WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
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◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈
Chapter 85: Transmission
──────
When Eugene reached out, rings resembling an armillary sphere began to rotate.
The small sphere at the center stretched as though pulled in every direction, and dozens of cracks spread across its surface.
Immense mystery poured from those cracks, radiating intense light. It was like the birth of a young sun.
[Where do you wish to go?]
“...!”
Korean, a language Eugene had not heard in nearly twenty years, echoed in his mind.
The Wandering Castle had learned the language engraved deep within its master's soul.
It was the first language Eugene had learned, the language through which he had poured out love and rage, the language that had shaped much of his identity.
Korean was the only scar etched into his inviolable soul, a soul that had endured even the heat and cold of Hell.
Two bodies. One soul.
Naturally, the body followed the language of the soul.
Now, the Wandering Castle's interface had also adopted its master's native tongue.
“I never thought I'd hear Korean again.”
Eugene smiled at the unexpected experience. To him, it was a reward more moving than gold or jewels.
Kuuuu.
As his concentration slipped, the core lost the image Eugene had formed.
The rotation slowed, and the sphere, swollen by its power, shrank. The cracks closed, and the mystery leaking out weakened.
“Damn it!”
Eugene gathered himself and pictured a single place again, the western forest of Kingdom's End, where he had grown up.
He had seen that vast forest more than a thousand times, climbing the mountains with his mother as a child and with Homi as an adult. It was a green coliseum where countless wild creatures devoured and were devoured.
The number of creatures killing and being killed there each day would make human wars look laughable.
“Let's go. Let's bring meat and slaughter to that place.”
[Beyond your past memories.]
The core shone as it fixed upon the clear image.
“Warn them before we leave. The people outside need time to retreat too.”
The core politely accepted the additional command.
* * *
The first sign of transmission was an itch. The people surrounding the castle felt a tremor, as though the soles of their feet were tingling.
“An earthquake?”
The dwarves preparing to breach the castle gate were the first to react.
- “Oh! You finally came.”
- “Thank you for calling us, Count. I'm Torim, the representative.”
They were the dwarf craftsmen who had made the battering ram for Roxanne's army.
- “I heard you developed the new battering ram that smashed through Cordon Castle's gates.”
- “Well... we made it, but the knight who worked with us was the truly amazing one.”
Their fame from that time had spread, earning them an invitation here as well.
The dwarves had all left battering-ram work and become weapons and armor manufacturers.
Still, how could they refuse a request to make a battering ram capable of breaking down an ancient castle gate?
The pay was generous, and Torim's blood had boiled with excitement. He gathered his companions and rushed to Rostok at once.
Now, though, every dwarf instinct screamed at him to stop working and run.
“Everyone, get out! This isn't an ordinary earthquake!”
At Torim's shout, the dwarves threw down their materials and ran.
“Boss! The air feels different!”
“Not just the air! The pressure is fluctuating too!”
Dwarves were sensitive to sudden environmental changes. They were the only primates capable of sensing through their beards, much like a cat's whiskers.
That was why they could navigate dark mines so well despite lacking the darkvision of elves. They could sense signs of cave-ins and changes in oxygen levels with uncanny precision.
Human blacksmiths could only rely on the feel of their hands and what they saw when forging steel, but dwarves were different.
They sensed the reverberations of a hammer striking metal through their beards. With hundreds of additional sensory points in their beards, they could perfectly grasp the condition of the metal.
Their beards played as great a role as their skillful hands in why dwarves were regarded as natural blacksmiths.
“Why are the dwarves suddenly... Agh!”
A veteran mercenary slapped the back of a rookie's head.
“Shut up and follow them, idiot!”
“Run!”
Seeing the fleeing dwarves, the mercenaries and knights ran as well.
If a dwarf suddenly starts running, don't ask questions. Run after them.
It was a saying shared by every adventurer.
Once the people around the castle had retreated far enough, they felt their hair stand on end from static electricity.
“Look at that!”
Kiiiiing.
The enormous castle rippled violently, as though trapped in a heat haze.
Flash!
Paaang!
A flash of light burst forth, followed by a sharp boom that spread across the plains. A huge bolt of lightning shot from the ground into the sky, and the Wandering Castle vanished in an instant.
* * *
Kingdom's End was the final village in the southwestern part of the continent.
The villagers called the forest stretching west of it the Demon Realm.
After one minute inside, sunlight disappeared. After five minutes, growls could be heard. After ten minutes, predators' gazes could be felt from every direction.
Five hundred kilometers into the Demon Realm from its entrance, a group of Orcs gathered, breathing heavily.
“Blood smell. Spread far.”
Even as they surrounded a deer they had just hunted, they looked around in fear rather than greed.
Orcs had a habit of roasting their prey over fire.
They possessed decent intelligence for monsters, along with knowledge passed down through tribal life. Thanks to that, they knew cooked meat provided more calories.
But the Orcs of the Demon Realm tore into raw meat without such luxuries. Slowly roasting prey here and filling the air with its scent would be madness.
“Eat. Now.”
At their chief's words, the Orcs dropped down and buried their faces in the deer.
