Chapter 224
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Monsters on the Move
Eugene's intuition only grew firmer during the journey to the Tiwin territory.
"Kreeek! Kyaaak!"
Roamer monsters spilled dark red blood and entrails as they fell to the spears and swords of the elf knights.
Not a single one of the horde exceeding forty kobolds survived; they were annihilated completely.
"This is a bit strange."
One elf knight wiped the blood and flesh from his blade as he spoke.
"With Your Highness, the highest noble of the Dark Clan, here, for kobolds to attack us? Even a banneret—no, a mere lord—would make low-tier roamers think twice before charging."
The other elf knights nodded gravely in agreement.
Roamers were monsters freed from the demonic energy unique to the Demonic Realm. In exchange, their strength and aggression weakened, making their behavior akin to wild animals.
Thus, they rarely attacked first if they judged the opponent stronger.
Yet this group—seven elf knights plus Eugene, a top vampire noble—had already been ambushed by Roamer monsters three times.
"And even if kobolds are pack monsters, gathering nearly fifty is extremely rare."
"Not just that; that's only the attackers. Add the females and young left in the den, and it's over a hundred. Your Highness the Archduke, is this common on the continent?"
"Not at all. I've never heard of it."
Eugene shook his head.
The largest Roamer groups Eugene had encountered numbered around twenty at most.
Of course, the goblins he wiped out near Maren Forest in the past had been numerous, but they were under mountain orc control, so they were an exception.
"It is odd. Normally, even a few regular knights would keep roamers from approaching, regardless of me."
In truth, no knights were even needed; a band of mercenaries alone deterred small Roamer packs.
That was precisely why people hired mercenaries as escorts for long journeys.
"Master! Master! Jackpot again! Kehehe!"
As always, Mirian fluttered back from collecting spoils, grinning ear to ear.
Roamer gear yielded nothing worthwhile, but some carried mana stones, so she diligently rummaged through every corpse.
"Nine mana stones! Total jackpot!"
"Remarkable. I expected at most three or four."
Princess Lilisein blinked in surprise, and the elf knights mirrored her astonishment.
"The ones from yesterday's attack had quite a few too, right?"
"Yeah! Seven yesterday, nine today. Total so far... twenty-th... ree! Nice haul!"
Her math was off, but this was far beyond a nice haul.
If hunting Roamers consistently yielded this many mana stones, there'd be no need to brave the perilous Demonic Realm.
Why enter the monsters' home turf, brimming with dangers and restrictions?
Hunting weaker roamers, where they held the advantage, was far better.
'Wait.'
Eugene furrowed his brow at the thought.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness the Archduke? Some concern?"
Ever the devotee, Princess Lilisein pressed close at his change in expression.
"Not a concern, exactly. Those Roamer packs that ambushed us so far—if we were just five or six mercenaries, it would've been tough, right?"
Eugene referenced the typical mercenary hire for small merchant caravans.
"Yes. Continental knights and mercenaries outmatch Brantia, but a determined Roamer charge like that would require at least ten."
"And if traveling long distances like us now?"
Another elf knight stepped forward.
"Casualties are inevitable in combat, so ten wouldn't suffice. They might've scraped by the first, but the second would've nearly wiped them out."
"I see. Then to reach here safely from our starting point, you'd need around thirty. Plus a knight or two."
"Indeed."
"......"
Eugene pondered briefly before looking up.
"We head straight to Tiwin Castle as fast as possible."
"Yes!"
* * *
They repelled one more Roamer ambush en route without losses, arriving at the Marcus Mountains foothills—a pass Eugene had crossed several times before.
It was where he'd intervened in the dispute between Viscount Fairchilden, who'd gifted him Wolfslayer, and Baron Bomel.
Meanwhile, Marcus Mountains and the two territories now belonged to the Maren Principality.
"Supplies are getting tight. Shall we stop at a village, Your Highness?"
"Yes. I know a place."
Eugene headed for the village at the mountain base, where he'd once escorted merchant Delduan and his group.
'Hm? It's changed a lot since then.'
The village had grown larger, and the log palisade—once adult male height—was now twice as tall.
Sharpened wooden stakes protruded densely outward.
"H-Halt! Halt there!"
As Eugene and the elf knights approached, a panicked shout rang from the watchtower inside the gate.
Some ten men leveled crossbows from either side of the entrance, aiming at the group.
"Who are you knights? This is Lord Bomel's land..."
"Don't you remember me?"
Eugene stepped forward and removed his helmet.
The watchtower men gawked at his strikingly memorable beauty.
"K-Knight!"
"Sir Eugene!"
Maren's founding and Eugene's ascension to archduke apparently hadn't reached here yet. The villagers called him as before, joyfully opening the palisade gate.
