Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The New Squire
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“Squire!? You mean me?”
Eugene nodded at Pellid, who jumped in surprise.
“That’s right. You’re sixteen, and you’ve already gone through your coming-of-age ceremony. You can choose your own path without a guardian’s consent.”
“Ah!”
Of course, children from noble families rarely went against their parents’ wishes.
Being cast out by the family was the thing young nobles feared most.
But Pellid was a boy who, until recently, had lived alone in a remote mountain village without parents and hadn’t even known he was the lord’s bastard son.
He wouldn’t fear being driven out of Rose Castle all that much.
“If you become my squire, I can order you to remain at the castle in my capacity as your master. Your brothers won’t be able to object. Besides, touching a squire while his knight is away? That’s basically a direct challenge to me.”
“……!”
As expected of a quick-witted boy, Pellid quickly shook off his shock.
“I’ll do it.”
Eugene spoke to Pellid, who nodded vigorously with eyes full of resolve.
“Good. But I’ll tell you this upfront: I have no intention of taking you with me.”
“I know. Sir Eugene, you’re not making me your squire because you like me... or to save my life. There’s something you want from me instead, right?”
“You catch on quick. That’s right. Whatever it turns out to be, you’ll have to do as I say.”
“As long as it’s not harming innocent people, I’ll do anything.”
“And right now, do you even have the strength to kill anyone?”
“Th-that’s…….”
Pellid, who had been holding his head high, flushed red in an instant.
“Anyway, it won’t be a bad deal for you.”
“Yes!”
Pellid erased his worried expression and answered energetically, but soon made a troubled face.
“Um, but... shouldn’t there be some kind of ceremony? Like an oath or something.”
“…….”
Eugene paused for a moment.
Naturally, one person came to mind.
* * *
“Ha ha ha! This is surprising! The Tiwin family bastard becoming your squire? Well, I’m fine with it anyway.”
Galpredic, bursting into laughter, readily acted as witness to their oath.
Then he excitedly spread the news everywhere, and before long, the two Tiwin brothers came rushing to Eugene.
“Sir! What are you thinking!? Making a family member my squire without permission!”
“It’s not so bad, is it? He’s already had his coming-of-age ceremony, so whatever he does is his own choice.”
“Brother!”
Unlike the fuming Bertel, Kamara seemed surprised but not displeased.
‘So the second son was the one after all.’
Seeing their differing attitudes, Eugene became convinced that Bertel was the one trying to get rid of Pellid.
“Just as I don’t interfere in Tiwin family matters, you can’t interfere in who I take as my squire, right? Or have you already assigned Pellid to another knight?”
“……!”
Bertel’s brow twitched.
But he had no way to refute Eugene’s words.
By custom, he should even be grateful for taking in a bastard who wasn’t the heir.
“So, Sir, you’re taking the youngest to the dungeon?”
“I made him my squire, but I can’t take an untrained boy who doesn’t even know basic swordsmanship into the Gate-Clearing dungeon. I plan to have him train until I return.”
“True, it’d be ridiculous to bring a kid who’s only farmed and tended pigs to a Gate-Clearing raid. Anyway, congratulations. And on behalf of the Tiwin family, thank you.”
Kamara was genuinely pleased.
‘Doesn’t this connect our family to this knight? If the dungeon clearing succeeds, not only Galpredic but our Tiwin family will gain face too.’
Succeeding with just outside knights and mercenaries was one thing, but succeeding with a force including the master of the family’s bastard son was another.
Naturally, the latter was far better for Kamara, the next lord.
‘Ha! Why didn’t I think of this sooner? And where did this lucky charm roll in from?’
Suppressing a grin that threatened to split his face, Kamara spoke with feigned dignity.
“Even though he’s from a different mother, my brother will serve a master, and as the one who will lead the territory in the future, I can’t just let it pass.”
“……?”
“……!”
Receiving Eugene’s puzzled look and Bertel’s shocked one, Kamara continued.
