“His Excellency Duke Batla headed toward Sir Leadwell’s territory. I saw him heading there with dozens of knights.”

“Oh, is that so?” Lord Fransil and the nobles accompanying him rejoiced at the words of the wandering mercenaries. They had been ignorant of exactly where Eugene had headed toward, though they knew he was headed to the west coast. They were fortunate enough to acquire his exact location from these mercenaries.

But there was one person with a grim expression—Sir Leadwell.

‘Damned vampire! What more are you planning to take from my territory?!’

“Excuse me, Lord Fransil, but would you mind if we hurried up a little? I am worried about what that immoral duke might do in my territory,” Sir Leadwell said.

“Yes, of course. There’s nothing for you to worry about, sir,” Lord Fransil responded.

“Ooh!” The expressions of Sir Leadwell and the nobles brightened. They were glad to see their lord stepping up to his role as an important lord of the kingdom. If it were Lord Fransil, he would strongly preach the will of the west to the evil vampire duke and teach him the meaning of true honor.

The nobles were filled with expectations as they hurried their horses.

Half a day later, they encountered an unexpected group.

“Who are they? Bandits?”

“More like mounted bandits. All of them are on horseback.”

“They could be nobles from the South.”

The nobles buzzed after discovering a group of about ten mounted figures in the distance. Their appearance was much too neat for them to be simple bandits, and more than half of them were properly armed. In Brantia, a group of men with such equipment would not live as bandits; they would seize territory for themselves and act as nobles.

“Hmm.” Lord Fransil came to a decision. He felt uncomfortable simply passing them by.

He commanded, “Sir Calpen, go and find out who they are.”

“Yes!” A knight directed his horse toward the unidentified group. Everyone observed the situation with expectant, tense eyes, and a few minutes later, Sir Calpen returned with great excitement.

“My lord! My lord! They’re the entourage of a member of the Roman Empire’s imperial family! It’s His Highness Localope and his escorting knights!” Sir Calpen exclaimed.

“What?!”

“Huh?!” The nobles exclaimed in surprise, including Lord Fransil. They were nobles of Brantia, but a member of the Roman Empire’s imperial family was of an entirely different status compared to them. In the first place, it was absurd to compare a nobleman of Brantia, a small island country on the periphery, to a royalty of the Roman Empire, which had a great influence on numerous kingdoms ever since the distant past.

“I-is that true? Is it really a member of the Roman Empire’s imperial family?” Lord Fransil asked.

“Yes! It’s true. The knights' armor was of a completely different style than our own. In addition, the guiding knight knew how to speak our language. I’m completely certain!” Sir Calpen replied. The expressions of the nobles brightened at once, and they began to buzz with excitement.

“What a great honor! Lord Fransil, why don’t you head over and give your greetings? It is a wonderful opportunity to socialize with a member of the imperial family.”

“That’s right. A member of the Roman Empire’s imperial family is someone even the king can’t treat carelessly. Moreover, it’s even a prince. If you can get close to him, you could use it to put pressure on Duke Batla and the unruly king.”

Lord Fransil’s eyebrows wriggled after hearing the tempting chatter of the nobles. Certainly, it was a possible feat for the prince of the Roman Empire. Besides, there was nothing to lose from establishing a close relationship with the prince, even if it didn’t work out the way he had planned.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

The nobles followed behind Lord Fransil with joyous expressions. After a while, they were close enough to make out the faces of the prince’s party with their naked eyes.

‘Such luxurious clothes!’

‘The armor used by the knights and the horses are different from the style of the Caylor Kingdom!’

‘I’m completely sure. He’s actually a member of the empire’s royalty!’

The excitement of the nobles soared even higher in their admiration of the prince. For them, the Roman Empire was the most advanced place in the world, the starting place of all civilizations, and the land of abundance and wealth filled with streets of white jade and a golden palace.

A prince of such a fabulous place! The nobles stole glances at Lord Fransil. They were dying to speak with the prince’s group.

Lord Fransil was also slightly excited, but he kept his dignity and pompous ease as he spoke, “Ehem! I am the great lord of Fransil and the kingdom’s…”

“How rude. Get off your horse and show some respect to the glorious golden blood of Rome, Sir Fransil.”

“…?!” Lord Fransil became confused when a young man, who appeared to be the prince’s servant, suddenly interrupted and scolded him. However, a servant assisting the prince would belong to a noble family holding a high position in the empire. Moreover, someone as proficient as the servant in the Brantian language would be extremely well-educated as well.

