"Wait—hold on! Just a moment…!"
Mashburn's body stiffened mid-shout as he desperately tried to stop his men.
Eugene's short sword—so fast he hadn't even noticed it being drawn—was now resting on his left shoulder.
"That guy just tried to kill me, so I killed him first. Now what's your choice?"
"Ghk!"
The Red Scorpion mercenaries stared back and forth between the silver blade that looked ready to slice Mashburn's neck at any moment and Eugene, utterly at a loss.
More than anything, what shocked them was the dagger stuck in their recruit's forehead moments earlier.
Among the mercenaries, there were a few who were good at throwing daggers—but none who could throw one with that kind of speed and accuracy.
No one had even properly seen when or how the dagger had been thrown.
"Please forgive us! We'll let all the merchants pass as well. J-Just go on your way!"
"And why should I trust that?"
"Yes?"
Feeling the ice chill at his neck, Mashburn trembled as he asked back.
"Drop all your weapons. You have to pay the price for trying to attack a knight, don't you?"
'I never intended to do that!'
Swallowing words he could never say aloud, Mashburn signaled his comrades with his eyes.
"Hey! Everyone, put your weapons down! Sir Eugene is showing mercy! Quickly!"
As the Red Scorpion mercenaries hesitated, Partek and the others stepped forward with shields and short swords raised.
'Damn it…'
When they formed a perfect three-directional formation, the Red Scorpion mercenaries swallowed dryly.
In the mercenary world, one of the basic rules was that you could judge an opponent's skill by their equipment.
Among knights, there were occasionally those of mediocre ability who were born into wealthy families and walked around covered in the finest gear.
But mercenaries—almost all commoners or former serfs—had to obtain their equipment through their own skill.
Which meant that a mercenary with good gear had either succeeded in many commissions or looted heavily across many battlefields.
And from that perspective, Partek's group appeared, in the Red Scorpions' eyes, to be veterans with both experience and ability.
Clatter.
Starting with one man, the Red Scorpion mercenaries were forced to throw their weapons onto the ground.
"Hey!"
At Eugene's call, Delduan and the merchants rushed over in surprise.
"Collect all the weapons. Partek, if anyone so much as tries something, you may kill them."
"Yes, Sir Eugene."
When Partek glared, the mercenaries lowered their heads.
A short while later—
"We've collected everything, Sir Eugene."
"Good. You go ahead first. I'll follow shortly."
"Yes!"
Without even making eye contact with the mercenaries, the merchants hurried past in a group.
Once they were far enough away, Eugene removed the short sword from Mashburn's shoulder.
"Whew…"
Just as Mashburn was about to release the breath he'd been holding—
Thud!
Struck in the back of the head by the pommel, Mashburn collapsed face-first.
Eugene raised his visor and looked coldly over the twitching mercenaries.
"Engrave this in your minds. My name is Yan Eugene. If you ever meet me again, you will die. Whether in a dungeon, a labyrinth, or on the battlefield—you will die. And as for today's incident, I will personally go to Lord Bomel and lodge a formal protest, so remember that. Take this bastard with you."
"...!"
The mercenaries trembled as they hurriedly lifted the unconscious Mashburn.
If Eugene's words were true, they wouldn't even be able to go to Lord Bomel's castle.
A noble's response to mercenaries who had humiliated him and even lost their weapons was painfully obvious.
In the end, the Red Scorpion mercenaries could only trudge back in the direction Eugene's group had come from, their shoulders slumped.
Still, they felt a strange relief that they had survived provoking a knight at all.
"Go check."
Pretending to stroke Silion's mane, Eugene whispered quietly to Mirian, who was draped over it.
"Aha! Got it!"
Understanding instantly what Eugene wanted, Mirian flew swiftly in the direction the mercenaries had gone.
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
Partek and the two mercenaries followed confidently behind Silion.
After a short while, Partek cautiously spoke up.
"By the way, Sir Eugene… are you really planning to go to Lord Bomel's castle? With all due respect, I doubt we'd even receive an apology, and if Lord Bomel simply denies everything—"
"I'm not going."
"What?"
