WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈

Chapter 17: Bonyard City (4)

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Fannis sighed inwardly.

“If blood is spilled between the knights we invited, what will happen to the city's reputation? And what if House Piranian demands blood money?”

“Send every bill to me. Whether it's disgrace or a blade of revenge, I'll take it all.”

Karas spoke calmly.

Fannis had invited him despite knowing his unruly nature because of his skill. Still, he hadn't expected him to cause trouble on his very first day.

“I'll smooth this over somehow. Please, I beg you, show some restraint from now on.”

“Thanks. I'll try.”

The office door swung open.

“Oh!”

“You...!”

Karas looked startled. As expected, it was the Samurian who had caused a scene at the tavern two days ago.

“We meet again. Good to see you.”

“So you were an invited knight too. I was sure that was the case.”

Karas rubbed the back of his head, as though the earlier incident had left a bump there.

Given his behavior at the tavern, Eugene had expected him to start another fight on the spot. Surprisingly, Karas didn't seem to hold a grudge.

Instead, competitiveness and an even stronger curiosity gleamed in his eyes.

“I arrived two days ago after receiving the invitation. I'm Eugene Mayer. Should I call you Sir Karas?”

Karas quietly studied the friendly Eugene, then took a step back and bowed his head.

“I'm sorry about before.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“There are so many little things, I don't know where to start.”

Karas stroked his rough, bearded chin before speaking.

“Calling you a coward at the tavern, not believing you when you said you were going to step in, raising my fist and acting rudely. All of it.”

“I've already forgotten about that. You were rough, but you didn't mean any harm. Those punks got on my nerves too.”

Eugene recalled Marcus and his group.

“The Dhampirs I met recently were quite gentlemanly. I suppose it really differs from person to person.”

“Gentlemanly Dhampirs? That's the first joke like that I've ever heard.”

Karas looked as though he had heard something absurd. Dhampirs were what happened when vampire arrogance, the inferiority complex of a noble bastard, and a mercenary's brutality were mixed together.

Noticing that the atmosphere outside was unusual, Fannis came out. His silk clothes and plump build made him the very stereotype of a wealthy merchant.

He was startled to see the two knights talking.

“You know each other?”

Solin had given him a heads-up, so he recognized Eugene immediately. There weren't many knights who traveled with a tall beastkin woman with such a distinctive tail.

“Something happened between us. It wasn't anything serious, and there won't be any trouble between us, so please don't worry, Chief Constable.”

Unlike Solin, Fannis was one of the people responsible for the city, so Eugene spoke politely.

“That's a relief.”

Fannis liked the courtesy shown by the knight he had just met. As the city's Chief Constable, he wasn't in a position to defer to free knights, but receiving polite speech from one was nearly unheard of.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself. I'm Fannis, Bonyard City's Chief Constable. Sir Eugene, thank you sincerely for accepting our invitation and honoring us with your presence.”

Though he was the Chief Constable, Fannis wasn't especially skilled in combat or command.

A free city's defense relied on maintaining a suitable number of direct guards and hiring mercenaries whenever necessary. That meant a Chief Constable needed other qualities.

Recruitment and hospitality! Those two abilities were what truly mattered.

He had to gather capable mercenary bands and knights, negotiate their pay at a reasonable price, and smooth things over whenever necessary so they wouldn't grow dissatisfied.

“This worked out perfectly. If you two don't mind, may I treat you somewhere else?”

If the strongest lineup Bonyard City had assembled already knew one another, that was good news. Fannis was the sort of man who knew how to turn good news into something even better.

Eugene was quick to pick up on things like this too. It was a chance to eat and drink for free, after all.

“I can't refuse the Chief Constable's hospitality.”

“Thank you!”

“Will you join us too, Sir Karas? I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other often for a while.”

It would be even better if he could make the Chief Constable feel indebted to him.

“My apology earlier wasn't enough. I should at least drink a few cups as punishment.”

Karas nodded, having shed the defiance he had shown Fannis earlier.

‘Hurray!’

