CH 22

“Sir Grandlph of Easel is inviting Sir Eugene.”

“Lady Martina, the successor of the Yingsman family, will prepare a banquet for Sir Eugene…”

Partec’s expectations were on point. The next morning, people from Maren’s noble and influential families flocked to the Heavenly Constellations to invite Eugene to various events of their hosting.

“Ha! The Yingsman family? A nobleman who only knows how to chase after the royalists would dare to invite a Sir Knight who responded to Maren’s recruitment notice? Do you have no dignity?”

“Doesn’t your master associate himself with the rebels of Carls Baggins? Do you really think a dignified knight who lives by the code of chivalry will clink glasses with the traitors of the kingdom?”

“What did you say!? Is that all you can say?”

“If you want me to, I can talk like this for a day without stopping!”

As a result, arguments broke out between families who were on bad terms. However, it did not matter to Eugene.

“Thank you for the invitations, but my injuries will prevent me from moving about. I must get some rest for the next few days, so unfortunately, I will have to decline this time around.”

“Ah…”

“I thought that would be the case. My master, Sir Rasnick, prepared the finest mana stone as a gift for you, Sir Eugene. It will be of great help for you to recover, Sir Eugene.”

Some even offered highest-quality mana stones, which were extremely expensive. However, Eugene turned down all of them.

“One of my ancestors is an elf, so I will recover just fine with three or four days of rest. I am truly grateful. Please let Sir Rasnik know that I am thankful for the gesture.”

“Ah… I see.”

They nodded after hearing his explanation. His gorgeous appearance and outstanding resilience could be attributed to his ancestry. Moreover, elves would never consume a mana stone that originated from a monster, no matter how purified it was.

‘Mana stones are useless to me.’

Eugene was a vampire. Purified mana stones imbued with the sacred power of a high priest would restore energy and slightly increase the lifespan of a human, but it was no different than poison to Eugene.

However, those present did not know the truth. They were simply shocked that someone would refuse such an item, even if they did possess elven blood. In an instant, they felt admiration and goodwill towards Eugene.

‘I cannot believe that such a knight still exists…’

‘Sir Eugene is a knight who knows true honor!’

Such a knight was difficult to please, but once they made up their mind, they would never betray their lord.

‘I must bring him to our family…’

‘Only a knight like him can stand next to my master!’

Although Eugene had rejected their invitations, the desire to recruit Eugene in the hearts of these butlers and servants, who came here on behalf of their families, burned even brighter. 

***

Three days later…

The plate armor produced by the Betissark Armor Workshop finally arrived in Eugene’s room. Usually, such a piece of equipment would take more than seven days to manufacture. However, the mayor had paid the enormous sum of 300 silver coins and personally placed the order. As such, the dwarven brothers were able to reduce the production time by a ridiculous amount.

“Kyahhh! Look at that glow!”

The plate armor produced by the Betissark Armor Workshop boasted a splendid appearance. Even Mirian found it hard to nitpick such an excellent plate armor. The plate mail worn by knights such as Galfredic and Madrica were formed from many pieces of iron plates that were connected by leather straps. Each plate protected different areas of the body.

However, Eugene’s plate armor was joined together with hinges and links, making it much easier to wear and remove. Above all, its defenses and durability were vastly improved by etching wave-patterned grooves and carving radial lines on the surface.

“This piece of armor is made from a special type of steel from our Betissark Workshop. We mixed iron from Elsik with ogre bones. I hope it will be of help to Sir Eugene as you practice your chivalry.”

Perhaps because it was a luxury product that the manager of the workshop personally delivered it. Eugene looked over the armor with a satisfied expression, then narrowed his eyes when he noticed something strange.

“What is this?”

Eugene asked while pointing at a small engraving. The symbol was located on the part of the armor between the neck and the chest.

“Ah, that is the symbol of Maren. The mayor specifically told us to carve it on the armor.”

“Hmm.”

He felt a little displeased, but he could not voice his discontent since he received it for almost free. He could not possibly complain about a tiny symbol of Maren. Moreover, the dwarven brothers also complied with all of Eugene’s special requests without fail.

In particular, the front section of the helmet protruded forward. Whether he raised or lowered the visor, it would perfectly shade the vampire’s eyes from direct sunlight.

“By the way, it seems Sir Eugene is quite fond of the color black.” The manager asked carefully, and Eugene nodded.

“That is true. In addition, it would be troublesome if the armor reflected light at night or inside a dungeon.”

It wasn’t completely true. He asked for it to be black because he did not want the armor to reflect sunlight during the day.