Lord Fransil stepped out of his saddle, then he bowed politely while repressing his rising anger. The prince nodded from his horse, then spoke with a unique accent. His fluency with the language appeared a little worse than the servant.

“You must be Lord Fransil. I am Localope, the heir to the noble blood of His Majesty and the Count of Freibock. It’s nice to meet you like this.”

“It is my honor, Your Highness Localope. However… Did you already know about me?” Lord Fransil asked.

“Naturally…” The prince responded.

Oohh…!

The nobles could no longer hide their excitement. A prince of the Roman Empire spoke in Brantian and even knew Lord Fransil. If things continued to work out like this, he could easily become acquainted with the prince and press the king and Duke Batla to—

“I have heard about you from my honorable friend, King Luke,” the prince spoke in a relaxed voice. His words, however, had completely destroyed the sweet dreams of the nobles.

It was one thing for the prince to have already met the king, but why was he referring to him as his honorable friend? Members of the empire’s royalty were known for their arrogance, so why was he referring to the king as if the two of them were the best of friends? Were they that close?

“I heard your daughter is set to become King Luke’s mistress. It may be nosy of me, but I look forward to your kind help in helping the prosperity and stability of the royal family,” the prince stated.

“Ah… yes. Thank you for your blessing, Your Highness,” Lord Fransil responded.

“By the way, where were you headed?” the prince asked.

“Well, that’s…” Lord Fransil hesitated. He had no desire to reveal all the details. Unfortunately, one of his accompanying nobles was completely incapable of reading the room. The noble failed to give up on his lingering feelings and opened his lips.

“Lord Fransil was on his way to the Leadwell territory with us. I am not sure if you are aware, Your Highness, but the one who claims to be the king’s guardian, the duke, has recently committed an atrocious act.”

“The king’s guardian? Are you referring to Duke Batla? He committed an atrocious act?”

“That is correct, Your Highness,” The noble answered.

“Well, the Duke of Batla…” Noticing that the prince appeared interested in their words, the nobles excitedly recounted the stories they had told Lord Fransil. Naturally, they took on pitiful and unjustified expressions. The prince appeared young and inexperienced, so surely he would be vulnerable to recognition and would seek honor.

“Hmm. I see. Well, that’s… Hmm.” The prince listened to the stories of the nobles with a grim expectation, which was what the nobles had expected. However, he shared quite a few glances with the servant next to him. It seemed that the young prince was quite dependent on the servant. The two of them appeared similar in age as well. Sure enough, when the stories of the nobles showed signs of continuing for much longer, the servant stepped up promptly.

“Your Highness. Shouldn’t you come to a decision after meeting with the Duke of Batla?”

“Hmm. That sounds like a good idea,” the prince responded.

“What? Meet with the Duke of Batla?” one of the nobles exclaimed with surprise, and the servant turned toward him with a cold gaze.

“His Highness Localope has business with the Duke of Batla,” the servant stated. The nobles were shocked by the unexpected development. What business would a prince of the Roman Empire have besides meeting with the King of Brantia? Why would he need to meet with Duke Batla, who was but a stranger from the continent?”

“Uh… by business…”

“Does royalty of the Great Roman Empire have an obligation to explain that to you?” the servant said with a glare.

“O-oh, no. Not at all.”

But who did the servant think he was to speak so impudently? The nobles wanted to voice their anger, but they were forced to keep their mouths closed at the dignity and power emanating from the servant’s golden eyes.

The prince stepped forward with a smile, “Now, now. Did you say it was the Leadwell territory? We can all head there together. It appears that all of you sirs have business with Duke Batla as well, so we can go together then. Will that be all right, Lord Fransil?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Lord Fransil answered calmly. He was different from the other nobles, who were still bewildered and unable to get their act together. He had climbed to become the monarch of a region in twenty years and had even become a vassal of the king because of his extraordinary sense for things.

***

“W-What!? M-my children?”

“That’s right. And not only the Katan family, but the other five families as well. All of you will send two direct descendants to the Rhode family,” Eugene responded.

“…” Saliva dripped down the fang ring of the Katan tribe’s chief. His jaws were opened agape with shock. However, he quickly came to his senses and racked his brain.

‘I don’t know where Rhode is, but it’s still in Brantia. I’ll have them lay low for about a year. They can revolt later.’

