Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Surrender! Open the Gates!
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“Really? Just what kind of monster is it?”
As the story they’d been waiting for finally emerged, Gabriel and Elena leaned forward with keen interest.
“Ignorant commoners aren’t very precise with their words, so it’s hard to know for sure. But judging from the rumors that even the griffins rampaging through Rodan Forest fell to that monster, and given the soul-freezing horror of its roars...”
“Judging from that?”
“It’s probably a high-tier monster on the level of an ogre or drake.”
‘Finally, those mages!’
‘They succeeded!’
Unconsciously clenching their fists, the two siblings quickly exchanged glances.
“Sir Molb, haven’t the griffins of Rodan Forest been a headache and a threat to the marquisate for years?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right.”
“Then a monster capable of taking down those griffins must be incredibly fearsome. What do you think would happen if such a powerful beast attacked a nearby village?”
“Ah! You’re absolutely right. Come to think of it, there were even baseless rumors of an undead monster appearing. Commoners and their nonsense.”
“What? Undead!?”
Though they already knew for certain, Gabriel feigned great shock as he spoke.
“If there’s even a chance it’s undead, it could be a dire matter threatening the marquisate’s very survival. But with Sis’s army here, we can’t send out a subjugation force...”
“Brother, send a messenger to Lady Essendra. Even in this situation, as Archibald’s direct descendant, she truly cares about the marquisate. She’ll surely take action.”
“You’re right. Then, Sir Molb.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Inform all the knights in the castle about the un-dead monster issue. Send a messenger to Sis Essendra as well.”
“Understood, my lord! I’ll notify them at once!”
The knight, utterly unaware of the inside story, was moved by Gabriel’s prioritization of the marquisate over his own power.
‘As expected, only Lord Gabriel can lead the marquisate! To think he’s this merciful!’
The knight’s actions soon spread to the castle’s nobles, and the two siblings were overjoyed that their plan was proceeding successfully.
“It worked out perfectly. Now Sis will have to withdraw her army, right?”
“Yeah! Even if she doesn’t, she won’t be able to siege the castle anymore. Not until that undead is dealt with, anyway. Hehe!”
To hunt undead monsters, holy knights were essential, but the Carlsvegin Peninsula—where the bishop had fled to the royal capital long ago—lacked any proper ones.
In the end, Essendra would have no choice but to pull back her army and focus entirely on dealing with the undead monster.
“Hahaha!”
“Hohoho!”
For the first time in ages, the two siblings could laugh freely.
But their joy didn’t last even a full day.
* * *
The next morning.
Led by Essendra, her allied nobles stood in formation.
And a knight clad in pitch-black plate mail, at the forefront with the corpses of a grotesque two-headed ogre and three griffins, stood where the drawbridge would lower and shouted.
“I am Yann of House Eugene! A knight who supports Lady Essendra!”
“...!”
As Gabriel and Elena’s jaws dropped, the castle nobles and knights began to murmur.
“Isn’t Yann Eugene the knight who seized the late Lord Bemos’s lands?”
“The wyvern slayer! The knight who cleared the Philia Ruins in Beogalan territory!”
“How is he...”
“As you can see, the evil undead that appeared in the marquisate has been dealt with by my hand! On top of that, the griffins that terrorized the marquisate’s people for so long have met their end by my blade!”
“Gasp!”
The murmurs ceased as everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
Panicking, Elena raised her voice.
“Seize that liar at once...”
“This undead ogre was revived by some mage using vile magic! And that mage, too, lost his head to my sword!”
“...!”
The siblings’ faces drained of color in an instant as they saw Eugene pulling something out and waving it.
“This is the magic journal written by the mage I slew! Curious whose name is mentioned inside? I can tell you right now if you want!”
Seeing the tattered book in Eugene’s hand, Gabriel and Elena’s pupils shook wildly, like boats in a storm.
“And most regrettably! The one who had deep ties with the mage who created this vile abomination is...”
“Surrender! Open the gates! We’re opening them! Surrendering! We suuuurrendeeeeer!”
Under the watchful eyes of countless Archibald marquisate nobles and knights, Gabriel had no choice but to scream at the top of his lungs, spit flying everywhere.
* * *
“Got nothing to say?”
“...Even if I had ten mouths, what excuse could I make? Please show mercy for the sake of the bond between siblings who share the same blood, Sister.”
“Please forgive us, Sister. It seems those mages cast some vile spell on us. There’s no way Brother Gabriel or I would do such things with clear minds.”
“Hah. Your mouths are still alive and well, huh.”
