It was an astonishing offer.
What Eugene needed most right now was precisely to enter demon realms other than the dungeon in the Tiwyn territory.
Only by going to as many dungeons and labyrinths as possible, slaying special monsters and obtaining red mana stones, could he acquire their abilities and erase the tattoos that covered his entire body.
'If all the tattoos disappear, what will actually happen then? Could it be that the previous two times were just coincidences?'
The memory that had surfaced after he consumed the red mana stone of the giant cave spider was a clue that might lead him to trace his own past.
Perhaps, if he continued consuming red mana stones, yet another memory would surface.
In the end, if only to confirm that, Eugene needed to enter many more demon realms.
However, he was not foolish enough to immediately bite at Pretzela's words.
"Saying something like that means you must want something from me."
"That's correct. That is exactly why I'm making you a proposal."
Thinking that she had finally taken a proper step forward, Pretzela continued in a calm voice.
"Until you receive formal investiture, the Pailin Merchant Guild will sponsor you, Sir Eugene."
"Sponsor me?"
"Yes. In everyday matters as well as when you participate in subjugations, we will support you as much as possible. In return, contracts with families that own demon realms will be handled exclusively by us. Naturally, all terms and details of those contracts will be discussed with you in advance. We promise you the highest level of treatment."
"Hm. That's not something I can decide easily."
"Of course. We also have no intention of rushing this."
In truth, she wanted to finalize the contract immediately while the topic was on the table, but Pretzela spoke with a deliberately relaxed smile.
"For now, please focus on the second subjugation of the Tiwyn family's dungeon. And when you return to Maren, you can decide then."
"Understood. But let me ask you one thing."
"Yes. Ask me anything."
"Why me? It's not as if I'm the only knight in Maren, and there must be no shortage of outstanding knights."
At Eugene's suddenly cooled gaze and voice, Pretzela tensed up again.
She couldn't explain it, but there seemed to be a strange power contained in his vivid red eyes and his low, deep voice.
Charisma?
The instinctive fear one feels toward a knight?
Whatever it was, it once again convinced Pretzela that Eugene was no ordinary man.
"The first reason is your ability, Sir Eugene. We have already verified your performance at the time through many of the mercenaries who entered the Tiwyn domain with you. For that, I offer my apologies."
"It's fine. And?"
"Yes. We also confirmed the results of the recent battle that took place in front of the Bangel Forest. Through these two matters, we became convinced that Sir Eugene's ability is exceptional. And the second reason is…"
Pretzela swallowed her dry saliva once without realizing it and continued.
"It's somewhat awkward to say this, but our guild generally does not sponsor knights very often. Many of them are… highly individualistic, after all. One might call it a risk factor. We prefer stable relationships, but knights are unpredictable."
Feeling uneasy, Pretzela gauged Eugene's reaction.
She had spoken with a certain level of confidence, but she had just openly lumped all knights together in a negative way, so she worried that he might take offense.
"I can understand that well enough. It's true that there are many hot-tempered and peculiar people among knights."
But Eugene's response was unexpected. Pretzela sighed in relief and quickly continued.
"Yes. However, we judged that you, Sir Eugene, are different from such knights. That is why, until you receive investiture, we will sponsor you, and during that period…"
Pretzela's explanation was lengthy, but the core of it seemed simple enough.
'This is no different from being formally invested by a noble, is it?'
At least, the obligations Eugene would have toward the Pailin Guild and the support the guild would provide him were almost identical to the relationship between a noble and a knight who had received investiture.
Eugene was certain of this, as he had heard Galfredic talk about matters related to investiture to the point his ears had grown calluses.
The only difference was that, instead of a vertical relationship, this was an equal relationship bound by contract, meaning it could be terminated at any time depending on the circumstances.
'It's not bad.'
He would need to examine it in more detail, but the conditions themselves seemed decent.
If he were to receive investiture from a titled noble, the demon realms he could participate in subjugating might be restricted.
On the other hand, through the Pailin Guild, he would be able to enter dungeons and labyrinths connected to each branch without limitation.
"What do you think?"
Under Pretzela's expectant gaze, Eugene nodded.
"It's fine. Let's proceed for now, and we'll draw up the contract when I come back next time."
"Oh! Thank you—"
"However, I won't sign a time-based contract. We'll do it per job. Let's try it for two or three runs first, and then talk again after that. How about it?"
"That is…"
Pretzela barely swallowed the words that she should discuss it first and nodded as naturally as she could.
"I think that's an excellent idea. Let's do that."
She had to see this contract through by any means. There was no room to consult her grandfather or her father here.
Per job. She had never even thought of that option before, but she believed she could somehow make it work.
If she could secure his participation in just three subjugations, she could keep this knight—who had very high potential for greatness—tied to the guild at least until the end of the year.
"We'll discuss the detailed terms next time. Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes!"
Filled with a pleasant sense of accomplishment, Pretzela lifted her face eagerly.
But the moment she met Eugene's crimson eyes, her joy vanished without a trace.
"I'm only saying this just in case. If you're thinking of playing games with me, it would be better for you to call this off right now. I never let go of anyone who comes at me first or tries to stab me in the back. I don't care about age, race, or gender."
"Of course! Th-there would absolutely never be such a thing. I swear it."
Right. She had forgotten for a moment.
No matter how beautiful his face was, this man was still a knight—someone who prized honor and pride above all else, and who strongly preferred to settle matters with spears and blades rather than with words in order to protect them.
After receiving a provisional contract from Pretzela, Eugene went straight to Partek. And since Partek could not read, Eugene read the contents of the contract out loud to him, line by line.
"What do you think?"
