“…”

Silence suddenly descended upon the room like a lie. The nobles quietly gulped while staring at Eugene and the elven knights.

Rustle.

After a moment, the very slight sound of someone’s collar was heard as they raised their hand.

“Argyle first!”

“No! Our country is closer to Maren, Your Majesty!”

“Parthion is only five days away from Maren by boat!”

“In consideration of your friendship with Her Excellency Archivold, please come to the peninsula first…!”

The room quickly tumbled into chaos. Nobles stemming from countries in possession of the affected areas were the most fervent, but nobles from nearby nations also eagerly raised their voices. However, not everyone had jumped into the fierce competition.

The Kingdom of Weiss, Republic of Terra, and Kingdom of Lobel—these three countries were considered the four major powers alongside the Roman Empire. The delegations of the mentioned countries rose from their seats with flabbergasted expressions as they watched the chaos.

“The knights of my country are unrivaled. Roamers are nothing but puny monsters weakened after leaving the influence of evil energy. We will eradicate them within a month.”

“Ehem. I’m quite certain that the brave mercenaries of the republic have already eliminated those monsters. We will send troops to neighboring countries on relief missions if we can afford to.”

“What could monsters possibly do when faced with the blades of the White Knights of Lobel? In any case, what could you possibly achieve with only ten people? What a joke.”

The delegations of the three countries left the room after declaring haughtily. Indeed, all three nations had tens of thousands of troops that could be mobilized at a moment’s notice, and their influence and power were no less than the Caylor Kingdom at its prime. It wasn’t strange for the representatives of the three countries to believe that they possessed sufficient strength to overcome the crisis on their own.

However…

‘The monsters you will encounter when you return home won’t be ones you are familiar with… Well, it’s none of my business.’

Eugene laughed inwardly as he recalled the demons and demonic creatures gazing at him from the other side of the translucent barrier. Although it had only been for a short moment, the demons and demonic creatures had sensed his presence and even directed their energy toward him. Each of the creatures had been equivalent in strength to the superior-rank monsters of evil lands. Eugene wondered how the three countries would deal with such monsters.

But for now, there was something more pressing than praying for the fate of the three powers.

“Your Majesty!”

“Our kingdom first!”

“I am willing to offer three thousand gold coins as downpayment…!”

“Please state your conditions, and we will…!”

“Now, now. Sirs, please organize yourselves. Line up. Let us proceed one by one,” Eugene said.

He had to take care of his anxious customers first.

***

The spectators were greatly disappointed to learn that the knight competition was suspended. However, they understood that Eugene and Princess Lilisain had to set out on an expedition to eradicate the rapidly multiplying roamers. In addition, Maren had also announced a magnificent feast to ease the people’s disappointment. Surprisingly, the knights who reached the semifinals alongside Eugene and Princess Lilisain weren’t disappointed, and they didn’t complain. It was only natural since already knew that Eugene and Princess Lilisain were leagues above them. So, even though the competition only lasted up until the semifinals, the knights were satisfied that they were able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the two giants—Eugene famous as an unprecedented knight—and Princess Lilisain, a master capable of utilizing the mysterious power known as Aura. Moreover, they received large sums of money, an insignia of honor, as well as armor produced by the best craftsmen in Maren.

In any case, the curtains were finally drawn over the knight competition, and all seemed well… except for one person’s disappointment.

“This is unfair,” Princess Lilisain said while sulking.

“Well, it’s not my fault, is it?” Eugene said.

“This princess is extremely disappointed with the king,” Mirian spoke solemnly while standing on Princess Lilisain’s shoulder with her hands clasped behind her back. The princess was pouting with her little lips protruding.

The spirit continued, “She expected a battle of love and honor with the king, but what awaited her was nothing but betrayal. Who shall relieve her of the grudge higher than the sky and deeper than the sea?”

Honor—Eugene understood, but what was this talk of love? Why was the princess blushing?

Eugene felt an ominous sensation. He quickly responded, “Fine. Then I will have three matches with you next time.”

“Not enough.”

“…Five times.”

“Negotiation complete.”