The tender yet chewy organs belonged to the chief. After that, according to rank, they sank their teeth into the belly, tenderloin, ribs, forelegs, neck, and hind legs.
“Hurry. Here. Green devil. Hunting ground.”
The Orc chief spoke through a mouth covered in blood.
They had found an injured deer by chance and pursued it, only to enter a troll's territory. They needed to eat quickly and escape.
But speak of the devil, and he will appear.
“Kuhek!”
An Orc tearing at the meat was struck in the back by a rock flying from somewhere and collapsed.
The troll had approached low to the ground into a headwind, then launched a surprise attack.
“Trooooll!”
The Orcs cried out in terror, abandoning their meal and running.
An Orc was slightly smaller than a human, barely reaching a troll's navel. The difference in size was hopeless, and the troll's wounds healed in an instant.
A fight between the two species was impossible from the start. Since ancient times, they had been prey and predator, as determined by the laws of nature.
“Gruur!”
The subordinate whose spine had been broken by the rock grabbed the chief's ankle, begging to be saved.
Slice!
The chief answered by chopping off the subordinate's wrist with an axe.
The fleeing Orcs looked relieved. Their stomachs were fairly full, and their abandoned companion would draw the troll's attention.
But they were mistaken.
Apparently unsatisfied with a half-eaten deer and one Orc, the troll picked up its club and chased after them.
The Orcs were unfamiliar with the area because it was someone else's hunting ground, and they had fled toward the river. The troll had no intention of missing its chance to secure a large supply of meat.
The Orcs were exhausted from pursuing their prey, and the troll was faster. The distance quickly closed.
“Gwooor!”
The Orcs screamed at the sight of an open clearing beyond the dense trees, a gravel bank, and a river blocking their escape.
The troll smiled in satisfaction. More enjoyable than chewing meat was confirming its own strength.
The troll stopped behind the Orcs who had halted before the river. It wanted to slowly savor the sight of their despair.
Then it happened.
Crackle!
Static suddenly sparked in the clear sky, and a strange wind swept through the area.
Thud!
A wild pigeon fell from the sky between the troll and the Orcs.
“...?”
“Grruk?”
Both sides forgot the seriousness of the situation for a moment and looked up at the sky.
Flap flap flap!
Every wild pigeon nearby took flight at once, creating a spectacular sight.
Yet they staggered through the air as if drunk, unable to regain their senses.
When one flew toward the troll, it swung its club.
Boom!
The wild pigeon burst apart, leaving behind countless feathers and a red mist.
Crackle!
Pure white lightning began striking from the clear sky. Several bolts struck the forest and river, then began pounding the clearing.
Even the troll and Orcs, who had witnessed countless storms, had never seen anything like it.
The final bolt of lightning painted the world white, and a powerful wind swept in every direction. The trees shook wildly, and tens of thousands of pebbles rolled across the ground.
“Gruur!”
“Grruk?”
The Orcs dropped their weapons, prostrated themselves, and prayed to the sky. They believed the god of storms had descended.
They desperately prayed that the god's wrath would pass over them and save them from this crisis.
Flash!
Paaang!
With a flash and thunderous boom, an enormous castle descended.
The troll was startled by the shadow that swallowed it in an instant. It almost thought the sun had disappeared.
Kuuuuung.
As the fierce wind died down, the massive castle gate slowly opened with a heavy groan.
The Orcs, who had covered their heads and crouched down, cautiously raised their heads.
Blink.
One pair of red eyes glowed in the pitch-black darkness beyond the gate. It became two pairs, then soon grew to four.
“Kyarrrr.”
At the evil growls, the Orcs' coarse fur stood on end.
Black tongues licked their lips at the smell of meat drifting in from outside. Fang-like teeth reflected the light.
The Orcs wet themselves at the sight of the beings in the darkness licking their lips at them.
“Kwaaar.”
The troll, on the other hand, roared with fighting spirit.
The Orcs' fear was a tribute that should have belonged to it. As a predator, it was enraged by the intruders who had taken that tribute away.
As it charged with its huge club, four demons leaped from the castle gate to meet it.
They had skull-like faces and black bodies, jagged teeth, and red eyes full of malice. They were imps, the demon race Eugene's group had fought in the Wandering Castle's corridors.
* * *
“Incredible.”
Varda and Homi greeted Eugene before the large window connected to the audience chamber.
They knew the castle could transcend space. Experiencing it firsthand was another matter entirely.
The plains overlooking the Inland Sea had vanished, and they had suddenly arrived in the middle of a vast forest. The two women stared wide-eyed.
Wheeeet!
Homi pointed toward one spot.
A bloodied troll was struggling there. Three imps lay dead in a mangled heap at its feet.
The last imp clung to the troll's back, tearing at its neck. Like lovers entwined in an embrace, its arms and legs tightly wrapped around the troll's body.
The troll tried to pull it off, but its arms could not reach. It changed tactics and slammed its back into the ground with all its weight.
Thud!
“Kuhek!”
The imp screamed.
The troll cleverly fell only where rocks protruded from the ground.
Thud! Thud!
