/
“Master, I think they’re just about done.”
Eugene glanced over after hearing Galfredik’s words. The slaves were loading the carriages with the spoils of the battle. All of the carriages were packed to the brim, and their numbers had increased to five in just two days.
“Glade, are you finished?”
“Yes, sir. I think we just need to sort out the dead bodies.”
“Good. Romari.”
“Yes.”
Romari quickly answered. She had been standing still while stealing glances at Eugene. Although she had not been helpful during the many battles that took place until now, her assistance was quite helpful in other ways.
“….. ….. … …..!” As she quietly muttered a spell in an ancient language, a faint light started revolving around the end of Romari’s stick.
The eyes of slaves became filled with awe and subtle fear. They were mere mercenaries or criminals until not long ago. As such, their fear toward Eugene grew even more once they realized that the knight was accompanied by a wizard.
'Where in the world did such a knight come from?'
‘Magic! This is definitely magic. So that’s why he was so strong…’
In fact, their abnormal strength was due to their identity as vampires, but the slaves seemed to have attributed the inhuman strength of Eugene and Galfredik to magic.
Fwooosh!
When the final syllable of Romari’s chanting fell, the gathered corpses were abruptly engulfed in dark red flames. Surprisingly, the bloodstains disappeared from the lifeless bodies as well, and they took on peaceful expressions before slowly scattering into the air as ashes.
There was a possibility of the corpses being transformed into undead if they were simply buried or cremated. However, if a wizard or a high-ranking priest performed rituals to purify the deceased, their souls could avoid desecration and they could be put to a peaceful rest.
Some of the slaves had witnessed the sight a few times already, and they had stiff expressions. However, the most recent addition to the group, the survivors from the “Bernard Brothers,” looked to be in complete shock after seeing the phenomenon.
“Phew…”
Romari exhaled with satisfaction after completely purifying the corpses. She had utilized a purification magic unique to the Blood Shadow School.
Fwoosh!
A timely gust of wind caused her robe to flutter majestically, and Romari appeared just like a mysterious, wonderous wizard from the fairy tales of the olden days.
Everyone’s eyes were filled with fear and admiration as they looked at her. At least, all except two vampire knights and a spirit.
“Kieeeeeekk! How dare a little raccoon try to look cool?!”
“At least she’s useful in taking care of the bodies.”
“Kukaka! Don’t worry, it will be different once we enter the ruins. Of course, she still won’t be worth the money.”
“…I will work harder and prove my value.”
The wizard became depressed once again, even though she managed to proudly display her abilities after a long time. And in line with Romari’s growing depression, the fear that the new slaves felt toward the two knights grew exponentially. They wondered what kind of beings were capable of walking all over a wizard.
***
The villagers of Paranan Village panicked after seeing more than 50 soldiers coming their way. At first, they assumed the Bernard Brothers were returning, since the group was active nearby and around the village. However, they realized that something was strange as soon as they saw two knights at the forefront of the troops, both knights were even armed in breathtaking, black plate armor.
“Who is the chief of this village?” Eugene asked after taking off his helmet, and the villagers were forced into stunned silence. They were completely mesmerized by Eugene’s splendid beauty. They wondered if he was even human at all.
“Sir Eugene is asking! Who is the chief here?!” Partec stepped forward while shouting with an ugly frown.
Finally, a bald man in his mid-40s stepped out while bowing his head, “T-that would be me, sir! Please have mercy.”
“We aren’t here to hurt you, so relax. Anyways, this village was previously occupied by those men over there, right?”
“What? Ah!?”
The chief and the villagers became wide-eyed after turning their heads. They saw a group of bandits standing awkwardly without their armor, stealing careful glances at the knights. It was the same group of men that reigned terror on the village only a few hours ago. Moreover, their captain, the hairy giant, couldn’t be seen anywhere.
‘They were annihilated by this knight!’
The chief immediately recognized the situation and hurriedly replied, “That is correct, sir! Those wicked men bullied and robbed us!”
“That bald bastard…”
The chief cried tearfully, and the enslaved bandits took on ferocious expressions. In an instant, Eugene’s hand turned into a blur.
Thuck!
