Chapter 145
Chapter 145
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 145
Chapter Title: The Prisoners' Oath
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Baron Liward had been holding seven prisoners.
"Originally, there were about twenty, but more than ten died because they couldn't endure the imprisonment, leaving only these."
"I see. Good work."
Eugene scanned the prisoners from top to bottom.
Their skin was rough and they were gaunt, but their expressions weren't bad. It seemed recent treatment from Luke had helped.
"Pleased to meet you, sirs. I am Yan of the Eugene family."
"First time meeting you. I am Eredoar of the Volbaran family."
"I am Gott of the Paramount. At the end of this long darkness, to receive such grace from you and Count Crawlmarin..."
At Eugene's greeting in the Brantian tongue, the prisoners introduced themselves one by one. Having spent quite a long time as prisoners, they could all speak Brantian.
"You've probably heard from Count Crawlmarin. The Liward territory now falls under the Count Crawlmarin family. That means your fates are in our hands as well. So..."
As Eugene continued speaking, the prisoners' faces gradually brightened.
"...With that said. The ships of the continent will soon arrive at Mungard. They might have already. Even if not elsewhere, Maren and Mopern are ports that provide strong support to me."
"Is that true?"
The knight from the obscure Volbaran family asked again. Luke's face hardened as he stepped forward.
"Knight Volbaran. Consider this a warning—never doubt the master's words again."
"S-Sorry, Count. I made a grave mistake, Sir Eugene. I apologize."
The knight hastily apologized.
"...!"
The other prisoners watching this reacted with a sharp change in expression.
They had heard about the relationship between Eugene and Luke but remained skeptical until now. It was clear.
Be it authority or dominance, Eugene was the ultimate superior here. His word was law and order in this place.
"What would I gain by lying to you? And to be frank."
As Eugene's gaze and voice cooled slightly, the prisoners tensed.
"From my perspective, I'd be better off without you. If I sent you back to your families and strange rumors about me spread?"
At the veiled threat, the prisoners' eyes widened as they spoke.
"A-Are you saying... you'll kill us all?"
"Please contact my family. They will surely pay a ransom that satisfies you!"
"Sir Eugene!"
As the desperate prisoners raised their voices, Eugene spoke lowly.
"But there is another path."
"Pardon?"
"Mungard, Crawlmarin County, Liward territory, Brighton City. All have submitted to me and Count Crawlmarin. I accomplished what even the scripture war expeditionary force could not. And my ultimate goal... is the unification of Brantia."
"...!"
To the prisoners, wide-eyed and speechless, Eugene spat coldly.
"Consumables."
"...?"
"The church and expeditionary leadership. Even your own families treated you as consumables. You brave and honorable knights."
"Urk!"
They had thought it deep down but never wanted to hear it. The prisoners clenched their fists and gritted their teeth.
Eugene's voice pierced their ears once more.
"But I rescued you without conditions. And I have no intention of treating you as consumables."
"Ah!"
Unlike the earlier chill that dripped like ice, his low, firm voice made the prisoners lift their faces in unison.
"You sirs, though defeated, are knights brave enough to challenge a Brantian sword master. It would make one unworthy of nobility to not respect that. So, sirs—will you not come to me?"
"S-Sir..."
The prisoners trembled, eyes wide.
Eugene's impassive face, with a captivating glint in his eyes, inspired deep trust matching his voice.
"On my honor, and that of Count Crawlmarin, I swear. I will let you... live as vassals of the King of Brantia."
'Of course, unpaid for the time being.'
"As the master says. I swear it!"
Luke declared solemnly after Eugene.
As if entranced, the prisoners exchanged glances.
Accepting this offer meant serving under a great lord who controlled at least one region, as vassals of the Brantian king.
What if they returned home? Could they rise like this?
And why had they crossed that sea in the first place?
There was no reason to hesitate.
"We will follow your will!"
The prisoners, who had long lost hope and were left only with malice and grit, knelt on one knee in unison as if by prior agreement.
"Good. I look forward to your valor."
Having secured seven high-class, unpaid talents through apt threats and sweet offers, Eugene grinned.
That fool Baron Liward. Locking away such well-educated elites in a prison.
"Then start work tomorrow. Ah, for now, you'll take orders from Duke Pitamoras. He's a respected druid in this region. Go rest well. Hey, take care of the sirs."
At Eugene's glance, waiting slaves approached the prisoners.
They were all Brantian natives, thoroughly trained by Pitamoras.
They would monitor the prisoners constantly out of fear of the druid and report every move.
But the oblivious prisoners, recently freed, were simply grateful that Eugene cared for them.
"Then follow me, sirs."
"Y-Yes."
Even Luke the count personally guiding them erased any lingering doubt.
"Ah, Sir Edmund, was it? You stay a moment."
"Ah, yes."
A sturdy young man about to exit stopped abruptly at Eugene's words.
Mosin Edmund.
He was one of the holy knights from the Kaylor Kingdom who had crossed the sea during the scripture war.
* * *
"Sir, take this first."
"Pardon? Th-This is..."
Left alone and tense, Holy Knight Edmund's eyes widened.
The item carefully brought by two slaves was plate mail.
"It was originally yours, right? It's different from what you wore before, but Baron Liward reinforced it, so the durability should be much better. Try it on. Hey, help him."
