/
Eugene rested for another day in Gardye’s mansion before sending Romari back to Maren with a few of his men. Then, he left Moffern with the rest of his troops.
All of the men were well-fed and well-rested after three days, and they were compensated with a good sum of silver coins after the monster by-products were disposed of through the Moffern branch of the Palin Association. The morale of the troops was through the ceiling.
Moreover, there was another addition.
One of the requirements for a satisfactory evaluation of a proper army or a mercenary group was the presence of a military depot. With the addition of a military depot, the status of Eugene’s group was elevated once again.
Although the depot only consisted of three carriages and around ten personnel, Eugene’s troops were greatly satisfied, since they now had access to alcohol, proper food, and even women.
Naturally, they didn’t dare to drink until they were completely intoxicated because they were afraid of Eugene, but a drink of stale ale at the depot carriage after a hard day’s work was enough to relieve their fatigue.
In addition, the women of the depot worked during the day and sold their bodies for money at night. They played a huge role in stabilizing the minds and bodies of the rough, rugged men. Even though Eugene wasn’t interested in sexual intercourse with women, he was somewhat convinced by Galfredik’s explanation.
“It’s not like we are forcing them to be here. Those women are professionals. Moreover, if we leave those bastards alone, they may force themselves onto the villagers or serfs. That can be quite problematic later on.”
“Hmm, and it’s not like we can behead them every single time. I guess it is best to do as you say.”
“He! I told you so.”
There were many advantages to being with a merchant. Of course, there were disadvantages too, but Eugene had taken a liking to the merchant introduced to him by Gardye. “We will supply all items at a price 10% cheaper than the cities or large villages.”
“Not bad. You must want something in return, right?”
The merchants were incredibly polite after hearing about Eugene from the merchant association’s leader. “We would be utmost grateful if we could continue to trade with Sir Eugene even if the size of your troops grows larger than it is now. I have many colleagues in Moffern, so we will be able to handle ten times the current number of troops without any problems.”
“Good. Let’s do that.”
“Thank you very much for your generosity. I will work hard to repay your trust.”
The military depot merchant couldn’t hide his joy and he even paid Eugene a considerable amount of silver coins. It was only proper to show one’s sincerity to the head of the army.
‘I’m making money while taking care of the supplies as well. This is rather good.’
Eugene was quite satisfied at catching two birds with one stone as he continued leading the troops down the road.
***
Carls Baggins was an abundant region from the past. As such, the roads in the peninsula were considerably developed. However, many roads were paralyzed during the chaos after Marquis Archivold’s detainment in his castle. It couldn’t be helped, however, since monsters and bandits ran rampant without proper management of the roads. The volume of traffic naturally declined as a result.
This was also the reason why Eugene encountered so many bandits and armed robbers during his journey to Beogalan Barony. But on their second journey down the same road, Eugene and his troops encountered quite a few travelers and merchants instead of armed robbers and bandits.
“God bless you, Sir Eugene! May God’s blessing flow abundantly towards you!”
“…Thank you. I will be eradicating the monsters in this area in the near future as well, so keep that in mind.”
Eugene felt rather uncomfortable being blessed since blessings were no different from curses to vampires. However, he simply ignored the uneasy feeling and responded to the merchant. “There will be no tolls for the time being, but you will have to pay them in the near future.”
“Of course! It’s only natural since Sir Eugene brought peace to this area. I will make sure to inform all the other merchants I know.”
“Good. Take care.”
“Yes, Sir Eugene!”
The merchants bowed their heads while shouting passionately. They were truly grateful to have avoided any casualties from the ambush of roamers thanks to Eugene and his troops. They were small-time merchants and could only offer a small sum of money to show their gratitude, but still, it was their hard-earned cash.
“This is quite nice, too.”
“Ehehe! A knight should always prioritize their pursuit of honor, but you can’t just ignore gold and silver either. Since we have so many soldiers now, it will be good to make some money when we can. Anyways, it seems that Delmondo has tried quite hard, even though I was suspicious when I first heard about him from master.”
Delmondo’s efforts greatly contributed to the reason why many people were starting to use the road once more. He left Moffern two days earlier than Eugene and his troops to desperately spread rumors about Eugene’s heroic deeds.
Following the rumors, courageous and adventurous merchants hired mercenaries and put the roads to the test. Delmondo would likely continue to do the same in villages that were currently being incorporated into Eugene’s territory. That was why he was given the flags and the sealed documents.
“He’s well-spoken and has good looks. I’m sure he will do good since he used to be an official for the Roman Empire. If he has any other thoughts, I can simply cut his head off, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Oh! You can leave that to me.”
The two vampire knights continued forward while casually exchanging a conversation that would certainly send shivers down Delmondo’s back if he was here.
***
Eugene stopped by the villages under his control on his way to Mount Nadir. The villagers had already been informed of the changes by Delmondo, but they still made their way to welcome their new master with awe.
Eugene flew his flags at the top of the watchtowers in villages, and at the wooden fence of the entrances in the villages that had no watchtowers.
The flags were a gift from Gardye, and they were on a completely different level from sloppily painted flags on ordinary fabric.
Large fabrics were woven with precious embroidery threads, and the top and bottom of the cloths were lined with metal rods. The flags overflowed with dignity at first glance.
“I cannot believe that we have been graced with a chance to revel in your honor, sir! It is truly a great honor!”
The residents once again fell to the ground in awe. They were moved by Eugene’s consideration and generosity.
Crests were the embodiment of a noble’s honor, and there was a mountain of difference between villages with a crested flag and those without.
