How to Live as the Vampire Lord - Chapter 84
Due to some copyright issues. I changed some word such god=Ā supreme-ruler. /divinĆ©=Ā supreme. And some Chinese words etc, all of this to avoid copyright *.*
A novel by the same Author of nano machin and the same universe:
https://novelrare.com/novel/myst-might-mayhem-novel/novel/
āThe knight didnāt enter the castle?ā
āYeah. Apparently, he has established a residence in the campground with the free knights outside the castle walls.ā
āHmm.ā
Jung Dircht frowned upon hearing the response, and his colleague shrugged.
āIs there really a reason to care about it? Heās going to participate in the competition anyway, right? Whether itās the jousting or the swordsmanship competition, we just need to take care of him when we have the opportunity.ā
āā¦ā
Dircht fell into contemplation after hearing the words of his two colleagues.
āDircht. The problem is that you are too cautious. Frankly, itās quite absurd that we had to come all this way just because of a single knight from the countryside,ā one of his colleagues said.
āTsk. What is happened is the cardinal thinking? Thereās nothing to be gained by the church even if we win the competition here, right? It would be much better to continue our original mission and track down that black wizard,ā Another colleague added.
āThatās not true,ā Dircht responded in a cold voice before continuing.
āThe prestige of the church will increase if we win the competition. Moreover, it gives us the opportunity to teach lessons to those who arenāt respectful towards the church and us holy knights.ā
āHmm.ā
āThink about it. What happened to the attitudes of the nobles of Carls Baggins Peninsula toward the church ever since Bishop Nordic returned? Moreover, what about those cities with Maren at its forefront? They are trying to break the influence of the central church by bribing priests with gold and silver,ā Dircht continued.
āHow sacrilegious!ā
āThose corrupt cities deserve supreme punishment!ā
The holy knights responded with anger.
Dircht spoke softly, āItās just as you sirs said. We have been too focused on hunting monsters so far because we wanted to convey supreme-rulerās mercy and holy words. Sometimes it is necessary to display the churchās status according to worldly standards. This knight competition will provide us the perfect opportunity to do so.ā
āSo, we should win the jousting competition, the swordsmanship competition, and the mock battle, correct?ā One of his colleagues asked.
āExactly,ā Dircht responded.
If the holy knights could win all three competitions, they could firmly imprint the status and dignity of the church, as well as the power of the holy knights, throughout the entire kingdom.
āIn addition, we need to condemn the unholy, arrogant, country bumpkin knight for daring to disrespect the church. He has convinced himself that heās unrivaled just because of a small accomplishment he made in the countryside,ā Dircht added.
The other holy knights took on bleak expressions after hearing Dirchtās words.
āHmph! I hope he gets placed with me in the jousting competition. I will break his head on behalf of supreme-rulerā
āSir, you should go easy on him and give me the chance. Would it not be better for me to cut off his hands and feet in the swordsmanship competition?ā
āWhatever the case, letās teach that bumpkin a proper lesson. But before that, we must find out why he chose not to enter the castle. Maybe heās already planning his escape after hearing about us.ā
āFrom what I hear, he came with a letter of recommendation from Count Winslonās son-in-law. If thatās the case, he wouldnāt possibly run, right? It would cripple his honor and dignity.ā
Dircht nodded after hearing the speculation of a fairly sharp colleague.
āThatās true. However, it bothers me that he took residence in the campground instead of the village. Hmmā¦ Lloyd, Llorente, go find out whatever you can,ā Dircht instructed.
āYes, sir,ā the aides answered confidently.
But one of them asked carefully afterward.
āBut sir, what if we have to face that knight?ā
āHmm,ā Dircht stroked his chin while observing the aides.
Both of them were in their mid to late teens, and although they were still young, they had received thorough training ever since they were seven or eight. If the cheeky, country knight was as good as it said in the letter they received from Marenās royalists, it would provide the perfect opportunity to test the skills of the two aides.
āFine. However, you cannot provide him with the justification. You understand what Iām talking about, right?ā Dircht said.
āOf course.ā The two aides responded before sharing a meaningful gaze. They left the room joyfully, mistakenly thinking that they could suppress an ignorant, arrogant, unskilled knight from the countryside with ease. After all, how could they possibly lose, when they had received the most intensive, high-quality training since they were young?
