Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Rejecting the Prince's Offer
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“……!”
The fake prince couldn’t hide his fluster.
Even the real prince seemed quite taken aback, staring blankly at Eugene without so much as blinking his bright blue eyes.
Nor were they the only ones.
Frabow, Princess Lilisein, and even Galpredic gazed at Eugene with faint surprise. Only Romari showed no particular reaction, absorbed in counting the money.
It was a perfectly natural response.
The Roman Empire was a great power acknowledged by all. The saying that all culture and learning flowed from Rome wasn’t just empty words.
It was a long-standing custom to send envoys to the Roman Emperor not only when kings changed but even when new dynasties were established.
To flatly reject such an offer from the prince of that mighty empire, without a moment’s hesitation?
It was a decision no noble—regardless of race or nationality—could make lightly.
“Khahaha! That’s my master for you!”
Galpredic burst into laughter.
For someone from a modest knightly family like him, Eugene’s attitude was utterly refreshing.
Of course! Princes be damned—his master was the lord of the Night Clan!
A being worthy of representing an entire race had no need to cling to some prince’s proposal.
And the usually excitable mage’s calm demeanor suggested she already knew as much.
“Ah, no. There’s no need to reject it outright like that. Hear me out a bit more, Lord Bartla.”
“There’s nothing more to hear. I’ve got my own business to attend to, and I see no reason to trek all the way to the empire just to help you, Your Highness.”
“But still.”
“Your Highness, you seem a bit worked up. Why not call it a day?”
The real prince stepped in to calm the fake one.
The fake prince flinched, then forced an awkward smile.
“Ahem! Indeed, I got a little carried away without realizing it. I apologize for showing such an undignified side, Lord Bartla.”
“The real apology is probably for something else.”
“Hm? What was that?”
The fake prince tilted his head at Eugene’s low murmur.
“Nothing at all. Looks like we’re about done resting, so let’s get moving again. Galpredic, lead the knights. And Golden Wraith—snap out of it and make some water. Princess, Master Frabow, prepare to depart.”
Without so much as glancing at the princes’ group, Eugene issued his orders, mounted Silion, and rode off.
“That arrogant bastard…….”
“Hush. Even if no one here understands us, we can’t afford to be careless.”
“Ah. My apologies, Your Highness.”
“Don’t bow your head—give me a shoulder pat at least.”
“Yes, sir.”
The attendant replied politely in the Roman imperial tongue and patted the real prince’s shoulder.
“Are you sure it has to be him? He’s impressive, no doubt, but surely there are greater knights if we look elsewhere.”
“No. In my view, there’s no knight stronger than Duke Bartla. My experiences may be limited, but I’ve never seen his like even in the imperial capital. We must bring him to our side, no matter what. For the empire’s future……and for my own survival.”
The real prince kept his eyes fixed on Eugene’s back, bowing his head repeatedly as if chastising himself before his lord.
* * *
“Then, Your Grace the Duke. We’ll take our leave here. Call on us anytime!”
“For Your Grace the Duke, we’ll draw our swords anytime, anywhere, against anyone.”
The knights’ faces brimmed with loyalty toward Eugene as they headed back to their fiefs and manors.
And small wonder. Eugene hadn’t hoarded the wealth and spoils he’d wrung from the western nobles but shared it with the knights as well.
Not only had they all been properly knighted and granted lordships thanks to him—making them proper kingdom knights and landowners—but he never forgot to reward them after every battle. Their loyalty could only deepen with time.
“Hm. It’s good for me too, but keep your swords sharp for the king’s sake. After all, it was the king who knighted you, not me.”
“You mean His Majesty? He’s been your squire and comrade since the start.”
Most were knights Eugene had come to know during his time in the Caylor Kingdom, and they thought highly of not just him but Luke as well.
Though incomparable to Eugene in skill, they still remembered the humble squire who always fought fiercely at the forefront and shunned no dirty work.
“Then fare you well.”
“Yes, Your Grace the Duke!”
The knights offered crisp, knightly salutes in a rush before dispersing one by one.
“Now then…….”
Eugene’s gaze turned to one spot.
There stood the Beowulf warriors, smacking their lips wistfully in small clusters.
“You’ve all worked hard up till now.”
“Pah! Worked hard? Nah.”
“Yeah. We fought plenty and stuffed ourselves silly on meat.”
“Ah, I want roast duck.”
“I’m craving spiced lamb ribs. Can’t get those in the mountains.”
Eugene swiftly cut off the Beowulf warriors’ conversation before it devolved into the usual bragging about feasts.
“You’ve got the money I gave you. Buy some on the way.”
“Heh heh! A little won’t cut it. For a proper feast, you need at least twenty sheep.”
“Twenty, thirty—buy whatever you want. You’ll have plenty left over.”
“Khehehe! Damn right!”
One warrior’s cart held four chests of silver coins, and their packs bulged with loot besides.
Eugene had paid the Beowulf warriors handsomely enough that they wouldn’t starve for years back in the Perseos Mountains, even without hunting.
“The ones left in Wolfgan and the capital will serve at the king’s side for a while. They’ll rotate every six months, so spread the word to your kin in the mountains. Step up if you’re interested.”
“Spread the word? Hell, we’ll volunteer ourselves!”
“Yeah. Working for the Dark Lord and the kid king? We’d do it for free. Just feed us meat every meal and let us fight till we’re soaked in sweat and blood. Beats hunting in the mountains by a hundredfold.”
Khehehehehe!
The warriors bared their massive fangs in hearty laughter.
Eugene gave a satisfied look to the Beowulf warriors, who had arguably played the biggest role in this Brantia expedition.