The sons and daughters of the tribal chiefs, including his own children, were all skilled warriors. They were no match for the ridiculous power of the vampire duke and his knights, but ten young and powerful orc warriors could easily take over a decently sized territory. It would take some time, but he would definitely take revenge for today’s disgrace.

“I will do that. I will take responsibility and persuade the other tribes as well,” the Katan tribe chief stated.

“Yeah, you don’t have to. They’ve already decided to be compliant. And he will take care of the rest,” Eugene responded while pointing to Maxenne with his chin. The half-orc smiled awkwardly, and the Katan tribe’s chief took on a fierce expression for a moment. He couldn’t believe that he had to place the future of the Bayman Orcs to a halfie with tiny fangs.

“So, who are you going to send?” Eugene asked.

“Hmm.” The chief looked around at the others who had been captured together with him. After a moment, he pointed at two warriors. “Costan and Ortan. Both are my legitimate children. Ortan is set to be the heir to the tribe,” the chief continued. He boldly pointed out his successor, knowing that it would only be a year of suffering at most.

“Hooh. Your determination is extraordinary. I love it,” Eugene responded.

“Kuhaha. We don’t have any trust built between us yet, so it’s only right that I do this much as a warrior. Anyway, I have given you my faith, duke,” the chief remarked. He thoroughly kept his insidious intentions hidden. He even spread his broad shoulders as if he had made a big sacrifice.

However, he had no idea just what kind of person Eugene was.

“It must have been a difficult decision to make. Thank you for showing me your trust,” Eugene said.

“Ehem! You’re welcome,” the chief responded.

“On that note, I will appoint the successor of the Katan tribe as the labor leader. Sirs, take those two,” Eugene said.

“L-Labor leader?”

“Yes!”

The chief froze in confusion, and the knights answered vigorously before taking the two orc warriors. The two were bound by steel restraints and had been standing around awkwardly.

“Labor leader? What do you mean by that?” the chief asked urgently as he watched his two sons being dragged away.

Eugene answered with a look of surprise,” Huh? Does the chief not know about the Rhode family? Ah, I guess you might not know since you lived in the North all your life.”

“…?”

The Katan tribe chief’s eyes grew to the size of the moon and started quivering. Eugene continued with a meaningful smile, “Rhode is the lord of the Rhode Islands. It’s a prison island.”

“A-an island?” the orc muttered.

“That’s right. Naturally, your children and the other hostages will not be residing on the main island where the prison is located. There are many uninhabited islands located next to the main island. They will stay in one of them. There will be quite a bit of work for them to do, and if they don’t work properly, they won’t be getting any food and water,” Eugene declared.

“Keugh!” The face of the chief immediately turned ashen. Orcs were afraid of water, and as such, an island was an inescapable hell for them. No, rather, they might even go insane on their way to the island.

“Since we have no trust between us, I decided to keep it that way. Anyway, when you return, do as you agreed,” Eugene said.

Do as he agreed?! Bullshit! Wasn’t this a threat to make him do whatever the vampire wanted?

“Keuwegh!” The chief of the Katan tribe despaired and slumped on the spot.

“Wow. The master’s insidious nature shines more and more as the days go by,” Galfredik commented.

“Kihehe. It shines pitch black. Sir demon king god emperor of absolute darkness needs to be like that,” Mirian chimed in.

“Sir demon king god emperor of absolute darkness. Record…” the perverted princess muttered.

Eugene pondered for a moment about disregarding all formality and pummeling the two of them. At that time, Pranbow hurriedly rushed in. He had been taking turns managing the knights with Galfredik.

“Your Excellency, you have guests,” Pranbow reported.

“Guests? Mine?” Eugene asked.

“That’s correct. Sir Leadwell and the other nobles are here with Lord Fransil. And they are accompanied by His Highness Localope of the Roman Empire,” Pranbow continued.

“…”

Eugene frowned at the unexpected arrival. He was certain that he had avoided the dung, or rather, the prince. But he was also wondering…

‘He’s just too persistent. Come to think of it, he seemed awfully interested in me from the very beginning. Did he come all the way to Branta because of me?’

Why was it that a great noble like the empire’s prince wanted to see him? In any case, it was safe to regard this as fate. Therefore, Eugene decided to meet the talkative prince, who went around in disguise. Naturally, he would also deal with the snitch who went to Lord Fransil in vain hope.