***
āUgh! Whatās this smell?ā
āEven a pigās pen couldnāt smell worse than this. Even Polymaās slums are better than this.ā
Lloyd and Llorente, the aides of the holy knights, frowned and covered their noses and mouths as soon as they entered the campground. The two were born into a noble family and had grown up in a clean, pristine church their entire lives. As such, it was natural for them to feel averse to the atmosphere and odor of the campground, which was both dirty and messy.
āHow could honorable knights stay in such a place?ā
āItās obviously because theyāre ignorant and uncultured. Ugh!ā
Lloyd and Llorente walked through the campground without bothering to hide their disgust. Some of the free knights and aides, who were standing outside their tents, stole glances at the two. Some knights didnāt even hide their glares.
Even though the two aides were covering their faces and bodies with a brown hood, the clothes embroidered with the churchās symbol was revealed with their every step.
āThose punks are purposely revealing it.ā
āWhy do you even bother wearing a robe? Tsk, just what did I expect from the church bastards.ā
It was only natural for the two of them to attract the glares of the knights since they were acting so impudently even though they were only aides. However, Lloyd and Llorente mistook the gazes of the knights as envy and proudly roamed the area.
The two aides walked up to the person with the softest appearance and spoke. āOi, do you know where Sir Eugene is residing?ā
āā¦?ā The man stared back with an uninterested expression.
Lloyd spoke with a frown. āAre you deaf? Iām asking where Sir Eugene is staying.ā
āHmm. He must not know, since there are so many knights here,ā Llorente chimed in.
Lloyd smacked his lips together before nodding, āThat makes sense since heās a nobody with a reputation as big as the rat droppings in the countryside.ā
āWhat did you just say?ā The man in front of them suddenly took on a fierce expression.
āI guess you arenāt deaf after all. I asked you where the knight named Sir Eugene is staying,ā Lloyd said.
āNo, not that. What you said about the countryside. Say it again,ā the man spoke. He spoke in the kingdomās language, but he possessed a unique accent.
āWhat?ā Lloyd responded with contempt, then straightened his shoulders before speaking clearly. āI said, you might not know him because heās a nobody from the countryside with a reputation as big as rat droppings. Why?ā
Whoosh! Thuck!
āKeugh!ā
Lloyd fell backward after being struck in the jaw with a lightning-fast fist. His clothes became covered with dirt and mud.
Hahahaha!
The onlookers burst into laughter and shouted.
āGood work, Luke!ā
āYou punk! Youāve got quite a fist!ā
āYou might just make them cry! You should be gentle with these soft, sheltered ladies!ā
Lloyd immediately jumped up as the knights openly jeered. Both Lloyd and Llorenteās faces were as red as a beet. As aides of noble, elegant holy knights, they had refined their minds and bodies through faith and manners. Experiencing such an embarrassing situation for the first time in their lives was enough to completely shatter their state of mind.
Shing!
āReveal your name and your masterās name!ā
āYou dishonorable man! I will bring the crime of ambushing me in such a cowardly way to your master!ā
A clear, metallic sound resonated as Lloyd and Llorente unsheathed their longswords. The surroundings, which had been filled with laughter, immediately fell into silence. Many of them had led rough, simple lives like mercenaries after wandering for a long time, but they were still free knights with their aides. Everyone knew the significance of unsheathing oneās blade and disrespecting the opponentās honor.
Moreover, the action weighed even heavier if the opponentās master was a knight who was humble, honorable, and respectful despite his incredible reputation.
āThese crazy bastards.ā
āThey dare to draw their swords here?ā
āItās clear that theyāre still rookies serving as aides. They must have lost their minds.ā
Lloyd and Llorente finally realized their mistake once the murmurs rang in their ears.
āAh!ā
āTo think I would make such a mistake.ā
However, the two were more resentful and angrier towards their opponent for causing this situation rather than being remorseful about their mistake.
āSpeak!ā
āWho is your master!?ā
āWhy is it so loud?ā The tentās flap was lifted, and a figure came out wearing only their outer garments.
