CH 129

“The more I look at it, the stranger it is. No, should I call it bold instead?” Druid Pythamoras muttered while closely examining a plate coat of the beowulfs, which were two or three times bigger than regular plate coats. He nodded. The outer leather was high-quality, and the iron plate fixed inside of the armor was adeptly smelted as well. In addition, the iron plates were twice or three times as thick as regular armor. It seemed unlikely that an ordinary weapon could possibly penetrate the sturdy armor.

It was without doubt that an equivalent number of heavy cavalry would struggle against beowulf warriors equipped with such armor.

“So, the high-ranking member of the Dark Clan who gave you this is very rich?” Pythamoras asked.

“That’s what we heard. Apparently, he has his own territory in the continent and a silver mine as well. And the port cities of the continent just gave him these things.”

“His armor was very nice as well. The mayor of one of the cities gave it to him as a present.”

“Excuse me, mister druid, but could you untie us? It hurts a little.”

“We won’t run away, so release us. Please. I swear it on the honor of a big fang warrior,” The beowulfs turned their heads and responded before imploring him. They were walking beside Pythamora’s steed.

The beowulfs were in their human forms, and thin, silver wires were wrapped around their necks and wrists. The wire possessed terrifying magic that inflicted burning pain when the beowulfs were in their beastly forms, although it only stung slightly when they were human.

“I believe in your words, but the mercenaries will become nervous. Besides, you already killed more than ten of them during the attack. You should be grateful that I’m showing mercy,” Pythamoras answered. The mercenaries were glaring at the beowulfs right behind them. They were poised to unsheathe their weapons and behead the beowulfs at a moment’s notice.

“If we knew that you were here, we would have never done such a thing. Ah, by the way, we’ll receive a scolding from the dark lord.”

“You’d be lucky if it ended with just a scolding. He might beat us up like last time. Dammit! He only hits where it hurts.” the beowulfs whispered to themselves.

“The one who hired you is that skilled?” Pythamoras asked.

“Oh, of course. We’re going to be completely pummeled,” one of the warriors responded. The beowulfs proceeded to excitedly explain their history with Eugene, and Pythamoras listened with interest. The atmosphere wasn’t befitting that of a captor and his prisoners, but it was due to the position that druids held in Brantia.

Druids were faithful priests, scholars with great knowledge, and respected doctors who treated anyone regardless of race. As such, not only the nobility, but even the king could treat druids recklessly.

“Huh? How amazing. From what you’ve been saying, it’s as if the knight king has descended once more.” Pythamoras was sincerely impressed after hearing the beowulfs’ stories about Eugene.

“I don’t know about the knight king, but he is stupidly strong. But Mister Pythamoras, are you really going to fight against the dark lord?” one of the beowulfs asked.

“Well, I was asked by Lord Riwad. Hmm. But it would be such a waste to dissect such a great figure. Ah, since he’s rich and strong, perhaps I could get him to bring me another vampire instead,” Pythamoras answered.

“Uh, it should be possible. Now that I think about it, the dark knight said that the dark lord has a hired wizard from the continent. I heard they’ve been together for quite a while,” the beowulf warrior stated.

“Hooh, is that true? The wizards of the continent tend to be proud and solitary, so they rarely ever form relationships with lords,” Pythamoras responded. His gloomy eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Well, I heard that the dark lord is really good at procuring monster by-products for the wizard. Griffons, a wyvern… He even killed a water dragon not too long ago…” the beowulf warrior mumbled.

“What? A wyvern and a water dragon?!” Pythamoras shouted. He was shocked. He was also a wizard, and he was greedy for precious materials and monster by-products. The monsters that the beowulf mentioned were incredibly tough and difficult to kill, even if they were just roamers. Moreover, although a druid was knowledgeable and powerful, their physique was no different from ordinary people. As such, it was impossible for them to kill an intermediate-rank or a high-rank monster by themselves.

“Huh! Now, this makes him even more tempting,” Pythamoras whispered.

There were plenty of skilled knights capable of defeating monsters and subjugating evil lands in Brantia as well, but most of the excellent knights were lords themselves or subordinates to powerful lords. In addition, powerful, outstanding knights tended to be more interested in wars rather than evil lands, so they rarely participated in hunting monsters.

It was also possible to hire ordinary knights and mercenaries in large numbers, but druids lived in close harmony with nature, and as such, they couldn’t afford the large sum of money necessary to hire them. However, Eugene often hunted monsters despite his status, and Pythamoras had no choice but to feel intrigued and attracted to him.

‘Hmm. Should I neutralize him with magic and then make a request? In any case, Lord Riwad said he would leave the member of the Dark Clan to me.’

A sudden curiosity struck Pythamoras as he planned ahead.

