Chapter 112
Chapter 112
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Securing Mungard
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Sir Eugene took down the vampires?”
“Yeah, that’s what happened! I might not know Brantian all that well, but I caught that much. The tavern owner down by the docks said...”
The vast majority of the Elion’s crew were visiting Brantia for the first time, and they gaped at the words of a veteran sailor who had gone off to buy fresh water and provisions.
“Graham? Anyway, those bastards must’ve been up to some seriously evil shit. They say they teamed up with the mayor here to try and take out Sir Eugene, but he and the other knights lopped off every last one of their heads.”
Ooooh...!
“Can you believe those lunatics!”
“Right? Total scumbags. As if they could touch a guy like Sir Eugene.”
“Must’ve been suicidal, the lot of ’em.”
Exactly! Spot on!
The Elion’s captain felt a throbbing headache coming on as he listened to his crew yapping away.
- The sailors don’t know any Brantian and hardly any of them even set foot in the port, so no issues there. But the captain knows what I am by now, doesn’t he?
‘The last thing I wanted to know was a bombshell truth like that!’
The captain was on the verge of tears, but he had no one to vent to.
Because Eugene had alternated between brutal threats and tantalizing rewards.
- If you go back to Maren and report everything exactly as it happened, the city would erupt in chaos. Even the mayor, who trusted you so much, would be in a real bind. Hell, he might even try to silence you to keep it from leaking out. The waters off Maren must be pretty chilly by now, right?
Remembering Eugene’s calm expression as he spoke so casually about it all—as if it were someone else’s problem—sent chills racing through the captain’s body, like he’d been dumped into the sea off Maren.
- But suppose you only report that I wiped out the vampires in Brantia and seized control of one of their ports? Wouldn’t that boost your standing with the mayor even more? He might even appoint you as the overseer for all merchant ships running between Maren and Mungard. Oh, and you know I’ve got some serious pull, right?
Thinking back on those words made the chills fade fast, replaced by visions of wealth and glory dancing before his eyes.
- Worried about getting caught later? Captain, let me tell you something: once the stakes get this high, there’s no backing out. You don’t bet your entire fortune at the gambling table and then just walk away pretending it never happened, do you? Without even showing your cards?
No way in hell!
And this wasn’t just one or two people—it involved two whole cities, Maren and Mopern. No way would the whole game collapse over one captain’s head.
- Here, take these as souvenirs and proof.
After those words, Galpredic—who had been standing beside Eugene—flashed a wicked grin and handed over a dozen small boxes.
Safely stowed in the captain’s cabin were the severed heads of vampires, their fangs bared in terror even in death.
- I’m not asking you to become some grand guardian of the faith or anything. I just don’t want the central church’s lackeys spreading bullshit about my expedition in Maren and Mopern, you know? I trust you, Captain.
Trust. Trust. Trust...
As Eugene’s voice echoed in the captain’s mind like a refrain, the sailors’ chatter grew even louder.
“And hey, didn’t Sir Eugene convert those undead monsters on the Karsbay Peninsula?”
“Yeah! The mercenaries from Partek’s crew were talking about it!”
“Sir Eugene’s gotta be a true defender of the faith, right? Why else would the holy knights bow their heads without a peep?”
“Maybe those Brantia vampires saw the light and repented after crossing Sir Eugene?”
Uahahahaha!
The moment he heard the crew’s tales and laughter, a bolt of lightning struck the captain’s mind.
“That’s it! Exactly!”
“Huh? What do you mean, Captain?”
The navigator standing nearby tilted his head, and the captain whipped around to face him.
“Listen up. Sir Eugene didn’t conquer Mungard.”
“W-Well, yeah, sure...”
“He crushed the vile conspiracy of Mungard’s vampire Graham clan. The city guildmasters were so moved that they opened the port to him.”
“That’s true, but...”
“Listen, you idiot! Sir Eugene didn’t take Mungard by force—he made them open their gates willingly! Got it?”
“Uh, we all thought that already, sir?”
“What?”
“Everyone knows Mungard threw open its doors because of Sir Eugene’s honorable deeds and true knighthood.”
“...Right.”
Feeling oddly deflated, the captain soon clenched his fist tight.
Fine! Time to climb on the lion’s back while it’s charging!
“Raise the anchor! Hoist the sails! Man the oars! Lads, we’re heading home!”
Hell yeah!
I’m a Maren sailor through and through!
Yahoo! Yahoo!
Our mast snapped like the captain’s leg!
Yahoo! Yahoo!
Blow, winds! Blow us toward Maren Cape!
A harbor stuffed with gold and silver!
We shout it out!
“Mungard Harbor!”
The captain bellowed the final line of the Maren sailors’ song, swapping in their destination.
At least a hundred silver coins richer per man, the Elion’s crew excitedly prepared to sail home.
* * *
“Then I’ll leave you to it. Please take care, Sir Eugene.”
“Same to you. I’m still uneasy thinking something like that might happen again.”
“Oh, come on! No way that’ll happen on my watch.”
The new mayor of Mungard—former head of the textile and leather guild, who had taken over after the old one’s death—waved his hands dismissively.
“By the way, you did promise to send us all the monster byproducts from the mana stone mines you’ll be clearing out...”
“I’m a man who honors his contracts. Especially when it comes to hides—they’ll all come this way.”
“Ohhh! Sir Eugeeeene!”
Eugene had extracted an official apology from the city and a hefty compensation package the moment the new mayor took office.
The dead former mayor hadn’t left much wealth for such a greedy bastard, but the Graham faction had squirreled away a decent fortune.
