CH 257

“How many did we get today?”

“A little over 70 low-rank, and two intermediate-ranks.”

“Hmm.” Eugene nodded after hearing Princess Lilisain’s report. In total, they had killed more than 500 monsters over six days while traveling through the Carls Baggins Peninsula.

“This is certainly strange. There weren’t this many roamers before,” Galfredik said with a shrug.

Eugene responded while looking down at a map, “They must have crossed over the mountain range. Los Pine is supposed to have had an increase in the number of monsters.”

The territory of Los Pine was one of the areas mentioned in Delmondo’s report where the number of monsters had significantly increased. It was located at the northern end of a long mountain range along the eastern coast of the Carls Baggins Peninsula. It appeared that the monsters were being pushed down from the area.

“Even so, the situation on the peninsula seems to be a lot better than in other places,” Galfredik said.

“I suppose so,” Eugene answered.

“Hehe. That’s all thanks to you, Master. I wonder if Her Excellency Archivold knows that you have saved the peninsula twice,” Galfredik said.

“Probably not. And even if I told her, she probably wouldn’t take my word for it,” Eugene responded.

Princess Lilisain intervened in the rather baffling conversation between Galfredik and Eugene, “Question. Have you eradicated roamers here before? Are you talking about subjugating an evil land?”

“Aha! So you don’t know. A while ago, Master subjugated an evil land belonging to the Archivold Marquisate…” Galfredik stepped up and answered her question.

Princess Lilisain was quite surprised to hear that Eugene had once entered an evil land belonging to Essandra’s younger brother and that he had even killed an evil black wizard who had been working together with Gabriel.

“Then it means that the current uprising of the monsters is related to the evil scheme from back then,” Princess Lilisain said.

“I suspect so,” Eugene answered. In fact, he had no choice but to think so. Although there was no clear evidence connecting the two events, he could not help but have his suspicions.

‘And it’s not like just any wizard could turn a twin-headed ogre into an undead.’

Eugene turned back and observed a custom-made, large cart in the procession of the expedition. The cart was twice as big as the supply carts, and it carried the undead twin-headed ogre. Romari had boasted that she could mobilize the undead twin-headed ogre with the skull incense burner, and it seemed as if she were still trying things in the carriage. However, it seemed as if it would take some more time before she was done.

“Anyways, what is the best thing that I could do with that…?” Eugene muttered.

Everyone’s gazes turned toward the carriage at his words.

“What’s there to think about? You dressed it in a priest’s uniform, so I think everyone would be filled with faith and awe to see it destroy monsters,” Galfredik said. He had come to a simple, ignorant judgment, as was expected of him.

Edmund carefully chimed in, “It should be fine to make use of the undead in the Dukedom of Maren and Brantia. Marquis Archivold and her subordinate lords are favorable to you, so it should be fine here as well. However, the other countries may be averse to the idea.”

“Averse? Why?” Eugene asked.

Edmund answered, “Because you are a foreigner with a remarkable reputation.”

“What? I understand that they might be wary of foreigners, but what’s wrong with having a good reputation? What’s wrong with a knight building up his achievements and gaining fame?” Galfredik asked.

Edmund responded with a bitter smile, “Well, fame is not the issue. The problem is jealousy. Your Majesty is a foreigner solving a crisis threatening their nation, which means Your Majesty will incur the nobles’ resentment.”

“Crazy bastards. They should be thanking us on all fours.”

“Ungrateful. They are bad people who don’t know honor,” Even Princess Lilisain expressed her discontent.

Edmund responded, “They truly are bad people. However, it is also true that they are the ones in power. What will happen if they discover that His Majesty can control even the undead? They are already burning with jealousy, so it will provide the perfect excuse for them to act on it. Just look at the delegations over there. Don’t they look worried?”

Everyone turned their heads at Edmund’s words. The nobles belonging to delegations from all over the world had turned their attention to the undead twin-headed ogre, after having made progress with Localope. To be exact, they looked worried. The corpse had been somewhat emptied of its evil energy and was even dressed in a pious attire of a priest, but the undead twin-headed ogre was still a terrifying monster that filled ordinary people with fear at a single glance. It was to the point that some of the curious nobles had wet their pants after taking a look with curiosity. Of course, if it remained unmoving as it was right now, it was a valuable trophy representing the ‘victory of faith,’ but it would cause an uproar if the undead started moving and killing.

