WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈
Chapter 67: Prophecy (6)
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The path the golem had charged through looked as though a storm had torn through it. Fortunately, no one seemed to have been killed or injured.
‘This really is the Dark Elf festival.’
Even amid the sudden chaos, they scattered along the most efficient routes without getting in one another’s way. They moved in perfect order, as if they had repeatedly practiced evacuation drills.
No one clutched their head and collapsed, or tripped while trying to flee.
“How do we calm an angry golem?”
It was the most absurd enemy Eugene had ever faced. Striking it with a blade would only damage the weapon.
“I don’t know about golems either.”
“...!”
“W-why are you looking at me like that?”
“I never expected there to be something Varda didn’t know.”
“I’m a mage of forest magic. I know a little about other fields too, but I’m not all-knowing.”
“Understood. Homi! Bring me my weapons!”
Homi rushed toward the Black Hand Tribe’s area.
“Hup!”
She kicked off a nearby tent pole, leaped up, grabbed the roof with one hand, and pulled herself onto it.
She then raced across the rooftops in a straight line. Whenever she lost her balance, her long, thick tail swung the other way to steady her.
‘I could never pull that off.’
It took great strength, a light body, a woman’s flexibility, and a tail. All four had to come together for movements like that.
“You intend to fight it?”
“I’ll at least try to buy some time.”
Whenever danger arose during the festival, all nearby warriors were expected to join the response. If Eugene, a knight, fled, people might have plenty to say about it.
The Black Hand Tribe’s warriors would also be heading into battle, and he could not stand idly by as their guest. He did not want to watch them be killed or injured.
The warhorse golem came face-to-face with the festival guards who had rushed to the scene. They were lightly armed warriors who regularly patrolled the area.
“Don’t get close! Unless you want to end up like mashed potatoes!”
“Use the same doctrine we use against mid-sized monsters!”
None of them had fought an enemy like this before, but they responded calmly. It was tough, and a single hit meant death. That was no different from the mid-sized monsters they had fought in the past.
“The tribal shamans and elite warriors will be here soon!”
Arrows poured in from every direction, but they could not inflict even the slightest damage. It was not merely a lump of stone, but a monster covered in iron barding, true to its warhorse design.
Krrrreeek!
“Scatter!”
A single glancing blow meant disability at a minimum, and death as the usual outcome.
* * *
While the scattered warriors employed infantry swarm tactics, Eugene led Varda somewhere safe.
Crash!
The golem’s body slam shattered everything it touched.
“Keep firing! Whether it works or not, the point is to draw its attention!”
This was an outlying area with fewer people. If the golem passed through here and charged into a more crowded place, it could lead to a disaster.
“This is why they should get rid of the magical item exhibition!”
One warrior shouted.
The current situation was more dangerous than anything before it, but there had been uncontrolled accidents in the past. There was a reason the exhibits were placed on the outskirts.
“Which house even brought that thing?”
“Damn it! If they can’t manage it properly, why bring such trouble on everyone?”
As the warriors cursed in unison, a few people stood there with pale faces and tightly shut mouths. The golem appeared to have been brought by their house.
“It’s coming again!”
Rumble!
An iron stall soared high into the air, scattering broken pottery everywhere.
The force generated by the golem’s weight and strength was tremendous, but its movements were straightforward.
As long as they stayed alert, it was not hard to avoid. That was one reason there had been no casualties.
“Varda, please evacuate.”
Their opponent was a magical creation with no life, and this was a dirt road where it was difficult to find even a blade of grass. There was nothing a mage of forest magic could do in this situation.
“What will you do without a weapon?”
“I’ll wait for Homi and throw whatever I can in the meantime.”
“Oh!”
Varda had been about to stop him, but when Eugene picked up a bronze jar as large as a grown man’s torso, she found herself nodding.
He had only picked up a jar, yet he seemed more reliable than all the warriors fighting over there combined.
“Don’t overdo it. No matter how great a knight you are, you’ll die if that thing rams you.”
