/
“You will have to use some proper magic once we are there. Since I’m the one who hired you, you don’t have to mind the nobles or the lords. Just do your thing.”
“Leave it to me.” Romari nodded vigorously in response.
‘Okay. Since things have turned out like this anyways, I’ll do my best. Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and kill a wyvern. I could obtain some materials from it.”
In reality, she wasn’t expecting as much. It would be of great help to the production of her chimera if she could simply capture a gargoyle and study it.
‘Half a year. Just half a year.’
“Since we have to travel by boat, should I make some medicine to help with motion sickness? Or perhaps some refined mana stones?”
“Refined mana stones? Oh, right. You’re a wizard.”
‘What else would I be besides a wizard? Hmmm?!’
“Yes, yes. I am a proud scholar of the Blood Shadow School.” Romari forced a smile while suppressing her inner thoughts.
“Galfredik and I will not need it, but I’m not sure about the others. Make a few just in case. Three days should be enough, right?”
“Yes.”
Mana stones refined by wizards could not be sold, since transactions regarding refined mana stones were only performed under the supervision of the church. However, the church could only control the transactions. There were no issues with a wizard creating mana stones for personal use.
If the church overstepped its boundaries and tried to sanction it, they would have a huge conflict with wizards on their hands.
“But honestly, I can’t guarantee the effects. I don’t make them very often, so
”
“I don’t have high expectations either, so just do your best.”
“
yes.”
Romari had only been interested in the production of chimeras for most of her life. However, a flame of motivation was brought to life inside her heart as she answered, although she herself was unaware.
***
A few days later, Eugene boarded a merchant ship of the Palin Association alongside the others. The ship departed from Maren City, which was located at the mouth of a river, and traveled along the coast. Two days later, they arrived at an area known as the Carls Baggins Peninsula.
‘This is the Carls Baggins Peninsula.’
Eugene observed the scenery along the coast while standing on the ship’s deck.
The sunlight, humidity, and the shape of trees lining the beach were definitely different compared to Maren. Even though the two territories belonged to the same kingdom, it felt as if they were different countries.
“Fuuwahh! I’m bored.”
Galfredik approached Eugene while yawning and stretching, and Eugene turned his head.
“They said that we’re almost there. So, the situation in this area is quite complicated?”
“Yes. There is a piece of land under the direct control of the royal family, but apart from there, the king has almost no influence. Regardless, whoever manages to unite the peninsula will rise to become a new great lord and through negotiations with the royal family. I’m sure everyone’s going crazy because of that.”
The Carls Baggins Peninsula was three or four times larger than the territory where Eugene had been active so far. It was a land of unceasing conflict where dozens of lords continued to battle each other for dominance.
And everything had started because of a single tyrant.
“The marquis was a tyrant?”
“Right. The Marquis of Archivold. His reign of terror was so bad that all of the lords rose up to revolt. Ah, right. Baron Beogalan, the owner of the evil land we are currently heading to. He might have a relationship with the marquis as well.”
“I wasn’t informed of the matter. And is that really important?”
“Kuhaha! Well, I guess it doesn’t matter at all. Master and I just have to do what we have to do.”
Galfredik chuckled. He had been full of vitality and joy since the day he was made into Eugene’s vassal. As if suddenly remembering something, he continued in a bright voice.
“Come to think of it, the church doesn’t have much of an influence in the Carls Baggins Peninsula.”
“Hooh, is that true?”
Although they could not be considered his mortal enemy, Eugene had found the church to be the most troublesome force since his past life.
“I think it’s because Marquis Archivold was quite obsessed with religion. He was rather close to a fanatic. However, the bishop of Carls Baggin fled to the royal capital as soon as the march was destroyed without taking any responsibility, which led to the forces of the church weakening. They say the people’s resentment towards the church here can pierce the sky.”
“That’s good news.”
“Kuku! I guess so, right?”
Galfredik nodded with a satisfied smile. He had never been very religious, and after becoming a vampire, he felt rather uncomfortable every time he heard a prayer or a sacred song.
One of the sailors carefully approached the two knights, “Excuse me, sirs, we will soon be arriving at Moffern Port.”
“All right.”
