Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: Knight Partek Campbell
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Partek—no, Knight Partek Campbell—still clearly remembered the day he first met his liege.
The young knight had possessed a blade-sharp demeanor utterly devoid of openings, combined with a feral aura that seemed ready to explode at the slightest touch.
Traveling alongside that knight to the Tiwin family's castle, Partek had made the choice of a lifetime.
‘Deciding to follow Your Grace was the greatest choice of my life.’
Had he refused the offer back then, he would have wandered the areas around Maren as a second-rate mercenary, either retiring in mediocrity or dying pointlessly.
But he had accepted Eugene's proposal, and in exchange, he had roamed countless demonic realms and battlefields, facing near-death experiences more times than he could count and enduring all sorts of hardships.
Of course, the reward had been immense: in just two years, he had earned far more money than in the previous dozen years before meeting Eugene.
And far more important than money was becoming a knight in his mid-thirties, a late age to receive such an appointment.
Some said of him:
He had fought desperately and striven so hard that he had rightfully seized his due reward.
But Partek didn't see it that way.
No matter how well one fought or lived diligently, he had seen countless mercenaries get backstabbed by poor employers or commanders, or even meet ignoble deaths.
There was only one difference between those lost souls and Partek.
‘I serve Your Grace, while they did not.’
Whether Eugene was a vampire or whatever else, it meant nothing to Partek.
To him, Eugene was simply the liege he would serve and follow for life.
That was why he had swung his killing sword without mercy toward the serf soldiers.
The serf soldiers, clad in thin padded armor, could not withstand Partek, a veteran of over ten years of real combat.
In an instant, five of them collapsed, spurting blood. The remaining ten or so serf soldiers fled in terror.
Partek demonstrated the vast gap between untrained serf soldiers who had never seen battle—let alone proper training—and professional combat mercenaries who sold their swordsmanship for pay.
He did not bother pursuing the fleeing serf soldiers and instead rushed to where Princess Lilisein was fighting.
Intending to assist her, he soon grinned, shook the blood from his shortsword, and sheathed it.
The three knights of Lord Arcroad were no match for Princess Lilisein.
As rumored to be one of Elrand's top knights, she neutralized the domain knights with clean, swift swordsmanship devoid of any wasted motion, striking the gaps in their chain mail.
‘She deliberately avoided lethal wounds. Impressive skill. She's below Sir Lancelot or Sir Galpredic, but above the others.’
Partek inwardly clicked his tongue in admiration.
The prowess of the tall, beautiful princess knight was far superior to what he had expected.
“Gah!”
Princess Lilisein struck the jaw of the young knight—who appeared to be Lord Arcroad's son—with the flat of her blade, then kicked his staggering foe in the gut with her foot.
“Guugh!”
Her strength was no less than that of any man; the knight flew into the air from her kick before crashing down on his knees.
“Urk! Bluuuugh!”
After glancing at the knight vomiting up his meal, Princess Lilisein sheathed her sword and turned.
“Mission complete. Awaiting orders.”
“Well done.”
Eugene, who had been watching the situation with his sword held to Lord Arcroad's brow, was satisfied with Partek and Princess Lilisein's skills.
Partek had grown to a level rivaling a knight in his handling of the shortsword and shield, if nothing else.
And Princess Lilisein possessed skills a cut or two above even the knights of Kailer Kingdom.
“Kieeh! Princess knight milady is amazing! Wow!”
“……!?”
Princess Lilisein's face snapped toward Mirian, who had let out an exclamation without thinking.
“Kiet!”
Startled by her blazing gaze, Mirian hid behind Eugene's shoulder. Princess Lilisein licked her lips and muttered.
“Someday, definitely…….”
“Wh-what? Someday definitely? Wh-what do you mean? Kieeek!?”
The spirit shuddered at the princess's gaze, which carried the same desire but with a different texture—almost a hint of madness. Ignoring the creature, Eugene addressed Lord Arcroad, who was just opening and closing his mouth.
“Defying the king's command means execution. You know that, right?”
“……!”
“If it were up to me, I'd sever your head right now, but the king is so honorable and magnanimous that it's a problem. Even though he's my squire, I can't handle matters like this on my own whim.”
*You've done everything else on your whim so far!*
“So, your punishment is postponed.”
Eugene withdrew Wolfslaughter.
“Hoo! Hahk, heuk!”
Finally freed from the bloodlust and fear, Lord Arcroad clutched his throat and collapsed to the ground.
“I'm taking those three with me. And hand it over.”
“Wh-what do you mean, sir?”
Eugene spoke to the thoroughly cowed Lord Arcroad as if it were obvious.
“You said you'd give money and provisions, right? I'm busy, so hurry up.”
“Th-that…….”
Deprived of words by Eugene's brazen attitude—taking not only his precious knights, including his own son, but also military funds and supplies—Lord Arcroad was speechless.
This wasn't a duke; he was a brigand straight out of a nightmare.
“Refuse, and you'll lose your head right here for defying the king's command. Don't test my patience, my lord. As I said, I don't warn twice.”
“How much will it take?”
Lord Arcroad, whose head wasn't entirely dim, quickly grasped the vampire duke's disposition.
Whatever came later, for now, he had to meet the demands.
Otherwise, this vampire duke—who was even more fearsome in appearance and temper than the rumors, no, far beyond them—would unhesitatingly take his head.
“As you said, gold is an excellent means depending on the situation. Show your sincerity toward me and the royal family.”
The magic words: sincerity. Rather than naming a specific amount, this vague demand with no limits made Lord Arcroad dizzy.
But since the speaker was a mad duke with a sword in hand, he could only force a servile smile and comply.