“As expected! The masters of our workshop also guessed that would be the reasoning behind Sir Eugene’s request.”

“They know a knight’s thoughts, as I would expect from excellent craftsmen. Anyways, I am grateful. I will be careful with it.”

“Thank you. Unless it is completely wrecked, we will repair it free of charge for three years. If you ever run into any problems with the armor, please visit the Betissark Workshop at any time.”

“I will.”

The manager and the workshop employees left, and Eugene exchanged his chain mail for the plate armor. It was definitely easier to wear, and there were almost no inconveniences in terms of moving around.

It was certainly a piece of armor created by the best dwarven craftsmen in Maren.

‘Since I have Black Scales, I will not need to wear extra armor inside either.’

Eugene was very satisfied. Not only was he able to dispose of the monster materials at a more generous price than originally planned, but he also received rewards from the battle as well as a high-end plate armor, which was no different from a verification of identity from Maren’s mayor.

‘I obtained Silion as well.’

Eugene left the room, certain that he had made an excellent choice coming to Maren. Even if he considered his plate armor as a reward for taking care of the roamer goblins and orcs, Silion was a different case. The warhorse even possessed an extraordinary pedigree.

Before he left the city, it would only be right to give his greetings to the one who showed him such favor.

*** 

“You still haven’t met that knight named Sir Eugene?”

“Not yet.”

Priscilla bowed her head while answering. Her grandfather was the head of Maren’s merchant guild and the former head of the Palin Association. He was well over 60 years old, but Priscilla still found it difficult to deal with his energy, even though he had retired many years ago.

“A pedigree horse from the Agiles Stables, a first-class room at the Heavenly Constellations. You showered him with quite a few gifts. It must be because he is worth the investment, right?” enquired her grandfather.

“Of course. If he yields similar results from the Tywin family’s dungeon one more time, we will fully recover the investment.”

“And you are satisfied with only recovering the investment?”

“How could I be? I believe Sir Eugene is a knight worthy of a solid investment from the headquarters.”

“On what basis?”

“Firstly, the boy who has been working as Bilmoa’s new assistant is Sir Eugene’s aide. He is also the younger brother of the new Lord Tywin.”

“Perhaps the knight thinks little of his aide, since he is sending the child to an association.”

“That is possible. But I don’t think… I don’t think that Sir Eugene sent his aide to our association because he thinks little of him.”

“Hooh?” Her grandfather showed curiosity. 

Priscilla hurriedly continued, “He seemed like a very ambitious knight. According to Bilmoa, he headed to Lord Tywin’s castle to have his status verified. But even in front of the castle’s knights, he remained extremely confident.”

‘Is that so?”

“Yes. The eldest son, the new lord of Tywin, was indifferent towards Sir Eugene at first. But after only a few days, he started acting very friendly towards Sir Eugene. Moreover…" Priscilla recounted the stories she heard from the three mercenaries who were following Bilmoa and Eugene. Of course, she did not forget to flavor the stories appropriately, processing it according to her interests.

In fact, 70% of it was true, 20% of it was exaggerated, and 10% of it reflected her expectations. He was arrogant enough to not visit his benefactor, even though several days had already passed since he received such an expensive gift. Priscilla was mistaking his arrogance as ‘ambitions’, which fueled her expectations.

“He rejected all the invitations from the city’s influential figures, right? He apparently attributed it to his injuries, but when I asked the Heavenly Constellations' employees, he did not appear to have any trouble moving around. He was only making excuses.”

“Hmm. That is why a lot of people are a little frustrated. They are only staying still because the knight’s achievements are so great, and because he did not accept even a single person’s invitation.” Priscilla’s grandfather, the merchant guild’s leader, stroked his beard while recalling the views of Maren’s influential figures regarding the knight named Jan Eugene.

“See? He must be a knight aiming for someplace higher. A knight’s value can only be measured by his skills and merit, right? Even though his appearance and rise is akin to that of a shooting star, I think that he is still valuable as an investment.”

“Hoohoo. It’s good to see you speak so confidently after a long time. In fact, my thoughts are not much different from yours.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

In fact, she exaggerated a little because of her pride, since she felt that she spent too much money on the warhorse. But Priscilla felt confident after receiving her grandfather’s positive response.

“Even though it’s only recently that he became popular, fame has always been spontaneous like that. We never know one day, a random person on the street might become popular out of nowhere. ”

“Right.”

“It is a merchant’s virtue to recognize and catch such talents before others. Even though he hasn’t shown much yet, only amateurs would say that his investment value has yet to be verified.”

