CH 99

“So, in conclusion, you went to the battlefield on behalf of Lord Crawlmarine, and you were taken prisoner?” Lanslo asked.

“To be exact, it was on behalf of my father, Sir Bosch. Sir Bosch was incapable of complying with the lord’s orders because of injuries he had suffered during a territorial battle,” Luke answered.

After leaving Moffern, Lanslo conversed quite a bit with Luke. Although Lanslo was heavily favorable toward women, he was still a sociable man to begin with. In addition, Luke was a man who respected excellent knights. As such, the two were able to grow quite close.

“What about Sir Bosch’s direct heirs? There must have been others who are older than you, right?” Lanslo asked.

“Sir Bosch is an excellent knight, but my brothers were mediocre at best. Originally, our eldest brother, Velt, should have gone, but… No, it’s nothing,” Luke hesitated before shutting his mouth. 

Lanslo observed him for a moment before responding with a smirk. “Now I understand. Your father should have participated in the war instead of Lord Crawlmarine, but he couldn’t because of his injuries. But someone had to go, so you ended up taking his place instead of your eldest brother, right?”

Luke remained silent, but the answer was evident from his expression.

“Tsk. It was obviously a lost battle, so he sent his illegitimate child instead, is that it? Your father, Sir Bosch, is a coward,” Lanslo continued.

“That is not true! If it weren’t for his injuries, Sir Bosch would have gone personally! He is an honorable…” Luke retorted.

“A truly honorable knight would have taken a mana stone and participated, regardless of his injury. If Sir Eugene orders you to fight, what will you do? Will you send someone else in your stead?” Lanslo asked.

“Well, t-that’s…” Luke flinched before biting his lips. Lanslo’s smile only grew deeper. 

“See? Even a slave like you would raise your sword and shield to serve their master with sincerity. A knight should always be willing to risk their life for their lord. Can you really call someone a knight if they only participate in battles after gauging the situation and considering this and that? Is that what you would call honor and loyalty?” Lanslo asked.

“...”

“Listen. Land, horse, and armor. Everything that the lord bestows to the knight is the price for his loyalty. What do you call someone who doesn’t keep their promise after reaping all the benefits? A disgrace. That’s right. It’s called being disgraceful and dishonorable. Do you want to live and die in disgrace?” Lanslo said.

“…No, sir. I will never live such a life,” Luke answered while gritting his teeth. His eyes were quivering as he stared at the young knight.

“Sir, sir. The elf knight sir is harassing slave number one,” Mirian whispered while sitting on Eugene’s shoulder. 

However, Eugene had been eavesdropping on the conversation with his enhanced sense of hearing anyway. He called out after turning his head, “Hey. Stop bothering my slave and come over here.”

“Yes, yes,” Lanslo answered with a grin before urging his horse closer to Eugene.

“Why are you harassing him?” Eugene asked.

“Sir Eugene. Luke is quite promising,” Lanslo responded.

“...?”

Lanslo suddenly complimented Luke, although he had been excitedly pummeling him with words until now.

“As the illegitimate child, he said he never received any official training. He learned by looking over their shoulders. He possesses a great physique, and he is very talented in swordsmanship as well. Moreover, he knows more honor than his father,” Lanslo explained.

“So what?” Eugene asked.

“I mean, if it’s someone like him, I would have them in as an official aide already. Please think about it. It’s hard to come across someone like him. If you don’t want to, then perhaps I could…” Lanslo replied.

“I was planning to do so anyway,” Eugene interrupted.

“…Truly? You didn’t come to the decision on the spot, right?” Lanslo doubted.

“Naturally. Anyway, Lanslo, why are you so interested in him?” Eugene asked.

“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve met someone from my hometown,” Lanslo responded.

“Same hometown? That means…” Eugene muttered. 

Lanslo responded while revealing his white teeth, “Yes. I am from Brantia as well.”

