Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Translator: Penny
Chapter 40
Bajes writhed on the griddle like an octopus being grilled.
It felt as if lightning had struck him, piercing from his fingertips through his head and down to his toes.
"Ugh...!"
"Hmm, he's fainted again," Agron remarked, looking at Bajes, who had collapsed like pickled cabbage, with a troubled expression.
They had only worked on two arms, yet Bajes had already fainted five times.
Jacob scooped up cold groundwater in a bucket and splashed it across Bajes' face like a whip.
"...Gah! Cough!"
"Hmm, he's awake again."
"Cough, cough! Ugh...!"
"Are you a warrior?"
"Y-you bastard...! Stop asking that question! How many times are you going to repeat the same damn thing?!"
Bajes looked around at the others, his eyes pleading for help.
But Jacob, Wolf, and Josef merely shrugged or stared at him indifferently.
"Are you a warrior?"
"N-no! I'm not! I'm not!!" Bajes screamed, his voice raw with desperation.
He couldn't understand what answer they wanted.
"Then I'll make you a warrior."
"You fucking lunatic! Aaaaargh!"
The flesh of his calves and thighs twisted, the skin turning a dark, purplish-red.
"W-what do you want me to say?! Just ask the question!"
"Endure! If you're the Boss of the Organization, you must endure and become a warrior!"
"Fucking hell! Why does the Boss of the Organization have to become a warrior?! Aaaaargh!"
Bajes was going insane.
What's the Lord's name? What are we trading? Surely there were specific questions he could answer.
Even if not those, he'd answer any targeted question. But just asking "Are you a warrior?" What kind of answer was that supposed to elicit?
Just as he'd bled a bucketful, someone slapped his cheek, snapping him back to consciousness.
The moment Bajes opened his eyes, tears streamed down his face.
"If you have nothing to ask, just... just kill me..."
"I'm asking now. What's the name of the Count you're meeting? Where are you meeting him?"
Bajes blinked at Jacob's question, then replied with a resentful tone, "You tortured me just to ask that? I would have answered if you'd just asked nicely... Why?!"
"You told me to lick your boots when I said I wanted to meet him."
"Meeting him is impossible, but I could have told you his name..."
Bajes sobbed, his voice choked with indignation.
Agron, who had been watching from the side, spoke sternly, "You can't expect to learn his name so easily."
"Why... why?"
"Because I only speak to warriors."
Is this guy completely insane...?
Bajes swallowed the curse that threatened to erupt from his throat.
Agron and his group returned to the mansion to prepare thoroughly.
Agron first summoned Ludicain.
Ludicain was the First in the Collateral Line of House Veilain, and the man who had tried to usurp Agron's position as Head of House.
"Y-you summoned me...?"
Having been sentenced to slavery, Ludicain now lived as a slave of the House.
Clad in rags and looking utterly wretched, with the slave's restraint collar around his neck, he was a truly pitiful sight.
"Hmm, you mentioned having a son, didn't you?"
"Y-yes, that's correct."
"His name is Theo, right?"
Ludicain eyed Agron suspiciously, unable to understand why he was suddenly bringing up his son.
"Your response is slow."
As Agron muttered, Jacob, standing beside him, lashed his whip across Agron's back.
"Aaaagh! Y-yes! It's Theo von Veilain!"
Even a whip wielded by an ordinary human would sting, but when wielded by a Vampir with several times the physical strength, its power was beyond description.
Ludicain repeatedly stroked his lower back, bowing his head low.
"Is your fief Sachsen?"
"Y-yes, it is."
"How far is it from here?"
"Uhm..."
Ludicain hesitated again, and Jacob's whip cracked like lightning.
"Ugyaaah!"
His face became a mess of tears and snot.
"How far is it from here?"
"Hic...! Sniff... About half a day by carriage... Sniff... sir."
"I see. Riding a warhorse would be even faster."
"B-but why... H-hic! I'm sorry!"
Jacob raised his hand again, seeing Ludicain about to ask an impudent question. Startled, Ludicain flattened himself to the ground like a bug.
"Your son, Theo, has been impersonating me."
"Y-yes? What?!"
"He's been going around claiming to be the new Lord of Veilain."
"N-no way... That can't be true! Isn't he the new Lord of Sachsen?"
"If that were the case, I wouldn't be asking you."
"I-impossible..."
"It seems he's forgotten that he owes his life to my mercy."
Ludicain, his father, had been sentenced to slavery for attempting to incite a rebellion.
Had Agron decided to kill everyone associated with Ludicain and display their heads on the city gates, no one would have dared to object.
After all, who would criticize a noble for eradicating the seeds of rebellion?
The Royal Family never tolerated treason or insurrection. To the King and nobles, any crime that threatened their authority was considered the gravest offense.
However, Agron had only recently become Lord at the time and, seeking to demonstrate his magnanimity, imposed the lightest possible punishments. It was thanks to this leniency that Theo's father had been able to succeed him as Lord of Sachsen without incident.
"Ludicain, I didn't summon you here to ask about your son's name."
"...?"
"Were you involved in Theo's scheme?"
