CH 156

Paaaaa!

Pranbow reflexively ignited his own mana and coated his longsword with it. He predicted the spear’s straight trajectory and struck down with all his might.

Shhhhk!

However, as his blade fell in a cascade of light, the spear turned sharply to the right as if it were alive.

“…?!”  Pranbow couldn’t hide his shock. The spear continued and pierced the shoulder of an elf knight standing behind him.

“Keugh!”

“Ledel!” the elf knights shouted with disbelief after witnessing the spear rip through the tough chain mail as if it was made of paper.

Shuacck!

“What?!”

However, it was too early for the elves to be surprised. They were left speechless as the spear flew back to where it came from after leaving a hole in their colleague’s shoulder.

“A magic spear!” Pranbow shouted. The spear returned to the hands of its master. At the same time, the black-armored knight charged toward them on his obsidian steed.

Kwaaaaa…!

Vampiric Fear soared from Eugene’s figure as he took hold of Madarazika. The distance between Eugene and Pranbow narrowed to about 10 meters.

Tututututututu!

Eugene closed the distance in the blink of an eye, then released Silion’s reins before striking down with Madarazika.

Kwarara!

The spear contained the momentum of Silion’s charge as it descended with ferocity toward Pranbow’s helmet. Even though he was a swordmaster, Pranbow still felt a chill rush down his back as he faced the fierce attack. However, Pranbow remained calm and raised his longsword at an angle. A swordmaster was not easily defeated.

Block, deflect, sidestep, and stab.

Such were the basics of swordsmanship, but it was extremely difficult to time it just right. But for a swordmaster like Pranbow, accurately performing the technique was easier than eating cake, and he had defeated dozens of knights and warriors in the past utilizing the same technique.

‘Aim for the gap in his armpit!’

Pranbow visualized the battle as the longsword and the spear drew close. The elven swordmaster was fully confident in his plan. He had never even imagined that his plan would go awry.

Boom!

The clash between the spear and the longsword resulted in a tremendous explosion.

Even a swordmaster’s masterful techniques and the natural mana of a pure-blooded elf were nullified in front of absolute power.

Clang!

Pranbow’s longsword was shattered into dozens of pieces, and the coating of mana also scattered into the air. Madarazika fell through the blossom of metal and mana and struck Pranbow’s helmet.

Bang!

Pranbow immediately lost consciousness and fell flat on his saddle as intense pain radiated from his skull.

“What?!”

“Sir Pranbow…?!”

The elven knights froze immediately when the proud swordmaster of Eland was defeated in a single blow.

“Kuwuuuugh!”

“Let’s play, herbivores!”

Despite Pranbow’s defeat, the beowulfs did not stop their charge. Unfortunately, the elves had already lost their will to fight after witnessing the complete defeat of their swordmaster.

“Disarm and capture them. Feel free to pummel them if they resist,” Eugene commanded. The beowulfs couldn’t hide their disappointment while dragging the elves off their horses.

Justification, profit, honor—the elves failed at obtaining even a single one as the battle concluded.

***

“Ugh…” After half a day, Pranbow opened his eyes with a grunt.

“Keugh!” He groaned and clenched his teeth as extreme pain surged from the top of his head. It felt as if a nail had been driven deep into his skull.

“Sir, sir! The old man elf woke up!”

“I know…”

Pranbow turned his head toward the two voices. One was rather frivolous, while the other was cold.

“…?!” He came to face a young man with crimson eyes and long dark hair, as well as a spirit who looked as frivolous as her voice.

A spirit and a vampire. Pranbow briefly forgot his pain and looked at the unimaginable combination with dazed eyes.

The spirit began to laugh wickedly. “Kihehehehehe! I guess he’s a unicorn now, rather than an old elf! He has a horn on his head! Kekekeke!”

Pranbow was filled with an immense desire to smack the spirit in the head, wanting to ignore his identity as an elf.

