CH 25

“No wait! Just wait...” Mashburn shouted urgently to stop his colleagues, then froze on the spot. Without ever crossing his vision, Eugene’s shortsword was now resting on his left shoulder.

“Just now, he wanted to kill me, so I killed him. What choices will the rest of you make?”

“Keuk!”

It appeared as if Eugene would cut off Mashburn’s head at a moment’s notice. The Red Scorpion mercenaries were at a loss as they looked alternatingly at the silver blade and Eugene. No, rather, they were shocked by the dagger sticking out of the rookie’s forehead.

Some of the mercenaries were skilled at throwing daggers, but no one was as fast or as accurate as Eugene. No one even saw how and when the knight threw the dagger.

“P-please forgive us! We will let all the merchants pass. Y-you can pass, esteemed sir.”

“How could I simply trust your words?”

“S-sorry?” Mashburn asked while trembling. He could feel a coldness around his neck.

“Give me all your weapons. Shouldn’t you pay a price for trying to attack a knight?”

‘I never meant to do that!’ But contrary to his inner thoughts, Mashburn quickly gestured towards his comrades, “H-hey! Everyone, put down your weapons! Sir Eugene is saying that he will show mercy! H-hurry it up!”

When the mercenaries hesitated, Partec and the rest of the group stepped up with their shortswords and shields.

‘Dammit…’

They formed into a perfect formation facing three directions, and the Red Scorpion Mercenaries gulped with anxiety. In the mercenary community, it was common sense to gauge the opponent’s skills with the equipment they carried. Some knights were sometimes ordinary in their skills, but plastered themselves with top-notch equipment after being born into rich families. However, all mercenaries were born commoners or serfs. As such, they needed to obtain their own equipment.

In other words, a mercenary possessing good equipment either resolved a huge number of commissions or was successful at looting in various battlefields. In that respect, the Red Scorpion Mercenaries saw Partec and his comrades as veterans with excellent battle records and skills.

Thud.

Starting with one, the Red Scorpion Mercenaries were forced to drop their weapons one by one.

“Hey!”

At Eugene’s call, Delduan and the other merchants hurriedly ran forward.

“Collect all the weapons. Partec, if any of them tries anything, you can kill them.”

“Yes, Sir Eugene.”

Partec glared at the mercenaries, and they dropped their heads.

Soon,

“W-we finished collecting their weapons, Sir Eugene.”

“Good. You guys pass by first. I will follow behind.”

“Yes!”

The merchants flocked while avoiding eye contact with the mercenaries. When the merchants were far in the distance, Eugene removed his shortsword from Mashburn’s shoulder.

“Phew…”

Mashburn started to sigh with relief.

Thuck!

Then, he crumpled after being struck on the head with the shortsword’s pommel. Eugene looked over the mercenaries after raising his visor.

“Remember clearly. My name is Jan Eugene. If you ever run into me again after today, you will die. You will die even if you meet me in a dungeon or a labyrinth, and you will die if you see me in the battlefield. And I plan to see Lord Bommel right away to personally complain, so keep that in mind. Now, take this bastard away.”

“…..!”

The mercenaries trembled while hastily supporting Mashburn. If what Eugene said was true, then they could no longer return to Lord Bommel’s castle. They had brought him humiliation and were even robbed of their weapons. It was obvious how a nobleman would dispose of such mercenaries.

In the end, the Red Scorpion Mercenaries headed back down the mountain with drooping shoulders. At the least, they were relieved that they survived after picking a fight with a knight.

“Go.” Eugene pretended to pet Silion while quietly speaking to Mirian. The spirit had been stretched out on the horse’s mane.

“Ah-ha! I got it!” Mirian quickly grasped Eugene’s intentions, then flew in the direction of the mercenaries.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!” Partec and the two mercenaries proudly followed behind Silioin. 

After a short moment, Partec carefully spoke, “Sir Eugene, will you really go to Lord Bommel’s castle? With all due respect, I am wondering if we could even receive an apology, and if Lord Bommel decides to…”

“I have no intention of going.”

“What?”

Partec blinked with bewilderment, and Eugene shrugged in response.

