Chapter 225
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 225
Chapter Title: The Elf Knights Prove Their Worth
When Eugene decided to leave Brantia and return to the Kailer Kingdom.
There was one matter that drew questions from no small number of people.
- Why was he taking Princess Liliesein and the Elan elf knights with him, of all people?
Everyone could understand leaving Galpredic and Lanslo behind in Brantia to bolster the newly crowned King Luke.
Galpredic was a knight who wielded great influence over the knights and mercenaries from the Kailer Kingdom, and Lanslo was a direct descendant of the Durak family, respected by the Brantia knights.
So, taking the imperial knight Edmund instead of those two made perfect sense to everyone.
But Princess Liliesein and the elf knights had no particular connection to Eugene's route through the Kailer Kingdom to the Empire.
It would have made more sense to bring Partek's team, with whom Eugene had the longest history. If considering pure combat strength, the sword master Prabo would have been a fine choice too.
Yet Eugene stuck firmly to Princess Liliesein and the Elan elf knights.
Since he rarely took a hard line on anything and everyone knew he always had his reasons, they all acquiesced, though a small question lingered.
And when he decided to briefly leave Maren this time, a similar debate quietly arose.
If the goal was subjugating the labyrinth, wouldn't it be better to take Edmund and Madrica, his subordinate knights, along with the Maren-based knights?
Anyone could see that knights familiar with the local labyrinths around Maren were far preferable to foreigners—especially foreigners like elf knights.
But Eugene insisted on taking only Princess Liliesein and the elf knights this time as well.
Edmund, who had sworn loyalty to Eugene, and Madrica, the leading candidate to be his next right hand, asked for a convincing reason, and Eugene answered them.
“As for hunting monsters, the Elan elves are the best.”
When the two knights—experienced and skilled enough to take great pride in themselves—couldn't accept that, Eugene explained further.
“While you were just picking up the sword, they were already growing up fighting monsters in Elan.”
It was the truth.
Elan's history could be seen as an endless war with monsters, and its elf knights were all more specialized in monster hunting than human wars.
When asked why he was bringing the still-young Princess Liliesein, Eugene dismissed it with one sentence.
“They say her room has around a hundred monster heads she's hunted and stuffed since childhood.”
Indeed. The reason Eugene had brought Princess Liliesein and the elf knights from Brantia.
It was a decision focused on labyrinth subjugation and monster hunting rather than war.
With superior eyesight that let them see far even in darkness, reflexes and instincts honed for quick crisis response.
Creatures born and raised in the forest, experts in concealment, cover, and masking their presence—that was precisely what the Elan elf knights were.
Moreover, they knew Eugene was a vampire and didn't view it negatively.
Dealing with them was far easier than human knights, who required all sorts of considerations.
Decisively.
The elf knights, affiliated with the Elan royal family, served as the princess's escorts—no wages required!
In any case, in Eugene's judgment, the elf knights were the best for labyrinth subjugation and Roamer monster hunting.
And the elf knights fully lived up to his expectations.
* * *
Eugene, Princess Liliesein, and the elf knights ascended Marcus Mountain without horses.
Naturally, the merchants and villagers were puzzled.
A knight's greatest advantage and most fearsome trait was the ability to fight freely while mounted.
But Eugene and the elf knights ignored that and climbed the mountain, identifying the bases of Roamer monster packs spread across Marcus Mountain in just half a day.
And that night, the 'hunt' continued until dawn.
Though not quite matching a vampire, the elf knights' night vision pierced the darkness superbly, so the mountain's shadows posed no obstacle.
They also possessed mountain traversal skills incomparable to human knights or mercenaries.
Be it tall trees, massive boulders, or deep ravines—none mattered.
They dashed through the unfamiliar Marcus Mountain as if it were a backyard trail they'd roamed for decades, and in just one day, they wiped out five Roamer packs, slaughtering over four hundred monsters in total.
Even that night, among the beheaded monsters were four mid-tier beasts: trolls and owlbears.
The merchants and villagers were shocked that so many monsters lurked on Marcus Mountain, but even more stunned that just eight people had demolished them in a single day.
After a brief shock came roaring cheers.
“Long live His Highness the Archduke!”
“Long live the elven hero knights!”
The villagers wanted to throw a feast for the heroes who had slain the monsters threatening their survival.
“I'm a bit busy. There are monsters multiplying elsewhere too—shouldn't dealing with them come first?”
But Eugene, pressed for time, declined.
The merchants and villagers were disappointed, but it was naturally spun as the Archduke's mercy and generosity toward his poor subjects.
Of course, he traded the mana stones and monster byproducts from the hunt to the merchants at slightly above market price, but no one quibbled over such trifles.
On the contrary, merchants who had lost goods to Roamer monsters in transit were deeply moved that His Highness the Archduke sold the spoils to them instead of in Maren.
In the end, Eugene's deeds on Marcus Mountain and his parting words as an excuse spread through the region via the merchants.
No one knew where such talk originated or what it meant, but anyway, the spirit fellow praised it as the beginning of the 'Vampire Heavenly Song.'
“His Highness Eugene is a great overlord of valor! Prowess! Mercy! Perfection in all things!”
“The beautiful elf princess and the gold-summoning spirit follow him for good reason!”
“Archduke Eugene will smash every monster in the duchy!”
