Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Night Raid on Mintan
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“Those dogshit bastards!”
“You idiots. It’s your fault for charging at a real knight without recognizing him.”
“What did you say, you fuck!?”
The mood among the bandits who had raced back to their hideout by the time the word spread, along with the remnants who had fled earlier, was vicious.
They had only been together for at most half a year, and the three Bernard brothers who had banded them all together were now dead.
“Everyone, shut up! We need to stay calm, especially now.”
At the words of Gabe, the most skilled among the dozen or so remnants, they all fell silent.
It was an ironclad rule that these murderers, who killed as casually as they ate, were always weak against those stronger than them.
“Gabe, let’s hide out here for a few days and then head back to Paranan.”
“Are you crazy? What if that black knight is still hanging around?”
“No. I overheard them while we were captured—they’re heading off to the ruins in Beogalan Barony for a subjugation.”
“Yeah. They’re not even knights from around here. I heard they came from Maren. Fuck, we’ve got the worst luck.”
Gabe stroked his bristly beard like a hedgehog as the two, who had briefly served as Eugene’s slaves after being caught, spoke.
“Now that you mention it, I did hear rumors that they’re planning another attempt on the Philia Ruins soon after failing twice. They must’ve been passing through to join that.”
“Yeah, exactly. So let’s stay here for a day or two—no, let’s go to Mintan.”
“Mintan? The Viper Mercenary Corps already took that place, didn’t they? You suggesting we join up?”
“Kekeke! More than half the Viper guys got smashed by that knight. Seven of the ones captured with us used to be Viper mercs.”
“Their leader Morgan and the next strongest ones all got killed by a knight named Eugene.”
“Huh! Fuck, that knight was a total maniac.”
The Viper Mercenary Corps ruled Mintan and had quite the notorious reputation in the area.
They had been enemies with the Bernard brothers, each eyeing the other’s village, but with similar numbers, they had just been watching each other warily.
Yet knights from Maren had dismantled both the Bernard brothers and the Viper Mercenary Corps.
“So only small fry are left in Mintan?”
“That’s right. Worth a shot, don’t you think? We hole up there, eat well, lay low for a few days, and once that red-eyed knight heads to Beogalan Barony, we take Paranan too. What do you say?”
“Let’s go.”
Gabe didn’t deliberate long. It was a chance to become lords ruling two villages of a few hundred people each.
* * *
“…That’s what they said!”
“Well done.”
Eugene nodded in the darkness at Mirian’s report, where she had fully unleashed her specialty for the first time in ages.
Tracking the two who fled hadn’t been difficult.
The ones beaten like dogs during the day still had unhealed wounds, and for Eugene, following the scent of human blood on these deserted night paths was child’s play.
“What’s the plan? Storm in and kill them all?”
“No. I’ve got a better idea.”
Eugene stared coldly at the earth burrow where the remnants were hiding.
“Kekeke! I love it when my lord makes that face! So cunning! So ruthless! The Demon King himself! Oh! Those bastards are crawling out.”
Even though they couldn’t be seen anyway, Mirian huddled her wings and settled on Eugene’s shoulder.
The eleven remnants mounted their horses and began to move.
Mintan was half a day away on foot, but on horseback, they’d arrive in two hours or so.
“Silion. Follow them as quietly as possible.”
Silion gave a large nod as if understanding, then moved slowly.
* * *
Arriving at the outskirts of Mintan Village, the remnants smeared thick mud all over their bodies. For camouflage and to muffle the clink of metal.
“Start with the fire. You lot with the crossbows—shoot anyone who comes running out with weapons.”
“No worries.”
A few with crossbows grinned at Gabe’s words.
Hiding in the brush and scouting the log fence, the remnants slipped over when clouds covered the moon.
They never would have dared before, but with the Viper Mercenary Corps’ strongest all dead, there wasn’t much to fear.
A few minutes later, flames erupted from the old church in the village center.
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!!
“Fire! Fire!”
The shouts of the night patrol militia and the frantic bell clangs tore through the night air, sending men rushing out from all over the village.
Most stumbled out in the chaos with just their clothes hastily thrown on, but a few grabbed swords or axes.
Every one of them had snake tattoos on their necks or forearms—they were the Viper Mercenary Corps.
“Fuck! What the hell is this!”
“You stupid shits! Don’t just stand there gawking—get water and put it out!”
“You idiots!”
The mercenaries spewed curses at the villagers.
Frightened and panicked residents scattered every which way.
Clustered in front of the burning church, the mercenaries made perfect targets in the night’s darkness.
Thwack! Thwack! Thung!
“Gahk!”
“Urk!”
Three mercenaries screamed almost simultaneously as crossbow bolts struck them down.
“Ambush!”
The mercenaries, who had rushed out with only weapons and no armor to speak of, hurriedly ducked.
That was when Gabe and his men charged out from behind the burning church.
“Kill them all!”
“You fuckin’… kughk!”
With the blazing church as backdrop, the Viper Mercenary Corps and the Bernard brothers’ remnants clashed in a slaughter.
Numbers and skill were even, but the remnants—fully armed and committed to the surprise attack—overpowered the Vipers.
“P-please! I’ll cooperate! Take me as a subordinate!”
“Don’t need you! You shits! Kuhaha!”