“It was a lie. Why would I bother heading there? But if I threaten them like that, they won’t be able to run back and report to Lord Bommel, right? And he’s about to get it on with another lord, so there is no need to bother him without reason.”

“Ahh…!”

Partec exclaimed after realizing Eugene’s intentions. Lord Bommel would be mystified and distressed by the disappearance of more than 10 hired mercenaries, but it would result in positive outcomes for everybody except the Red Scorpion Mercenaries themselves.

“Anyways, let’s hurry it up. We should cross the mountain before sunset, so that the merchants can rest.”

“Yes!”

Partec and the two mercenaries answered vigorously, gazing at the mercenaries who were waiting for them in the far distance. The group joined with the merchants and started walking once more. After a few minutes, an exhausted Mirian returned with strained flaps of her wings.

“Phew, I am so tired! As expected, I run out of energy way too quickly when I’m away from my contractor.”

Mirian landed on Silion’s mane, then spoke while diligently rubbing her arms and legs.

“I think those bastards are going to leave the neighborhood. They did curse our esteemed sir quite a lot, but weren’t even dreaming of taking revenge. They have no intention of going back to the lord. They said they would go back to Carls Baggins or somewhere after robbing some passersby. Anyway, I’m tired, so I’m going to rest!”

After reporting back, Mirian headed inside the leather pocket filled with water.

‘That’s a relief.’

He expected his threat to be effective, but he was still worried that the Red Scorpion Mercenaries would return to Baron Bommel. But after hearing Mirian’s report, he felt relieved.

Although it wouldn’t be a big deal even if the mercenaries did report back to Baron Bommel.

*** 

Eugene’s group crossed Mount Marcus in half a day. Although they encountered a group of kobolds, the monsters fled right away as soon as Eugene slayed five of them at once after charging at them with SIlion.

“Thank you so much! Sir Eugene!”

“We were able to cross the mountain thanks to you, sir. You will be blessed. May God’s grace be with you forever.”

The merchants continued expressing their gratitude and bowed after witnessing Eugene’s overwhelming skills.

“I only did what I had to do. Let’s part ways now. Oh, and you should dispose of the collected weapons on your own. Just give me whatever you see fit.”

After discussing amongst themselves for a while, the merchants collected and politely offered 50 silver coins, a sum larger than their escort fee.

“Here it is.”

“I think they paid us more than the market price. Sir, they certainly know how to show their sincerity.”

Eugene nodded satisfactorily at Partec’s words.

“Good. Then take care.”

“Yes! Please take care, sir knight.”

Like that, Eugene parted ways with the group of merchants and headed to the Tywin territory. Although their meeting was short, he earned a considerable amount of money through it. 

The merchants also left for their respective destinations. 

Until then, Eugene had no idea that today’s events would grow into something bigger than he expected. Eugene didn’t know, but there were truly a few merchants among those he escorted that were heading to the Fairchild Viscounty.

***

“It is all thanks to you, sir. You really worked hard. Hahaha!”

“Don’t mention it.”

Camara spoke with a boisterous laugh, and Eugene responded with humility. It was Eugene’s first time seeing the lord after a month, and Camara appeared a little different from before. Originally, he was a little sly, but now, he was relaxed in his demeanor. Moreover, his attitude was also more upfront and confident compared to when he was still a successor. 

Perhaps he was becoming more comfortable in his role as a lord. 

‘Even so, he is still a small lord without a title.’

Camara wasn’t the only one who changed in a month’s time. Eugene learned how small and shabby the Tywin territory was after experiencing many things and meeting many people in a city as large as Maren.

When he had been on the run in his previous life, he had been ignorant. Now that he could afford to relax a bit more, his worldview was widened and he felt like he was definitely learning many things.

“Then Felid will stay with the Palin Association for the time being. About a year? Is that enough? What do you think? Since you are his master?”

Eugene wasn’t sure why Camara was asking him such questions, but he answered regardless, “It depends on how he performs.”

“Hmm. He is still young, so he might need some more time. I hope he can prove himself soon.”

“Lord Tywin. Are you planning on bringing Felid back to the Rose Castle?”

