Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Bonyard (1)

After that, everything was peaceful.

Along the path, they walked while appreciating the chirping of mountain birds, the sound of leaves and foliage swaying in the wind, and the sound of flowing water.

Naturally, this was to be expected on the road from Bonyard City to Kingdom's End.

Just as the warm sunlight and peacefulness were starting to make the mercenaries yawn, they reached their destination.

"Sir Eugene. I sincerely welcome you to our city."

Bonyard (Born Yard).

A white city, originating from a massive quarry, unfolded before them.

Homi's tail wagged vigorously with anticipation. Eugene's heart was racing just as much.

"It may not be the greatest city, but it is a place where everyone takes pride and lives diligently."

"I have never been here, but I have heard much about it. It is the place that supplied stone for many of the Ancient Kingdom's constructions... and it is said to have water systems superior to most large cities, right?"

"You are well-informed."

Sorin was pleased.

While it was information that could be confirmed with just a little research, it sounded different when praised by a great knight.

"Yet, there is no smell of stone dust."

Eugene had worried about inhaling dust in a world without masks, but the city air was fresh.

"Mining for a living was in the past; now it has been transformed into a perfect commercial city."

In the distant past, there were two dynasties that had unified the entire continent.

The first was Luiamor, founded by elves. In their language, it meant 'First Favor'.

The second dynasty to unify was founded by humans, and it was simply called the Ancient Kingdom.

This was because the royal families of every nation claimed to be its descendants and used different names.

The Ancient Kingdom was inferior to Luiamor in every respect, but there was one thing in which it excelled.

It was stonemasonry.

The buildings and roads built in those days withstood the hardships of long years and always maintained an intact appearance.

"Our Bonyard is the place that provided the most stone to the Ancient Kingdom. In recognition of that merit, it was granted the title of the workshop that established the 'Root' (Born) of the kingdom. Where else could such glory be found?"

The guards protecting the city entrance recognized Sorin.

"Mr. Sorin? Are you back already?"

According to the original schedule, it would be around the time they had just arrived at Kingdom's End.

"I was lucky and was able to resolve the matter quickly."

"That is fortunate. You've worked hard. The city is safe as always!"

"Keep up the good work."

The guards only knew the direction, but they did not know for what business Sorin had gone out.

"The person who just passed by is a knight, right?"

"Yeah. The high-ranking officials go out frequently and keep bringing in knights from here and there."

"Isn't this going to be a war?"

"For that to be the case, there's no mercenary recruitment and the trade of military supplies is the same as usual. What on earth is it?"

Even as low-ranking guards, since there were things they saw and heard while guarding the main gate, they whispered uneasily.

Once past the city entrance, Eugene felt a sense of incongruity from all sides.

'The buildings are all... unique.'

This was because there were many places where the upper and lower parts of the buildings were unnaturally different. Not only in color, but even in shape and texture.

"Was there a big earthquake in the city? It looks like many places were rebuilt after being half-collapsed."

"No. There has never been an earthquake here. The buildings are strange for another reason."

Sorin spoke with a rueful face.

"As you know, this place was a quarry and became a city after the fall of the Ancient Kingdom. The problem is that when the kingdom disappeared, their stonemasonry was also lost."

"I see what you mean. You're saying it turned out like this because they added on using entirely different construction techniques upon the existing foundations?"

"That's right. As the root was a workshop, there were many structures without ceilings."

Sorin pointed out several reasonably large buildings one by one with his finger.

"Renovations were carried out, such as the outdoor worker recruitment site becoming the guards' quarters, and the stone drying yard becoming a large warehouse. As wealthy people moved in, one-story buildings were also expanded to two or three stories."

"So that's why the upper and lower parts of the buildings were different. However, was it not possible to just cleanly tear them down and build anew?"

Sorin waved his hand as if that were nonsense.

"They won't budge even if struck by siege weapons."

"That is truly amazing."

Even though he had heard that the Ancient Kingdom's stonemasonry was in the realm of the gods, he had thought there was some exaggeration Mixed in.

But at this level, wasn't it a level that even surpassed reinforced concrete?

* * *

"It was an honor to serve you, Sir Knight."

Beard bowed politely.

"I should be the one saying that. Thanks to you all, I traveled comfortably. It was a pleasure to share the first journey of my outing into the world."

"I hope for the day when I can work under you again, Sir Knight."

Eugene resisted the urge to shake Beard's hand. He was now the only successor left by the Prophetic Knight, and a knight served by Homi.

Even if he felt goodwill toward Beard, he had to maintain his dignity by maintaining an attitude of looking down upon him. That was the law of this world.

After parting with the mercenaries, Sorin guided Eugene.

"I know a place with a good tanner."

