WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Wandering Knight and the Moving Castle ◈
Chapter 89: Time of Purification (3)
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Traveling from the Wandering Castle to Northfork was difficult, but the return trip was easy.
“It’s enough to send scouts ahead to watch for monster attacks. There’s no need to range far in search of a route.”
Eugene gave his orders to the Black Hand Tribe scouts lined up before him.
“Will that really be all right? Once you lose your way in this barren land, it’s difficult to find your way back.”
Rex gazed worriedly toward the horizon. For people with nomadic blood in their veins, this was the kind of place they dreaded most.
There was nothing to use as a landmark, and the sandstorms made it easy to lose one’s way.
There were no water sources either, so an army could collapse like a sandcastle without fighting a single battle.
“I could find the castle with my eyes closed and ears covered. Just keep going that way.”
Eugene calmly pointed in one direction.
“To us, it all looks like the same wasteland.”
“May I ask how you can be so certain?”
The tribe scouts asked carefully.
It was not because they distrusted Eugene. They asked because they hoped his connection with the Wandering Castle truly was one of fate.
“It’s like a dream. Everyone has probably walked through a distant foreign land in their dreams, swum through the sea, or looked down upon the world from a mountaintop.”
“Of course. I’ve flown through the sky like a bird before.”
The tribe scouts added a word or two each, laughing softly. In an era with little entertainment, dreams were fine diversions and stories to share.
“What happens when you wake up?”
“You open your eyes in bed.”
“That’s the relationship between the castle and me. No matter how far you travel in a dream, when you wake, your soul returns to the body in bed. In the same way, I can always tell where the castle is.”
One soul, two bodies.
Just as a compass always points north, Eugene could clearly sense the Wandering Castle’s presence.
“Remarkable!”
“It really is amazing.”
They were warriors who knew nothing of magic, but they seemed to understand the bond between Eugene and the castle well enough. They were delighted that their faith had been right.
Rex watched them with satisfaction before speaking.
“Since the castle appeared, the factions seeking cities or unexplored lands have sharply decreased. More than half the tribe now thinks as we do.”
Only a year ago, barely anyone believed the Wandering Castle was the cradle. Rex himself had not believed it.
“That is tremendous progress.”
“Anyone who sees that castle has no choice but to change, whether they feel a pull of fate or mistake their greed for one.”
The human nobles had not been the only ones staring up at the castle on the Rostok Plains, burning with the desire to explore and conquer.
The Wandering Castle itself carried the scent of treasure, captivating all who saw it and setting their desires ablaze.
Just then, a messenger arrived from those who had departed earlier on a special mission.
“Sir Knight. We found the marked trees you mentioned and fulfilled the oath.”
“Good work.”
They had found the two trees that had shown kindness to Eugene, Varda, and Homi.
They carefully dug around the roots to avoid harming them, then filled the ground with quality soil and fertilizer. They gave the trees more than ten times as much water as Eugene’s group had received.
The landscaper who had gone with them removed dead branches, while the laborers thoroughly cleared away any parasitic insects.
After hearing the detailed report, Varda sighed.
“Is it done now?”
“Yes. You can sleep soundly from today onward.”
“I’m still uneasy. What if something was lacking, or they treated the wrong trees? I want to check for myself.”
Eugene worried that Varda might suffer the consequences of breaking her oath. If they had not been so busy, he would have gone himself.
“Do you think my men would carry out your orders carelessly? If you’re truly concerned, you can check again after this operation is over.”
“Still, it was an oath made in Varda’s name...”
“A mage’s oath is troublesome, but convenient in some ways. When making a deal with something without a soul, as in this case, it is my conscience that determines whether it has been fulfilled. As long as I have a clear conscience, magic will not be harmed even if there is a delay in keeping the promise.”
Of course, that did not mean she took promises lightly.
Feeling much more at ease, Eugene looked over the marching forces.
The human heavy infantry advanced out of respect for their employer, hopes of profit, and a spirit of adventure.
The Dark Elf warriors burned with a sense of duty toward their people’s future.
The Hammer Brotherhood marched silently with the stubborn professionalism unique to dwarves.
Their reasons differed, but everyone’s morale was high.
Eugene spoke especially often with the dwarves who had recently joined them.
“I heard much about you from Torim.”
The centurion’s name was Rampage. Since he used a nickname, he seemed to be a mercenary with a story of his own.
Unusually large for a dwarf, he had crushed countless shields and enemies with a two-handed warhammer over a meter long.
His nickname, Rampage, was merely praise for his combat ability. By nature, he was a typical dwarf warrior, loyal to his employer.
“You know Torim?”
“We’re from the same hometown. We both ran away for our own reasons.”
Rampage made a motion as though gripping something with both hands, then repeatedly slammed it forward.
“He was so obsessed with battering rams, but thanks to you, Sir Knight, he finally got his wish. It was the first time I’d seen him smile so freely.”