Eugene shrugged at the blinking Partek.
"That was a lie. Why would I bother going all the way there? But if I don't threaten them like that, those guys will run straight to Lord Bomel and report me. And besides, isn't he on the verge of clashing with another lord? There's no need to stir up trouble over something this trivial."
"Oh…!"
Now understanding Eugene's intent, Partek exclaimed in admiration.
Lord Bomel would be heartbroken over suddenly losing more than ten hired mercenaries, but in the end, it was a good outcome for everyone except the Red Scorpions.
"Anyway, let's hurry. We have to cross the mountain before sunset so the merchants can relax."
"Yes, sir!"
Looking toward the merchants waiting in the distance, Partek's group answered energetically.
After rejoining the merchants and walking for a few minutes, Mirian returned, flapping her wings hard.
"Whew, that was tiring! I really do lose energy if I'm too far from my contractor."
Landing on Silion's mane, Mirian massaged her arms and chattered on.
"Looks like those guys are leaving this area altogether. They cursed you up a storm, boss, but they didn't even dream of revenge. They're not planning to go back to their lord either—said they'll just rob a few passersby and head off to Kalsbeg or somewhere. I'm tired now, so I'm gonna rest!"
With that, Mirian slipped back into the waterskin.
'That's a relief.'
Eugene had expected the threat to work, but he'd still been uneasy about the possibility of the Red Scorpions going to Baron Bomel. Now he could rest easy.
Even if they did report it, it wouldn't cause anything too serious anyway.
* * *
Eugene's group and the merchants conquered Mount Marcus in half a day.
They encountered a group of kobolds along the way, but when Eugene charged straight into their center atop Silion and cut down five of them in an instant, the rest fled screaming.
"Thank you so much, Sir Eugene!"
"Thanks to you, we crossed the mountain safely! You'll surely be blessed—may God's grace remain with you forever!"
After witnessing Eugene's overwhelming strength, the merchants bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
"I simply did what I was paid to do. We'll part ways here. Ah, and you may dispose of the captured weapons as you see fit. Set the prices yourselves."
After briefly consulting among themselves, the merchants gathered fifty silver coins—more than what they had paid for escort—and respectfully offered them.
"Here you are."
"It seems they paid far above market value. Sir, they truly know how to show sincerity," Partek said.
Eugene nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Then farewell."
"Yes! Travel safely, Sir Knight!"
With that, Eugene parted ways with the merchants who had earned him considerable profit for a short effort and headed toward the Tiwyn territory.
The merchants likewise departed toward their own destinations.
At that moment, Eugene had no idea that today's incident would grow far larger than he expected.
That was because, among those merchants, there truly were people heading for the Fairchilden Viscount's household.
* * *
"It's all thanks to you, Sir. You've truly worked hard. Hahaha!"
"You flatter me."
Eugene responded modestly to Kamara's hearty laughter.
Seeing Kamara again after almost a month, he noticed that the man had changed slightly from before.
The sly look he once had now carried a sense of composure, and his attitude had become more confident than when he was still just the heir.
It was as if he had truly become a proper lord.
'Although he's still just a minor lord without even a noble title.'
A month was not enough time to change only Kamara.
While experiencing many things and meeting many people in the great city of Maren, Eugene had come to clearly realize just how small and insignificant the Tiwyn territory really was.
Back in his previous life, when he was constantly on the run, he hadn't understood such things very well. But now that he had some breathing room and a broader perspective, he felt that he was beginning to see many things more clearly.
"So, Pellid will be staying with the Pailin Trading Company for the time being. About a year? Do you think that will be enough? What is your opinion, Master?"
Although Eugene didn't know why Kamara was asking his opinion about this, he answered anyway.
"That will depend on how the boy does."
"Hm. True, he's still young, so he might need a bit more time. Still, he should hurry and start earning his keep."
"Lord Tiwyn, are you thinking of bringing Pellid back to Rose Castle?"
"They say the boy is quite smart. He already knows how to read and write. If he's properly trained at the Pailin Trading Company, I think he could take up a position in our territory. He could serve as the castle's treasurer—or even as steward in charge of Brahms."
