Chapter 215
Chapter 215
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 215
Chapter Title: Cathedral Confrontation
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“And the reason is…….”
Eugene raised his hand toward Princess Lilisein, who was twisting her body back and forth.
“Stop. That’s not important right now. Have you forgotten why we came here?”
“M-My mistake! I shall reflect on it deeply!”
As if to prove she was born to be a knight, Princess Lilisein immediately bowed her head sharply.
At that moment, Madrica and the knights came rushing over in a group.
“Lord Eugene! What in the world happened? Monsters out of nowhere?”
“Did you take it down yourself, my lord? A twin-headed ogre, all by yourself?”
“Hey now! Of course he did, right? Lord Eugene already tamed an undead twin-headed ogre back on the Karsbargin Peninsula.”
“Yeah. I heard they displayed it in the city hall in Mopern as proof of faith.”
The knights buzzed about Eugene’s famous feat of taming the undead twin-headed ogre, one of his most renowned achievements, and cast eyes full of excitement and envy toward him.
“Truly impressive, my lord!”
“Not just any ogre, but a twin-headed one! And you felled two of them! You’re the only knight in history to do so!”
“It’ll go down in legend, my lord!”
Even the arrogant, prideful knights raised their thumbs one after another.
Succeeding in ogre hunts alone made one a knight coveted by all nobles.
But twin-headed ogres? And twice over?
This went beyond pride or jealousy.
“That’s not the point right now, my lords. That thing was undead. Don’t you know what that means?”
“……!!!”
Of course they did.
Unless it was a cursed land, undead monsters didn’t just appear. There had to be a master who turned it into an undead.
“Undead appearing in the heart of the royal capital…….”
The knights grew serious once more.
“This is no ordinary matter, my lords.”
“It makes sense why the citizens were fleeing in such panic. Without you, Lord Eugene, it would’ve been a disaster.”
“No. Isn’t the timing too coincidental? This happens right after Prince His Highness and Lord Eugene enter the capital?”
“Ah! You don’t think it’s because of you, Lord Eugene, and us?”
“Hmm!”
Hmm? The mood’s taking a weird turn.
Eugene watched the knights murmuring gravely among themselves, tilting his head inwardly.
His original plan had been this:
Enter the capital using Prince Lokarop’s status, then transform into a drake and cause chaos.
The capital and castle forces alone could never catch it, so the prince would feign aid by calling in the knights waiting nearby.
Then Eugene would pretend to flee while chased, transform back to normal, storm the castle, and capture the king and nobles.
Of course, minor variables would arise, but this was the best way to seize the castle without knight casualties.
Yet now, the knights seemed to view the capital-wrecker not as a drake, but as the undead twin-headed ogre.
‘This might work out…… Perfect.’
Eugene inwardly cheered at the sudden idea but feigned sternness as he spoke.
“Hmm. I agree with you all. It seems the king has relied on some evil mystery.”
“……!!!”
To the wide-eyed knights, Eugene let out a low sigh and continued calmly.
“Phew! Undead monsters don’t pop up overnight, do they? It must’ve been prepared long ago. I’ve faced countless foes and monsters, but I’ve never struggled like this.”
“A-As expected!”
“Such a lamentable affair! A king of a nation leaning on black magic…….”
“Releasing monsters into his own capital? A king like that is absurd!”
“My lords! We must drag that dishonorable wretch from the throne at once!”
The knights erupted in fury one after another, seething with rage. They seemed ready to charge the castle and pummel the king and nobles right then.
But Prince Lokarop and his escort knights, watching the scene, were beyond stunned—they were appalled.
‘He wrecked the capital himself!’
‘And he’s slyly shifting the blame like this?’
‘This isn’t just devious. This level of scheming is art.’
Prince Lokarop’s group felt relief on one hand that such a man was on their side.
Imagine that pinnacle of cunning as an enemy? The mere thought made their heads spin.