“There probably isn’t a warrior here more cautious than me. Don’t worry.”
“...”
For a moment, Varda wanted to argue with him, but she quietly withdrew. This was not the time to point that out.
Her posture was good as she ran, and she was fast. With her excellent reflexes and stamina, it was convenient to be able to send her off alone in times like this.
“Human over there! Get away from here at once!”
One of the warriors warned Eugene as he approached the battlefield.
Perhaps because it was during the festival, the warrior was unusually kind for a Dark Elf. Normally, they would have ignored some insignificant human, whether he lived or died.
“I am Eugene Mayer, a knight invited by the Black Hand Tribe! I’ve come to help!”
“What? Are you insane?!”
The warriors were dumbfounded when he said he would fight without armor or weapons.
Their expressions changed soon enough.
Brrrr.
Veins bulged across Eugene’s arms, and the mouth of the bronze jar crumpled. He put his full strength into the throw and hurled it at the tempting back of the golem’s head.
Boom!
The jar flew with terrifying force and smashed into its head. Sparks flew, and the massive body staggered.
“Aaagh!”
The dented jar crashed down with a thunderous roar among the warriors diving out of the way.
“I’ll skip the apology! Dodge it yourselves!”
Eugene picked up and threw everything nearby that looked heavy.
Boom!
The golem took a pestle to the chest, spinning at least three times a second as it flew, and shards of barding scattered in every direction.
Krrrraaa!
“Is that thing in pain?”
“Wouldn’t you be in pain if you got hit by something like that?”
“No, I mean, can a golem even feel pain...”
“Shut up and focus on the battle, you idiots!”
The warriors’ foolish conversation was drowned out by the sound of a stone mortar tearing through the air.
The golem seemed afraid of being hit by a rock larger than its own head, and quickly dodged to the side.
Crack!
The stone mortar collided with a tree behind it and snapped a trunk as thick as a grown man’s torso in half.
The elemental spirit inside the golem bristled as it watched Eugene warily. It had realized that the knight before it was not simply another target for its anger, but an extremely dangerous enemy.
Tick!
Tick!
Arrows struck the golem’s cheeks, muzzle, and joints.
“Keep firing! Help that knight find an opening to attack!”
The tribal warriors revised their strategy. They would create openings while the knight with monstrous strength, who had suddenly appeared, became their main attacker.
Krrrreeek!
The golem turned in anger when the weak creatures, who would become chunks of meat from a single brush, kept provoking it.
Crash!
While it was distracted, a large barrel Eugene had thrown struck it. The barrel shattered, and the strong smell of alcohol spread everywhere.
“Light it!”
At Eugene’s shout, the warriors hurriedly prepared makeshift fire arrows from braziers and campfires, then fired them.
Whoosh!
As the golem was engulfed in flames, Eugene heard the elemental spirit inside it crying out in panic.
Boom!
He struck it with another barrel, and a great burst of fire rose with the explosion.
The warriors cheered at the sight. Even creatures known for their toughness, such as trolls and Minotaurs, would surely die if put through that.
Only Eugene kept a cool expression.
‘It’s not alive, so I don’t know whether this will work.’
Fire carried the power of purification, so it had been favored since ancient times in battles against evil beings. But this was a pure magical construct.
‘If this starts a fire, won’t it become my responsibility?’
He had set it ablaze because he wanted to try something, but now that he had done it, Eugene was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Even while its entire body burned, the golem did not seem especially troubled.
“D-doesn’t it work?”
“Embers are flying! Move!”
Instead, the warriors panicked as fiery debris flew from the rampaging golem.
Apparently pleased by their reaction, the golem proudly raised its head.
Whoosh!
Homi arrived at that exact moment.
She held Last Autumn in her left hand and a long-handled flail in her right.
“Throw me the long-handled flail!”
Since it was a magical being, an Aether-forged sword would be effective, but Eugene did not want to swing it at a lump of stone. Even a single chip in the blade would hurt.
Clank!
The solid iron bar settled into his grip, while the heavy iron club swung from its end. Eugene finally smiled.
