WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
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◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈
Chapter 69: Northern Debut (1)
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“This is the first time we’ve formed such a deep pact rather than a one-time mercenary contract.”
“I seem to be taking quite a few firsts from your family.”
Rex laughed at Eugene’s joke.
“We needed a relay base as well. Northfork is in an excellent location. It’ll be easy to exchange information and resources.”
“Why haven’t you secured a suitable base until now? Even without settling down, I imagine plenty of nobles would’ve offered you favorable terms.”
Despite refusing every time, the tribe was not uncommonly offered marriage alliances by lords.
That was unusual for a wandering mercenary group, no matter how large it was. It showed just how formidable the tribe was.
“Because they are insignificant. Wolves cannot mingle in pens with pigs and sheep.”
Rex folded his arms, his eyes filled with the contempt one might show a rain-soaked sewer rat.
“And they have so much hair, not to mention the stench.”
Eugene had bathed with the tribal warriors during the festival. They had all been smooth-skinned, and he was the only one who shaved his beard.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of one of our tribespeople embracing a body like that.”
“S-Sir Rex!”
When the accompanying warrior nervously glanced at Eugene, Rex waved a hand.
“Ah! Naturally, Sir Knight is excluded. The sweat shed by a great warrior is the lingering scent of valor.”
“What about hair?”
“You cannot treat a sewer rat’s whiskers and a lion’s mane the same way.”
“Pfft!”
As expected of Chieftain Alesa’s nephew, Rex was a budding politician with a silver tongue.
“From now on, you can insult humans freely. It must be tiring to add, ‘Except for Sir Knight,’ every time.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to say that. See? There’s no need to be so tense.”
Whenever Eugene grew accustomed to Rex’s polite yet friendly manner toward him, Rex would show this cold side of himself.
That was why Eugene realized that Rex was a proud Dark Elf. He did not dislike Rex’s two-faced attitude.
‘It seems I’ve grown quite attached to these people too.’
Whenever he encountered that sort of favoritism, joy and pride welled up somewhere inside him.
“By the way, how do you like your new weapon? Our blacksmith put some real skill into it.”
“I like it very much.”
Clink.
Eugene lifted the new long-handled flail he had received as a gift. Its striking head, like three maces joined together, looked utterly vicious.
His old iron club had been badly damaged while smashing apart the golem. The tribe had provided precious rare metal at just the right time.
“I’m truly looking forward to seeing you swing that on the battlefield.”
Rattle.
The three maces were not fixed together but separated by chains.
“It should make it easier to strike over shields or sweep at ankles by surprise.”
“The blacksmith understood me well. Unpredictable attacks are this weapon’s greatest strength.”
Its killing power was one thing, but it would also do wonders for frightening the enemy.
Death could fall at any moment, whether they kept their distance or raised their shields.
That fact alone would disrupt enemy shields, gazes, and formations whenever Eugene was nearby. For Eugene, a field commander rather than an ordinary knight, it was an enormous advantage.
“Preparations for boarding are complete.”
Two tribal knights approached and reported.
They were among those who had challenged Eugene during the festival and been utterly defeated. One was a master spearman, while the other carried a two-handed sword across his back.
“A two-handed sword. It’s a fine weapon.”
Eugene had always been personally interested in the weapon. With his prodigious strength, he could wield a two-handed sword in one hand.
He had even considered unusual armaments, pairing one with a shield or carrying two two-handed swords at once.
“The most dangerous enemy on a battlefield is the one who uses a trick you’ve never seen before. The second most dangerous is the one who uses a weapon with long reach.”
It was exactly the sort of teaching his master Gopri often repeated.
For now, though, he had a more effective set of weapons: the long-handled flail at a distance, and an Aether-forged sword and shield up close. So he was not considering it.
“It cannot compare to the enormous flail you use, Sir Knight. I’ve never seen a weapon modified into something so grotesque.”
“Among us, calling a weapon grotesque is praise. Please don’t misunderstand.”
Rex hurriedly added that, worried Eugene might take offense.
“It’s all right. Even if you called it an evil weapon, I’d take it as a compliment.”
Viewing grotesque weapons as praise seemed to be a custom from their days as an assassination group.
“I would’ve liked to bring along all those who challenged you and have them accompany us, but we’ve been far too busy.”
Separate from its regular mercenary work, the Black Hand Tribe was busy investigating the identity of the cradle spoken of in the prophecy.
They were gathering information from across the continent, hiring adventurers to explore uncharted lands, and even spying on the Emperor’s search for the Wandering Castle.
“Sir Eugene obtained a key from the Guardian of an Ancient Kingdom ruin. It must be related to the Wandering Castle. The dream he had on the day of the eclipse must also have been fate’s guidance.”
After hearing Marbas’s story, Alesa and the elders could not dismiss the thought that the castle might truly be their cradle.
“We are departing!”
At the sailor’s shout, the ship cut through the current and headed toward Northfork.
‘Is this what it feels like to return home?’
This feeling of returning to where he belonged. He had forgotten it for far too long while living in the monastery after leaving his cabin.
It was not an unpleasant feeling.
* * *
That winter, the sound of hammers never stopped in Northfork.
Workers and materials constantly crossed the fief as a wooden palisade fortress was built for the tribe to stay and train in.
Near the harbor, workshops were set up to make arrows. Along the river, rows of racks were installed to make dried fish into rations.
The tension that had filled the fief when the famously warlike tribal warriors first poured in quickly faded.
The tribe built its fortress in a place where it could watch the surroundings without causing trouble, then patrolled the area. The people felt safe under their protection.
Even though the fief was peaceful, the outside world was in chaos. Near the end of winter, northern Roman was swept up in fresh turmoil.