The Warg skin had been removed, cleaned, and filled with sand to prevent decay, but that was just a temporary measure. To use it properly, it had to undergo tanning.

Sorin knew from the conversation shared on the way that it hadn't been long since Eugene was knighted.

"I didn't realize it would be your first hunt since becoming a formal knight. In that case, we must commemorate it even more carefully. Since it will become the stepping stone for someone who will achieve great feats in the future."

He urged the tanner so much to pay special attention that Eugene, unable to bear it, had to step in and stop him.

Homi was also pleased. Unlike the backwater ruled by the Lord God faith, Beastkin were not rare here. There was no problem even if she went around with her tail exposed.

Sniff, sniff.

Her sharp nose responded continuously to the smells of various goods and food items.

"Sorin, it is the first time for both Homi and me to enter a city. We have things to prepare in our own way, so could you give us about two days?"

"Of course that's possible!"

Sorin also secretly wished for it, so he welcomed it with both hands.

Besides himself, several officials had left after receiving the task of inviting knights. Since they arrived earlier than expected amidst the bustle of preparing treats, there might be inadequacies.

Furthermore, having spent a few days together and having learned some things about Eugene, he would be able to prepare better treatment in two days.

It was just as well since Sorin, who had invited him, felt burdened about bringing it up, so he was only thankful that Eugene requested it.

"Then please look around at your leisure. I shall report to my superiors and come find you in two days."

Sorin, who secured a temporary inn for them to stay at, bowed politely.

Upon entering the inn, a proprietor could be seen puffing on a pipe behind the desk.

"Oof!?"

The indifference in his expression changed abruptly upon seeing Eugene's armor and the polite Sorin behind him. He put down his pipe, exhaled 'Huu-! Huu-!', and ran out.

"Welcome, Sir Knight!"

"I'll stay for two days."

Eugene handed over a copper coin.

"What will you do about meals?"

"We'll handle it outside, so you only need to bring water."

"Understood."

It seemed the proprietor had no regrets from the start.

Bonyard received diverse foods from trade routes in all directions. It was common for travelers who just arrived to wander through the market and fall for street food.

The two who entered the lodging unpacked their bags.

"Phew, you worked hard, didn't you?"

Nod, nod.

The moment only the two of them remained, Eugene wiped the solemn expression from his face.

"Having to maintain an unfamiliar expression and attitude... it really drives me crazy."

-You were just cool. The way you led the battle was like a lord from somewhere.

Homi replied in sign language.

She liked her master's usual informal attitude, but the way he carried himself with weight in front of the mercenaries was also magnificent.

"It's a much better room than I thought? I was nervous because Master scared me so much with stories about inns."

Though not spacious, it was a clean lodging without any rotten spots. There was no stench from the sheets, and there were no bedbugs crawling on the walls or floor. Sorin had arranged a good place.

Flutter.

However, Homi pulled back the blankets and sheets to check them meticulously and sprinkled bug-repellent powder everywhere.

Eugene removed his cumbersome armor and headed to the yard attached to the inn. He was full of desire to wash his body, which was dirty with sweat and dust.

-Please wash first. I'll come down after I finish maintaining the armor.

Homi remained in the room to do a few more tasks.

Bonyard was a city equipped with water systems, befitting the remnants of the Ancient Kingdom.

It wasn't to the extent of providing water to every place, but clean cold water could be used at all times in major buildings such as the government office, guards' quarters, and inns.

To begin with, the city leaders had each picked out a lot connected to the water systems and expanded it, and that became today's Bonyard.

Perhaps because they considered both male and female guests, curtains were also provided at the bathing area in the yard.

Eugene set his sword down in a place where water would not reach and began to wash.

Splash.

As he cleaned his body with a soft cloth and the stiff soap he had paid a high price for, murky water poured off.

Unlike Earth's Middle Ages, it was easy here to manufacture solid soap that didn't have a bad effect on the skin.

"Thank you, people of Luiamor."

Eugene expressed his gratitude to the elves who had disappeared long ago.

It was because the first continental unification dynasty, Luiamor, had developed and distributed plants for manufacturing sanitary products.

Even now that most of their relics have disappeared, these plants alone are flourishing across the entire continent.

Only God would know how many lives they had saved from disease.

Whistle-!

Homi's whistle was heard.

"Yeah. I'm washing here. I'm almost done, so just wait a bit."

After wiping off the moisture with a towel and changing into new clothes, he couldn't feel more refreshed.

As he pulled back the curtain, Homi was there, her ears perking up with an expression full of anticipation.

"It's your turn next. I'll keep watch, so don't worry."

Clap!

Homi, who gave a bright smile, clapped her palm against his as if passing a baton and went inside.

The sound of clothes being removed was followed by the pouring of water.

