WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈
Chapter 58: The Treasure the Emperor Seeks (2)
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The blue eyes, unfocused and wavering perhaps because the mage had been sealed away for so many years, quickly grew clear.
The ransacked ruins had reminded the mage of the duty he had sworn to uphold. That brought him back to his senses more surely than a hundred exchanges of questions and answers ever could have.
[You dared rob the king's study.]
“Wait! I swear on my honor and soul, we did not loot this place!”
The mage’s rising presence halted at Eugene’s shout.
Because he was a spiritual being, a single heartfelt statement affected him more strongly than dozens of blades wielded with brute force.
[Your claim is true.]
Eugene nodded, sensing that they might be able to avoid a fight.
“That’s right, ghost mage.”
[I am not a ghost. I am the court mage who served the glorious King Lucius.]
“Then tell me your name.”
[My name... My name is...]
The mage still seemed unable to remember his own name. He shook his head from side to side, trying to drag his memories out of oblivion.
While he did, Eugene asked Varda, “Do you know who Lucius was?”
“The last king of the Ancient Kingdom. But that isn’t the important part.”
Varda looked horrified.
“For him to retain such a clear sense of self that he can hold a conversation... They extracted a human soul and sealed it inside a Guardian.”
Most Guardians were similar to spiritual golems. They could not even exchange a simple greeting, much less hold a conversation. They only guarded, drove intruders away, and fought.
“So it’s something like a funerary sacrifice.”
“More terrible than that. A funerary sacrifice is freed once the body dies, but this one must remain bound here forever, even after death.”
At that moment, blue ghostfire appeared within the helmet of the seated knight.
Clank.
The knight slowly rose with the sound of shifting armor and surveyed the ruined remains. Then, without a word, he drew his longsword and pointed it at Eugene.
“I swear on my honor, we...”
Unlike the mage, who had been willing to talk, the knight charged without warning.
Thump!
Homi immediately fired her crossbow, but the bolt could not pierce the thick armor. It only left a substantial scratch before bouncing away.
“Fall back! Protect Varda!”
Homi drew her shield and war hammer, retreating with Varda.
‘Of all times to face a Guardian somewhere with weak plant life.’
Both the terrain and the opponent were unfavorable for Varda, who was not suited to direct combat.
Ssssss.
The dent left by the bolt filled in as though water were restoring it. Against spiritual beings, ordinary weapons could do little unless they were silver arrows or weapons infused with magical power.
The knight swung his longsword, unleashing a tremendous blast of wind.
Eugene dodged the first attack and blocked the second with his shield. Blue flames burst from the iron shield where the sword of the soul struck it.
‘This is manageable.’
The steel shield was sturdy, and the Aether-forged sword contained the power to destroy all magic.
Boom!
Eugene slammed the knight’s chest with the flat of his shield.
It was less powerful than striking with the edge, but it came out quickly, like a boxer’s jab. Of course, it might have been a jab to Eugene, but to the one receiving it, it was no different from being slapped by a bear.
The knight staggered from the unexpected impact, yet still swung his longsword.
Kang!
Eugene caught the blow with his shield, then drove his full strength into a body check.
Crash!
The knight took the hit cleanly, lost his weapon, and flew through the air.
He crashed into a ruined pillar, hit the ground, and skidded away. His black armor kissed the stone, sending sparks flying in every direction.
This was why Eugene dismounted when facing powerful enemies. He could make the most of his shield.
A steel shield, which offered both attack and defense across its broad surface, was the best insurance when fighting an unknown enemy.
Black smoke leaked from the dozens of cracks across the Guardian’s body as it slowly rose.
Whoosh.
The sword the knight had dropped evaporated like smoke, then reappeared in his hand.
“Varda, that thing’s cheating.”
“This is no time for jokes! Don’t you sense any corruption from evil energy or corpse poison?!”
“None at all. There’s no evil presence, no hatred toward the living. I can only feel pure fighting spirit with nowhere to go. He must have been an excellent knight in life.”
Eugene had grasped his opponent’s nature after only a brief exchange.
[Stop attacking! He is not a thief!]
The knight did not react to the mage’s shout. He no longer seemed to possess enough reason to hear his comrade’s voice or speak.
A mage who trained the mind while studying the secrets of the world, and a knight who pursued only physical training and glory.
The two had endured the erosion of vast time to very different degrees.
Eugene deflected the knight’s sword with his shield, then swung Last Autumn. The gauntlet was cleanly severed, and the sword fell to the ground again.
Three fingers and part of the palm, cut off diagonally, evaporated like smoke. Unlike the damage made by Homi’s bolt, the wound did not regenerate.
Just as the sword on the ground began to blur again in an attempt to return to its owner, Eugene moved.
Crunch!
He stepped on the blade, forcing it to solidify and trapping it firmly beneath his foot.
‘That worked?’
It had been an instinctive move. Eugene had not actually expected it to stop the sword.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The pinned sword repeatedly blurred and solidified, desperately trying to escape. Yet Eugene’s firm will became a spell in itself, binding the sword of the soul.
It looked like a snake impaled beneath the talons of a bird of prey.
[Gruoooh.]
The knight let out an inhuman cry and rushed forward with his fist raised.
Slash!
Last Autumn cut through the knight’s fist, then pierced his chest.
Through the sword in his hand, Eugene felt the magic composing the knight collapse one layer at a time.
Thump!
Eugene’s kick sent the knight flying backward, leaving him spread-eagled on the ground. The ghostfire within the helmet vanished, and the heavy armored body scattered like smoke.
Eugene turned back to the mage. He had remained wary throughout the fight, but the mage did not seem to intend to attack.