“My lords. It seems we must capture the vile sorcerer who created the undead monster. We don’t need numbers for that, so I and the elf knights—who can counter magic—will handle it. You all go to the castle and arrest the king.”
“Understood!”
“Lord Madrica, capturing the king is yours.”
“Ooh! An honor! I shall drag that king who betrayed righteousness from his throne!”
True to his love of standing out and showing off, Madrica jumped for joy.
“Prince His Highness. We need you to open the castle gates, so come with us.”
“Very well.”
Since it was already planned, Prince Lokarop nodded.
“My lords! Let’s go! Today, with our hands, we right the justice of this crumbling kingdom!”
“Wooooah!!!”
Led by Prince Lokarop and Madrica, the knights spurred their horses toward the castle.
With that many knights, they could easily seize the castle, which lacked proper forces and was in chaos from the drake.
Especially since they were knights led by a Roman Empire royal.
Eugene turned to Princess Lilisein and the elf knights.
“There’s surely a necromancer master, but unfortunately, I couldn’t sense any presence. Doesn’t seem like an ordinary mage, so pair up in twos and scatter to search for traces.”
“If I may, Your Grace. There’s no need for such trouble.”
“Hm?”
What’s this now?
As Eugene narrowed his eyes, Princess Lilisein straightened her shoulders and spoke.
“As I mentioned before, pure-blooded Elrands possess the ability to detect mana.”
“……!”
Seeing Eugene’s surprised face made Princess Lilisein feel oddly flushed.
‘S-Such a cute expression. It’s a bit at odds with Your Grace’s valor and dignity, but that makes it even better! Ahh, I want to touch it! Hug him till his skull cracks… Hot! W-What am I thinking!’
Princess Lilisein snapped out of it, her half-lidded eyes drooling as she stared at Eugene.
“So, the princess can find the necromancer controlling the undead?”
Feeling an inexplicable chill, Eugene pressed quickly, and Princess Lilisein wiped her drooling mouth and nodded.
“Possible. In fact, I’ve already sensed the flow of evil mana. We just need to follow it.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Led by Princess Lilisein, Eugene and the elf knights spurred their horses.
* * *
“A dragon? You’re saying an evil dragon appeared in the capital?”
“Indeed.”
“……!!!”
The holy knights assembled in the grand cathedral were shocked.
But the shock quickly turned to blazing battle spirit.
“My lords! This is no time to dawdle! Let’s go slay that evil dragon!”
“This is a trial and test from the gods. We must smite that wicked dragon with our blades.”
“Gods…….”
“Grant us courage!”
The holy knights drew their swords, kissed the blades, and began tracing holy signs.
‘No, these lunatics!’
The cardinal panicked but forced a calm, benevolent expression.
“Oh! Your faith is truly noble and holy. But my lords, you must not forget your duty.”
“Pardon?”
To the holy knights burning with fame disguised as faith, the cardinal spoke resolutely.
“What is a holy knight? Is it not to safeguard the gods’ will and sanctity?”
“Ah!”
“Hmm!”
Seeing their flinch, the cardinal was certain his intent was working and continued swiftly.
“Then I ask again. Where lies faith and sanctity? With King His Majesty? The castle? No! Right here, in the house of your devoted servants! The cathedral that has stood firm through dynasties, preaching faith and upholding sanctity!”
Ooooh……!
The holy knights knelt on one knee with swelling eyes, tracing holy signs en masse.
Most holy knights hailed from families tied to the cardinal, raised in the church from childhood with religious training and practice.
To them, the cardinal was their soul’s guide and father of faith. Falling for his words was no surprise.
“We, servants of the holy gods, must follow Your will! Let us protect sanctity from the evil dragon! Brothers of faith!”
“We obey!”
Overcome with passion, the holy knights prostrated in prayer, some shedding tears.
‘Good, good.’
‘As expected of the cardinal!’
As the clergy watched the holy knights with satisfaction,
BOOM!
A massive explosion roared from outside.
“Eek!?”
