Journey of Vampire Lord
Copyright© 2025 by Vamp
Chapter 25
“No wait! Just wait...” Mashburn shouted urgently to stop his colleagues, then froze on the spot. Without ever crossing his vision, Eugene’s shortsword was now resting on his left shoulder.
“Just now, he wanted to kill me, so I killed him. What choices will the rest of you make?”
“Keuk!”
It appeared as if Eugene would cut off Mashburn’s head at a moment’s notice. The Red Scorpion mercenaries were at a loss as they looked alternatingly at the silver blade and Eugene. No, rather, they were shocked by the dagger sticking out of the rookie’s forehead.
Some of the mercenaries were skilled at throwing daggers, but no one was as fast or as accurate as Eugene. No one even saw how and when the knight threw the dagger.
“P-please forgive us! We will let all the merchants pass. Y-you can pass, esteemed sir.”
“How could I simply trust your words?”
“S-sorry?” Mashburn asked while trembling. He could feel a coldness around his neck.
“Give me all your weapons. Shouldn’t you pay a price for trying to attack a knight?”
‘I never meant to do that!’ But contrary to his inner thoughts, Mashburn quickly gestured towards his comrades, “H-hey! Everyone, put down your weapons! Sir Eugene is saying that he will show mercy! H-hurry it up!”
When the mercenaries hesitated, Partec and the rest of the group stepped up with their shortswords and shields.
‘Dammit... ‘
They formed into a perfect formation facing three directions, and the Red Scorpion Mercenaries gulped with anxiety. In the mercenary community, it was common sense to gauge the opponent’s skills with the equipment they carried. Some knights were sometimes ordinary in their skills, but plastered themselves with top-notch equipment after being born into rich families. However, all mercenaries were born commoners or serfs. As such, they needed to obtain their own equipment.
In other words, a mercenary possessing good equipment either resolved a huge number of commissions or was successful at looting in various battlefields. In that respect, the Red Scorpion Mercenaries saw Partec and his comrades as veterans with excellent battle records and skills.
Thud.
Starting with one, the Red Scorpion Mercenaries were forced to drop their weapons one by one.
“Hey!”
At Eugene’s call, Delduan and the other merchants hurriedly ran forward.
“Collect all the weapons. Partec, if any of them tries anything, you can kill them.”
“Yes, Sir Eugene.”
Partec glared at the mercenaries, and they dropped their heads.
Soon,
“W-we finished collecting their weapons, Sir Eugene.”
“Good. You guys pass by first. I will follow behind.”
“Yes!”
The merchants flocked while avoiding eye contact with the mercenaries. When the merchants were far in the distance, Eugene removed his shortsword from Mashburn’s shoulder.
“Phew...”
Mashburn started to sigh with relief.
Thuck!
Then, he crumpled after being struck on the head with the shortsword’s pommel. Eugene looked over the mercenaries after raising his visor.
“Remember clearly. My name is Jan Eugene. If you ever run into me again after today, you will die. You will die even if you meet me in a dungeon or a labyrinth, and you will die if you see me in the battlefield. And I plan to see Lord Bommel right away to personally complain, so keep that in mind. Now, take this bastard away.”
“...!”
The mercenaries trembled while hastily supporting Mashburn. If what Eugene said was true, then they could no longer return to Lord Bommel’s castle. They had brought him humiliation and were even robbed of their weapons. It was obvious how a nobleman would dispose of such mercenaries.
In the end, the Red Scorpion Mercenaries headed back down the mountain with drooping shoulders. At the least, they were relieved that they survived after picking a fight with a knight.
“Go.” Eugene pretended to pet Silion while quietly speaking to Mirian. The spirit had been stretched out on the horse’s mane.
“Ah-ha! I got it!” Mirian quickly grasped Eugene’s intentions, then flew in the direction of the mercenaries.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!” Partec and the two mercenaries proudly followed behind Silioin.
After a short moment, Partec carefully spoke, “Sir Eugene, will you really go to Lord Bommel’s castle? With all due respect, I am wondering if we could even receive an apology, and if Lord Bommel decides to...”
“I have no intention of going.”
“What?”
Partec blinked with bewilderment, and Eugene shrugged in response.
“It was a lie. Why would I bother heading there? But if I threaten them like that, they won’t be able to run back and report to Lord Bommel, right? And he’s about to get it on with another lord, so there is no need to bother him without reason.”
“Ahh...!”
Partec exclaimed after realizing Eugene’s intentions. Lord Bommel would be mystified and distressed by the disappearance of more than 10 hired mercenaries, but it would result in positive outcomes for everybody except the Red Scorpion Mercenaries themselves.
“Anyways, let’s hurry it up. We should cross the mountain before sunset, so that the merchants can rest.”
“Yes!”
Partec and the two mercenaries answered vigorously, gazing at the mercenaries who were waiting for them in the far distance. The group joined with the merchants and started walking once more. After a few minutes, an exhausted Mirian returned with strained flaps of her wings.
“Phew, I am so tired! As expected, I run out of energy way too quickly when I’m away from my contractor.”
Mirian landed on Silion’s mane, then spoke while diligently rubbing her arms and legs.
“I think those bastards are going to leave the neighborhood. They did curse our esteemed sir quite a lot, but weren’t even dreaming of taking revenge. They have no intention of going back to the lord. They said they would go back to Carls Baggins or somewhere after robbing some passersby. Anyway, I’m tired, so I’m going to rest!”
After reporting back, Mirian headed inside the leather pocket filled with water.
‘That’s a relief.’
He expected his threat to be effective, but he was still worried that the Red Scorpion Mercenaries would return to Baron Bommel. But after hearing Mirian’s report, he felt relieved.
Although it wouldn’t be a big deal even if the mercenaries did report back to Baron Bommel.
Eugene’s group crossed Mount Marcus in half a day. Although they encountered a group of kobolds, the monsters fled right away as soon as Eugene slayed five of them at once after charging at them with SIlion.
“Thank you so much! Sir Eugene!”
“We were able to cross the mountain thanks to you, sir. You will be blessed. May God’s grace be with you forever.”
The merchants continued expressing their gratitude and bowed after witnessing Eugene’s overwhelming skills.
“I only did what I had to do. Let’s part ways now. Oh, and you should dispose of the collected weapons on your own. Just give me whatever you see fit.”