“What should we do with the by-products? It’ll fetch a good price, and I think it might come in handy,” Galfredik asked while pointing at the corpse of the basilisk.

“I’m not sure…” Eugene shrugged while looking alternatingly between the dead basilisk and the hole they used to go down.

“It might be impossible to take everything with us, so let’s just take a good amount,” Eugene said.

“There has to be another way out, right?” Galfredik said.

“We don’t have time to waste. This is underground. And just because there might be a waterway doesn’t mean we could pass through it either,” Eugene retorted.

“That’s true. It’s a shame, but there’s no helping it,” Galfredik said with a grin, then began dismantling the corpse of the basilisk with the two vampire high lords. After a while, the three knights approached Eugene with some of the basilisk’s scales, horns, and teeth.

“Master, this is great. I can’t even scratch it with my sword.”

“It is the same with the horns and the teeth. If you turn the scales into armor and use the horns and teeth to make weapons, they will surely be rare, superior-grade armament.”

“Is that so?” Eugene took the horns and teeth from Christian and Rohime and put them to the test. As they said, he couldn’t scratch the materials even with Wolfslaughter, and they didn’t break even with an appropriate amount of force.

“Hmm. Wait a minute…” Eugene muttered before stepping in front of the three knights. Eugene threw Madarazika at the basilisk with all his might.

Boom!

The spear collided with the basilisk’s corpse with a loud explosion. Eugene was greatly surprised when he approached the corpse and observed the point of contact between the spear and the monster.

“This is amazing,” he commented. Madarazika was slightly embedded in the scales of the basilisk, but it had failed to fully penetrate it. The spear managed to dig a finger’s length into the scales. Considering that the basilisk’s scales were slightly thicker than that, it certainly provided great defense.

“It will be impossible to do any damage without using Aura. Plus, it’s lighter than iron.”

“Even if it’s impossible to make armor due to its thickness, it will be the perfect material for a shield. It would be best to make the teeth and horns into a spear,” Galfredik stroked the basilisk’s scales and teeth with a pleased expression. He wasn’t very materialistic, but as a knight, he could not help but be greedy for excellent equipment. Christian and Rohime also stole glances at the by-products while kneeling. It appeared that they also coveted the materials.

Aside from the fact that the by-products of a basilisk could be made into excellent equipment, it would be of utmost honor to possess the by-products of a monster that had never been caught before in history. Regardless of one’s race and status, anyone who called themselves a knight would covet such honor.

‘Hmm. I did kill it, but it’s not like they didn’t help at all. I discovered the monster’s abilities thanks to them.’

Naturally, he could have also killed the basilisk even if he were alone. However, he could not make a decision when it came to ranking the contributions of the three vampires.

In the end, Eugene decided…

“You guys can have it.”

“Hooh!”

“What?”

“Huh?!”

The three vampires were startled by Eugene’s words.

Eugene continued, “You said it would make the perfect shield, right? I already have Paracletus, so I don’t need it. Take a good amount and make it into a shield. Ah, I think I’ll need some to give as gifts, so keep that in mind.”

Taking too much would cause the materials to no longer be rare and scarce. It would be best to take just the right amount to show off.

“Uhahahaha! This is great!”

“The unending grace of the great one! We will not forget it until the day we die!”

Galfredik roared with delight, and the two vampire high lords bowed once more.

***

After a day filled with Mirian’s complaints and moans, the water source finally recovered to an extent. In the future, it would slowly recover thanks to the power of nature. As such, Eugene exited the underground lake.

“So will a new spirit of water be coming here?” Eugene asked.

“Maybe…” Mirian answered.

“When?”

“How would I know?” Mirian retorted.

“…Do you have a problem?” Eugene asked.

“Oh my! How dare a humble spirit like me complain to a great man like you? I simply live to waste away doing what I’m told to do. Please treat me like a workhorse. Oh, my back, my knees. Kieeeh… From the way they ache, perhaps it’ll rain tomorrow?[1] Never mind. It’s just that I worked so hard that my body’s… Uaahghgah!” Mirian said while creating wrinkles on her face like an old man. Furthermore, she even formed a cane out of water and coughed like a dying person, or rather, like a dying spirit.

Anyone could tell that she was completely sullen.

Eugene thought for a moment before speaking to the spirit in a quiet voice, “I will tell the lord here that you purified the water source and returned it to its original state.”

Mirian responded, “Do whatever you want. As if you care about what I think...”

“And as you know, returning the water source to its original state was not mentioned in the contract,” Eugene said.

“Kieh? But what about it?” Mirian said, showing a bit of interest.

Eugene continued, “I’m saying that Lord Bemos will be very grateful to you. Of course, he won’t express his gratitude with words only.”

“K-kieeh… Ah!” The spirit listened attentively before flinching and putting her small hand on her chest. “S-sir! M-my heart is going da-doomp all of sudden!”

It was a reaction expected of the spirit of desire. When it came to her love for wealth, she was worse than a monster starved for several months.

“It should be a considerable show of sincerity. And you know what’s even more important?” Eugene asked.

“W-what is it? What’s more important?” The spirit of desire asked with rapacious eyes after her attitude changed at the speed of light.

Eugene continued, “There are still six more areas being affected by the monster uprising, so imagine…” Eugene’s voice became more subtle, while the spirit’s expression became more and more ecstatic.

“How much wealth do you think you will accumulate every time you purify a water source?”

“K-kieeeeeeeehhhhhh…!!!”

In the end, the spirit fell backward, submerged in euphoria.

