Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: The Duke's Coronation
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Eugene headed straight into the grand hall of Bartla Ducal Castle, with Lanslo and Luke in tow, the moment the elders acknowledged him as the Duke.
All the direct descendants of the previous Duke had perished in the war, either killed in battle or died of illness, and the sole survivor, Laplas, had also fallen to the Lycanthrope King.
As a result, the elders had handled all major and minor affairs of the Bartla Duke family, and the process of Eugene inheriting the title proceeded smoothly without a hitch.
However, the most crucial enthronement ceremony posed a bit of a headache.
They couldn't hold the enthronement for the first "true" Duke Bartla in ages just among themselves.
"We beseech you to summon all the nobles and lords near the duchy."
"Families that once swore loyalty as vassals to Bartla must all be called. You must show them that Your Grace has become the master of greater Bartla and that the ducal house stands strong."
From the moment they recognized Eugene as Duke Bartla, the elders treated him strictly as a duke, adopting an attitude of utmost respect.
Yet when it came to matters of the enthronement, they displayed an almost excessively firm stance, and Eugene quickly grasped why.
"The nobles around the duchy lands—have they climbed quite high in the meantime?"
"Ah, yes. Indeed."
The elders, caught off guard by Eugene's blunt phrasing, replied with somewhat awkward expressions.
But perhaps harboring quite a few grudges over the years, a few among the assembled nobles wore looks of satisfaction.
Unlike the elders, the younger nobles were utterly delighted by the bold and fearless new Duke.
"Hmm."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Eugene nodded.
"Very well. The instant the enthronement date is set, summon all the nobles."
"As Your Grace wills."
Everyone's faces brightened.
They all assumed Eugene was heeding the elders' advice to flaunt his ascension as Duke Bartla and demonstrate the ducal house's prestige.
But Eugene's thoughts were different.
"Those who don't respond to the summons. Those who send proxies instead of attending in person. I will visit them myself."
"Pardon?"
Sure enough, the elders' eyes widened in shock.
"Why the surprise? Isn't this a perfect chance to weed out the disloyal?"
"Well, that is true, but..."
"Um, might we inquire what Your Grace intends to do upon visiting them personally?"
"Subjugate them. By force if necessary."
"……!"
The elders' expressions stiffened in an instant.
"A most fitting judgment, Your Grace!"
"You must punish severely those who have insulted Your Grace and greater Bartla!"
In contrast, the young nobles grew wildly excited, raising their voices.
Eugene raised a hand to calm the young nobles, then addressed the elders, who exchanged troubled glances.
"What's wrong? Any issues?"
"Well... it might be better to start off a bit leniently at first."
"If Your Grace appears too harsh, the nobles may panic and make misguided decisions."
"Misguided decisions? What do you mean?"
When Eugene immediately pressed for clarification, the elder who had spoken swallowed dryly and bowed his head.
"Th-they might... dare to challenge the main house..."
"But hasn't that already happened?"
"Pardon?"
"W-what do you mean by that, Your Grace?"
Eugene scanned the astonished, murmuring nobles before turning his gaze to Luke.
"Bring in the prisoners we captured earlier. Without their armor or weapons."
"Yes, Master."
Shortly after, the prisoners detained at the makeshift camp outside the village were escorted into the grand hall by Beowulf warriors and mercenaries.
"Ugh!"
The prisoners, dumped unceremoniously onto the floor like luggage, were all clad in chain mail.
Eugene was certain these were no ordinary bandits.
As the Bartla ducal house members watched quietly, Eugene descended from the dais and stood before the prisoners.
Perhaps recalling how miserably they had been crushed by Eugene and his army just dozens of minutes ago, the prisoners couldn't hide their fear and averted their eyes the moment their gazes met.
"Are you mercenaries?"
The other prisoners flinched at Eugene's question, but one among them, whose eyes still burned with life and seemed quite resolute, answered.
"Yes."
"I see. Then where did you get that armor?"
"We won it from a knight whose name we don't know."
"When?"
"About a month ago."
His attitude seemed rather defiant.
