CH 55

Eugene left Baron Beogalan’s castle after receiving everything he was due, including a certificate to prove his lordship. Baron Beogalan promised to send another document with the seals of the nearby nobles within fifteen days to a branch of the Palin Association. According to Baron Beogalan, it wasn’t that difficult since his family shared close relationships with many nobles as a family with a long history in the region.

“Huh!? What is this? Ah! Monster byproducts!? Wonderful one, turnip two, thunderous three, fabulous four… There’s so much that I can’t possibly count them all! I’m rich now! Rich! Kieeeeekk!”

The spirit of desire shouted with excitement and joy, attempting to comprehend the number of materials gained using a strange system of counting. Eugene felt satisfied as well.

Although he would have to share the loot with the Palin Association, he would still earn a great sum of money. It was equivalent to what he could earn from participating in five or six regular subjugations.

It was all thanks to the mana stone and the materials gained from the wyvern, a high-ranking monster.

“The materials gained from the wyvern are so precious?”

“Of course. Although a few roamers have been killed in the past, there’s no record of a wyvern being killed in an evil land. By the way, since you promised to give me a part of the inner skin of the wings and the tail…" Romari answered Eugene’s question. She had been grinning nonstop while stealing glances at the wyvern’s by-products, which had been separately loaded into the carriage.

“Well, even though you did not contribute very much, a promise is a promise. You can have it.”

“Thank you! Although I might not have been of much help this time, I promise I will do my best in the future!”

Romari was greatly moved. The materials gained from a high-ranking monster were precious enough for any wizards to drool over. A wyvern’s materials were even more rare and special, and Romari had been wanting to obtain them at any cost for her goal of producing chimeras.

“Killing the wyvern was only natural. But I didn’t expect you to become a lord through the subjugation. This is quite ridiculous. Master, was this your intent all along?”

“Of course not. Things just turned out this way. Well, it’s not bad though.” Eugene shrugged in response. 

Galfredik burst into laughter. “Puha! Not bad? I wouldn’t have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes. Any knight would be shocked to death if they heard the story, both free and territorial knights alike.”

“Is that so?”

“Kukaka!”

Galfredik could not hold his laughter after seeing Eugene’s calm attitude. His master had saved him and provided him with a new life. And now, his master was about to become a lord.

He knew it was within the realm of possibility when they first met, but he never imagined that it would come true in just a few months.

“Hehe. I’m sure more fun and interesting things are waiting for us down the road, right? I’m really looking forward to this.”

“I thought you wanted to succeed and advance in your life?”

“This is what success is. I’m still young, so why would I want to trap myself as a territorial knight and fatten myself with riches? A real knight should chase honor in battles.”

“I see. Now that you mention it, how old are you?”

“Huh? Did I never mention it before? I’m twenty-four.”

“T-that’s obviously a lie.” Romari expressed her shock and disbelief from the side. 

Galfredik frowned in response. “Miss Romari? What’s with that reaction?”

“Ah, I apologize. I thought you were at least thirty-four.”

“What? What about me that looks over thirty?”

“Everything. Everything from your head to your toes.”

“You clearly don’t have an eye for men. Well, it makes sense that you don’t have any experience with men with that figure. Even my grandma didn’t look bad.”

“Keup!”

Luke hurriedly covered his mouth and suppressed a laugh while turning away. Simultaneously, Romari’s face turned beet red.

“Are you comparing your grandmother and…”

“My grandmother was strict, but she used to play with me. She died just before I became a knight’s aide. I miss her.”

“…..!”

Galfredik turned his eyes to the sky. He had a face full of sorrow, and Romari’s eyes quivered. She couldn’t possibly get mad at him when he was referring to a deceased family member…

“Well, I guess ten years is a long life for a dog. Ah, I remember how she used to bite me when she was young. But it stopped as she got older, probably because she lacked the energy.”

“…Dog? Are you talking about the animal?”

“Yeah. A female dog we used to raise in the past. Her name was Tallulah.”[1]

“What bullshit are you…”

“Sir Eugene!”

Their conversation came to a halt when the scouts returned.

“What’s going on?”

