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Eugene continued his journey to the western coast, where the Bayman Orcs were expected to arrive. On his way, Eugene continued to converse with the knights and nobles. However, while those originating from the Caylor Kingdom willingly complied with Eugene’s call, most of the Brantian nobles were rather callous.
Their reason was simple. Most of them were under the Fransil family, so they didn’t know much about Eugene. They had no fear of him, so they didn’t deem his summons important.
“Sir Arkwood did not comply with the summons. However, he is willing to provide some funds and supplies.”
“The same goes for Sir Kezman. He states that it will be difficult for him to provide troops without the explicit permission of Lord Fransil.”
“They appeared oblivious to the name of His Majesty the King and the royal family’s crest. They reluctantly opened the gates when I gave the honorable names of the duke and Master Pranbow. And even then, they were quite inhospitable.”
“They even questioned if the Bayman Orcs’ invasion was even true. They appeared doubtful of the fact that Your Excellency headed to the North and saw them personally.”
Eugene frowned as the knights returned one after another and gave their reports.
“How regrettable! Your Excellency, they are not qualified to be called knights. Please send me. I will speak to them with the sword, and it will come to an immediate resolution.”
Eugene quickly brushed aside Lilisain’s suggestion and became lost in thought. Judging from the knights’ reports, it seemed that the western nobles assumed that the birth of a new king had nothing to do with them. It was rather incredulous, but it made sense at the same time.
Even in the Caylor Kingdom, numerous nobles lived their entire lives without seeing the king even once. Considering that, nobles were usually loyal to the great nobles and lords they served rather than the king. This was why even if their lord, the head of the Fransil family, became allies with the new king, their allegiance remained with the Franisil family, not the king.
So when they were suddenly ordered to comply with orders to provide troops, their disobedience wasn’t a surprise.
“Your Excellency, why don’t you go see Lord Fransil?” Partec stepped up and asked carefully, recognizing that Eugene seemed to be in a strange mood. Partec had been bestowed a title during Luke’s enthronement along with the other mercenary captains. Now, he was a proper lord with his own manor, and he was one of the king’s knights as well. Glade and Lavan had also been sworn in as official knights.
Eugene responded, “We don’t have enough time for that. If we went ahead and visited the Fransil family, asked for their cooperation, and returned to gather the nobles, the orcs would have arrived more than ten times in the meantime.”
“Well, that’s true…” Partec stepped back while scratching his head.
The other knights raised their voices. They could no longer hide their anger.
“How could they act so impudently? They are clearly disregarding His Majesty the King and Your Excellency!”
“Well spoken, sir! Your Excellency, let’s just force our way in and show them our power!”
Both the Brantian knights and the knights from the Caylor Kingdom unanimously insisted on using force to deal with the non-compliant nobles and knights.
“Your Excellency, you have to think this through carefully. This could lead to the worsening of your relationship with the Fransil family. If you force their followers, it could lead to a complicated situation,” Pranbow advised. He was cautious, which was natural for a swordmaster of Eland since Eland possessed a similar position to the Fransil family in the new Kingdom of Brantia.
Eugene smirked. “Is that so? Then let me ask you a question…”
“What…?”
“Let’s say that the Bayman Orcs landed in Eland. What would you say if I don’t offer my help with the excuse that I don’t have the king’s permission? Even though I am his guardian, technically, I am still the king’s vassal, right?” Eugene asked.
“…!” Pranbow’s eyes quivered.
Eugene stared straight into the elf’s eyes before speaking firmly, “The issue with the Bayman Orcs is a matter involving the entire kingdom. How could we call this a proper kingdom if the lords cannot unite under the king to deal with a national crisis? Do you think I went through all that trouble to see this sort of thing?”
“Well, of course not, but since the coronation was already held, wouldn’t it be better to use a more conciliatory approach in dealing with the nobles? I might be acting nosy here, but your name and honor may become tarnished, and it worries me,” Pranbow responded. He seemed disappointed as he spoke.
It was true. Pranbow thought Eugene could settle them honorably rather than through fear. He couldn’t understand why Eugene was trying to use force to solve these issues.
However, his assumptions proved that Pranbow was still unfamiliar with Eugene.
“Is my honor more important than the stability of Brantia?” Eugene asked.