“By the way, what school does his hired wizard belong to? Do you know anything about it?” Pythamoras asked.

“Uhh~ What was it again? Ah, it was definitely the Blood Shadow School.” the beowulf warrior answered.

“Ohh!” Pythamoras’ eyes widened. As an intellectual with a plethora of knowledge, he was also very informed about the different schools of magic on the continent. The Blood Shadow School consisted of experts in research regarding monsters and focus on creating chimeras. He was sure that they would possess knowledge that he didn’t have.

“Good, good! I must suppress him and take him to Mount Robtimo with the wizard. Hahaha!” Pythamoras declared. He came to a conclusion. He would work the high-ranking noble vampire for a few years to procure materials that he needed. Baron Riwad’s request had already disappeared from his mind.

***

Eugene worked Silion until exhaustion before finally spotting a large group of people about two hours later. They were presumed to be the supply unit of Baron Riwad’s army. The group had set up camp and formed a garrison around numerous carts as cover. The mercenaries were standing in pairs with torches in their hands.

“I can smell the stench of our brothers and sisters! Dark Lord, let’s attack!” the beowulfs shouted. Despite being quite exhausted from the prolonged run, they were burning with desire.

“You said,[a] there was a druid. Can you guys handle the druid?” Eugene asked.

“Oh, right.”

“Facing a druid might be…” The beowulfs awkwardly scratched their heads. They weren’t necessarily afraid of druids. Of course, it would be difficult to face powerful spells and curses, but the point was that they were reluctant to turn their backs against a respected, admired species of Brantia.

“Druids. They don’t fight if they get what they want?” Eugene asked.

“That’s right. We need to figure out what Baron half-orc offered the druid. Since they approached the druid first, we can’t offer the exact same thing. We will have to offer something more to turn them to our side,” a beowulf answered.

“This is becoming complicated,” Eugene stated.

“There’s no helping it. If the dark lord wants a place in Brantia, you can’t turn against the druids. If you do so, people will turn their backs on you, regardless of their race or status,” the beowulf answered.

“Hmm.”

“Sir. My seniors told me that druids can see spirits. I’m a little scared. Kieee,” Even Mirian whispered with a frightened expression.

‘Should I attempt to talk first? Or… What if I just kill the druid and everyone else?’

Eugene felt tempted to just handle things with brute force. However, he soon shook his head. In doing so, he would risk losing the hearts of the beowulf warriors. They would surely prove themselves useful in the future as well, so he could not afford to lose their trust in him.

“Hmm?”

Eugene sat in contemplation for a while before suddenly raising his head. He could feel a strange, but powerful wave radiating from the enemy’s camp.

“Sir, sir! It’s mana! The mana is trembling! Kieeeeeekk!” Mirian shouted with surprise before rushing into her leather pocket. Realizing that the druid had sensed their presence, Eugene clicked his tongue before taking Wolfslaughter and Madarazika into his hands. Right now, it didn’t matter if the beowulfs respected druids. For now, he had to prepare for battle.

The enemy’s camp became quite noisy, and dozens of troops holding torches ran toward the place where Eugene and the beowulfs were hiding.

“Kuheul?! Our brothers and sisters are there too!”

“Dammit! Prepare for battle!” the beowulfs shouted after catching a whiff of their captured brethren. They lowered their posture and prepared themselves for battle.

Soon, the mercenaries flocked near Eugene’s group and raised their weapons.

“You damned mutts! Did you come here to get your ass beaten?!”

“We’ll capture you like your comrades and… Hmm?”

The mercenaries started to shout. They felt reassured by the presence of a druid, but their voices quickly died down. They came to notice Eugene, who was armed in jet-black plate armor, as well as an unusual shortsword and a spear.

“Oh! As expected, you came! Now, now! Come on, everyone, move out of the way!” a grey-haired old man shouted while walking through the mercenaries. He was dressed in a ragged, brown leather robe.

Eugene immediately recognized him as the druid that Baron half-orc had hired. The old man looked as healthy and strong as the mercenaries, and he wore a crown made of cow horns and a long, winding wooden staff.

“Are you the high-ranking member of the vampire nobility with your own territory and a silver mine in the Kingdom of Caylor? The one who has the support of two port cities?” Pythamoras asked in the language of the Caylor Kingdom.

Eugene was inwardly surprised at the old man’s eloquence. He nodded. “That's right. You know me very well. Where did you hear it from?”

“Haha! The Beowulfs of Perseus told me,” Pythamoras answered.

“…” Eugene felt completely disgruntled. Regardless of the druid’s status, he couldn’t believe that the beowulfs had given all of his information to a potential enemy.

Pythamoras grinned before he continued as if reading Eugene’s mind. “They did worry after telling me that you might beat them up. However, don’t be too harsh on them. Here in Brantia, everyone, regardless of race, must tell the truth in front of a druid.”

