Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: The Lycanthrope King's Defeat
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‘Why the hell does that thing have that?’
Eugene’s question didn’t last long. The Lycanthrope King let out a monstrous roar as it charged.
Whoosh!
A shield wasn’t just for blocking. It was an excellent weapon in its own right, and there were countless cases where enemies had been felled with a shield alone, without a sword.
That was why knights trained so diligently in shield techniques.
Of course, there was no way the Lycanthrope King had mastered any such professional shield work.
But it was a champion monster, the pinnacle of its kind.
Even wild swings carried speed and power beyond imagination, making its attacks terrifyingly destructive.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew nonstop as Wolfslaughter clashed against the shield.
‘Well, now?’
Eugene had faced plenty of opponents wielding shields. Most were knights who knew how to use them well.
In contrast, the Lycanthrope King was a monster through and through, no matter its champion status. It was blocking and swinging in utter chaos.
And yet, Eugene still found it hard to find an opening.
For one, the shield was enormous.
Compared to the round shields mercenaries typically used, the Bartla Ducal House shield was five or six times larger. It was nearly four times the size of a knight’s kite shield.
On top of that, they were fighting in a cramped cave.
Despite its massive bulk, the Lycanthrope King could easily defend against Eugene’s strikes with just slight movements of its meter-wide, two-meter-long shield.
But the real problem was something else.
‘My fear aura isn’t working?’
Incredibly, the Bartla Ducal House shield was blocking his fear aura.
Like the house’s other gear, it seemed infused with some mystical power. From Eugene’s perspective as the one taking the hits, it was utterly infuriating.
Kyaaaoooo!
Seeing Eugene struggle—or so it seemed—the Lycanthrope King bellowed a triumphant roar, different from before.
Even so, having taken such a brutal beating earlier, it only blocked his attacks and didn’t rush in recklessly.
“Master!”
“Milord!”
“Sir Eugene!”
Three voices called out from behind him at once.
Eugene kept his eyes fixed forward and shouted.
“Galpredic! Ranslo! Ready the atlatls!”
“Got it!”
“Yes, sir!”
Both were exceptional knights, so they caught on instantly.
The moment they saw the Lycanthrope King with its massive, bizarre shield and Eugene facing it down, they knew exactly what he had in mind.
“Grrr…….”
“Hoo.”
Galpredic and Ranslo, spears loaded on their atlatls, steadied their breaths.
“I’ll take the head. You aim for the balls.”
“The balls are smaller than the head, though. Doesn’t that put me at a disadvantage?”
“They come in twos, so you just need to hit one. What, no confidence?”
“As if.”
Ranslo grinned and locked onto the Lycanthrope King’s ‘regal’ manhood.
For beasts and monsters alike, that spot was one of their greatest weaknesses.
That was why mid-tier or higher monsters in the demon realms always protected their privates with metal scavenged from subjugation squads.
But this Lycanthrope King from the Marin Forest either didn’t know or was too overconfident, leaving itself exposed in its wild state.
“Throw on my signal—together!”
“As you command!”
“Understood.”
The two knights assumed their throwing stances.
Sensing something off like the cunning champion it was, the Lycanthrope King sucked in a massive breath.
It knew its fear aura wouldn’t affect Eugene, but it would work on the other two knights, so it prepared to roar.
The instant the Lycanthrope King opened its maw.
“Now! Kraaaahhh!!!”
Kyaaaoooo!!
Eugene bellowed, the Lycanthrope King roared, and the two knights hurled their spears.
It all happened almost simultaneously.
Kwarararak!
First, just like with the giant bat, the fear aura shot out as sonic arrows, shredding the Lycanthrope King’s roar.
Hot on their heels, the two spears flew toward its head and groin.
Having bent low and thrust its head forward past the shield to roar, the Lycanthrope King panicked. Lacking any shield mastery, it acted on instinct, hunching fully and shoving the shield out front.
That created an opening above its head, and Eugene kicked off the ground toward it.
Shuuuak! Ka-kang!
As the Bartla Ducal House shield blocked the two spears, Eugene’s body dropped onto the Lycanthrope King’s back.
Kwachik!
Madarajika and Wolfslaughter, gripped in both hands, pierced its back simultaneously.
Kueeeeaahhh!!!
Shrieking in agony, the Lycanthrope King unfurled its hunched body.
Instinctive from the pain, but it was a fatal mistake.
Because Galpredic and Ranslo hadn’t thrown just once.
Sssuuaak!
Thud, thud!
With a slight delay, two more spears struck—one in an eye, the other in the groin.
They weren’t made of dark iron like Eugene’s weapons or laced with silver, but they were enough to cause excruciating pain.
Kueeeh! Kuehk!
Writhing, the Lycanthrope King yanked out the spears from its eye and precious parts.
Blood spurting from the champion monster’s head and manhood was grotesquely revolting.
Even so, as wounds from ordinary weapons, they’d heal in under a minute—and the Lycanthrope King knew it well.
But it hadn’t realized the most crucial thing.
“No shield anymore?”
Dazed by pain it had never felt before, the Lycanthrope King had tossed aside its lifeline of a shield to pull out the spears.
Kyao!?
The instant its remaining pupil dilated in realization.
Kwachik! Skgak!
Madarajika pierced its heart, and Wolfslaughter severed its neck, fulfilling its purpose.
Thud.
The massive head hit the ground and rolled.
