Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Brodin's Surrender
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“Mercy! Please show mercy, Your Grace!”
The nobles, their faces drained of color, dropped to their knees right there and began begging. Their families and servants flattened themselves to the ground, trembling in terror.
‘Why are they so scared? Overreacting much?’
Eugene found it a bit odd.
Even if they’d made a verbal slip-up, he wouldn’t just casually kill off nobles from the royal family—prime captives at that…
‘Oh, wait. Is it because I’m a vampire?’
It was a dark night, and these people had snuck out of the city intending to save their own skins.
For a vampire high noble—who commanded a mighty army that could raze Brodin tomorrow and was the epitome of cold-blooded ruthlessness—to show them leniency was downright bizarre.
At least, that’s how they saw it, without a doubt.
‘In that case.’
“Galpredic. Been a while since you tasted human blood, right?”
“Huh?”
Galpredic, who understood Brantine better than he spoke it, tilted his head briefly.
But he quickly caught on to Eugene’s intent. He removed his helmet and let out a sinister grin.
“Keh-heh! Now that you mention it, yeah. The blood of nobles feasting on delicacies and fine wines every day… Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Heh-heh-heh!”
The retainer known as the ferocious beast of Eugene’s army wiped the drool trickling over his fangs in the moonlight and grinned darkly at the cluster of nobles.
“Eek!”
“Spare us! Please, spare us!”
“Ugh… H-heh…”
Galpredic had spoken in Cayler Kingdom tongue, so the words didn’t translate, but the effect was tremendous.
The three nobles and their families burst into sobs, pleading desperately for their lives.
“Perfect timing—I was getting hungry from rushing over here anyway. So, whose blood should I sample first?”
Galpredic smacked his lips and took a slow step forward.
“Uwaaah!”
“P-please, have mercy! H-hwah…”
Some nobles even pissed themselves, shuffling backward on their haunches.
At that, Eugene spoke in a subtle tone.
“My knight and I are starving. Show us some sincerity to make us forget that. Who knows, it might work.”
“Ah…?”
“Silver, gold, jewels, ornaments. Whatever you’ve got.”
The nobles flinched for a moment before erupting in shouts, one after another.
“Everything! We’ll give you everything!”
“Y-you lot! Bring the chests, now!”
At the nobles’ bellows, the servants scrambled forward and set down the loads on their backs.
Click!
The chests—each the size of a grown man’s torso—opened to reveal gold coins, jewels, mana crystals, and ornaments glinting in the moonlight.
“Kieeeek!”
As the greed spirit’s eyes rolled back in ecstasy and it dove headfirst into the chests, Eugene turned his gaze to the nobles, who were still trembling and stealing glances.
“Hmm. Somehow, it feels a bit lacking.”
“…!”
“Isn’t it? Is this all your lives are worth, my lords?”
The nobles felt the wind knocked out of them. What they’d offered could buy a small fief outright, and it still wasn’t enough?
But in this world, the one with the sword called the shots. Having lived as those shots themselves, the nobles knew that better than anyone.
‘What do we do?’
‘What do you mean? If we want to live, we cough up more!’
‘But we’ve already stripped ourselves bare to escape. What more is there…?’
Eugene read their exchanged glances perfectly.
“Hey. My lords.”
“Y-yes!”
“Don’t you have more assets back in the city?”
“W-well, yes, but…”
“Good. Then we’ll go in together.”
“…!”
The nobles’ eyes bulged before they cautiously glanced at Eugene and ventured.
“Y-Your Grace, you don’t mean right now, do you?”
“Even Minotaur horns get yanked out while they’re fresh. We go now.”
“B-but…”
The nobles hesitated.
There was no guarantee this ruthless vampire duke would honor any deal.
Plus, who knew what havoc he’d wreak once inside Brodin.
‘Ah! Right! Vampires can’t enter without an invitation?’
One noble’s fear-frozen brain finally thawed, and he inwardly cheered.
But then.
“Your families are with me. Get any funny ideas, and you know what happens.”
“…!”
Even a duke of his stature would stoop to taking families hostage?
“Come on. Let’s go.”
With all hope crushed by their foe’s brutality, the nobles trudged forward mournfully.
* * *
Uwaaa…
“W-what’s that?”
Cameron III, who’d tossed and turned late into the night before finally dozing off, bolted upright in alarm.
Aaah…! Kraaak…! Save me…!
Even amid the chaos, horrific screams echoed through the royal castle, and the young king snatched the longsword hanging behind his bed.
“Y-Your Majesty? What’s wrong?”
As his bleary-eyed queen shot up in fright, the bedroom door burst open, and the four Royal Guard Knights stormed in.
“Your Majesty! We’re under attack!”
“We’ll escort you! Prepare to evacua—!”
“L-Lanslo of Durak! Have you truly sold your knightly honor?!”
Cameron III cried out in anguish upon grasping the situation.
The screams only grew louder, and in the end, the king and queen—barely throwing on outer robes—fled the bedroom with their guards.
The ancient castle had secret passages prepared for emergencies, known only to past kings and the Guard Captain. Cameron III rushed toward one.
“You two go first! Lord Riddler and I will buy time here!”
“Grr! I won’t forget your honorable loyalty, my lords.”
Gritting his teeth, Cameron III pushed a brick and pulled the inner handle to open the secret door.
As he thrust a torch inside.
“Long time no see. King of Brodia.”
“Kyaaak!”
“Hngh!”
Cameron III and his queen recoiled as if electrocuted, and the nearby guards slashed into the darkness like lightning.
Clang! Thud-thud!
“Guhk!”
Clear metal clashes and dull thumps rang out as the guards crumpled.
Swoosh!