The nobles of the delegations had agreed to bring the expedition back to their home countries to solve the problem of the monster uprising, but they didn’t want to take any responsibility for the actions of the undead monster.

“Hmm.” Eugene observed the nobles busy whispering among themselves while stealing glances at the carriage carrying the undead twin-headed ogre.

A sudden thought came to Eugene’s mind, and he turned his head. “Those nobles. Do all of their countries believe in the three gods?”

“Although they are of different denominations, from my understanding, yes. In the first place, most of the existing religions of today have their roots in the Holy Empire,” Edmund answered.

“Hoooh. So in terms of religion, at least, they regard the position of the Holy Empire as being the most important?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. They may harbor some dissatisfaction inside, but on the surface, they will obey and follow the pope’s teachings. That’s their religious honor and tradition, and the prestigious noble families consider it to be very important as well,” Edmund answered.

“I see. I understand.”

“What…?” Edmund took on a puzzled expression.

He understood? Understood what? Was that all he was going to say?

“I will take care of the issue concerning the undead twin-headed ogre. Don’t worry about it, sir, and focus on increasing our speed. I think it would be better for our prince to rescue the high priest as quickly as possible,” Eugene said.

“Ah, yes. As you wish, Your Majesty…” Edmund saluted. He still had no idea about what Eugene was planning, but Eugene had never failed to solve a problem after declaring his intent to tackle it.

***

“Sirs, are you sure it will be all right?” The nobles of Assir began talking to the other nobles after a long time. Ever since they were shamed for conspiring against Eugene with Crown Prince Voltaire, they had been shunned by the others.

The nobles of Assir continued, “There is no problem at all with His Majesty and the expedition, but that monster is an entirely different matter, right?”

“Of course. Sirs, do you really intend to bring an undead monster back into your home country? If it causes any problem at all, you will have to bear the responsibility, as you were the ones who signed the contracts.”

“Huhu! We will be fine since Assir is not being plagued by the monster uprising, but I am certainly worried about you lot.”

The nobles of Assir had worried expressions, but they felt pleased as if they had devoured cheese to their fill. The other delegations were accompanying the expedition as guests and companions, but the nobles of Assir had been half-forced by the King of Maren. They weren’t receiving any unfair treatment, but the nobles of the other countries had shown blatant disregard toward them after realizing the truth of their situation. The nobles of Assir were upset, but they had been helpless to do anything about it.

But now, the issue concerning the undead twin-headed ogre had popped up. They felt their stress dissolving when they saw the distorted expressions on the faces of the other nobles at the mention of the monster.

“If the undead causes any damage to humans, the clergy will not stand still.”

“That’s right! The King of Maren is a foreigner, so he could just give sufficient compensation, but what about all of you sirs?”

“Well, maybe they can follow His Majesty and naturalize to Maren.”

“Aha! What a wonderful idea!”

The nobles of Assir continued to exchange words with feigned worry.

“That’s enough,” One of the other nobles raised their voice with annoyance.

The nobles of Assir took on worried expressions. “Why are you getting angry? We are only voicing our concern because we are worried about you sirs.”

“That’s right. Phew! My heart sinks every time I see that undead, and if that monster starts moving…”

“It’s scary just imagining it.”

“Keugh!” The nobles of the other countries found themselves running out of patience. However, they had also felt dizzy when they first laid eyes on the undead twin-headed ogre, so it was difficult for them to refute the words of the Assir nobles.

“The sirs from Assir do have a point. Sirs, shouldn’t we prepare some measures?”

“Hmm. What if we suggest to His Majesty to stop using the undead?”

“He assured us that there would not be any problems, so do you really think he would listen? It would be no different from us telling His Majesty that we do not trust in him.”

“…”

It was simply impossible for them to express their doubt when someone like the King of Maren had promised on his honor. They would have nothing to say even if the king reacted by unsheathing his sword. However, they were still uneasy about bringing such a terrible undead into their countries.

Although the King of Maren was an unrivaled knight, how could he possibly maintain full control over an undead monster? Moreover, they had doubts about the king’s wizard, who was still isolating herself in the carriage studying the undead. The female wizard was always murmuring to herself with heavy bags under her eyes, which made her look similar to a raccoon. It was impossible to tell if she was born that way, but none of the delegations would accept her even if she was offered to them for free.

