WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈
Chapter 42: Getting in Line (1)
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Goldhill was magnificent, as befitted the ancestral seat of the storied House Morad.
A gold vein ran beneath it, said to have once been so rich that gold nuggets flowed across the ground.
“That’s one sturdy-looking castle.”
“The people working in there must have it made.”
One of the jobs mercenaries coveted most was serving as guards at the main castle of a great noble house. It was safe work, with good facilities and no need to sleep outdoors. With luck, they might even be taken on as regular soldiers.
The fief was already on a war footing. Courier horses raced past farmers harvesting the endless vineyards.
“Lady Roxanne.”
The guards at the gate saluted, drawing their shields to their chests.
A clerk assigned to receive visitors was working shifts as well. After glancing repeatedly between a note and Eugene, the clerk hurried over.
“Sir Eugene? Are you Sir Eugene from Bonyard City?”
“...That’s right. Here is the Count’s invitation.”
Eugene showed the letter with a slightly uncomfortable expression, and the clerk nodded.
“Welcome. I have heard much about you from Lord Benjamin.”
The clerk noticed Roxanne behind him and politely bowed.
“You have traveled a long way, Lady Roxanne.”
“Where is Father?”
“He is meeting with the vassals. A formal declaration of war has arrived from House Duran.”
“After attacking us all over the place, they’re only sending it now?”
Roxanne looked dumbfounded.
War between great noble houses was not a fight to the death. It was closer to armed negotiation, where both sides struck at each other with the surplus resources they could mobilize until the weaker side yielded.
That was why they observed formalities even while killing one another. A declaration of war was among the most important courtesies.
“If they did not send one at all, they would face enormous criticism. They are probably trying to keep up appearances. You know how petty those Duran bastards are.”
The clerk stood before Eugene.
“This way. The Count is waiting for you.”
“Didn’t you say he was in a meeting?”
“He instructed us to bring you to him as soon as you arrived, regardless of the situation. He said not to keep a great knight waiting. Do you need time to prepare?”
“No. I can go now.”
He was not attending a social gathering. As a knight invited for his skills, armor was the only adornment he needed.
“It looks like Father really likes you. It is rare enough for him to invite a guest personally, but he has never treated one like this before. I hope you have a good time.”
Roxanne waved a hand as she left.
* * *
Eugene followed the clerk through a corridor lined with portraits of the previous heads of House Morad.
Perhaps it ran in the family, but they all had kind faces like Benjamin. Put less kindly, they looked rather like Thomson’s gazelles.
“Here we are.”
A massive door appeared before them. Even the entrance to Fannis’s office had been grand, but compared to this, it was a toy.
“Are you ready?”
“Of course.”
After knocking, the clerk opened the door.
Nobles surrounded a large rectangular table. Upon it lay the most detailed map Eugene had seen since arriving in this world.
A middle-aged man seated at the head of the table watched Eugene.
‘Is that Count Morad? He looks nothing like the portraits in the corridor.’
The Count resembled a black eagle. His tight-lipped expression suited him better than anyone, and his lips looked as though they held not a trace of warmth.
Everyone wore armor except the Count, who wore a leather suit. Yet he seemed to carry the strongest scent of blood in the room.
He was the sort of great noble who had realized that killing enemies with ink and paper was more efficient than killing them with a sword.
“Count, the Victor Knight of Bonyard City, Magical Beast Slayer, and heir to the Knight of Prophecy, Sir Eugene Mayer of House Mayer, has answered your summons.”
At the clerk’s introduction, all the nobles turned toward Eugene.
“He is that young?”
“Young? He’s a child.”
“What kind of magical beast did he kill...?”
The whispers died as Count Morad raised a hand.
“Come sit beside me.”
The chair to the Count’s left was empty, while the chair to his right had been removed entirely. It was a seat prepared for Eugene alone.
Considering that the head of a great noble house had prepared it during a war council with his vassals, it was extraordinary treatment.
‘This is a little burdensome. I expected a private audience in a reception room at most.’
Eugene sat down.
“Will you have a drink?”
“It would be an honor.”
The Count poured him wine.
Trickle.
“There are levels even among Victor Knights. Defeating Volx, Badel, and Linton without suffering a single wound would be impossible even for an ogre. Truly impressive.”
“Bonyard City was the first city where I formed ties when I first set out into the world. I simply did my best to protect them.”
“You value your ties... Then will you also value the tie you have made with us, your first noble house?”
“Of course, Your Excellency.”
Count Morad smiled faintly.
“I heard you slew a magical beast while subjugating bandits. Everyone is curious about it.”
“I killed a Wendigo.”
A servant waiting behind them placed a large book on the table. Its cover read Guide to Supernatural Creatures.
“A book concerning creatures other than naturally occurring monsters.”
“You can read as well.”
The Count’s faint smile grew more pronounced.
“In my position, reports about all kinds of creatures reach me every day. Most are monsters that can be dealt with.”
The Count pointed to a spot on the map.
“For example, a Warg appeared here two weeks ago. It was a tragedy for the shepherds, but once it fed and satisfied its desires, it left. It need only be considered a temporary disaster.”
This time, he indicated a village near the mountains.
“A Minotaur was discovered here half a year ago. Woodcutters and farmers died, but it soon moved on to another region.”
Eugene noticed that unlike the other nobles, the Count did not wear even a small ring on his fingers.
“Sometimes the damage grows severe, but that is all. Monsters do not touch what matters most. Do you know what that is?”
After thinking for a moment, Eugene answered.
“Roads and castles. They crave blood and flesh, but have no interest in human interests.”
“Correct.”
Perhaps because Eugene had given precisely the answer he wanted, the Count was now visibly smiling. He ran his index finger down the table of contents until he found Wendigo.