Eugene had come to highly value the Black Hand Tribe’s skirmishing ability, but the pinnacle of the mercenary world was still the dwarves.
Unlike humans, who often thought of fleeing first when things went wrong, dwarves were naturally steadfast in battle. They also did not cause conflicts with employers or other units, as Dark Elves and centaurs sometimes did.
They were solid in both attack and defense, skilled at building fortifications and making repairs, and were an all-purpose warrior group sought by every noble.
“I never thought I’d see our hammers shine silver.”
Rampage and the veteran soldiers had their hammers silver-plated at Northfork’s smithy.
“As I told you when we made the contract, most of our enemies will be undead or things like them. Once you strike them with those hammers, it’ll be quite a sight.”
“I only hope they’re tougher than skeletons.”
Their force was so formidable that lesser monsters did not dare attack them.
As they crossed the wasteland in a straight line, the mercenaries’ chatter suddenly stopped.
“T-There!”
A vague shape appeared at the edge of the horizon. The enormous silhouette, too vast for even the sandstorm to hide, possessed an uncanny power that drew everyone’s gaze.
“It looks even more like a ship from far away.”
“You’re right. Is that what the ark the priest told us about looked like?”
The majesty of the ancient stone structure was already overwhelming, but the wasteland made it even more striking.
A castle stood like a mirage in a place where no castle could possibly exist. That sight gripped their hearts.
It truly was a magical castle.
“I swear on my beard, I’ve never seen a castle that looked sturdier than this.”
“How did the ancients build something like this?”
The immortal structures left behind by the Ancient Kingdom held special meaning for dwarves, who were born builders. A relic like the Wandering Castle could easily be called sacred ground.
The enormous castle gates were tightly shut. Everyone stared wide-eyed as Eugene rode toward them alone.
When Eugene held out his hand, the gates responded.
Clunk.
The sturdy gates that had not budged no matter how hard challengers in Rostok struggled swung wide open. The castle’s interior, hidden for so long it had become legend, was revealed to all.
Gulp.
Though they had not fought yet, Rex and the tribe warriors felt their hearts race at the sight.
“Shield-bearers and pikemen, forward.”
At Eugene’s command, the heavy infantry stepped up.
As trained, they formed a shield wall at the front, while soldiers holding silver-plated pikes took their places behind it.
The dwarves carrying hammers prepared to rush wherever a gap formed and crush the enemies’ heads.
The tribe warriors with bows also gripped quivers full of silver arrows, their fighting spirit rising.
* * *
The moment they entered the Wandering Castle, everyone felt the air change.
The dry, dusty smell of the wasteland vanished, replaced by clean air with a pleasant coolness and humidity that filled their lungs.
“A ventilation system?”
“But there’s no operating sound, and I can’t see any rotating blades.”
The dwarves, well versed in engineering, looked around and whispered.
“This is the power of magic.”
Marbas spoke after reading the mysterious energy flowing through the castle walls.
“This is truly a living building. It’s on another level from how it looked outside. This vitality, this warmth, this mystery. At last, my wish is fulfilled.”
Marbas’s eyes filled with tears. Thirty years had passed since he first set foot in the mysteries of the Otherworld. He had finally arrived at the party that had been sending him invitations all that time.
“Be careful not to destroy the lights during battle.”
Above them, where Eugene pointed, magical lights were arranged in rows. Their clear white glow illuminated the castle’s interior far more brightly than torches or candles ever could.
“Of course.”
“We’ll value them more than our own lives.”
“Calm down. You don’t need to go that far.”
Eugene gave a bitter smile at the tribe warriors’ determined responses.
Yet they were sincere. Those lights would become a second sun, illuminating their people through the long years ahead.
They would be lamps for the tribe elders whose eyes were growing dim, and for the children they would one day have.
Beyond the gates lay a hall spacious enough to hold the entire army with room to spare.
Everyone grew tense when they saw bloodstains and traces of battle scattered across the floor.
“As you heard in the briefing, the battle traces here were left when monsters were released into the Demon Realm Forest.”
Eugene entered on horseback, holding a long-handled flail for the first time in a while.
To move through the allied formation and support the battle wherever needed, riding a horse and swinging the long-handled flail was the best approach.
Jingle.
The mercenaries at the front looked reassured when they heard the familiar sound of chains above their heads.
“It’s reassuring to know Sir Knight is behind us.”
“As long as I can hear that sound, I don’t think we can lose any battle.”
The mercenaries spoke without taking their eyes off the front.
Eugene’s long-handled flail had also been silver-plated. The three viciously linked maces gleamed silver, carrying the imposing presence of a calamity for every evil being in the world.
“Stay alert. While I was escaping, the intruders inside the castle pursued us as far as this hall. We can’t see them yet, but battle won’t be far off.”
They had managed to escape only because the doors were shut in time. Still, the creatures were certainly waiting somewhere close to the hall.
“Kieeeek-!”