* * *
“A golem is rampaging?”
“The knight is fighting without weapons. We need to support him at once!”
The Black Hand Tribe was thrown into an uproar when they heard the news.
It was damaging enough to invite a guest and allow them to be killed or injured, but this was no ordinary guest.
“No need for armor. There’s no time to put it on, and even if you did, one hit would kill you instantly. Keep yourselves light.”
Under Rex’s command, the warriors gathered with bows and silver arrows.
“Forget the crossbows! They won’t be useful against a lump of stone!”
Eugene’s mercenaries also wore grim expressions as they took up borrowed silver-plated spears.
As expected of a tribe that hunted monsters as part of daily life, they were well prepared to deal with magical beings.
“I’ll go too!”
Marbas hurriedly gathered his reagents and joined them.
Thunderous sounds kept coming from the battlefield, so they had no trouble finding Eugene without guidance.
“Oh, heavens!”
From a distance, they saw a lone knight fighting a massive monster wrapped in flames.
* * *
Boom!
The charging golem was struck in the neck by the long-handled flail. Its head plunged in the wrong direction, and it toppled over.
It had ignored dozens of arrows fired from powerful bows as if they only tickled.
But it had no way to withstand the large blunt weapon Eugene swung with both hands.
Boom!
Another blow landed, and shattered fragments of barding flew in every direction. Each piece of metal was on fire, creating a dazzling sight.
Not only the festival guards, but even the crowd watching from comparatively safe places looked overwhelmed.
A fiery beast in the shape of a horse. The sight of a knight standing boldly against it was truly magnificent.
Strictly speaking, it was a burning golem, but very few people knew the full story.
‘Why aren’t they running away?’
Eugene was growing anxious. Instead of evacuating, the noncombatants kept gathering in greater numbers.
Then Eugene noticed the golem’s ankles and shins. Those thin, unarmored parts looked particularly inviting.
‘Come to think of it, real horses are famous for having weak lower legs too.’
The long-handled flail, which had seemed to be aiming for the torso, abruptly changed course and struck low.
Crack!
A loud sound came from its front leg, and the golem staggered badly.
Crunch!
Another blow struck before it could recover, breaking its front leg.
Cheers rose from every direction as the violently rampaging creature dropped to its knees.
The festival-goers had crept closer and were now shouting. Some were even drinking and cheering him on.
‘Are these people insane?!’
They were a race that loved watching fights, but this was too much.
In a human city, people would scream and run if even a single hobgoblin appeared. What was this place?
“Cease fire!”
As Eugene began circling the golem, the guard warriors also stopped firing.
The enraged golem tried to turn its upper body to follow Eugene’s movements, but it could not keep up with only three legs.
Crunch!
One of its hind legs was struck by the long-handled flail and broke, causing its heavy body to collapse sideways.
Eugene approached the creature as it writhed on the ground.
Krrrreeek!
The golem glared at Eugene with burning eyes, so he swung the long-handled flail twice.
Thud! Thud!
Its head shook violently from side to side, as though it had been slapped by the palm of a god, scattering stone fragments.
Boom!
The golem slammed its face into the ground. Its body was still twitching, so it had not been completely destroyed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Eugene did not approach carelessly. Instead, he repeatedly struck its head with the long-handled flail to make sure it was dead.
“Ugh...”
“It looks dead already.”
The surrounding warriors whispered among themselves, but none dared step forward and tell him to stop.
The moment the golem’s head was completely crushed, Eugene felt the elemental spirit being expelled with a scream.
As Eugene wiped the sweat from his forehead, the Black Hand Tribe’s warriors arrived.
“You beat up and destroyed a golem this large?”
Marbas looked back and forth between Eugene and the burning golem with a bewildered expression.
The dented long-handled flail did not give off any magical power. It was, at least for now, an ordinary weapon.
“Stones break when you hit them.”
“W-well, that is true.”
The summoner scratched the back of his head as the knight spoke as though it were obvious.
Footnotes:
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