Yet Eugene noticed the subtle tremor in the prisoner's eyes and voice.
"A month, you say..."
Muttering softly, Eugene turned his gaze to Bjort.
"Sir Bjort. How many times have these men attacked so far?"
"Pardon? Ah, four times up to today."
"Four times. Must have been some fierce battles, eh?"
"Indeed."
At Bjort's reply, Eugene turned back to the prisoners, baring his fangs in a smile.
"Four battles in a month. And you're a mercenary who never wore chain mail until a month ago. For that, this armor is in remarkably good condition."
"……!"
"Bring their armor and weapons."
The mercenaries promptly dumped the prisoners' armor and weapons on the floor, as if they had been waiting.
Eugene held up one set of chain mail and one longsword high for all to see.
"Ordinary mercenaries can't maintain armor like this. It's tough even on the continent. And Brantia mercenaries with rare chain mail? Even after wearing it constantly for a month?"
Thud!
Eugene tossed the armor before the now utterly cowed prisoner and spoke coldly.
"Answer like the knight you are. Sir, who do you serve?"
Sweat trickled down his forehead, his eyes quivering.
Eugene—and everyone from the ducal house—could be certain.
These prisoners were neither bandits nor mercenaries.
"I-I am..."
Staring straight into the prisoner's wavering eyes, Eugene revealed his presence.
"Stake your honor and your house's name on an oath first. Swear you'll speak only the truth. Before you suffer a grim fate."
"Urk!"
The prisoner's face twisted completely for a moment as he bit his lip.
After gnawing his lip until blood seeped out, he finally squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head.
"I am Robert, knight of Baron Mondelio. Urk!"
"S-such a thing!"
"Baron Mondelio!?"
The ducal house nobles, stunned, soon erupted in fury.
"That damned cur dares!"
"No wonder it felt off! Didn't he single-handedly refuse our call for aid during the last war?"
"No matter how long the ties have been severed, the oaths of our forebears still remain!"
The nobles spat as they railed against Baron Mondelio, their fierce glares turning to the prisoners.
"Wretches without honor! Those who know no grace are no different from beasts!"
"Are you truly knights? Have no shame before all the gods and spirits!"
"Your Grace! Grant me the chance to behead these accursed beasts!"
"We must behead them and march on Baron Mondelio's lands at once! You must show the great justice and honor of Bartla!"
The prisoners, subjected to the nobles' terrifying rage, could only hang their heads and tremble.
Thud!
"Quiet."
The grand hall fell silent the instant Eugene stomped his foot.
Sweeping his gaze over the nobles snorting with barely contained fury, Eugene spoke.
"Send the enthronement invitations first. To Baron Mondelio as well."
"If I may be so bold, Your Grace. Is there any need to do so for a beastly cur who knows neither grace, faith, nor honor?"
Eugene turned to the outraged elder.
"One question. Is the Mondelio baron's house doing well?"
"Pardon?"
"Are they powerful? Is the baron's territory vast and prosperous?"
"No. Just two villages and a few hamlets."
As expected, Baron Mondelio's lands were on par with Lord Tiwin's in Kailer Kingdom.
"Then. Mondelio's forces can't exceed fifty at most. Sir Bjort, correct?"
"Hmm. We haven't had dealings in ages, so not certain, but including serf soldiers, perhaps a bit more."
"I see. But the ones I annihilated today weren't serf soldiers. They were professional, skilled, organized."
"……Gasp!? D-does Your Grace mean...?"
When Bjort, who had been tilting his head, suddenly realized and asked, Eugene replied.
"Yes. Around two hundred confirmed mercenaries. Can Mondelio hire and maintain that many?"
"……!"
Starting with Bjort, the elders and nobles all caught on.
"Whoever it is, someone is behind Baron Mondelio. Either directly ordered it or footed the bill. One or the other. Therefore."
Driving the nail into their suspicions, Eugene turned to Robert and the prisoners.
"Let's find out who by the enthronement."
The prisoners' spines chilled at the sight of those crimson eyes burning alone in an unfathomable abyss.