“Hmm.” Eugene was quite surprised. At the same time, a thought flashed by.

‘Count Winslon. Don’t tell me…’

When Eugene asked Count Winslon for a carefully selected list of the Golden Moon Knights, he handed it over immediately without hesitation. It appeared Count Winslon had already planned ahead when he brought up the story of Duke Batla after gifting Madarazika to Eugene. A knight from Brantia would obviously be helpful for Eugene’s expedition.

“Did Count Winslon say anything to you by chance?” Eugene asked.

“Hmm. Well, the count only asked me to stay with Sir Eugene until he called me back,” Lanslo responded. Lanslo wasn’t lying, or at least, Eugene couldn’t detect anything unusual. He could not sense any of the signals unique to people when they were lying when Lanslo responded. Moreover, Eugene saw Lanslo as a knight who prioritized ‘honor’ above everything else. If Lanslo were like other knights who chased after fame and reputation, he would have been less willing to follow Eugene since there was more to be gained by staying with the Golden Moon Knights.

“By the way, is there still a long way to go? The territory must be quite small,” Lanslo commented.

“Kyah? And what could you possibly be articulating about, oh sir knight of the elves? We have been in Sir Eugene’s territory since a while ago. Kyaaahh.”

“...?”

Eugene turned his head with a frown. It was a sweet, unfamiliar voice.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Kyah. Oh my. Sir Eugene, you are so humorous. Who else could it be? It’s me, Mirian! Kyahoho! Mirian has always been Mirian. Fwoosh~ Fwoosh~ Fwoosh~ Kyaaaah~!” The spirit even expressed her movement through the sky as she sprinkled fresh water droplets. Eugene was speechless.

“Haha. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, but she is a very peculiar undine. It’s hard to come across an undine with such a peculiar personality,” Lanslo said.

“Do you want it?” Eugene asked.

“What?”

“Kyah?”

“Would you rather have a peculiar spirit or an aide? If you want, I can…” Eugene started.

“Kieeeeeeeek! Sir! Sir! It’s this little one’s fault! My humble self must have gone insane for a short while! I’ll just go back to how I was originally! Kieeeeeeek!” Mirian shrieked.

“Pffft!” Lanslo couldn’t hold his laughter when the spirit kowtowed after landing on SIlion’s mane.

“Kuhunghunghung! Please don’t abandon me! I will work tirelessly to shit and spit water for you from now on!” Mirian continued.

“Ahahahahahahaha!”

“...”

The spirit was crying, and Lanslo was laughing, but the shame was for Eugene to bear.

***

“The lord has returned!”

Eugene’s eyes filled with surprise as the tall, wooden gate opened. The residents of the huddled houses were rushing out and bowing with excited expressions.

“We greet the lord!”

“We celebrate your safe return, my lord!”

“Lord Eugene!”

It appeared that a lot had transpired during Eugene’s absence. The filthy residents from the past could no longer be found, and those who greeted him were no different from the residents of cities or large territories. In addition, Eugene recalled that more than half the houses of the village had been patched together from wooden boards and mud, but now, most of the houses had become strong, wooden structures.

That wasn’t all…

The roads were previously covered with filth and garbage, but now, they were clean and well-maintained with drains on both sides. Pigs were also contained in separate pens, instead of roaming around the village.

“Hooh! The village is quite well-developed. It seems that Sir Eugene has talent in internal affairs as well, hmm?” Lanslo commented.

“...” However, Eugene could not give an answer.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Eugene urged his horse forward toward the castle in the distance, feeling somewhat stunned after witnessing all the unexpected changes.

***

“The rightful master of the Eugene territory, and the only glorious lord to whom my undying loyalty is…” Delmondo started to recite a grand greeting that he had memorized beforehand.

“Stop.”

“Yes,” Delmondo quickly shut up.

“All of you may leave now.”

