WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈

Chapter 44: Monsters and Pirates (1)

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Count Morad was a well-prepared lord. A local clerk had been summoned in advance and sent along to guide Eugene.

“Could you tell me more about Richwood?”

“It covers 4,000 acres and has around 200 households. There are sixty cattle and roughly 150 donkeys. Two knights are stationed there as well.”

The clerk spoke without hesitation, but looked extremely nervous. The title of the Count’s plenipotentiary carried considerable weight.

“It’s a larger fief than I imagined. Count Morad’s fondness for a younger brother is impressive indeed.”

Four thousand acres was about sixteen square kilometers, two or three times the size of an ordinary village.

“The effective area under control is much smaller. Timber is its main source of income, so the fief includes the forest as well. That’s also why there are so many donkeys.”

Donkeys were the most cost-effective animals for transport. They were slightly weaker than horses, but had greater endurance.

For the price of one packhorse, a person could buy three or four donkeys. For the price of a warhorse, they could buy five to nine.

“What kinds of monsters have been running rampant?”

“Here is the report. The recent threats were...”

“I can read it myself, so just hand it over.”

“Ah, yes.”

The clerk, who had drawn a deep breath, handed over the papers with an embarrassed look.

The list was a chaotic mix of monsters such as Kobolds, Orcs, and Gnolls, along with predators like wolves, bears, and even tigers.

“It’s as though every creature in the forest has come pouring out.”

“That is correct. At least they’ve been fighting among themselves, so the damage to the village has been limited.”

Eugene had planned to secure the villagers’ safety by clearing the area around the village before heading deeper into the forest.

But there were too many to deal with all at once. The only answer was to quickly find and kill whatever was stirring things up inside.

“We’ll desperately need Lady Varda’s ability to search for it. I would appreciate your help.”

“I was planning to enter the forest anyway, to restore my magical power. Roman has too many plains. I feel as though I’ve drifted away from the secrets of the forest.”

“I’m always indebted to you.”

There was a reason lords wanted mages by their side. When swords alone could not resolve a situation, a mage’s presence was reassuring in itself.

Eugene could use a mage whom even great nobles treated with care, and at no cost. He could only be grateful.

“This is for my own sake as well, so do not trouble yourself over it. I should repay the respect the Count has shown me in my own way.”

The semi-noble status enjoyed by mages came from the favor of nobles. A mage who only received and never gave back rarely met a good end.

As Eugene read through the report, he found something unexpected.

“Pirates? There are pirates on the river?”

“They raided homes near the river mouth a month ago. There were around fifty of them on two ships.”

“How much damage was done?”

“Three people died, and two were kidnapped.”

Considering that fifty pirates had come, the damage was relatively light. Perhaps noticing Eugene’s expression, the clerk added an explanation.

“They had raided another village upstream and stopped by while they were at it. Like a predator testing its prey. Everyone fears they’ll come again.”

“I’ve heard rumors of pirates coming down from the Inland Sea, but I never expected to become involved with them.”

At the center of the continent lay a massive lake. Roman lay to its south, Gord and Barsia to the west, and the small kingdoms to the east. Countless powers bordered it.

It was called a lake, but it held many large islands and served as a hub of trade where massive merchant vessels sailed. Sea serpent subspecies and freshwater mermaids lived there as well, so people simply called it the sea, the Inland Sea.

Pirates who traveled along rivers flowing from the Inland Sea and raided settlements were a headache for every nation.

“If they operate on the river, they must use longships?”

“Yes. Small vessels with a capacity of thirty people or fewer. But their crews are skilled warriors and oarsmen, so they have excellent combat ability and mobility.”

As small-scale raiders, they could cause havoc in an instant and flee just as quickly.

“Lord Benjamin tried to subjugate them several times, but failed without swinging his sword even once. They’re like jackals, attacking only when they see an easy target and fleeing the moment things look unfavorable.”

Naval warfare in this age centered on bringing ships alongside one another for melee combat on the water. If the pirates acted that way, there was no way to deal with them.

For settled peoples, mastering seamanship was even harder than mastering horsemanship. In some ways, they were more troublesome than nomadic raiders.

“I understand why the Count did not mention the pirates.”

“They are a kind of natural disaster. The Count likely wanted you to focus on subjugating the monsters.”

If the Count had mentioned the pirates even in passing, Eugene would not have been able to ignore them. It was likely the Count’s consideration.

* * *

When they arrived, Richwood proved to be a fief built in a motte-and-bailey layout.

A luxurious lord’s manor stood on a high hill beside the river, surrounded by key facilities such as a smithy, infirmary, and stables, all enclosed by a wooden palisade.

Homes spread outward around the lord’s district in a sprawl.

Eugene had once assumed every castle was built of stone, but reality was different. Because of the cost, many lords lived in wooden castles.

“It may not have an imposing fortress, but it is a place that warms the heart of every visitor. I dare say its cozy beds and crisp morning air surpass even Goldhill.”

The clerk’s face was full of pride. With a healthy population and excellent trade routes by both water and land, it was a village with considerable potential.

Still, ragged people wandered about, begging.

“Refugees from villages that were raided?”

“Yes. This is the safest place nearby, and the monastery in the fief runs a poorhouse.”

“We need to deal with the forest problem as soon as tomorrow. But the pirates are still bothering me.”

Since he had come all this way, Eugene wanted to deal with both of the village’s troubles completely.

“We’ve considered every option, but there is no answer. On the open sea, we could hire several armed ships and ram them properly. That’s impossible on a river like this.”

“...!”

As Eugene listened to the clerk, something flashed through his mind.

“A ram. A ram...”

It felt as though he could see a clue to solving the problem. The method was a little absurd, but he thought he could make it work.