“Well. It’s definitely an eyesore. I’m glad he looks fine though,” the vampire said.

Although Pranbow could understand his words, strangely enough, he felt irritated by the vampire. Pranbow spoke in a dignified voice, “And who are you, sir? By the looks of it, you’re a knight of a prestigious family. If you are indeed an honorable knight, you ought to show some courtesy…”

“A load of crap. Are you not fully awake yet? Will you come to your senses if I hit you some more?” Eugene responded.

“W-what?” Pranbow stammered.

“I am Jan Eugene Batla. Manners, courtesy. Who do you think should be showing respect here?” Eugene asked.

“Ah.” Pranbow became wide-eyed after learning of Eugene’s identity. He immediately placed his right palm on his chest and said politely, “I have shown you great disrespect due to my ignorance. I am…”

“I know. Sir Pranbow, swordmaster of Eland.” Eugene interrupted.

“…” Pranbow bit his lips after hesitation. He couldn’t believe that he was being referred to as a swordmaster by someone who had defeated him in a single blow. He had never felt more ashamed of his title than now. However, Pranbow was a noble of Eland and its representative before he became a swordmaster. As such, he was aware of his responsibilities.

“Your Excellency Batla. With all due respect, what happened to the other knights with me?” Pranbow asked.

“They are all fine. I am treating them with honor as prisoners. Ah, one is in poor condition. The one I pierced with my spear. We fed him a mana stone to ensure he doesn’t die,” Eugene explained.

“A mana stone? Your Excellency! Pure-blooded members of our race should not consume mana stones. If there were any impurities in the stone, then the mana in their bodies…” Pranbow shouted with alarm.

“It was pure. My wizard manufactured it.” Eugene interrupted.

“Your wizard…?” Pranbow asked.

“Don’t worry about it. I have someone, a woman. Anyway, the one with the hole in his shoulder is breathing and alive,” Eugene said with a shrug.

“Phew. I am grateful for your mercy, Your Excellency. You are a man of true honor. I am thoroughly impressed.” Pranbow bowed politely with sincerity. He felt as if the prejudice that had been fabricated after meeting human nobles like Baron Mondelio was completely crumbling apart. Although the vampire wasn’t Brantian, such an honorable knight was an extremely rare find, regardless of race and nationality.

But he only thought of this because he had no idea who Eugene was at all…

‘Hmm. I only saved his life since I would benefit from the ransom, but it seems like I’ve made a big profit using only two mana stones. Anyway, considering that he was secretly plotting against the duchy, it seems like he’s got some manners.’

According to the other captured elves, Pranbow was a high-ranking nobleman in Eland. His status was enough to be counted within the top 10, and he was popular with other elves because of his excellent swordsmanship and unyielding spirit.

‘I’ll be at a loss if I start a squabble with the elves since they don’t even have any power in Brantia’s mainland. I’ll have to treat him nicely until I get his ransom. Beating up Mondelio should be enough to satisfy me for the time being.’

Eugene made up his mind. He asked while slightly softening his eyes, “Sir Pranbow, let me ask you a few questions.”

“I have already suffered defeat at our hands. I will faithfully answer any questions that don't cause me to betray Eland,” Pranbow responded.

“Good. Having the mercenaries pretend to be bandits. Was that Eland’s will?” Eugene asked.

“We supported Lord Mondelio financially and condoned his actions, so I can’t deny the responsibility,” Pranbow answered.

“Hmm. Are you saying that you were trying to drive the Batla Duchy into a dead end?” Eugene asked.

“That’s right. However… although it may sound like an excuse, I had them know not to occupy the duchy. Eland needed the cooperation of the duchy, we weren’t trying to take it over,” Pranbow explained.

“Hmm.” The elf’s words lined up with Roberi’s words. It certainly appeared true. But there were still questions that needed answers.

