Damn Reincarnation

ings.

“What makes me dislike them even more is that even though we’ve gone through the trouble of gathering here because of them… they aren’t showing any remorse at all.
They are weak but shameless as well.
I despise that.
And once the Knight March ends, they will bite back the troops stationed near the border as if nothing ever happened, hiding behind the Holy Empire.
I understand the reason since the Anti-Demon Alliance is practically a tributary to the Holy Empire, but that doesn’t change my contempt for them,” explained Ortus.

“Is that so?” Eugene played along.
Ortus seemed incredibly proud, perhaps because he was the representative figure from the Kingdom of Knights.

‘I don’t like these types.’ Eugene clicked his tongue mentally.

Since his past life, Eugene had never harbored any fondness for those knights who acted condescendingly.
So he took on a crooked tone in his next question.
“Did you come to me to talk about strong and excellent knights?”

Ortus stared at Eugene in silence for a moment, then shook his head.
“I came here to make a proposal.”

“What is it?” asked Eugene.

“I’m sure you know this already, but the participants of the Knight March are concealing various goals derived from self-interest apart from its original purpose.
Of course, I don’t mean to disparage the original goal of the Knight March.
The Demon King of Incarceration came for a visit, and Sir Molon Ruhr, the great hero, is currently staying in this fortress,” said Ortus while turning his gaze toward the castle.
“Sir Molon is currently speaking with the Knights of the Lionheart family, but during the Knight March, knights from other nations will also have their chances.
The leaders of the continent will also discuss the future of the world with Sir Molon as well.
I believe the training will be fruitless, but there is value in discovering the will of the Demon King of Incarceration and conversing with Sir Molon.”

Ortus paused for a moment, then continued.
“Let me cut to the chase.
My goal here was to propose that you come to Shimuin.”

“You don’t seem to have any intention of doing so now,” responded Eugene.

“If you had not been chosen by the Holy Sword, I would have promised you many things as the envoy of His Majesty the King.
No, even without me having to do so, His Majesty would have stepped up personally,” said Ortus.

This was nothing new for Eugene.
During his time in Aroth, Eugene had received a similar proposal from Honein Abram, the crown prince of Aroth, and Trempel Vizardo, Commander of Aroth’s court wizards.

As the adopted son of the head of the Lionheart family, it was impossible for Eugene to succeed as the next head, especially in a family that placed great emphasis on legitimacy.
Nevertheless, Eugene had all the qualities and abilities necessary to lead the family with distinction.
Because of this, some who were unfamiliar with him assumed that he was unhappy with his current position and offered him attractive incentives to renounce his affiliation with the Lionheart family.

“Since you were chosen by the Holy Sword, I don ’t think the riches we can offer you would interest you greatly.
So I want to make another proposal.
No, rather, I think it would be more appropriate to call it a request instead,” asked Ortus.

“And what would that be?” said Eugene.

“The Abyssal Princess, Iris,” answered Ortus with a frown.
“I think this name should be familiar.”

”You ’re not suggesting that Iris turned to piracy because Lady Carmen and I failed to eliminate her back then, are you? ” retorted Eugene, his expression turning into a scowl.
Eugene had respected Ortus thus far, but if he continued to spout such nonsense, he would quickly lose any shred of respect he had left.

“Would I say such a shameless thing?” said Ortus.
Fortunately, he wasn’t a shameless bastard.
He shook his head violently, genuinely flustered by Eugene’s accusation.
“It is no one’s responsibility that the Abyssal Princess escaped from Kiehl.
Although she doesn’t compare to the likes of the Blade of Incarceration, the Queen of the Night Demons, or the Black Dragon, she is still one of the monsters who survived the war from three hundred years ago.”

“Well, yes, even though she’s resorted to shabby pirating now,” said Eugene.

“It’s not… shabby.” Ortus’ frown deepened a notch.
“She’s a powerful monster.
The sea is wide, and there are many pirates, but she managed to gain control over most of the pirates in the South Sea in just one year.
At first, she only had a single, shabby pirate ship, but now, she has dozens of pirate organizations under her wing.
They call themselves the Pirates of Fury.”

Was it really to that extent? Eugene was left in a state of bewilderment as he gazed at Ortus.

Ortus went on to explain, ”As she gained more power, the Abyssal Princess became more daring in her piracy.
She began to target larger merchant groups and took over numerous trade ships.
It ’s become a significant problem.
We ’ve tried sending multiple expeditions to stop her, but it ’s been futile.
Her Demoneye allows her to easily evade us. ”

“As someone who’s faced her before, I can tell you she’s running away when she doesn’t need to.
If the Rakshasa Princess decided to face off against the expedition, the entire fleet would have been buried at the bottom of the ocean,” said Eugene.

“I think so too.
I don’t think the Abyssal Princess wants to openly become hostile with the Kingdom of Shimuin.”

“Has she not already done that by attacking the merchants and the trading ships?” asked Eugene.

Ortus replied with a contemplative expression, ”Not necessarily.
The Abyssal Princess has shown… flexibility in her actions.
While she does attack and occupy ships, she doesn ’t plunder everything.
She takes a hefty toll and often lets the ships go.
Only in the case of elves being transported as slaves would she rob them.
This kind of behavior is not uncommon among powerful pirates in the South Sea.
It ’s considered customary. ”

“I know a bit.
They take tolls and offer some of it as bribes.
Isn’t that right? To be honest, the royal family must also be receiving the Rakshasa Princess’ bribes,” said Eugene.

Ortus was speechless.
After glaring at Eugene for a moment, he nodded with a long sigh.
“You are right.
Even before she became as powerful as she is now, she bribed the higher-ups of the Navy.
Of course, even greater riches ended up in the hands of the royal family.”