A horribly tangled knot had come undone all at once. For the first time in a while, the exhausted Chief Constable's face brightened.

* * *

Fannis was known as a major figure in Bonyard City's liquor industry. He had risen to his current position through the connections, wealth, and intelligence network he had built there.

With some liquor in him, any man was bound to become a chatterbox. In a city where interests were tied together like a spider's web, such information was a powerful weapon.

“Please, have a drink.”

A beautiful woman smiled sweetly as she poured liquor into Karas's cup.

She wore traditional clothing from the hot southern regions, though it was more lavishly decorated and revealing. Samurian clear rice wine and side dishes covered the black marble table.

“The liquor here isn't bad, but it can't compare to what we have back home.”

Missing the taste of his homeland, Karas emptied his cup in one gulp.

“I've hosted more knights than I can count while serving as this city's Chief Constable, but I've never felt as reassured as I do today.”

As Fannis rubbed his hands together and smiled, his plump cheeks shook along with them.

“The food is somewhat exotic, so I'm not sure whether it suits your palate, Sir Eugene.”

Fannis watched Eugene's reaction. He was concerned that he had leaned too heavily into Samurian cuisine, but he wanted to cater to Karas as much as possible since Karas was far harder to control than the polite Eugene.

“Not at all. Everything is fresh, which is nice. I'm the type who finds unfamiliar food more interesting than what I'm used to.”

“As generous as I've heard!”

Fortunately, Eugene showed no dissatisfaction at all.

‘This tastes a lot like sake.’

He was in a good mood too, having clear rice wine for the first time in a while.

“You sure invited a lot of knights from all over.”

Karas spoke.

“Given the situation, we had no choice. Knights as distinguished as Sir Eugene and Sir Karas might have refused our invitation.”

“I understand the sentiment, but you should have filtered out Barsia's trash. I won't tolerate Piranian Hymn being sung in this fine city.”

Karas put a date into his mouth and chewed.

“The hospitality is appreciated, but I'd like you to tell us everything honestly now. I understand the city is in danger. What exactly do you want from me? Seeing Sir Karas gives me a rough idea.”

At Eugene's question, Fannis swallowed as though the inevitable moment had come.

“Not long ago, the nobles of Gord sent us an ultimatum.”

The explanation that followed was much as Eugene had expected.

The Kingdom of Gord occupied the western part of the continent. It had originally been known as a land of merchants, but one day raiders appeared from the sea and began to gnaw away at the entire country.

As this continued for a long time, the blood of the two peoples became so mixed that they eventually assimilated into one.

The result was a unique people who carried the opposing traits of merchants and warriors alike.

“Until now, paying tribute every year was enough. They were satisfied as long as we lowered our heads a little and treated them like elder brothers, but they finally decided to raise their axes.”

“That's not particularly strange.”

Karas peeled an apple as he spoke.

“They were born as raiders who sailed around causing trouble everywhere. How long could they settle down and pretend to be nobles? A merchant's blood may cool when it touches silver coins, but what happens when a raider's blood starts to boil?”

“They need to stain their hands with someone else's blood before it cools. They may be targeting the city for more than simple greed. They probably want to vent their frustrations too.”

Karas smiled as Eugene responded smoothly.

By the time they finished speaking, a perfectly peeled apple rested on a plate. It was shaped like a crouching rabbit.

“Oh my!”

“How cute.”

The women serving them giggled.

“Still, thanks to this, we've been able to welcome such distinguished knights, so it isn't entirely unfortunate. Hahaha!”

Fannis flattered them while rubbing his hands together. Eugene's strength was impressive enough, but he was even more pleased that Eugene got along with the difficult Karas.

He might be someone important in the city, but only another knight could control a knight. Karas was even from a prestigious house, which made him all the more impossible to handle.

“To continue from earlier, Gord doesn't intend to mobilize its army either. Oh, thank you.”

Fannis accepted the apple Eugene handed him on a fork.

“If they plan to take the city without using an army, they'll use Champions. That's why you gathered knights from all over.”

