How to Live As the Vampire Lord

Chapter 102

The Elion slowly entered the waters of Rodricks Island at the command of the captain. The Rodricks Archipelago was a gathering of several small islands in narrow waters around Rodrick Island, and it wasnt originally a place for pirates to gather. As the name suggested, Rodrick Island was ruled by the Rodrick family, and it was a sort of prison for criminals who had committed severe crimes on the mainland. However, about a decade ago, a large number of prisoners escaped and occupied the island in an unfortunate turn of events. Since then, pirates started gathering on the island as well, which ultimately turned it into a notorious island known to harbor criminals and pirates.

So does the Rodrick family still exist? Eugene asked.

Lanslo answered with a shrug. Im not too sure about that. Since then, no one has been paying much attention.

Galfredik stepped out while stroking his chin. What about during that warthe crusade or whatever it was called? I heard that thousands of troops arrived at Brantia by crossing the sea. Wouldnt they have passed the islands at that time? The pirates were left alone?

Lanslo nodded. Yes. Isnt that obvious?

Why? Galfredik was confused.

The aim of the continental church wasnt to eradicate the pirates of the archipelago but to take over Brantia. And the pirates wouldnt have dared to even think of messing with the soldiers when there were more than a hundred ships passing through at once, Lanslo explained.

That makes sense. So are you saying that they will come at us with fire in their eyes since we only have a single ship? Galfredik asked.

When dozens of carriages are being escorted by mercenaries, regular bandits wouldnt dare to try anything, right? And even well-known, strong groups of bandits will have to think twice. However, what if theres a single, luxurious carriage passing by? Would there be any bandits who would think twice about robbing it? Lanslo asked.

There wouldnt be, Galfredik replied.

The same goes for pirates, Lanslo concluded.

But are we supposed to take it over? Eugene asked. He had been listening to the conversation silently until now.

Lanslo responded with a grin. Yes. A bridgehead is absolutely necessary for an expedition.

Well, thats certainly one of the basics of military tactics, Galfredik responded to Lanslos words. Both knights were quite bright when it came to such matters, perhaps because they were properly educated since they were young.

The crusade was led by the holy knights, and they were incredibly skilled. So why did they fail? Lanslo asked.

Eugene thought for a moment before answering. It must have been due to this place. If they truly did have so many troops, they would have needed a constant chain of supplies. But since they left this place untouched, the supply ships must have been robbed by the pirates on their way to Brantia.

Exactly. Since it was an army centered around the church, they were too obsessed with justification. They underestimated the pirates and ignored them, which came back to bite their heels. Lanslo explained.

Hmm. I understand what you mean. Eugene responded. After coming to a decision, Eugene turned toward the captain and the crew. They were stealing glances at Eugene with nervous eyes.

How do pirates usually attack? Eugene asked.

T-they surround their targets. Although their ships are quite small, there are usually thirty to forty pirates on board. They surround their target from three or four directions, then they board the ship, the captain explained.

I understand, Eugene responded.

.what?

I said I understand, Eugene repeated himself.

You understand? And what exactly did you understand?! Why arent you even devising a plan?! A naval battle is completely different from battling on land!

The captain simply bowed his head, knowing he could never actually voice his inner thoughts. He was a man of the sea, and he was ignorant of happenings on land. As such, he didnt know much about Eugene either, except the fact that the young knight had killed many monsters in the evil lands and had great results in a knight competition.

I see the pirates' ships! Four, no, there are six of them! The lookout shouted from the crows nest.

Captain. Take the crew and take care of the ship, Eugene ordered.

Yes, sir! Although he was afraid of pirates, sailors were tough and experienced as well. They knew that Eugene was a prominent knight on land, and Galfredik and Lanslo were obviously no ordinary knights either. With all three knights proudly stepping forward, the sailors regained their courage.

Partec, Luke. Work with the wizard to defend the ship, Eugene continued.

Yes, Master!

Leave it to me, sir! They responded

W-what about me? Master Galfredik? Selena spoke in a timid voice. She couldnt hide her fear and anxiety. It was the first time she was out in the open sea, and she was about to plunge into an actual battle.

Tsk! You can fight with them or go hide somewhere, Galfredik responded.

How could I hide?! I will fight as well! Selena responded.

As you please, Galfredik muttered before jerking away, and Selena bit her lips.

Luke called out, You, come this way.

You? She responded with shock.

Why, do you have any complaints? Luke asked.

Ah No, I dont. Selena answered curtly while glaring at Luke. She felt uncomfortable being addressed in such a way by someone who had been a slave not too long ago. But Luke ignored her reaction and loaded his crossbow along with Partec and his men before taking his position behind a shield at the side of the ship. In the meantime, the pirate ships appeared from the various islands, and they quickly caught up with Elion, which had deliberately reduced its speed.

Fwoosh! Foowsh!

The pirates fired their arrows while shouting. Several of them became lodged in the hull of Elion, but none of them actually managed to find their mark. The wind was far too strong, and the pirates had terrible aim.

These are the notorious pirates?

Eugene was puzzled. Although the pirates were still about 100 meters away, he was able to observe them closely with his enhanced vision. The pirates were topless, probably in case they fell into the water, and they possessed vicious appearances. However, they didnt seem all that threatening.

The mercenaries-turned-pirates were adequately armed, but the others looked no different from beggars.

How strange. But they might have set up some sort of trap, so I should be careful.

Eugene was determined not to underestimate the pirates. He nocked an arrow on his longbow and pulled the string back all the way.

Peww!

