Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - Bonyard (2)

"I've heard the story from Mr. Sorin. Please leave the horse to us during your stay."

Thanks to being invited, I was able to let Might rest in a comfortable shelter at the horse market.

If I had just come to the city, I would have had to tie him in a small, dirty stable attached to an inn.

Neigh-!

Might was also pleased when he was given a meal mixed with plenty of oats and carrot pieces instead of hay.

There was no murky water contained in wooden barrels either. Clear water flowed constantly and quietly through the water channels.

"If it hadn't been for Master and Maria, I wouldn't have even been able to play at being a knight."

As I stroked Might's mane, I felt the power of backgrounds and connections keenly.

Excellent armor and a Barcia warhorse... neither of them were expensive properties I could buy even if I emptied all the money I had.

"Are you getting hungry?"

Homi wagged her tail as if she had been waiting.

-Let's go quickly. The smell is so good.

During the remaining time, we enjoyed street foods while wandering through the market.

As a gatherer, Homi showed great interest in fruits and vegetables she was seeing for the first time. For example, olives grown nearby and dates that had crossed over from the southeast.

"You're in a growth phase, and you're a carnivore."

Since she was only looking at plants, Eugene handed her a meat skewer in each hand.

Munch, munch!

While his squire was lost in curiosity and taste, Eugene agonized over the future.

To live as a knight, he couldn't be as frugal as before. Even if not to the point of luxury, he had to invest in equipment and maintaining his dignity.

The two of them couldn't travel together forever, and there would be occasions to hire mercenaries or adventurers. The more money, the better.

'Should I hunt and gather herbs as I've been doing?'

Searching for places where rare herbs grow is also not bad. If he discovered a bonanza area, he would earn a handsome amount.

Such places are full of dangerous beasts or monsters, so herbalists cannot enter, but that did not apply to him.

'Or should I sell my martial power?'

A knight who is well-armed and even has a horse can receive large compensation.

However, this was both an advantage and a shackle. It was impossible to enter a mercenary troop like an ordinary mercenary.

It was an act that would ruin a knight's dignity, and to begin with, a mercenary troop would be burdened and wouldn't accept him.

He had to catch the eye of a lord who could provide a sufficient stipend or a fief. Since the annual salary was high, the door to employment was narrowed to the size of a needle's eye.

At times like this, his master's teachings were always helpful.

-During my wandering days, I stayed as a guest in various cities. The treatment is less than staying in a noble house, but it's much freer and more comfortable.

Godfrey also often told him how he secured funds while living as a wandering knight.

-When I needed a large sum of money, I was invited by noble houses or free cities to work as a Champion.

-So you fought duels for money.

-That's not wrong, but you won't actually feel like you're fighting for money. The cheers praising the victor's honor cover everything.

Noble houses and free cities fought day and night. Reasons like legitimacy, debt, pride, honor, resentment, and interests were more than enough.

Since they couldn't mobilize an army every time, various trials by combat were carried out. The one who is active at such times is the Champion.

-Was the earnings good?

-Naturally. The pride of the high-ups! Honor! Vanity! Numerous relationships of interest! Isn't it a dish where all of those are put in a pot and boiled? The cook has no choice but to receive a thick payment.

-Hoh!

-Anyway, look at this fellow's heart racing just from talking about money. It's not good to get a taste for earning money through Champion work from a young age.

Godfrey's face as he clicked his tongue was unexpectedly bright. It was secretly a pleasant thing that his disciple, who was like a son, was following in his younger days.

Eugene, finishing his reminiscence, clenched his fist.

"A Champion would be good."

The reason he accepted the invitation of the threatened city was also because he could get a hold of a large amount of money with a few duels if he was lucky.

He might be asked to stand on a battlefield where boring monster subjugations or stray arrows would fly... but that was something he could decide after looking at the risk and the amount.

* * *

An interesting fountain caught Eugene's eye as he walked through the plaza.

It wasn't something common like a woman holding a water jar with bare feet, a boy with an unusual stream of urine, or a circular plate fountain.

This fountain was about 10m long in width alone.

"An ark?"

That was his first impression.

A crude and fat stone giant ship! It seemed it would look like that if city walls, mansions, and a great cathedral were placed upon it.

Splash!

It was a magnificent sight, with dozens of streams of water pouring from the city walls and watchtowers of the solemn fortress.

