Chapter 39: Eugène

“You okay, Rita?”  

Blena, who had followed Rita to the tent, patted her shoulder. 

Rita paused, her brow furrowing.  

“I’m not sure… but…”  

Her golden eyes, fixed on the ground, slowly lifted as her rigid lips moved. 

A bitter smile lingered.  

“I’m just glad you’re all alive. It might sound selfish, but… that’s what I think.”  

Her usually impassive gaze wavered, and her golden eyes, typically dry, seemed faintly moist.  

Blena silently embraced Rita, who was forcing a smile.  

***

After the simple funeral for the mage Kerman, Baal’s cleanly severed head was hung like a trophy at the entrance of the main camp.  

Drained of blood and shriveled, it was a ghastly sight. 

Some expressed disgust, but it was undeniably a symbol of their first victory.  

“Ugh… it’s creepy.”  

“Creepy or not, I wish we could hang them all up.”  

For the soldiers, exhausted from relentless battles against insect-like beasts, it was welcome news.  

In fact, the insect beasts seemed to be losing strength and retreating, likely due to Baal’s defeat.  

“Things should get easier now, right?”  

“Probably. The area around here already feels much cleaner.”  

The main camp had been plagued by Baal’s territory, teeming with “eggs.” 

The shift in power boosted the soldiers’ morale.  

However, that heightened morale sometimes overheated, causing side effects.  

“If we’re scouting, we have to pass through their camp…”  

“It’s so disgusting…”  

“There’s a limit to how far this should go. Even bandits wouldn’t act like this.”  

The mercenaries, driven by money rather than loyalty or duty, were hard to control.  

Though under the Lagos Kingdom’s command, their free-spirited nature made them difficult to manage.  

Count Marea, tasked with overseeing them, had long given up.  

As a result, the mercenary camp had become a lawless zone.  

“Beast corpses are hacked up and displayed at every tent.”  

“Some drip blood, reeking of rot, and sometimes living ones are strung up.”  

“There’s even a lunatic wearing specific parts around his neck. Is this an army or an invader’s den…?”  

Everyone was appalled by the mercenaries’ barbaric behavior.  

The menacing atmosphere of their camp caused many soldiers to complain.  

Mages and priests, mentally fragile, often returned pale from the gruesome sights.  

“Why aren’t those savages being managed?”  

“It’s terrifying to even walk around!”  

Finally, fed up, some formally protested to central command, demanding someone of higher authority than Count Marea be appointed to control the mercenaries.  

“So, they chose a man named Eugène?”  

Inside Sercia’s tent, where the pursuit team had gathered, Holy Knight Commander Felix nodded, delivering the news.  

When Priest Loen tilted his head, Felix smiled and explained.  

“He’s a wanderer by origin but now leads the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps, the most prominent group in the kingdom. In his early thirties, he’s a skilled fighter unanimously chosen by the mercenaries.”  

Eugène of the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps.  

Rita nodded, recognizing the name. 

It was indeed someone trustworthy for the role.  

“If his skills are reliable, we should appoint him as the mercenary leader.”  

At Sercia’s response, Felix, who had brought the information, smiled.  

Though detached from central command to hunt the mother beast, Sercia, as a princess of the kingdom, held undeniable authority.  

That’s why central command indirectly sought the supreme-rank mages’ opinions through Felix.  

“Then let’s settle this matter.”  

As a result, Eugène was selected as a candidate and would be officially appointed after a simple process.  

Mercenaries were typically temporary soldiers hired with bounties, so granting one a rank and command was unprecedented.  

Naturally, everyone assumed Eugène would accept easily, but…  

“What? He made what demand?”  

Instead of simply managing the mercenaries, Eugène proposed an unusual condition.  

“Yes… he wants to join this pursuit team. He said he’d delegate the mercenaries’ management to a trusted subordinate.”  

The unexpected counteroffer left everyone stunned.  

Valery Gainer, in particular, was livid.  

“That insolent…! A mere mercenary daring to make demands of the Princess…!”  

But the next day, they had to leave the main camp to hunt a lizard-like mother beast.  

This issue needed resolution while Sercia remained at the camp.  

The group decided to meet Eugène first.  

***

After a couple of hours’ rest, the group reconvened in Sercia’s tent.  

When Rita entered, everyone except Eugène was already there, and Valery’s angry complaints filled the air.  

Taking her seat, Rita noticed Floria’s pale complexion and found it odd.  

Floria brushed it off, saying it was just lack of sleep.  

She’s probably not used to her new power.  

A sudden surge in mana could cause such effects, so Rita didn’t dwell on it.  

The others… seem fine.  

Sercia was as bright and positive as ever, and Valery was his usual self.  

“Now we have to drag around some rootless mercenary? Tch…!”  

Despite hearing Valery’s grumbling up close, Mikael smiled with saintly serenity.  

Eilin, true to the Children of the Forest, was gently tending to Floria with a refined demeanor.  

Priest Loen and Holy Knight Commander Felix seemed the most ordinary.  