The bandit responsible for muttering under his breath collapsed backwards with a rondel dagger sticking out of his forehead.
People were shocked. They didn’t even see when the knight pulled out his weapon.
“There you go, Master.”
Luke retrieved the weapon and wiped it clean before presenting it to Eugene. The vampire placed the weapon back into its holster before speaking to the chief.
“There is nothing for you to worry about. If they try anything, that’s how they will end up.”
“T-thank you, Sir Knight!”
“You will be blessed, Sir!”
“Sir, you are truly our savior!”
The villagers and the chief immediately fell to their stomachs, realizing where the balance of power had shifted to.
“…..?”
Eugene was slightly taken aback by their sudden response. However, this was how the residents of Paranan Village survived over the years. Although Eugene wasn’t aware, there were quite a few more villages in the Carls Baggin Peninsula that shared a similar method of survival.
***
Paranan Village was quite large. There were about three hundred residents, and the village was rather well-off. Moreover, the Bernard Brothers had only recently occupied the village.
As such, Eugene was able to procure food for the slaves without much difficulty. Moreover, unlike the Bernard Brothers, he provided the village with proper compensation for the food.
“Thank you so much! Sir Eugene is truly an honorable knight!”
“Don’t mention it.”
The chief teared up while expressing his gratitude, and Eugene waved his hand in response. He couldn’t be bothered to react excessively to the chief’s every word and action. However, the residents misunderstood it as humility.
‘To think that there’s still a true knight left on the peninsula!’
‘He is a better knight than the late Sir Marcelo!’
The gaze of the residents was filled with even more respect and awe. Sir Eugene could not be compared to the Bernard Brothers’ gang, who established a reign of terror as the owners of the village until today, and he was much more benevolent and knightlier than the previous administrator of the village.
‘Do something!’
‘Trust me.’
The chief quickly exchanged a glance with the residents before politely pouring wine into Eugene’s glass. He then asked politely. “By the way, Sir Eugene. With all due respect, what are you planning to do with those who ran away?”
The chief was referring to the remnants of the Bernard Brothers, the ones who fled as soon as they saw Eugene and his group approaching the village. However, Eugene’s primary purpose in stopping by the village was to procure food to feed the slaves.
“Why should I worry about that?”
“What? A-aren’t you here to protect us?”
“What?” Eugene frowned after hearing an unexpected question.
“…..?” The chief and the residents appeared puzzled as well.
“Kuhahaha! It seems the villagers want to make Sir Eugene the master of the village. Am I correct?” Galfredik suggested.
“Yes, yes! That is exactly where I am getting at. I thought it was a given.” The chief nodded eagerly. Even so, Eugene still didn’t understand what they were talking about. Why would he become the village’s master when this was his first-time visit? What kind of nonsense was this?
“I heard that the situation in Carls Baggins was a mess, but it seems that it’s really true. Oi, chief. Before those retards… before those Bernard bastards took over the village, who was the lord or the administrator of this village?”
Galfredik stepped up, and the chief and the residents responded in unison.
“His name was Sir Marcelo – a distant relative of His Excellency Archivol.”
“He wasn’t the lord, but rather the administrator of the village. The lord of our village was Sir Bemos, the youngest son of His Excellency Archivol. Sir Marcelo ruled on his behalf.”
“Hmm. And is Sir Bemos dead?”
“That is correct. But Sir Marcelo continued to carry out his duty as an honorable, faithful knight. But then the bandits…”
Even a knight had to concede defeat if they were greatly outnumbered unless they were abnormally strong like Eugene or Galfredik. It would have been extremely difficult for a single knight to win against a group of professional mercenaries with nothing but a group of village vigilantes on his side.
“Hmm. The matter with the village’s ownership is a bit complicated then.”
“Ownership?” Eugene asked.
Galfredik responded while smacking his lips. “Realistically, anyone can claim the village as their own, but if a proper nobleman barges in later and disputes it, it can become a bit complicated. Well, unless someone takes over the entire area.”
“Hmm.”
Eugene frowned. He was no expert when it came to such matters.
