CH 261

“Great work…”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. We only fulfilled our duties as lords of Carls Baggins to the best of our abilities.”

“It is our duty to carry out Her Excellency’s orders.”

The three lords gave humble answers to Eugene’s compliment.

Eugene responded while nodding his head with satisfaction, “I will make sure to let Her Excellency Archivold know of all your hard work.”

It wasn’t just empty words. The three lords had proven themselves to be pretty capable in many ways, unlike their first impression. It was certainly commendable for them to have secured a ship and crew two days after arriving at the Cape of Pilo.

“It’s difficult for large ships to approach because of the rocks and reefs, so we only prepared one large ship and smaller galleys similar to the ones used by the pirates,” one of the lords said.

“It must have been hard to recruit a suitable crew, right?” Eugene asked. Eugene predicted that it would have been difficult to recruit capable sailors, as it was a voyage to face off against pirates. However, the ship had been filled with a sufficient number of sailors and workers, which Eugene found quite unexpected.

“It’s all because of Your Majesty,” one of the lords answered.

“Me?” Eugene asked with a puzzled expression. The foreign nobles also took on curious expressions, wondering what the three lords were talking about.

One of the lords continued, “Thanks to Your Majesty’s reputation, the sailors weren’t afraid of facing off against pirates. If it were another knight, we wouldn’t have had half of the applicants.”

The three lords had been rather startled by the outcome. They had long been with Essandra’s side ever since the Carls Baginns Peninsula was divided due to the actions of the previous marquis. They valued legitimacy and had immediately taken to Essandra’s side.

There were nobles and lords who sided against her, and they had been decimated by Essandra’s army. In addition, the army responsible for their demise was mainly composed of the knights and mercenaries who had personally seen and experienced Eugene’s incredible skills and power. The same knights and mercenaries had talked about Eugene wherever they went.

‘Knight Jan Eugene’ had become renowned as an undefeated knight honored by even Marquis Archivold and her knights. And such a famed knight had returned to the peninsula after becoming a king in just a few years. The return of the legendary knight coupled with the active cooperation of the local lords was more than sufficient for many to assume that it was an impossible fight to lose. As such, the sailors and workers had actively applied with the excitement of working together with a legend.

Naturally, the biggest reason for their cooperation was…

‘Money.’

‘They came because they would receive ten silver coins each, from us.’

‘Only if we hadn’t actively encouraged them to apply…’

The three lords sighed inwardly while having similar thoughts. However, if Eugene really did succeed in destroying the pirates, or even if he just succeeded in saving the delegation of the Holy Empire along with the high priest—they would bask in the merit as well. The honor and recognition they would gain with Essandra were invaluable. It was something money couldn’t buy. The three lords comforted their bitter hearts with such thought and forced a smile on their faces.

Eugene then turned around and said, “Shall we go?”

Galfredik turned to the waiting troops on the beach and shouted, “We’re departing! Let’s go!”

Knights and warriors from the three races: vampires, elves, and beowulfs boarded the boats. The foreign nobles, including Prince Localope, also boarded a boat headed to a galley along with their escorts.

“But vampires can’t cross the ocean, can they?” one noble whispered while watching the vampires casually boarding the boats.

Another noble responded while clicking their tongue, “Tsk, tsk. Even if they belong to the Tribe of Darkness, high-ranking nobles are not greatly affected as long as they’re at a distance where land is still visible. In the first place, you’ve seen them completely unaffected under the sun, so what are you on about now?”

“Ah…” The nobleman responsible for asking the question took on an awkward expression. Other nobles surrounding the two stared at Eugene, Galfredik, and the two vampire high lords with renewed gazes.

‘Come to think of it, aren’t vampires capable of walking around during the day very rare even within the Dark Clan?’

‘How many of such vampires does the King of Maren have under his command?’

In addition, there were even elven knights and beowulf warriors. Each and every one of them could easily slaughter more than ten times their number in groups of threes or fours.

‘It’s truly a small group of elites.’

‘I wonder if it would be possible to match them even if I gathered all of our country’s knights.’