“Yes. A Hall War will soon be held.”

It was an age when personal disputes were settled with fists rather than laws. When such matters arose between knights or nobles, they held a trial by combat with proper dignity.

When a trial by combat grew to the scale of city against city or nation against nation, it was called a Hall War.

Rather than spilling the blood of hundreds or thousands for no reason, representatives fought to decide the matter cleanly.

Naturally, the glory earned there was immense. The name came from the idea that the dueling ground itself was a hall of honor.

Since such enormous interests were involved, it was rare for only one Champion to take part. Usually, each side sent about three.

“Our three representatives from Bonyard City and Gord's three representatives will compete on foot.”

“What happens if Bonyard City loses?”

“Major interests will be handed over, including exemption from city tolls and the right to exclusively trade goods selected by Gord.”

Fannis trembled as though even thinking about it frightened him.

“What about autonomy?”

“Fortunately, that isn't among their demands. If it were, this would simply be a war.”

If they had demanded that as well, the city would have been recruiting mercenary bands in great numbers instead of knights.

“Still, being restricted in trade partners and goods alone would be devastating.”

“The lives of many people, including yours, are at stake.”

“Yes. The Chief Magistrate, myself, and every other city official would be dragged into the streets and beaten with clubs. Our families and homes wouldn't be safe either.”

“And if you win?”

“Then our freedom will be guaranteed. The tribute we paid to Gord will also disappear.”

Eugene tilted his head.

“The stakes seem uneven. One side is putting up its arms and legs, while the other is only risking a few hairs.”

“It can't be helped. That's the difference in strength. If we were on equal footing, we would have rejected such an absurd demand.”

Fannis cautiously studied Eugene.

“Sir Karas has already sworn to take up his sword for us.”

When Eugene looked at Karas, he raised his cup as though making a toast.

“Then my decision is all that remains.”

“Yes. There is still time, so you needn't decide in a hurry.”

Fannis explained the rewards Bonyard City had prepared.

There was money, of course, but they also promised valuable privileges, including limited immunity, the right to enter and leave through the sealed city gates at night, and tax benefits in trade.

‘This is better than I expected.’

Deaths were uncommon in a Hall War. A knight's standing was determined by their armor, and no knight entering such an event would wear poor equipment.

Poor knights often took part in trials by combat, so deaths weren't rare there. In Hall Wars, where everyone fought in heavy armor, they usually surrendered or were incapacitated before anyone died.

Winning without killing an opponent enhanced a knight's honor even further.

“My mind is already made up.”

He had wanted to earn money as a Champion anyway, and with conditions this good, he had no reason to refuse.

“I, the knight Eugene Mayer, will become a Champion of Bonyard City.”

A one-on-one duel was better than a battlefield full of arrows and ambushes. No matter who his opponent was, he didn't think he would lose.

‘They won't send someone stronger than a giant boar. And there won't be anyone more skilled than Master.’

His debut as a knight had been so spectacular that he felt confident in a duel.

“Whew!”

Perhaps all the tension had left him at once, because Fannis collapsed into the sofa like a puppet with its strings cut.

Then he sprang up with a look that said, ‘Wait, this isn't the time for that!’ and clasped Eugene's hand.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Connections are precious, aren't they? This is the first city I set foot in after setting out into the wider world to train as a knight.”

Eugene clenched his fist and struck his chest.

“For my conve... I swear on my sword that I won't let this jewel of a city be ravaged.”

“Oh! How reassuring! You truly are worthy of being the successor to the Knight of Prophecy!”

Fannis repeatedly bowed his head, his face full of emotion.

Solin's testimony had helped, but the additional information his subordinate delivered on the way here had given Fannis the final confidence he needed.

“Sir Eugene defeated Sir Karas in a single blow at the tavern.”

“Is that true? Can you swear your life on it?”

“I checked again and again. It's true.”

Karas was by no means a weak knight. Before he began wandering, he had been one of the finest knights in his homeland of Samur.

With both knights on their side, the city would surely be safe!

Footnotes:

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