After doing it twice more, the imp could no longer endure and fell away.
The troll immediately took the mount position and rained punches down on it.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The imp's nose collapsed, and its eyeballs burst. Several teeth were lodged in the troll's clenched fingers.
“Shieek.”
With all its teeth shattered and on the verge of death, the imp released its final breath.
Crunch!
The troll crushed its skull with one final blow and roared in victory. Most of the wounds covering its body had already healed.
“As expected of a troll. Even when attacked by several at once, it's useless unless they have the strength to finish it in one blow.”
“I've never fought one, but I understand why it's troublesome. It fought so fiercely, yet it bears no wounds.”
Physically weaker humans preferred fighting monsters in rotation. They accumulated minor injuries until the monster grew exhausted and collapsed.
But that method did not work against trolls. Soldiers and mercenaries could not wear them down, so knights had to step in from the start.
Their numbers were also high among medium-sized monsters. Naturally, they were regarded as one of the monsters most responsible for killing knights.
“This place holds dangers beyond comparison with the Emerald Forest. To be able to observe such a perilous place in comfort... it is truly an astonishing power.”
Varda wrapped her arms around her shoulders as she gazed down at the Demon Realm Forest.
Her toes curled, and her breathing trembled. A tingling sensation rising from her lower abdomen spread through every nerve in her body.
The noble elf mage trembled at an omnipotence she had never felt in her life.
“Do you know of the divine right of kings?”
“A king is a ruler sent down to earth by the gods, so his authority is sacred and inviolable. A legitimate royal house is the one and only bridge between the gods and all people. Something along those lines, right?”
“...You explained it in far greater detail than I had planned.”
Varda gave a hollow laugh, feeling as though she had been taught instead.
“Many royal houses claim the divine right of kings. It is common for them to present a great sacred relic or an equivalent treasure as proof.”
“And when they don't have one, they just vaguely insist their bloodline is sacred.”
“Yes. Yet any treasure or bloodline feels insignificant before true power. To me, this castle is such a thing.”
Height and safety had symbolized the powerful since ancient times.
To look safely upon even the Demon Realm Forest from higher than any other castle, could there be greater authority in the world?
“It's not as all-powerful as it looks. I learned that while transmitting. It has severe restrictions.”
“What restrictions?”
Varda perked up her ears, curious about the ancient magic.
Homi, who had no interest in it, watched the troll trudge back into the forest with regret.
“It needs a wide plain, of course, and a clear image.”
“Surely you've been to this forest?”
“Come on. Of course not.”
Even Eugene in his current heavy armor could not say how long he would survive if dropped into that forest.
Daytime would be one thing, but the darkness and drowsiness of night were difficult for even a great knight to overcome.
“When I was young, I climbed the mountain countless times and looked out over the vast western forest.”
“This forest lies beyond the one you saw.”
“That is true.”
Since they had traveled this far, the castle apparently allowed some flexibility.
“And there must be no human souls around the destination.”
“Then it cannot appear directly beside a city or village. What a strange condition.”
“The castle is afraid. It is terrified of transmitting to a place where human souls are gathered.”
Imagine the space of the present world as a place where countless bubbles had piled up.
Transmission was like sliding along the boundary where two bubbles touched.
The Wandering Castle absolutely refused to enter a bubble filled with human souls.
“I can roughly guess why.”
Eugene remembered what Marbas had told him.
- “If I tasted the entrance to Hell and fled, then this castle must have returned from the very end of Hell. It must have been torn apart by a horrific space I cannot even imagine.”
“You remember the castle's surface, don't you?”
“Of course. It was scorched and broken all over. An Ancient Kingdom structure that would not so much as flinch after being struck by ballista bolts or catapult stones.”
Transmission into a space where human souls gathered.
It seemed to remind the castle of splashing into Hell long ago.
A puppy whose nose was bitten by a mole after sticking it into a burrow will never look at a burrow again.
“It's strange for a structure, rather than a person, to suffer trauma, but we should understand.”
Eugene shrugged.
“There are many other large and small restrictions as well.”
“Even so, it remains an incredible power.”
“For now, I'm like a princess locked in a castle.”
“True. You've only killed four imps so far.”
Varda had been watching the castle gate the entire time, but no more monsters emerged.
“So how do you plan to drive out the monsters inside?”
“What can no armor block, no nimble movement dodge, and even drive someone with firm patience mad?”
“I don't know. I'm not good at riddles.”
Eugene grinned at Varda's troubled expression.
“Heat.”
Eugene gestured around them with both hands.
“After completing the transmission here, I turned the castle's heating to its maximum setting. In an hour, it will be hot enough to feel like they're being steamed alive.”
“Mmm.”
Homi, who was weak against heat, looked horrified just imagining it.
“With a cool forest and river right in front of them, do you think they'll stay inside?”
“So that is why you smiled so wickedly.”
It was certainly an effective method. It would drive the monsters from every corner of the castle of their own accord.
Then they would be torn to pieces in this vast forest, like mice overwhelmed by army ants.
“There's nothing we can do about the undead, but cleaning will be much easier if we can at least get rid of the living monsters.”
Footnotes:
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