Galfredik had always been a strong knight. Anyone who knew him was certain that he would have made a name for himself within two to three years in the Caylor Kingdom even if he hadn’t met Eugene. And the knight gained physical abilities surpassing normal humans after becoming an Origin’s vassal. In addition, he was armed to the teeth with expensive equipment costing hundreds of silver coins.

It was safe to assume that a good match for Galfredik would be a rare find. He was truly a monstrous knight. However, Eugene’s troops didn’t call Galfredik a ‘monster knight’ simply because of his terrifying physical abilities and excellent equipment. It was all because Galfredik would always take the lead in battles and sought out the fiercest of them all to fight. In addition, he never skipped out on training. He was a talented monster who worked many times harder than others.

The enormous, intensive training that Galfredik underwent was the decisive factor that separated him from others, and there was a simple reason why he was training so hard.

“If I fight as a vampire, people just get scared. But if I fight as a knight and win, they will be scared and respectful.”

Shuuuack! Boom! Boooom!

A loud roar accompanied every swing of his maces. Heads were crushed along with helmets, and shoulders crumpled along with steel under the weight of Galfredik’s strikes. Regardless of which location the maces struck, steel and bones were crushed, and the knights screamed in pain.

In just ten seconds, six people collapsed as minced meat.

“…!”

The knights were stunned into silence. The same was true of those who already knew Galfredik, and of those who were seeing him for the first time. It was a sight that could not be described as simply ‘strong’ or ‘excellent.’ What they had just witnessed was a force beyond human capabilities.

“L-Let's attack together!”

“Uwaaah!”

Although knights always blabbered about honor and chivalry, they didn’t always live true to their words. As if to prove that they were willing to go to any length to defeat a strong enemy, the remaining knights surrounded Galfredik in groups of three or four. No, rather, they attempted to surround Galfredik.

Galfredik didn’t miss their moment of shock and quickly seized the initiative which provided him with the most advantage, just as his experience and instincts dictated. He moved in a swift, predator-like fashion unbefitting his large size, and swung his maces while escaping the yet unformed blockade.

Boom! Booom!

“Kuaaagh!”

“Argh!”

Three knights fell to the ground in an instant after having the relatively weak joints in their armors smashed apart.

“Shield! Use your shields! Block his attacks and drive him to a corner!” The knights were desperate. As if to prove their formidability, they raised their shields and gritted their teeth while attempting to push Galfredik back. Three knights armed with kite shields pressed Galfredik by swinging their thorny flails and maces.

“Die!”

Shiiing!

Two flails approached Galfredik from both sides, carrying loud shockwaves.

Booom!

‘It worked!’

The knights rejoiced as the flails made contact with Galfredik’s helmet and the plate on his shoulder. They were certain that he would collapse after such an attack, but…

Fwoosh!

“What!?”

Boom!

Contrary to their expectations, Galfredik advanced despite the blows and struck the jaws of two knights. The two figures were thrown back several meters like broken kites and wriggled helplessly on the ground.

“Push him! Just push him back!” someone screamed, and the knights attempted to tackle Galfredik with their shields. No matter how skilled he was, he would be useless if his movements were restricted. They could simply stab their daggers through the gaps in his armor after restraining him.

“Crush him!”

“I’ll flatten you!”

All of the knights were burlier and stronger than ordinary humans. Several of them banded together and attempted to weigh down Galfredik.

But something surprising happened…

“Kuaaaaaghhh!” With a loud roar, Galfredik began to overpower the four knights. He began to push them back while tripping one of the knights.

“Uaagh?!”

“Agh?!”

One of the knights initially fell down with a loud grunt, and their colleagues followed suit. Immediately after, Galfredik’s ugly maces delivered decisive blows one by one.

“Ugh…”

“Y-you monster.”

Of the knights who stood against Galfredik, only seven remained unscathed. Each of the knights was an experienced soldier who spent long years on battlefields and evil lands. However, their skills and experiences were being denied in the face of overwhelming power and techniques that rejected common sense. In addition, the knights were still alive not only because of their skills and experiences, but it was also because…

Thud.

