Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Second Subjugation
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“As long as Sir Galpredic doesn’t return, no knight will push you aside to take the subjugation leader position. No, even if he does come back now, he’d yield it to you. Anyway, I’ll make the arrangements, so let’s all meet up. Since it came up, how about dinner this evening?”
“Let’s just meet a bit later. I’ll settle on a lodging in the lower village and come back up.”
Eugene had no desire whatsoever to dine with the Tiwin brothers, plus a knight he’d never met before.
“Shame. I wanted to hear straight from you how you got that horse and armor. Well, come back in a couple of hours, then.”
“Will do.”
Eugene left the lord’s hall, thinking he’d done right to dodge the dinner invitation.
* * *
After securing lodging in Martella Village below Rose Castle and giving various orders to Partek and baldy Brin, Eugene re-entered the castle.
Receiving clumsy salutes from the handful of guards as he entered, Eugene followed a servant’s guidance to the office.
“Come on in.”
As always, Kamara welcomed him warmly, but Bertel merely nodded once.
Then a burly, fierce-looking knight strode forward.
“You must be Sir Yan Eugene? I’m Rune Maverick.”
Even indoors, Maverick—from head to toe in full chain mail, wearing a surcoat emblazoned with a crow emblem—extended his hand.
“Yan of House Eugene.”
Casual speech met with casual speech was only natural, so Eugene replied curtly as he gripped Maverick’s hand.
But Maverick hadn’t expected such a response, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Then he squeezed.
‘Good grief.’
Recalling Sir Galpredic’s advice—that against knights or mercenaries who started trouble first, the best response was to crush them with strength—Eugene clamped down mercilessly on Maverick’s hand.
Crunch!
“Guh…!”
Maverick’s face flushed beet red as he finally shook off Eugene’s grip like flinging away trash.
“Hahaha! No need for that between comrades heading into the dungeon together. Everyone, sit.”
Kamara spoke, gazing fondly at Eugene, who had seized the initiative.
Of course, he didn’t forget to shoot a meaningful smile at Bertel, whose expression soured.
“Very well.”
Maverick glared daggers at Eugene while rubbing his hand, then took a seat.
“For now, we have twelve mercenaries under Sir Eugene, nine brought by Sir Maverick. Including you two knights, that makes twenty-three total. Porters remain the same number as before, and we’ve slightly raised the minimum subjugation requirements.”
Kamara continued, looking between Eugene and Maverick.
“One hundred low-tier monsters, three mid-tier. The force is a bit smaller than last time, but we’ve secured considerable intel on the dungeon’s interior layout and monsters, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Do you agree, sirs?”
As Eugene nodded silently, Maverick spoke up.
“What happens to the shares of any soldiers who die in the dungeon?”
“Families get them if there are any; otherwise, comrades split it. That’s the custom, isn’t it?”
“So it’s the same even if a knight dies?”
“What?”
Kamara’s eyes hardened.
“Are you implying Sir Eugene’s death, Sir Maverick?”
“Not exactly, Lord Tiwin. I live with death at my side every day! A true knight wouldn’t enter a dungeon without that resolve. Right, Sir Eugene?”
Maverick’s arrogant gaze turned to Eugene.
Eugene stared at him silently for a moment before slowly parting his lips.
“It’s hard to believe such words from a knight who hasn’t even cleared a Gate Dungeon, but if you’re resolved to die, that’s fortunate for me.”
“…!”
Maverick’s eyes twitched visibly.
Eugene turned away from him and stood.
“No more to say, it seems. We’ve greeted each other, so I’ll take my leave. See you all in three days, then.”
“Kill him! Let’s kill that mudfish bastard tonight! Kieeeek!”
Hearing Mirian’s excited screech, Eugene headed straight for the door.
“Farewell then, Sir Eugene.”
Kamara’s lips kept twitching in amusement, while Bertel and Maverick’s gazes bored murderously into Eugene’s back.
* * *
“That insolent punk dares mock me!?”
Bertel’s eyes flashed murderously as Maverick slammed the table.
“You get it now—he’s too dangerous to leave alone. Sooner or later, he’ll manipulate my brother… no, swallow the territory himself. So you need to handle it, sir.”
“Hmph! A pale-faced nobody like that. I don’t care where he crawled from; he’s no match for me.”
“Don’t underestimate him too much. He beat Sir Galpredic in a practice bout, after all. You know what kind of knight he is.”
“Haha! If I’d entered last year’s tournament, I’d have reached the finals. But I was mourning my father then. Anyway, Galpredic, Rugetz—none of them scare me.”
Maverick boasted confidently.
But Bertel, who had witnessed Galpredic and Rugetz’s duel firsthand, found it absurd.
‘Can I really trust this guy? But I have no choice.’
Knights with real skill whom he could control were exceedingly rare.
In that regard, Maverick was greedy but dim enough to manipulate.
‘Plus, it’s inside the dungeon. Plenty of chance for success.’
No matter how skilled the knight, a surprise attack from allies in a dark dungeon left no escape.