Gabe charged at the few remaining mercenaries, bursting into laughter filled with murderous madness.
That was when it happened.
Uwaaa… guhuk…!
Screams echoed from a bit further away.
“What?”
Gabe, just finishing slitting one mercenary’s throat, whipped his mud- and blood-smeared face toward the sound.
Kwang!
“Huh!?”
Gabe’s eyes widened.
Thududududu!
Through the shattered village gate came a knight in armor blacker than night and his warhorse, charging like a gale.
“The red-eyed knight!”
“Run! Scatter!”
“Fuck, form up! It’s just one guy!”
The two with prior captures by Eugene panicked and leaped away, but Gabe bellowed.
At that instant, Eugene—leaning back sharply in Silion’s saddle—sprang his upper body forward and hurled the javelin.
Swoosh! Puk!
The spear cleaved fifty meters like lightning, smashing Gabe’s chain mail and piercing his chest.
Gabe flew into the burning church impaled on the javelin, unable to even scream.
“Uwaaat!”
Moments ago at each other’s throats, they now scattered like sheep, ignoring friend or foe.
With their battle experience, they knew well how terrifying a fully armored knight on horseback was.
“Hwik!”
They bolted instinctively for the shadows.
On a cloudy night like this, even the strongest knight couldn’t spot them easily—that was their calculation.
But they didn’t know the black knight invading Mintan was no human.
Eugene’s red eyes pierced the darkness, capturing every fleeing position.
Thududududu!
“Aaak!”
“Kek!”
Every time hoofbeats rattled through Mintan, grisly screams inevitably followed.
Occasional roars like those of monsters erupted too, enveloping the villagers in greater terror.
In the small village of a hundred-odd souls, it was as if a miniature hell had descended.
“Uuu….”
“M-Mommy.”
“Shh!”
Terrified by the shouts and screams, the villagers huddled in their homes, trembling.
Aaaaak!
With one final tearing scream, silence blanketed Mintan.
Some time later.
Men who had hidden with heads buried near the well and stream finally rose shakily, one by one.
As if by agreement, they cautiously headed toward the church.
The church building, abandoned by its priest a year ago, had burned to the ground, leaving only pale ashes and smoke.
And before it stood a knight in black plate mail, helmet off, stroking the mane of his massive warhorse.
Under the chilly moonlight, the knight—with his mysteriously alluring pale face and striking red eyes contrasting sharply—spoke to the dazed villagers staring at him.
“I am Knight Yan Eugene. The trash who occupied this place no longer exists.”
“…….”
But the villagers just kept staring blankly at Eugene.
It was hard to believe such an elegant, noble-looking knight was the protagonist of the massacre moments ago.
“……!?”
Eugene’s eyes flashed as he pondered what more to say.
At the same moment, he twisted his upper body sideways, his hand snatching the air like lightning.
Crack!
Eugene caught a crossbow bolt—commonly called a quarrel—and without pause, dashed toward its origin.
“Huh!”
Despite the heavy armor, his speed surpassed a man on foot, leaving no time for villagers to gape as he vanished into the village.
Pakakak!
“My lord! Something feels off!”
Eugene didn’t reply to Mirian’s tense voice, but he felt it too.
An intense aura emanated from his direction of travel, as potent as mid- or high-tier monsters from dungeons and labyrinths.
‘What’s that?’
Eugene’s vision, piercing the pitch-black darkness completely, hazily caught something.
It was unmistakably a black shadow in human form.
Halt!
The black figure, leaping the village log fence like a winged bird, suddenly stopped.
Then slowly turned.
Eugene drew Wolfslaughter and fixed his gaze on it.
Head bowed, disheveled hair obscured its face.
Then it snapped its head up.
“……!”
Eugene was inwardly startled at the eyes gleaming sickly through brown hair.
The figure, cloaked in a dark blood-red mantle, had red eyes just like his.
“No manners, no brains. This is my marked hunting ground already. You rootless Roamer bastard.”
Sweeping back long hair, its face fully revealed itself.
A face pale as if smeared with ash.
Fangs protruding beneath lips as red as its eyes plainly proved its race.
“Vampire……?”
“You’re a vampire too—why so surprised? No, makes sense for a rootless Roamer. Explains why you skulk around in that hideous getup.”
The vampire smirked, flaring his mantle and haughtily lifting his sharp nose higher.
“Kneel. I, Delmondo, of the Nophelos Clan with its cold, blue blood… hup!?”
The vampire who named himself Delmondo widened his eyes.
Shing!
Wolfslaughter, gleaming colder in the moonlight, whipped erratically toward him.
“Keeaaak!”
Delmondo leaped back far with a roar of shock and fury.
His agility far surpassed human limits, but regrettably, his opponent was another vampire.
One who had fully absorbed the swordsmanship and experience of the exceptional knight Galpredic, no less.
Slash!
“Kyaaaak!”
Blue sword-lights flashed several times, and with a horrific scream, Delmondo dropped to one knee.
Hiss…!
Red smoke poured from gashes across his body as he barely parted lips turned blue.
“How… how does a Roamer wield a silver-infused blade… gasp!?”
Realization dawned mid-sentence, horror creeping over Delmondo’s face.
“C-Could it be… an… Origin……?”
Eugene’s tightly shut lips finally parted.
“Who lacks roots?”
(To be continued in the next installment)