The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle - Chapter 14

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈

Chapter 14: Bonyard City (1)

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The rest of the journey was peaceful.

They followed a narrow path, enjoying the calls of mountain birds, the rustling leaves in the wind, and the sound of running water.

This was how the road from Bonyard City to Kingdom's End was supposed to be.

Just as the warm sunlight and peaceful surroundings began to make the mercenaries yawn, they reached their destination.

“Sir Knight, welcome to our city.”

Bonyard City, Born Yard.

A white city born from an enormous quarry stretched before them.

Homi’s tail swished eagerly with anticipation. Eugene’s heart was pounding as well.

“It may not be the finest city, but everyone here takes pride in it and works hard.”

“I’ve never visited, but I’ve heard plenty. It supplied stone for countless buildings in the Ancient Kingdom, and its water supply is better than that of most large cities, isn’t it?”

“You know quite a lot.”

Solin looked pleased. It was information anyone could confirm with a little research, but hearing it from a great knight made it sound different.

“But I don’t smell any stone dust.”

Eugene had worried about breathing in dust in a world without masks, yet the city air was fresh.

“Those days of making a living from quarrying stone are long gone. Now it has become a proper commercial city.”

Long ago, two dynasties had united the entire continent.

The first was Luiamour, founded by the elves. In their language, the name meant “First Favor.”

The second dynasty to unite the continent had been founded by humans, but it was simply called the Ancient Kingdom.

Every royal family claimed to be its descendants and called it by a different name.

The Ancient Kingdom fell behind Luiamour in every way except one, stonecraft.

The buildings and roads constructed in those days had endured the ravages of time and remained intact.

“Our Bonyard City supplied the most stone to the Ancient Kingdom. In recognition of that service, we were granted the title of the workshop that laid the kingdom’s foundation, Born. What greater honor could there be?”

The guards at the city gate recognized Solin.

“Master Solin? You’re back already?”

According to the original schedule, he should only have just reached Kingdom's End.

“I was fortunate enough to resolve the matter quickly.”

“That’s good to hear. You’ve worked hard. The city is safe as always!”

“Keep up the good work.”

The guards knew which direction Solin had gone, but not why.

“That man who just passed through was a knight, right?”

“Yeah. Important people keep going out, and they’re bringing in knights from everywhere.”

“Are we going to war or something?”

“If that were the case, there’d be mercenary recruitment and military supply deals. Everything’s normal. What’s going on?”

Even low-ranking guards saw and heard things while guarding the main gate, so they whispered uneasily.

Once they entered the city, Eugene felt something strange everywhere.

‘The buildings are all... unusual.’

Many had upper and lower sections that looked completely different, not just in color, but in shape and texture as well.

“Was there a massive earthquake here? It looks like half-ruined buildings were rebuilt.”

“No. There has never been an earthquake here. There’s another reason the buildings look strange.”

Solin spoke with a regretful expression.

“As you know, this place began as a quarry, then became a city after the Ancient Kingdom fell. The problem is that when the kingdom disappeared, its stonecraft was lost as well.”

“I see. They added new structures using completely different construction methods onto the old foundations, so they ended up like this.”

“That’s right. Since this was originally a workshop, many of the structures did not even have roofs.”

Solin pointed at several fairly large buildings in turn.

“The outdoor worker recruitment grounds became guard barracks, and the stone drying yards became large warehouses. As wealthy people moved in, some one-story buildings were expanded into two or three stories.”

“So that’s why the tops and bottoms look different. Couldn’t they just tear everything down and rebuild?”

Solin waved his hands as if the thought were absurd.

“Even siege weapons can’t make them budge.”

“That’s incredible.”

Eugene had assumed there was some exaggeration in the stories that described the Ancient Kingdom’s stonecraft as the realm of God.

At this level, it might even surpass reinforced concrete.

* * *

“It was an honor to serve you, Sir Knight.”

Beard bowed politely.

“I should be saying that. Thanks to you, the journey was comfortable. I enjoyed having you with me on my first trip out into the world.”

“I hope there will come a day when we may work under you again, Sir Knight.”

Eugene almost took Beard’s hand for a handshake, then stopped himself. He was now the only successor left by the Knight of Prophecy, as well as the knight Homi served.

Even if he felt goodwill toward Beard, he needed to maintain his dignity by treating him as a subordinate. That was the custom of this world.

After parting with the mercenaries, Solin led Eugene away.

“I know a good tanner.”

They had skinned the Warg, cleaned the hide, and packed it with sand to prevent decay, but that was only a temporary measure. To use it properly, it needed to be tanned.

From their conversations on the road, Solin had learned that Eugene had only recently been knighted.