“Yes, sir.” The servants and maids bowed before quietly stepping outside. Surprisingly, they were dressed in clean clothes and were well-groomed. It felt as if Eugene was in a castle belonging to an esteemed lord with a title. Eugene remembered the original state of the village, so how could it have transformed so dramatically in such a short period of time?

“I await orders from your esteemed self.” Once the others left the room, Delmondo immediately took off his mask and spoke after getting down on one knee.

“Explain to me what’s going on here,” Eugene said.

“What? B-by what’s going on, you mean…?” Delmondo asked.

“All the changes in the village, the residents, and all the people I saw just now. Everything,” Eugene responded.

“Yes!” Delmondo was quick-witted, and he immediately noticed what Eugene was curious about.

“Actually, I…” Delmondo utilized the skills he gained from serving as an imperial official to give an accurate, concise report in the shortest time possible. 

The silver mine ended up producing more ore than expected, which resulted in an increase of approximately 50% in profits. Originally, Delmondo intended to leave it aside as operating expenses for the territory, but he judged that it would be much better to use them and invest in various facilities for the hygiene of the villages and satisfaction of the residents, which would ultimately result in extending the lifespan of the residents. As such, he built new houses, opened new waterways, and scouted technicians from Moffern to produce soap and supplied it to the residents at a low price.

And that was only the tip of the iceberg…

“…So it may be difficult to expect immediate profits, but in a few years, it will certainly lead to an outcome that will differentiate our territory from others. Moreover, I believe that your name will shine more brightly as a lord. Everyone will come to know of your honor and mercy,” Delmondo concluded.

“I see. Is there a precedent?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. A margrave of the Roman Empire experimented with such methods in his own territory for about ten years. As a result, the overall productivity of the territory increased by about fifty percent. Moreover, compared to the other regions of the empire, the average lifespan of the residents in his territory was about seven to eight years longer.”

“...” Eugene silently stared at Delmondo.

‘What the hell? He’s much more capable than I imagined!’

Eugene had appointed Delmondo as the administrator of his territory because of a simple reason. Due to various circumstances, Eugene had to spend more time away from his territory. As such, he judged that it would be beneficial to have a vampire administrator who would never betray him. Moreover, Eugene could acquire more knowledge and information regarding vampires and their societies with Delmondo by his side. It would be like killing two birds with one stone.

But he had never expected something like this.

Eugene continued to look down at Delmondo without a word. Delmondo was struck with fear and he hurriedly bowed before continuing, “You don’t have to worry about money at all, either. Merchants and engineers from Moffern are working as hard as they can to serve me, or rather, to your esteemed self. Even though they are quite obedient to my words, isn’t it all because of your esteemed self’s blazing reputation, dignity, and honor? This humble servant simply borrowed your great reputation and…”

“Well done. This is great work. I also heard that the merchant guild leader of Moffern is helpless in front of you. Delmondo, you are very useful, aren’t you? Keep up the good work,” Eugene interrupted.

Delmondo’s shoulders flinched noticeably, then he began to slowly raise his head. His eyes were quivering with disbelief, and he stared up at Eugene as he spoke. “I-I can’t believe that I was praised by a great Origin…”

“...!?”

Eugene was rendered speechless as tears began to flow from Delmondo’s red eyes.

“Guwaaaaaaaah! This humble servant can die with no regrets! Uwahhh!” Delmondo started to bawl.

“…Why are you crying like that? Stop it” Eugene remarked.

“Y-yes.” Delmondo hurriedly wiped his tears and bowed. However, his shoulders kept on shaking. It seemed that he was quite touched.

Although Eugene couldn’t understand, it was quite natural among vampires. The difference between a lower-ranking vampire like Delmondo and an Origin was enormous. In human terms, it was as if a king had personally praised a commoner.

‘Father, and the masters of Noferos. I will dedicate my blood to this glorious being!’

Eugene was unaware, but Delmondo had completely committed himself to Eugene thanks to a simple compliment.

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