“Though I lacked talent and gave up the path of knighthood, my father prepared armor and a sword for even someone like me. The sword was his, so it must be passed as an heirloom, but the armor should be fine. Please accept it, Sir Eugene.”
“Brotherrr!”
“I’ll gladly accept.”
No knight went without a sword, but none went without armor either, so Eugene promptly replied, ignoring Bertel’s outburst.
“Ha ha! It’s not plate mail but chain mail. Still, I bought it from a skilled craftsman in Maren for thirty silver coins, so the quality is guaranteed.”
“Just hearing about it makes me feel secure.”
He had the Black Scale Mail, but he could never reveal it in front of people. Nor should it be known.
But wearing chain mail over it gave him an excuse if he survived an attack unscathed.
In the end, without any prior discussion, both Kamara and Eugene came to see each other as lucky charms.
Of course, one person—Bertel—was seething with rage.
‘Yann Eugene, you unlucky bastard. After the raid, I have to drive him out somehow. Or else…….’
He’d have to eliminate him.
Otherwise, Bertel had a strong premonition that it would seriously disrupt his grand plans.
* * *
The morning of the dungeon Gate-Clearing dawned.
Eugene and Galpredic, fully armored, led the mercenaries and porters out of Rose Castle.
Kamara came along too, but everyone knew today’s protagonists were Yann Eugene and Crema Galpredic—the two knights.
Whether subjugating a demon realm or fighting a territory war, the fruits of victory went to the lord and nobles, but it was the knights who climbed the trees and picked them.
That was why nobles outwardly respected and favored knights.
And that was precisely why knights could throw their weight around.
The warriors tasked with the future of Tiwin territory marched forth with heads held high.
Five hours later, they arrived at a dense oak forest.
It was a gloomy woods rumored to be haunted by ghosts and ghouls at night, a place even herbalists rarely entered.
“Whoa! This place has a good vibe! Feels like a senior or two of ours were here back in the day. I can smell it.”
Perhaps excited to be in a proper forest after so long, Mirian flitted about but stayed within four or five meters of Eugene.
“Ahh, I’ll guide you.”
Led by the serf who first discovered the dungeon entrance, the force of over forty crossed the pathless deep woods.
The knights and mercenaries, openly reeking of metal, leather, and oil, kept even the forest’s beastly inhabitants at bay.
After about an hour, the troops spotted a low hill thick with primeval forest.
“Begin the search.”
“Yes!”
At Galpredic’s order, the mercenaries formed groups and scouted around the hill.
Dungeons that hadn’t opened yet almost always had their monsters burrow out, becoming roamers.
“T-this way.”
While the mercenaries searched, Eugene, Galpredic, and the Tiwin brothers followed the serf up the hill.
“Hoo.”
Galpredic’s eyes gleamed at a deeply sunken spot midway up the hill.
A rusty iron door with a thick bar bore strange letters and symbols.
Whether dungeon, labyrinth, or ancient ruin, all unopened demon realms were sealed this way.
No one knew who made them or why, but demon realms were both a threat and a blessing to humans.
Kill the monsters and harvest byproducts and mana stones. Or die to them.
A simple formula.
“We found three burrows, but they seem small enough for low-tier monsters.”
“At least no mid-tiers. Then we rest briefly and open the gate.”
“Yes!”
The mercenaries huddled in groups to rest.
Eugene wasn’t tired and had nothing particular to do, so he approached Partek’s group.
“How’s the condition?”
“Very good. Just this guy’s a bit tense.”
“I-I’m fine!”
Raban replied stiffly to Partek’s words.
“Relax, man. We’ve got Sir Eugene and Sir Galpredic. And even if the others aren’t much, those guys over there look pretty strong.”
Eugene glanced where Partek nodded.
The eight mercenaries, round shields on their backs and armed with shortswords and battle axes, looked like seasoned warriors as Partek said.
“Black Sheep Mercenary Corps. They split off from a famous group in the Kalsbagen region. That bald guy who picked a fight with you yesterday, Sir Eugene? Brin’s his name, and he leads them.”
Just then, Brin the bald mercenary met Eugene’s eyes.
