Chapter 26

“Unless Sir Galfredik returns, there is no knight more suitable to be the subjugation’s captain over you, Sir Eugene. No, rather, even if he were to return, he would not compete for the spot. He would pass it on to you, sir. Anyways, I will try to schedule something, so that we can all meet each other. Now that we’re on the topic, what do you think about having dinner together tonight?”

“Let’s just meet in a little while. I will return after I’ve found a place to stay in the lower village.”

He had no desire to have dinner with the Tywin brothers and a knight he had never seen before.

“That’s too bad. I wanted to hear about how you managed to obtain your armor and warhorse. If that’s the case, then I hope Sir Eugene comes back in a couple of hours.”

“I will.”

Thinking he had been right to pass on the dinner, Eugene left the manor house.

After finding an accommodation in the village of Martella located downhill from the Rose Castle, Eugene handed down instructions to Partec and Breen before returning to the castle. He entered the castle while receiving the clumsy salute of a few guards, then headed to the castle’s cabinet under the guidance of a servant.

“Welcome.”

As usual, Camara welcomed him with joy, but Bertel only gave a curt nod. A large knight with a fierce appearance strode forward.

“Are you Sir Eugene? I am Rowen Maverick.”

Although they were indoors, Maverick was adorned in chainmail, which was engraved with the symbol of a crow, from head to toe. He reached out his hand.

“Jan Eugene.”

It was natural to respond in kind, so Eugene spoke informally and took Maverick’s hand. However, Maverick’s expression distorted upon hearing Eugene’s words. He seemed surprised by Eugene’s response.

Then, he tightened his grip.

‘Come on.’

Eugene mercilessly tightened his grip as well. He recalled Galfredik’s advice – that it didn’t matter whether the opponent was a knight or a mercenary. If they provoked or challenged him first, he must crush them with force.

“Keugh...!”

Maverick’s face turned red, and he was eventually forced to shake off Eugene’s hand.

“Hahaha! You shouldn’t act like this. Remember, both of you are comrades who will go into the dungeon together. Now, now, everyone, take a seat.”

Camara spoke with a satisfied expression. He was clearly pleased that Eugene had taken a silent victory. Of course, he did not forget to send a meaningful smile towards Bertel, who had a horrible scowl.

“Right.”

After glancing at Eugene, Maverick sat down while massaging his hand.

“First of all, there are 12 mercenaries under Sir Eugene, and nine brought by Sir Maverick. Including both of you sirs, there are 23 warriors in total. The number of porters will be the same as before, but the minimum conditions for a successful subjugation have been raised slightly.”

Camara continued while looking around at the two knights.

“One hundred low-rank monsters and three intermediate-ranks. The number of troops is slightly smaller than before, but we managed to procure quite a bit of information about the structure of the dungeon and the monsters within, so there shouldn’t be too many problems. Am I right, Sirs?”

Eugene nodded silently, but Maverick gave a verbal response.