“I had no choice but to protect my life and my companions.”
[I acknowledge your rightful self-defense. I am only grateful that you granted the knight rest. We have been bound here for far too long, even though there is no longer any meaning in guarding this place.]
“Do you still not remember your name?”
[Decimus. My name is Decimus.]
As the mage regained more of his senses, his speech became steadier than when he had first appeared.
“Names ending in ‘us’ were a traditional naming custom among Ancient Kingdom nobles,” Varda quietly explained.
“Decimus. I was falsely accused of being a thief and forced to fight. I demand an apology for that insult and danger.”
Eugene did not particularly feel insulted, nor had he felt threatened, but he kept his expression under control.
He wore the sort of face knights made when they felt shame and anger. He had seen it often lately, so copying it was easy.
[I accept your demand. I will apologize on behalf of my comrade.]
Decimus readily complied.
“Then share your knowledge in return. What exactly is this place?”
[A place where magic was studied.]
“What kind of magic?”
[The secret method of opening a passage to the Otherworld.]
Just as Varda had expected.
That was also why Eugene, who wielded the power of the Otherworld, had been able to handle the magic circle properly, unlike Varda, whose specialty was forest magic.
[It was by King Lucius’s command. This research was essential to completing the kingdom’s final castle and fulfilling His Majesty’s wish.]
“What wish was that? What could the ruler of the Ancient Kingdom desire so desperately?”
[...]
As Decimus tried to answer, his mouth and jaw broke apart like smoke. His hands and feet were also beginning to fall apart.
The magic circle, neglected for far too long, had exhausted its strength summoning the two Guardians. The flow of magical power sustaining Decimus was rapidly fading.
[The research... succeeded... The castle is complete... There are still those suffering there...]
Decimus tried to convey what he believed was more important, but he could not finish before vanishing.
[Noble knight... This...]
With those final words, he disappeared completely.
“He has been freed from his bonds. I can feel his existence returning to the cycle of the world.”
Varda clasped her hands and offered an elven prayer. It was both respect and mourning for a mage from the distant past.
“Perhaps the Emperor experienced something similar to what we just went through.”
“Perhaps. There can’t be only one or two ruins like this.”
Roman was the land where the greatest number of Ancient Kingdom relics lay buried. The Emperor would also receive plenty of information through official channels.
“Thanks to you, Varda, we overcame another crisis.”
Eugene held Last Autumn upright. Though it had cut down many enemies, the silver blade remained sharp without so much as a chip.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened against spiritual beings if I hadn’t had this sword.”
Varda shook her head.
“Even without it, you probably would have defeated the Guardian. Do you remember stepping on the Guardian knight’s sword earlier?”
“Yes. I thought it might return to its hand, so I stepped on it to stop it somehow. I never expected it to really work.”
“The moment I saw that, I became certain. You are already a mage.”
There had been many signs before this.
The Eucharist, which only a legendary Pope could have performed.
The mental strength to ignore the enchanting magic spread across the Emerald Forest.
The ability to repair a broken magic circle simply by being nearby.
All of those were powers ordinary mages would not dare imitate.
“Magic is the act of shaping one’s inner will into a miracle in reality. With willpower as strong as yours, you could have defeated the Guardian even without an Aether-forged sword.”
“Well, if I’d just blocked with my shield and stalled for time, it probably would’ve disappeared on its own.”
“That is true as well. The Emperor’s investigation party may have used a similar method.”
There was no need to bring mages if the enemy had a time limit. With sound tactics, knights and mercenaries alone could handle it.
Homi, who had been crawling on all fours like a puppy and searching through the brush, picked something up. It was a palm-length golden key that radiated a powerful mystical aura.
“...”
There was no need to think about what it was meant to be used for.
“It is a relic of tremendous value, but I do not know whether to be pleased or not.”
“Why not?”
“Those who let greed grow too great often find themselves in danger. Yet the Wandering Castle keeps tying itself to you...”
Varda trailed off.
Even if she had spoken out of concern for Eugene’s safety, he was still a knight with hot blood in his veins.
Planting his flag atop a great castle and looking down upon the world as its lord was the ultimate dream of every knight.
Calling it dangerous in front of him seemed rude, even if she was his friend.
“I’m sorry. I spoke too harshly.”
“Please don’t apologize. I welcome that kind of concern anytime. I have no intention of becoming a snake that dies after its belly bursts from trying to swallow prey too large for it.”
Eugene shook the golden key Homi had handed him.
“If necessary, I can trade it to someone. It should fetch a good price, shouldn’t it? Or I could use it as a bargaining chip.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
There was nothing more to see in these ruins. It was an empty shell, with nothing left of value in terms of treasure or magic.
* * *
“Dismantle it!”
When Eugene returned, Haind ordered the mercenaries to tear down the makeshift barricade and erase all traces of their camp.
Not long after they gathered their men and returned to the main road, they saw dozens of people leaving Velles. They were heading straight for the ruins.
“Do you think they’re going up because they hope there’s something to gain as well?”
“If they are adventurers, probably. If they are city residents, they are likely going to preserve the ruins. As you saw, the people of Velles are deeply interested in the Ancient Kingdom.”
“I’m glad we got an early start.”
Had they been even a little later, they would have run into those people, and it would have caused trouble.
Varden might have spoken about Eugene, but that was beyond Eugene’s control. All he could do was respond as best as possible to the situation before him.
The mercenaries did not ask what had happened inside. Restraining one’s curiosity was the virtue of a good mercenary. Regardless of their friendship with their employer, they were veterans who knew where to draw the line.
Footnotes:
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