“A group of men has occupied Roban Village.”

Roban was a small village that Eugene had passed through on his way to the Beogalan Barony. Just like Paranan and Mintan, it had been liberated thanks to Eugene.

“It seems a bunch of nobodies has crawled in since the owner was nowhere in sight. Master, everywhere except Mintan and Parana are probably in a mess. What do you think? Should we stop by and clean up the villages on our way back? We need to stop by to procure food anyways.”

“All right.”

Eugene took Galfredik’s advice and gave orders to the three squad leaders. For the next five days, merciless massacres took place in all the villages located between the Beogalan Barony and Moffern.

***

“What? Recognize a territory with the Mino River as its boundary? Is this guy out of his mind?”

Lord Feedren frowned while looking over a letter delivered from Baron Beogalan. As was the case with most nobles, the Feedren family had blood ties with the Beogalan Barony from a long time ago.

Although the current situation in Carls Baggins was rather chaotic, or rather, because the situation in the peninsula was chaotic, the nobles were more cooperative with each other. However, it was difficult to simply agree to a request to recognize land, more specifically, the area located right next to the Feedren territory, as someone else’s territory.

“Jan Eugene? Why is he asking me this all of a sudden? Is that his illegitimate son or something? Hmph…”

Lord Feedren clicked his tongue before continuing to read the letter. He had the intention of politely refusing the request.

But then…

“Killed more than two hundred monsters in the Philia Ruins? And the wyvern… Wyvern!?”

Lord Feedren kicked off his seat with shock.

“He has forty well-armed, well-organized troops and another knight under his command as well? And their number might increase in the future? What…?”

The hands holding the letter started to tremble. There was no reason for Baron Beogalan to exaggerate the matter or to lie since it would become known in the future anyway. According to the contents of the letter, a knight capable of hunting a troll and a wyvern wanted to establish his territory with enough elite soldiers to burn down a small territory.

“That means, picking a fight while using legitimacy as an excuse… would be a horrible idea. If they happen to invade, then it will be all over.”

Lord Feedren instinctively stopped himself. Since he himself was a knight, he knew very well that thirty soldiers in leather armor could never rival elite soldiers.

Perhaps he could stand a chance if he hired mercenaries, but he couldn’t afford to keep mercenaries without knowing when the enemy would launch an attack. It would simply exhaust his finances within a month.

“This is quite an exceptional event.”

Lord Feedren felt his heart pounding as he finished the letter. The moment he laid his eyes on the last line, his face filled with an even bigger shock.

“What? He’s most likely going to be sworn in by His Excellency Winslon!?”

His mind went blank for a moment. Winslon was a noble among nobles, and his enormous territory was no different from a small kingdom. Lord Feedren quickly came to his senses and shouted while holding up a piece of parchment that was delivered to him with the letter.

“Ink! Bring me ink! Bring the seal as well! Quickly!”

It wasn’t wise to invite a strong neighbor, but things were different this time around. The least he could do was to avoid offending the knight, even if he couldn’t welcome him.

Moreover, Baron Beogalan was the only lord in possession of an evil land in the vicinity, and he possessed the highest status. If the newcomer was a knight recognized by Baron Beogalan, then it was even more important to avoid offending him.

“A knight of Count Winslon… This is not the time to stay still.”

Although Baron Beogalan had mentioned it as simply a possibility, Lord Feedren accepted it as a fact. He was in a rush. Such surprising news was better shared with as many people as possible, so he wrote similar letters before sending them to nobles close to him.

The matters regarding the Philia Ruins subjugation continued to proceed in a manner that Eugene had never expected.

***

“S-sir. This is…”

The branch manager of Moffern was stunned speechless after witnessing five carriages filled to the brim with monster by-products.

However, that wasn’t the only thing he was surprised by.

“Excuse me, sir, who are all those people?”

“They are my new subordinates. I came across them by chance. What, is there a problem?”

“No! Of course not. Ah, then Veron is also…”

“They want to follow me.”

“I see. Congratulations, sir.”

