Journey of Vampire Lord
Copyright© 2025 by Vamp
Chapter 7
“Greetings.”
Eugene raised his hand in the same manner and greeted the mercenary.
“Is the boy with you? May I ask for your destination?”
Although they looked ordinary, the mercenary asked in order to accurately grasp the identity of the other group. Eugene knew from experience that if he lied or answered hesitantly, he could arouse suspicion. He answered with a nod.
“That is correct. We are on our way to Lord Tywin’s castle.”
“Oh, is that so? What a coincidence. We are on our way to Lord Tywin’s castle as well. Do you think we could share the spot with you? We can provide drinks, water, and some lamb as well.”
“Hey captain, why are you being so respectful to a nobody? Oi, we’re going to set up a tent here. Do you have any complaints?”
A younger mercenary stepped out while indicating with his head.
“Shut your mouth and step back.”
The young mercenary became startled when the captain growled with a completely different atmosphere. The mercenary captain immediately looked back towards Eugene with a good-natured smile, as if he had never scolded his subordinate.
“I’m sorry about this. He’s quite new. My name is Partec. What about you?”
“Eugene. Jan Eugene.”
“...!”
Partec’s eyes filled with surprise at Eugene’s answer. In addition, the other mercenaries also became wide-eyed and stole glances towards Eugene and Partec. Those who had surnames and dressed in unusual outfits were usually knights. But it wasn’t clear yet whether the man was just an impersonator or not, so they would follow the judgment of Captain Partec.
“So it was Sir Eugene. I apologize once again for my subordinate’s rudeness. Lavan, apologize to Sir Eugene.”
“What? But how is that person a real knight in any way? He doesn’t even have a horse or proper armor.”
“Lavan, you bastard, I will...”
“It’s fine since he just doesn’t know. But you, stop testing my patience. You will die if you doubt me one more time.”
“What? But ... Keugh!”
Lavan did not get a chance to finish his words. Partec had punched his jaw with his fist.
Thud.
Partec bowed his head after turning his eyes away from Lavan. The young mercenary had fallen like a rotten log after being knocked out by the blow.
“My apologies, Sir Eugene. We recruited him in a hurry because we didn’t have enough people. He really doesn’t know anything.”
“I see. You do not need to apologize anymore. You can take a seat.”
“Thank you. Bilmoa! Please give your greetings to Sir Eugene.”
At Partec’s words, a middle-aged man rushed down from the coachman’s seat. He had been anxious ever since Eugene revealed his name.
“I am Blimoa of the Palin Association, Sir Eugene. I apologize again for the hired mercenary’s mistake.”
“Call me Jan Eugene will do. No more apologies are needed. You can set up your camp.”
“Yes. Then excuse us.”
The mercenaries began to move busily under the instructions of Partec and Bilmoa, with the exception of Lavan, who was still out cold. One was setting up a tent after moving the carriage, another was starting a fire and gathering ingredients and water in a large pot, while yet another was scouting the area near the campsite with a torch and a weapon. Everyone acted with discipline and precision. It was evident that they were accustomed to working with each other.
‘Everyone except the one who got knocked out is a proper mercenary.’
And although he had never heard of the Palin Association, a mercenary group escorting a merchant and a carriage with an association’s flag was surely experienced and capable.
‘But why did the Tywin family hire such scum instead of mercenaries like these?’
Eugene thought back to the mercenaries he killed near the town of Broadwin. Mercenaries like Partec were much stronger and more reliable than mercenaries like them, so why were they recruited instead?
‘Or they could have sent their men as well. This is a little strange.’
But Eugene did not bother thinking too much about it. His purpose was to safely escort Felid and to have his identity guaranteed by Lord Tywin.
‘If I want to avoid any suspicion, it would be best for me to prioritize becoming a knight. Let’s focus on keeping Felid safe and meeting the lord.’
After their rather awkward first meeting, Partec and the mercenaries purposefully avoided interacting with Eugene. Eugene reviewed what he had learned by going through the chief’s letter, and Felid tended to the fire while stealing glances at the mercenaries and Eugene.
About 10 minutes later, the mercenaries started conversing with each other. With his heightened senses, Eugene was able to eavesdrop.
“What about that fucker Lavan?”
“He’s still out cold. Why didn’t you go easy on him a little bit?”
One of the mercenaries spoke while clicking his tongue, and Partec responded with a frown.
“He shouldn’t have acted like that in the first place. Can’t you do your job properly? What are you teaching the kid? He’s been with us for over a month already. He should know how to take care of his own shit.”
“I’ll make sure he learns, Boss. But Captain, don’t you think that Lavan had a point?”
“What?”
Partec’s forehead scrunched up in response to the subordinate’s whispers.
“Really though, think about it. That knight, even I think something’s strange about him. The knight is so silent, and the boy doesn’t seem to be his child either. Besides, this is the first time I’ve seen a knight carrying only a single short sword. Have you seen anything like that before?”
“No.”
“See? I think he’s just an impersonator. He doesn’t even take off his helmet when he’s resting. It’s suspicious.”
“You idiot. Look at the robe he’s wearing. It’s made of lycanthrope leather. What kind of a crazy commoner wears something like that? It must cost at least ten silver coins. And don’t you see him reading the letter? He even knows how to read and write.”
“Uh ... Y-you’re right.”
“Moreover, he’s going to Lord Tywin’s castle. I heard they might be sending a group to a newly discovered dungeon soon. He’s probably aiming to join them.”
“Wow, I hear even knights have to risk their lives when exploring a newly discovered dungeon. I guess he must be quite skilled.”
“By the way, Captain. How is Lord Tywin’s condition really? I heard he’s barely holding on.”
“Well. They’re literally dumping mana stones on him, but his situation doesn’t seem to be changing much. But since the Tywin family doesn’t have that much money, they can’t continue spending so much on buying mana stones.”
“I guess. If they discovered the dungeon just one year earlier, perhaps he could have lived a few more years. Don’t you think so?”
“Tsk! Do you think it’s that easy? Even if you discover a dungeon, you need troops to explore it, and you need money to maintain the soldiers.”
“I-is that so?”
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