Few mercenaries fought as well or stayed as loyal.
They ate like horses—that was their one flaw—but otherwise, they were flawless troops.
Still, their relationship was strictly contractual, so Eugene had no choice but to let them go, regrettable as it was.
That was when Druid Pitamoras, who had chosen to stay on as the king’s advisor, made a suggestion.
“Hmm. It’s a confederation kingdom anyway, so why not ally with the Perseos Beowulfs too? Officially recognize the Perseos Mountains as their territory and keep a standing force of warriors at the capital.”
A druid through and through, he’d come up with a brilliant plan.
Even ordinary lycanthropes took two or three veteran knights to take down. Now imagine a Beowulf warrior clad in custom plate armor?
Not even five or six fully armored knights could guarantee victory.
In fact, when Eugene had tested them in sparring, four knights from Caylor Kingdom had collapsed from exhaustion.
So Eugene had proposed an alliance to Wolfgan, who accepted without hesitation.
Unlike typical Beowulf warriors, Wolfgan’s superior intellect and social graces let him see that maintaining friendly ties with the new kingdom served all his kin best.
“Dark Lord! Safe travels!”
“Dark Knight and Golden Wraith, you too!”
“Kyeet!? I’m not your damn Golden Wraith! You mangy mutts! Kyeeeeek!”
The Beowulf warriors chuckled at the furiously hopping Mirian as they departed.
* * *
Amid the fervent cheers of Brighton’s citizens, Eugene and the knights entered the capital.
“Master!”
“Duke Zeeeeean!”
Luke and the nobles poured into the central courtyard to welcome Eugene.
Their faces overflowed with overwhelming emotion.
And how could they not? Thanks to this expedition, Brantia had achieved true unification for the first time in decades.
Over the past few centuries, dynasties had risen and fallen, but aside from the Knight King, no royal house had ever secured the cooperation of Elland and the northern Baiman orcs.
Thus, Brantia’s nobles had all assumed no one—regardless of who took the throne—could replicate such feats.
Yet the grand achievement only the Knight King had accomplished was now repeated after hundreds of years.
“Euhuhuuhuhu! Duke Zeean! Zeean!”
“All the gods and spirits of this land will bless the Crollmarin royal house and Bartla!”
As everyone reveled in the emotion, the nobles of the Bartla ducal house wept tears and snot in sheer joy.
Not only had he recovered all the house’s heirlooms, but a duke who had established the unified kingdom—the very purpose of the Bartla line—had emerged in their generation.
To them, it no longer mattered that Eugene was a vampire from foreign lands.
The passion of having reached the greatest prosperity since the founder under his leadership—and the ecstasy of sharing in that glory—left them weeping and laughing.
“Long live His Majesty the King!”
“Long live Duke Bartla!”
“Brantia forever!”
Cheers rang out from men and women, young and old, nobles and commoners, all races and ranks alike, shaking the castle.
Yet amid the universal joy, a few watched the scene with complicated, bitter expressions.
“Hmph! Making such a fuss over some backwater island kingdom getting a king.”
“Exactly. A puny nation smaller than the fiefs of our empire’s vassals.”
“Rustics like them get excited over trifles.”
“Watch your tongues.”
Prince Rocaroph’s stern voice pierced the ears of the whispering escort knights in the imperial tongue.
The knights hastily bowed their heads and glanced warily as the prince suppressed his anger.
“Small island kingdom or not, this is their land and realm where we stand. And what of us? We have a homeland, yet cannot return. We have those who await us, yet cannot meet them. In what way are we better off than these Brantian subjects?”
“Y-Your Highness…….”
“Pardon our foolish words.”
The knights bit their lips, unable to lift their heads at the prince’s suddenly forlorn tone.
“I know you spoke out of haste and envy. But remember, it ill befits knights of the great empire.”
“Y-Yes, sir…….”
“And raise your heads. No matter how dire our straits, I am the rightful heir to the great empire. Though I walk a dark path now, light is sure to come. Especially since I’ve found that light at last in this fading western land. You must give your all.”
“We shall remember—nay, engrave it in our hearts.”
Only then did the knights raise their heads to regard the still boyish prince.
With fists clenched tight and lips pressed firm, he wore a servant’s garb, yet unmistakably embodied his noble golden blood.
Unlike his arrogant siblings who couldn’t endure the slightest discomfort, they truly respected the persevering, wise Prince Rocaroph.
Had they not, they never would have followed him to this distant island kingdom.
In that sense, the escort knights might be narrow-minded, but they never betrayed honor or chivalry.
Just one regrettable thing.
‘He’s looking at the vampire duke again, not the Brantia king.’
‘Does that one please him so much?’
The knights unconsciously clenched their fists.
The vampire duke, with his jet-black hair whipping in the wind and crimson eyes aglow, was undoubtedly a once-in-a-decade knight of exceptional caliber—they knew that now.
But he was a Marecasio. One of the rare Night Clan in the empire who could walk by day.
By ancient pact, they bowed to the imperial house, which in turn acknowledged their status. Yet among all non-humans, Marecasio were deemed the most dangerous.
Coming from the empire’s prestigious martial houses, the escort knights couldn’t help but worry over Prince Rocaroph’s fixation on Duke Bartla.
But.
‘In the end, only another Marecasio can handle a Marecasio?’
‘To drive out that demon by the crown prince’s side, we might truly need that cunning vampire duke’s aid…….’
Faced with an undeniable reality, the escort knights gazed at Eugene—whom the prince watched as if enraptured—with eyes mingling jealousy, expectation, and complexity.
A being of darkness who might, paradoxically, become their light.
(To be continued in the next installment)