Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Roamer Subjugation
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“What did you say?”
“Uh… Lord Tiwin’s house and Sir Eugene have already signed a contract with me. Here are the agreements for handling the mana stones and monster byproducts, along with the letter of authorization naming the new Lord Tiwin’s agent.”
Prechella’s hand trembled as she took the documents that Bilmore held out, blinking in confusion.
She had planned to meet this knight named Eugene in person and close the deal herself, but somehow, the contract was already done—like beans roasted in a lightning flash.
And the terms weren’t bad for the Feilin Merchant Group—no, they were actually quite favorable.
“We’ve agreed to loan five thousand silver coins, secured by the rights to three dungeon clears. Repayment over two years. We’ve been granted full rights to purify and sell all mana stones from the Tiwin territory dungeon during that period, and for the monster byproducts…”
“Got it. Haa!”
Bilmore tilted his head at Prechella’s long sigh.
This was a great deal—why was the deputy manager sighing?
“Deputy Manager, are the terms not to your liking?”
“They’re fine. Sigh, it’s nothing. Go get back to work. And could you call Mr. Grail for me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As Bilmore rose and reached for the door, he paused as if remembering something and turned back.
“Oh, right. I saw Grail heading to the mercenary guild earlier.”
“Why the mercenary guild?”
“He said he was going to meet Sir Eugene.”
“What? Why would Sir Eugene be at the mercenary guild?”
“Oh! You didn’t know. There’s a roamer pack in the woods on the east outskirts of the city. The city recruiter’s gathering a subjugation force, and it seems Sir Eugene’s joining up.”
“I see. Understo—wait, was Mr. Grail alone?”
“He was with Tevin. Oh, and he had this ridiculously handsome horse with him, no idea where he got it. Full barding too, just…”
Whoosh!
Before he could finish, Prechella shot to her feet and bolted out the door.
“What’s her deal? Bathroom emergency? Well, at least no one can complain about our performance now. Heh heh!”
Bilmore scratched his head in bewilderment, a bright smile creeping onto his face nonetheless.
* * *
After stopping by the inn to gear up fully, Eugene rode out of Maren’s gates with his mercenaries in tow.
Clop clop.
The horse from the Feilin Merchant Group fit him perfectly.
He didn’t know much about warhorses, but they’d bragged about its pedigree papers, so it had to be top-notch.
Not to mention, this one cost three hundred silver even without the barding.
No wonder only the greatest nobles could afford knight orders or cavalry—knights really were money pits.
“Your horsemanship is impressive, Sir Eugene.”
“It’s decent enough.”
Eugene gave Partek’s admiration a curt reply.
“See? Told you it’d work out if you listened to me! Heh heh heh heh!”
Mirian lay sprawled arrogantly atop the warhorse’s head, which he’d named Silion after one of the spirit lords.
Eugene didn’t respond, but inwardly he agreed.
Just earlier, he’d taken Mirian’s advice and bent Silion to his will.
Not so much a threat as submitting it to his innate vampire presence—but either way, master and mount were now perfectly in sync.
Add in a vampire’s superior athleticism, and while he wasn’t at the man-horse unity level yet, he could easily match an average knight.
“Hey hey, Silion. You’ve got it good, you nag. Our young master? He’s a pro at scams! And ripping troll heads off! M-monsters? He handles ‘em all! You lucked out with an owner who’s got your fast track to glory. Blood Count Eugene! Dark Count Eugene!”
Snort!
Silion bobbed his head as if understanding Mirian’s nonsense.
Incredible as it was, the horse could not only see the spirit Mirian but understand him too.
According to Mirian, certain exceptional animals and monsters could perceive spirits, and Silion was one such beast.
‘Must be the pedigree.’
As that thought crossed his mind, the scouting mercenaries who’d gone ahead returned at a gallop.
“Sir Eugene! Big trouble!”
“Trouble?”
“Sir Madrica, who left first, got surrounded by roamers! Most of the mercenaries are dead or fled, and Sir Madrica’s fighting alone…”
“Let’s hurry.”
“Yes, sir!”
Partek’s group and the other mercenaries who knew Eugene charged ahead confidently, while the newcomers followed with skepticism.
* * *
“What a mess.”
Eugene peered at the forest edge, agreeing more than usual with Mirian’s assessment.
Sir Madrica and half the initial mercenaries were nowhere in sight.
Most likely dead or run off, and even the rest fighting weren’t faring well.
The goblins outnumbered them badly. And they weren’t wielding crude wooden clubs—most had iron sickles or daggers.
Even so, two-to-one odds would’ve been manageable, but with three or four goblins per mercenary, they were overwhelmed.
Sir Madrica was holding his own with brilliant mounted swordplay, at least.
“Orc!”
Spotting the new arrivals, the orc warriors—who’d been firing crossbows from behind the goblins—charged toward Madrica.
Gripping double-bladed battle axes in both hands, their long braided hair whipping as they ran, the orcs looked ferocious.
“Sir Eugene! The orcs are overpowering Sir Madrica—they’re gonna drag him into the woods!”
“Drag him?”
“Knights fetch a ransom. Worst case, they just take the horse and gear for profit. Sir Eugene, we’re short on time!”
By then, the orc warriors had blocked the path ahead of Madrica’s bolting horse.
As the spooked mount reared, two orcs lunged from the sides.
Madrica, out of lances, parried with his longsword but struggled against the trio.
“Partek, take these men and rescue the mercenaries. I’ll help Sir Madrica.”
“Yes, sir!”
The thirty-odd mercenaries following Eugene roared and charged.