Even though he could have claimed it all as a fellow child of the night, Eugene took only half and donated the rest to the city.
Not only that, he’d agreed to send a portion of the byproducts—and all the hides—from any future mana stone mine expeditions in Brantia to Mungard.
And this spectacle was the result.
“If only there were a few more knights as honorable as you on the continent. Come on, drink up!”
“I hear that a lot. I just did what any knight should. You’re all too kind, putting me up on such a pedestal.”
After clinking glasses with the new mayor, Eugene scanned the other guildmasters—who kept stealing glances at him—and Marcus, deliberately raising his voice amid the laughter and chatter.
“So. From now on. Anyone flying my banner. They can come and go from Mungard. Without worry, right?”
“Oh, that? Absolutely!”
“Sir Eugene treated Mungard with honor. He’s a friend of the city.”
“Exactly. Mungard doesn’t bar or hinder its friends.”
The guildmasters chimed in agreement as one.
Of course, only half of it was sincere—the rest was fear and greed—but no one could deny that Eugene had shown Mungard far more leniency than most knights would have.
And everyone at the round table knew it wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart, but because he wanted something from them.
‘Good for the sister-in-law, good for the brother-in-law!’
‘We’ll rake in more coin thanks to this knight anyway, right?’
‘If he can at least stabilize the southern coast like he claims?’
‘Whatever king ends up on the throne, we’ll be sitting pretty!’
Brantia was a fundamentally isolationist kingdom, but the ports—packed with all sorts of foreigners—had a different vibe.
And with no true king for so long, no one really cared who ended up wearing the crown.
The Mungard guildmasters just wished it’d be someone who guaranteed their profits—someone like Eugene, say, as king of Brantia.
‘King might be a stretch, though?’
‘The White Marquess sets a precedent, but a foreigner? A child of the night? No chance.’
‘Still, wielding real influence over the new royal house?’
‘Hell yeah!’
Having crunched the numbers in their heads, the new mayor and guildmasters kept smiling as they raised their glasses.
“To Sir Eugene and the friendship of Mungard! Cheers!”
“For friendship!”
“To Sir Eugene and Mungard!”
Hahaha!
The happy laughter showed no signs of stopping.
Except for one person: Lord Marcus, who forced a smile.
* * *
“Who handles mana stone purification around here? Priests, I assume?”
“Yes, my lord. Though inland, it’s often shamans or wizards who do the purification.”
Alone with Eugene, Marcus dropped to one knee and bowed his head low, answering with utmost respect.
“Who does it in Mungard?”
“Well... no one, my lord.”
“What? Why not?”
Eugene couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Mana stones were the second most prized asset for lords and nobles—right after food.
People would sell out family ties, honor, everything for the massive profits from mana stones and monster parts. And yet no one here to purify them?
“The thing is... some in the Graham faction had a talent for magic. After they settled in Mungard, they took over all the purification.”
“Okay, but what about before? There had to be someone purifying them before the Grahams showed up.”
“Lord Graham’s first act in Mungard was slaughtering all the orthodox priests...”
“Ha...!”
Only then did it all click for Eugene.
Why Mungard’s longtime resident lord, Marcus, had turned a blind eye to the Graham faction—and why so many guildmasters had ties to them.
“Tch. You should’ve spoken up sooner. I would’ve spared the ones who could purify.”
“It’s all this wretched cur’s fault! Kill—”
“Keep begging to be killed and I just might.”
“...Whether it becomes stew or soup, I’ll take responsibility and find someone who can purify.”
“Hmm.”
Eugene gazed down at Marcus, who’d flipped his tune in an instant, then his eyes gleamed.
“Marcus.”
“Yes, my sovereign. Command me.”
“How much did Graham charge for mana stone purification?”
“All mid-to-low grade mana crystals, priced at thirty percent of market value.”
“What? The bastards were straight-up thieves.”
“Wise words indeed, my lord.”
“So, if we set it at twenty percent for purification fees, everyone would be thrilled, right?”
“Indeed, my lord.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Mana stone purification is yours starting today.”
“You honor us beyond words with this chance, but we wretched ones lack the skill to...”
“I’ve got it. I’m a decent enough wizard. I’ll lend one to your faction for a bit, so treat him well.”
“Ooooh! My emperor!”
Marcus, who never doubted a word from Eugene, looked up in profound emotion.
Most wizards got along fine with vampires.
And compared to this terrifying origin and his kin, a wizard would be far easier to handle...
“Oh, ever heard of the Blood Shadow school? They say it’s your pure lineage or something. Didn’t seem all that impressive to me. Anyway, one of their practitioners is kin like me.”
“...!”
Bloody Shadow.
The magic school that recognized only high lords and above among vampires as ‘true children of the night.’ A bead of sweat trickled down Marcus’s forehead.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Y-Yes! Command me!”
Startled, Marcus bowed his head again.
“You know the Bartla Ducal House? How do I get there?”
“I do, my lord. If the great one desires information on it...”
“Compile it and bring it to me. A map to get there, too.”
“As you command. B-But, my emperor.”
“What?”
“If I may be so bold, the road to the Bartla Ducal House is utter chaos. I fear even a scratch on your precious blood...”
“That’s not your concern. Why’s it chaotic?”
“The lords’ tyrannies have bandits swarming everywhere. Self-proclaimed knights have abandoned faith and honor for selfish brawls. Especially Krollmarin, which you must pass through to reach...”
“Krollmarin?”
Eugene’s eyes narrowed at the familiar name.
Krollmarin—that was the noble house behind Luke heading off to the battlefield.
(To be continued in the next installment)