With its head gone, the champion monster’s body spewed dark red smoke instead of blood as it knelt to the ground.
Chijijijik!
Incredibly, countless cracks spiderwebbed across its body, then with a crumbling sound, it turned to black dust and scattered.
And revealed in all its glory was.
Plop!
A vivid crimson mana stone.
A new red mana stone fell into Eugene’s hand.
* * *
“This... this is all a gift from the Earl?”
“That’s right. He said our Bosch family is the foremost loyal vassal in Crawlmarin and bestowed them upon us.”
Ooooh!
The Bosch household staff gazed rapturously at the neatly arranged items on the floor, deeply moved.
A chest brimming with silver coins, precious gear and garments made from mid-tier monster byproducts.
To the people of this humble manor—barely worthy of the name ‘territory’—they were true treasures.
Calburn Bosch looked down at his staff with a smile laced with pride and arrogance.
‘Now they’ll recognize me as the true lord of Bosch. I’m not like my father, who just swung a sword like a brute.’
Even that vaunted swordsmanship had been shattered in the last war, facing harsh reality.
The knights from the continent overwhelmed Brantia’s in both gear quality and skill.
Without supply issues and the aid of Brantia’s heterogeneous warriors, Brantia would have been torn apart and fallen to the continental kingdoms and the Central Church.
Having witnessed it firsthand, Calburn realized.
A knight’s honor? A vassal’s duty?
All meaningless.
Better to bend like a reed in the wind and somehow preserve your life.
‘Since we share secrets, the Earl can’t make unreasonable demands of me either. Heh heh! Just snag these occasional cake crumbs and live easy.’
To live long and thin as lord of Bosch Manor. That was Calburn Bosch’s goal in life.
Bang!
“L-Lord Bosch!”
The guard captain—appointed for his size and strength among the scant twenty soldiers—came rushing in, panting.
“What is it? What’s the commotion?”
Calburn scowled deeply, and the guard captain raised his voice.
“K-Knights! Knights in incredible armor and weapons have arrived!”
“What!?”
Terrified, Calburn shot to his feet.
“A-Are they here to attack us?”
“No, sir!”
“What?”
Beaming with joy and surprise, the guard captain shouted.
“Young Master Luke! Young Master Luke has become a knight and returned!”
“Gasp!”
Calburn froze, breath caught.
* * *
“Milord, milord. You can’t live in a dump like this. It’s an insult to the castle. Just toss it to Squire No. 2 later. Ptoo! What is this, a pigsty? Tsk tsk!”
Eugene silently agreed with Mirian, who stood arms crossed, chin propped, shaking her head.
Compared to the castles of renowned great nobles or the sturdy buildings of wealthy port cities, Bosch Castle was pathetically unworthy of the name.
Even Tiwin Castle—the smallest and shabbiest he’d seen so far—made this look like a palace by comparison.
“My apologies, Master. The castle is quite shabby, isn’t it?”
As Eugene scanned the place, Luke bowed his head in embarrassment.
Crema Galpredic patted his back and said.
“What do you have to be sorry for? It’s poverty’s fault. Hmm? Someone’s coming.”
All eyes turned where Galpredic nodded.
From this impoverished manor, a young man in the most noble-looking attire led a group of about ten men and women.
“Big brother Calburn!”
“L-Luke…….”
Luke waved happily and ran over, but Calburn’s eyes widened, shoulders trembling.
On the surface, it looked like shock and joy at his long-lost kin’s return.
But Eugene sensed something off.
‘He’s surprised, sure. But not happy.’
Still clumsy at reading emotions, Eugene prided himself on one thing above all.
The emotion Bosch lord Calburn showed upon seeing Luke—and himself—was unmistakably ‘fear’.
“Young master Luke!”
“You’re safe! Sob!”
“Young master!”
The household staff swarmed around Luke, genuinely thrilled.
“Heh heh! Our Squire No. 2 has some charm after all. Not bad! I’ll overlook some cockiness from now on.”
“Seeing him welcomed home like this, he really is a decent fellow.”
Ranslo smiled, and Galpredic spat on the ground.
“Pah. My squire’s a useless lump. I’m jealous.”
“Lady Selena’s changed a lot too, hasn’t she? She’ll have grown even more by the time you return.”
“If she hasn’t improved even a bit, she’s no human.”
Galpredic’s team chuckled quietly at his words.
For all his gruff talk, everyone knew he’d properly looked after and guided Selena.
In any case, the group—who’d always thought highly of Luke—watched the household’s warm welcome with satisfaction.
Everyone except Eugene.
“Hahaha! What great fortune for our territory—blessings one after another!”
“That’s right! The Earl visited yesterday, and now Young Master Luke today.”
“L-Luke! Don’t do this here—come inside! And the knights with you…….”
Calburn awkwardly pushed through the staff to lead Luke, but Eugene stepped forward.
“The Earl? You mean Lord Crawlmarin was here?”
Still clumsy with Brantian, Eugene cut straight to the point in his usual terse style.
“……!”
To someone meeting him for the first time, that tone carried an inexplicable pressure.
Especially for someone like Calburn, who already knew what Eugene was.
Even so, Calburn quickly schooled his expression into an awkward smile.
“And who might you be, sir?”
“Lord Yan of Eugene Territory. Your brother’s master, with him as squire. And…….”
Eugene removed his helmet, baring his elongated fangs in a cold smile.
“The one with questions for you and Earl Crawlmarin. A great many, in fact.”
(To be continued)