/
“They just swept through it all. Even Bemos wasn’t as bad as this…” Edmund muttered with a frown as he looked around at the ransacked village.
“Hmm…” Eugene carefully examined the village. They had stopped by to replenish their quickly dwindling food and supplies due to the addition of three hundred cavalries to the expedition. He hadn’t expected to procure enough supplies to replenish their entire supply but had hoped to restock to a certain extent.
“This is rather troublesome,” Eugene muttered softly while looking over the ruins. He could see crumbling wooden walls and fences, as well as houses partly eaten away by fire. The various household items spread across the ground, and the dark brown stains of blood seemed to tell the tragedy of that day. At least hundreds of monsters had to have attacked the village.
“Your Majesty!”
A group of cavalries returned after scouting around the village.
“There are wagon wheels and horse hoofs tracks. It appears that some of the residents succeeded in escaping.”
“Hmm,” Eugene thought for a moment, then turned around.
“Sir Blanc. Where is the largest village closest to here?” he asked.
Blanc answered with a pale expression, “It’s Byrne. It’s the village under the administration of Sir Grigon…”
According to Baron Blanc, Byrne was the largest village in the Demeire region. It couldn’t be called a city with a population of less than ten thousand, but the entire village was protected by a sturdy wall of about five meters high. As such, many residents of the nearby villages had already fled earlier to avoid the monsters.
“If some of the villagers successfully escaped, they would have headed toward Byrne. It’s the safest place around here.”
“I see. How many villages are there in Demiere?” Eugene asked.
“About twenty. There are a few that are bigger than this place as well.”
In other words, an entire region housing tens of thousands of people had been completely ravaged. It meant that the Tywin territory had been headed for a similar destructive outcome without early intervention.
‘And it will continue to spread to other areas like a raging fire. In the end, a small country will crumble.’
Moreover, most of the affected countries shared borders with the Roman Empire and had a relationship with the empire on many fronts. Like it or not, they would have been forced to ask the empire for assistance without Eugene’s intervention.
“You’re a real evil bastard,” Eugene said.
“That’s right. I don’t know who you are talking about, but if you’re calling them evil, then they must be so much eviler than you, sir. What an evil, corrupt, hideous bastard.” Mirian chimed.
“…You aren’t wrong, but your words offend me for some reason,” Eugene responded.
“K-kiehh!” Eugene shoved the spirit into the leather pocket and turned around.
“We’ll head to Byrne first. We do need to resupply.”
Eugene’s decision was convincing. After all, with the increased number of troops, their supplies—food in particular—were only two days away from being completely exhausted.
However, Baron Blanc responded with a perplexed expression, “But Your Majesty. We already know exactly where the monsters are, so why don’t we get rid of them as soon as possible? It’s not too far from here either.”
Baron Blanc’s words were reasonable. It was because Demiere’s monster uprising was unlike the others, and the monsters’ behavior was different as well.
“They’re all there?” Eugene asked after turning his face to one side of the sky.
“That’s right.” Baron Blanc nodded. Although it was very far away, Eugene could clearly see a giant mountain solemnly standing with a ring of clouds on its head. Mount Felipoa—it contained both the Demiere region’s only evil land and its water source, and it was a dormant volcano as well. About half of the villages in the Demiere region were located close to Mount Felipoa, similar to the village where they were right now. The lake located at the top of the mountain served the land well to keep the farmland fertile, and the volcano itself was tall and wide enough to raise livestock. However, the two sole evil lands of the Demiere region were also located in the middle of the volcano. What was even more unusual about Demiere was that the monsters did not spread throughout the region like in other places. Rather, the monsters took refuge in Mount Feliopa and attacked nearby villages, pastures, and roads whenever they wanted, as if they were a band of bandits.
“It’s not like those monsters are bandits…” Eugene muttered.
"Yes, exactly. The count has judged that there’s still time, which is why he did not send in a large number of troops,” Baron Blanc responded. If the monsters had spread, Count Hisain would have taken immediate action. And since that wasn’t the case, he had waited for Eugene and the expedition.
“If Lord Hisain judged that he could afford to wait, isn’t that the same with us?” Eugene asked.
“Uh… That’s right, but…”
“And you said almost all the villagers near the volcano had already taken refuge, right? Then that gives us even more time. Byrne isn’t that far from here. Three or four days should be enough to head to the volcano after we resupply,” Eugene said.
“…Yes.”
Despite Eugene’s reasoning, Blanc seemed unsatisfied. Eugene noticed his displeasure and asked with a puzzled expression. “Sir Blanc. Is there a reason why I shouldn’t go to Byrne? You don’t seem to like it.”
“A-ah, not at all!”
“Hmm.”
Eugene’s eyes glimmered coldly. Baron Blanc felt his heart sink. After spending some time together with Eugene, he had a rough idea of what Eugene disliked. Among them was the act of keeping a secret and trying to deceive him.
‘Well… It’s not that I don’t like it. Truthfully, I am a little worried about Your Majesty going to Byrne,” Baron Blanc confessed.
“Worried?” Eugene asked.
“Yes. Truthfully…” In the end, Baron Blanc had no choice but to confess why he was worried about Eugene heading to Byrne.
“Hmm. Hmmm. Hooh. I see. So that’s what it was…” Eugene responded after listening to Baron Blanc’s explanation.
