On Eugene’s fourth day of stay at Lord Bemos’ castle, Princess Lilisain returned with the beowulf warriors after successfully driving out the remaining monsters from the territory. A feast was held upon their return. Nearly eight hundred monsters had been killed in total, and the restoration of the water source of the territory had also been confirmed. Although the Bemos territory still hadn’t completely returned to normal, it was in the gradual process of doing so. And that wasn’t the only thing that made Lord Bemos happy.

Thanks to Eugene and the expedition, he had secured a large number of mana stones and monster by-products—nearly five or six times the amount that could be acquired from a single dungeon subjugation. According to principle, they all belonged to Eugene. However, Eugene had neither room nor time to bring with him so much baggage. As such, Lord Bemos decided to buy the mana stones and by-products from Eugene with gold. He had to pay an enormous sum equivalent to half a year’s worth of the territory’s finances, but he did not consider it a loss at all. After all, the benefits of letting the remaining monsters be driven to certain areas were much greater.

***

“Did you say Vermont Forest?”

“That’s right. The princess cleverly drove the monsters toward that place,” Eugene answered.

“Ohh…” Lord Bemos rejoiced at Eugene’s words and gazed at Baron Palo. The corners of the Baron’s mouth were also curled upward, and he nodded his head in approval. Vermont Forest was a place that stretched across the border of the Bemos territory, and beyond the small river bordering the forest was the Lusa territory. Following Eugene’s actions, Princess Lilisain had also driven the monsters toward the Lusa territory.

“It’s a great misfortune for Lord Lusa.”

The misfortune of others was one’s happiness. Moreover, if the one afflicted was someone who had shown an irreverent attitude toward the Duke of Viseche, then it went without saying. As such, Baron Palo continued to grin as he mentioned Baron Lusa.

“Well, the monsters won’t be able to easily leave the forest, but he will have no choice but to pay attention to it. For the foreseeable future, he will be fully occupied fighting monsters,” Eugene said.

“Yes. It should take at least half a year. And that’s under the assumption that the local nobles of Moyna would show their full support for the Lusa territory. They would have to hire mercenaries in the thousands as well,” Baron Palo responded. The cost of hiring mercenaries in the thousands was an astronomical amount. Moreover, it wouldn’t only be for a couple of months, but for at least half a year. Even if the Lusa territory was financially stable, it would still be a massive blow.

“Hmm. Is there any chance that he might redirect the mercenaries he hires to attack this place after he has taken care of the monsters?” Prince Localope asked. It was a question about whether Baron Lusa would try to make up for his losses with war or not.

“Hmm. I certainly think that it’s a possibility,” Lord Bemos answered with a grim expression. There was a slim, or rather, a good chance that something like that could happen.

However, Baron Palo’s smile deepened as he answered, “There’s no need to worry about that, Sir Bemos. Rather, if Sir Lusa does react as such, it will be for our benefit.”

“What?” Lord Bemos ased.

Baron Palo turned his gaze, and everyone followed suit.

“Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?” He asked.

Eugene felt a little lazy, but he gave an answer while looking around at the nobles. “I assume that His Majesty Viseche will muster his forces and send them here as soon as Sir Lusa hires mercenaries.”

“What? S-sir Lusa and the City of Moyna will greatly object to that.”

Even if he were a monarch of a dukedom, he couldn’t convene a large-scale force and send them to a specific place without any justification. It would cause angst among the lords of the territory, and it could even lead to a civil war.

“That won’t happen,” Eugene said.

“…?”

Eugene explained to resolve Lord Bemos’ confusion, "It is a monarch’s natural duty and obligation to save a city in crisis and the territory of his vassal. They have no ground to stand on in terms of justification.”

“Ah… Ah!”

“In addition, the forces of His Majesty VIseche won’t directly intervene in the Lusa territory’s crisis. They will simply be stationed right outside in case of an unexpected outcome. Therefore, the argument that the monarch is arbitrarily meddling in the internal affairs of his vassal’s territory is invalid,” Eugene finished.

“I see!”

“That’s true!”

The nobles of the Bemos territory let out bursts of admiration. Baron Palo stepped forward with a smile; he had just realized that Eugene was as smart as he was strong.

“In the end, even if Sir Lusa takes care of all the monsters, he won’t be able to provoke us so easily. However, it would be even better if he provoked us, as we would be presented with a justification. It is entirely possible that the duke wants Sir Lusa to provoke us after resolving the current situation.”

Baron Palo suddenly hardened his expression, then continued in an icy voice, “It will be an opportunity to crush a disloyal vassal.”

In other words, Lusa would become an example to the others. Baron Lusa and the City of Moyna would be crushed as a warning for the other nobles. After all, they had been teetering on the line of disloyalty. And in the process, the Bemos territory would receive Duke of Viseche’s protection.

“If Sir Lusa and Moyna chose to make the foolish choice, they will be faced with even greater misfortune than now. However, it will come as a great fortune for you, Sir Bemos.”

“A great… fortune? For me…? Why would… Ah!” Lord Bemos muttered with a puzzled expression, then exclaimed after coming to a realization.

“That’s right. Who will the duke entrust the Lusa territory to once it loses its master? A chance should be given to the reliable vassal who had always remained loyal in good times and bad times.”

“Ohh…!” Lord Bemos was thrilled, even though the outcome was only one of the many possibilities.

“Maybe in the near future, you may receive an official title, Sir Bemos. Haha! I hope that day comes soon,” Baron Palo said.

Lord Bemos eagerly nodded with tears in his eyes, though he couldn’t give a verbal response. Baron Palo was known as one of Duke Viseche’s close aides, and he could have said such words only in good faith, but Lord Bemos was glad nevertheless.

And the one responsible for his great joy was…

“I will value our friendship until the day I die, or even after I die, I will leave a will for my descendants to continue the friendship with Maren and Your Majesty forever. I promise you the true friendship of our family! Please consider us your bloodsworn ally!” Lord Bemos declared.

“That’s great to hear,” Eugene responded. He gave a satisfied smile, even though he wasn’t particularly happy about it. The value of his smile was worth exactly the amount Lord Bemos had presented him with.

***

After taking care of the monster uprising in the Bemos territory, Eugene and the expedition set out for the Viseche Dukedom’s castle. Originally, Eugene planned to immediately head to another area afflicted by the monster uprising, but he had resolved the issue in the Bemos territory earlier than expected. Moreover, Baron Palo had also pleaded with him to meet with Duke Viseche. Of course, Eugene did not change his schedule simply because of Baron Palo’s desperate plea.

‘If I want to make a shield, I should do it thoroughly.’

It was the first time Eugene was meeting the monarch of another country since he became king. The opponent would be aware of this fact as well. It was probable that they would be rather pleased to be each other’s first. The atmosphere should be pretty cordial, considering that Eugene was a hero who had saved the country from a great threat. And hopefully, the friendly atmosphere would allow for a ‘small request’ of the hero to be granted.

***

The Viseche Dukedom’s castle was located about sixty kilometers from the Bemos territory. As such, Eugene and the expedition took about two days to travel to the castle.

“You are most welcome, Your Majesty Jan Eugene Batla!”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty,” Eugene responded. The Duke of Viseche was an extremely polite, nobleman in his late thirties.

‘Hmm. It seems Baron Palo wasn’t wrong.’

It was said that the Duke of Viseche, who was a man with a large frame, was quite refined as a knight as well. There was a possibility that Baron Palo had simply been praising his own monarch, but according to his words, Duke Viseche was an intelligent, generous, and brave monarch. In any case, a grand welcoming ceremony took place, and the members of the expedition received the utmost hospitality, regardless of their gender or status. It was inevitable because the members of the expeditions were either knights and warriors directly responsible for taking care of the monsters or distinguished nobles of various nations, including Prince Localope. They wouldn't dare to treat anyone of them recklessly.

Naturally, it was Eugene and Prince Localope who received the biggest welcome. While the members of the expedition continued to eat and drink to their hearts’ content, Eugene and Prince Localope conversed with Duke Viseche. To be exact, they talked about a specific topic.

“I would once again like to thank you both for accepting my invitation,” Duke Viseche said.

“Of course. By the way, there aren’t many listening ears, so why don’t you speak comfortably? Sir Palo has told me that Your Majesty is a very generous, hearty man,” Eugene said.

“Hahahaha! That man, he’s…” Duke Viseche gave a pleasant laugh, then continued with a pleased expression, “Let’s do that. Let’s just address each other as ‘sir’ and talk comfortably. Ah, if it’s alright with you, Your Highness…”

“Please treat me comfortably as well. The duke is someone who has succeeded the blood of Viseche, Calcht, and Rosenberg,” Prince Localope responded while bowing politely. It was rather hard to believe that a prince of the Roman Empire was bowing to a duke of another country. However, neither Duke Viseche nor Eugene found it strange. It was because of the families Prince Localope had mentioned.

“How fortunate is it that His Majesty Rosenberg’s bloodline has persisted in the empire’s allied nation of Viseche?”

Indeed, the Viseche Duchy was a noble family with the blood of one of the Roman Empire’s most respected emperors. In addition, the blood of the Calcht royal family, which once unified the southern part of the empire in the distant past, flowed in the veins of the Viseche family. Lastly, Viseche also produced a pope of the Holy Empire.

In other words, the Dukedom of Viseche had an orthodox, traditional family standing at its head that could represent the Roman Empire, as well as the kingdoms and territories surrounding the empire. Therefore, even though the territory of the dukedom was relatively small and wasn’t economically strong, it had a considerable influence on the Roman Empire and the various kingdoms. It was also for that same reason that the governor of Maren and the parliament chose the Bemos territory as the first territory to sign a contract with. Other kingdoms would be hard-pressed to object even if the Viseche Dukedom was the first one to receive help, and the promotional effect would reach its peak after helping the dukedom resolve the monster uprising.

Moreover…

‘It’s also the country that the other countries around the Roman Empire would most likely follow, so if I can win it over…’

This was the decisive reason why Eugene had pretended to give in to Baron Palo’s request to come all the way to the castle. If he could win over Duke Viseche, the others would naturally follow suit. And if he could make the duke project his influence over the territories and nations where the monster uprisings were taking place, Eugene would then have a line of shields surrounding the Roman Empire.