He was shocked out of his mind, but the branch manager quickly grasped the situation like a merchant would and bowed his head. It was a pity to lose a competent mercenary group like Veron’s, but the branch manager was smart enough to realize that Eugene would bring him dozens of times more profit.

“By the way, I would like to return to Maren as soon as possible.”

“I will find you a ship so that you can leave within three days.”

“Thank you.”

“Since you have more troops, it would be better to rent an entire inn for the accommodation, what do you think?”

“Hmm. And what about the cost?”

Eugene was obviously intending on paying for the accommodation. However, he frowned slightly as he spoke, since it would be rather unfortunate to be forced to spend such a large sum. But the branch manager misunderstood Eugene’s words and actions as he quickly shook his head.

“Ah, please don’t worry about that. Our association will take care of it.”

“Hmm? I would be very grateful.”

Eugene readily accepted the offer, thinking that the branch manager of Moffern was as generous and honest as Priscilla. The two weren’t as merchant-like and calculating as Eugene had thought.

‘This isn’t the first time you’ve done something like this, is it? Just what I would expect from someone soon to become a big-shot noble. Your threats are quite natural.’

The branch manager hid his true thoughts with a bright smile.

“Oh, please don’t mention it. It’s an honor for me to know an outstanding, honorable knight like Sir Eugene.”

Although the branch manager continued to bootlick him, Eugene was still grateful to him for paying for the accommodation. 

Thus, Eugene spoke softly. “I am still very grateful for your generosity. There is actually another matter that I would like your help with.”

The branch manager wondered how the knight was planning to leech off him further. He asked cautiously. “What… what kind of help would that be?”

“I came to manage the villages and the hamlets on the way to the Beogalan Barony from here. This is what happened…”

Eugene gave a detailed account of who attacked him and how he handled them on his way to and fro the barony. The branch manager’s expression gradually changed, and as soon as he saw the certificate with Baron Beogalan’s seal, his jaw dropped open.

“D-does that mean Sir Eugene has just become the master of four villages and six hamlets?”

“Things just turned out that way. A parchment with the seals of the nearby lords will be arriving here shortly as well.”

“Oh, my! Forgive me for failing to recognize such a distinguished, exalted figure!”

The branch manager’s attitude had been polite originally. However, his attitude intensified even further after hearing Eugene’s story. He continued to fawn over Eugene while running his mouth. “Please forgive me for failing to recognize an upcoming lord. Please accept my sincerest apologies, Sir Eugene. If there’s anything I can do to assist you, I will do it gladly.”

“Even though I became the master of these villages and hamlets, I don’t have enough people to manage the land. I was thinking of asking the Moffern branch to have talented people manage the land.”

“Of course, of course. I will definitely find the right people for the position and send them over. I am truly grateful to you for giving us this chance.”

The branch manager’s lips curled up into a huge grin.

He was already grateful that the knight had crushed the association’s competition by being successful in the Philia Ruins subjugation. But in addition, the knight had also conquered the road to the Beogalan Barony and had stabilized it before eventually becoming the master of a few villages and hamlets!

‘The roads will be safer for travel, and it will be quite profitable to hire mercenaries and collect tolls. He’s truly blessed by the heavens!’

“Then could I ask to borrow Sir Eugene’s crest for our branch? I think that would be the best way to let others know that we are acting as Sir Eugene’s agent when we are traveling or receiving tolls.”

“Crest?”

“Yes, yes.”

“I… will give it to you before I leave.”

Eugene was slightly taken aback, but he responded naturally. It appeared that he would have to first think about what he wanted his crest to look like.

“Yes. Then I will guide you to your accommodation. We will take you to the best place in Moffern.”

The branch manager fawned while inwardly praising himself for thoroughly following Priscilla’s request to cooperate with Eugene as much as possible.

1.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxEAP9Nmdos here’s the reference if you don’t get it. It might be a culture-specific thing. In Korea, the word ‘Tallulah’ is used when someone unwittingly insults someone’s parents. For example, A & B are having a conversation. A: Look at this new sweater I got. B: Man that’s such an ugly-ass sweater, it can’t even be recycled. A: My mom bought it for me. B: It can’t be recycled because it’s so precious, obviously. ☜