Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: House Fransil's Prisoners
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The battle against House Fransil—or more precisely, against Lorraine Fransil's forces—had left behind a great deal.
First off, Eugene absorbed about half of her mercenaries who had survived unscathed into his own army. For reference, nearly all the cavalry had either died or been crippled.
Lorraine, as a direct descendant of a prestigious noble house with considerable influence in Brantia, had also brought along a large number of laborers and slaves. Ownership of all those personnel had now transferred to Eugene.
More people meant more supplies to provide, so it wasn't entirely a good thing. But the fact that they all worked for free—and could be sold as slaves at any time—was the key point.
Finally, both Lorraine and her knights had been mounted, and they had brought a substantial amount of wealth with them.
All of that now belonged to Eugene, the victor. Among it was even some expensive pure silver weaponry, brought specifically to exploit vampires' weaknesses.
Moreover, their horses, while not quite on the level of Sillion's, were still high-bred warhorses that fetched top prices.
In short, Eugene had made a massive haul from just a single battle.
'Beating up demons five or six times doesn't net as much as winning one fight against humans. No wonder real knights go mad for war.'
Eugene was mulling this over with a satisfied expression when Aud approached, rubbing his palms together.
"So! Assuming we maintain our current troop numbers, we can operate without issues for two or three months, my lord."
Aud, the exceptionally capable merchant in such matters, flashed his yellow teeth in a broad grin.
"Excluding what we could get for their ransoms?"
"Yes, sir. Even without that, the amount is enormous. The silver weapons and warhorses are incredibly valuable. If I may be so bold as to offer one suggestion?"
"Go ahead."
Eugene nodded at Aud's cautious request.
"Don't sell the horses separately. Bundle them into the ransom negotiations with House Fransil. Nobles in general, but knights especially, are attached to horses they've ridden for years. You'll likely get more that way than selling them off individually."
"That's an excellent idea. Well done. Feel free to offer suggestions like that anytime."
"Heh heh. Thank you, sir."
Aud bowed deeply to his vampire employer, who was a veritable demon on the battlefield but surprisingly magnanimous and flexible off it.
It was just a bonus thought that every lord should be like Eugene.
"Now go handle your duties. Have the House Fransil prisoners brought in."
"Yes, my lord."
Aud scurried out with a ingratiating bow, and shortly after, Lorraine and one knight from House Fransil entered with haggard faces.
His name was Bonmer, the knight whose shoulder had been pierced by Galpredic's javelin throw.
"How's the shoulder?"
"Much better, thanks to the mana crystal."
"Better?"
"I... I lost."
Under Eugene's icy gaze, the knight quickly corrected his speech. Lanslo, who had been observing from the side, spoke up.
"Lord Eugene is a renowned figure respected in the two port cities of Maren and Mopern. He is a lord holding territory in the Kingdom of Keiler. He is also a knight greatly favored by Marquis Archibald and Count Winslon. Thus, you must respect his honor."
"……!"
The two captives' eyes widened.
They had never heard of Maren, Mopern, marquis, or count, but it was clear that the vampire before them held an extraordinary status.
And they realized they had made a grave mistake: casually demanding such a great noble join their service, and even insulting him first.
'It could be a lie, right?'
Lorraine, from a knightly house by the lake, hesitated but finally voiced her doubt.
"I've heard that the continental kingdoms mistreat the Night Clan."
Lanslo fixed her with a stern gaze and replied.
"It depends on the person. And the nobles who are friends with Lord Eugene are all free from the Central Church's influence. They have poor relations with the cardinal who started this war using Brantiia's prayer book as an excuse. In other words, to them, he is someone worthy of mutual trust and deep friendship."
"Whoa. Elf knight dude's spittin' straight facts, no cap."
Mirian whispered while glancing at Lanslo.
However, what Lanslo had said about Eugene contained only the slightest exaggeration—no outright lies.
"His lordship was greatly disappointed and angered by House Fransil's dishonorable actions. Over to you, Lord Eugene."
Lanslo stepped back slightly, and Eugene fixed his gaze on the two.
"I have no enmity with House Fransil. Yet you provoked me—a total stranger—first and declared war. I will hold House Fransil accountable for that."
"……!"
Bonmer's face turned ashen, while Lorraine's eyes trembled violently.
'Hmm?'
Eugene sensed something from their reactions. But he was no fool to reveal his guesses outright; he was a vampire renowned for his cunning.
He decided his next move based on instinct.
"……."
He stared piercingly at Lorraine, who was already showing clear signs of panic.
Ordinary people who had done something guilty—or even committed a major blunder—almost always...
"P-please don't tell His Grace about the mistakes I made against you. I beg you, Lord Eugene."
'As expected.'
"Why should I? That would make it seem like I attacked you first."
"Well..."
"Hoo! Please be frank, Lady Lorraine."
"Lord Bonmer!"
Regardless of Lorraine's sharp glare, Bonmer let out another deep sigh and continued.
"Lady Lorraine is currently on her knight-errantry."
"Knight-errantry?"
Eugene knew what it was but asked anyway. Bonmer continued bitterly.
"Yes. Direct descendants of House Fransil, regardless of gender, must prove their worth as knights after completing their squire service. Lady Lorraine..."
About a month ago, Lorraine had set out on her knight-errantry with her house's knights and troops.
A traditional, true knight-errantry would involve leaving with just one or two squires, but she—who had a father claiming kingship in Brantia—would never choose such hardship.
Her older siblings had all gone on theirs with anywhere from dozens to hundreds of troops.