Random hooligans and thugs would be scared witless just by laying their eyes on the overwhelming crest, and they wouldn’t dare to enter the village. Even though the villagers had to pay 30% of their earnings as tax, it was much preferable than having bandits and mercenaries invading and looting their village.
“The administrator who was here before will soon bring people from Moffern. There will be retired mercenaries posted here as well, so there will be no need to worry about the village’s security.”
“Oh, thank you. Your generosity is truly unrivaled, Sir Eugene!”
“In the future, merchants will be passing through the village quite often. If problems arise, report them to the administrator. He will take appropriate actions.”
“Yes, yes!”
In all honesty, the villagers had been worried that all of their belongings would be taken away as tax when they heard that the scary knight would soon become their new lord. However, Eugene’s actions were rational, wise, and even generous. They were impressed and moved.
Of course, it wasn’t as if Eugene’s actions were planned.
Eugene never received the same, high-quality education as the nobles when it came to matters with managing land and finance. As such, he simply acted based on what he saw and heard regarding management and finances at the Palin Association.
Even though most nobles had business with merchants, they were scornful and full of disdain toward merchants. However, Eugene didn’t care about such things at all.
He favored efficiency. What reason did he have to worry about such superficial things?
Eugene instructed Delmondo to manage the villages in the most efficient way possible. And as a former imperial official of a powerful, centralized state, Delmondo did not disappoint Eugene.
“The more I come to know you, the more I’m fascinated by you, Master.”
“What do you mean?” Eugene asked.
Galfredik shrugged. “Think about it. When I first met you, you didn’t even know how to manage mercenaries. But now, you have everyone playing in the palm of your hand. Even most nobles wouldn’t be able to do something like this. Great nobles are known to be crafty, but even they can’t compare to the city merchants. But look at how the merchants are acting towards you, master. There’s nothing more to be said.”
“Is that so? I don’t really know.” Eugene tilted his head. He thought he was rather lucky, not that he possessed great skills.
“I think Master must have been an amazing vampire in the past. You might be shocked when you get your memories back.”
“Hmm.”
Something suddenly came to mind as Eugene listened to Galfredik’s words – the people in his fleeting memories when his second tattoo was erased.
‘Who could they be?’
He had no negative feelings against those mysterious figures. He wasn’t scared of them either. Thus, it was highly likely that they weren’t enemies.
They could be members of his clan, or perhaps they were Origins, just like him. And although it was mostly due to luck, Eugene could really take care of many issues unlike in the past. It felt as if such things were related to the figures as well.
‘Well, I will find out one day.’
Eugene didn’t think too much of it.
He was more confident than before. In addition, he knew that he needed to take one step at a time to properly wade his way through the world.
“I think that Sir Eugene is an almighty demon king since birth. He will definitely be called a king within a year! Wowie!”
Unfortunately, the mass of desire never seemed to have any grasp on reality. Ever.
***
With more than forty troops on the move, Eugene arrived near Mount Nadir without encountering any monsters. While the troops and the military depot set up their camp, Eugene called for Galfredik and the squad leaders.
“A reconnaissance is needed.”
“Please leave it to me, sir. I am confident that I know the geography of this area the best.” Rudrian stepped up with enthusiasm.
Eugene nodded. “That sounds good. Take a few men and depart. If you happen to encounter the ones known as Balmong and the Hounds, don’t engage and retreat right away.”
“Please don’t worry.”
Balmong and the Hounds was the name of the bandit group currently occupying Mount Nadir. The group was composed of about fifty men, and the boss, Balmong, was said to be from the family of one of the innumerable, lowly knights.
It was said that he was originally a mercenary captain, but he murdered his employer, a noble, and stole horses and armor before running away. He then gathered other mercenaries and robbers to form his current group.
“The one known as Balmong is quite strong?” Galfredik asked.
Veron responded immediately. As an experienced mercenary of Carls Baggins, Veron was quite knowledgeable about such things. “Yes, sir. I heard that the one who previously claimed the mountain, Parfan, lost his head in less than ten exchanges against him.”
“And that’s not because Parfan was weak?”
“W-well, I-I don’t…” Veron stuttered awkwardly.
If it were anyone else, Veron would have continued excitedly about how notorious Parfan was and how his two swords had once pierced the hearts of three knights. However, he knew that Eugene and Galfredik used a different system of classification for the strong and weak compared to regular folks like himself.
As such, it was much better to shut up in this situation.
“I’m only kidding. We shouldn’t look down on him too much since he was able to occupy a mountain with a silver mine.”
“I think we can afford to do so.” Eugene calmly retorted.
“Huh?” Everyone’s gaze headed towards him.
“That mountain was left alone by the nearby lords due to various circumstances. What would have happened if even one of them gathered a few mercenaries and stormed it? Honestly, if Rudrian had a few more men, he might have been the owner of that mountain right now.”
“I guess you aren’t wrong, but Rudrian? Isn’t that bastard too weak?”
“He said he was confident. Anyways, in the end, a bunch of nobodies fought each other and the lucky one remained until the end. Whether it’s Balmong or Parfan, they both sound weaker than even Rudrian.”
“Kuhahahahaha!” Galfredik laughed uproariously.
Judging by how their lips were wriggling, it appeared that even Partec and Veron were having a hard time holding back their laughter.
“Hehe. Master’s words are probably right. How about we decide whether to storm the mountain as soon as Rudrian returns?”
“Let’s do so.”
However, Eugene’s plans went sideways from the start.
Rudrian and his four subordinates did not return even as the sun started to set.