“That bastard still hasn’t learned his lesson.”
Partek frowned at Brin’s challenging glare.
“Doesn’t matter. As long as they don’t pull any crap with me in the dungeon.”
“…….”
Partek didn’t say what would happen if they did, but he seemed to know exactly what Eugene would do.
“Fall in! Time to open the gate!”
The short rest ended, and the mercenaries gathered at the dungeon entrance.
“Together?”
“Sure.”
At Galpredic’s suggestion, Eugene stood beside him and gripped the massive bar.
“Two, three! Nngh!”
“…….”
Unlike the noisy Galpredic, Eugene applied strength silently.
Boom!
Amid the mercenaries’ wide-eyed stares, the two knights effortlessly lifted the three-meter-long, thick bar and tossed it aside.
Thud!
“Well then, take care until we return. See you in four days.”
“Our prayers for your success.”
In this moment, as the lord’s proxy in place of Lord Tiwin, Kamara felt the heavy weight of responsibility and nodded gravely to the two knights.
Screeech!
The thick iron door shrieked, as if protesting the years it had been shut, and swung open.
“Gate opened. Let’s go in.”
Torches flared up here and there, and the Gate-Clearing party—two knights, twenty-six mercenaries, and eight porters—entered the dark dungeon one by one.
“May the gods’ blessings be upon you…….”
Kamara and the territory soldiers’ trembling voices bid farewell to the warriors.
* * *
“You fucking idiots! Maintain formation!”
Galpredic’s booming voice rang out.
But it was drowned by the eerie howls of kobolds resembling mad hounds.
Kyakyak! Kyaaang! Kyakyakya!
The mercenaries fell into momentary panic from the kobolds’ ambush out of the darkness.
Though low-tier monsters, the kobolds’ distinctive cries and sturdy clubs were plenty frightening as they swung wildly.
“Out of the way!”
Galpredic shoved aside two mercenaries fumbling to block with their shields and swung the battle axe in both hands.
Swoosh!
The air split with sharp sounds in rapid succession.
Kyaaaaang!
Two heads flew, and four more collapsed gravely wounded.
“Maintain formation and push in! Pin them to the walls!”
Rallying quickly from Galpredic’s feat, the mercenaries charged with roars.
Each team formed its own line, so it looked chaotic overall, but their teamwork made them effective.
Kyaaang! Kyaargh!
Over twenty fell spurting blood in moments.
Kobolds clad only in leather scraps over vital areas and wielding crude wooden clubs were no match for properly equipped mercenaries.
But if that were all, why risk life and limb to clear a freshly opened dungeon?
Kyakyakya! Kyakyak!
“M-more coming!”
“Damn it!”
The greatest danger of Gate-Clearing was never knowing how many monsters lurked after years unopened.
And monsters didn’t wait for mercenaries to rest.
“Reform the lines!”
As Galpredic’s thunderous voice rang out.
Thud thud thud!
Someone kicked off the dungeon wall, soaring into the pack of emerging kobolds like a bolt.
In the torchlight, as his pitch-black robe billowed, nearly pristine grayish chain mail gleamed beneath, prompting Galpredic to shout.
“Sir Eugeeeene!”
There were at least twenty kobolds in sight.
Jumping into the midst of a monster pack in a dark dungeon passage less than five meters wide was suicide……
Flash!
A shortsword’s blade flashed from the darkness.
Kyaaaaang! Kyak! Krrgh!
The monsters’ screams echoed without cease.
The mercenaries stood frozen, time seemingly stopped, as light trailed the shortsword in relentless bursts.
After perhaps twenty seconds.
The kobolds’ chilling howls ceased completely, yet the mercenaries still couldn’t move.
Then, a knight with red eyes emerged from the darkness.
“Killed twenty-three. Oh, and after that corner up ahead, there was some glowing grass. Is it expensive?”
Galpredic and the mercenaries were speechless at the unquestionable ‘dungeon newbie’ knight, who didn’t even know about glow grass that only shone inside dungeons and withered when picked.
(To be continued in the next chapter)