The projectile shot forward along with a sharp whistle, and it traveled in a straight line before piercing the throat of a pirate. The pirate fell into the sea, and the volley of bolts coming toward the Elion stopped momentarily.

However, Eugene paid no attention and continued to let loose arrow after arrow.

Wow! You are an outstanding shot. Let me as well, Lanslo commented when he saw Galfrediks marksmanship.

Hehehehe. Show me what you got, sir elf, Galfredik responded.

Lanslo was born with the blood of the elves, and elves were known to be excellent marksmen. Meanwhile, Galfredik was using a bow that was several times stronger and tenser than in the past. The two knights stood side by side and allowed their arrows to fly as well.

Wow The sailors expressed awe while crouching low against the ships sides. With each arrow from the three knights, the pirates fell into the sea one by one. However, the pirates werent fools, and they quickly took cover behind the decks of their ships.

In the meantime, the other pirate ships quickly approached Elions sides. But the pirates continued hiding behind their deck and only shot their arrows. They had obviously been frightened by the archery of the three knights.

Ping! Titing!

As the pirates drew closer, their arrows became more threatening.

Now, lets go fishing. At Eugenes instruction, Galfredik and Lanslo lowered their bows before crouching. The pirate ships sped up as if they had been waiting for their chance. The pirates were desperate to climb the Elion to shed blood after losing their comrades to the arrows.

Two ships are attempting to block our way! T-they are preparing the hooks! I think they are about to board! The captain shouted.

Eugene shared a gaze with the two knights.

Bang! Bang!

As the hooks fell on the deck of the Elion, Eugene ran toward the bow of the ship, while Galfredik veered left and Lanslo shot to the right.

Huh?

Only the few who had known Eugene for a long time had no change in expression, while all the others took on shocked expressions.

Fwoosh!

The three knights had charged in different directions at almost the same time. Two of them were vampires who had transcended human limits, and the other possessed the blood of the agile elves. Moreover, they had abandoned their heavy plate armor for leather armor. The three of them landed on their respective pirate ship in an instant.

W-what the hell!? The pirates expressed their shock after observing Eugene jump dozens of meters in one leap before making a perfect landing. But since there was only one opponent

Kill him!

Is this landlubber out of his mind?!

The pirates revealed their yellowed teeth while rushing toward Eugene. Eugenes eyes glimmered with a red light, and his fangs instantly grew longer.

The brutal and bloody massacre of the sea commenced.

***

The pirates are coming up the stern!

Lavan! Glade!

Partec and the two men quickly crossed the deck.

Let us fight together! With even Selena and Luke joining in the fray, the five people raised their shortswords and shields before taking a stance against the pirates.

Ughhh Oh my Romari weakly groaned in a dying voice before slowly making her way behind the five people.

Miss Romari! Its dangerous here! Please hurry back into the cabin!

Uwagh~ Ah~ I wish I could, but if I dont prove useful this time around I dont think I can Bweeeeugh! Romari was constantly heaving, and she was in a terrible state.

No, this isnt the time to be worrying about Partec started to respond, but Romari raised her staff and started to murmur. A group of red lights began forming at the tip of her staff, then shot forward.

Kuhahahaha!

Kill all the men. Leave the girls to The pirates jumped aboard and started to shout before suddenly coming to a stop. The red light emitted from Romaris staff was wrapping around their heads.

Huhehehehehe!

Hehe! Huhaha! Four of the pirates took on empty expressions, then started to emit a strange laugh. Then, they suddenly jerked around before starting to swing their cutlasses toward the climbing pirates.

Uagh!

You bastards! What are you doing!?

Its us! Its us!

Huhehehehe! Die! Die! Die, you monster!

Its a zombie! We have to kill the undead!

The pirates didnt even have leather armor, and as such, they fell to their death after being slashed and stabbed by their enchanted comrades.

Oh, my~ What are you all doinnbuweegh! I dont have any power left, so I Bweeeugh! Romari muttered before once again discharging yellow liquid from her mouth. It was the cost of using magic despite enduring a severe case of seasickness.

It was an ugly, pathetic sight.

But it was more important to take care of the pirates, so the five figures left Romari behind and started swinging their blades toward the remaining pirates.

***

...

The captain and crew of the Elion had their mouths agape, but they couldnt speak a single word. The deck of the pirate ships and the surrounding seas were colored crimson, and sharks would approach the floating corpses of the pirates. However, the eyes of the captain and the crew were fixated on the three knights who had each smashed an entire ship to smithereens.

Even though they were seamen, they knew that it was a foolish move to confront a knight, since knights were known as killing machines. However, the sailors spent most of their time on the sea rather than on land, so they were unfamiliar with a true knights skills.

However, today, they had finally witnessed a battle of true knights. They finally came to realize that real knights were monsters who were trained in the art of killing since childhood.

T-they arent human.

Theyre monsters!

Oh God. From today on, I wont even try to speak with a knight.

Although the sailors remained silent, they had similar thoughts as well. But their stunned silence was disturbed by the desperate shouts of the lookout.

T-to the right! An unidentified monster is approaching the ship! Its fast! Its incredibly fast!

Everyones heads turned toward the right side of the ship.

What!?

T-thats

Something black was approaching the Elion at an incredible speed while hiding beneath the surface of the water. It was almost the size of the Elion.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The monster roared while surfacing, then hurled itself at one of the pirate ships.

Kuwaaaaaaaaah!

The monster swallowed the pirate ship whole while emitting a large cry, then it sank back into the sea amidst a huge splash.

Fwoosh!

The captain cried out as the seawater fell like heavy rain.

Sir Eugene was eaten by a sea monster!