CH 200

“…So that’s what happened”

“Yes, great monarch.”

Delmondo prostrated himself before Eugene, and Eugene looked down at him. Delmondo’s mask was a mess, and his black robe was torn in various places and caked with dust as if to prove that he had been running day and night to get here.

“Well done. Well, with something like that, you made the right choice to come personally,” Eugene said.

“This humble one is moved to tears of gratitude by your greatness’ unfathomable mercy. However, I beg for your forgiveness once more for disposing of the territory without your permission,” Delmondo responded.

“It was the best choice to be made, right? Marquis Archivold agreed, and after hearing your words, I think it was the right choice,” Eugene said. He was a little disappointed about losing the silver mine, but he had to be satisfied that Essandra had paid a generous price for the territory. Moreover, Essandra had made a promise to return the territory to Eugene any time he desired after the current situation was resolved. In fact, it was as if Essandra was temporarily safekeeping the territory for him.

“By the way, how is the atmosphere in the Carls Baggins Peninsula? I haven’t heard anything from Moffern yet,” Eugene asked. Markus, the vampire lord of Mungard, continued to send Eugene reports. According to Markus's last report, Moffern was still sending ships to Mungard. However, the situation could have changed suddenly and dramatically if Delmondo had been forced to come here personally after disposing of the territory.

“Please do not worry. The guilds of Moffern are still supporting your greatness. It is the same with the guilds of Maren, and the city itself has promised its active support as well,” Delmondo answered.

“Hooh. Are they planning to completely separate themselves from the King of Caylor?” Eugene asked.

“That’s the way this humble one sees it. The lords of the Carls Baggins Peninsula are gathering around the Marquis of Archivold, and the City of Maren is hiring a large number of mercenaries. There’s also a rumor that there's a movement in the nation's central region to keep the king in check and that Count Winslon stands in its center,” Delmondo explained.

“Hmm.” Eugene’s eyes glimmered coldly. Two famous, powerful port cities of the kingdom and two of its five great nobles were standing against the king. It was sufficient to declare it a civil war.

“Master, what are you going to do? Are you going to join?” Galfredik asked.

Pythamoras stepped forward while clicking his tongue. “Ehem. You shouldn’t join in carelessly. Duke, you must consider your current position. Moreover, the kingdom is just taking its first steps. We should avoid conflict with other countries as much as possible.

“Oh, is that so?” Galfredik muttered. A war engulfing an entire country could be a great opportunity for some. However, as Pythamoras had said, a duke and the king’s guardian could not recklessly become involved in the civil war of the Caylor Kingdom. If he did so, it could easily turn into a war between countries.

“What are you talking about? I obviously need to join,” Eugene answered in a calm voice.

“…?!”

All eyes turned towards him.

Eugene explained, “No, rather, it’s weird to say that I’m going to join. In the first place, wasn’t it the King of Caylor who made a move against my territory on the continent? He said he would convict me because I’m an evil pagan, right?”

“That is correct. As I have mentioned, he purposefully sent a young, inexperienced holy knight. It couldn’t have been for the sake of anything else besides insulting your greatness,” Delmondo answered.

Not all nobles were the same. They were subdivided based on their status and class. However, the holy knight responsible for attacking Eugene’s territory had been utterly pathetic. Unless the king and the royalists were fools, they would not have sent such a young, inexperienced holy knight, considering Eugene’s skills and reputation. Such an action went beyond simply picking a fight. It was a deliberate insult.

“They made a move against me first, so I have to react accordingly. Besides, they should already know that I became the Duke of Batla, right? Don’t you think so?” Eugene asked.

“Hmm. Certainly…”

Luke had recently ascended the throne, but it had been a while since Eugene had claimed the Batla Duchy. Since then, more than a dozen ships had traveled between Maren and Moffern, so it would be impossible for Caylor’s king and the royalists to be ignorant of that fact.

“Ah! So you’re saying that they must have done such a thing deliberately, knowing that you’ve become a great noble capable of representing Brantia, right? They assumed that you couldn’t easily make a move against them,” Lanslo stated.

Eugene nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking.”

“As expected...”

“Kyah~ They must have really used their heads.”

“Huh! What a shrewd plan.”