***

The next day, Eugene arrived at the castle of Lord Bemos with Galfredik and the two vampire high lords. Lord Bemos and the nobles were shocked to see that Eugene had returned so quickly. Some even harbored doubts that Eugene had finished the job half-heartedly. One of them, of course, was Lord Bemos.

“W-what? A-are you saying that you have eliminated the monsters and have also returned the water source to its original state?” Lord Bemos asked.

“It’s not perfect, but it should be back to normal in half a year. Of course, the water coming from there won’t have any issues now. You should be able to confirm it in a few days.”

“…!!!” Lord Bemos’ eyes reddened with tears. He barely managed to open his quivering lips. “H-how could I ever repay this kindness…”

Lord Bemos could not continue. He was completely overwhelmed with emotions. The contract formed between Maren and Baron Palo was resolving the issue of the monster uprising. Purifying a contaminated water source was never mentioned in the contract.

In the end, the King of Maren would have fulfilled his responsibility even if he had simply eliminated the monsters and left right there and then. He would have been praised as an honorable monarch who knew how to keep his promise. However, he did not stop there but even took care of the ‘aftermaths’ of the issue.

Honor? Grace? Generosity?

Lord Bemos couldn’t express what he felt toward the King of Maren with mere words. Although the King of Maren was expressionless, it felt as if a halo was wreathed around his head. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, Eugene appeared like a saint to Lord Bemos. Indeed, a highest-ranking member of the Dark Clan, a race known for their insidiousness and trickery, felt like a saint for him.

“Y-your Majesty… I really…” Lord Bemos muttered with a teary expression.

Eugene tried to maintain a solemn expression as he brought up the words he had prepared in advance. “Sir Bemos. Maren never turns a blind eye to a friend in trouble.”

“Ah…!” Finally, tears started flowing from Lord Bemos’ eyes. The foreign nobles were also touched by the scene. Although he was a bit secular and eccentric, the King of Maren was truly an honorable knight who could only be seen in fairy tales. He was the incarnation of chivalry.

‘This is too easy…’

Eugene was slightly startled. The nobles reacted stronger than he had expected. As such, he turned his head.

“Sir Palo.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Baron Palo answered with a determined expression. It almost felt as if he were a loyal servant of Maren, rather than a vassal of the Viseche Dukedom.

“My friendship is not limited to the territory of Bemos. You should know this very well, right?” Eugene asked.

“Of course, Your Majesty!” Baron Palo answered.

Eugene continued, “I believe you will convey my will to His Majesty Viseche. Maren will never consider Viseche a stranger.”

“Ohh…!”

Baron Palo nodded fervently as he felt his heart pound violently. Eugene turned his head toward the other nobles after confirming that he had won over Baron Palo, the representative of the Dukedom of Viseche.

Eugene then continued, “And I should not make exceptions to all of your kingdoms as well. I promise you as the King of Maren. In addition to taking care of the monster uprising, I will also take responsibility and return any contaminated water sources back to their original states. Of course, this is on the premise that the leaders of each kingdom will allow…”

“Of course, you can!”

“Please, I implore you!”

The nobles shouted without hesitation. There was nothing for them to lose. Only utter fools would reject such a proposal. No, even absolute fools would unconditionally accept it.

“Thank you for your decisions, sirs. Ah, and this is a little gift from me…” Eugene said before gesturing. The two vampire high lords put down two large boxes with proud faces.

Clack.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the two opened boxes.

“This is…?!” The nobles expressed shock.

“It’s the by-products of the monster killed in the Bemos territory’s water source. A monster known as the basilisk. It should be sufficient to symbolize the faithfulness and friendship between Maren and all of your respective home nations,” Eugene said.

“Basilisk…?” Some expressed their puzzlement at the unfamiliar name. However, Prince Localope could not hide his excitement, and he shouted as soon as he heard the name basilisk.

“B-basilisk! The monster that appeared only once, more than two hundred years ago! It was driven away by the three great heroes!”

“Huh? Do you know something about the monster, Your Highness?” one of the nobles asked.

Instead of answering, Prince Localope hurried to the box with an expression of disbelief. He took out a large, hard scale before practically spitting out his following words, “It’s real! It’s really the scale of a basilisk! There are only five of these, even in the imperial family!”

Ohhhh…!!!

The nobles exclaimed at once when they saw the huge scale. If there were only five even in the imperial family of the Roman Empire, it could truly be regarded as a treasure among treasures.

“We only managed to procure it when the three heroes chased the monster away. It truly is an object impenetrable by anything!” Prince Localope exclaimed before looking excitedly around at the nobles.

He slightly loosened his outerwear.

“It’s what I’m wearing right now—armor made from a basilisk’s scale.”

“…!!!”

It was more than proof that a prince of the Roman Empire was wearing it. The shock quickly disappeared from the eyes of the nobles, and greed took its place. There weren’t just one or two such objects in the boxes, but rather dozens.

“There aren’t too many of them, so each of you should only take a couple. I would appreciate it if all of you could regard it as a small sign of my friendship with your monarchs,” Eugene added.

“Your Majesty…!”

A hot wave of emotions engulfed the Bemos Castle.

‘With this, I have secured strong allies for myself.’

Eugene was inwardly making an insidious smile that completely contrasted the generous, benevolent smile he had on the surface. They weren’t just ordinary allies either. Instead, all of them were nations located between the Roman Empire and the Dukedom of Maren. He had secured himself seven strong shields money couldn’t buy.

However, this wasn’t the end of it…

‘Shields can always be turned into weapons at any time…’

Eugene’s smile deepened at the thought of smashing Crown Prince Voltaire’s face with his seven new shields.

1. Something that old people say in Korea. Mirian’s basically complaining that she’s sore and overworked. ☜