Forgetting decorum, the cardinal shrieked and hunched down.
“W-What’s that!?”
“Could the evil dragon be here?”
“Brothers, prepare!”
As the holy knights surged to rush out, the doors burst open and a group of knights charged in.
“Who are you!?”
“How dare you invade this place!”
The holy knights’ momentum was formidable.
Residing in the capital’s grand cathedral, they were all clad in holy-force-infused gear, their skills exceptional.
This was why King Feil II could send elites to the noble coalition expedition—thanks to these cathedral holy knights.
But the king had died pointlessly in the hunting grounds, a fact unknown to the holy knights, who now raised blades against intruders invading not the castle, but the cathedral.
“Pathetic fools!”
CLANG!
The lead black knight slammed his unmistakably extraordinary spear into the floor and bellowed.
“Undead monsters are ravaging the capital, and what are you so-called holy knights doing!?”
“W-What……!?”
CLANK!
Raising his visor, Eugene swept the flustered holy knights with sharp eyes and raised his voice.
“I am Duke Yan Eugene Bartla.”
“Bartla Duke?”
“Yan… Eugene?”
As some tilted their heads, a knight who recognized Eugene upon entry roared in fury.
“The heretic who slew our brothers!”
It was Yung Dirhit, a holy knight Eugene could never forget.
“My lords! It’s him! This is the apostate who, at the behest of the rebel Winslon, used vile tricks to murder our brothers! A member of the wicked dark clan!”
“What!?”
“You scum!”
CLASH CLANG!
Holy-force blades gleamed murderously, aimed at Eugene.
After the Winslon count’s knight tournament, Kaylor Kingdom’s central church had marked Eugene as priority target, gathering intel.
They knew he’d become a duke in Brantia, and possibly a vampire.
For these holy knights, this top heretic suddenly appearing in the cathedral was absurd fury—and a chance for lifetime glory.
But Eugene didn’t twitch, fixing cold eyes on Yung Dirhit.
“Me? That’s amusing. Tell me, my lord. Could a wicked dark clan member walk into the cathedral on their own?”
Of course, they’d entered claiming invitation by Prince Lokarop’s group, but no need to mention that.
Plus, some holy knights flinched at his words—intent successful.
“I asked if the dark clan could enter a church blessed by the gods’ protection. Lord Yung Dirhit.”
“T-That’s…….”
Eugene’s brazen attitude and shattered common sense left Dirhit speechless.
The other holy knights too.
Huh? Come to think of it……
How could a vampire enter a silver-and holy-force protected cathedral? In broad daylight?
“Given the situation, I’ll set aside the plots against me for now, my lord.”
“Urgh…….”
“More importantly!”
Displaying peak acting to the confused holy knights, Eugene turned to the cardinal gaping silently on the podium.
“The one who unleashed the undead monster on the capital is here. Cardinal. Did you know?”
“W-What!?”
“Absurd nonsense!”
As holy knights bristled, one stepped forward.
“It’s an indisputable fact. I vouch for it.”
“……!?”
“I am direct lineage of Elrand’s royal house.”
Drawing all eyes, the knight removed her helmet and invoked mana—she was Princess Lilisein.
“Gasp!?”
“An e-elf!”
Her already goddess-like beauty enhanced by mana’s mystical glow.
Standing against the stained glass, she embodied holiness.
“Ooo…….”
The cathedral erupted in awe and shock, mistaking her for a saint’s return.
And then.
THUD!
“Gasp?”
Everyone’s eyes widened at the object the elf knights tossed to the floor.
Two twin-headed ogre heads.
Moreover, the unmistakable demonic aura was palpable to clergy and holy knights.
“I-It’s true?”
“Undead monster in the capital…….”
“And that knight…….”
Faced with irrefutable proof, clergy and holy knights alike lost their composure.
‘The necromancer fled to the cathedral of all places. If I spin this right, I can take him and the church out in one go.’
Eugene was beyond satisfied—he was soaring.
(To be continued in the next installment)