gave a meaningful smile. “It looks like uninvited guests have crossed the sea. Take care of it with Sir Galfredik. How you are treated in the future will change depending on how well you resolve this matter.”
***
“This is driving me nuts.”
“…”
“Aren’t there any good solutions?” Markus, the revered vampire of Mungard, said to the figure sitting idly like a stone statue.
The woman, who had bags like the shadows of hell below her eyes, irked a response, “Can you stop talking to me? I’m dying over here.”
“What do you mean by that? As a helper to his great presence, you should be more responsible and…”
“In the first place!”
“…!” Markus jerked.
Romari started to jabber away with her tiny lips. Her face was so thin that it seemed as if her very soul had been sucked out of her. “You gave me too much work. I have a lot of research to do, but I’m the only wizard here. And when I asked you to find some druids to help me out, you failed miserably.”
“That’s because druids aren’t just simple laborers you can hire…” Markus responded.
Romari interrupted him. “Ha?! Does that mean I’m a simple laborer? Oh my~ Please excuse my rudeness. It’s all my fault. A mere pathetic laborer dared to complain, hmm~? Is that right~?”
“…”
“It’s all my fault, isn’t it? Yeah. It was me who was too stupid. Like a squirrel running on a hamster wheel. No, I’m a raccoon, aren’t I? That’s right. I’m-just-a-stupid-raccoon-to-be-used-like-a-tool. Chimera? Nah-I’ll-just-run-up-a-random-mountain-and-start-harvesting-some-roots-and-herbs-or-maybe-I’ll-just-grab-any-vampire-I-see-and-just-have-thempayformysacrificeandmylaborwithtortureandintidmationmethodsofmyschool. Maybethentheywillfinallyrealizewhat…” The wizard started to speak faster and faster until it sounded as if she was murmuring a curse.
Markus became flustered. “I-I made a mistake. You can continue to focus on purifying mana stones. I will take care of this issue on my own.”
The wizard of the Blood Shadow School purified more than one hundred mana stones each day, which was directly linked to the Markus family’s income. Of course, more than half of the profits belonged to the great monarch, but even twenty percent of the profits was an enormous sum that Markus couldn’t simply ignore.
And if the female wizard, who was currently rapidly descending down the abyss of her mind and emanating a cursed aura, was absent, then the process would immediately halt.
‘But what should I do? The knights of the kingdom won’t stand still when they find out that he is a member of the Tribe of the Darkness.’
“Phew.” Markus walked to the window with a deep sigh.
He could see the azure sea underneath the window. A little distance away from the harbor, there were more than 20 large galley ships floating in the waters, even though they had been rarely spotted in recent years.
Initially, he planned to load the ballista to sink the unknown invaders, but he had to allow the opening of the port once a messenger came with a white flag and the flag of the black dragon. More than 1,000 mercenaries and knights aboard the galleys were claiming themselves to be Sir Jan Eugene’s ‘loyal army.’