Chapter 42
Chapter 42
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: A Knight Falls
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lugates was startled by the movement that was far faster than expected, but as a strong and experienced knight, he immediately unleashed an optimal strike.
‘My plate armor is absolutely impenetrable!’
In contrast, Galpredic’s plate mail had chain mail over the shoulders and arms. Lugates was confident that with his own strength and skill, he could inflict a fatal wound.
Kaang! Kang! Kangkang!
Sparks flew into the air as the swordsmanship of two knights who had reached the pinnacle clashed.
‘Impressive.’
Eugene admired.
He had known from their previous spar that Galpredic was skilled, but now in a life-or-death battle, he was displaying a level of movement entirely different from back then.
‘The words that I wouldn’t know how it would turn out in a real fight were true.’
No, if it had been a real fight then, he would have been the one to lose.
‘But not anymore.’
Not only had he gained camouflage and invisibility abilities, but by taking Galpredic as his familiar, he had also acquired his combat skills.
He was confident he wouldn’t lose to Galpredic now—or any knight, for that matter.
And as if to prove it, Eugene naturally predicted the next moves while watching the two knights exchange blows.
‘Even if Yung Dirhit showed up right now…’
Recalling the holy knight who had laughed while severing his own neck, Eugene felt his battle spirit ignite.
Kakang! Kagaak!
In the meantime, the two knights clashed several more times before locking blades and entering a test of strength.
“Keuhuhu! You think you can beat me with that? Today will be the anniversary of your death, Sir. No, wait. With no heirs, no one will even remember. Keuhahat!”
“Hmm. So this is how good you were?”
“What?”
While he was putting in all his strength, Lugates’s eyes twitched slightly at how calm Galpredic’s voice remained.
“The old me is gone. The legend of this newly reborn body starts now.”
“What nonsense are… ugh!?”
Kwaaakwaaakwa!
Lugates was shoved back by a vampire’s superhuman strength that he couldn’t have dreamed of.
“Y-You bastard…!”
The essence of superb swordsmanship doesn’t lie in brute force.
It lies in the proper distribution of power, endless practice and spars over unpredictable timings, and techniques ingrained into the body through real combat.
But strength is relative, and the superhuman power of a vampire who had become Origin’s familiar was beyond human limits.
Above all, Galpredic was a knight with his own reputation in swordsmanship, just like Lugates.
Kwangkwang!
The metallic clangs pounding on Lugates’s armor grew louder and louder.
“Kuh!”
In contrast, he hadn’t landed a single blow on Galpredic’s body.
‘Just trust the armor! Get in close! Get in close and…’
“...!”
In that instant, Galpredic’s massive frame vanished from his sight for a split second, and Lugates’s eyes widened.
Kwajik!
With the sound of something cracking, Lugates’s thoughts cut off.
Galpredic’s rondel dagger, drawn in an instant, had pierced through the gap in Lugates’s helmet and buried deep into his forehead.
Silence fell over the scene at this swordsmanship that bordered on the divine, having threaded through the narrow visor slit to skewer his head.
* * *
Jevin gaped at Lugates collapsing like a rotten log.
Up until the duel began, he had thought Lugates would win, and even after it started, he saw it as fifty-fifty.
But he never dreamed it would end in such a one-sided defeat—let alone death.
‘This…!’
Jevin glared at Galpredic as anger boiled up unbidden.
That was when his eyes met Eugene’s, who was approaching the knight as he removed his helmet.
“...!”
Jevin flinched at Eugene’s gaze glowing red in the darkness.
As a noble who had received top-tier education in many fields, Jevin was intelligent and quick on the uptake.
So he instinctively realized that this was all part of Eugene’s scheme.
‘The gall.’
The fury flickering in Jevin’s eyes soon cooled to ice.
His instincts warned him not to vent his anger at Eugene here and now.
But the disappointment and sense of betrayal from having a knight he admired enough to appoint as retainer get done in like this wouldn’t fade easily.
“I declare Sir Galpredic’s victory. Then I trust you knights will honor the promise you staked your names on.”
