Chapter 145

Chapter 145 - A Monster Among Hungry Wolves (2)

Pirates prefer to rapidly plunder defenseless civilians and then disengage. Furthermore, unlike regular bandit groups, they had to learn the specialized skill of sailing.

With these two factors combined, most were lightly armed. They do not use bows that require long-term practice. Even crossbows were avoided as they hindered mobility.

Breaking inside, Might positioned itself facing the few crossbowmen.

"B-Bicorn?"

"No! I've seen one in the eastern colosseum, but it wasn't this big."

A massive physique. The imposing pressure that made even veteran warriors like themselves quail, despite it being a beast. Even the monstrous strength of smashing down a castle gate with a single kick.

It could absolutely not be an ordinary warhorse. The pirates recalled various monster subspecies they had heard in rumors.

"Is this the time to figure that out? Pillage them!"

At the awakened boss's shout, the pirates holding crossbows pulled the triggers.

However, since there was quite a distance, most missed. A small number of bolts also bounced off powerlessly against the shield and barding.

"Damn it! This kind of light crossbow won't pierce..."

Thwack!

The crossbowman's scream was cut short by an arrow flying from outside the castle. Corpses tumbled down hit by arrows piercing the backs of their heads or necks.

It was a situation where the castle gate was destroyed and enemies were flooding in. Yet everyone committed the crazy act of staring solely inside the castle, distracted by the presence of Eugene and Might.

"Sir Knight! We are here!"

The first to arrive was the heavy cavalry.

It couldn't be helped that the running dwarves were slow, and the lightly armed tribe warriors focused on covering fire from outside the castle.

"Do exactly as trained!"

"Worry not, Boss. We've wielded only this since eating!"

[■■■!]

A pirate blabbering in an eastern language tried to block them holding a scimitar. However, the weapon swung by the leading mercenary captain was much longer and mightier.

Crunch!

The pirate whose face was struck by the equestrian flail spewed blood and fell backward. It was a gruesome sight, nose bone collapsed in a single strike and teeth shattered, gushing blood profusely.

The cavalry, identically armed with equestrian flails, poured in and began smashing everything in sight.

"Khyaaaac!"

One pirate hit horizontally across the eyes flailed about, scattering burst eyeball fluid everywhere. Then he grabbed a comrade who came to hand and wailed.

"My eyes! My eyesssss!"

"G-get lost you retard!"

Even amidst that, pirates with smashed heads and broken shoulders collapsed all over the place.

"Hiiiik!"

Some pirates just sat down and even wet themselves.

"Hey, you bastards! What are we supposed to do if you finish everything yourselves!"

As the late-arriving Hammer Brotherhood roared and charged in, the pirates lost their will to fight.

Half dropped their weapons and fled, and half prostrated on the spot, clasping their hands as if praying, and surrendered.

And even those who fled had nowhere to go. This kind of small wooden fort only had a single secret door used for emergency escape. Yet that place was already blocked off.

"Monster..."

Eugene blocking the secret door singlehandedly on horseback. Dozens of pirates standing before him dared not even think of rushing in.

Because of the terrifying flail that made the equestrian flails of the heavy cavalry smashing their comrades from behind look like toys.

Gulp.

Their lips dried up just looking at the three maces the size of human faces dangling and linked together.

"Surrender."

"Then will you spare us?"

At Eugene's words, the pirate boss asked.

"That is not for me to judge. Your custody will be handed over to the Apostle State to be judged."

"Damn it! If we go there, it's hanging anyway!"

The pirate boss quickly made a decision.

"Fuck, charge in! We die anyway whether we break through or not!"

If this many people stick together simultaneously, no matter how powerful a knight, an opening is bound to appear. Hoping the death god would take their comrade instead of themselves, the pirates charged.

It was not a very good choice.

Swoosh!

Two pirates charging head-on were skewered together and collapsed by a single javelin throw.

In the gap where the center was temporarily blocked by the two corpses, Eugene swung the flail side to side.

The heavy cavalry having a meat party inside the castle could strike one person at a time, but Eugene was different.

The handle is much longer, three maces are attached, and his monstrous strength is incomparable. Even after smashing one skull, the bundle of maces whose power had not diminished bounced sideways and toppled another pirate.

In an instant, among the nearly 10 corpses rolling around, one pirate barely succeeded in approaching.

"Die! Just die!"

However, he couldn't even thrust the estoc held in his hand properly. Because Might, who was standing firmly like a stone statue, opened its massive maw.

"Huh?"

The pirate instantaneously felt his front view filling completely with a huge mouth. Teeth roughly the thickness of a thumb sprouted thickly.

Crunch!

The body of the pirate, bitten from the temple to part of the shoulder, danced wildly in the air.

"Khhhrrrup! Hrrrrmm!"

With his jaw and cheek fixed pierced by Might's teeth, only stifled groans flowed out.

The blankly staring pirates' gazes followed his legs, floating and swaying haphazardly in the air, left and right.

Crack.