“Stop talking in her place.”

“Huh?! Are you getting mad right now? This humble one is simply acting in full as an agent entrusted with complete authority by the princess knight… Kiek!”

Eugene flicked away the annoying spirit with his finger, then asked with a troubled expression, “What would you like me to do? Tell me what it is that you want.”

“Is this a wish coupon?” Princess Lilisain muttered.

“Huh? Wish coupon?” Eugene said with a frown. However, he felt sorry to see Princess Lilisain with a dejected expression.

‘Come to think of it, Princess Lilisain has been a great help to me. And I think I might have worked her a little too hard. She is a princess, after all.’

In fact, he hadn’t just worked her a ‘little too hard.’ It was impossible to know how much time it would have taken to eradicate all the monsters in the dukedom without her and the elven knights. Princess Lilisain and the elven knights were masters of hunting monsters. Killing monsters in an evil land and hunting roamers in the outside world were entirely different activities, and the elven knights of Eland were professionals when it came to the latter. In addition, they were sincere and faithful to their duties. They had always fought their best without complaining as long as they were fed and provided adequate equipment. Eugene could not have asked for better slav—workers.

“Good. I’m not entirely sure what that is, but I will give you a wish coupon. I swear it on my honor and blood,” Eugene said.

“Negotiation complete!” Princess Lilisain immediately exclaimed with a wide grin. Eugene was relieved, though he felt a moment’s regret and anxiety when he saw a glimmer of fire in the princess’ eyes.

***

“We should start with the Carls Baggins Peninsula?” Eugene asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Considering the most optimal route of travel, it would be best to stop at the Carls Baggins Peninsula before heading to the other kingdoms,” the governor answered.

Eugene nodded, “I see. Let’s do that.”

The expression of the noble representing the peninsula brightened at once. The noble was none other than Gabriel, Essandra’s younger brother, and Eugene had previously taught him a lesson. He had led the delegation under Essandra’s orders.

“My sister will never forget Your Majesty’s generosity and loyalty. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Your Majesty,” Gabriel said.

“You’re welcome. By the way… why does it seem like you’ve changed? Have you been having a hard time recently?” Eugene asked.

“Ah… Yes, yes.” Gabriel’s expression dampened at once, but he forced a smile. It was the first time the governor and the foreign nobles were seeing Gabriel in person, so they weren’t sure what Eugene was talking about. However, Mirian had been with Eugene during his last encounter with Gabriel. As such, she recognized the change.

The spirit whispered, “Even if you are the king of the dukedom, you shouldn’t make fun of someone’s hair loss. That’s a sin.”

Oh…

The crowd poured out a sigh of regret and pity when they heard the spirit’s whisper. Indeed, the man’s forehead appeared a little too wide for his age, but for him to be experiencing such pain…

“In truth…”

Gabriel looked up at Eugene with eyes filled with an unknown sadness. He continued, “My sister recovered Your Majesty’s territory in the peninsula due to the scandalous incident in the past, right? She was very worried that it would negatively impact the friendship between Your Majesty and Archivold. As such, she pestered me to make sure to ask Your Majesty over if you had the time…”

Could such things cause baldness? It seemed a little suspicious, but the Archivold Marquisate had always been one of his active supporters, and their delegation had been unlike those from other countries. Instead of always looking for chances and opportunities to take advantage in every situation, the delegation of Archivold had always stayed true to their original intention of celebrating the founding of the dukedom.

“My friendship with Archivold will last forever. Now, we should depart as soon as we are ready without delay,” Eugene said.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Gabriel said with a bright expression. On the other hand, the expressions of the other envoys were still grim. If Eugene’s story was true, the number of monsters and the resulting damage would still be on the rise, even at this moment. The situations in their countries would only worsen as time passed. In particular, the representatives of weaker countries appeared quite anxious.

‘Should I return now?’

‘No. Even if I did, it’s not going to help.’

The return of the delegations would not magically cause the monsters to disappear. Rather, it would be better for them to stick by the side of Maren’s King and observe him eradicate the monsters. That way, they could also strengthen their positions in their respective countries after their return.