Galfredik continued with a grin, “Oh, don’t you know that saying? If you rob a single store, you’re labeled a thief, but if you rob the entire village, you’re labeled as the lord.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“Hehe. It means exactly what it says. If you take ownership of a single village like this and pretend to be the master, you will have to deal with complicated matters later on, but if you do the same with two or three villages, no one will easily step out and argue against you.”
“Because it means that you are strong enough to capture multiple villages?”
“Exactly. Even if they are the king or a noble feigning to be the ruler of the peninsula, it’s obvious that they will try to negotiate. Whether they grant you autonomy or an appropriate title, it’s a chance for you to become a real lord.”
“…..!” Eugene was startled by the unexpected words.
Becoming a lord was something Eugene had never pondered about. However, Eugene immediately understood the crux of the matter from the attitude of the villagers and Galfredik’s hinting words.
“Chief. How many villages are there nearby? Except for the Beogalan Barony.”
“There is a village called Mintan half a day’s distance away. There are two more hamlets as well…”
“Excuse me, Sir Eugene. May I offer my words?” Veron interjected carefully.
“Speak.”
After fighting together with the group for the past two days, Eugene came to the conclusion that they were as good as Partec’s small party. Moreover, they were absolutely obedient to his words after the first battle, and they generously provided information about the situation on the Carls Baggins Peninsula.
Veron and his subordinate mercenaries were quite useful for Eugene.
“So far, Sir Eugene has participated in four battles. And all of the forces crushed by Sir Eugene were well-recognized in the vicinity, except the Carlow Bandits we faced at the very beginning. As such…”
The gist of Veron’s words was simple.
“Hooh! So all the areas located near the road we previously traveled on are currently without a master?”
“Exactly. It could be called a cave without a troll, or a mountain without its tiger.” Veron spoke rather excitedly, and Galfredik looked back towards Eugene.
“This is a great opportunity. That’s three villages and five or six hamlets. It’s twice as larger as the Tywin territory!”
“Sir! Let’s do it! Let’s do it! A lord! You can become a real lord!”
The spirit of desire was previously sprawled out after filling her stomach with wine and cheese. However, she immediately jumped up and shouted excitedly as soon as she heard the words that piqued her materialistic desires.
“Hmm.”
Eugene pondered for a moment. His purpose in coming to Carls Baggins was to subjugate a ruin, but things were starting to take a strange turn.
“Well…” Eugene started to speak, but Partec bolted in through the door, “Sir Eugene! I think you need to come out right away! Some of the slaves…”
Eugene and Galfredik rushed out like beasts even before Partec could finish his words. The chief and the residents were stunned by the sudden turn of events, but they soon came to their senses and followed in a hurry.
“Master!”
***
“Sir Eugene! I took care of these ungrateful scums with my subordinates!”
Luke was covered in blood, and Rudrian, the one previously known as the Silver Flash of Dimos, was on one knee.
Galfredik scanned the scattered bodies and counted about ten corpses in total. Then, he reported to Eugene. “Most of them are from the Bernard Brothers. These bastards were trying to run away. Slave Number 2 and Number 3 are dead.”
“Some of them had cut through their rope with pieces of metal hidden in their mouths. Four or five of them rushed me at once. Liddle and Pen were getting food, and they…”
Luke fell to his knees while trailing off. He felt guilty about disappointing his master. However, Eugene passed by Luke without speaking and looked at the cold bodies of the first two slaves he collected.
Both of them were dead. Liddle had a hole in his throat, and Pen had a hole in his eye. Although they weren’t very helpful in subjugations, they had been very diligent so far.
Eugene was furious. “Is that all of them? What about the rest?”
Rudrian quickly answered. “T-two of them got away. I attempted to catch them, but they managed to get their hands on the horses.”
“Then, there aren’t many places for them to run to,” Galfredik spoke while stroking his chin. He was also boiling with anger.
“It’s likely that they headed towards a designated hideout or a nearby village. They will then try to join with the remnants that escaped back then.”
“It doesn’t matter where they run to.” Eugene spoke coldly while raising his head.
The western sky was slowly being painted orange. Soon, the sun would hide its splendor and give way to the dominion of vampires.
Beep!
Eugene whistled, and Silion came to him like the wind.
“Galfredik. Guard the village. I will be back before sunrise.”
Tonight would be a very long, violent night.