Eugene, having dispatched the two knights in an instant, seized Cameron III and his queen together, pressing Wolfslaughter to their throats as he called out beyond the passage.
“You there. Drop your weapons. Or the king dies.”
“…!”
Stunned by Eugene’s lightning-fast swordplay, the guards’ faces slackened into despair.
Clang!
The guards tossed their weapons far away, and Eugene, holding the king and queen, glanced back.
“Good work, Lord Roswell.”
“N-no problem.”
One of the nobles Eugene had captured during their failed flight stepped out sheepishly.
Cameron III, who’d ascended young, couldn’t have imagined it, but most noble houses of note in Brodin already knew of the castle’s secret passages.
Some even connected to their own manors long ago. The very passage the king sought ended where Eugene’s captured nobles had emerged—and been nabbed.
“Roswell? Y-you dare! You filthy traitor!”
“What? You were running too!”
“Shut up! I’ll defile your wives down to your grandchildren’s grandchildren and slaughter your fathers! The deepest, darkest dungeon shall befit the kennel of wretched Roswell!”
The betrayed young king screamed with bloodshot eyes.
But all he got was the traitor’s sneer.
“Heh-heh. I’ll at least have heirs, but the Brodia royals end today. Your brat-king days are over. Right, Duke Bartla?”
“D-Duke Bartla?”
Cameron III, shuddering, whipped his eyes around. But he couldn’t see the face at his throat.
Then.
Swoosh!
“Gurk!?”
Torchlight gleamed off silver as a thin red line appeared on the traitor’s throat, who’d been rubbing his hands.
“Wh-why… Grk…”
Blood gushed from his neck, and the noble collapsed.
“Ah! A-ah…”
“…!?”
The queen fainted outright at the sudden killing, and Cameron III’s eyes flew wide in shock.
A cold, low voice wormed into his ear.
“Hey, King of Brodia. There are more like this scum, right?”
“…!”
Feeling the youth flinch, Eugene whispered softly.
“Like this bastard I just dropped. Act like shit toward you, and I’ll kill them all. In return, come under me. No other options.”
If vassals fled before the castle was even fully besieged overnight, the Brodia royals’ house was in shambles.
So Eugene figured the young king would accept. Seeing a betrayer executed right there would seal it.
‘Or just kill him. Whatever.’
Meanwhile, Cameron III froze at the devilish whisper, a daytime voice flashing in his mind.
-Duke Bartla has a filthy temper. He never lets threats slide. Doesn’t care who they are.
Lanslo’s words overlapped Eugene’s, hardening the king’s face. Fury and hatred blazed in his eyes.
“Will you truly… eliminate all those I desire?”
“Of course.”
“By the honor of the Brodia royals… I swear before all spirits of mountains, fields, lakes, and seas. I shall serve under the duke.”
The youth—not yet twenty, worn to the bone, left only with betrayal and hate—made his choice.
“Good.”
Eugene smirked and pulled the blade from his throat.
“Kieeet! Master’s got a king as a minion now! Kings got tons of gold and jewels, right? All that’s yours… no, Master’s, hehe! Kiehehehehe!”
“Ugh!”
The sinister, eerie voice from the dark sent Cameron III’s calmed heart racing anew.
“Ah, that’s my demon. No, spirit. Ignore it.”
“I-is that so? Ah, but…”
Eugene’s reassurance steadied the king’s pulse. He finally looked at him and continued awkwardly.
“Sorry, but we’ve no gold or jewels to speak of. The subjects are starving as we speak. Nothing for you to take. Almost nothing.”
“Kiee!? N-nooo!”
The greed spirit collapsed to its knees like a refugee, wailing in grief.
“…”
Even the duke—who’d looted the fleeing nobles’ fortunes and eyed the Brodia treasury—wore a similar expression.
* * *
“Lord Durak! Lord Durak, wake up!”
“Hm? What is it?”
Though dawn hadn’t fully broken, Lanslo stretched and emerged from his tent at the urgent call.
Partek and the centurions crowded outside, barely containing their excitement.
“A white flag’s up on Brodin’s walls. The gates are open too.”
“Surrendering before sunrise?”
“Haha! That’s right.”
“What a hasty king.”
Lanslo ducked back in, armed up swiftly, and dashed with the beaming centurions toward where Brodin’s gates were visible.
“Oh ho!”
Seeing the white flag fluttering beside the Brodia royal banner, Lanslo’s eyes widened.
Prabout and Wolfgan, now beside him, sounded regretful.
“Hmm. A prime chance to show His Grace our knightly prowess, wasted.”
“When the hell do we get a real fight? And these guys—no Dark Lord even—and they surrender already? Ridiculous.”
“…”
Edmund stayed taciturn as ever but fiddled with his sword hilt, clearly disappointed.
“Our forces are just too overwhelming. No point holding out—a day, and it’d fall. Better to surrender clean.”
Lanslo chuckled and turned, bellowing.
“Brodia surrenders! All hands, prep to enter the city!”
Roooar!
The troops roared, thrilled at claiming a top-five Brantine city bloodlessly.
Ten minutes later.
Eugene’s knights rode to Brodin’s gates, ranks of disciplined troops behind them.
From the wide-open gates emerged two fully armored knights, escorting a strangely composed Cameron III and a gaggle of splendidly dressed men and women, striding out proudly.
“Hey!”
“Huh!?”
“Why’s the Dark Knight out front?”
The burly knight waving was Galpredic.
“Ooh! Lorraine! My precious gem! My darling chickadee! Uherheong!”
“L-Leoma brother…?”
Spotting his beloved sister with eagle eyes, the knight staged a cringeworthy tearful reunion.
(To be continued)