"Kieee. Milord, all done? Can this one leave now? Ah, no? Right."
The spirit, gauging the mood from inside the leather pouch, poked its head out slyly before ducking back in.
'That's right!'
As Eugene unwittingly looked down pitifully at the spirit, an idea flashed in his mind.
* * *
The next day.
Messengers set out to all nobles who had once been vassals of the Bartla Duke house or shared deep ties with it.
Accompanied by one Beowulf warrior each and bearing Eugene's handwritten letters, the messengers all returned to the ducal castle six days later.
Eugene received reports on each noble house's reactions and movements.
As expected, all were greatly shocked, but some showed additional responses.
"They asked an inordinate number of questions about Your Grace."
"Sir Northvolta also kept inquiring about the army Your Grace led here. How many Beowulf warriors, and such."
"Siteim? The lord I met asked about the Dark Lord's title. Which clan, what position in the Night Clan. And no food to boot."
"The lord I visited chased me out accusing me of fraud? If not for the Dark Lord's words, I'd have smashed his pot! No food either!"
Piecing together the messengers' and Beowulf warriors' accounts yielded this.
Half the nobles showed favor and curiosity amid their shock, but the other half went beyond curiosity to feverishly gather "information."
And the peak was Baron Mondelio.
"Mondelio, that beast, acted as if he knew we'd come from the main house."
"Oh? Is that so? Ulfgang, what did you think?"
Given the counterpart, Eugene had sent one of the elders to the Mondelio baron's house.
And attached Ulfgang, the sharpest-eyed Beowulf warrior most familiar with human society, as escort.
"Just as this elder says. He was awfully arrogant at first, but exploded in shock and fluster when he heard the Dark Lord became Duke Bartla. Quite peculiar."
"No. Not peculiar at all. It's the natural reaction."
"Huh? Why is that?"
Everyone stared at Eugene in puzzlement.
At that moment, the spirit lounging arrogantly on Eugene's shoulder let out a sly chuckle.
"Kihihihit! This one extracted top-class info from the prisoner pups. Ahem!"
Eugene chuckled.
But this time, it was as Mirian boasted.
He had first considered interrogating the prisoners one by one with Charm magic, but a simpler method occurred to him.
Round them all up in one place, leave them unguarded—except for one invisible spirit.
As expected, the prisoners discussed what could be said and what must never be revealed even under torture.
And every bit of that process and content reached Eugene intact via Mirian.
"Milord, milord. Now you get this one's value? Useless lumps like you, or Sidekick No. 2, what do they know!? Humans who only know brute force like the wolfkin know nothing! I'm the best! This one is milord's right arm! Kihihihihihi!"
He had meant to praise it for once.
But at the sight of it puffing up its nose like a fountain, Eugene lost all patience, ignored the impudent spirit, and addressed the nobles.
"The one who egged on Baron Mondelio—the prisoners don't know who either. But we seem to know why the baron hired mercenaries and kept attacking."
"Ooh! Is that true?"
"Yes. Knight Robert said the baron ordered attacks on the ducal house but never to capture it."
"What!? Why not?"
"What reason for such madness?"
To the puzzled nobles, Eugene spoke what he was now certain was the truth.
It was the result of combining the prisoners' leaks with the messengers' reports.
"If you'd kept getting attacked, what would you have done? With the ducal house forces dwindling?"
"Hmm. We'd have requested aid from nearby lords and nobles."
"Right. Then if someone stepped up to help the ducal house? Said they'd wipe out the bandits in one go?"
"We'd have gratefully accepted, of course. But to annihilate them completely would require nearby lords uniting... Ah!"
"N-no, could it be?"
Eugene nodded to the nobles who had finally caught on.
"Yes. A noble powerful enough to guarantee the ducal house's safety. Wealthy enough to fund hundreds of mercenaries for Baron Mondelio. And one who prefers cooperating with the Bartla Duke house over its fall. As far as I know, few such nobles in Brantia. And they all want just one thing."
"One of those eyeing the throne!?"
The answer had come at last.
(To be continued)