By that standard, her group of two estate knights and thirty cavalry was almost frugal(?).
In any case, the knight-errantries of House Fransil's direct descendants involved traveling regions under their house's influence, slaying roamers, subjugating demon realms, eliminating bandits, and the like to build fame as knights.
But Lorraine, whose knightly skills and accumulated achievements paled compared to her siblings, was in a desperate state.
Without a major accomplishment now, she would inevitably marry her fiancé in two years and be shipped off to his house.
In other words, a life as a daughter-in-law awaited.
Even in marriage, she wanted territory granted within House Fransil's lands, where her father's influence was absolute. She could not accept anything less.
So Lorraine grew greedy.
She decided to venture beyond House Fransil's territory to cities or large villages, seeking real accomplishments to make her name.
"...That's why we came to Brighton five days ago. We planned to take on requests there for subjugating mid-to-large roamers or notorious bandit groups."
"Did you hear about me in Brighton?"
"...Yes."
Bonmer hesitated briefly before nodding.
Eugene's gaze shifted to Lorraine.
"And that's when you hired knights and mercenaries there. To come after me?"
He asked, recalling the three knights who had challenged him and died.
She flinched under his gaze, then hurriedly made excuses with wide eyes.
"N-no, we didn't target you from the start! There was a request proposed in Brighton City, but it seemed too difficult... And, well, Lord Riward does have ties to our house. Even though it's three generations back..."
"Hmm."
Eugene narrowed his eyes and murmured lowly.
"So, in the end... you thought I seemed easier than the Brighton request?"
"……."
As Lorraine fell silent with a devastated expression, Bonmer stepped in.
"My lord, you may see this as an excuse, but we opposed Lady Lorraine's judgment. We weren't so foolish as to underestimate the knight who felled Lord Riward, once called a Sword Master."
"Hm. Then, begging me to limit my abilities... That was why?"
His Brantian wasn't perfect yet, so the phrasing was a bit off, but it wasn't wrong. Bonmer bowed his head.
"Yes. We thought our odds would be fifty-fifty if we could just make you forgo your Night Clan abilities. In hindsight, it was foolish either way."
As expected of an estate knight, Bonmer seemed capable of rational thought.
"Why didn't you stop this woman?"
Lorraine shuddered again at Eugene's wording, and Bonmer sighed deeply.
"From the moment we set out on knight-errantry, all decisions are made by the knight-errant herself. We can offer advice, but we cannot object to Lady Lorraine's choices."
"So, in the end... it's this woman's stubbornness. Right?"
"……."
The simple, blunt conclusion pierced the core, leaving the stubborn woman and her knight speechless.
"Kieee! What a total idiot girl. Ugly ones are always the dumbest. Master, just hand 'em back to their house and rake in the gold and jewels!"
Mirian whispered his greed incarnate suggestion, but Eugene sank into thought without responding.
Unlike before, his ability to infer and deduce related situations from specific events had skyrocketed. He had noticed something in Lorraine and Bonmer's story.
"You all... got used by Brighton City, just like that."
"Yes?"
"W-what?"
The sudden statement made their eyes go wide.
Lanslo looked at Eugene with equal surprise, and Eugene answered their confusion.
"Brighton... was targeting me from the start. Then you showed up. Father who claims kingship. Stubborn woman blinded by achievements. What do you think Brighton thought?"
"Ugh...!"
"Oho! Indeed."
Lorraine still seemed clueless, but Bonmer and Lanslo caught on immediately.
"The Brighton banner. That's the proof they gave you. If you won, they could claim a hand in it. If you lost, they could launch a siege. And this is just my guess... but Brighton has something that can stop me. At least, they believe they do."
"That makes sense, my lord. Those vile, despicable bastards!"
"Y-you can't forgive them!"
The furious Bonmer and Lorraine, who had finally grasped the situation, shot to their feet.
Eugene said coldly.
"Prisoners should act like prisoners."
"Urk."
"S-sorry."
They hastily sat back down.
"Hmm. Something that can stop Lord Eugene? What could it be?"
"No idea."
Eugene shrugged. Curiosity outweighed worry or fear.
Brighton didn't know he was an Origin. They just saw him as a high-ranking vampire noble.
So, most likely, they had some power or weapon that could trouble a lord or banneret—at best, a high lord vampire.
"I'll find out when I go there myself. And now I even have justification."
"Well, true."
Lanslo chuckled, then suddenly turned as something occurred to him.
"By the way, Lady Lorraine, Lord Bonmer."
"……?"
"What was the first request Brighton City proposed to you? It must have been quite difficult if it made Lord Eugene seem easier."
"Oh, that."
Bonmer suddenly hunched low and whispered in a hushed voice.
"A Death Knight. Apparently, a vampire banneret residing in Brighton had been cursed or something, and its soul corrupted too. They wanted us to hunt it—impossible. But the biggest reason we had to refuse was..."
He trailed off and glanced aside. Lorraine looked queasy, fidgeting before finally shrugging.
"G-ghosts scare me."
A high vampire noble wasn't scary, but ghosts were.
As Eugene stared at her pitifully, the spirit zipped over and buried itself in his chest.
"M-master... Th-this body fears ghosts too. Kieee... Scarier than a water dragon's butthole. Protect me, master."
The spirit rubbed its face against Eugene's chest.
"……."
Eugene was certain that whatever a Death Knight was, encountering it couldn't be worse than this.
"Pfft!"
Lanslo finally burst out laughing, Eugene felt embarrassed, and the other two were utterly baffled.