“Magical beasts differ from monsters. Depending on their creator’s interests, they may attack and occupy roads or castles. To a ruler, one magical beast can be more dangerous than ten ogres.”
His finger stopped at the entry for Wendigo, and he opened the book to that page.
“The Hall War, the greatest threat created by humans. Magical beasts, the greatest threat created by magic. I wished to meet the man who crushed both so easily.”
It was a somewhat philosophical reason. It felt different from a warrior’s desire to meet a strong knight, or a lord’s need for military strength during wartime.
“Did the creature you fought look like this?”
The Wendigo’s page held a detailed illustration packed with explanations. Curious, the other nobles rose from their seats and leaned closer.
“It was largely similar, but its antlers were much longer and more luxuriant. Dozens of veteran mercenaries were killed or wounded by those antlers alone. From the wounds, we confirmed that three knights also fell victim to it.”
“I have never heard of a monster that used its antlers so well. It is a shame I did not see how formidable it was.”
“If you wish, I can show you now.”
“Hmm?”
Eugene pointed toward the entrance.
“My Squire is carrying a taxidermied trophy made from the Wendigo’s head beside the door. I thought you might be curious, Count, so I brought it. Shall I have her bring it in?”
“Ha! I can see why Benjamin likes you so much. You are different from other knights whose heads are made of iron.”
The vassals looked amazed. Count Morad was not a man who often showed even the slightest smile. It had been a long time since he had laughed aloud, even briefly.
At Eugene’s call, Homi entered the council chamber. The enormous glossy black antlers seized everyone’s attention.
“Good heavens!”
“To think such a monster existed.”
“With antlers like those, it could skewer a warhorse and lift it into the air.”
Astonished cries came from every direction.
They were all nobles with ample experience hunting monsters. Just from the thickness of the Wendigo’s neck, they could tell how massive it had been. One look at its antlers was enough to understand how dangerous it was.
The Wendigo trophy was set before Count Morad.
“Ho.”
He studied the glossy antlers with interest. Tilting his head this way and that to watch the light ripple across them, the Count spoke.
“I heard you punished bandits who were raiding villages and even drove back the Duran knights who captured our envoys.”
“It was only what I should have done as a knight summoned by Your Excellency.”
“If everyone did what they should, I would not have to worry myself sick every day.”
Count Morad took his eyes off the antlers and gestured behind him.
“You accepted my invitation, avenged us and restored my house’s honor, saved my retainers, escorted Roxanne, and brought such fine achievements and a spectacle with you. I will grant a reward worthy of all this.”
Two servants carried a large chest into the room and set it on the floor.
Clink.
The loud sound it made when it was set down proved it was filled with coins.
‘A Count would not be so stingy as to fill it with copper coins.’
Just imagining all the silver coins inside made the exhaustion of the journey vanish.
“I would normally give weapons, armor, or horses as a gift, but it seems you already possess better things than I could offer.”
The Count appeared to have learned about Eugene’s equipment in advance.
“The armor you wear. I have seen it before.”
He spoke as though searching through old memories.
“I inherited it from my master, Gopri.”
“He once stayed with our house as a guest. I personally asked him to become our house’s swordsmanship instructor, but he refused. It was not surprising. He was a knight who refused even the royal family’s request.”
“He was an exceptionally stubborn man.”
The more Eugene traveled the world, the more his respect for his master grew.
“But he agreed to teach you.”
“I can see you had several reasons for wanting to meet me, Count.”
The interest of a great noble was the fastest path to success, but Eugene remained wary. The Count was overwhelmingly powerful. Such favor could turn into something else in an instant.
“How was the mood during your journey here?”
“The scent of war was everywhere. It seems the situation is worsening more rapidly than I expected.”
“Roman has remained stagnant for too long. The crack caused by that brat of an Emperor will spread throughout the continent.”
At first glance, it sounded as though he were insulting the Emperor, but there was no hostility in the Count’s tone.
“How we fill that crack will decide this house’s future. Whether we sink into it, or use the other houses like clay to fill it and stand even higher.”
His feelings seemed closer to anticipation. It was like a hostile symbiotic relationship.
“Only God knows what form this house will take and how far it will go, but there will always be a place for you here. Just as there was today.”
“This is treatment far beyond what a mere knight deserves. I am sincerely grateful.”
Despite receiving treatment that would have made another knight fall to his knees in tears, the young knight remained calm. The vassals could not help but acknowledge Benjamin’s eye for people once again.
* * *
After speaking a little longer, Eugene was told to rest and left the council chamber. Homi followed behind him, carrying the Wendigo trophy.
“Whew, that drained me.”
Homi rubbed Eugene’s back sympathetically.
Talking with someone who held all the power was this exhausting.
He could not accept favor at face value and had to struggle to understand the Count’s true intentions. He had to answer every question immediately, and backing down was impossible. It was more tiring than fighting the Wendigo.
“Pfft! Homi, what is that?”
He had wondered why he could not see her tail, only to find it wrapped around her waist. Its thick white fur made it look like an expensive accessory.
She seemed to have put some thought into her appearance for an important occasion. Beastkin tails sometimes had a tendency to move on their own.
“It looks completely natural. Like a fur belt.”
“Hehe!”
The thick white tail wrapped around her waist slowly unraveled and began wagging cheerfully. She was genuinely delighted.
Just before leaving the council chamber, the Count had quietly whispered something to Eugene, and that was why Homi was so pleased.
“I want you not as a knight, but as a lord.”
A fief!
It seemed the Count intended to invest heavily in Eugene. He had likely only hinted at it for now, to give Eugene time to think.
Footnotes:
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