The knights expressed their awe. The knights themselves were quite lacking when it came to politics and manipulation. As such, they could not help but admire the Caylor Kingdom’s king, the royalists, and Eugene, as he had seen right through their plan.

“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that the land of Brantia and the king could be endangered if the duke becomes involved.”

Pythamoras was adamant. However, he had a point. Pythamoras wasn’t Eugene’s loyal subordinate. Instead, he was the advisor to the King of Brantia. He was simply fulfilling his responsibilities and duties.

“Hmm. What to do…”

Eugene pondered. He wanted to completely annihilate those who dared to look down on him, the king and the royalists, but Pythamoras also had a point. He had finally unified Brantia and had made Luke the king for the sake of stable income and as a retirement plan. Things could quickly go awry if he became involved without a plan.

“Justification. In the end, is it a matter of justification?” Eugene mumbled.

“Ehem. Well, in this case, even justification is useless. We would have nothing to say if the King of Caylor stood by their words and insisted on pushing the matter. The rest of the world and the Caylor Kingdom won’t see the duke and Brantia in a good light,” Pythamoras responded. The nobles of the countries on the continent possessed complex blood relationships with each other, and the same was true for the royal families of the countries as well. In other words, several kingdoms could join forces to invade Brantia if Eugene became involved. Eugene felt bitter, but he had no choice but to accept the logical prediction of the wise druid.

‘I don’t like it. I should just go over there and…’

Eugene fell into contemplation. Romari, who had been watching the conversation with her characteristic blank eyes, slowly raised her hand.

“Excuse me, Sir Eugene?”

“What is it?” Eugene asked.

“You’re saying that the Caylor’s King isn’t letting you make a move, right? Since you have your status to worry about, you can’t join in the conflict recklessly, right?” she asked.

“…Weren’t you listening? Why are you asking?” Eugene said.

“I’m telling you this because I heard everything. Anyway, in the end, couldn’t you simply create a situation where you can ignore whatever Caylor’s King says?” Romari said.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just what I would expect from a wizard from the continent. And how do you suggest we create such a situation? I just said a moment ago that there’s nothing we can do if they insist—” Pythamoras said.

Romari interrupted him, “I think there is a way. No, rather, there definitely is a way.”

“What?” Pythamoras muttered with a dismayed expression. Everyone else also looked at the wizard with disbelief. It was hard to believe the words of someone who whined and complained every day.

Romari felt wronged, and she turned to Eugene, speaking in a grumbly voice, “No, there really is a way, right?”

“So what is it?” Eugene asked.

“The imperial prince. The prince…” Romari answered.

“…!!!” Everyone stiffened for a moment, then took on shocked expressions. Romari felt pleased to see their reactions. She raised her head high and spoke triumphantly, “What could the Caylor Kingdom’s king do against the Roman Empire’s prince? Simply having him by Sir Eugene’s side would solve all of the problems, right?”

“That makes sense…” Eugene muttered, nodding.

“Hooh! That’s for sure. Even the King of Caylor can’t possibly mess with the Roman Empire’s prince! The cardinal? What can he possibly do even if he hates the Roman Empire? If they dare to make a move against the emperor’s legitimate son, the Roman Empire’s army will retaliate. Then they will have no choice but to flee to the Holy Empire! Kuhahahaha!” Gafredik burst into laughter as if imagining the scene.

“Pythamoras, what do you think?” Eugene asked.

Eugene’s words awakened Pythamoras from his thoughts.

The druid answered, “Ehem! Ehem! I-I think that’s a reasonable idea. I’m a little worried because Prince Localope seemed to be in a bind of his own, but we cannot deny his lineage and honor.”

“Hmm. So there won’t be any problems if I have the prince by my side?” Eugene asked.

“…That’s right,” Pythmoras answered.

“Then I think we’ve reached a conclusion,” Eugene declared.

Pythamoras eventually nodded with a grim look. Eugene turned his gaze away and looked around with calm eyes before speaking, “We’re going to destroy everyone who dared to make a move against me.”

***

“Uh… so, will you help me if I accompany you to the Kingdom of Caylor?”

“That’s right.”