Since the curtain hung about 20cm above the ground, Homi's pure white insteps and healthy calves were revealed as they were.

The silhouette of her washing her toes while standing on one leg like a crane boasted a steady sense of balance.

At that moment, a man tried to sneak into the yard, but his eyes met Eugene's.

"What are you looking at? Get lost right now!"

Before the tall knight making a threat, the man fled in a flurry.

Whistle-?

"It's nothing. Take your time washing."

Eugene waited leisurely for Homi's bath, which took about twice as long as his own. She was always a quick worker, but she tended to take a long time with washing.

Splash!

The sound of washing clothes could be heard behind Eugene.

Homi was applying plenty of soap to her long, thick tail and was in the middle of wringing it out before the stream of water.

While Eugene was done just by bathing, she had to do her own laundry as well, so it was bound to take time.

"Hmm-mmm-mmm!"

Thanks to Homi's pleasant humming, the waiting time wasn't boring either.

* * *

The cash they had saved up was quite a bit, and there were also rare ingredients like high-quality medicinal herbs and truffles.

In a rural village, there would be no one to buy them at a high price, but in Bonyard, there were plenty of places to sell them.

Here too, the help of a capable squire was great.

Sniff, sniff.

Homi's nose moved cutely.

Through her beastly sense of smell and intuition, she detected whether the merchant before her eyes was gouging the price. Precisely, she was distinguishing subtle lies.

-I can tell through the face, voice, and breath. I can't be certain that I'm always right, though.

It was a story Homi once told him, and it was a wild sense that Eugene could never follow.

This was the reason he had briefly seen her opinion in Sorin's invitation.

"This is a price I'm giving you very conscientiously, Sir Knight. In Bonyard, if one mentions Gamba, it's known as a symbol of credit."

Eugene was a giant beyond question, and Homi was also taller than most men.

Combined with the pressure the two emitted, the merchant was overpowered, regardless of his 20 years of experience.

Nod.

At the signal of affirmation, Eugene closed the deal immediately.

When selling truffles to a merchant who supplied food ingredients to noble houses, a bit of haggling was necessary.

"Grrowl-!"

"Yelp!"

When Homi bared her fangs with a fierce face, the fat merchant's legs gave out and he collapsed.

"I'm sorry if you were surprised. My squire has a rather unique way of sneezing. So, how much was it?"

When Eugene gripped the merchant's shoulder while his lips were tightly shut and only his eyes smiled, the haggling ended immediately.

"I-I made a mistake in the calculation. Oh dear, it seems the time for me to retire is approaching. Hehehe!"

Eugene gave a bright smile as more silver coins dropped with a clinking sound.

Thud!

Homi's tail, which had been wagging excitedly from an angle the merchant couldn't see, bumped into Eugene's buttocks.

"Don't you need spare strings?"

Shake, shake.

"Then you only need bolts?"

Nod, nod.

"Still, you should have a melee armament to use. You can't go through with just a single dagger from now on."

He bought a buckler for Homi that could be fixed to her wrist. If it were this, it wouldn't interfere with her crossbow reloading or her movements.

He added a warhammer to use with it as well. Unlike its grandiose name, it was a one-handed weapon of ordinary size. A hammer in the front and a sharp spike in the back.

He had wanted to buy her a proper sword, but she declined.

-I'm not skilled in swordsmanship. But I use hammers and pickaxes often in hunting and gathering, so I'm used to them. It will also be helpful when making campsites and maintaining equipment.

He had no choice but to nod before the dazzlingly moving sign language.

Eugene did not buy more weapons because he had a high-quality longsword and a large flail. Instead, he supplemented the defensive aspects.

He bought metal greaves instead of the existing leather ones, and obtained an iron round shield to cover his upper body.

He had wanted a heater shield, which was more efficient on horseback, but the only one made of iron for the entire shield and even the handle was the round shield in the corner.

'The hand-feel of striking with a shield was good.'

He recalled the fight in the dungeon and the Warg that had dug into the range of his flail.

A shield can block bolts and arrows, and it is also good as a weapon for striking those who close in. To withstand his monstrous strength, a handle fixed with something like a leather strap was not at all reliable.

"Is there anything else to buy?"

-There's a lot we brought from the cabin, so it's fine. The tableware and tools made by the blacksmith are better than the ones here.

Homi's gaze was one that re-evaluated the blacksmith of Kingdom's End anew.

Since they brought many things like spare clothes, tableware, daily necessities, and hemostatic agents, there were few places to spend money other than on equipment.

"The weight has been halved."

However, both of them gave a bitter smile at the wallet that became lighter just from that.

"Regardless of being an invited guest or whatever, I should think about how to earn money first."

Fortunately, there were many ways for him and his squire to earn money.