"Hmm. The terms seem quite good. However, I've never heard of this sort of contract either. So what I'd like to suggest is that we ask people who are knowledgeable about these matters for their advice."
"Are there people like that?"
* * *
"Yes. There are people I can trust."
With that, Partek introduced three people to Eugene.
One was a former clerk from a large mercenary company, another was a retired merchant, and the last was a legal advisor from the Mercenary Guild. That final person was none other than Trevik, the guildmaster of the Mercenary Guild.
"...In conclusion, the contract that the Pailin Merchant Guild proposed to you, Sir Eugene, poses no legal problems. Provided there is a valid reason, you may terminate the contract at any time if you wish, and in many respects the terms appear quite favorable."
At Trevik's explanation, Eugene nodded.
'The same opinion as the two people I met earlier.'
"Then wouldn't I benefit while the Pailin Guild takes a loss?"
"Not at all. No matter how many times the contract is carried out, the monster byproducts you receive as subjugation rewards will be handled and sold by the Pailin Guild. Even at the level of the last time, the guild earns considerable profit."
"I see."
"Above all, the greatest benefit to the Pailin Guild is that, by contracting with a knight of proven ability like yourself, they can boast of it to merchant guilds based in other cities."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Knights who are confident in their abilities seek investiture from nobles rather than involving themselves with merchant guilds. That's why guilds usually contract with mercenaries instead. In the end, forming a contract with you, Sir Eugene, is an opportunity for the Pailin Guild to show off its influence and capability."
"It's rather complicated."
"Haha! There's no need to think of it so complicatedly. From my perspective, this is a contract that benefits both sides."
"You think so?"
"Yes. It's quite common for knights to form various ties with merchant guilds before receiving investiture in order to maintain their livelihood—no, their honor and combat power. After all, knights have many expenses, don't they?"
"That's true."
Eugene nodded naturally.
For him, armor and a warhorse had come at no cost, but ordinarily being a knight was truly a money-devouring occupation.
There was a reason knights sought investiture from titled nobles.
Even aside from honor and glory, Eugene was certain that a stable income was a major factor as well.
"Anyway, thank you for your advice. It was a great help."
At Eugene's words, Trevik grinned and shook his head.
"No need to thank me. You're the hero of our city of Maren—this is only natural. So, are you heading straight back to the Tiwyn territory now?"
"That's the plan."
Eugene nodded and rose from his seat.
Just then, Trevik seemed to recall something and spoke again.
"Oh, right. Perhaps because of the Romers and the orcs in the Brandish Mountain Range, there are rumors that several lords have recently been gathering mercenaries. You may encounter trouble on the road, so please be careful, Sir Eugene."
"I see. Thank you for the warning."
"Think nothing of it. Safe travels."
Eugene and Partek left the guildmaster's office, and the moment the door closed behind them, Trevik muttered quietly,
"He really is a fine knight. If I were ten years younger, I might have followed after him like Partek did."
It wasn't just Eugene's skill.
It had been a very long time since Trevik had met a knight who was clear-headed and easy to talk to.
* * *
Eugene and the three mercenaries once again set out for the Tiwyn territory.
The party's appearance had changed greatly from when they had come to Maren leading a large wagon pulled by a packhorse.
Clad in plate armor and mounted atop Silion, Eugene looked every bit the dignified and valiant knight.
The mercenaries, too, had spared no expense in investing the money they earned from the dungeon subjugation into their equipment.
Partek now wore a plate coat lined with iron plates beneath the leather, chain chausses for his legs, and carried a shield and mace on his back.
All of it was newly purchased, and most of his old gear—including his worn hauberk (chainmail shirt)—had been sold off.
Glad and Raban also bought chainmail to reinforce their defenses and replaced their primary weapons with new ones.
"Wow! Seeing them like that, they really look the part now, huh? Sir Yan Eugene and his little—no, his loyal followers! The legend of the Blood Count begins from this moment!"
As the Spirit of Desire, Mirian, fluttered excitedly around the party, Eugene and the mercenaries marched on diligently.
* * *
Five days later.
Eugene's party arrived at Mount Marcus without any major trouble.
When crossing Mount Marcus—considered the edge of the Brandish Mountain Range—most travelers used the roads that ran from the foothills up to the ridgeline.
However, even as an edge region, it was a place where the infamous orcs still appeared from time to time, and there were even rumors that not long ago a group of goblins and orc warriors had shown up near the city of Maren.
Because of that, the village at the foot of the mountain was quite crowded with people seeking companions to cross the mountain together.
"A knight."
"It's a real knight. The ones with him must be mercenaries."
The moment Eugene's party appeared, people's gazes immediately converged on them, and whispers broke out everywhere.
"Wow… just look at that armor."
"It's plate armor. That must cost a fortune."
"And the horse—look at that barding."
The one drawing the most attention was, of course, Eugene.
Unless they served under a great noble, knights who owned plate armor like Eugene's were extremely rare.
Above all, the fact that his horse, armor, and even his robe were all black also played a part in attracting notice.
Still, people only stole glances at him and did not dare approach.
It wasn't just Eugene—there was something unusual about the atmosphere of the mercenaries as well.
"Sir Knight. Forgive the intrusion, but may I take a moment of your time?"
At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing a wide-brimmed hat tilted at an angle approached Silion and bowed deeply.
"What is it?"
"Yes, Sir Knight. I am a general goods merchant named Delduan. If you would be so kind, I will compensate you generously—would you escort my group across Mount Marcus together with you?"
At the merchant Delduan's words, all eyes in the area turned toward him and Eugene.
(To be continued in the next episode)