Essendra clicked her tongue from her seat on the dais in the main keep.
But Gabriel and Elena, kneeling on one knee before her, could only tremble in fear and shame.
After all, this was far better than having their scheme exposed before all the marquis house’s nobles and knights.
“I could forgive you for inciting the vassals and stirring chaos in the marquisate and peninsula territories. After Father was placed under house arrest, it was time to weed out the rotten ones and shuffle the ranks anyway. Honestly, I was secretly pleased that you handled it in my stead.”
“...!”
The siblings’ eyes shook violently.
They’d thought she was holed up in her territory, doing nothing—but that wasn’t the case?
“Edric was the same. He was a bit soft-eared but good at keeping the vassals in line with his affability.”
“Then Sister, you knew everything...”
“Of course. The issue was just when to step in myself. I figured the peninsula’s chaos—brewing since Father’s time—would need at least a few more years to settle. But receiving a title from the king? That crossed the line.”
“S-Sorry...”
Essendra smirked at Gabriel, who hung his head.
“Still, surrendering immediately was a wise choice. If you’d denied even a word of Sir Eugene’s claims earlier, who knows what would’ve happened to you two. The castle knights would’ve risen up first.”
“...”
That was more than likely.
Even setting aside borrowing a mage’s power, releasing undead into the territory would drag any direct descendant margrave’s honor through the mud, lineage be damned.
“In that sense, your decision to surrender right away and open the gates deserves praise. Looks like your thirst for power hasn’t seeped into your bones yet?”
“W-What are you saying? This foolish but loyal little brother merely gathered what forces he could out of concern for the marquisate’s sudden division, intending to hand them over to you upon your arrival...”
“Enough. Gabriel, all your assets are confiscated, and you’re stripped of all titles indefinitely. Any objections?”
“...None. Thank you for your mercy.”
“And Elena.”
“Yes, Sister.”
Elena’s shoulders twitched under Essendra’s chilling gaze, which had always intimidated her since childhood.
“To be precise, it was your responsibility that those sinister mages were brought to the main keep and sent to the dungeon. A grave crime that warrants life imprisonment.”
“...”
With nothing to say, Elena bit her lip and bowed her head deeply.
“But Father’s barely been confined a year, and Bemos died even more recently. We Archibalds can’t have blood spilling between kin.”
“Ah...!”
As Elena’s head snapped up in hope, Essendra continued with a cold smile.
“Still, someone has to take responsibility for this mess. Don’t you agree, Sir Eugene?”
“Quite right.”
Eugene stepped forward calmly.
At that, Gabriel and Elena’s eyes shook once more.
They’d suspected as much ever since this outsider stood by Essendra’s side as if it were natural, in a gathering of only Archibald direct descendants.
That all this stemmed from this young knight with the beautiful, bewitching face.
And that his presence had hastened the ‘timing’ Essendra mentioned.
“So, Sir Eugene, in your view, who should take responsibility, and how?”
“In my opinion...”
Eugene continued, gazing at the two siblings watching him with anxious expressions.
“Your siblings merely made a small mistake out of deep loyalty to the marquisate and house. The blame for sowing discord among Archibald kin and pursuing personal gain lies with the one devoid of honor or righteousness.”
“...!”
At Eugene’s words, one person naturally came to mind for the siblings.
“S-Sir, you don’t mean my husband, do you?”
Eugene nodded at Elena’s frantic question.
“Who else hired assassins to kill nobles and covet Lord Bemos’s mines, then brought evil mages into the territory? You, Lady Elena? You, Lord Gabriel? Or both?”
“Sir Eugene, isn’t that a bit harsh? My siblings couldn’t have done such villainy. Right?”
Essendra stepped in, chiding Eugene while defending her siblings. But seeing her eyes and expression, Gabriel and Elena sensed they were cornered perfectly.
In the end, Elena’s head drooped.
“Y-You’re right, Sister.”
A place where one would betray even their husband to survive.
That was the world of those called great nobles.
* * *
Elena’s husband, Knight Andre, and a few others were thrown into the underground dungeon.
The remaining nobles raised both arms high, welcoming Essendra as the new margrave.
Thus, having seized Archibald’s main keep without spilling a drop of blood, Essendra held a grand banquet.
Ale and meat were sent to the mercenaries outside the castle as well, and they too cheered in unison the birth of the mightiest frontier count on the Carlsvegin Peninsula.
“Sir Eugene. Still haven’t changed your mind? No desire to stand by my side?”
“No.”
“Haha!”