In addition to imposing taxes and tariffs on the goods transported by the trade ships, they took bribes as well.
It was a cruel and heart-wrenching reality for the victims of these attacks, but those accepting the bribes turned a blind eye to their suffering.

“But the Abyssal Princess wasn’t left unattended just for the sake of the bribes.
She is strong, and there’s nothing we can do about her with the forces of Shimuin.
Moreover, the sea is wide, and there are many pirates.
We thought that she might be able to maintain control of the pirates if she succeeded in uniting them,” explained Ortus.

Was that truly the whole story? Eugene didn’t buy it.
He wasn ’t naive and could see the possibility that Shimuin may have wanted to harness the power of the Abyssal Princess for their own gain.
It was possible that they had allowed her piracy and bribery as a means of indirect power and to establish a trading relationship with her.

Iris, the Rakshasa Princess, also known as the Abyssal Princess, was certainly a power to be greedy for.
She had already turned her back on Helmuth after losing her territory to Noir Giabella.
So Shimuin would have wanted to coax the Abyssal Princess into fostering a relationship with them so the royal family could have her act on their requests.

‘It must not have worked out.
Well, of course.
That madwoman is hoping for the revival of the dark elves and the resurrection of the Demon King of Fury.’

Thinking so, Eugene asked, “So, what happened that ruined the friendly relationship between Shimuin and the Rakshasa Princess?”

“That monster has grown out of proportion,” responded Ortus.

“She must have started to cut down on the bribes,” said Eugene.

“Let’s stop talking about the bribes.
It won’t do any good for anyone else to hear about it,” said Ortus.

“So why are you telling me all this?” asked Eugene.

“Didn’t I tell you already? I want to ask you for a favor.” Ortus started to become a little irritated, with Eugene continuing to tease him.
“You are the Hero who has been chosen by the Holy Sword.
Also, isn’t the Abyssal Princess your enemy? So I would like to ask for your help until we take down the Abyssal Princess.”

“The Hero is not a volunteer,” stated Eugene.

“What do you mean?” asked Ortus.

“It is entirely in your liberty to ask me for help.
However, I am saying that there is no reason for me to agree to your request unconditionally, all but for the sake of burning justice,” responded Eugene.

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“Even at this moment, the Abyssal Princess is performing evil deeds while throwing the sea into chaos,” said Ortus.

“Wasn’t it Shimuin that allowed the crazy woman to roam free without attempting to catch her earlier?” asked Eugene.

“I know that we have a responsibility.
So I will be joining the conquest for the Abyssal Princess.
His Majesty has also expressed his intention of bringing the elite of the Violent Tide Knights and the proud Navy of Shimuin will—”

“We won’t need an entire fleet for this operation.
If need be, I could cross the ocean with a single small boat.
If I had the power, I could kill the Abyssal Princess alone without being accompanied by the Violent Tide Knights,” Eugene cut in.

Ortus’ lips twitched upon hearing Eugene’s answer.
“Are you saying that you possess such power? Even I am not confident that I could face the Abyssal Princess.”

“That’s not necessarily what I’m getting at, but anyways, I understand what you wanted to say,” said Eugene.

“Then….”

“I understand, but that doesn’t mean I will do it.
I told you, didn’t I? The Hero doesn ’t volunteer,” said Eugene, punctuating his words by raising his finger in front of his chest.
He formed a circle by joining his index finger and thumb, causing Ortus to feel a shiver down his spine.
What was that vulgar and materialistic gesture? Then it dawned on him that Eugene was the same person who had flipped off the Demon King of Incarceration just yesterday.

“That….
Well….
Um….
Exactly how much would you like?” asked Ortus.

“I know I made a coin with my fingers, but I already have a lot of money, so I have no need for more.
What about an Exid?” said Eugene.

“That, we can—”

“One with a Dragon Heart.
As far as I know, there are two more Exids embedded with the Dragon Heart in the treasury of Shimuin,” Eugene interrupted.

“That’s…!” cried Ortus.
Then he took a look around before composing himself.
“Is the national treasure of Shimuim.
We cannot hand it out to a foreigner.”

“Then I’ll just borrow it for about fifty years and return it afterward.
If you decline, then there’s no helping it.
If the Rakshasa Princess brings her fleet and ends up attacking Shimuin….
Maybe, just maybe, she will take down the capital and the castle, open up the treasury, and claim the precious treasures as her own.
I’m very worried indeed,” teased Eugene with a look of sincere regret.
Ortus ground his teeth without realizing it.

Even a toddler could know that Eugene was mocking him.
The valley between Ortus’ eyebrows deepened, and his clenched fists started to tremble.
He had many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t possibly allow them to escape through his lips.

Ortus couldn ’t deny that he needed Eugene ’s help.
The Abyssal Princess, Iris, was a formidable opponent, a hybrid with a direct lineage to the Demon King of Fury and a pure-blooded dark elf.
He knew he would require the Holy Sword to stand a chance against such a monster.
Additionally, if he managed to convince Eugene to join him, Kristina Rogeris would follow suit.
It was a gamble, but Ortus had no other choice.
He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.

“I understand… your request… very well.
I will discuss it with His Majesty,” said Ortus.

“If fifty years is too long, I’m willing to go for half.
Let’s say twenty-five years.”

“Let me…! S-speak with His Majesty.
We can negotiate afterward,” spat Ortus.

“I don’t intend to go for anything less than twenty-five years, so there won’t be a need for a negotiation,” said Eugene.

Ortus could no longer stand it.
He jerked around, then jumped down from the wall without saying anything.

“Oh, this feels so good.” Eugene smiled in satisfaction.

He waved at Ortus as he grew farther and farther away, emitting a fierce momentum.