CH 80

Chapter 80

“S-Sir Eugene, what are these…?”

“There had been a few more unplanned subjugations, so take this as well.” Eugene threw a leather pouch, and Priscilla hurriedly received it before opening it. He had returned after a month.

‘How beautiful!’

Her eyes dimmed as hundreds of mana stones shone brilliantly, nestled comfortably within the heavy leather pocket.

“Vice Executive. Drool,” Eugene called out.

“Yes. What?” She answered.

“You’re drooling,” Eugene continued.

“Ah! Please excuse me. Please, come inside, Sir Eugene.” Priscilla hurriedly wiped her mouth before guiding Eugene in a polite manner. After the two arrived at her office, she spoke while calming herself down. “Sir Eugene, with all due respect, could you please explain to me what happened?”

“It wasn’t a very big deal,” Eugene said in a nonchalant voice before explaining the incidents that took place in the Archivold marquisate. Priscilla’s expressions continued to change dramatically in real-time as he told the story.

‘What!? You’re calling that ‘not a very big deal?’ Are you out of your mind?’

The knight she chose disappeared for a month and suddenly became a real lord. Moreover, he had become the lord of an independent territory that was recognized by the new marquis of the Carls Baggins Peninsula. He even owned a silver mine and had as many as seven knights under his command. She couldn’t immediately think of any lords near Maren who were as powerful, influential, and possessed as large of a territory as Eugene.

However, he called these achievements of his ‘not a big deal.’

“I sincerely congratulate you, Sir Eugene! This is definitely more than ‘not a big deal.’ You achieved something great.” Priscilla exclaimed.

“Is that so? Anyways, it had been unplanned, but I succeeded in a subjugation, so the contract is now over, right?” Eugene asked.

“Ah… that’s right,” Priscilla said in a worried voice while lowering her head. Even while Eugene told her exciting stories about the happenings on the peninsula, she had been anxiously waiting for this topic to surface.

“Sir, would you have any intention of extending the contract? Two more times… If you agree to just two more, then…” Priscilla said hurriedly.

“We should terminate the original contract,” Eugene interjected.

“…Yes,” Priscilla answered dejectedly. It was fundamental for powerful merchants to always hide their feelings, but Priscilla could not hide her regret.

“Why don’t we sign a new contract?” Eugene said.

“What?!” Priscilla shouted excitedly. A moment ago, she had been like a man grieving for his lost country and family, but now she was like a baby bird excitedly greeting the return of her mother from the hunt.

“Half of the silver gained from the mine, and all of the mana stones and by-products I will acquire in the future – I will dispose off these through the Palin Association. In return, the fee…” Eugene started.

“Ten percent! We will only take ten percent! Mana stones, by-products, all of it! We will also only charge the shipping cost for the silver. But whenever you participate in a subjugation, or whenever you go on an expedition or anything else, please let us, the Palin Association, quietly follow behind you.” Priscilla said desperately. She was serious.

Her intuition as a merchant, combined with Eugene’s tremendous performance thus far, was screaming at her to take the chance. If she could somehow stick by Eugene’s side, it would allow the Palin Association to grow to even greater heights!

She could not miss this opportunity. This was why she could respond immediately without having to make complicated calculations like usual.

“Customers are family! I swear on the name of Palin, which has strived for four generations for honesty and credibility, that we want to continue to trade with you in the future. Sir Eugene! You will not regret this decision!” Priscilla shouted passionately.

“If you say so, Vice Executive. I will do as you say, then,” Eugene answered rather generously, but he was inwardly surprised. The other party had suggested much better conditions than he had initially expected.

‘Delmondo, you bastard. They would accept twenty percent? Maybe I overestimated your competence. I will see you when I return.’

Eugene became determined to admonish Delmondo even harder before speaking with a relaxed attitude. “I should be able to skim through the new contract within three days, right? I hope to receive it while my armor is being repaired.”

How could this be?! He was even asking for the association to pay for the repairs of his armor as well! Priscilla was inwardly amazed at Eugene’s meticulousness. In her mind, she already made the decision to always be careful when dealing with the knight. But on the outside, she responded quickly, “Feel free to leave it at the Palin Association. I will take responsibility and have it repaired. I will have it delivered to you along with the new contract, Sir Eugene.”

“Huh? Ah, that would be nice.” Eugene nodded.