The number of troops was a very important factor in combat, but everyone recognized that the same principle did not necessarily apply to Eugene’s expedition. And if the situation with the Holy Empire’s delegation was successfully resolved…

‘No one will be able to berate me for signing a contract to resolve the situation with the monsters.’

Many of the foreign nobles had always been afraid of being admonished and held accountable when they returned to their respective countries. As such, they prayed with one heart that Eugene’s expedition could rescue the delegation of the Holy Empire and the high priest without any issues.

***

Four hours later, the expedition’s fleet arrived in the vicinity of the island of the pirates where the mass was in plain sight. According to the crew, it was difficult to advance even further due to the currents and reefs. As such, they were on standby.

“This is strange.”

“Yes, it’s quite strange.”

The nobles aboard the largest of the ships were gathered on the deck and were staring at the island. They expressed their confusion with puzzled expressions. The distance between the fleet and the island was about one kilometer. The ships should already be in clear view, so the pirates should be able to see them by now. It was expected for the pirates to have reacted to the fleet’s appearance, whether to prepare for battle or initiate a conversation. However, there was no movement from the pirates at all.

“Did the pirates know we were coming? Maybe they ran away?”

“They even sent a messenger to the Archivold Marquisate to ask for ransom, so how could that be?”

Even for a group of criminals like pirates, it was an unwritten rule to abide by basic moral principles. High-ranking individuals capable of trading for ransom were to be kept unharmed, and once negotiations were offered, they were required to go to the table.

It was an unwritten law of the pirates.

In this case, the pirates had been the ones to suggest a negotiation with the Archivold Marquisate—the master of the peninsula. They were required to keep their word unconditionally, since breaking their promise would be an act of serious threat to the Archivold Marquisate’s honor and reputation.

“Shouldn’t we wait and see for a while?”

“Hmm. I wonder…” the nobles continued whispering.

All of a sudden, the ship at the head of the fleet began to move unhesitatingly toward the island of the pirates. It was the ship Eugene was on.

“Huh?”

“Why is he being so hasty…?”

“What is he planning to do if the boat gets caught on the rocks?”

Even if Eugene was an excellent knight, they were currently at sea. Eugene was clearly acting recklessly in an environment where he could not display his skills as a knight to the fullest. However…

“What? What?”

“Huh?!”

The nobles were stunned when they saw the boat cross through the water.

“Didn’t they say the current was strong?”

“And there are supposed to be many reefs as well, right?”

“A-are the sailors on that boat especially skilled?” That shouldn’t be the case. If there truly were such skilled sailors, the three lords or local knights desiring fame would have already set out to attack the pirates.

“I-is he receiving the protection of god?!” one nobleman exclaimed with disbelief.

The other nobles expressed their agreement with excited voices. “That’s possible! He has set out to rescue a high priest of the Holy Empire, after all, right?”

“A brother of faith is on his way to save the flagbearer of faith! It wouldn’t be strange if he really were under divine protection!”

“Huh, huh…!” Except for the few who were completely convinced, the rest were still half doubtful. However, they could not come up with any other plausible explanations for the phenomenon. The boat was passing through the dangerous water filled with rough currents and reefs without any problem at all.

Was the King of Maren really under the protection of the three gods?

Was it really possible—even if he was a member of the Dark Clan?

A new topic of discussion emerged, which gave headaches to the nobles.

Naturally, the truth of the matter was completely different from their assumptions.

***

“M-my god…!” The crew of the ship carrying Eugene, the vampires, and the elves cried out. None of the sailors could hide their disbelief, regardless of whether they were rowing or moving the sails.

They were currently experiencing something that could not be explained unless it was divine intervention.

“Just follow the lights. Then everyone will be safe,” Eugene said.

“Yes! Yes!” The captain eagerly nodded while looking ahead. There was a round green sphere shimmering up about ten meters ahead in the water. The green shimmering light wasn’t simply pinpointing the path to avoid the reefs. Rather, a current flowed around the boat with the sphere as its head. An invisible force was enveloping the entire ship, preventing the rough currents flowing near the island from coming close to the ship.

It was a mystery even the most experienced sailors on the boat could not explain. It was literally a situation that could not be explained by anything other than a miracle of god. The sailors knew well that the miracle began with Eugene, who stood at the stern of the boat.