“Hmm!” Pranbow was startled by Eugene’s frigid gaze.
Eugene continued, “Honor, mercy, generosity. All those are good. But now that my aide has become the king, such things are for him to take.”
“Then, Your Excellency…” Pranbow muttered.
“Are you asking because you don’t know? At least one person needs to be holding the blade. Someone must be ready to break your head if you act like shit. That way, they will learn not to act like an idiot and be loyal to the king,” Eugene answered.
“…!” Pranbow finally came to a realization upon seeing Eugene’s cold smile.
‘I thought he was only saying it for the sake of it. Was he really planning on staying as Brantia’s sword this entire time?!’
Eugene was planning to bear the stigma of being the symbol of fear while giving all the glory and honor to the king.
“Your Excellency… Did you know that this was going to happen?” Pranbow asked.
“I thought of it, but I didn’t expect it to come to fruition. So I should do things according to what I have planned, right?” Eugene said.
“Let me ask you a question. Why do you want to carry the burden of dishonor and stigma?” Pranbow asked. He was genuinely curious. Wasn’t the pursuit of honor and fame—a knight’s ultimate purpose? What Eugene was trying to do was the farthest from glory.
“It’ll make things easier in the future if I do this now. And most importantly…”
Eugene continued with a sneer, “I am a member of the Dark Clan.”
“…!”
No further explanation was needed. Pranbow fully understood Eugene’s intentions from his response. Even if Brantia was generous and undiscriminating against other races, vampires were naturally a symbol of fear and horror to the other races.
In the end, Eugene had basically made it clear that he would stay as a cruel member of the Dark Clan rather than an honorable knight.
Pranbow finally gave in and bowed. “I have nothing more to say. Please do as you wish, Your Excellency.”
There was no doubt that Eugene’s choice would be far more conducive to the stability of the kingdom and the continual of the royal family.
Eugene responded, “Even if you did have something more to say, I would have had my way in the end.”
Eugene turned his gaze away from Pranbow and looked at the other knights before asking, “Where is the closest territory from here?”
“It’s the Arkwood territory, Your Excellency,” one of the knights answered.
“And then?” Eugene asked.
“The Floyd territory.” the knight responded once again.
“Good. Starting with the Arkwood and the Floyd territory, we will visit all the territories on our way to the expected landing point of the orcs. Those disloyal to the kingdom and the king will not be recognized as lords of Brantia. Therefore, those who do not answer the summons will be destroyed,” Eugene declared.
Ooohhh!!!
The knights exclaimed vigorously.
“Sir Caltech, Sir Corbella. You two take this road to the Fransil family. Inform Lord Fransil of the current situation and let him know that I will dispose of the nobles at will. I will not accept questions, objections, or protests. No need to wait for an answer either. Deliver this message and return immediately. Go,” Eugene commanded.
“As you wish,” the two knights answered.
“Sir Clenmer. Head to the royal castle and inform the king and Pythamoras of my decision. The druid will know how to respond,” Eugene continued.
“Yes, Your Excellency…”
The three knights departed on their horses.
Eugene looked back at Pranbow and Lilisain before smiling. “I think this takes care of that. Any other suggestions?”
“None...” Pranbow shook his head.
Lilisain simply stared at Eugene with glistening eyes and a blush.
“Three days. I will conclude the summons in three days. Sirs, there will be no need to conserve mana stones. Take them if you feel tired. Beowulfs, I will take full responsibility if you kill those who are acting like shit,” Eugene declared.
“As you wish, Your Excellency!!”
“Kuwuoooooo!!!”
“Kieeeeehh!”
They cheered. However, there were no more honorable knights and proud warriors. The ones cheering were iron-blooded fighters who only took orders from one man.
And…
“Respect! Sincere respect!” The elven princess, who had fallen deeply for the vampire duke since their first meeting, even raised her sword up high.
“Haaa…” She didn’t even glance at her teacher, who kept shaking his head with regret.
***
“Uh… So you are the Duke of Batla?”
“That’s right,” Eugene responded.
Sir Arkwood was the owner of a large farmland, which spanned nearly 330,000 square meters, as well as dozens of serfs. He looked around at the vampire duke and his knights with slightly anxious eyes.
‘I never thought he would come personally when I sent his men back.’