“Even if your plan succeeded, the duchy would not have cooperated. The old men of the duchy are incredibly arrogant and snobbish. Of course, they have gotten a lot better now,” Eugene said while tapping on Wolfslaughter.

Pranbow could guess the situation. Even the elders of the duchy would’ve been helpless in front of the vampire’s overwhelming might.

“We were not expecting the duchy to bend over and cooperate with Eland just by rescuing them from danger. So we were going to prepare a gift that would leave the duchy with no other choice,” Pranbow said.

“Gift? What was it?” Eugene asked

“Well…” Pranbow hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath. Then, he continued. “Phew! You have already succeeded the duchy as its new master, so there’s no point in hiding it. The gift that Eland prepared… is one of four treasures originally belonging to the Batla Duchy.”

“What? The armor?” Eugene exclaimed in shock.

“Huh?! Your Excellency, how do you know of Armis?” Pranbow asked.

“Armis?”

“…?” Pranbow seemed rather confused when Eugene exclaimed in shock. Eugene showed him Wolfslaughter, Madarazika, and Paracletus one after another.

“I have three of the treasures, so the remaining one would obviously be the armor,” Eugene explained.

“By the gods!” Pranbow was shocked and speechless. It felt as if his very soul had left his body. He finally realized how a member of the Dark Clan managed to succeed the Batla Duchy and how he knew the identity of the treasure belonging to Eland’s royal family.

“Fate. Could this be fate? Ha…!” Pranbow let out a long sigh, then he spoke in a stern voice after straightening his posture. “We were going to demand the Batla Duchy’s support for Eland on the condition that we returned one of its four treasures, Armis. But we assumed that the duchy wouldn’t agree from the very beginning or would have other ideas, so we joined with Baron Mondelio.”

“Hmm. Maybe; no, I’m sure that would have done exactly that,” Eugene hesitated for a moment before responding. Judging by the brazen attitude of the duchy’s elders from before, Eugene felt that Pranbow’s rationale was justified.

“But that armor… Wouldn’t it have been a waste to hand it over so simply? They are quite extraordinary,” Eugene said. Even Wolfslaughter, which was the least extraordinary of the three treasures in his possession, was an unrivaled sword. In the first place, there were only a few swords in the world that had been crafted with meteoric iron.

Pranbow responded, “If by ‘extraordinary,’ you are referring to Armis’s defensive function, then yes, it is indeed extraordinary. However, the problem is that it’s not suitable for any of us. It’s practically useless.”

“Hmm?”

“Armis is a demon armor that sucks the blood of the wearer. That’s why all the previous dukes had been short-lived,” Pranbow explained.

“…?!” Eugene was surprised. Neither the elders of the duchy nor Pymathoras, who could be called a living history book, had told him about this.

“When Armis was in the duchy, the dukes only wore Armis in desperate circumstances. It provides the strongest of effects, and not even a mana sword could leave a dent on its surface. In addition, it nullifies all kinds of curses and spells. However, a regular human would have all of their blood sucked dry with a single wear.”

“Wouldn’t they die then?” Eugene asked.

“Humans have mana stones. They can persist by continuing to take superior-grade mana stones. However, mana stones aren’t as effective for elves. As such, no one was suitable to become its master,” Pranbow explained.

“Hooh. I see.”

“Yes. Your Excellency is a member of the Dark Clan, so you have significantly less blood in your body than other races. I dare say that the armor…”

“I think I will be fine.” Eugene interrupted.

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it. There’s no need to worry about me.” Eugene smiled confidently.

He couldn’t wear it since he didn’t have enough blood?

Eugene had developed several abilities through multiple awakenings. Among them was the ability to absorb blood from nearby sources. He wouldn’t have to worry about running out of blood while using the ability.

‘If I’m in a hurry, I can suck blood from whoever is nearby.’

A battlefield was filled to the brim with enemies to devour blood from, so what was the use of worrying?

Eugene was glad he was a vampire.