It wasn’t a proud boasting, but rather the truth. Eugene nodded gently. “I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, it seems that you have some business with me, since you came forward like this. Am I right?”

He wasn’t completely sure, but Eugene felt that the druid wasn’t necessarily hostile toward him.

“As expected of the Tribe of the Darkness. You are quite wise. Oh, by the way, I am Pythamoras of Mount Robtimo. What might your name be, noble of the Dark Clan?” Pythamoras said.

“Eugene. Jan Eugene.” Eugene responded.

“Hmm, it sounds like an alias, but since you aren’t Brantian, let’s move on.” Pythamoras nodded.

He continued in Brantian. “Jan Eugene, Member of the race loved by the night. I have a simple proposal. If I win in a one-on-one battle against you, you will go to Mount Robtimo with me and help me for the next three years.”

“And if I win?” Eugene asked.

“Then I will do whatever you want,” Pythamoras answered.

“Let’s do that, then.” Eugene agreed to the request without hesitation. It seemed that the gods were looking after him. However, the mercenaries and the beowulfs accompanying Pythamoras became flustered.

“M-master Pythamoras!?”

“T-then what about us? What if those damned mutts start attacking us…?”

“M-master Pythamoras? If you do this, Lord Riwad will become very angry.”

The mercenaries begged Pythamoras with fear.

However, Pythamoras was apathetic. “That’s none of my business. And if I deal with the member of the Dark Clan, Lord Riwad should somehow win the battle, right? If he can’t even do that, then he isn’t deserving of his title as a swordmaster.”

“E-even so…”

On the other side, the beowulf warriors approached Eugene before speaking, “Dark Lord. Don’t you know the custom you must follow when fighting against a druid?”

“Custom? What’s that?” Eugene asked.

“Oh! I knew it!”

“This is driving me nuts! It’s over, over!” The beowulfs started to beat their chests and sighed all together.

Eugene frowned, and one of the warriors explained with another sigh. “When facing a druid, you must allow them to strike the first blow in show of respect. But what kind of attack would a druid use? It would obviously be a spell or a curse!”

“What?” Eugene muttered.

“You can never attack first. If you break the custom and take the first blow, all Brantians will turn their backs on you. Obviously, we will as well.” The beowulf explained.

“Is he going to turn into a rat? A toad, perhaps?”

“Since he’s the dark lord, maybe a cute bat?”

“You mean a snake, right? He’s mean and sneaky.”

“Sneaky, maybe. But mean? He’s the dark lord! You need to describe him with dignity. What about vile? Maybe vicious?”

“Wow~ I never expected you to know so many fancy words.”

The beowulfs jumped from and to random topics in their conversations. Eugene felt dumbfounded. What in the world was this completely, utterly unreasonable ‘custom?’

‘Hmm? Wait a minute.’

Eugene’s eyes glimmered with light as a sudden thought crossed his mind. At that moment, Pythamoras raised his wooden staff and spoke, “Well, here I go.”

Paaaaa!

His gaze deepened, and a dim light began curling around the bullhorn crown and the wooden staff.

“Uagh!” The beowulfs hurriedly withdrew in surprise.

Eugene stood tall, proudly facing the druid in battle.

“Spirits of mana. Those who bend the sky and the sea, mountains and fields, rivers and lakes, manifest your will through my words…” the druid started muttering.

The words were automatically deciphered to Eugene’s understanding.

‘If it wasn’t for the damned custom, he would’ve been long dead by now. I would have slit his throat more than ten times during his incantation.’

Everyone else was frightened by the druid’s mantra, but Eugene felt bored as he waited for Pythamoras to finish his long chant. After about ten more seconds, the druid finally finished. “So I command you! Transform into the closest thing to your essence!”

Fwoosh!

The winding mana shot forth from the druid’s staff like wave.

Eugene focused his Fear and raised his left arm to his chest.

Clack! Claaack!

The Batla Duchy’s magic shield responded to Eugene’s will and quickly transformed into a large barrier measuring one meter wide and two meters tall.

Fwoooooosh! Clatter!

The wave of mana collided with the shield, and a sound akin to glass breaking resounded. Simultaneously, the wave of mana transformed into a group of colorful lights before scattering around the shield and fading into nothingness.

The magic shield was capable of blocking even the Fear of an Origin Vampire. As such, it was close to impossible for it to be susceptible to a druid’s magic and spells.

“What?!”

However, Pythamoras was completely oblivious to this fact. As he shouted in disbelief, Eugene rushed at him while scattering crimson Fear behind him.

[a]In the final few sentences of the previous chapter, Eugene said “It appears that Baron Riwad hired a druid,” Eugene muttered.

So isn't this "I said" instead of "You said"?