“I never imagined it would be your first quarry since being knighted. That makes it even more important to commemorate it properly. It will be the first step toward the great achievements you will accomplish in the future.”

Solin kept urging the tanner to take special care of it until Eugene finally had to stop him.

Homi was delighted as well. Unlike the countryside ruled by the Church of the Absolute, demi-humans were not uncommon here. She could walk around with her tail exposed without any problem.

Sniff, sniff.

Her pointed nose kept twitching at the scents of countless goods and foods.

“Solin, neither Homi nor I have ever been in a city before. We have things to prepare, so could you give us about two days?”

“Of course!”

Solin welcomed the request with open arms, since he had secretly hoped for it.

Several officials besides him had left to invite knights. Preparations for entertaining them were already hectic, and Eugene had arrived ahead of schedule, so there might be shortcomings.

Two days would let them prepare a better welcome. Solin had felt awkward about asking, so he was grateful Eugene had requested it first.

“Then please take your time looking around. I’ll report to my superiors and come find you in two days.”

Solin politely bid them farewell after arranging a temporary inn for them.

When they entered, they saw the owner puffing on a pipe behind the desk.

“Huh!?”

His indifferent expression changed the moment he saw Eugene’s armor and the respectful Solin behind him. He put down his pipe, then went, “Huff! Huff!” before running over.

“Welcome, Sir Knight!”

“I’ll be staying for two nights.”

“What would you like to do about meals?”

“We’ll eat outside. Just bring us water.”

“Understood.”

The owner did not seem particularly disappointed.

Bonyard City received all sorts of food through trade routes from every direction. Travelers who had just arrived often wandered the markets and fell in love with street food.

Once inside their room, the two unpacked.

“Phew, that was tiring, right?”

Nod, nod.

The moment they were alone, Eugene dropped his stern expression.

“Putting on expressions and an attitude I’m not used to is driving me crazy.”

Homi shook both hands and her head, her eyes wide as if asking what he meant.

To her, he had looked like some lord leading his soldiers into battle. She liked his usual easygoing manner, but seeing him carry himself with such authority before the mercenaries had made her heart pound too.

It was a side of him she could never have seen while they lived in Kingdom's End.

“This room is much better than I expected. Master scared me so much with stories about inns that I was worried.”

It was not large, but it was clean and had no rotten spots. The sheets did not stink, and there were no bedbugs crawling across the walls or floor. Solin had found them a good place.

Flap.

Still, Homi lifted the blanket and sheets to inspect them closely, then sprinkled insect repellent powder everywhere.

Eugene took off his cumbersome armor and headed for the inn’s courtyard. He desperately wanted to wash away the sweat and dust covering him.

Homi pointed at herself and the armor in turn, then gestured for Eugene to go down first.

“Thanks. I’ll wash first.”

While Homi maintained his armor, Eugene went down to the first floor.

As a remnant of the Ancient Kingdom, the city had a water supply system. It could not provide water everywhere, but major buildings such as government offices, guard barracks, and inns could use clean water at all times.

The city’s leading figures had originally selected plots connected to the water supply and expanded them, creating the Bonyard City of today.

Perhaps because they considered guests of both sexes, the bathing area in the courtyard even had curtains.

Eugene placed his sword somewhere the water would not reach and began washing.

Shhhh.

He scrubbed himself with expensive, harsh soap and a soft cloth, and dirty water poured off him.

Unlike medieval Earth, this world could easily make solid soap that did not harm the skin.

“Thank you, people of Luiamour.”

Eugene offered his gratitude to the elves who had disappeared long ago.

Luiamour, the first dynasty to unite the continent, had developed and spread plants used to make hygiene products.

Even after the elves disappeared, those plants continued to flourish across the continent. Only God knew how many lives they had saved from disease.

Hwiiit-ho!

Homi’s whistle came from nearby.

“Yeah, I’m washing here. I’m almost done, so wait just a little longer.”

After drying himself with a towel and changing into clean clothes, Eugene felt incredibly refreshed.

When he pulled aside the curtain, Homi stood there with her ears perked up, her face full of anticipation.

“It’s your turn now. I’ll stand guard, so don’t worry.”

Smack!

Homi smiled brightly, slapped his palm like they were passing a baton, and went inside.

The sound of clothes being removed was followed by rushing water.

The curtain hung about twenty centimeters above the ground, leaving Homi’s pale feet and healthy calves fully exposed.

The silhouette of her washing her toes while balancing on one leg showed off her flawless sense of balance.

At that moment, a man tried to sneak into the courtyard, then met Eugene’s eyes.

“What are you looking at? Get out of here!”

The man fled in a panic before the tall knight’s threat.

Hwiiit?

“It’s nothing. Take your time.”