It was quite fortunate that all of the merchants he encountered in Moffern and Maren were so good-natured and nice.

“Then I will see you in a few days,” Eugene said before getting up from his chair.

“Yes,” Priscilla answered before hurrying up from her own chair, then personally opening the door for Eugene.

“Hmm?” Eugene’s eyes filled with interest as he headed down the stairs under Priscilla’s guidance. There was a familiar face among the workers who were carrying the materials he had brought from the peninsula. The young man was wearing a navy vest on top of a nice shirt with a neat haircut. It was Felid.

“How is my aide doing nowadays? Is he proving useful?” Eugene asked.

“What? Ah, you mean Mister Felid. Of course. He is very intelligent and hard-working. Would you like me to call for him?” Priscilla asked.

“Kieeek! Let’s see him for a bit, sir! It’s been a while since we’ve seen our little old man. He is your servant number one, so you should at least say hi.” Mirian popped her head out of Eugene’s leather pocket and spoke with a bright expression.

Felid had been the first person with whom Eugene established a human relationship. Moreover, he taught Eugene how to read and write. Regardless of the circumstance, Felid was still Eugene’s aide, yet Eugene had been too indifferent about him thus far.

‘Hmm? I was being indifferent?’

Eugene paused for a moment. Having such thoughts was an unfamiliar process for him. Eugene stared at Felid for a brief moment. The young man was working hard, carrying a box while sweating profusely. A few other faces came to Eugene’s mind in turn – a rough, unrestrained knight, a slightly dumb wizard, and a greedy, rude spirit.

‘How strange.’

Eugene felt taken back. But it wasn’t a bad feeling overall.

“Sir Eugene?” Priscilla asked.

“No, it’s nothing. I don’t want to interfere with his work, so I will have to take my leave for today. Anyways,” Eugene spoke before giving a slight bow to Priscilla, who was looking up at him, “Thank you for taking good care of my aide, Vice Executive Priscilla.”

“…!”

The knight had never expressed his gratitude even when she had offered the best terms for their contract, but he was doing so now. Moreover…

‘H-he’s smiling?’

A faint smile could be seen on the lips of the seemingly cold-blooded knight. Priscilla was quite dumbfounded by the scene.

***

Eugene stayed in Maren for three days. During these three days, Maren’s mayor and other various celebrities continued to bother him. It was all because Eugene had helped Essandra stabilize the Archivold marquisate and was bestowed a considerable territory from her and a silver mine. Moreover, rumors had spread that several guilds in the City of Moffern had rolled up their sleeves together to help build Eugene’s castle.

The mayor and the merchant guild leader of Maren felt a sense of crisis after hearing the various rumors. They were scared that they would lose Eugene to the City of Moffern.

In the end, the two people took the lead in holding banquets and feasts to celebrate Eugene’s meritorious achievements along with the blacksmith guild leader and the mercenary guild leader. As always, many stories were told and words were exchanged in places where people gathered and soaked in alcohol.

Confirmed facts continued to grow into unclear rumors and exaggerations over the period of a few days, and as a result, even those who did not fully believe in Eugene’s ability and achievements, the royalists, began to be allured by the stories.

“We must bring Jan Eugene to our side.”

The royalists consisted of a small group of merchants and washed-up nobles who were on the side of the king because of vested interests and beliefs. For the City of Maren, they were a huge risk factor. It was unclear when the royalists would betray the city. The objective of the royalists was to somehow cause chaos in the city to allow the royal family to intervene.

But even though they were followers of the king, their foundation was still in the city. As such, they could not always openly oppose the city leadership and had to be wary of prying eyes.

“Is there really a need for that? A single knight is not a big deal.”

“Maren and Moffern. If there is another noble who has influence in both cities, name them. Moreover, he has found favor in the eyes of both cities’ various guilds.”

“….”

The retort caused the figure to firmly close his lips since there was no one else who fit the criteria except Eugene. The knight, who suddenly rose to fame one day and quickly became an influential figure in the city of Maren, had the potential to become a ‘seed of discord’ if he could be won over.

“But I heard that the knight became a lord in the Archivold marquisate. Doesn’t that mean it’s already a sailed ship?” The figure asked.

“He’s not a vassal, but rather an independent lord,” the other answered.

“Ah, really?” The figure said.

