"Is that a request for escort?"
At Eugene's words, Delduan clasped his hands together and bowed deeply.
"Yes. Including three wagons and my party, there are five of us in total. If you would just help us cross this mountain, I will pay you twenty silver coins. I humbly ask for your help."
"Hm."
Money was no longer something Eugene lacked.
And since he had to cross Mount Marcus anyway, earning a bit of extra spending money along the way didn't seem like a bad idea.
"If it's just crossing the mountain together, I'll allow it."
"Yes! Sir Knight, you are truly most gracious. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Delduan was overjoyed and quickly pulled out the silver coins.
"Partek."
"Yes."
While Delduan settled the payment with Partek, the people who had been watching from nearby suddenly rushed over and began bowing repeatedly.
"Sir, Knight! Would it be all right if we joined you as well?"
"Sir Knight, we would like to come along too."
"Sir Knight!"
Most of them were pack merchants, and seeing the desperation in their eyes, Eugene felt a little puzzled.
"Why didn't you hire mercenaries?"
Whether they carried their goods on their backs or used horses and wagons, merchants always hired mercenaries.
Even settled merchants like the Pailin Guild, which owned multiple shops, naturally hired mercenaries when traveling.
Yet none of the merchants gathered in this village had hired any mercenaries.
Unless they had all gone mad together, this was something that simply should not have happened.
"Well… it's because the Bomel Baronial House and the Fairchilden Viscounty have hired up all the mercenaries active in this area."
"People like us usually come to villages like this to hire mercenaries, but it seems the lords swept them all up—there isn't even one left to be seen."
"Hm?"
As Eugene tilted his head inside his helmet, Partek quickly moved up beside him and whispered in a low voice.
"Baron Bomel is the lord of this region. I've heard that relations with the Fairchilden Viscounty have deteriorated over a border dispute, so it seems they are preparing for a territorial war."
"I see."
Unless they belonged to a great noble house famous by name alone, it was quite rare for a lord to maintain a proper large standing army.
The reason was, of course, finances.
It was far cheaper to hire mercenaries as needed than to organize and maintain a standing force numbering in the hundreds.
In the end, the lords Bomel and Fairchilden were no different.
They were better off than the Tiwyn family thanks to their titles, but a few dozen troops alone were not enough to wage a territorial war, so they must have swept up all the mercenaries.
That was why the merchants were stranded in this village.
"Hm. What should we do?"
He had planned to cross the mountain with Delduan's group and earn a little extra on the side, but now that the situation had grown more complicated, Eugene hesitated.
Partek moved in close and whispered quietly.
"How about charging one silver per person and two per horse, and taking in as many as we reasonably can? It would be difficult to take everyone, so about five groups on a first-come basis should be fine. Including that merchant group, we should still be able to provide adequate escort."
"Do it that way."
With Eugene's permission, Partek raised his voice toward the people who were watching with tense expressions.
"Everyone, listen well! This is Sir Yan Eugene—the very knight who recently opened and successfully cleared the dungeon of the Tiwyn territory! The same Sir Yan Eugene who also slew goblin hordes and orcs in the city of Maren!"
"Oh! So that Sir Knight is him!"
"Sir Eugene!? The knight who allegedly skewered two orcs at once with a single thrust of his spear?"
"I heard he tore a troll apart with his bare hands while it was still alive!"
The rumors were greatly exaggerated compared to reality, but judging by people's reactions, they had clearly heard tales about Eugene. Feeling proud, Partek raised his voice even higher.
"That's right! The Troll Slayer of the Tiwyn territory! The Orc Slayer of Maren City—this is Sir Eugene! Out of compassion for your plight, Sir Eugene has decided to take, on a first-come basis—"
"It's me!"
"We spoke first!"
"I'll pay two! Two silver per person!"
"Sir! Eugene!"
Before Partek could even finish his sentence, chaos erupted.
* * *
In the end, Eugene's party agreed to escort a total of thirteen merchants, starting with Delduan's group, which had made the very first offer.
Normally, this would have required at least fifteen to twenty mercenaries, but with a knight like Eugene present, the headcount was not particularly important.
Whether bandits, thieves, or even monsters, they would rarely dare to attack a group that included a heavily armed knight.
After all, no one would stake the lives of dozens of men just to try and take down a single knight.
"How much did we make?"
"Forty-four silver coins."
"Whoa..."
Raban clicked his tongue.
Just a short while ago, he never would have imagined that simply escorting people across one mountain could earn this much money.
"If we just keep following Sir Eugene around, we'll probably never have to worry about money for the rest of our lives."
"I told you, didn't I? Sir Eugene is someone truly special even among knights. But don't rely on him too much. You've been training properly, right?"
"Of course. You saw me sparring with Brother Glad just last night."
"This brat's becoming a proper man now. Looks like clearing that dungeon woke him up a bit."
"Heee."
"Is that so? Anyway, keep it up."
Partek lightly thumped Raban on the shoulder as he smiled shyly.
"Partek!"
"Yes! Sir Eugene!"
At Eugene's sudden call, Partek quickly ran toward the front.
"Those ones."
"Hm?"
When Partek looked in the direction Eugene pointed, he stiffened.
A group of about ten people was sitting on a wide flat area halfway up the mountain, watching them.
"They look like mercenaries, don't they?"
"Yes. Judging by their number, they seem to be hired by a lord."
Meanwhile, upon encountering over ten armed men in the middle of the mountain, the merchants froze and whispered nervously among themselves.