* * *
Starting with Lord Arcroad, Eugene visited every noble and lord along the path to the western coast, securing troops and supplies from seven of them over three days.
Of course, "securing" meant extortion backed by shows of force.
The nobles trembled with rage but said nothing, their fear far outweighing their anger.
Moreover, Eugene held the justification of the "king's command."
Still, while they held their tongues in Eugene's presence, they took action in their own way.
They had gone to their mainstay, the head of House Fransil.
“How can he be so lawless and vicious? Lord Fransil! I only tried to uphold my loyalty to House Fransil. But that duke held a sword to my chin and threatened me, taking my son and knights…….”
“As your vassal of House Fransil, I said I could only send troops with your permission. Then he outright ordered his knights to attack…….”
“Calling it troop conscription is a joke—it's taking hostages! Vyman Orcs? What nonsense excuse is that…… It's surely a scheme to bolster his own position!”
“As leader of the alliance, you must convey the truth to the king and the capital! Put a brake on Duke Bartla's arrogance! Lord Fransil!”
The nobles, arriving one or two every other day, vented their fury with eerily similar complaints, as if scripted.
“Hmm.”
Lord Fransil, who had initially sympathized and offered comfort upon hearing the first reports, grew gravely serious by the last noble's visit.
In truth, he had already heard the details through a knight sent by Eugene.
But this was far worse than he had anticipated……
“Lord Fransil! You must make a decision!”
“Show the will of the west! You're the only one who can give that young king a proper scolding!”
Misinterpreting the gravely stern expression on Lord Fransil's face as anger, the nobles raised their voices higher.
But in their excitement, they failed to notice the reactions of the Fransil knights gathered for the civil unrest.
Had they seen Lord Fransil's youngest daughter, Loraine, and several knights fidgeting anxiously, they might have sensed something amiss.
Blinded by their outrage, grievance, and fear toward Duke Bartla, they focused solely on pleading with Lord Fransil.
Finally, the deeply furrowed-faced Lord Fransil spoke sternly.
“This madness must end.”
“Ooh!”
“Milord!”
The nobles' faces brightened at Lord Fransil's seemingly furious reaction.
“We cannot stand by idly. Prepare my horse at once! I shall go to Duke Bartla myself. And you lords—you will accompany me.”
“Of course!”
“We believed in you, Lord Fransil!”
Seeing Lord Fransil's apparent genuine rage, the nobles were convinced.
Without House Fransil's cooperation, that young king and Duke Bartla would be in quite a bind.
* * *
“How many knights did we conscript from those bastards who acted like shit?”
“Including squires, forty-two. Their skills are average, but their equipment is decent enough that grouping them together should yield considerable firepower.”
Though not formally trained in military theory like true knights, Partek offered his opinion based on long mercenary experience, which allowed for some tactical judgment.
“What's your take, Master?”
“Hmm. Sir Campbell's assessment is spot on. However, rather than keeping them separate, it would be better to mix them with our existing knights. We must consider morale.”
“Then that's what we'll do.”
As Eugene nodded, Princess Lilisein stepped forward confidently.
“Your Grace. You didn't ask me?”
“……What do you think, Princess?”
He had no desire to ask, but since she and Frabow held the highest ranks excluding himself, Eugene inquired perfunctorily.
“I concur with Sir Campbell and Master Frabow. That is all.”
“…….”
She truly was a woman beyond eccentric—bordering on deranged.
Still, it was undeniable that her skills had been a great asset in the recent shows of force.
Even the knights who had initially dismissed her as a woman now harbored no doubts about Princess Lilisein's prowess.
Some had even grown fond of her, more ruthless and reckless than the men.
Moreover, Princess Lilisein cared only for battle, showing no interest in rewards, merits, or special treatment.
Uncharacteristically for an elf royal born with a silver spoon, she was the epitome of a straightforward knight—one impossible to dislike.
Of course, her mad gazes at Eugene and Mirian several times a day were quite unsettling.
In any case, Eugene integrated the half-hostage knights with those loyal to him rather than isolating them.
Language barriers due to different nationalities and their disparate circumstances bred discontent, but no knight dared show it before Eugene.
The Kailer Kingdom knights revered him deeply and knew him all too well, while the conscripted ones simply feared him too much.
Thus, among the over sixty knights excluding squires, nearly half did not truly follow Eugene.
‘Damn it. What orcs are coming…….’
‘Obviously just hunting roamers or bandits to pad his merits.’
‘We heard he was vicious, but this is way beyond the rumors?’
They acknowledged Eugene's prowess from direct experience but inwardly swallowed their anger at his cruel, brutish demeanor as they marched toward the coast under his lead.
A few days later, arriving at the northernmost of the four most likely sites, Eugene issued orders to the knights and Beowulf warriors.
“Knights, establish a camp here. Beowulfs, pair up and head south along the coast.”
The Beowulf warriors, with speeds matching horses but far superior endurance and terrain adaptability, departed immediately.
Though no meat was involved, they couldn't hide their excitement at the prospect of clashing with the warriors of the Vyman Orcs, once conquerors of Brantia.
Two days later, in the morning.
“Dark Lord! Dark Lord!”
Two Beowulf warriors, rushing up covered head to toe in dirt and grass, breathlessly reported to Eugene.
“We found the orcs! But... something's off about it.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Eh, you'll see. Better to show you than explain!”
Following the Beowulf warriors—who were skilled fighters and loyal but sorely lacking in eloquence—Eugene and the knights mounted up.
Half a day later.
Against the backdrop of an orange sea as the sun began to set, the knights arrived at a gravel beach stretching in a long curve and widened their eyes in shock.
(To be continued in the next installment)