Eventually, unable to bear the weight concentrated on one spot, the neck bone snapped, and the legs stopped.

Might spat out the corpse and glared at the pirates with burning eyes.

From amidst its blood-soaked teeth, a bizarre cry leaked out. It was akin to a siren transmitted through the vocal cords of a dead whale.

A cave leading to an unknown underground where humans should never tread. Sunk in its deepest depths, a monster let out a horrific wail, echoing against the walls thousands of times, the very sound of a nightmare reaching the surface.

Clang.

Clatter.

Weapons dropped one by one from the pirates' hands.

"Hngggh."

Legs trembled like aspen trees, and yellowed teeth chattered against each other. Jaundiced eyes dared not even look at the warhorse before them and were cast downwards.

The womb of the Moving Castle was flesh and blood grown in hell. The cry of Might reborn from it contained the power to lead the souls of the living to the underworld. It is not a terror a mere pirate can handle.

"...I will take it as a surrender."

Lowering the hand holding the flail, Eugene stroked Might's neck with his other hand.

"It is fortunate that I am a person capable of seeing mystery."

If Eugene had been an ordinary knight... He might have rather harbored fear toward the appearance Might showed just now to protect its Lord.

A completely changed appearance from the Barcian warhorse of the past. 怪声 (Bizarre screams). Ferocity.

However, Eugene can directly face the pure soul crouching inside this monstrous physical body.

It was still the single horse he loved, and that loved him back.

Horses are smart. Did it realize its master's touch and voice were no different from usual?

Purrrrr.

Might, who grumbled constantly after reincarnation, let Eugene hear a sound of the past after a long time. As if saying not to worry because they were still together even if their physical body changed.

* * *

"Can't we become like the Lord?"

"Look at something you should hope for."

The heavy cavalry with equestrian flails slung over their backs chattered while looking around the battlefield.

'Even for their first real combat, it's pretty decent.'

Eugene nodded with satisfaction.

Valuing affinities, he has no intention of kicking out the mercenaries who have been with him since before first. However, war cannot be accomplished with loyalty alone.

- At this rate, the human cavalry will fall behind. How can I reinforce them more effectively? It's not like they can train like knights either.

A knight's combat power is an innate sense and a privilege enjoyable only by those who walked the correct sword path from the beginning.

They neither possessed the mountain-like sturdiness like the Hammer Brotherhood, nor could they function as horse archers like the tribe warriors.

The answer Eugene came to after pondering was making the equestrian flail standard equipment and training them with it. Rather than training harshly in handling swords and spears now, that was better.

"How are the impressions on your first practical use?"

"I should have switched to this earlier. Going forward, I shall continue following behind the Lord and do my part sufficiently to pay for my meals."

"I purely swung only this all day lately, you know."

The palms of the heavy cavalrymen approaching Eugene were densely packed with calluses from practicing with the flails.

All of them snickered while slinging the chain handles over their shoulders following their Lord. Wearing thick armor and holding the same weapons, they felt a somewhat proud feeling.

"Hey! How's the impact feel?"

"Rather than swords or spears, hammers are certainly the best right?"

The Hammer Brotherhood dwarves laughed heartily and waved their hands.

On the battlefields of this era where swords, spears, and axes are mainstream, hammers belong to surprisingly minor weapons. As such, a consensus could not help but form towards comrades using similar blunt weapons.

"Rampage. Originally, did you find the lord of the manor and his family members?"

"Yes. However, the lord and his son were murdered by the bastards, and we only found his wife and two daughters."

"Condition?"

They were a bunch of thugs going as far as killing the lord and his son. The possibility of them having done all sorts of terrible things was not small.

"It's clean. They seemed to have treated them quite preciously, thinking of selling them to an eastern harem or a high-end slave market in the south."

Though dirty with grime, three women in neat attire were walking out.

Their faces were haggard and terror-stricken, but fitting for members of a noble house, their situational grasp was fast.

They seemed to have realized they had been rescued by the sight of corpses rolling everywhere, tied-up pirates, and majestic warriors.

However, a situation where the lord and son died, and they lost all servants, soldiers, and accumulated supplies. Since the villages they ruled would be a mess from being plundered, truly their future prospects were bleak.

"Honestly speaking, this level seems close to family extinction."

"It's pitiful, but there's nothing more we can do about it anyway."

Eugene dismounted and stood before the older woman among the three.

"I am Eugene of the Meyer Family."

The two daughters, led by the former lord's wife, bowed their heads politely.

"Acting Lord. We are heading to New Canaan. If you wish, I will offer you protection while we travel there."

The pirates in the area have been swept out. However, refugees whose livelihoods had been destroyed could turn into bandits at any time. Until the situation settled, it was better to receive the protection of the religious orders' priests.

"O righteous Knight. God's blessings shall follow your chivalry."

The wife, now the acting lord, expressed her gratitude while grabbing the hem of her skirt.

Eugene took the surrendered pirate prisoners and even the spoils those bastards hoarded and slipped out.