“I heard he’s quite intelligent, right? He already knows how to read and write. I think it would be good for him to take a position in the territory if the Palin Association teaches him well. He could work as the castle’s treasury officer, or maybe he can oversee Brahms as an official.” Camara spoke while stroking his chin, and Eugene felt a little puzzled. The castle’s treasury officer would be in charge of the castle’s finances, and an official overseeing an area would be managing it on behalf of the lord. Both were positions usually delegated to relatives trusted by the lord.

Felid was still too young, and he lacked the experience for both roles. However, a year should be enough for him to mature. Thus, it wouldn't be strange if he took up either of the positions after his return.. But in Eugene’s opinion, there was no reason for Camara to trust and bestow such a position to Felid.

“Hoohoo. You must be wondering why I care about Felid so much. Should I tell you?”

Camara inferred Eugene’s thoughts at his whim, then whispered after inching closer.

“I am planning to get rid of Bertel after this dungeon subjugation. Since he’s worked hard so far, I will give him a fair bit of wealth and tell him to leave. Since the eldest son has been successful in the lordship, it wouldn’t make sense for the second son to remain as a knight of the territory, right? It’s not like we’re a wealthy family either.”

“Hmm.”

“But it doesn’t matter for an illegitimate son. Felid doesn’t have the capabilities nor the right to replace me. Besides, unlike Bertel, he earns me money rather than spending it, right? Haha!”

“I wasn’t really curious, but I hope for the best.”

“If you really mean it, please perform as well as the previous one in this subjugation. Bertel brought in another knight, and it’s been bothering me.”

“A knight?”

“Sir Maverick. I’ve heard of his name before, but I don’t really know him. His equipment is not too shabby, but the problem is the mercenaries he brought along. Do you remember the men Bertel sent to bring Felid? For some reason, they give off a similar vibe.”

Eugene recalled Timothy and his group. Eugene had personally taken care of them. At first, he assumed Camara and Bertel had hired them together, but it turned out that Bertel had been fully responsible.

In other words, Bertel hired the group of third-rate mercenaries to bring back his younger brother and the illegitimate son of the late Lord Tywin, despite knowing that they were incapable.

“Did this knight named Maverick hire the mercenaries?”

“Yes. He said he was planning to build a mercenary group after raising his reputation this time around. Well, it’s not uncommon for knights without connections to become a mercenary captain. But it bothers me that he chose our territory at the start of their journey.”

“In addition, you are bothered even more because he’s a knight that your brother brought in.”

“As expected, you know me too well, sir.” Camara grinned, then continued. “Anyway, if once again, you, sir, can play a bigger role than the knight Bertel brought, then there is no reason for him to participate in the subjugation in the future. The problem with a dungeon subjugation is with the first or the second attempts. After you succeed a couple of times, free knights and mercenaries come flocking, right? I am capable of picking out the capable ones, at the least.”

Camara’s words certainly made sense, so Eugene nodded.

“We even signed a formal contract with the Palin Association. If they want to reclaim their loan, they won’t stand by and just watch our territory fall into danger, right? Maybe the association can even recruit and send us mercenaries from Maren. Haha!” Camara explained.

Although he had no talent as a knight, Camara was quite intelligent. If everything went as he planned, Bertel would lose his place in the Tywin territory. On the other hand, Tywin territory wouldn’t suffer much from the absence of Bertel.

Of course, Eugene held the key to Camara’s plans, and Camara knew better than anyone else.

“So I’ll leave the subjugation to your capable hands, Sir Eugene.”

“I always do my best.”

“Hahaha! As I would expect from you, sir. You gave me a very satisfying answer.”

Camara had no doubts that Eugene would produce even better results than before. It would surely be the case, since he was now in possession of excellent armament. In addition, he was commanding twice the number of mercenaries as before.

“By the way, Sir Eugene. Don’t you think you should meet Sir Maverick? Even though I named you as the subjugation’s captain, he is still your fellow knight and both of you will enter the same dungeon.”

“I’m the subjugation’s captain? That’s… ah.”

Eugene came to a realization, and Camara grinned in response.

“Now that I am the lord, I can do as I please. Sir Jan Eugene, you are the captain of the dungeon subjugation this time around.”