The Duke of Batla was exactly as the rumors had it. The duke and the two knights accompanying him were equipped in armor that Sir Arkwood could never even imagine laying his hands on. However, that didn’t mean Sir Arkwood was afraid of them.
‘What are you going to do? You’re in an alliance with Lord Fransil, aren’t you?’
There were only three knights on his side, including himself, and twenty serf soldiers. Even so, the vampire duke could never attack them.
“Hmm. So, you’re saying that you would like the knights of Arkwood to join you, as the Bayman Orcs may land on the shore sometime soon?” Sir Arkwood asked.
“It’s a certainty, not a possibility. I saw it and heard it directly when I went to the North,” Eugene responded.
“Ah, yes, yes. I guess so,” Sir Arkwood nodded while speaking indifferently, recalling the words of Lord Fransil. His lord had warned him not to do anything to displease their new allies.
However, though he appeared sympathetic on the surface, Sir Arkwood’s thoughts were completely different.
‘The Bayman Orcs are invading all of a sudden? What kind of nonsensical bullshit is this?’
Lord Fransil had warned him to act cautiously around the new royalty. However, this didn’t mean that he had to trust all of Duke Batla’s words and follow his commands.
The northern orcs had been quiet for decades, so why would they invade all of a sudden? Who in their right mind would believe such nonsense? Moreover, Sir Arkwood had never participated in a war. He was completely oblivious to how great or scary the Duke of Batla really was.
‘Even so, he’s a duke. I should at least pretend to listen, right? This could be an opportunity. Nobles like him are always sensitive to public opinion, so I’ll meet some of his demands and get what I can from him.’
Sir Arkwood decided to trust in his pride as the master of a land with history and tradition. In addition, he could make some small profits as well.
“With all due respect, the sword of Arkwood is not at your disposal, even for you, Your Excellency. My loyalty is to the Fransil family,” he declared.
“…”
Sir Arkwood felt his heart sink when Eugene remained silent and stared at him with cold eyes. As such, he smiled right away and continued, “But as you know, Your Excellency, there are exceptions to everything.”
“So?” Eugene asked.
“Haha. If Your Excellency is generous enough to show us your honor, I could give Lord Fransil a proper explanation in the future, right?” Sir Arkwood continued.
“Honor and generosity… Are you asking for gold coins?” Eugene asked.
Arkwood didn’t expect Eugene to be so blunt. He flinched before giving a meaningful smile. “Depending on the situation, gold could act as a very useful tool, right? Hahaha.”
“So, you are saying that you aren’t willing to accept a royal order, but you might change your mind if I pay you gold coins?” Eugene said.
“Oh, no! Someone might misunderstand, Your Excellency. All I’m saying is that there’s a way…”
Shuack!
Sir Arkwood wasn’t given a chance to finish his sentence. He could only blink reflexively as a silver flash disturbed his vision. Immediately afterward, he heard the sharp sound of the air being sliced apart.
Shiiing!
“Hiek…?!” Sir Arkwood was stunned to see a blade tip before his nose. The blade shone with an eerie glow.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
“W-w-what are you doing?!”
“My lord!”
Shing! Shing!
Sir Arkwood’s men immediately unsheathed their weapons.
Eugene ignored them and declared, “Those who can wield a sword and ride a horse among your children, bring them all.”
“Do you really think that you will get away with doing something like… Uah!” Sir Arkwood screamed and attempted to move back when Wolfslaughter poked his forehead. However, Eugene activated his Fear at that moment, and Sir Arkwood was forced to stay frozen like a rock.
After tying up Sir Arkwood with his Fear, Eugene turned to the territory’s troops and spoke coldly. The troops appeared angry, but they were also taken aback by Eugene’s sudden behavior.
“Put your swords away unless you want to meet your ends,” Eugene coldly said.
“…?!” Everyone was appalled to hear the vulgar way in which Eugene had spoken. They had heard rumors, but it was still unbelievable to see that one of the highest-ranking nobles of the country could be so crude.
“I’m not going to warn you twice. Put them away,” Eugene said.
Despite Eugene’s final warning, the troops didn’t put their weapons away. They looked as if they were confused.
Eugene then spoke with a cruel smile, “Start it…”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“The price of ignoring his warning. You shall pay for it.”
Partec and Lilisain responded to Eugene’s command before taking action.