“Let’s just wait and see for now. He said he would get the undead moving before we left the Carls Baggins Peninsula, right? If it causes any problem before then, I’m sure His Majesty will dispose of it accordingly.”

“Well, as long as it’s not in our kingdom but in the peninsula instead…” one of the nobles murmured, and everyone nodded with the same thought.

‘As long as it’s not me!’

***

“High Priest! Sirs! The messenger sent to the Archivold Marquisate has returned!” Ukre shouted, exposing his yellowed teeth, while hurriedly running into the building.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes! Yes! The messenger made sure to show them the holy object and the demands—they did so without any mistakes! They made sure to relay everything!”

“Do not act so imprudently in front of the high priest. Yes, so what did the Marquis of Archivold say?” the escorting holy knight of Laerina spoke with a cold gaze.

Ukre flinched before bowing his head. He wanted nothing more than to rip out the arrogant knight’s mouth and kill him, but he knew that he would last no more than ten seconds if the holy knight unsheathed his sword.

“Ah, yes. They said it will be difficult to pay the ransom right away, so they will notify us after a discussion. The messenger observed them for a few days and reported that it appeared as if they would send an envoy to the pope,” Ukre responded.

“Pope? Address him as His Holiness, you ignorant pirate,” the holy knight said.

“…I apologize.”

“Anyway, I understand, so get out,” the holy knight continued.

“Yes…” Ukre bowed before leaving.

Uaaagh… That little…

Parma’s eyes turned colder when he heard the frustrated shouting from the distance.

“I will make sure to take his head before returning home,” he said.

“There is a saying that even the Holy Father curses when he is alone. Don’t worry about it too much,” Laerina said.

“….Yes. Anyway, I’m glad things worked out. As expected, Marquis Archivold has not yet turned her back on faith,” Parma said.

“It’s a relief. I was worried since they have a bad relationship with the central church of the Caylor Kingdom,” Laerina said.

Parma responded while drawing the holy symbol, “That is the fault of the Caylor Kingdom’s central church. The Holy Empire and the three gods are always righteous and just.”

“Then, shall we return right away?” Parma asked.

“Well, if Marquis Archivold is sending an envoy to the empire, we should have some time, right?” Laerina asked.

“That’s true. However, the founding ceremony had already ended some time ago. There is a possibility that the King of Maren has already heard about our situation. If he becomes involved in this matter unnecessarily—” Parma said.

Laerina interrupted him, “Sir. Wouldn’t the involvement of King of Maren in our affairs be an honorable act based on chivalry? What do you mean unnecessarily?”

“I spoke without thinking,” Parma hurriedly apologized after unknowingly expressing his true feelings. However, Laerina’s expression remained stiff.

It was a commendable, honorable act for the king to personally make a move to rescue a delegation that had been on their way to attend the founding of his country. So, how could someone who called themselves a knight think of such act negatively?

‘Faith has gone, and only corrupt politics remains. Ah! God! Is this truly the right path?’

“In any case, it won’t be good for us if the King of Maren makes a move personally. It will be better for us to return as soon as possible,” Parma said.

“But it will be suspicious if we immediately left since the messenger has just returned from the marquis,” Laerina responded.

“We can just get rid of all the pirates. It will be as though we saw an opportunity and escaped on our own,” Parma said with an icy expression. Although he was a holy knight, it seemed as if he considered human lives as though they were without value.

“Sir! That’s—”

“I will suffer damnation and go to hell. My only desire is for the divinity of the empire to stand upright. That is why I volunteered to guard you and to participate in this matter,” Parma interrupted.

“…”

It was a twisted, misguided loyalty and faith, but Laerina could not retort. She knew that something like this would happen. At the least, she was unqualified to reprimand the holy knight.

“Phew. Then, let’s stay for two more days. The Marquis of Archivold is an extraordinary person. We should try to avoid any suspicion,” Laerina said.

“…I understand. Well, in any case, we should come up with a proper plan if we want to get rid of all the pirates.” Parma’s eyes glinted with murderous intent.

Laerina could only sigh and turn her gaze away. She had no idea what would happen in the next two days.