The prince and his group seemed startled by Eugene’s sudden change of attitude since he had flat-out rejected them only a few days ago.

“However, let’s set a fair period of time,” Eugene stated.

“A fair period… of time?” the fake prince asked while stealing a glance at the real prince.

Eugene continued, “I will help you for as long as the time you spend with me in the Caylor Kingdom.”

“Ah, so that’s what you mean,” the fake prince responded while once again turning his gaze to the real prince. Anyone else would have mistakenly thought that the prince was asking for the opinion of his servant and friend. However, since Eugene already knew the relationship between the two figures, he couldn’t help but consider it horrible acting as he waited for the real prince’s answer.

“It doesn’t seem like a bad offer. However, if you are trying to take advantage of His Highness Localope in a political—” the real prince spoke.

“He doesn’t have to say a single word. I just need him to be by my side,” Eugene responded. He would be more than happy if the talkative prince would just zip his mouth the entire time. What Eugene needed wasn’t Localope himself but rather the status of a prince of the Roman Empire.

“Then I think it is a good proposal, Your Highness,” the real prince said.

“Oh, is that so? Hmm. However, even if we return home, the journey to the imperial castle could take some time…” the fake prince responded. The fake prince, or rather, the servant, knew Localope’s situation better than anyone else. The prince’s homecoming could be riddled with all kinds of crises and difficulties. If Eugene just left in the middle of the journey, saying that the promised period was over, Prince Localope would have to give up his life in a place with no escape.

“Then why don’t you offer Duke Batla an appropriate price?” the real prince suggested.

“An appropriate price?” the fake prince asked.

“The land belonging to Your Highness…” The real prince stretched out the end of his words while observing Eugene’s reaction. Eugene’s expression indicated that he wasn’t particularly interested, so the real prince quickly continued, “…As well as 10,000 imperial gold coins. Wouldn’t His Excellency the Duke be satisfied with that amount?”

“T-That much?” the fake prince stuttered. It was smaller compared to the territories of the empire’s vassals, but Prince Localope’s land was known to be fertile. Moreover, 10,000 imperial gold coins was a humongous amount of wealth equivalent to four—or five years’ worth of income from a decently sized territory. The servant couldn’t help but feel regret that his master’s precious property would be given to the insidious vampire duke.

‘Do they really think I’ll do whatever they want if they give me money?’

This was what Eugene would have thought, but it was simply too much money. As Eugene contemplated accepting the offer, he overheard a whispered conversation between the real prince and the servant in the imperial language.

“We must give him that much. That is the only way we can move the duke. He’s an unparalleled knight, but he’s also a gold-coveting worm.”

‘Gold-coveting worm? Does this bratty prince have a death wish?’

“But what will you do if things go awry? You’ve already attracted the crown prince’s wrath. If things go wrong…” the fake prince whispered.

“Our opponent is that silver-browed demon king. He is the most powerful of the Dark Clan in our empire. We cannot afford to spare anything, including our money and wealth,” the real prince responded.

“…!”

Eugene’s eyebrows wriggled. The one nicknamed ‘silver-browed demon king’—they were also thought to be the strongest vampire in the Roman Empire. Eugene couldn’t help but think of a certain figure.

‘Could it be…?’

The only one with the sneer among the three vampires in his memory had possessed silver eyebrows. If he were an Origin, it would not be strange for him to be called the silver-browed demon king.

“Prince…” Eugene called out.

“Hmm? Ah, what is it, Lord Eugene?” The fake prince quickly turned his head away from the real prince. He had been listening to the real prince’s words with a serious expression.

“If you need me for a longer period of time, let’s settle it at 10,000 gold coins and your territory. However…”

The prince and his group looked surprised. They didn’t expect Eugene to accept their offer right away. Eugene continued in a cold voice, “Members of the Tribe of the Darkness living in the Roman Empire. Please give me a list and location of all the daywalkers among them. That is my condition.”

Eugene made up his mind.

If the silver-browed vampire was in the empire, the other two could also be there.

He had to find the three vampires to discover the truth. He had to know why his memories had been erased, why he had been forced to lead an ignorant life before dying miserably, and why he had returned to the past. He would look for the answers in the Roman Empire, the center of the world.