Originally, they’d expected fewer than ten volunteers, but word of Eugene’s feats in opening the Tiwin dungeon had spread.
A few who’d fought alongside him there signed up without hesitation, spurring the rest to join en masse.
“Sir Eugene’s got the orcs!”
“Just kill the goblins!”
“Waaaaah!”
Leaving the mercenaries’ shouts behind, Silion thundered across the plain.
‘Fast!’
Who knew a pedigreed warhorse was this incredible!
Amazed that even at full vampire sprint he couldn’t match Silion’s speed, Eugene grabbed a lance from beside the saddle.
“Charge! Charge! Yeehaw!”
Hearing Mirian’s yell as he clung to the mane, Eugene loaded the lance onto his atlatl and leaned back at an angle.
One of the orc warriors encircling Madrica whirled toward the thunderous hoofbeats.
“Grraaaah!”
The orc’s roar carried a piercing presence that rattled the ears.
Eugene drew on his vampire power to counter it, his eyes glowing deeper red.
‘This…!’
In that instant, he sensed the intangible aura he’d unleashed shooting forward to strike the orc.
‘Presence.’
Worried Silion might spook, he was relieved when the horse proved his mettle, charging undaunted.
“Hoo!”
Exhaling sharply, Eugene hurled the lance with all his might.
Shwoooom!
The 1.5-meter shaft flew like an arrow.
In a blink, it crossed thirty meters and buried itself in the orc warrior’s chest.
“Grrraaaah!”
Piercing even the chain mail beneath, the orc flew backward with a guttural scream.
The remaining two whipped around at their comrade’s cry.
Sir Madrica, no slouch as a knight, seized the opening.
“Kyaaak!”
His longsword arced through the air to cleave an orc’s shoulder.
Then Eugene, closing the gap atop his charging Silion, swung his battle axe in a diagonal slash.
“…!?”
Overwhelmed by Eugene’s far superior presence, the orc froze.
Thwack!
The axe sheared half its neck; the last orc warrior flew back without a sound.
‘Perfect. Using presence subtly like this will be highly effective from now on.’
Combined with Silion’s armored charge, it’d be devastating.
“Kyak! Kye!”
Thud!
As the orc fled spurting blood from its shoulder, Madrica’s longsword plunged into its back.
“I owe you big time!”
Shaking blood from his blade, Madrica wheeled his horse stylishly.
“Sir Eugene, right? Your honorable deeds and martial prowess—on my name as Ron Madrica, longtime squire to Sir Capran—I… Wh-what, sir!?”
“Goblins left. Stop talking and join up.”
“Right! On it!”
Even now, Madrica had been winding up for a speech, but he hurriedly followed Eugene.
* * *
With Eugene and Madrica linking up, the goblin skirmish ended anticlimactically.
On open plains ideal for cavalry, no mere goblins could withstand armored knights charging.
Just riding fast and smacking them with lance and sword sent them scattering in panic, easy pickings for the mercenaries.
Confirming the last dozen goblins fleeing into the woods, the mercenaries raised victory cheers.
Then came the victor’s spoils.
At Madrica’s order, they gathered the monsters’ weapons and village loot.
Meanwhile, Partek and some others sliced open the bellies of bulkier goblins with daggers.
Orcs, being a different race, had no mana stones, but goblins—even as roamers—sometimes dropped them.
“Sir Eugene! Six mana stones.”
“Good work.”
Paltry compared to dungeon hauls and pea-sized, but Eugene pocketed them all in a leather pouch.
“Hey, Sir Eugene.”
“Hm? Something you need?”
“Well… it’s just…”
Caked in blood, Madrica cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking politely.
“I want to apologize for underestimating you earlier. I may not be knighted yet, but I pride myself on pursuing honor and chivalry with all my heart. To me, you embody true knighthood—a mirror for any who live by the sword…”
“Enough. Once the field’s cleared, deliver this to the recruiter for me. Not familiar with Maren procedures.”
Madrica nodded vigorously, catching the pouch Eugene tossed.
“Oh! Leave it to me. Anyway, let’s grab a drink sometime. My treat—tonight even…”
“Yeah, next time. I’ll head out.”
With zero interest in boozy chatter with this talkative knight, Eugene tugged the reins.
“Take care! You were amazing today! Sir Eugene! See you next time!”
Leaving Madrica’s bright shout amid the bloody field, Eugene rode back to Maren with Partek’s group.
* * *
“Why’d you buy and gift such an expensive horse so fast?”
“The deputy manager told me to hurry it along? And Sir Eugene loved it. Said to pass on his thanks.”
“Of course he’s thankful—free three-hundred-silver warhorse! I’d be thrilled too.”
“But when you said gift, now you complain? Did something happen?”
Prechella let out a deep sigh.
“That knight already closed the deal with Mr. Bilmore. On pretty good terms for us.”
“What? Then did he… approach us already planning to…”
“Exactly. Bilmore said he’d floated the idea back at Rose Castle.”
“What! Why didn’t that idiot mention it till now?”
Prechella gave the outraged Grail a wry smile.
“It was a dungeon opening. Short on men, success odds under fifty percent. Bilmore couldn’t brag on a hunch with our performance already lacking.”
“Oh…”
“Anyway, he was shocked they actually showed up. Never dreamed the Tiwin house would lock in a long-term deal for a loan.”
“Damn. So we didn’t need to gift the horse at all?”
“Yeah. And certainly not such a pricey warhorse.”
“…”
The cost of jumping the gun was steep.
But the contract with Knight Eugene was too good to complain—they could only grimace in silence.
(To be continued in the next installment)