Galfredik and Eugene headed below deck. The others were already busy preparing for landing, perhaps after having heard of the anticipated arrival.
All except one person.
“Kieeeeek! Sir, sir! The raccoon is dying!” Mirian shouted with panic while flying towards Eugene. He turned his head to one side of the cabin.
“Oh, my, phew. Oh my
”
Romari barely pulled herself up while groaning. In just a few days, her complexion had paled considerably. Eugene found her to be quite pitiful.
“Why didn’t you make some medicine for motion sickness to save you this trouble? I thought you knew how to create them
”
“‘Blergggggghhh! I-I spent all of my time refining mana stones. Oh, dear, I think I’m dying. Teacher, is that you
?”
Romari had been speaking like a dying bird over the past two days. Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head at her pathetic appearance.
He had never heard of a wizard with seasickness. Eugene’s expectations of Romari seemed to fall with time.
“Wizard. I’m not expecting very much from you in the subjugation. Just make sure you don’t become a burden.”
“Ohhh, Sir Eugene. I swear on my school’s honor that I-I will definitely
 Blerghhh!”
“Ah, that’s one nasty raccoon!”
“Luke, help the wizard.”
“Yes, Master.”
Romari struggled to stand with the help of Luke after emptying the contents of her stomach. Everyone had sympathetic gazes when they looked at her. It was as if they were looking at a sick person rather than a wizard.
‘Blerghhh! What did I do to deserve this! Why am I being treated like this!’
However, only incomprehensible sounds of gushing yellowish liquid and her cries could be deciphered from her protest of anguish.
***
Moffern was a fairly large port city, although not as big as Maren. The group immediately headed to the Palin Association’s branch upon arriving at the city.
“Welcome to Moffern, Sir Eugene. Sir Galfredik.”
The branch manager was very polite towards the group. Perhaps he had heard some stories from the head office.
“I already heard from Vice Executive Priscilla. Are you thinking of heading straight to the Beogalan Barony? Or do you plan to take a day off?”
“We will depart after resting for a couple of hours. A member of our entourage is currently suffering from severe seasickness.”
“Oh, I see. Then, please, come this way.”
The branch manager stole a glance at Romari before quickly leading the group. The wizard was being helped by Luke, or even almost being carried. After a while, Eugene left Romari to rest and had the mercenaries and the slaves leave as well. He shared a separate conversation with the branch manager and Galfredik.
“What kind of place is the Beogalan Barony?”
Having expected such a question, the branch manager answered politely, “It is one of the few territories where an evil land is being properly operated within the Carls Baggins Peninsula. However, I feel as if Lord Beogalan is straining himself a little bit, perhaps because of the losses he suffered during the recent subjugation.”
“Losses?”
Eugene narrowed his eyes, and Galfredik answered in the branch manager’s stead.
“It seems that the results of the subjugation were bad. If you defeated fewer monsters than the number of hired troops, you would be making a loss.”
“It is just as Sir Gaflredik said. Not even a single intermediate-rank monster has been defeated in months, even though there have been two subjugations with two or three knights and over thirty hired mercenaries.”
“Hmm. Is it because of the wyvern?”
Eugene made a guess based on the information he obtained from Galfredik. The branch manager appeared surprised as he nodded.
“That is correct. Just what I might expect from a renowned knight of Maren. You are quite well-versed with ruins as well. Amazing, just as I heard.”
Most knights would react with joy after receiving such compliments. However, Eugene didn’t even bat an eye after hearing the branch manager’s words. Feeling a little embarrassed, the branch manager continued with a cough.
“Ehem! Anyways, just as you said, the wyvern has been attacking the subjugation party since a while ago. Five or six deaths would result from every attack, so the subjugation teams had no choice but to retreat after two or three days.”
“Could it not be prevented by having many archers? It’s not like the crossbow doesn’t exist here.”
Although it took some time to reload, the crossbow was much easier to handle than the longbow. Even children could learn to shoot if the weapons were loaded. Eugene had trouble understanding the situation. It seemed as if the wyvern could be kept at bay if there were even ten soldiers equipped with crossbows.
“It has control over harpies. Moreover, it’s incredibly clever. It will only attack the group when they are already exhausted from dealing with the harpies. It’s a relief that the ruin possesses many buildings. If that weren’t the case, the last subjugation party would have been wiped out.”