Essendra burst into laughter at Eugene’s curt reply, having shed her armor for the first time in ages.
Unlike the nobles below the dais still watching her every move, desperately trying to curry favor.
If anything, that made her like Eugene even more.
“You know? You’re the first to treat me this way. Makes me want you even more.”
“I’m afraid there’s no helping it. And if I stay by your side much longer, it won’t bring only good things.”
“What do you mean?”
“The marquisate nobles. For now, they’re staying quiet to avoid offending you. What do you think they’ll do if I rack up more achievements here? Human nature being what it is.”
“Who would dare...”
Essendra swept her gaze over the nobles with eyes full of anger.
But deep down, she knew Eugene was right.
A lord needed many capable vassals, but if one shone too brightly, resentment and conflict were inevitable.
“Still, you’ll join the remaining campaign, right? Need to give some discipline to the southern territories and cities on the peninsula.”
Taking the marquisate wasn’t the end.
She now commanded over a thousand troops under her banner—a rare chance and justification to assemble such a force.
Thus, Essendra planned to fully consolidate internally and imprint Archibald’s prestige externally this time.
“Didn’t you tell your siblings that you’d have stepped up by now even without me? Seems you can proceed with your original plan.”
“Wow, you remember everything? True, even without you, it’s about time to clean house. But wouldn’t it be easier with you by my side?”
“Maybe. However, as I’ve said, if I earn more merits here, it’ll trouble both you and me. You should consider the other vassals too.”
“Hmm.”
Essendra stroked her chin like a man and smacked her lips. Indeed, after the peninsula was pacified, things would likely play out as Eugene said.
“What about your troops then? It’d feel off if they all left.”
To the reluctant Essendra, Eugene replied immediately.
“Only me, Sir Galpredic, and about thirty troops will withdraw.”
“What?”
“I mentioned before giving positions to the free knights who follow me? They haven’t done much so far. Wouldn’t it be a loss for both you and me? Take them and put them to work. The Mopern mercenaries would regret leaving empty-handed too. Why not show off your leadership and wealth?”
“...Ha, hahahaha!”
Essendra roared with laughter and stroked Eugene’s arm.
“You sly fox. Trying to dump the troublesome lumps on me, huh?”
Eugene felt a pang inwardly but kept a straight face and shook his head.
“Of course not. It’s a misunderstanding. I’m just proposing the best option that benefits me, you, and all the vassals and knights.”
“Haha. Can’t argue since it’s not wrong. But you didn’t spend a penny to command those troops, and now you’ve become a lord to boot?”
“Not intentionally, but that’s how it turned out.”
Eugene played innocent.
The merchant guildmaster Gard had recruited the Mopern mercenaries, but their pay came from Eugene’s pocket.
And their first payday was conveniently two days away.
Handing them to Essendra, who’d need troops for at least another month?
‘On her honor as margrave, she can’t ask me for money, right?’
Thoroughly concealing his thoughts, Eugene said calmly.
“The mercenaries are set at two silver per day. Loot and spoils split half-and-half, so keep that in mind.”
“Wow! Not paying a single coin? You’re practically a bandit!”
Essendra stuck out her tongue at Eugene’s refusal to take any loss to the end.
Whatever she thought, Eugene was satisfied.
Not only had he succeeded in being recognized as a lord by the next Archibald margrave—his original goal—but he’d commanded mercenaries and free knights without spending his own money.
Plus, thanks to soloing the dungeon, he’d pocketed an enormous reward.
And that wasn’t all.
‘With the red mana stone and the dead mage’s items combined...’
One regret was failing to gain transformation ability.
It turned out transformation activated only by consuming the blood and mana stone of a monster possessing a red mana stone.
Thus, he gained nothing from the griffins with blue mana stones.
Still, learning that was a decent achievement.
In the end, this expedition was a resounding success.
“Look at those lips twitching. If you want to laugh, just laugh. Sir Eugene, haven’t you heard you’re utterly shameless plenty of times?”
“As I’ve told you countless times, not once.”
As Eugene swiftly schooled his face to neutrality, the castle guard captain hurried over just as Essendra was about to retort.
“Pardon the interruption, my lady. Sir Eugene, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
Eugene tilted his head, and Essendra looked curious too.
“Yes. A female mage, and...”
“Kinda has a dazed, raccoon-like face?”
“Ah, yes, that matches. But that mage is in the central courtyard right now... throwing a fit, crying and wailing.”
“...?”
It seemed like Romani, but why come all the way here to act crazy?
(To be continued in the next chapter)