Eugene waited patiently while Homi took about twice as long as he had. She was usually quick and efficient, but bathing was one thing she took her time with.

Swish, swish.

The sound of laundry came from behind him.

Homi had lathered her long, thick tail in soap and was squeezing it out beneath the stream of water.

Eugene only had to bathe, but she had laundry to do as well, so it naturally took longer.

“Hm hm, hmm!”

Thanks to Homi’s cheerful humming, the wait was not boring.

* * *

They had saved up a fair amount of cash, along with rare ingredients such as high-quality herbs and truffles.

There was no one in a rural village willing to pay much for them, but Bonyard City had more than enough places to sell them.

Here, too, the capable Squire was a huge help.

Sniff, sniff.

Homi’s nose twitched adorably.

With an animal’s sense of smell and instincts, she could tell whether the merchant before them was trying to cheat them. More precisely, she could distinguish subtle lies.

‘She said she could tell through a person’s face, voice, and breath, didn’t she?’

It was a sense Eugene could never hope to match. That was why he had briefly sought her opinion about Solin’s invitation as well.

“This is an honest price, Sir Knight. Here in Bonyard City, the name Gamba is a symbol of trust.”

Eugene was an imposing giant, and Homi was taller than most men.

Combined with the pressure they gave off, the merchant lost his nerve despite twenty years of business experience.

Nod.

At Homi’s signal of approval, Eugene immediately completed the deal.

Selling the truffles to a merchant who supplied ingredients to noble houses required some bargaining.

“Grrr!”

“Gah!”

Homi bared her fangs with a fierce expression, and the fat merchant’s legs gave out beneath him.

“Sorry if she startled you. My Squire has an unusual sneeze. Now then, how much did you say?”

Eugene held the merchant’s shoulder, keeping his lips tightly shut while smiling only with his eyes. The negotiation ended at once.

“I-I made a mistake in my calculations. Ah, I must be getting old enough to retire. Hehehe!”

More silver coins clinked into the pile, and Eugene smiled.

Tap!

At an angle where the merchant could not see, Homi’s excitedly swishing tail struck Eugene’s backside.

“You don’t need spare bowstrings?”

Shake, shake.

“Then bolts are all you need?”

Nod, nod.

“You should still have a close-range weapon. You can’t keep relying on just a dagger.”

Eugene bought Homi a buckler that could be secured to her wrist. It would not interfere with loading her crossbow or with her movements.

He also added a warhammer to use with it. Despite the grand name, it was an ordinary one-handed weapon, with a hammer on one side and a pointed spike on the other.

Homi was not skilled at swordsmanship, but she often used hammers and pickaxes while hunting and gathering, so they felt familiar in her hands. It would also help when making camp and maintaining equipment.

Eugene already had a high-quality longsword and a large long-handled flail, so he did not buy more weapons. Instead, he reinforced his defenses.

He bought metal greaves to replace his leather ones and a round iron shield large enough to cover his upper body.

He wanted a heater shield that would be more effective on horseback, but the round shield tucked away in a corner was the only one made entirely of iron, including the grip.

‘It felt good to bash people with a shield.’

He remembered the fight in the underground prison and the Warg that had pushed inside the reach of his flail.

A shield could block bolts and arrows, and it was useful for beating anyone who got too close. A grip secured with nothing but leather straps did not seem reliable enough to withstand his prodigious strength.

They had brought many things, including spare clothes, tableware, necessities, and hemostatic medicine, so there was not much to spend money on besides equipment.

“It’s half the weight now.”

Even so, their lighter purse made them both smile wryly.

‘Guest or not, I need to start thinking about making money.’

Fortunately, both he and his Squire had many ways to earn it.

* * *

As Eugene unpacked their purchases at the inn, he suddenly felt Homi watching him.

Homi had taken off her outer clothes and was standing by the window, smiling in the bright sunlight.

Her fingers kept fidgeting above a seductive navel that could no longer be called girlish. Her fluffy tail was also swaying endlessly in S-shaped curves.

“Homi. The autumn leaves in the valley are beautiful. Should we pack lunch and go tomorrow?”

It was the expression she always showed whenever he suggested they go on a picnic. Anticipation for the outing, and joy at simply being with Eugene.

Now that she had come out into the world, every moment must have felt special. Perhaps that was why her smile looked more tender than any he had seen before.

“I’m glad you’re here. If I were alone, I wouldn’t feel only this pleasant excitement. I’d also have vague fears about the future.”

Homi closed her eyes, wanting to focus on Eugene’s hand as it caressed her cheek.

She regretted leaving behind the cabin they had grown attached to, but it was all right. To her, home was not a particular place.

This warmth and this touch. The sensations Eugene gave her were Homi’s home.