Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Transformed Territory
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“So, in conclusion, you went to the battlefield in place of the Lord of Krollmarin and got captured as a prisoner?”
“To be precise, it was in place of my father, Sir Bosch. He wasn’t in a condition to answer the lord’s order to join the battle due to injuries he sustained in a territorial skirmish.”
On the road leaving Mopern toward the territory with Eugene, Lanslo and Luke chatted idly.
Though he leaned heavily toward women, the naturally sociable Lanslo and Luke, who respected skilled knights, had grown quite close during that time.
“What about Sir Bosch’s legitimate heirs? There must have been others older than you?”
“Sir Bosch was an outstanding knight, but his elder brothers were only average in skill. And originally, my eldest brother Belt should have gone... No, it’s nothing.”
Luke trailed off mid-sentence and shut his mouth. Lanslo stared at him briefly before chuckling and speaking.
“Now I get it. Your father had to go in the lord’s place, but he postponed it due to his injury. Still, someone had to go, so in the end, you went instead of your father and eldest brother?”
“......”
Luke kept his mouth firmly shut, but his expression alone told the story.
“Tch. It was an obvious losing battle, so they sent the bastard son instead of a legitimate heir. Your father, Sir Bosch, is a coward.”
“That’s not true! If not for the injury, Sir Bosch would have gone himself! Sir Bosch is honorable...”
“If he truly knew honor, injury or not, he would’ve swallowed mana crystals and charged in. Let me ask you one thing. If Sir Eugene ordered you to fight, what would you do? Make excuses about being injured and send someone else in your place?”
“Th-that...”
Luke flinched and bit his lip hard. Lanslo’s smile deepened.
“See? Even a slave like you would take up sword and spear to fight alongside your master if you truly served him. How much more so for a knight? You must stake your life for your lord at any moment. Can you call someone who weighs every circumstance before fighting a knight? Is that the honor and loyalty you know?”
“......”
“Listen well. Fief, horse, armor. Everything a lord grants a knight is in exchange for loyalty. What do you call taking those rewards eagerly but failing to uphold your oath? Right, dishonor. Do you want to live and die in dishonor?”
“......No. I will never live like that.”
Trembling, Luke glared at Lanslo and gritted his teeth as he answered.
“Master, Master. The elf knight is bullying Slave No. 1.”
Mirian whispered tattletale from atop his shoulder.
Eugene, who had already heard their entire conversation with his vampire hearing, casually turned his head.
“Hey. Stop bullying my slave now and come over here.”
“Y-yes.”
Lanslo grinned and spurred his horse over to Eugene.
“Why, did you bully the kid?”
“Sir, that boy has real potential.”
“......?”
Lanslo, who gleefully tormented with violence whenever the mood struck, was suddenly praising Luke.
“He’s a bastard son who didn’t receive formal knight training like his brothers and only learned by peeking over shoulders. He has excellent innate physical gifts and considerable talent with the sword. On top of that, he understands honor better than his own father.”
“So?”
“I’m saying I’d have taken him on as a proper squire. Think about it. Guys like him are rare. If you don’t want him, how about giving him to me...”
“I was planning to anyway.”
“......For real? You’re not deciding on a whim, right?”
“It’s real. What, you think it’s fake? But Lanslo, why are you so interested in that kid?”
“Because it’s been ages since I met someone from my homeland.”
“Homeland? Then...”
Lanslo flashed his pearly whites in a grin.
“Yes. I’m from Brantia too.”
“Hmm.”
Eugene was genuinely surprised. At the same time, a thought flashed through his mind.
‘Count Winslon. Don’t tell me...’
When he’d asked for a member of the Golden Moon Knights, handpicked by the count himself, Winslon had agreed without a second’s hesitation.
From the moment he’d bestowed the Madara Jica and mentioned Duke Bartla, it seemed the count had already been plotting a bigger picture.
Having a knight from Brantia along would obviously aid the expedition.
“Did the count say anything to you, by any chance?”
“Well? He just asked me to stick with you, Sir Eugene, until he summons me.”
Lanslo showed none of the telltale signs of lying.
Moreover, to Eugene’s eyes, Lanslo was a knight who truly placed ‘honor’ above all.
If he’d chased fame like other knights, he wouldn’t have left the Golden Moon Knights so readily to follow Eugene.
“By the way, is it still far? Your territory must be pretty small.”
“Kyaa? What are you saying, elf knight master? It’s the territory of the master who’s been crying non-stop since earlier. Kyaaa.”
“......?”
Eugene turned at the unfamiliar, flirtatious voice.
“Who are you?”
“Kyaa. Our master’s jokes are the best. It’s me, me! This Mirian is always the same, you know? Flutter flutter flutter~ Kyaaa~!”
Eugene was speechless at the spirit’s antics, complete with self-made sound effects and a spray of fresh water droplets as it fluttered about.
“Haha. I’ve thought it before, but he’s quite the unique undine. You rarely see undines with such quirky personalities.”
“Want him?”
“Yes?”
“Kyaa?”
“A quirky spirit beats a promising squire candidate, doesn’t it? If you want, I’ll hand him over right...”