Naturally, the mercenaries outside, placed in a situation like a dog chasing a chicken staring at the roof, glared in dissatisfaction.

"What?"

"Lower your eyes before I rip them out."

However, as Eugene's subordinates glared fiercely, they gritted their teeth and turned their heads.

'Like dogs.'

'No, what kind of equipment does everyone...'

Through repeated victories, Eugene's army had continuously captured the enemies' equipment. Just looking at armor alone, everyone didn't fall behind comparing with decent knights.

"Why are all the mercenary bastards covered in warhorses and barding?"

A mercenary captain riding a hunter muttered mixing jealousy and complaints.

Walking speed and physique were distinctly different from his own horse, which he barely procured with diligently saved money.

Even the barding was not ordinary. Because it was made with the leather acquired in massive quantities during the Lamia subjugation operation.

Brown and black rattlesnake patterns were threateningly engraved. Clad as such, those warhorses standing in formation couldn't look cooler.

That was something the heavy cavalry themselves knew better than anyone. When they first saw the completed Lamia leather barding in the Moving Castle's stables a few days ago, even they couldn't hold back their admiration.

- How much does this cost?

At the barding looking expensive at a glance, the heavy cavalry asked hesitantly.

If they were to continue serving the Lord hereafter, they must not stop training and reinforcing their equipment.

Though far from the image of mercenaries where laziness and living for today was standard, under Eugene, this was the baseline.

- Don't worry about the money. Since it is standard-issue equipment, you may use it for free while working under me, and return it when you leave. Even if it gets damaged, I won't bill you the cost, so rest assured.

- I am not leaving! I will serve you until the day I die!

- A good spirit.

Holding the barding personally handed over by Eugene, the mercenaries beamed with bright smiles at the light yet sturdy touch.

* * *

The Apostle State headquarters situated in New Canaan sees diverse flags and religious symbols fluttering. In some ways, it could be viewed as an UN (United Nations) ahead of its time.

A good-natured group valuing humanity's protection, yet returning to political logic and following the logic of power.

However, there was one major difference.

If the United Nations in Eugene's memory pursued peace through dialogue and compromise, the Apostle State pursued peace through power.

Eugene was invited to a secretive place where other mercenary captains, free knights, and even noble lords could not step foot.

"So this was the culprit of the incident."

The high priests leading the Apostle State nodded while looking at the corpse of the forest spirit Ninloth.

"Brother, you have accomplished a grand deed."

"As a knight, I simply could not stand by and watch evil threatening the world."

The priests sent warm gazes to Eugene, who spoke calmly.

"Just like how you punished the evil heathen and beast of the Bonyard."

"We also cannot omit you sealing the dungeon of Rastath Monastery. Do you know how long of a letter the abbot sent?"

It is natural for knights to seek out battles for wealth and glory. And a majority of knights preferred battlefields among the same humans.

First, they needed to catch the eyes of noble lords to succeed, and powerful lords belonged more often to human battlefields than remote backwaters where monsters resided. If they captured nobles as prisoners, they could aim for a jackpot.

For the priests propagating human harmony, it was a deplorable matter.

Wicked monsters and bandit hordes overflow the world, yet they use that precious power spilling blood amongst themselves rather than protecting humanity.

Amidst that, Eugene appearing out of nowhere like a comet couldn't help but fit perfectly to the priests' tastes.

'Looking back, I struck down monsters much more often than engaging in human battlefields.'

Bandit hordes, pirate fleets, various monsters, a heathen mage, and even an evil god's champion; he diligently hunted around.

"Even when we heard the report that the forest spirit had appeared, it felt as though the sky was falling..."

"We have realized once again that God always has something prepared in advance. Countless pirates all fled, and the spirit's disaster that would have come someday was also subjugated. Going forward, we shall pray for you too, Sir Knight."

The priests made the sign of the cross and expressed their gratitude to Eugene.

"I will gladly accept only the gesture. I hope the precious prayers of the priests are directed wholly to the masses victimized by this disaster."

Eugene also made the sign of the cross and expressed his respects. Thanks to his time in the Main God Religion monastery, his flawless motions were comparable to a priest's.

To see such a young knight matching up so perfectly for them. The high priests inside the room nodded in great satisfaction.

"Sir Eugene. Regarding this spirit incident..."

"Naturally, I will keep silent. Whether it is a forest spirit or an undead outbreak by a wicked heathen, what does it matter? I merely wish for it to be known beneficially to the world following the gods' will."

"Oh!"

Eugene could easily guess what the Apostle State wanted.

A war's justification, the firmer the better. Wouldn't the story of the Count of Sicily colluding with pirates even dabbling in heathen worship be a fantastic yarn?

At Eugene's miraculously comprehending attitude unbefitting of a knight, the priests' evaluation hit the ceiling, reaching an insurmountable level.

Though quite a vicious framing for ascetics, a religious group prioritizing altruistic purposes needed to sometimes turn thoroughly vicious.

'Everything is just a transaction.'

In exchange, Eugene fully intends to receive exactly what he must receive.