“Huh! That’s no joke. That’s what you should expect from a high-rank monster, huh?” Galfredik commented with a frown, then asked the branch manager. “So there will be more participants in the subjugation this time around, right? It seems to be that at least fifty people are needed to achieve anything in the ruin.”
“I am not entirely sure. It just happened to be our association’s turn, so I requested the barony to send us some reliable troops. In addition, I hired ten extra mercenaries as well.” The branch manager spoke while studying Eugene’s expression. Some prideful knights would hate having hired troops without their permission.
‘This will save me money.’
However, Eugene was extremely satisfied.
“That’s good to hear. I’m sure they will be knowledgeable about the local geography, right?”
“Naturally. In addition, all of them have been active in our city for a long time. They are trustworthy. I’m sure they will be to your liking as well, sir.”
The branch manager kowtowed toward the two knights. It almost seemed a little excessive, but it was only a matter of course. The two merchant associations responsible for the last two failed subjugations were fierce competitors of the Palin Association. If Eugene and Galfredik were successful, the Moffern branch of the Palin Association could use it as a stepping stone to escalate their status.
‘And Lady Priscilla told me to be cautious as well, even though she rarely makes such a request.’
Although Priscilla was young, she possessed outstanding abilities. For her to make a personal request was a testament to the skills of these two knights.
‘Their accompanying mercenaries looked to be quite competent as well. Well, the seasick wizard is a bit of a downer, but that shouldn’t matter.’
The branch manager was only disappointed with a single member of Eugene’s group. But as a merchant, he never lost his smile as he politely bowed to Eugene.
“Then I will leave it to you, Sir Eugene.”
***
“My name is Veron, Sir.”
Veron looked to be under thirty. He was a stocky mercenary with a good physique. The same was true of his subordinates. They looked to be a little unruly but showed good discipline in front of Eugene and Galfredik.
It was evident at first glance that Veron and his men were quite outstanding. Eugene had grown to be a good judge of character over these days.
“Do you know the way to the Beogalan Barony?”
“Yes. Two of my men were born there. There is nothing to worry about.”
“Good. Then let’s depart right away.”
The guiding mercenary took his seat in the coachman’s seat.
“Oh god. Oh, my. I’m going to die.”
“Hey! Silence the raccoon’s cries!”
The wizard’s moans created a harmony with the spirit’s irritated shouts as the group departed for the Beogalan Barony.
After a couple of hours

The entourage entered a deserted trail, and Veron, who had been quiet until then, approached Eugene.
“Sir Eugene. I’m not sure if you have heard already, but the Carls Baggins Peninsula is very different from the central region.”
“They say it’s more dangerous. But is it truly something to be worried about?” Eugene shrugged.
Veron suppressed a ridiculing laugh. Although he was told explicitly by the Palin Association’s branch manager to not act recklessly in front of Eugene, the knight was only a sheltered noble brat in Veron’s eyes.
The knight Galfredik appeared to be quite strong, but he addressed Eugene as ‘master.’ Presumably, Eugene was just another typical young master who wanted to gain fame in his first performance while being accompanied by a real knight.
“With all due respect, it definitely is. The knights of the Carls Baggins Peninsula possess rough temperaments. Even mercenaries will not show respect to the knights unless they are renowned. Dozens of mercenaries will flock together, so if they block the road or pick a fight, it would be best to pay the toll and
”
“Like those men over there?”
“What?”
Veron quickly turned his gaze towards the direction Eugene was pointing towards. However, he did not see anything out of the ordinary. He could only see bushes swaying in the wet wind.
“Sir. It might be best if you don’t jest like that in the Carls Baggins Peninsula
”
“Remain on the carriage and protect it, Partec. Glade, Lavan, you take the rear with Luke.”
“Yes, Sir Eugene.”
“Sir, what are you trying to
?”
Eugene simply ignored Veron’s words before riding forward with Galfredik like a storm.
“Ha! Look at this
”
Veron and his men were dumbfounded by their sudden, erratic behavior. As the two knights stormed forward, they launched javelins loaded onto their spear throwers.
“Chaargggeeee!” A group of men rushed out of the bushes as a scream resounded in the air.