Eugene hadn't intended any of it, but by the time he reached Tiwin Territory, especially the last rumor had swept through the Maren Archduchy.
The common folk rejoiced, but the lords who had submitted to the archduchy were greatly tense.
It might sound like a gracious boon from the Archduke personally handling monsters, but from the lords' perspective, it rang like this.
- I'm doing this because you're all incompetent. I'll visit soon. Get ready.
All the lords grew anxious yet busy, leading to strengthened loyalty and competition.
Thus, Eugene laid the foundation for Maren Archduchy's unity and development in his first unofficial duty as Archduke.
Of course, the man himself was utterly unaware.
* * *
“I greet Your Highness the Archduke.”
“…….”
Eugene silently stared at Kamara Tiwin, whom he hadn't seen in years. Not out of dislike or ill feeling, but because he had changed so dramatically.
“Keeeh? M-Master. Squire No. 1 bro totally turned into a total dad. He's aged like crazy, he has.”
Eugene fully agreed with Mirian's shocked whisper.
Kamara Tiwin had aged excessively. At first glance, Eugene wondered if the late Lord Tiwin had come back to life.
“You've… changed a lot.”
“Just say I've gotten old. I know.”
His slightly cheeky tone was unchanged, confirming it wasn't the late Lord Tiwin resurrected.
Eugene chuckled and said.
“The outside's changed, but the inside's the same. So what on earth happened? Ah, speak freely when it's just us two.”
“I'll accept your consideration. Your Highness looks the same outside and in. Ah, could it be…….”
Kamara trailed off, glancing nervously, and Eugene guessed it, nodding.
“You heard the rumors, then. Yeah. I'm a vampire.”
“……!!!”
Kamara's wrinkled eyes twitched wide.
After staring at Eugene with trembling eyes in stunned silence for a while, he finally parted his lips.
“Th-then, from the first time you came to our territory…….”
“Yeah. Weaker than now, but I was a vampire back then too.”
“And always wearing that mask… that was the reason?”
“This?”
Eugene grinned and pulled out the black mask he'd worn in the past. He hadn't needed it for ages but carried it as a memento.
“Back then, I thought sunlight was a no-go. Turns out even then it was fine. Anyway, tell me your story.”
“Hoo……! Where do I even start.”
Letting out a long sigh, Kamara continued with a face full of regret.
“It was around this time last year. A knight came with about twenty mercenaries, offering to subjugate our dungeon.”
“You didn't accept that, did you?”
“Of course not. Face unknown, lineage unverified—can't let them into the dungeon.”
“But we've done it before. Wasn't there that knight named Maverick?”
“……That was because of Bertel.”
Kamara's eyes filled with regret as he recalled his brother Bertel, who met his end at Eugene's hands.
“Well, whatever. So then?”
“Yes. After rejecting the first offer, the knight changed terms. No upfront payment. He'd scout some uncharted areas, and take only twenty percent of the mana stones and byproducts after.”
“Crazy? What's the profit in that?”
Leading twenty mercenaries meant taking at least thirty percent minimum.
Even then, it'd barely cover their wages, leaving the leader with next to nothing.
No sane person risks a labyrinth for that.
“He said he was practicing true knighthood. And his gear was top-grade. The mercenaries obeyed him absolutely. So I thought one try couldn't hurt.”
“Hmm. And you approved.”
“Yes. Stamped the contract, and three days later they entered with porters. But……even after ten days, the dungeon entrance didn't open.”
Dungeon and labyrinth subjugations without sunlight usually wrap in three to four days.
Longer, and time sense fades, senses dull, hallucinations set in—morale plummets.
Even scouting uncharted areas, ten days without emerging meant.
“Wiped out.”
Eugene realized Kamara's tale matched the rumor from the merchant leader at Marcus Mountain's base village.
“We concluded that, yes. At the time, we chalked it up to bad luck. Our territory invested nothing, and other territories fail sometimes too. But the problem came with the next subjugations.”
“…….”
Meeting Eugene's knowing gaze, Kamara spoke in a gloomy voice.
“Before, casualties per subjugation were one or two, five at most. But after that knight and his mercenaries vanished……casualties more than doubled. Severe injuries too.”
“The monsters got stronger. Right?”
“Huh! N-no. How did you know?”
Eugene fixed Kamara with a chilling gaze and said.
“On the way to Tiwin Territory, my knights and I slew over five hundred Roamer monsters. But before leaving for Brantia, crossing between here and Maren, we barely hit a tenth of that. What does that tell you?”
“……!”
“Yeah. Something's changed in the labyrinths and monsters. Not just here—every labyrinth in the world. Soon it'll be a monster overrun.”
“Th-that can't…….”
Kamara's face, aged under the psychological burden of lordship, showed disbelief.
Thud.
Pushing back his chair, Eugene stood and looked down at Kamara.
“We'll subjugate the Tiwin Territory dungeon—me and my knights. To the end. Every nook and cranny.”
“Ah…….”
Leaving the stunned and grateful Kamara, Eugene turned to leave but paused, turning back.
“By the way, that wiped-out party's knight. What was his name? Who was he?”
“Helmund. Christian Helmund, he said.”
“……!”
This time, Eugene's eyes widened slightly.
Helmund.
That was undoubtedly one of the vampire clans.
(To be continued in the next installment)