“Of course.”
“Good. Understand that I can’t offer pure congratulations. Sir Entler, clean up the dueling ground. I’ll take my leave first.”
Jevin spoke in a tone as biting as the cold wind, then swept away from the scene. Entler sidled up quietly.
“Magnificent swordsmanship, Sir Galpredic. My horizons have broadened today.”
“No need for such praise. By the way, no thoughts of revenge? You’re both knights of Evergrow Territory.”
“Me? What joke is that. Sir Lugates and I merely served the same lord—no friendship there. Besides.”
Entler glanced at the fallen Lugates and smirked.
“I trust you and Sir Eugene more than that coward.”
“You’re a likable fellow.”
“Haha! It’d be great if knights as valiant and honorable as you joined our territory. But from Viscount Jevin’s reaction, that seems unlikely now. So you’d best leave this castle quickly.”
“Hm? Why’s that?”
As Eugene narrowed his eyes, Entler spoke lowly.
“Viscount Jevin is an honorable noble, but he’s equally proud and high in self-esteem.”
“So?”
“The knights in this castle are all hot-blooded types who’d do anything to impress the heir. If the territory successor they’ve long admired suffers major disappointment and wounded pride, what do you think they’ll do?”
“...!”
In short, even if Viscount Jevin just offhandedly mentioned the duel in passing, the knights were likely to come challenging Eugene and Galpredic.
“Well, if they challenge us, we can just beat them all.”
Galpredic shrugged and turned to Eugene, continuing.
“But the slaves and mercenaries are the problem for us. I think we should heed Sir Entler’s advice.”
“Hm.”
Eugene nodded.
It was now night, when a vampire’s power grew strongest. He and Galpredic could handle any number of Evergrow Count family knights.
But Partek and the slaves were different.
“I’ll open the castle’s back gate. Pack up and leave this way immediately.”
“We owe you big time. Thanks, Sir Entler.”
“No need. It’s an honor for me to have met knights as brave and honorable as you.”
Eugene and Galpredic shook hands firmly with Entler.
* * *
‘Killing my territory’s knight right in front of me? The nerve?’
Unable to shake off the humiliation—the first he’d ever felt as heir to a count family—Jevin strode forward.
Then, as if remembering something, he halted and spoke.
“Where are the castle knights right now?”
“They seem to be gathered in Sir Marbl’s room. Probably playing chess or cards…”
“I’m heading there.”
“Yes, Viscount Jevin.”
One servant hurriedly lit a lantern and led the way.
A short while later.
“Gentlemen.”
“Oh, Viscount Jevin.”
“You’ve come!”
The castle knights stopped their card game and rose in a clamor at Jevin’s late-night appearance.
“Were you in the middle of a game? Who’s winning today?”
“The house seems to have learned some magic. The rest of us have no luck tonight.”
The others chuckled awkwardly at the knight’s words.
“I see. Why are you all still standing? Sit down. I came to join in, so let’s play easygoing.”
“Oh! Understood.”
It was common for the young heir to mingle with knights, but he rarely joined gambling out of decorum.
For him to seek them out and insist on playing meant one thing.
“Haha! Sir Marbl’s luck is incredible!”
“Oh, Sir MacCuley. Congratulations.”
“I’m going to lose my shirt to you all.”
This was him deliberately losing, handing out pocket money to the knights.
After scattering over a hundred silver coins in just thirty minutes, the territory knights’ jaws dropped at the heir’s lavish generosity.
“It seems Viscount Jevin’s luck has rubbed off on us.”
“But tomorrow it’ll return to him. Hahaha!”
Watching the delighted knights, Jevin nodded in satisfaction before suddenly clouding his expression and saying.
“Luck, huh. Shame Sir Lugates didn’t get some of that luck.”
“Pardon? What happened to Sir Lugates?”
“Well…”
Jevin described only the outcome of the duel that had just occurred, skipping the cause entirely.