Eugene spoke with a glimmer in his eyes, “So what you’re saying is that the governor of Demiere is in Byrne and that he is Lord Hisain’s second son. Moreover, he is like Lord Hisain in every aspect?”
“That’s right. And aside from everything else, he’s exactly like Lord Hisain when it comes to his prudence with conserving money…” Baron Blanc responded. Baron Blanc was worried about this. Grigon—the count’s second son and governor of Demiere—was as stingy as his father. Naturally, frugalness wasn’t a big weakness as the governor of a region. In fact, thanks to his sound financial management, Demiere was coping very well without experiencing a shortage of supplies despite the crisis attracting thousands of refugees. However, that was a different matter altogether. Baron Blanc had a hunch that he could not allow the eccentric vampire to meet the count’s replica. Otherwise, something big would happen. Baron Blanc already felt as if he were walking on thin ice because of Carmier’s death. He could do without Grigon causing another problem. As such, he couldn’t help but oppose Eugene’s plans of going to Byrne.
“With all due respect, I dare to suggest that I could head into Byrne with a portion of the troops and workers to procure the supplies, Your Majesty,” Baron Blanc said.
“We came all this way, didn’t we? How could we do that? Let us all go together. And since he’s the son of Lord Hisain, it would be better for me to inform him of Sir Carmier’s death and seek his understanding,” Eugene responded.
“Ah… Yes.”
‘Damn that Carmier!’
Baron Blanc had to swallow his tears and nod. Thanks to the late Carmier, he couldn’t even squeak.
‘But why the hell is he trying to go there personally? Carmier’s matter seems to be an excuse… I don’t understand.’
Baron Blanc was rather puzzled as he watched Eugene exit the village on horseback.
Eugene’s intention was very simple.
‘He’s exactly like Count Hisain? Then it will be better for me to meet him.’
Although Baron Blanc was a decent man, he was also Count Hisain’s vassal. He would never say anything bad about his own monarch. Even now, he had described Grigon with unnecessary words when he could have simply called Grigon for what he was—a miser. So, if he got to meet the son before the count, he would come to a better understanding of Count Hisain’s true face as well.
‘In addition, things will work out even better if he’s the count’s son.’
Eugene smiled. He had come up with a good plan after Baron Blanc had described Grigon to him. He felt even prouder and happy to think that he would get to rip off a miser.
***
“Sir Grigon! Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived! What? What do you…” Grigon was more bewildered than pleased at the news of reinforcements. Reinforcements wouldn’t have appeared out of thin air, which meant his father, Count Hisain, must have sent them over here. However, he had heard no such news from his father. The Knights of Dawn had set off, but it was to greet the King of Maren…
“Sir Blanc and the others have returned together with the expedition of the King of Maren. Haha! They joined forces with the Knights of Dawn when they heard that Demiere was facing a crisis!”
“Oh…!”
The officials of Byrne were delighted at the news. Byrne essentially served as Demiere’s capital, and the officials were very worried about the monster uprising. They were still doing well regarding the food required to feed thousands of refugees, but they felt faint as they anxiously waited for the day the monsters left Mount Felipoa and invaded their village.
Even though news of reinforcements was something to be pleased about, Grigon felt somewhat uncomfortable.
‘I have a bad feeling… Why is it?’
Grigon’s shoulders trembled slightly. He felt chills similar to when he sometimes had an audience with his father. His obsession with gold—the miser’s instinct that had been passed onto him through blood was strongly warning him. However, it wasn’t as if he had any other choice but to welcome the reinforcements, especially when there was a foreign monarch and prestigious nobles in the mix as well.
“Hurry up and welcome our esteemed guests into the castle. No, I should go myself.”
According to Baron Blanc’s letter, The expedition of Maren’s King even included a prince of the Roman Empire. As such, he couldn’t be impudent and stay in the castle when such celebrated figures were visiting him.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Grigon left the hall with Byrne’s officials. They quickly reached the castle gates with hastened steps.
Grigon narrowed his eyes.
‘What is it?’
Uwaaaaah…
He could clearly hear a cheer from afar. He hurried out the castle doors and became wide-eyed. Hundreds of mounted, large warriors were proudly marching across Bryne’s streets. Several knights, considered to be the commanders, stood at the forefront.
The Knights of Dawn were clearly at the center of the group. The flag embroidered with their crest was flying at the highest point.
“Oh! It appears that the King of Maren thinks very highly of our warriors.”
“That’s right! I thought they would be a proudful lot because they came from abroad, but they seem to be honorable knights after all!”
“Or maybe they were intimidated by the majesty of our knights…”
“Oh! That’s certainly plausible.”
“Hahaha…!”
The officials couldn’t hide their pride as they burst into laughter. Anyone could tell that the Knights of Dawn were the protagonists of the day.
‘But why?’
However, Grigon couldn’t join in their laughter; his instinct was still warning him.
‘Why is the energy I can feel from there stronger than my father’s?’
A flag embroidered with the crest of a dragon proudly fluttered right beneath the flag of the Knights of Dawn. Grigon began to sweat when he saw a knight in black armor leisurely riding his horse next to the flagbearer.
“Kiehohoho! Unbelievable! Gold power level over 42,000. He’s on a completely different level from the previous monies.”
Grigon might have even been afraid if he saw the spirit standing on Eugene’s shoulder. The spirit was giggling while wearing a monocle made of water[1]
1. Clearly a reference to… Dragon Ball~! If you didn’t get it, then you made me sad. ☜