“I-I surrender!”

“Me too! I will pay my ransom, so give me an honorable treatment!”

“I will return by boat! Please show honor and mercy!”

The seven knights laid down their weapons and surrendered simultaneously. It was a vain ending, but all the witnesses of the short, intense battle empathized with the seven knights. In the first place, the knights had no reason to fight, and their opponent was a monster beyond their imagination. There was nothing for them to be ashamed of even if they disregarded their honor and pride as knights for a moment.

“Hehe! And I thought I would get a chance to warm up. I guess babies will be babies,” Galfredik uttered. It was a grossly offensive remark, but no one dared to retort. They were simply praying that Galfreidik would accept their surrender.

“Leave your weapons and money behind. Don’t ever step on Brantia ever again. If I ever see any of you on the battlefield, I will kill you,” Galfredik threatened.

“T-thank you.”

“I won’t forget your mercy!”

The survivors left their weapons and money on the ground before slowly inching toward their boats. Galfredik turned his head. He spoke to the mercenaries, who had gathered to watch the fight. “If any of you are having any other ideas, go back while you still have the chance. From this moment on, you better not expect mercy from me.”

“…!”

The mercenaries flinched. After sharing gazes with each other, a considerable number of them crept off toward the pier.

“Sir! Congratulations on your victory!”

“As I expected! Sir Galfredik, you have improved significantly since I last saw you!”

“I have witnessed new heights in today’s battle!”

“Sir Galfredik!”

“Sir!”

The knights who knew Galfredik rushed over and praised the knight. As an ally, Galfredik was more reliable than anyone else. To have someone like Galfredik accompanying one on a battlefield was like a guarantee of victory.

“But Sir Galfredik, are you sure you want to let them off?”

“That’s right. They might return right now because they are afraid, but once they get back to the mainland, they might spread false rumors about you and Sir Eugene.”

“Hmph! That’s entirely possible since they are cowards without honor.”

Galfredik smirked while putting away his maces. “Do you really think Sir Eugene and I will be shaken by something like that? It’s just the cries of the losers, anyway. If I ever get back to the mainland and see them again, I can simply crush them once more. And do you know what?”

Galfredik looked around the countless observers and raised his voice. “Sir Eugene, whom I, Galfredik, serve! Has ordered those who do not sincerely follow him to return! Sir Eugene isn’t forceful! Sir Eugene is generous! He knows that a man cannot be forced to be loyal! This is Sir Eugene’s message!”

Ohhhhhh…!

The men felt their blood boil as they cheered. Regardless of their status, their lives had been rough and thorny, and they had constantly crossed life and death to come to where they were today. They were shocked by Galfredik’s display of mercy, especially after witnessing how brutal he could be. But it turned out that it was due to Sir Eugene’s orders!

“I was a little worried after finding out that he was a vampire, but it seems Sir Eugene is a true knight! Don’t you think so?” someone shouted, and the other knights voiced their agreement.

“Exactly! He is much more honorable than the arrogant knights of the kingdom.”

“Haha! I’ve already experienced his greatness when I saw him at the Winslon county’s knight competition! I knew my eyes hadn’t deceived me back then!”

“Vampire or orc, if they know honor, then they are a true knight!”

“That’s right! No wonder Her Excellency Archivold and His Excellency Winslon are supporting him!”

Quite a few people raised their voices, though it wasn’t certain whether they meant their words or if they were simply going with the flow. Of course, not all of the supporters were actually from the mainland. The first to raise their voice was Partec, and Lavan, Glade, and the members of Markus’ family had shouted agreements in between. In any case, public opinion naturally leaned toward favoring Eugene, and countless people gathered at the pier busily praised Galfredik and Eugene.

Galfredik watched the scene play out with satisfaction, then sneaked up on Markus, who was looking at him with eyes filled with awe and respect.

“Markus,” Galfredik said.

“Yes, please give me your orders,” Markus replied with a slight bow.

