Journey of Vampire Lord
Copyright© 2025 by Vamp
Chapter 10
“A-are you being serious?”
“I am.”
Partec spoke with disbelief and Eugene nodded in response.
“Excuse me for being insolent, but are you referring to the dungeon that was recently discovered in the Tywin territory?”
“That’s right.”
“There is no way that you do not know what it means to explore a new dungeon. Are you ... confident?”
He knew how rude it was of him to ask such a question, but Partec had no choice but to ask. Moreover, Partec was convinced after being acquainted with him for the past few days that the knight would not become angry at such a question.
“I will be just fine, but the problem will be with your men. I am the one who suggested it after all.”
“Yes. But...”
Partec continued after taking a short breath to organize his thoughts.
“It is questionable whether the Tywin family is prepared for the endeavor. They do not have enough soldiers. Even if Sir Eugene decides to participate...”
“Then why do you think Sir Galfredik decided to come?”
“...!”
“Didn’t you say yourself that he was quite famous in this area? Ambitious too. I do not believe he came all this way without thinking about it beforehand.”
Partec almost slapped himself on the forehead. As Eugene said, Galfredik would have come to the castle after receiving a price worthy of his reputation. And if Galfredik was going to act as an anchor for the exploration, they could easily gather 20 or even 30 mercenaries. Rather, it was highly likely that a sufficient number of mercenaries had already gathered.
“Anyways, are you going to accompany me or not?”
“ ... Please give me some time to think about it.”
“Okay, but I need to know sooner than later. I would like an answer by tomorrow morning.”
“All right.”
Eugene stood up after hearing Partec’s answer.
The mercenaries stood up along with Eugene, then flocked to Partec as soon as the knight left the door.
“A-are we really going to do it?”
“Captain! This is not a good idea. No matter how good the pay is, being the first to explore the dungeon is a no go.”
“No one knows the way, and no one knows what’s going to pop out. Even if we succeeded in exploring the dungeon, half of us won’t come back alive.”
“...”
The mercenaries raised their voices. But Partec remained silent without answering his colleagues and subordinates. After a moment, he raised his head.
“I know you guys may have different thoughts regarding the issue, but I think of this as my last chance.”
“...!”
Partec continued while looking around at the shocked faces of the mercenaries.
“I will be turning 34 next year. Although I never suffered any major injuries and lived quite a long life for a mercenary, all of you should know that this is nothing to brag about. If I were in a larger mercenary group, I would have become a vice-captain by now. Of course, I could have died early on as well.”
The mercenaries were well aware of Partec’s skills and his keen judgement. They thought the former possibility would have been more likely but remained silent while nodding their heads.
“We, no, rather, I’ve been stuck here too long. But that doesn’t mean I can quit everything and join a big mercenary group as a new recruit at this age. If I retire after working as a mercenary for three or four more years, I could open a small pub in Maren. But I don’t want to live like that.”
“T-then...”
“So far, I always chose the path that guaranteed our safety, but this time, I want to walk my own path. So I will not force any of you. Make your own choice. You can either bet your lives on Sir Eugene and me, or you can go back to Maren.”
“...”
The mercenaries remained silent while sharing glances. They were faced with perhaps the most important decision of their lives. The first to break the long silence was Glade, who had been with Partec the longest.
“I will stick with Captain, no, with our brother. Let’s give it a try.”
“Okay. What about the rest of you?”
“I-I can’t do it. I’m sorry, Captain.”
“Me too...”
“Brothers, I’m sorry.”
Three mercenaries lowered their heads.
“You brats, what are you sorry about? It’s only natural to be cautious since it’s a matter of life and death. I’m sorry that I could not be with you until the end. You guys can take Bilmoa back to Maren. Share the balance of this request amongst yourselves. Think of it as your severance pay.”
“Captain...”
Tears started to appear in the eyes of the three mercenaries. Partec reassured them with his gaze, then turned his eyes towards the last remaining person.
“Lavan, you should follow these brats for a while as well. Even if you don’t make a lot of money, you should not have to worry about starving. Work hard for a year or two, then you can find a bigger group to...”
“I will be staying behind as well!”
“What?”
Partec was surprised at Lavan’s words. Although he had allowed the young man to join their group because he was quick and had a good hand, Lavan was still quite inexperienced.
“It’s only been a month, but I believe in Captain’s guts. You are following your gut feeling this time as well, right?”
“That’s right, but you could really die if you’re unlucky.”
“Ah, I don’t know anymore. I want to be successful too. I joined the group because of you in the first place, Captain Partec, so I’ll stay with you until the end. What more is there to life?”
“No, well...”
Partec attempted to respond, then laughed instead.
Who would he listen to at that age? When Partec was about Lavan’s age, he also stole his family’s money and ran away from home.
“Do as you like. A kid like you will live longer if you stay by my side.”
“Why do you have to put it like that...?”
Lavan attempted to retaliate, but the mercenaries who would head to Maren ruffled his hair.
“That’s true, kid. We don’t want to deal with a little brat like you anyways. Who knows what you’re going to do?”
“I would rather tame a goblin than try to make him listen.”
“Kekeke.”
The dark atmosphere soon subsided and the mercenaries were chuckling once again.
“Sir Camara Tywin is looking for me?”
Eugene answered in a puzzled voice when a servant came to visit him.
“Yes, sir. He wanted to discuss something with you, so he wants to see you.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
Eugene nodded after a moment.
“All right.”
“Then please allow me to guide you there.”
Eugene followed behind the servant, who was holding an oil lamp.
“Camara? That’s the older brother from before, right? Why is he looking for our sir?”
Mirian whispered into Eugene’s ear from his shoulder, but he was ignorant of the reason as well. After a while, Eugene arrived at a room located on the second floor of the main building. He opened the door.
“Ah, sir. Please, come in.”
Camara approached Eugene with delight. He had been sitting beside a wide-open window with a glass of alcohol in his hand.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Haha! I wanted to apologize for not recognizing your identity earlier in the day. Also, I had a few things I wanted to discuss with you.”
Camara clapped his hands after speaking. The two maids in the room quickly left.
“Let’s have a drink.”
“Thank you.”
After pouring blood-red wine into a gray metal cup for Eugene, Camara grinned.
“I am sorry about earlier. I did not know you were a knight since you were not wearing a surcoat nor riding on a horse.”
“I understand.”
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