“Then…”

“The investment, go ahead with it. I will speak to your father separately. Even if he stops after making a name for himself in this region, do not feel too pressured. You will definitely recover the investment no matter what.”

“Yes! Thank you for trusting me.”

Prisiclla expression brightened at the words of her grandfather. Even though he was now retired, he still held the majority shares of the Palin Association.

‘Anyways, he’s not going to leave just like this, right? Ah, do I have to visit him personally? He wouldn’t turn me away at the door, would he?’

Priscilla was having such thoughts when an employee carefully opened the door and entered.

“Vice Executive, Sir Jan Eugene is here!”

“How timely.”

“I agree.”

Priscilla held back her desire to jump up and down, secretly clenching her fist in joy.

*** 

“Nice to meet you. I am Priscilla, vice executive of Maren’s branch of the Palin Association.”

“Jan Eugene. Thank you for giving me the horse as a gift.”

“Don’t mention it. Here, please. Take a seat, Sir Eugene.”

Eugene expected her to be extravagant as the vice executive of a large business association, but to his surprise, Priscilla appeared more modest than his expectations. Eugene sat down after shaking hands with her.

But unlike Eugene’s first impression of her, Priscilla was quite shocked.

‘This is the terrifying knight who pulled out the head of a troll with his bare hands? The knight who pierced a hole in the chest of an orc warrior with a spear? Really?’

Eugene looked tall and fit, but most knights were both tall and fit anyway, so there was nothing new. However, his face was the problem. His long black hair was rich and thick. His soft, delicate skin was pale, and his red eyes radiated a strange heat even in the middle of the day. .

Such a person was too good to simply describe as a handsome man.

“Was the horse to your liking? I heard you rode around the horse without any problems in the battle a few days ago.” asked Priscilla.

“I am very satisfied with the steed. Thank you once again.”

“I am glad to hear you speak such words.”

It wasn’t just a formality. Priscilla actually felt happy. Firstly, she managed to score a few extra points with her grandfather due to Eugene’s excellent timing.

Moreover…

‘He said thank you twice in a row, even though this is our first meeting.’

Although she obtained information regarding the knight in advance from Bilmoa, Priscilla was not naïve enough to believe everything she heard. All the knights she knew were barbaric and violent, treating all merchants as their subordinates regardless of the size and the status of their business associations.

But Eugene, whom she finally met, was somehow different.

It was extremely rare to find a knight gently expressing their gratitude to a merchant.

“I heard you were going back to the Tywin territory. Are you planning to continue to clear the dungeon there?”

“To do that, I would have to become a knight of Lord Tywin. Unfortunately, I have no intention of becoming Lord Tywin's knight. But since I took on Felid as my aide, I plan to clear the dungeon one more time out of obligation.”

“Ah! If it’s Felid, you are referring to the young master who is learning from Mister Bilmoa, right? Rumor has it in the business community that he is very clever. Of course, an outstanding knight like Sir Eugene would not have taken him in if not for that.”

“It’s nice to hear that.”

“So I take it that our association will be taking care of Young Master Felid for the time being?”

“Considering your relationship with the Tywin family, wouldn’t that be in the best interest of the Palin Association as well?”

“Ah, yes. You’re right.”

She was trying to establish a relationship with Eugene, Felid’s master, under the pretext of ‘taking care of Felid,’ but Eugene cleverly changed the subject and involved the Tywin family.

‘This isn’t easy.’

Eugene’s looks had charmed Priscilla, but she quickly came to her senses. However, she realized now that the knight in front of her was not an easy opponent to deal with by any means.

“Sir Eugene. You said that you will use our association to dispose of materials gained from monsters in your next subjugation, is that right?”

“Correct. Just like this time, I will still be using the Tywin family as my proxy.”

“Yes. Then… forgive me for asking, but are you willing to participate in other dungeon or labyrinth subjugations?”

“If I get the chance, that is what I am planning.” Eugene nodded in agreement. For now, that was the only way he could obtain red mana stones.

“Ah! Then could I make a suggestion?”

“A suggestion?”

““Yes. I am not sure if Sir Eugene is aware, but our association operates outside of Maren as well. This is the main branch, but there are other branches all over the kingdom. Our branches also exist in two ports of the Roman Empire."”

“…..”

“And our branches also conduct business with families that have evil lands in their territories, just like the Tywin family. So, maybe... No, I am certain that we can arrange a subjugation related to the Palin Association for you to participate in, Sir Eugene.”