"This isn't going to turn into trouble, is it?"
"They're the ones hired for the territorial war, right? Surely they won't try anything."
"Right. And Sir Eugene is protecting us."
Knowing well that mercenaries who weren't in their employ could turn into bandits at any moment, the merchants' gazes naturally shifted toward Eugene.
"You will wait here for a moment."
"Yes, Sir Eugene."
Clop, Clop.
Partek's group followed behind Eugene as he rode Silion forward.
At that, the mercenaries on the other side rose to their feet all at once.
"Who are you?"
"We are members of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Company. We are currently guarding this road under commission from Lord Bomel, the ruler of this area. Forgive our rudeness, but to which family does Your Lordship belong?"
As a sharp-featured mercenary wearing a plate coat that reached down to his thighs, with two short swords strapped across his back, asked the question, Partek stepped forward to answer on Eugene's behalf.
"This is Sir Yan of the Eugene family."
"...!"
Startled, the mercenary immediately bowed his head deeply.
"So you are Sir Eugene. I've already heard of your great achievements in the city of Maren. I am Mashburn of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Company."
"I see, Mashburn. You've been working hard guarding the road. In any case, we're allowed to pass, right?"
"Of course. However, what is your relationship with those people behind you?"
When the mercenary pointed at the group of merchants, Partek stepped forward again.
"They are traveling merchants under Sir Eugene's protection. They couldn't find mercenaries and were stranded in the village down below, but Sir Eugene kindly agreed to help them."
"Hm. I apologize, but while Sir Eugene and you may pass, those merchants cannot."
"What?"
Partek narrowed his eyes.
But the mercenary continued while watching Eugene's reaction rather than Partek's.
"Once you cross Mount Marcus, the road immediately leads into the territory of Fairchilden. Some of them might go to Lord Fairchilden's castle and sell war supplies. From Lord Bomel's perspective, that wouldn't be pleasant."
"Hah! This is ridiculous. You're treating people carrying simple packs like sutler merchants—those who follow armies?"
"I never said they were sutlers."
"Fine. Let's grant you that they go to Fairchilden and do business. Even if a territorial war breaks out, isn't it customary not to lay hands on merchants?"
Merchants moved for profit. Even if they sold supplies to one lord yesterday, they could trade with another lord tomorrow.
That was why nobles might look down on such an attitude, yet for the sake of practical interests and appearances, they did not usually make an issue of it.
"I never said I'd lay a hand on them. There will be no problem as long as they don't cross Mount Marcus."
Mashburn's stance remained firm.
"Hah!"
Partek was dumbfounded.
At this point, Mashburn—a mere mercenary—was crossing a line far beyond what was acceptable when speaking before a knight.
Moreover, he clearly knew what kind of knight Eugene was.
'Is he acting like this because he's relying on the Bomel family?'
Judging by the other mercenaries loitering behind Mashburn, that seemed to be the case.
They were hired by Baron Bomel and were simply carrying out their employer's orders on Bomel family land. Who would dare object?
That was obviously their way of thinking.
Then Eugene stepped forward.
"I have accepted their request, and I intend to see it through. So if you want to block us, try it. I won't take responsibility for what happens after that."
"Do you mean to oppose Lord Bomel?"
To the visibly tense Mashburn, Eugene replied,
"All I said was that I'm crossing this mountain with the merchants. How does that amount to opposing Lord Bomel?"
"But we are acting under Lord Bomel's orders—"
"If I kill all of you here and explain the situation to Lord Bomel, I think he'll understand. These merchants would serve as witnesses."
"...!"
At the casual threat to kill men who had seen countless battles, the eyes of the Red Scorpion mercenaries widened.
To show that this was not a mere bluff, Eugene swept his robe aside.
When his plate armor and the short sword hanging beside his saddle came into view, the mercenaries stepped back several paces, their tension rising even higher.
'That…?!'
While examining Eugene's armor, Mashburn flinched when he spotted the crest of the city of Maren engraved just below the helmet.
'He's closely connected to the city of Maren? So he didn't just volunteer as a recruit and fight temporarily?'
Mashburn's thoughts grew complicated.
No matter how much Lord Bomel held a noble title, he could not afford to make an enemy of a major city like Maren.
If this knight truly slaughtered them all and then went to explain the circumstances, Lord Bomel would likely settle the matter with a small compensation just to preserve relations with Maren.
Realizing he could suffer a disastrous loss, Mashburn hurriedly opened his mouth.
"Sir"
"A knight or whatever, numbers still win, don't they? Fuck…."
At someone's voice, Mashburn whipped his head around.
'That crazy bastard!'
He was a recent recruit—fairly skilled for someone from the countryside, which was why they had accepted him.
But true to his rural origins, he had no idea what a knight truly represented and often spouted reckless nonsense.
"Sir Eugene! That man is—"
Creeeak.
Raising one hand to silence Mashburn, Eugene slowly turned his head.
The recruit flinched when he met the flickering red eyes within the helmet.
But after glancing at the comrades beside him, he shouted again in a loud voice.
"Am I wrong? Let's just kill him! We've got more men, and with our skill, one knight is—"
Thud!
A dagger buried itself in the center of the recruit's forehead as he shouted in his excitement.
"Russo!"
"Damn it!"
As the recruit fell stiffly to the ground like a log, eyes wide open, the Red Scorpion mercenaries gasped in shock and drew their weapons all at once.
(To be continued in the next episode)