Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Brams Market
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“First time seeing someone die?”
“Ah… No, sir!”
Pellid snapped to attention and desperately held back an urge to piss himself as he replied.
“B-but what about the bodies? Ah! Shouldn’t we report it to Brams Village? Or…”
“Just toss them somewhere out of sight. Guys like these are a dime a dozen in this world. Even if someone finds them, they’ll just shrug it off.”
Eugene spoke from half a year of experience in such a world.
“Yes, sir. I’ll take care of it right away.”
“Wait a second.”
Pellid was about to approach the corpses still oozing red blood, forcing down his nausea, when Eugene stepped forward.
“They might have something useful on them. You search too.”
“Ah… Yes, sir!”
Eugene felt a disconnect from the knights he’d known, but Pellid obeyed without question.
‘Knights live and die by honor, or so they say…’
But like Eugene, Pellid only knew fragments about knights.
He was still too young to know that a knight’s honor only mattered where there were witnesses.
Whether knight or mercenary, plundering after victory was all the same.
* * *
Brams was quite a large village.
Its communal fields and pastures were incomparably vast compared to Broadwin’s, and unlike Broadwin’s dozen-odd clustered households, it had dozens of proper buildings.
‘It’s my first time here.’
He’d passed through large villages in other regions during his past escape, but this was his first in Tiwin territory.
“Wow! Wow! Wow!”
While Eugene thought of it without much emotion, Mirian perched on his shoulder let out endless exclamations. Even the usually composed Pellid seemed a bit excited to be in a big village after so long.
Eugene walked along the main road and stopped at a pile of beast and monster hides.
He approached a middle-aged man wearing a round hat and sporting a bushy red beard.
“I’d like to sell some hides.”
“Huh?”
The hide merchant flinched at the sight of Eugene’s soot-black mask and reddish eyes.
But his eyes lit up the moment he saw the pile of hides on Eugene’s backpack.
“That stuff you’re carrying? All hides?”
“That’s right. Broadwin’s village chief said the red-bearded hide merchant here is trustworthy.”
“Ah, Chief Geb?”
The merchant’s expression softened at the mention of the chief’s name.
Broadwin’s chief—the only one who regularly traveled outside—had tipped Eugene off about the merchant, so he’d come straight here.
“That’s right.”
Before leaving Broadwin, Eugene had hunted beasts diligently and laid down the hides from two black wolves.
“Hoo, nicely skinned. You do it yourself? Good workmanship. The black wolf hides are too damaged for a high price, though. The rest are excellent. All together…”
The hide merchant glanced at Eugene.
But with the mask, he couldn’t read his expression. And those emotionless red eyes were quite intimidating.
‘Tch. Looks like a seasoned hunter. And introduced by Broadwin’s chief.’
The merchant quickly calculated and spoke generously.
“Twenty-seven kingdom silver coins and fifty copper pieces! You won’t get more anywhere else.”
“Deal.”
Eugene knew five coppers bought a meal with beer, so he nodded.
“Haha! Hiding your face but straightforward personality. Here you go.”
Soon, dozens of thumb-sized copper coins and twice-as-large silvers filled Eugene’s coin pouch.
Thanks to the Black Scale Mail, he no longer had to avoid silver, and holding this fortune for the first time in his life left Eugene satisfied.
“First trade, but you’ve got skill, so come back often. I’m the best around here for hides.”
“Hm. Do you handle leather robes by any chance? Something that completely blocks sunlight, preferably black.”
“Robes? Ah, those…”
Seeing Eugene’s robe—hastily stitched from untanned hides—the merchant rummaged through his display and pulled something out.
“Got just the rare item. Cowhide reinforced with Lycanslope leather. Waterproof, blocks sunlight completely. Pricey, but better protection than most leather armor—worth every coin.”
The long cloak-like robe, adorned with fur trim and multiple straps, was leagues better than what Eugene wore.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Haha! A decisive customer. Fine! Was gonna ship it to Maren anyway since it doesn’t sell around here, and I like your style—eight silvers flat.”
“Here.”
It was enough for dozens of ordinary outfits, but Eugene handed over the silvers without hesitation.
“Come again!”
Leaving the merchant’s voice behind, Eugene headed toward a sign depicting a sword and shield.
“What’re you doing? Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes, sir!”
Pellid, who’d been staring blankly at Eugene, hurried after him.
‘Amazing. Even the chief didn’t buy and sell this smoothly.’
Comparing the chief haggling desperately with merchants to Eugene’s deal, Pellid’s admiration deepened.
* * *
After an hour circling the market and buying necessities, Eugene left Brams.
In his new robe, sturdy cowhide boots and gloves, and a helmet fully covering his face, Eugene looked unrecognizable.
He appeared every bit the experienced mercenary or wandering free knight.
“Looks pretty sharp? Vampires are all about silk, though. Eh, this suits you too.”
Eugene didn’t know silk, but seeing Mirian—itching to live vicariously through him—made it clear it was expensive fabric.