‘And it’s cheaper, too...’

The nobles sent as envoys were those considered rather smart. They weren’t dumb enough to accept Eugene’s suggestion without thinking. In fact, most of them had already completed their own calculations.

If they rallied their own forces to deal with the monsters, they would need to hire thousands of troops. Just the mere thought of the monetary cost made them dizzy. On the other hand, the King of Maren promised to eradicate the monsters with less than 100 troops. Although it would cost a fortune to hire the king and the elven knights, there would be a significant difference in the cost of supplies. There was no better choice than this for nations with weaker armies.

‘It will take a little more time, but it’s better to take the clear path.’

‘I just hope we can reach our kingdom within half a year…’

‘Carls Baggins. I’m jealous!’

‘Damned connections!’

The representatives of the delegations were jealous that Gabriel had received priority due to his ‘personal connections’ with Eugene. They stared at Eugene like baby ducks following their mother without even daring to think about complaining.

***

“Sir Eugeneee! Uhaaaaannng!”

“Get lost,” Eugene said while pushing Romari away with his finger. The wizard was shamelessly running toward him while pretending to cry, even though he couldn’t see a single tear.

“What?! I was kidnapped because of a certain someone, so aren’t you being too harsh? I had such a hard time after being taken by those brutal vampires…” Romari whimpered.

“You look fine despite that,” Eugene responded.

“Hmph!” Romari wiped the teary expression off her face, then clicked her tongue. Eugene smirked, then hesitated before speaking with an awkward expression, “Even so… You did a great job, wizard.”

“What?!” Romari’s eyes widened in shock. She quickly squirmed away from Eugene. “W-who are you?! You’re not the Sir Eugene I know. Identify yourself!” she shouted.

“…”

Eugene stared at her, dumbfounded. Romari was pointing at him with a trembling finger.

After a few seconds, he spoke in a cold voice, “Go return her to the kidnappers.”

He wondered why he had even rescued her. Perhaps, it would have been better to leave her alone and let her get sold to the empire or wherever.

“No! Please! I’m sorry!” Romari immediately started groveling.

Eugene observed her with keen eyes before speaking, “It looks like you’ve gained some weight. I guess you must have been eating well.”

“T-this is because of the beowulfs… It’s because they insist on eating only meat…” Romari explained.

“Kieh? That’s right, the raccoon got a little chubby. She has become a pig-raccoon! Kieeek!” Mirian squealed. As expected, no one was capable of besting her when it came to teasing and annoying. Eugene was certain that the spirit had irked many individuals from her birth.

“Master…”

“Galfredik,” Eugene greeted his vassal. It was as if the two had never been separated.

“Great work. How was everything?” Eugene asked.

“Hehe! Nothing exciting. Anyway, is that him?” Galfredik asked after turning his gaze a little further away. Christian was standing a little distance from Eugene with a pale expression.

Eugene responded, “That’s right. A high lord of the Helmond Clan. Well, no, a former high lord of the Helmond Clan.”

Galfredik waddled over to Christian while listening to Eugene’s words.

‘W-what is it?! Who is that man?!’

Christian felt his heart pounding as Galfredik approached him. It was an unexplainable phenomenon, considering that vampires naturally possessed a heart rhythm many times lower than humans.

‘I-I’m scared? I’m scared, even though he’s not even the great demon king?’

Christian broke out in cold sweat. His hope of becoming Eugene’s second-in-command was instantly shattered. He had no idea that another high lord named Rohime had been completely pummeled by the savage-looking knight.

“Little bastard. You look a little weak,” Galfredik said.

“…” It was obviously a taunt, but Christian couldn’t dare to retort. In addition, he was struck with great shock. It was because of the Fear he felt emanating from Galfredik.

‘He’s stronger than Master Helmond? This can’t be true!’

But contrary to his thoughts, Christian bent his shaky knees.

“Please guide and lead me in the future! I am determined to not bring disgrace as a member of the tribe! I will do my best to serve you and the King of Darkness!”

His dream of becoming second in command had disappeared without a trace.