At Eugene's command, the slaves swiftly assisted Edmund into the armor.
Soon, in the dignified form of a knight, Edmund gazed at Eugene with moved eyes and knelt on one knee.
"How can I ever repay such boundless grace..."
"Do you really want to repay it?"
"Of course. I am no worse than a beast that forgets favors."
Eugene gave a meaningful look to the upright-chested Edmund.
"You know I'm a vampire. And you're a holy knight. Yet you'll repay my favor?"
"...!"
Edmund paused briefly, then sighed.
"You're right. I am a holy knight of the Kaylor Kingdom church. But before that, I was a squire to a knight of the Roman Empire."
"Hoo?"
Eugene had no choice but to listen intently to this surprising tale even Luke hadn't mentioned.
"I..."
Mosin Edmund had been captured as a prisoner during a border skirmish while serving as squire to a Roman Empire knight.
Squires never betray their masters, but his had sold him out and fled alone, shattering his loyalty.
"I surrendered to survive. Fortunately, my swordsmanship was decent, and my family name carried weight, so I got a chance to serve as a kingdom knight or holy knight."
Surrendered noble sons from foreign houses had high utility.
Edmund, aiming higher, threw in with the holy knights.
"I trained as a holy knight at a late age. I intended to work hard at first. But the priests preaching faith, the masters teaching knightly virtue... even the other holy knights didn't trust me."
"Kieeh? He's a loner. Turns out milord was a loner too."
Mirian, bored and sprawled, fluttered over and whispered.
Unable to see Mirian, Edmund continued gravely.
"Joining the expeditionary force as a holy knight was ultimately my only option as a surrenderer."
Eugene observed the head-lowering Edmund closely.
His heartbeat was normal, showing no signs of lying humans typically did. It seemed truthful.
'Hmm. A defector. How to use this guy?'
Pondering Edmund's unexpected background, Eugene hesitated.
Above all, fully trusting him was premature.
'What to do. Killing him seems wasteful.'
As he mulled, the door opened and Luke returned.
"Master! Pardon the intrusion. Letters from Mungard and Maren."
"Oh?"
Eugene brightened; he'd thought contact overdue.
"Hm?"
Two letters.
One as expected from Romari; the other from an unexpected source.
"The deputy manager?"
Eugene tilted his head and opened Prechella's letter from the Feilin Merchant Group first.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
"Hmm."
Prechella's letter was filled with apologies and guilt—unexpected and gravely serious.
Eugene immediately tore open Romari's.
If Prechella's boiled down to 'I've committed a mortal sin!', this one...
- Please spare me! Sob sob!
'No. What is this... Ah, right.'
Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Eugene looked up sharply.
"Sir Edmund. I want to give you a chance."
"Pardon?"
"Regardless, you're a holy knight of the Kaylor Kingdom church. That hasn't changed, right?"
"Th-That's true."
"Holy knights inspire trust among knights and mercenaries from Kaylor. Right?"
"Th-That's also true, but."
"Then head straight to Mungard. Ah, with Knight Galpredic."
"Pardon?"
To the baffled Edmund, Eugene smiled meaningfully.
"Uninvited guests have crossed the sea. Handle it with Knight Galpredic. Your treatment from now on depends on how you do."
* * *
"I'll go mad."
"......"
"Miss. Got any good ideas?"
Mungard's revered vampire lord Marcus spoke to the statue-still figure.
The woman with dark shadows under her eyes like hell's abyss twisted her lips.
"Don't talk to me? I'm dying here too?"
"What do you mean? As an aide to the great one, show some responsibility..."
"From the start!"
"......!"
Startled, Marcus faced Romari, her face gaunt as if her soul had fled, her small lips moving rapidly.
"You gave me too much work. I have research to do, but I'm the only mage. I asked for even temporary druids, but all failed."
"Druids aren't for menial labor..."
"Ha!? So I'm menial? Oh dear~ My mistake. A menial like me overstepped~ Right~?"
"......"
"My mistake. Yes. I'm the idiot. Like a hamster on a wheel. No, I'm the hamster. Yeah. What was a dumb hamster like me thinking, chasing glory here and suffering. Just go to some mountain, pick herbs. Or grab any vampire, torture with school secrets and threats for compensation for my sacrifice and labor..."
Her words accelerated into a curse-like mutter. Marcus panicked.
"I-I made the mistake. Miss, just focus on mana stone purification. I'll handle this."
Thanks to this mage, heir to the Pilgrim Shadow School, they produced over a hundred mana crystals daily, boosting Marcus's faction's income.
Over half went to the great sovereign, but his 20% cut was no trifle.
Without this woman now blackening and radiating curse aura, production would halt today.
'But really, what to do? Sailors aside, if Kaylor knights learn he's of the Night Clan, they won't stay quiet.'
"Huu."
Sighing deeply, Marcus approached the window.
Beyond, the blue sea. Off the port, over twenty large galleys floated—rare sights in Mungard these years.
They'd prepared heavy ballistae to sink them, but a messenger by boat under black dragon emblem and white flag forced Mungard to open the port.
The thousand-plus continental knights and mercenaries aboard claimed to be Sir Yan Eugene's 'loyal army.'
(To be continued in the next chapter)