"To see you again, Sir Knight! Such an honor!"
"Come in!"
Having slain Marcus Mountains monsters and resolved the lordly dispute, Eugene was genuinely welcomed.
"Odd. In Brantia, folk usually fear knights."
"Must be Your Highness's accumulated virtue. That's why the cities acclaimed him archduke first."
"As renowned for generosity as for valor and prowess."
'Not quite.'
Eugene inwardly grimaced at the elf knights' murmurs.
He'd only done it for the money.
No need to correct them, though. He followed the villagers' warm guidance into the village.
Yet their reactions seemed overly effusive.
He hadn't done anything warranting imperial envoy treatment.
The mystery resolved upon entering the village pub.
"Gasp!?"
The men inside widened their eyes at Eugene the moment he opened the door.
They stared blankly for seconds, then surged forward, bowing deeply without regard for status.
"W-We greet Your Highness the Archduke!"
"Y-Your Highness!"
The pub's dim, dingy patrons were a merchant caravan.
Small-scale peddlers, but frequent Maren travelers, they knew the latest there—including Eugene.
"Archduke?"
"The knight? What's this?"
"No idea."
Villagers, out of the loop, were baffled, but sensing the merchants' gravity, they hastily bowed too.
"What's going on? Why are merchants gathered here?"
Eugene asked, intuiting trouble.
The merchants looked up eagerly.
"It's those Roamer monsters, sir."
"Marcus Mountains have become Roamer heaven, Your Highness!"
They explained tearfully.
"So, the mercenaries held them off while you fled back here?"
"Y-Yes. Horses dead, cargo lost... Only us merchants and porters escaped."
"Porters and slaves died too. Goods are replaceable, but... sob!"
Not total scoundrels, they grieved people over profits.
"How many mercenaries did you hire?"
"Four teams, eighteen men. Large caravan, so..."
With six merchants and porters, over thirty total—not insignificant.
Still, three teams was unusual, so Eugene pressed.
"Don't merchants usually hire one or two? Why so many?"
"That's just it."
Eugene's face hardened as the lead merchant spoke.
Lately, Roamer numbers in Marcus Mountains had grown.
Initially dismissed, hires rose from three to six mercenaries.
But sightings increased, even mid-tier monsters on paths.
Knights were unavailable—most in Brantia expedition.
Mercenaries scarce, elites gone.
Doubling hires barely sufficed.
Until recently.
"Roamer packs suddenly doubled. Max twenty before; now twice that for months."
"And they used to gauge our numbers and back off. Now they charge blindly."
"Hm."
Eugene's eyes darkened; he'd experienced it firsthand.
Then the eldest, most veteran merchant spoke gravely.
"Your Highness. The real issue: this isn't just Marcus Mountains."
"......?"
"Deep forests and rugged mountains everywhere—Roamers surging, more aggressive. I've heard remote hamlets razed."
"Why isn't this known? Lords should muster subjugation forces."
"They're tiny, dozens of folk. Lords visit yearly if that. Plus recent civil war."
"Local lords aligned with Maren early, so they're responding now. We're awaiting Lord Bomel's troops."
"I see."
Events unfolding unbeknownst to him.
Good he'd ventured out, even for other reasons. Eugene asked,
"Any word on Tiwin territory?"
With first squire Pellid gone to Wardenguard, Feilin Merchant Group's Tiwin ties had thinned.
Prechella lacked details; another handled it.
No time for small fiefs amid massive growth.
"W-Well, we don't trade there..."
"Me neither."
As merchants shook heads, the lead ventured cautiously.
"Same here, but rumors..."
" Rumors?"
"Yes."
Sensing Eugene's aura shift, he swallowed dryly.
"Lord hired knights and mercenaries for a dungeon. None returned—not even dismantlers or porters."
"......!"
"Lord sealed lips; no leaks from remote Tiwin."
"I see......"
Eugene nodded, picturing long-unseen Kamara Tiwin.
Ambitious enough, cunning enough, sycophantic enough—he'd silence it.
'But Kamara wouldn't go that far? Hiring personally?'
Moderation meant avoiding excess.
Kamara Tiwin, as Eugene knew, wasn't reckless.
"Y-Your Highness the Archduke."
"Hm?"
Merchants and villagers bowed deeply.
"Boldly we beg: purge Marcus Mountains monsters!"
"Look upon us kindly! Your Highness!"
"Of course."
It was the plan anyway. Eugene rose.
Roamers attacking knights fearlessly.
Happening simultaneously across regions.
Kamara's solo force perhaps linked.
Moreover.
'Higher vampires prefer mid-to-high monsters over human blood. Yet Origin me... owns monster-slaying magic gear?'
Now certain.
This abnormal chain was no coincidence.
(To be continued)