“Prepare the fastest ship in this place,” Galfredik ordered.

“I understand,” Markus answered without any questions.

Galfredik felt satisfied with Markus’ response as he continued in a low, but quick voice. “Send a messenger to the Rhodes Island. Tell the lord, Lord Ortos Rhodes, that Sir Eugene gave his order.”

Markus licked his lips while shivering at the sudden chill, and Galfredik continued with a cruel smile. “Tell him to sink those bastards’ ships at all costs. None of those bastards should arrive at the continent alive. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes,” Markus answered in a hurry. He trembled. A display of boundless mercy, but a thorough and merciless retribution behind the scenes! This was the highest level of manipulation carefully webbed by a great monarch of the vampires!

“To follow Sir Galfredik and the great monarch is the greatest honor of my life,” Markus stated.

“Hehehe. As long as you know it. Hurry up. And bring me my aide, Selena. I have to make her do something,” Galfredik responded.

“Yes!” Markus pressed his hood before disappearing into the busy crowd.

***

“Hmmm? Sir, what’s wrong? Does it itch somewhere? Do you want me to wipe it with my spit?” Mirian asked, concerned.

“No thanks,” Eugene coldly responded while digging his ears.

Mirian became sullen. “You’ve changed recently, sir.”

“You’re the one who has been acting weirdly these days. Why do you keep hanging around that girl? I never even asked you to,” Eugene said while gesturing toward Lorraine. 

The pouting spirit hesitated before answering with a serious face, “W-w-when did I do something like that? You must have seen wrongly.”

“You’ve been hanging around that girl several times a day,” Eugene remarked.

“W-well, isn’t it suspicious? She could just wait in the castle for her people to come to retrieve her, so why is she following us? Isn’t that weird?” Mirian responded.

“Well, that’s true.” Eugene nodded while looking at Lorraine, who was sitting on her saddle with a coy expression. Eugene had intended to wait for a messenger from the Fransil family to come to Castle Riwad. But after thinking about it, he realized that he had no reason to be considerate toward the circumstances of the Fransil family. After all, this was their problem, not his.

As such, he decided to entrust Pythamoras to negotiate the ransom and exchange prisoners. He would head for the Batla Duchy. However, an unexpected turn of events took place. Lorraine Fransil, the most important prisoner, suddenly asked for permission to join Eugene’s journey. Eugene became dumbfounded and intended to reject it, but he had to reconsider after hearing Pythamoras and Lanslo’s words.

“Ehem. Things will be more smooth sailing for you if you have prestigious nobles of Brantia there as witnesses when you succeed the Batla Duchy. If a direct descendant of the Fransil family plays the role, the effect will be even greater,” Pythamoras said.

“That’s true. In addition, if we leave Lady Lorraine in the castle, their emissary will come to know of our current situation.” Lanslo chimed in.

“Hmm.”

“If they realize that our army is absent, they could mobilize their forces. But as long as we have Lady Lorraine with us, they won’t be able to act hastily,” Lanslo added.

“Their army… Then should I leave you behind, Lanslo?” Eugene asked.

“No. Rather, it would be better for everyone to head to the Batla Duchy except Master Pythamoras,” Lanslo responded.

“Why?” Eugene asked.

“Ehem. That’s because the Fransil family is after Brantia’s throne,” Pythamoras answered.

“It’s just as Master Pythamoras says. There’s nothing more cowardly than attacking a territory when its master is absent. And since they haven’t declared war on us, they don’t have any justification for attacking us,” Lanslo commented.

And even if they decided to attack the castle in the meantime, Galfredik would eventually return from Mungard with his troops. After only a moment of contemplation, Eugene saw the logic in their advice and decided to comply.

However…

“But it’s strange. The girl had always been trembling in fear every time I looked at her, so why does she suddenly want to follow me? And as soon as it was decided that Luke would accompany me as well?”

Eugene narrowed his eyes as he stared at Lorraine. Lorraine hadn’t departed from Luke’s side ever since they left the castle yesterday.