“Pirates from the Inland Sea have started raiding?”
“The northern nobles were weakened by the brief but fierce civil war. This year is warmer as well, so the pirates are likely taking advantage of the opening early.”
Rex, who received information from his family, offered his advice.
“Not one of them has come down our way.”
“Sir Knight, your fief is well-defended, but word has also spread that our mercenary company is stationed here. What fool would dare attack?”
“That’s reassuring. Thanks to you, I can leave without worry.”
“I was actually about to ask where you planned to go next. I picked out several tempting candidates. What do you think?”
As if he had been waiting, Rex unfolded a map and pointed to several locations. The Black Hand Mercenary Company was no different when it came to turning into raiders if necessary.
Especially during a civil war like this, they could loot the opposing faction without much justification. How convenient was that?
However, when a nearby lord sent an envoy, Eugene realized the pirates were not a simple problem.
* * *
“So they aren’t ordinary pirates. They are acting at the Emperor’s behest.”
“Noble lord of the north! Please, save us!”
The envoy had been sent by Baron Est of a neighboring fief.
“So privateers can operate like this because of the Inland Sea.”
Eugene was newly impressed by the Emperor’s skill and recklessness.
Using privateers was a strategy in which a king officially authorized and employed pirates to attack the merchant ships of enemy nations. It was a kind of naval mercenary contract.
As the name suggested, they usually operated at sea, but this continent was different. They could follow rivers branching from the Inland Sea and travel all the way into inland fiefs.
“The Emperor even granted titles to the pirate captains! He promised to appoint them as lords if they seized a fief!”
The envoy gritted their teeth, furious at such a despicable scheme.
“Have you requested aid from Duke Ismar?”
“Yes. But honestly, it’ll be difficult. He isn’t in a position to spare forces either...”
Duke Ismar was the great lord who represented the Noble Faction in the north, as well as Baron Est’s liege.
Under normal circumstances, he should have led the campaign to suppress the pirates’ raids. Yet his own situation was not favorable.
He had suffered heavy losses in the fighting against the Imperial Faction. He was already overwhelmed just caring for the vassals closest to his own territory.
“I’ll give you my answer soon. Wait outside.”
“From the trial by combat in Gord and the suppression of bandits to the execution of an Imperial Guard Knight, my lord has praised your reputation countless times! Please extend to us the justice you have shown in saving those oppressed by injustice!”
Eugene sent away the envoy, who was practically prostrating themself before him.
“They’ve investigated me thoroughly. They seem desperate to get help somehow.”
Eugene smiled at Varda beside him. Ever since he became a lord, she had always joined him as an adviser during meetings like this.
“Will you join the war?”
“That’s what I intend to do. If the neighboring fiefs fall one by one, the consequences will reach us too.”
If he had to fight eventually, it was better to fight in someone else’s fief.
“My subordinates are itching for action as well, and there’s no harm in making the neighboring lords owe us.”
“If you help Baron Est, you can also win the favor of his liege, Duke Ismar.”
Building good relationships between lords was encouraged in any fief, but this tendency was particularly strong in the north.
It was easy for them to affect one another through waterways. If they strengthened ties when an opportunity arose, it would pay off in one form or another.
Besides, Roman customary law did not recognize the concept of battlefield possession.
If they suppressed raiders, they could claim all the wealth those raiders had gathered from everywhere. If one had confidence in one’s strength, joining the war was profitable regardless of justice.
Eugene began preparing to march. It would be his first expedition as a lord.
* * *
Preparing supplies was far easier than before. In the past, Eugene had needed to visit markets and gather everything one by one, but as a lord, he only needed to give instructions to those in charge.
Eugene’s role was to conduct the final inspection, and he paid the most attention to food.
“So this is the end of the dates.”
“We can still get them, but they’re too expensive. They cost more than four times what they did in Bonyard City.”
“Oh, heavens.”
A large pile of raisins lay before the mercenary captain and Eugene, both smacking their lips regretfully.
Now that their area of operation had shifted to northern Roman, raisins would provide the company’s sweetness from now on.
Large quantities of dried fish from Northfork’s abundant catches were also loaded onto wagons.
Fish jerky was flat, easy to transport, and nutritious. In urgent times, they could simply chew it, and when they had time, they could add it to soup and make stew. It was a far better ration than one might expect.
“Some are of somewhat poor quality, but with our skill, we’ll have no trouble using them.”
Rex nodded after checking the wagonloads of arrows from every angle.
As a trading town, Northfork received more than goods. It also received plenty of outside information. The residents knew that pirates were roaming nearby and that raids were rampant.
They even knew their lord was setting out on a preventive expedition to keep the flames of war from reaching their town. Eugene’s army left the town amid a grand farewell.
Altogether, they numbered around one hundred and twenty.
There was one summoner, one mage, and several knights. It was an overly luxurious army for a lord who possessed only one village.
Yet the Black Hand Mercenary Company was what made the force truly special.
“I finally understand why your mercenary company had such a fearsome reputation.”
“Most Dark Elves live a nomadic life as well.”
Unlike in Bonyard City, Rex rode a horse as he grinned. The subordinate warriors carrying bows did the same.
Mounted archers!
Dozens of warriors who embodied the nightmare of battle in the age of cold steel followed behind Eugene.
“I understand that you’re excited about battle and spoils, but don’t forget that we may need to turn back at any time.”
“Of course.”
Just as Eugene would receive the tribe’s aid if Northfork was invaded, he also had to cooperate if they found a clue to the cradle from the prophecy.
That matter was far more important to both sides than political gain or wealth.
Footnotes:
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