And Maverick and his mercenaries could at least inflict serious injury on Eugene.
‘Best if the monsters finish him off, but if by some chance he survives… I’ll clean up then.’
As Bertel schemed, Maverick grinned sleazily.
“Heh heh heh! So once we deal with that pale brat in the dungeon, his armor and horse are mine, right?”
“That’s if you succeed.”
“Don’t worry. Got it. Looking forward to this subjugation.”
Maverick licked his lips with his tongue.
His greed-twisted face looked so grotesque that Bertel involuntarily looked away.
‘Hm?’
A glint flashed in Bertel’s eyes.
“What is it?”
Without answering, Bertel stood and walked to the closed door, bending at the waist.
“Why’s there water here…?”
He muttered lowly, swiping the floor.
The gap under the door was soaked, as if water had leaked in from outside.
“It’s drenched! Did a water nymph visit or something? Hahaha!”
‘And he calls that a joke.’
Bertel shot Maverick a sharp glare for his idiotic quip, then stood.
* * *
“…is what he said! Kiek! Those ice block and mudfish punks are targeting our Lord Eugene!?”
Eugene’s eyes turned icy at Mirian’s wild moth-to-flame rant.
‘No wonder he seemed suspicious.’
Eugene had found Maverick’s outburst at their first meeting off-putting, so he’d left Mirian behind and crossed the drawbridge alone.
Rose Castle was small, so it was only about a hundred meters from the lord’s hall to outside the drawbridge.
Thus, Mirian had no trouble eavesdropping on Bertel and Maverick’s secret talk and relaying it.
“That mudfish said it, I swear! ‘Looking forward to the subjugation!’ I barely held back from spitting in his eye right there!”
“Good. You did well. Very helpful.”
“Right? Hehehe!”
Mirian, grinning broadly, landed on Eugene’s shoulder.
“So, what’ll you do?”
“What else? If he wants to die, grant it.”
“Kiiiiiek! As expected of the Blood Count! So bold!”
Eugene soothed Mirian, who was about to bounce again, and glanced back at the receding Rose Castle.
‘Looking forward to the subjugation? Me too.’
In the sinking sunset, the vampire’s eyes gleamed eerily.
* * *
The day of Tiwin Territory’s second dungeon subjugation dawned.
Eugene, who had stayed in the castle’s lower village for three days straight, entered Rose Castle with his mercenaries.
Thud thud!
Partek’s group and Brin’s bald-headed Black Sheep Mercenary Corps veterans marched in orderly fashion, like a regular army.
Not quite to Partek’s group’s level, but Brin’s mercenaries had grown quite obedient to Eugene.
Brin and his crew had been stunned when Eugene returned from Maren astride Sillion, clad in plate mail stamped with the city’s crest.
After hearing the details from Partek’s group, they vowed absolute loyalty before parting.
A knight gifted plate mail by Maren’s mayor himself, backed by a major merchant house like Feilin Merchant Group with a top-grade warhorse.
It meant Eugene could be ennobled by a great noble at any moment.
They might not stick around like Partek’s crew, but cozying up to a knight like Eugene had no downsides.
Thus, Eugene and his twelve mercenaries arrayed themselves in Rose Castle’s central courtyard.
Maverick and his followers, who had stayed in the castle all along, took position beside them.
Maverick smirked with thick lips, glaring at Eugene, who didn’t even glance his way.
But recalling Bertel’s urging to lull the enemy into complacency until entering the dungeon, Maverick swallowed his rage.
“…and so! May the grace of the gods be upon these two knights and their brave warriors!”
Waaaaah!
As Kamara’s speech praying for the subjugation force’s success and safe return ended, Rose Castle’s people cheered as one.
Knights and mercenaries risking life against monsters in the dungeon remained prime spectacle.
“Well then, Sir Eugene, anything to say as subjugation leader?”
Under Kamara’s expectant gaze, Eugene turned to the mercenaries.
“Once inside the dungeon, you follow my orders without question. If you don’t like it, leave now.”
“…!”
The mercenaries flinched—especially Maverick’s men.
Most had already blown their advances, so backing out now was impossible.
“Anyone disobeying orders gets executed, no excuses. Objections or trial? Leave now.”
“Sir Eugene speaks true. I, Kamara Tiwin, have delegated full subjugation authority to him. Don’t forget.”
With the lord himself backing Eugene’s momentum, the mercenaries could only exchange glances, none daring to step up.
“Then we depart.”
“Godspeed once more.”
Unlike the Gate Dungeon opening, now-Lord Kamara didn’t accompany them to the dungeon.
Moments later.
The castle gates opened, and Eugene’s second subjugation force set out, guides ahead.
Eugene didn’t miss Bertel—standing silently—and Maverick, just mounting up, exchanging glances.
‘They think I’ll be the one to fall once inside?’
Eugene lowered his visor with a cold smile.
They all saw him now as a true knight, a fellow human.
But Eugene’s true nature was vampire.
A lightless dungeon was his world.
(To be continued)