“Kieeeek! Master! This lowly one was wrong! This lowly one lost his mind for a moment! I’ll keep doing things as usual! Kieeeek!”
“Pfft!”
Lanslo burst out laughing at the sight of the spirit plummeting onto Silion’s mane and kowtowing frantically.
“Krheungheungheung! Please don’t abandon me! From now on, I’ll fight without rest and spit water non-stop!”
“Ahahaha!”
“......”
The spirit wailed, Lanslo laughed, and the embarrassment fell to Eugene.
* * *
“The lord has arrived!”
The moment the sturdy wooden palisade gate swung open, Eugene couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
Residents poured out from the neatly clustered houses, bowing and scraping with excited expressions.
“We see the lord!”
“Congratulations on the lord’s safe return!”
“Lord Eugene!”
For some reason, the villagers, who had shed their former ragged appearance, now looked no different from city dwellers or those of major territories.
Moreover, just a month ago, more than half the houses had been crude shacks of planks and mud, but now most were sturdy wooden buildings.
That wasn’t all.
The filth-covered roads were now impeccably maintained with drainage ditches on both sides, and the pigs that once wallowed in street mud were penned separately.
“Ho! The village has developed quite a bit. Does Sir Eugene have talent in internal affairs as well?”
“......”
Eugene couldn’t respond to Lanslo’s admiration.
‘What the hell happened here?’
Somewhat dazed, Eugene spurred his horse toward the distant castle.
* * *
“The rightful lord of Eugene Territory, the great lord to whom my utmost loyalty is solely directed...”
“Enough.”
“Yes.”
Delmongdo, who had prepared a grandiose greeting, promptly shut his mouth.
“You lot, leave us.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The cleanly dressed maids and manservants bowed and backed out the door.
Even that surprised Eugene. It felt like he’d arrived at the castle of a titled lord.
Just recently, these were villagers who’d been tilling fields and tending pigs—how had they transformed like this?
“I await the command of the great one.”
As soon as the underlings left, Delmongdo removed his mask, knelt on one knee in the shaded spot away from sunlight, and faced Eugene.
“Explain how all this came about.”
“Yes? Ah, all this...”
“The village changes, the residents, and everyone I just saw—everything.”
“Yes, sir!”
The quick-witted Delmongdo grasped exactly what Eugene was curious about.
“Truth be told, this lowly one...”
Reviving skills from his imperial administrator days, Delmongdo explained as concisely and accurately as possible.
Silver vein mining yields exceeded expectations, boosting income by about 50% more than anticipated.
He’d originally planned to reserve it for territory operating costs, but judged it wiser long-term to invest in residents’ living conditions, convenience, and hygiene to keep them healthy and extend lifespans.
Thus, he rebuilt houses, dug waterways, brought artisans from Mopern to produce soap, and supplied it cheaply to villagers.
And so on...
“...All this won’t show immediate effects, but within a few years, it will yield results unlike any other territory. Moreover, as lord, the great one’s honor and mercy will shine even brighter.”
“I see. Is this based on precedent?”
“Yes. A certain border count of the Roman Empire implemented it for over a decade in his domain. Production rose nearly 50%, and compared to other regions excluding the capital, residents’ lifespans increased by about 7-8 years.”
“......”
Eugene silently stared at Delmongdo.
‘This guy’s way more capable than I thought!’
He hadn’t appointed Delmongdo as proxy lord for any special reason.
Given his circumstances, Eugene had far more need to roam outside than stay in the territory.
A former administrator vampire who’d never betray him seemed like a solid choice for proxy.
Plus, keeping him close provided info on other vampires and vampire society—one stone, two birds.
But this unexpected jackpot?
As Eugene silently looked down, Delmongdo preemptively panicked, bowed his head hastily, and continued rapidly.
“You needn’t worry about funds at all. Merchants and artisans from Mopern are cooperating fully with me—no, with the great one. Even if they listened to me well, isn’t it thanks to the great one’s shining fame and profound honor? This lowly servant merely borrowed a sliver of the great one’s prestige...”
“Well done. Excellent. I even heard the Mopern merchant guildmaster can’t touch you. Delmongdo, you’re quite useful. Keep up the good work.”
“......!”
Delmongdo’s shoulders twitched visibly as he slowly raised his head.
He looked up at Eugene with eyes shaking in disbelief and said,
“To receive praise from the great Origin...”
“......!?”
Eugene was dumbfounded in an instant.
Tears suddenly streamed from Delmongdo’s red eyes.
“Euhuhuheuk! This lowly servant has no regrets even if he perishes now! Ehherheung!”
“......Why are you bawling? Don’t cry.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Delmongdo hurriedly wiped his tears and bowed his head again. But his shoulders kept heaving—he was deeply moved.
Eugene couldn’t understand the sentiment, but that was natural.
The gulf between a low-rank vampire like Delmongdo and an Origin was immense—like a king personally praising a commoner.
‘Father, and the masters of Nophelos. I shall offer my blood for this great one!’
Unbeknownst to Eugene, a single compliment had fully turned Delmongdo to his side.
(To be continued in the next installment)