Though, in a room full of supreme-rank mages, “ordinary” was relative.  

Rita’s gaze shifted to Blena, Seth, and Alois.  

As usual during meetings, the three sat stiffly in a corner.  

‘Seth… is he okay?’

Seth was burdened with guilt over Kerman’s death.  

His expression looked somber, but oddly, his usual rigidity was absent.  

Perhaps deflated by guilt, Rita briefly wondered if she saw a glimpse of the mature Seth from her past life, tilting her head.  

Did this incident change him a bit?  

As she pondered, a stranger entered the tent.  

“Well, well, everyone’s here.”  

A man with wavy black hair and a single purple eye strolled in casually.  

Tall as Seth or Valery, he had broad shoulders and a sturdy build.  

A single eye typically gave a sharp impression, but this man had a gentle gaze and a soft smile.  

“You were talking about me, weren’t you?”  

His appearance rivaled Mikael’s, though not quite as striking.  

Even Blena and Loen, hardened by the tense atmosphere, stole glances at him.  

Noticing their reactions, the man winked playfully.  

Blena, startled, flushed bright red.  

“W-What a frivolous…!”  

Like Valery, who clicked his tongue, everyone was taken aback by his cheekiness.  

Rita stared, dumbfounded by his peculiarity.  

Under their incredulous gazes, the man introduced himself as Eugène, grinning.  

Then, he boldly assessed the room.  

“What a sight. Meeting so many supreme-rank mages in one place—hardly something you’d see in a lifetime. It’s almost suffocating.”  

Eugène grumbled, eyeing Valery, who radiated the fiercest mana.  

Valery, rigid and traditional, clearly disliked Eugène’s brazen and carefree attitude.  

Sercia, however, was quite favorable.  

“A spirited young man. I like him.”  

Arms crossed, Sercia chuckled heartily, and Eugène winked at her again—daringly, at a kingdom’s princess.  

Not only Valery but even Valery’s guard knight, Bailey, glared fiercely, prompting Mikael to intervene.  

“L-Let’s have a seat.”  

Mikael pulled out the chair beside him, gesturing.  

Eugène, facing Mikael directly, flinched briefly, scanning him up and down.  

“You’re really a dangerous one, in many ways.”  

“Pardon?”  

“No, nothing.”  

Eugène, smiling slyly, patted Mikael’s shoulder—despite knowing he was the Saint of the Rihanes Temple, revered across the Lagos Continent.  

His boldness, from his attitude toward Sercia to this casual touch, made Loen and Felix grimace.  

Mikael, however, smiled radiantly as ever.  

“Hm. So, you’ve sat me down to judge me?”  

Eugène, casually crossing his legs, addressed the group.  

His presence alone seemed to shift the tent’s atmosphere.  

“Yes. You said you’d manage the mercenaries if we let you join us. Why make such a proposal?”  

Sercia, her smile fading, asked sharply.  

Leaning back in his chair, Eugène shrugged.  

“A hunter goes hunting, but who wants to catch rabbits? You aim for wolves or tigers. Same for me. As the leader of the Black Wolf Mercenary Corps, I need to bag a big one to keep my reputation.”  

Eugène grinned.  

Loen whispered to Felix that he didn’t seem to be lying.  

Rita, too, slowly nodded, sensing Eugène’s genuine intent.  

He hasn’t changed much.  

In her past life, Eugène was always ambitious for big prey.  

With his proven skill and high survival rate, there was no reason to oppose him.  

“I agree.”  

As glances were exchanged, Rita was the first to voice approval.  

“As long as mercenaries are aiding this subjugation, they need a figure to rally behind.”  

It was a reasonable point.  

In the current chaos, with disorderly mercenaries, they needed a representative to take responsibility.  

Eugène was the right man for it.  

If he, trusted by the mercenaries, took on a role equal to the supreme-rank mages, they’d be more cautious, improving the army’s overall atmosphere.  

“Hm. Our Great Mage seems like someone I can get along with. I like that.”  

Despite Eugène’s warm smile, Rita ignored him completely, unfazed.  

As Eugène pouted, Sercia chimed in.  

“She’s right. The mercenaries need a representative. And the more that representative stands as an equal to other commanders, the more pride and belonging they’ll feel.”  

“Oh… so you’re accepting me?”  

Sercia grinned.  

“If your skills are as good as claimed.”  

“Haha! No worries there. I can handle myself just fine.”  

“Who’ll manage the mercenaries, then?”  

“Some kid I know?”  

Sercia’s smile froze at his playful reply. 

As her gaze turned icy, Eugène quickly backtracked.  

“Kidding, kidding. I’ll leave it to my right-hand man. He’s as well-known as I am, so no worries.”  

“Then you’ll come with me to inform the Marquis. Prepare to depart tomorrow.”  

Thus, Eugène’s inclusion was settled.  

“Haha! Looking forward to working with you all!”  

Eugène clapped alone, beaming brightly.  

He was as slick as a snake slithering over a wall.