As if in answer, an ugly shriek flew toward them. The smell of rot and an even fouler evil energy poured in from beyond the hall.
One mercenary unconsciously muttered when they saw the enemies they had to fight.
“Demons.”
Even veteran mercenaries with great experience fighting monsters had trembling voices before enemies they had never seen in their lives.
They walked on two legs, but unlike other monsters, they had no fur. Their skin was as ugly as the gnarled old trees that might stand outside a witch’s house.
Skull-like faces, eyes gleaming with malice, and disorderly teeth that seemed to exist not to eat, but to inflict pain.
“Oh, God.”
If there were a race of bone and flesh molded solely from endless malice, they would look like that.
Those demons had died and risen as Wights, making them several times more disgusting.
“Get yourselves together! Demon or not, they’re already dead! They’re softer, weaker, and stupider than they were alive!”
At the roar of Rampage, the dwarf centurion, the human heavy infantry tightened their grip on weapons and shields.
They felt ashamed of having been intimidated, even for a moment. What did they have to fear as part of such a powerful army?
‘As expected of dwarves.’
Eugene admired the strong warriors, who did not waver in the slightest.
There was a reason dwarves were recognized as the only infantry capable of enduring a knight’s charge.
“My resting place and my other half.”
As if answering Eugene’s words, a spiritual resonance spread throughout the entire castle.
Even ordinary warriors who knew nothing of magic could tell that the indescribable resonance held the joy of welcoming them.
“Spread our scent. Let the pests nesting in every corner of you crawl out here.”
At that moment, the dwarves sensed the direction of the air in the hall changing through their beards.
Marbas and Varda also felt some of the mysterious energy that had flowed along the inner walls like a river being blocked off, while other currents opened.
“He truly is the Castle Lord.”
The dwarves and Marbas looked at Eugene with awe.
They had seen lords sit upon thrones, looking down arrogantly at those before them. Yet at this moment, all of them seemed insignificant.
He communicated directly with the castle and controlled even the flow of air with a few words. This was surely the authority of a true Castle Lord.
“Grrrrrrr-.”
“Kirik-.”
The Wights gathering beyond the hall included various kinds of demons, including imps.
There was also living armor possessed by the restless souls of ancients who had died within the castle, along with evil spirits flying through the air in vague forms.
Undead were not the only enemies Eugene’s army had to fight. Living monsters were mixed among them as well.
“Grrrrr-.”
Ghouls born with the corpses of demons and monsters as their wombs salivated at the smell of fresh flesh.
‘It’s about time to begin.’
Eugene raised a spear.
To make the most of the army he had brought, they needed to form a defensive formation in a wide space like this hall.
Defeating enemies one by one was an appealing option, but there was a reason he had deliberately lured them out by using the castle’s ventilation system.
Even so, it would be troublesome if too many enemies gathered. It was time to clear them out.
Whoosh!
The powerful thrown spear pierced two Wights at the front, dropping them together.
That broke the thread of tension that had barely held.
“Kraaaaaah!”
With the Ghoul’s roar, over a hundred monsters of evil charged toward Eugene’s army.
Thud!
Dozens of large shields slammed into the floor and held firm.
The silver pikes that had pointed toward the ceiling lowered at once, aiming forward.
“There will be no retreat! Drive these evil beings from the world!”
“This is our chance to add our names to our ancestors’ great battles!”
The Hammer Brotherhood raised their weapons as one.
Dwarves were blessed by God and born with resistance to evil. The demons crawling out of Hell did not inspire fear in them, only greater fighting spirit.
That was one reason Eugene had brought them into this battle.
“Everyone in our tribe will envy those of us standing here forever.”
All the tribe warriors, including Rex, nocked silver arrows to their bowstrings.
Tremble.
They were all ready to fight bravely, but the trembling pikeheads and arrowheads here and there could not be helped.
It was only natural for people to instinctively fear demons.
“...”
Homi, who had nocked a silver arrow, felt her heart tingle.
Her instincts, shaped by the blood of battle flowing through her, told her that she had something else to do now. For beastkin, following their instincts was very easy.
Whoooooong!
Homi’s battle cry echoed through the castle.
It was a clear resonance that seemed to pass through everyone’s armor and skin, reaching even their souls.
“...!”
“...!”
The trembling pikeheads and arrowheads steadied at once.
It was the moment warriors of different races, lives, and ways of thinking became one united army.
Flash!
Was the castle also delighted by the fateful moment it had awaited for so long?
As though praying for the warriors’ fortune in battle, the lights behind them shone with tremendous brilliance.
“Kieek?!”
The charging Ghouls shrieked as the light struck their eyes, while even the Wights, who felt no pain, stumbled over their own feet.
Though they were fighting inside the castle, the warriors felt as though they were defending it from behind its walls.
Everyone realized that the blessing of the living castle was with them.
“For victory!”
That swept away even the last speck of unease remaining in the warriors’ hearts.
Footnotes:
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