At the question, Ludicain's face drained of all color, turning as white as a sheet. It felt as if an invisible executioner's sword were pressed against his neck.
"N-no! Absolutely not! I had nothing to do with this!"
"Can you swear this in the name of the gods?"
"I swear it! Since becoming a slave serving the Count's House, I haven't contacted my son even once!"
"If the investigation reveals even the slightest connection to this affair, I guarantee you'll wish you were dead."
Agron's chilling words sent Ludicain trembling violently.
Once might be attributed to ignorance, but twice was sheer recklessness.
Agron chased Ludicain out of the room and finished preparing for battle.
"Count, shouldn't we take precautions with Ludicain? We can't predict how he'll change after his son dies."
"I agree. Sell him at the slave market."
Agron nodded at Jacob's suggestion.
Just then, Elena approached and said, "Master, preparations for departure are complete. But do you really need to go yourself? If you command it, Jacob and I can handle it, or we can send Saiki and Temurin."
"No, I'll go myself. I want to see his face, and it sets an example for my subordinates when the Lord takes direct action in such matters."
"As expected of you, Master! I'll protect you with my life!"
Elena's radiant smile lit up the room as she answered, but Lawrence, watching from a distance, frowned.
"What's with you, kid? Got a problem?!"
"Try treating other people half as well as you treat Agron."
"Why would I do that?"
"..."
Well, there's no reason for him to, I guess.
Lawrence, unable to retort, quickly averted his gaze.
"You coming too?" Agron asked him.
"What else am I supposed to do in this mansion by myself? Why, can't I come?"
"Hmm, it'll be a significant drain on our combat strength, but... whatever."
This bastard!
Lawrence had often fantasized about honing his skills and defeating Agron in a one-on-one duel.
"Stop daydreaming and get your armor on properly."
"H-how did you...?!"
"Your face gives it all away."
Agron chuckled, clapped Lawrence on the shoulder, and strode out first.
The expeditionary force was smaller than expected.
Agron, Elena, Baek Woon, Jacob, Lawrence, Wolf, and about a dozen cavalrymen.
If they were declaring war on another Lord, they would typically bring their own private soldiers, hire mercenaries to inflate their numbers, and haul along military rations. But Agron wasn't going to war; he was stripping away all unnecessary baggage.
When someone asked, "Shouldn't we at least maintain some formalities?" Agron replied, "A warrior needs spirit, not formalities."
In truth, Elena and Jacob alone were strong enough to crush hundreds of ordinary soldiers each, making a large force redundant.
Perhaps because of this streamlined approach, their mobility was exceptionally high, as they were all mounted on horseback.
They rode tirelessly for over three hours, finally reaching the Sachsen Region.
If they had waited to gather troops, hire mercenaries, hold a departure ceremony, receive the Bishop's blessings and prayers, and send a herald to declare war, they wouldn't have been able to set out until next month at the earliest.
But they weren't going to war.
They were going to deliver punishment.
The fief's residents showed no alarm at the sudden appearance of the knights.
Suspicious figures had been frequenting the city lately, so their arrival caused little stir.
"It was worth coming quickly," Sir Agron muttered.
The Lord's Castle they reached was unguarded and peaceful.
The guards yawned lazily, and no one entering or leaving was even checked.
Agron had deliberately pushed for speed, partly for this reason.
If word of the Bajes Organization's destruction reached Theo, he might flee or barricade himself inside the castle, preparing for a siege.
They approached the entrance with regal confidence.
The guard stationed at the castle gate raised his hand to halt the twenty approaching riders.
"H-halt! Halt! Who are you? This is the castle of Baron Theo von Veilain!"
"You fool! Kneel at once! This is the rightful Master of the Veilain Fief, the legitimate heir to House Veilain, the great Head of House, Count Agron von Veilain! ...And beside him stands the Third Prince of this Kingdom!"
Is that all they're going to say about me?
As Lawrence stared intently at Jacob, the guard lowered his spear.
"H-Head of House!"
The startled guards dropped to one knee.
"The Count himself has come to meet Baron Theo von Veilain, a fellow member of House Veilain. Escort him immediately!"
"J-Just a moment, please... I need to report to the Baron first..."
"You dare make the Count, the Head of House, wait here?! And the Third Prince as well!"
"N-No! I'll escort you right away!"
The guard, looking crestfallen, led them directly into the Lord's Castle.
Like Ludicain before him, the current Lord, Theo, had a foul temper. He frequently whipped and beat his subordinates for the slightest offense.
This behavior grew even worse after former Baron Ludicain never returned from his visit to the Count's House.
There were other strange occurrences as well.
From a certain point onward, suspicious vagrants and bandit-like figures began frequenting the castle, and an abundance of shady money flooded the coffers.
Of course, none of this money trickled down to the lower ranks; it was squandered on lavish banquets hosted by the Baron, as well as on wine and women.
"Your quarters are located here..."
The guard led them beneath the Inner Castle.
"Well done—"
In that instant, Agron's hand shot out, catching an arrow mid-flight.
He looked up to see a fresh-faced, blue-eyed youth glaring at him from a window.
"H-He's an intruder! K-Kill him!" the youth shouted, pointing at Agron and his party.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny