With the beowulf warriors at the forefront, Eugene and the expedition rode for about ten minutes before reaching the low hills surrounding a small village. There were already hundreds of horsemen waiting for the arrival of the expedition.

“Hooh. Light cavalry. Their equipment doesn’t look too shabby either. They look elite,” Galfredik commented after commanding his horse closer to Silion.

“I think they must be the Knights of Dawn. I heard that they are quite powerful as the most elite unit in the countdom,” Edmund commented. He was knowledgeable regarding the countries neighboring the Roman Empire, as he was originally from the empire.

“They look quite menacing. How disrespectful,” Princess Lilisain stated while looking over the group of horsemen. As she said, the large group of cavalry was emitting a fierce energy without restraint, as if they were silently protesting. Even if Eugene and the expedition were foreigners, it wasn’t an appropriate attitude to take toward a group that was here to provide assistance.

“E-excuse me, Your Majesty. They are—” Baron Blanc started explaining with a bashful expression.

Eugene interrupted him in a cold voice, “I think they have something they want to say to me, so I will take care of it.”

“What? Y-Your Majesty! Your Majesty…!” Baron Blanc called out in distress. However, Eugene disregarded him and headed to the group of horsemen with only Galfredik.

“Here he goes again.”

“This isn’t anything new, I’m amazed every single time.”

“He could have just sent Sir Galfredik.”

The nobles of the expedition commented when they saw Eugene and Galfredik head toward the hundreds of cavalry. They knew well how powerful the two men were, but it was still a daunting experience to advance into hundreds of troops. The nobles were in awe. Moreover, the respect of the nobles for Eugene only grew at the fact that Eugene always took the lead in all situations, even though he held the status of a king. It had always been difficult for the nobles to understand it, but it was still awe-inspiring.

“Judging by the atmosphere, I don’t think they came out here to welcome us…”

“Come on, do you really think they would pick a fight? We’re here to help them out according to the agreement, right?”

“That’s right. And since His Majesty stepped forward personally, it should end well.”

The nobles weren’t worried as they watched Eugene and Galfredeik come to face the knight leading the cavalry. It only made sense that Count Hisain sent the cavalry to show off his nation’s strength and to welcome Eugene and the expedition. It had never occurred to anyone that they would be struck with both shock and confusion only a minute later.

***

Sir Carmier, a prestigious knight of the Hisain Countdom and the captain of the Knights of Dawn, narrowed his eyes.

‘The King of Maren…’

He was pretty famous in the Countdom of Hisain as well. The man’s plate armor was unusual at a glance, and his steed seemed to be no ordinary horse either. If there were a competition to pick the most successful knight as of late, the winner would undoubtedly be Jan Eugene Batla, the man who was riding his horse toward Carmier.

He was the first Wyvern Slayer, the knight who won the knight competition hosted by a famous count of the Caylor Kingdom, and the knight who had conquered Brantia to become a duke. He had killed hundreds, or rather, thousands of monsters until now, and he was considered to be a hero of the centuries.

‘Even if that’s true, all of his achievements are from nowhere. Brantia? Maren? I wonder if any of those country bumpkins have ever seen a real knight before.’

Sir Carmier sniggered while having such thoughts. The obnoxious thoughts weren’t simply his own either. Those who lived in areas centered around the Holy Empire, areas that had been on the decline for a while, tended to denigrate the kingdoms of the west. The Roman Empire and its neighboring nations were no exception. The same was true for the nobles accompanying Eugene and the expedition as well, but they didn’t express their opinions in front of Eugene, since Maren was an incredibly rich, powerful city. However, those who lived and died by their swords and spears were different from ordinary nobles. Such had been the reason why foreign knights had created chaos without hiding their arrogance during the knight competition held in honor of Maren’s founding ceremony. Of course, the responsible knights had been beaten to enlightenment by Eugene and Princess Lilisain, but it was different with knights who only heard the stories, including Carmier.

In the first place, knights did not base their judgments simply on rumors. As such, Carmier was quite doubtful about many of the stories regarding Eugene, especially those of his supposed achievements. To be exact, Carmier wasn’t only suspicious of Eugene. Rather, he hated Eugene.

‘Sir Blanc did something completely unnecessary. But what could I possibly expect from the nobles from the castle? They know nothing but fear.’

Carmier had constantly requested for himself and the Knights of Dawn to set out to eradicate the monsters ever since the monster uprising started. However, their departure was suspended indefinitely when Baron Blanc signed an agreement with the King of Maren as a representative of the countdom. Carmier wanted to eliminate the monsters for his country and for his own honor and merit, so his anger was expected. Obviously, his irritation and anger were directed toward Eugene.

Although the decision had been made by his lord, Count Hisain, he couldn’t possibly direct his frustrations toward his monarch.

‘If it weren’t for you…’

Sir Carmier burned with fury as he glared at Eugene’s growing figure. Although Eugene finally came to a stop about ten meters in front of him, Sir Carmier didn’t even take off his helmet, let alone give a polite greeting. It was a huge disrespect toward a foreign monarch, but he didn’t care. The internal minister of the countdom, Baron Popran, reassured him earlier before he departed.

“Are you His Majesty Jan Eugene Batla? I am—” he started.

“So you want to fight with me?” Eugene interrupted him abruptly.

Carmier’s expression became slightly distorted.

“That’s right. I have heard over and over about your reputation. Let us—”

Eugene interrupted him once again, “What do you want to place on the line?”

“…?!”

Carmier became wide-eyed. He then responded with a ferocious expression, “How disrespectful. Are you that confident in your—”

“Did you really expect me to play nice with someone who blocks my way, knowing well who I am? Are you out of your mind?” Eugene asked.

“W-what…?” Carmier muttered with a dazed expression. The commander of the Hisain Countdom’s knight order had never been subjected to such disrespectful words before.

However, he quickly regained his composure and shouted with a red face, “Did you ask what I would place on the line? The command of myself and my knights! So you should also place the command of your troops on the line as well, including you!”

Things had taken a strange turn, but Carmier simply had to adhere to Baron Popran’s plan.

“…” Eugene looked over the Knights of Dawn without a word.

His gaze came to a stop on Carmier.

“Aren’t the stakes too low when you’re picking a fight out of the blue?” Eugene said.

“What does that—” Carmier muttered.

Eugene cut him off, “Anyone who blocks the way of a knight is an enemy, are they not? Receiving command of the enemy’s troops after a victory? What kind of nonsense is that?” Eugene said.

“…!”

Carmier’s face stiffened. He had realized that something was wrong. Things weren’t just taking an unusual turn. Instead, it was heading in a direction he had never even expected.

“The winner takes all. That is how it should be in a battle between knights,” Eugene said.

“Not a bad idea...” Carmier’s lips curled up into a sneer as he responded. In fact, he had been eyeing Eugene’s plate armor and his horse. Moreover, he would obviously obtain a huge ransom if he defeated the King of Maren. He wouldn’t be left with just the command of the expedition, but enormous fame and massive profits as well.

“Then let us begin. I am—”

Shing.

“I am not curious about the name of someone who is bound for death,” Eugene interrupted once more before drawing Madarazika from the side of his saddle and pointing his sword at Carmier.

“What did you say?!” Carmier finally exploded with rage. He had never been subject to such humiliation in his life. He snatched a spear from his aide and started his charge toward Eugene.

Or rather, more specifically, he attempted to charge toward Eugene.

Kyaaaaaahhhhhk!

Madarazika left Eugene’s grip while emitting an eerie cry.

Thuck!

The resounding sound was different from the sound of metal clashing against metal.

Neigggghh!

Carmier’s horse howled and reared. It was a trained warhorse, but it couldn’t overcome the fear caused by the Fear contained in the demonic spear Madarazika as it passed by. However, the horse’s master didn’t even have enough time to feel afraid. Knight Carmier remained motionless on his saddle with his spear still in his hand.

Ziiing.

Madarazika emitted a low cry after piercing the knight’s head. After a moment’s delay, Carmier’s helmet split in two before falling to the ground, and almost at the same time, Carmier’s body fell backward with Madarazika still embedded in his forehead. Sir Carmier, the renowned knight of the Hisain Countdom and the proud captain of the Knights of Dawn had died in the blink of an eye.

“…!!!”

The nearly three hundred warriors of the Knights of Dawn stiffened at the shocking, unbelievable situation. Killing an opponent in a confrontation between honorable knights never happened aside from accidents or unless they were at war. Even on a battlefield, it was customary for the winner to treat the loser honorably as a prisoner of war. However, their commander had just died at the hands of a foreigner. It was something that shouldn’t have happened. However, the person responsible for causing the shocking incident remained calm and composed.

Ziiiing!

Madarazika pulled itself out of Carmier’s head and returned to Eugene’s grasp.

‘A magical spear!’

The Knights of Dawn finally recognized Madarazika. However, they were still stupefied.

Eugene shook the blood and brain fluid off of his spear before speaking while looking over the Knights of Dawn. “I won. From this moment on, all of you are my prisoners. And as my prisoners, I have the right to all of your lives.”

“…?!”

The Knights of Dawn stared at him with flabbergasted expressions. However, the moment of frozen time only lasted for a short while.

“Uaaaah!” Some of the warriors attempted to unsheathe their weapons with anger.

However…

“Your Majeeesssty! Everyoneee! Stop!” Someone howled while madly rushing toward the scene on their horse. The knights hesitated when they recognized the newcomer as Baron Blanc, one of Count Hisain’s trusted nobles.

Tutututututu!

The first thing that Baron Blanc saw was the disfigured, unmoving corpse of Carmier. Blood was still flowing from the hole in the dead knight’s head. And Baron Blanc trembled with shock and despair when he saw that.

He turned to Eugene and spoke with a quivering voice, “Y-Your Majesty. How… How could you…”

“Huh? How could I what?” Eugene asked.

“W-what do you mean?! This knight is the commander of the countdom’s knight order!” Baron Blanc shouted with despair. He failed to keep his composure at the death of his nation’s knight. The current situation wasn’t simply a diplomatic problem, but something that could easily burst into war. However, Eugene looked calm. It was impossible to believe that he had just offed a knight from another nation.

“Oh, really? But what about it?” Eugene asked.

“…?!” Was there something wrong with his ears? Baron Blanc stood there in a daze as if his soul had left his body.

“He blocked my way and asked for a fight. Moreover, he said he would bet everything on the battle. Isn’t it common sense that his very life was included as well?” Eugene said.

“W-what?!” Baron Blanc exclaimed before looking back at the Knights of Dawn in a hurry.

Galfredik had been staying still on his horse until now. He turned his murderous gaze to Carmier’s subordinates and spoke in a ferocious voice, “If you all consider yourselves real knights, speak the truth with your honor on the line. What did your captain put on the line in his battle with my master?”

“…!!!”

The knights flinched. The murderous glint in their eyes had disappeared. There was no possible way that Baron Blanc would miss their momentary hesitation. And it was then that he finally realized the truth of the situation.

‘You crazy knights…!’

He had assumed that the knights had come to either greet the expedition or intimidate them. However, it turned out that they actually caused a monstrous incident instead.

“Sir Blanc,” Eugene called out.

“…” Baron Blanc turned his head toward Eugene. The former’s face was still painted with disbelief.

“Our agreement is a separate matter. As of now, all of them are my prisoners, and they will have to strictly adhere to my orders as prisoners of war. If they don’t like it, they can duke it out against my expedition,” Eugene declared

“Y-Your Majesty. That’s…”

“Ah, and I will return them when I’m done with everything here, so tell Lord Hisain to prepare their ransom,” Eugene continued.

“…!!!”

What would be an appropriate ransom for three hundred well-trained cavalrymen? Baron Blanc’s mind went blank.