* * *

Once they entered the fief, Eugene’s troops were guided to nearby homes and inns. With its motte-and-bailey structure, the lord’s manor could not accommodate so many people.

“Lady Varda, please go in and rest first. I’ll stop by the smithy.”

“Are you having your equipment repaired?”

“No. There’s something I need to commission.”

The sound of hammers coming from the smithy showed that it was still open.

“Sir, please order whatever you need in House Morad’s name. We will cover all expenses.”

The clerk bowed politely, then led Varda inside with the maids.

When Eugene and Homi entered the smithy, scorching heat washed over them despite the autumn weather.

“Welcome, Sir Knight.”

Behind an elderly man with a sturdy build, three blacksmiths stopped working and came forward.

“I came at the clerk’s introduction. I am Eugene Mayer, here to subjugate the forest monsters with the full authority of Count Morad.”

“Thank you for your kindness. I am Muto, the master of this smithy. Please tell us anything you need.”

Because of their trade, blacksmiths dealt with many warriors. Even aside from the Count’s backing, they sensed that the knight before them was no ordinary customer.

“I need a spear-thrower.”

“We have several kinds.”

At Muto’s command, a young blacksmith brought out several spears and spear-throwers.

“It’s not something usually kept in stock. Is there much use for them here?”

“This is a village where everyday life and battle overlap. But we cannot sell crossbows or bows to just anyone.”

Except in special cases, commoners and serfs were restricted from carrying weapons. Bows and crossbows, which posed a threat during rebellions, were controlled even more strictly.

Richwood’s specialty, though, was timber. With so many woodcutters at work, they often provoked predators or monsters in the forest.

If the creature was dangerous, they asked the lord’s manor for help. If it was manageable, the woodcutters had to deal with it themselves. Javelins were among the weapons the lord tolerated, cheap, easy to use, and powerful.

“These are all fine, but none are what I need. It’s a rather special item, so you’ll have to make it from scratch.”

Eugene grabbed three slender spears standing nearby at once.

“I need a spear-thrower that can launch a spear three times thicker than usual. Make the entire body out of iron, so it won’t break.”

“...”

The blacksmiths’ faces turned strange at a request they had never heard before.

‘A ram doesn’t have to be mounted on a ship. As long as I can punch a hole in one with similar destructive force, that should be enough.’

Eugene knew his own prodigious strength well. He vividly remembered ending a battle with a single javelin during a campaign to subjugate bandits.

What would happen if he used a spear-thrower and an even more powerful spear?

What if his prodigious strength was added to a tool that could multiply the force of a bare-handed throw two or three times over?

It was not a huge galley. He felt confident he could sink a longship carrying twenty or thirty people.

Breaking a ship with the strength of a human arm. It sounded insane when he thought about it, but his instincts kept whispering to him.

‘It’ll work, so just do it.’

“Is it difficult to make? It’s not a complicated mechanism like a crossbow. The structure should be simple.”

“It isn’t difficult to make. We only need to make it larger and longer.”

“Then begin immediately.”

Muto nodded, but his eyes kept blinking. He seemed baffled as to why Eugene wanted such a bizarre thing made.

“Come to think of it, you won’t be able to make it properly if you don’t understand why.”

Eugene picked up one of the sample spears and a spear-thrower.

“Follow me.”

He fitted the spear into the spear-thrower and walked outside. From the high ground, he could see the flowing river and the hills beyond it at a glance.

Brrrrr.

As Eugene took his stance, the muscles in his arm swelled, pouring immense strength into the spear-thrower.

Crack.

The stout spear-thrower broke as Eugene’s arm moved with explosive force.

Whoooooosh!

A tremendous shriek tore through the air. The spear crossed the village, river, and grassy field beyond in an instant before burying itself in the hill like a bombardment.

Boom!

A great cloud of dust rose, and even from here, they could hear the dull impact. It was not something human strength could produce.

Clang!

The hammer in Muto’s hand fell to the ground.

“W-what was that?!”

“Gods above.”

“Even the ballista in the capital cannot match that power.”

The blacksmiths were stunned by a sight they could not believe even as they watched it.

“Look at this, will you?”

When Eugene opened his hand, the spear-thrower’s handle crumbled apart completely. The bracket gripping the rear of the spear was deeply cracked as well.

“That was made from oak and reinforced with a protective coating.”

“No wonder it lasted longer than I expected.”

Eugene shook his hand before the deflated Muto. Broken pieces of wood scattered across the ground.

“Now you understand why I need what I requested? It must be at least that sturdy to withstand my strength.”

“Rather than doubts, I am curious now. I would dearly like to see such a monstrous weapon in use.”

Blue flames burned in the eyes of the blacksmiths, who had looked tired moments earlier. A craftsman took the greatest pride in making something another craftsman could not.

They could scarcely wait to see this unbelievable knight wield a weapon they had made, a spear-thrower unlike any other in the world. Just imagining it made their hands itch.

“Of course, I’ll need a spear worthy of the spear-thrower as well. If I intended to throw ordinary spears, I wouldn’t have commissioned this.”

“We’ll have the carpenters prepare it. Instead of a spearhead, reinforcing the impact end with a pointed iron cap should make it more powerful.”

“Like an armor-piercing shell? Excellent idea.”

“Armor-piercing shell...? What is that?”

“There is such a thing.”

With a grin, Eugene patted the blacksmiths on their shoulders.

“I’m counting on you. I intend to harpoon the pirate bastards threatening this precious village with it.”

“...!”

Once they understood the weapon’s purpose, the blacksmiths’ resolve grew even stronger. They remembered the tears of neighbors who had lost family to pirates.

“We will make it with everything we have. We will never disappoint you.”

As Muto thumped his chest, his heart held both hatred for the pirates and a sense of duty to protect the village.

Footnotes:

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