To Eugene, though, clothes just needed to block sunlight properly and be durable.
‘Dwarf-forged weapons are only in cities. This’ll do for now.’
The mercenaries’ weapons fetched only two silvers combined—mostly crude junk.
But with enough pieces, it added up, and Eugene spent one more silver on a decent short sword.
Also called an arming sword, it paired with a shield as the mercenary’s signature weapon.
‘A longsword would make me look more knightly, but they’re too expensive, and I don’t know swordplay well. Anyway, next time I get more money, I need a horse first.’
Knights almost always had their own mounts.
But even after selling all the beast hides and mercenary gear, Eugene had only 29 silvers—while the cheapest horse cost over 50, and that was just a plain riding horse, not a knight’s warhorse.
“By the way, Sir Eugene, won’t you hire other mercenaries?”
Pellid had heard somewhere that knights usually hired others for combat support and chores, despite Eugene’s unquestionable skill.
“No need, and money’s tight. A silver to hire two idiots? Ridiculous.”
“Ah, true.”
Pellid swallowed the thought that Lord Tiwin’s true bastard son might reward him generously and bowed his head.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Eugene and Pellid resumed walking toward Lord Tiwin’s castle.
* * *
“Hm. Is reading always this easy to learn?”
“It’s… because you’re amazing, Sir Eugene.”
The dirt by the crackling campfire was covered in traces of written and erased letters.
“Me?”
“Yes. It took me two days just to memorize and write all the letters. And grammar and such… over half a month to get the basics. You mastered it all in a couple hours. That’s what’s amazing, Sir Eugene.”
“Really? Hmm.”
Eugene felt pleased.
He’d doubted it, but he’d already suspected he was smart.
During his first escape in his past life, he’d only focused on fleeing to uninhabited areas.
But after a couple months, he realized crowded places were better for hiding.
Blending with humans, he’d survived crises multiple times through quick judgment and improvisation.
Until the holy knights appeared, with almost no info on them.
Anyway, Eugene figured he wouldn’t have lasted a month—let alone half a year—if he were dumb.
And learning to read this fast suggested he wasn’t just okay—he was very smart.
“Write it one more time! Just once! I swear, one more and I’ll memorize it too! Pleeease, just once more!”
While Eugene had mastered even advanced grammar, Mirian—who hadn’t memorized the letters—threw a fit.
“You’re cheating, right? I can’t even memorize the letters, and you’ve got them all down and can write? I don’t believe it. No way!”
“Yeah, sure.”
Something occurred to Eugene, and he pulled a rolled parchment from his bosom.
It was the letter from Broadwin’s chief to Lord Tiwin.
As Pellid peered curiously, Eugene read it aloud.
“To my lord, Lord Tiwin. I bow my head in apology for delivering such news due to my negligence. In truth…”
Pellid nodded repeatedly, listening to Eugene’s voice while confirming the chief’s letter with his eyes.
“…Thus, I’ve asked a knight named Yan Eugene to escort young master Pellid. I’ve never heard of the Yan family, but judging by his extraordinary appearance and skill, he seems a knight or descendant of fallen nobility. Of course, I’d love to hire proper mercenaries, but please consider our poor village’s plight. Your loyal subject, Geb.”
“Perfect. Excellent.”
Pellid beamed as if it were about him.
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Your voice makes it sound even better, Sir Eugene. Nice clean letter too. The chief writes very well.”
“Does he?”
Having just learned to read, Eugene couldn’t tell good from bad writing. He just took Pellid’s word for it.
‘Anyway.’
Eugene stared at Mirian hovering before him with mouth agape.
“…Ah!”
Mirian flinched, wings trembling, his face pale and dazed.
“See? Vampires are all born con artists! Almost fooled me there. Wow! Making up that story in such short time. You’re destined for success, Eugene.”
Eugene curled his lip at the spirit chattering away with a forced smile, pretending not to be flustered.
“Ha!? What’s with that rotten smirk? And that look raking me from top to bottom! Am I funny? Funny to you!? Keeek!”
Eugene snatched Mirian like swatting a fly and stuffed him into a leather pouch.
“Ah, mosquitoes? What an idiot. Lingering near Sir Eugene, of all places.”
“There’s always morons everywhere you go.”
“Kiek! Keee…”
Eugene corked the pouch, cutting off the spirit’s crushed-pride screams, then suddenly looked up.
“What is it, sir?”
“Someone’s coming.”
With night sharpening his already keen senses, Eugene detected something.
‘Wheels rolling. Six footsteps total. Smells of metal, leather, oil—mercenaries?’
Moments later, the group arrived.
Two wagons, and six men who looked like proper mercenaries, as expected.
“Well, guests already here. Hello, friends.”
The burly leader at the front raised a hand in greeting.
Tight leather armor, belt loaded with pouches, armed with short sword and round shield.
‘Chain mail underneath. No amateur.’
After leaving Broadwin, Eugene had finally met ‘real’ mercenaries.
(Continued in the next chapter)