“Yes. The knight named Galfredik, the right-hand man of Jan Eugene also took in an aide in the Carls Baggins Peninsula. But it turns out that the aide is actually the daughter of Lord Gabriel Archivold,” the other continued.

“Lord Gabriel? Isn’t that the one whom the king was about to confer a title to?”

“That’s right. The daughter of the sole figure with a relationship with the royal family on the Carls Baggins Peninsula has become the aide of Jan Eugene’s most trusted knight. In other words, at the least, he is not hostile to the royal family, right?”

“Hooh!”

“You have a point.”

The people were gathered in a dark room with a flag embroidered with the royal symbol hanging from the wall. They nodded and agreed while looking around at each other.

“Let’s say that it’s possible. Do you have a method in mind? The mayor and the merchant guild leader are sticking to the side of the knight as if they want to lick his asshole. If we make a move, those vipers will catch on immediately.”

“Is there a rule saying that we have to be the ones to approach?”

“…?”

“Sir Eugene will participate in Count Winslon’s knight competition.”

“So what?”

“We can contact the royal city. They can send a reliable figure to the Winslon County to persuade Sir Eugene. The relationship between the royal family and the WInslon County isn’t too bad, correct?”

“Ohhhh!”

“Certainly! No one would doubt anyone from the royal city, whether they are a congratulatory envoy or a participant in the competition.”

Maren’s royalists became delighted at the suggestion. But they soon faced another problem.

“How will we send a message to the royal city? The surveillance and monitoring are one thing, but haven’t most of our connections been severed as well? Even if we succeed, could we even achieve our goal before the start of the competition?”

“…”

“Everyone, what about we do it like this?” One of the nobles carefully stepped up and explained his plan.

“Let’s use the Evergrove County. Since…” The nobleman’s brief explanation caused everyone’s expressions to brighten.

“Good idea. That family only has things to gain from a disturbance in the City of Maren, right?”

“Exactly. Now, now. Let’s write up a letter and place our signatures.”

The royalists excitedly drafted a letter and signed their names. They were joyed after finding an unexpected solution. The next day, an errand boy left the gates of Maren City at a similar time as Eugene.

***

“Why did you bring this to me?” Jevin Evergrove asked bluntly. He had been quite dissatisfied recently with all of his plans going awry.

“I-I am merely an errand boy for Sir Shiranosa. I was only ordered to deliver this letter to you, my lord,” the boy answered.

“I see. You can go,” Jevin Evergrove said.

“Yes, yes.” The errand boy hurriedly bowed several times while trembling, then bolted out the door.

“Shiranosa…” Jevin Evergrove muttered while recalling the family. Jevin vaguely recalled that since being separated from the Evergrove family at the time of his great-great-grandfather, his distant cousins had settled in the City of Maren.

He took a small knife and unsealed the letter. If it was a plea asking to borrow money, he intended to thoroughly punish them by sending a knight.

“Hahahaha!” But he soon burst into laughter after confirming the contents of the letter and the signatures lining the bottom.

“Is it because he knows something that he sent me this? No, that can’t be it,” Jevin muttered. Like Shiranosa, Maren’s royalists were mostly washed-up nobles without many connections. Moreover, Maren had not been on good terms with the royal family for nearly five or six years. As such, no one had a direct relationship with the royal family in Maren.

As a result, the royalists were unable to make a direct move. They had to find someone to convey their will to the royal family on their behalf. The Evergrove family still retained a connection with the royal family, even if they weren’t very close. As such, they planned to use the Evergrove family as a kind of messenger.

“How can I use this? The royalists and the royal city…” Jevin fell into deep thought for a few minutes before he raised his head with a bright look. “That’s right. I just need to change the content very slightly. No, maybe it will be better to add a postscript.” Since it was a letter signed by multiple people, it wouldn’t be suspicious to add a postscript in a different handwriting.

“Hahaha! This is good. I can finally teach that cheeky brat a strict lesson,” Jevin said with joy. This time around, the arrogant knight would never realize that Jevin was involved in this matter.

“Hoho. It doesn’t even matter if you notice it. It’s very common for people to die in a knight competition after all.”

Jevin had been moody after hearing about Eugene’s actions and achievements on the Carls Baggins Peninsula. But for the first time in a long while, life and joy returned to Jevin’s face.