āMaster,ā Luke quickly bowed his head.
Lloyd spoke up angrily, āSir, are you the master of this impudent fellow?ā
āWhat if I am?ā Eugene responded.
āThat dishonorable man punched me! The aide is a reflection of the knight! Only improper education of theā¦ā Lloyd started to retort.
āHeās not my aide. Heās my slave,ā Eugene interrupted.
āSlaveā¦?ā Lloyd muttered with a dazed expression. His face distorted and he turned his head before shouting with an even louder voice. āHow dare a mere slave punch me!? I will have your head!ā
A slave was considered a tool rather than a human being. Still, one could not treat other peopleās slaves recklessly. However, nobles could simply give compensation even if they killed slaves belonging to others. As such, Lloyd immediately responded by swinging his longsword towards Luke when he heard of his identity.
Clang!
But Lukeās hand had been resting on the pommel of his weapon. He reacted immediately by unsheathing his shortsword and blocking Lloydās attack.
āā¦!ā
Lloydās eyes filled with disbelief. Even though he was furious, he had been trained for a long time as the aide of a holy knight, and he could not believe that his attack had been blocked by a mere slave.
Luke didnāt miss the chance.
Krrrrrrrr!
Luke bent his wrist and pulled the opponentās blade inward while taking a large step and digging into Lloydās space.
āYouā¦!ā Lloyd flinched before retreating. He attempted to retrieve his sword, but Lukeās sword bounced towards him like a spring.
Crack!
āKuagh!ā
The pommel of Lukeās sword struck Lloydās forehead with great force, and Lloyd was flung backward while bleeding from his forehead. Luke continued forward like an enraged beast with a dagger in his hand.
āLloyd!ā
Llorente screamed and attempted to intervene, but a grey shadow flitted by him.
Clang!
Lukeās dagger was blocked by Eugeneās gauntlet.
Uwaaaaah!
āDid you see that? Did you see Sir Eugeneās movement?ā
āI barely caught it. Wow!ā
āHeās too fast! Just what I would expect from Sir Eugene!ā The free knights expressed their awe.
Eugene spoke, āRegardless of the circumstance, it wonāt do to just kill them carelessly. They appear to be aides of the holy knights, so what you were about to do could cause quite a bit of trouble in the future.ā
āI apologize, master! I overstepped my boundaries.ā Luke quickly retracted his weapon and bowed deeply while calming himself down.
āAnd you,ā Eugeneās cold gaze passed Luke and stayed on Llorente. Eugeneās left hand was holding the end of Llorenteās longsword, which had been directed towards Luke. āWho taught you to act so dishonorably? Did the holy knights teach you to stab someone in the back while they are engaged in a one-on-one battle? Hmm?ā
Eugene took a step forward while maintaining his grip on the blade. Llorente attempted to pull back his sword.
āUgh!ā
But Eugeneās sturdy gloves were made of monster leather, and the blade lay unmoving from Eugeneās iron grip. In the end, Llorente struggled to pull out his sword without any results, finding himself unable to overcome the strength of Eugeneās one hand. Then, Llorente came to face the most humiliating event that could happen to those dreaming of becoming knights.
Whoosh! Ooooohhh!
Eugene took away Llorenteās sword in a series of fluid motions, and the spectators once again expressed their wonder.
āā¦!ā
Llorenteās face filled with devastating shock and shame. Eugene spoke after placing the stolen sword on his shoulder. āIf you want it back, go bring your master.ā
āHeup!ā
āThe aide is a reflection of the knight, right? I would like to ask him how he trained and educated you, considering your cowardly actions of attempting to backstab an opponent,ā Eugene continued.
āI-I, I onlyā¦!ā Llorente started to retort, but Eugene simply ignored him and looked around the surroundings. āStop embarrassing yourself and close your mouth. Look around, everyone around you is a witness. Is that not right, sirs?ā
āNaturally!ā
āWeāre witnesses!ā
āBring your master! Bring your glorified, holy master!ā
Wooooahhh!
Dozens of free knights shouted enthusiastically.
āKiehehehehe! As expected, you canāt beat silver coins! Itās the best! So exciting and thrilling!ā
Eugene fully agreed with Mirianās passionate words.