‘The King of Maren is a prophet! He’s a saint!’

“He’s loved by the god of the sea. No, by all the gods!’

The sailors were no less than mercenaries when it came to believing in superstitions. They couldn’t help but be in awe of Eugene. However, the few who knew the ‘truth’ along with Eugene stared at the ball of light with stupefied faces.

“I thought she only knew how to eat and seek out treasures, but it turns out she’s pretty good, right?”

“She’s still a spirit of water… Bweegh! Since she has evolved, then—Uweeeegh!”

“Disgusting…” Galfredik grinned while patting Romari’s back. The wizard was still extremely prone to seasickness.

“As expected from the master. He wasn’t worried at all about invading the island because of the spirit, right?” Galfredik said.

“Well… Yes.” Eugene shrugged, although it wasn’t technically true. In fact, he had been pondering whether he should call back the twin-headed ogre or transform into a monster to cross the sea. During his contemplation, he happened to see the spirit hanging around the bow while scratching her stomach. He threw her into the sea out of curiosity and doubtful expectation. Since she was a spirit of water, he expected that she wouldn’t have difficulties navigating through the water. Moreover, he had thought it might even be possible for her to block or move currents after evolving.

However, he had never actually expected that she would be able to do so…

‘I have no idea as well.’

“Kweegh! Kieeeegh! Even freshwater fish can’t live in the ocean… Kiweeegeh! Sir, you’re really the… d-demon king… Kweeeegh!”

It was ridiculous how she distinguished freshwater from the sea as a ‘spirit of water,’ but she was still serving her purpose. In any case, Eugene was satisfied that the spirit had finally proved useful after having been lazing around and devouring food.

***

“Kieehhh… Kieeh! Bweeegh!” The spirit buzzed around with a crying face. Her stomach was bloated as if she had drunk a little bit of seawater. She then spoke with a dying look, “Sir, I’m dying. I need to get some rest.”

Eugene responded with a cold expression, “No.”

“Kieh?”

“Go bring the other ships as well,” Eugene commanded.

“F-freshwater fish…”

“You did it once, didn’t you? It’s not like you’re going to die,” Eugene said curtly.

“You vicious man! Kieeeeehhhh!”

Eugene ignored the spirit as she threw a fit after finally making herself useful in a long time. He looked around the dock.

“Hmm. How strange.” Both his hearing and sense of smell could not sense anything on the dock and the surroundings. It was as if he were on an island of ghosts.

“Let’s start searching,” Eugene commanded. The troops quickly divided into two groups and headed deeper into the pirates’ village. It didn’t take long for them to discover people.

All the people of the island were gathered in the largest and most proper building on the island. And even though it was an island of pirates, holy knights equipped in proper attire were guarding the building.

“…?!” The two holy knights took on surprised expressions when they saw Eugene’s group. However, they quickly lowered their guard and hurriedly approached after seemingly recognizing the flag Selena was hosting.

“Might you be King Jan Eugene Batla, the rightful monarch of Maren?” one of the holy knights asked.

Eugene felt a little puzzled, but he nodded. “Well, for now. Do you sirs belong to the delegation of the Holy Empire?”

“Oh!”

“I can’t believe I’m finally getting to meet a true brother of faith!” the holy knights exclaimed.

‘Have they gone mad?’

Eugene and his group were greatly taken aback by the reaction of the holy knights. They were clearly in awe.

“Please come in! The high priest and our other brothers have been eagerly waiting for Your Majesty!” one of the holy knights said.

“Wait, where are the pirates…?”

“Haha! They have repented! It’s all thanks to your sincere faith. Hahaha…!”

“Please come in, Your Majesty. And you sirs as well!”

What nonsense were they spewing now? Eugene suppressed his inner thoughts and followed behind the holy knights.

And what they saw was…

“Oh, gracious gods…!”

“I believe! I believe now!”

“You have always protected me! The three gods have always been guiding me! Now, please become the master of my heart…!”

More than a hundred pirates were huddled together on their knees; and regardless of their race, they prostrated in worship with their arms stretched out toward the twin-headed ogre.