At Kamara's words, spoken while stroking his chin, Eugene felt a bit puzzled.
Positions like treasurer, who handled finances and disbursements, or steward, who governed a region in the lord's stead, were usually given to relatives the lord deeply trusted.
So even if Pellid, still lacking in age and experience, returned after gaining sufficient experience to take such a post, it wouldn't be strange.
But from Eugene's point of view, Kamara had no particular reason to trust Pellid to that extent or promote him so highly.
"Heh. You look curious about why I care so much about that brat Pellid. Shall I tell you?"
Kamara, having guessed Eugene's thoughts on his own, leaned in closer and continued in a low voice.
"After this dungeon subjugation is finished, I plan to drive Bertel out. Since he did work hard for a time, I'll give him a reasonable amount of wealth and tell him to leave. The eldest son has inherited the lordship—does it make sense for the second son to remain as a territorial knight? We're not such a wealthy household, after all."
"Hm."
"But a bastard son doesn't matter. Pellid doesn't have the caliber to replace me anyway. And unlike Bertel, that brat earns money instead of spending it, doesn't he? Hahaha!"
"I wasn't particularly curious, but I do hope things go well for you."
"If you truly hope I do well, then please perform just as outstandingly in this subjugation as you did last time. Bertel brought in another knight from somewhere, and for some reason, that bothers me."
"Another knight?"
"He calls himself Sir Maverick. I've heard the name, but I don't really know him. His equipment looks impressive enough, but the mercenaries he brought with him are the problem. You remember the ones Bertel sent to fetch Pellid last time, right? For some reason, they give me the same kind of feeling."
Eugene recalled Timothy's group, whom he had personally dealt with.
At first, he had thought Kamara and Bertel had hired them together, but in truth, Bertel had handled that job almost entirely on his own.
In other words, even knowing that Timothy's group were third-rate trash, Bertel had still sent them on the mission to bring back the late Lord Tiwyn's son—his own half-brother.
"So this knight named Maverick hired those mercenaries?"
"Yes. He said he plans to build up his reputation this time, then expand his forces and form a full-fledged mercenary company. It's not that rare for a knight without connections to become a mercenary captain. Still, the fact that he chose our territory as his starting point doesn't sit well with me."
"And since he's a knight your brother brought in, that makes it even more unpleasant for you."
"Exactly. You really do understand me well."
Kamara grinned and continued.
"Anyway, if you outperform the knight Bertel brought again this time, he'll lose any justification to interfere in future subjugations. Dungeon subjugations are troublesome only for the first one or two times—once a few are successful, freelance knights and mercenaries start to gather on their own. And choosing among them is something I can do as well."
It sounded reasonable enough, so Eugene nodded.
"Now that we've even signed a formal contract with the Pailin Trading Company, you wouldn't just sit back and watch our territory fall into danger, at least not while we still have loan payments to make, right? If things really go badly, the company might even directly hire mercenaries from Maren and send them here. Hahaha!"
Though he might not have much talent as a knight, Kamara was indeed a man with a sharp mind.
If everything went according to his plan, Bertel would lose his footing in the Tiwyn territory. Meanwhile, the territory itself would suffer little even after Bertel was gone.
Of course, the key to all of that lay in Eugene's hands—and Kamara knew that better than anyone.
"So I'll be counting on you again in this subjugation, Sir Eugene."
"I will simply do my best, as always."
"Hahaha! Just like you, Sir. I truly like that answer."
Kamara had no doubt that Eugene would produce even better results than before.
Compared to the gate-clearing subjugation, Eugene now possessed equipment of far superior quality, and the number of mercenaries under his command had more than doubled. Surely the outcome would be just as decisive.
"Oh, by the way, Sir Eugene. Shouldn't you meet Sir Maverick at least once? I've decided to make you the subjugation leader, but he is still a knight who will be entering the dungeon."
"I'm the subjugation leader? That's… ah."
As Eugene realized the situation mid-sentence, Kamara broke into a grin.
"I'm the lord now, so it's my decision. Sir Yan Eugene—this time's dungeon subjugation leader is you."
(To be continued in the next episode)