“Knights fighting over trivial reasons happens all the time. And with Sir Galpredic’s nerves on edge, it’s natural he’d want to protest last year’s tournament proceedings. But…”
“To go for the kill! That crosses the line.”
“Sir Marbl is right. And from what Viscount Jevin said, Sir Lugates approached it lightly, like a spar.”
“This is an insult to Viscount Jevin and our Evergrow Count family!”
“No, gentlemen, that’s not…”
Jevin feigned trying to dissuade them, but it was futile.
“Viscount Jevin, we’ll handle this ourselves. Knights, let’s go protest to Galpredic and Yan Eugene right now!”
“I never liked Galpredic from the start. If he resists, we’ll show him our strength.”
“No need to treat as a knight someone who knows no honor! Let’s go!”
The fired-up knights donned chain mail, grabbed weapons, and charged out.
“A bit wasteful, but this is for the best.”
Knights could be replaced, but a family’s honor and pride, once shattered, wasn’t easily restored.
Jevin believed this was the most rational decision as heir to the count family.
* * *
Clackclack!
A cart pulled by packhorses and two riders passed down a dark night road.
‘Did I really have to come along? What am I doing out here in the middle of the night?’
Romari sat at the back of the cart, secretly sighing heavily.
But it was too late for regrets.
Besides, Eugene already had a track record of slaying several mid- and high-tier monsters. Traveling with a knight like him—no, a vampire—was definitely fortunate for her.
‘I’ll stick around for half a year or so. Collect monster byproducts appropriately and part on good terms. Ah, but where do I do experiments? Can’t go home for a while.’
Lost in such worries, Romari heard Galpredic approach.
“Prepare yourself, mage.”
“Yes? Prepare for what?”
“Huh? A mage who’s a sage and prophet can’t even sense this much?”
“What kind of nonsense is… I mean, if I could do that, I’d run a fortune-telling stall making money, not suffer like this.”
“Oh? So you’re not that capable? Anyway, a fight’s coming soon, so get ready.”
“...Yes.”
She had anticipated something like this ever since they slipped out the castle’s back gate like fugitives, so Romari nodded obediently.
In the meantime, two slaves unfit for combat hurriedly hid inside the cart, while Partek’s group and Mark gathered by Galpredic with swords and shields.
“Sir Galpredic, Evergrow Territory forces?”
“Has to be, right? Who else would come charging after us on horseback at this hour besides those knights? You two, load the crossbows and stand by. Partek and Slave One, stand by my side. You fight pretty well, yeah?”
“Thank you, sir. And I’m Mark.”
“Right, the well-fighting Slave One, Mark.”
Galpredic grinned, and Mark sighed as he drew shield and shortsword, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Partek.
Meanwhile, Glad and Raban loaded bolts into the crossbows they’d gotten from the mercenaries Eugene had slain before, crouching low behind the cart for cover.
“Romari.”
“Yes, Sir Eugene.”
“Can you use that spell from the labyrinth again?”
“It’s not my specialty, so success rate is low. I could only do it then because my focus was at its peak.”
“Then what’s your specialty?”
“My best is mind control, but it requires no witnesses. Depends on the target, but lords mostly shun anything like black magic.”
“I see.”
Eugene pondered.
Using magic would make things easier, but then they’d have to kill all the Evergrow Territory knights as clear intruders.
Even if he’d never see this noble again, openly clashing with a great noble house tied by blood and regional bonds would ultimately harm him.
Plus, the Feilin Merchant Group wouldn’t like it either—that much was obvious.
As Eugene thought it over, Galpredic spoke.
“Should I take the lead here?”
“You have a plan?”
“Guess I’ll have to give a lecture on real knights sometime. Like me, knights live and die by honor. They think they’re the best even facing death, so prick their tempers right, and they’ll dance to our tune.”
Galpredic was a seasoned, experienced true knight even before becoming a familiar.
His words were trustworthy, so Eugene nodded.
“Then handle it your way. But when it comes to showing strength, I’ll do it.”
“Huh?”
Galpredic looked briefly surprised, then smirked.
“As you wish, Master.”
(To be continued in the next installment)