"Isn't it amazing? I'm seeing something like this for the first time."

Beside him, Homi nodded her head fervently.

It seemed she was excited to see such a spectacular sight after only living in a rural area with nothing to see.

Eugene took out a copper coin and headed toward a man sitting on a nearby bench.

A travel backpack, a lute, a shortsword for self-defense, and even a stylish hat... he was a bard wandering the world and selling songs and stories.

"May applause and safety follow your journey."

Eugene placed the copper coin into the bucket next to him.

"I hope infinite glory accompanies the path ahead of you, warrior."

The bard smiled while sitting. It seemed he didn't want to stand up for just a single copper coin.

"May I ask one thing?"

"By all means. I was just about to loosen my voice before singing."

Eugene pointed at the fountain.

"I shall listen intently if you know the story entwined with that fountain."

"You mean the Moving Castle."

"The Moving Castle?"

"Yep! It's one of the top contributors that feeds Bonyard City. There are many adventurers and nobles who come to see that."

The bard clasped his hands toward the fountain as if praying.

"Thank you for sending the money for today's daily bread once again."

He was quite piously sincere, as if the money earned by explaining things here was not a small amount.

"Do you know that their stonemasonry was lost with the fall of the Ancient Kingdom?"

"Of course."

The bard tapped the seat next to him, as if the story was going to be long.

Homi stood nearby, as a squire would. She guarded her surroundings with a refined posture, but her ears were perked up and directed toward the bard's lips.

"The stonemasonry of the Ancient Kingdom is close to a miracle. There's even a joke that while earthquakes bring down even cities, their buildings hold the earthquake at bay."

"Is that actually possible?"

"Ay, that's just a saying. But it's true that if a building falls in an earthquake, it falls rather than breaks."

"That is impressive in its own right."

It wasn't as if a puppy was just tumbling over, was it? For an extremely heavy stone building to fall without breaking.

"There was actually a case in a city destroyed by an earthquake where only one library left by the Ancient Kingdom was intact. They say it fell forward as the ground lifted, but it didn't break."

"In that case, couldn't it be used again if it were pushed back into its original position somehow?"

Homi chuckled as if that were nonsense.

"Yes. That's right. They restored it to its original position by mobilizing a thousand oxen and horses, and even more ropes. It was 100 years ago. They are still using it well as a library even now."

The surprised Homi just gaped.

"The place that contributed most to such great stonemasonry is this very Bonyard."

"Because a source of resources is important."

"That's right. So when the greatest construction of the Ancient Kingdom began, they received a gift in the sense of expecting a surge of effort."

"That would be that fountain?"

"Indeed."

"And the greatest construction would look exactly like that?"

"My mouth becomes easier because you understand perfectly."

The bard gulped from a water pouch, perhaps because his throat was dry from speaking.

"The Moving Castle! It was a grand task that gathered the stonemasonry of the Ancient Kingdom, the magic of the elves, and the engineering of the dwarves into a single castle."

"Is movement really possible, as the name suggests? Looking at its appearance, it looks suitable for floating on the sea."

Though since it's made of stone, it seems it would just sink.

"From that point on, it is in the realm of legends and folk tales. The stories are different for each person and region. To begin with, there's no one who has witnessed it."

"No matter how old it is, it must have been a national project... are there no records remaining?"

"Unfortunately so. It's said that even within the Ancient Kingdom at the time, there was fierce opposition. Several civil wars broke out because of it. That is the reason the related records were lost."

Eugene looked at the fountain.

There was a high possibility that the Moving Castle itself was a fiction. A bait to attract outside guests, for instance.

Since even just counting the travelers the fountain has gathered so far, Bonyard City would have sufficiently earned back its investment.

"No matter how I look at it, it's a weight class that seems far from wandering."

"Right? Some say it flies through the sky, and others say it is drifting in the distant sea. There's even a rumor that it travels atop the sands of the Great Desert."

The bard shrugged his shoulders.

"This is as far as I know."

"Yeah, you've worked hard. That was a truly interesting story."

As Eugene stood up, the bard tipped his hat halfway and showed respect.

-Do you want to become a lord?

Homi asked in sign language.

"Of that Moving Castle?"

-No. It's obvious that that one is just a made-up legend.

Homi was a realist.

"As a knight... no, as a man, isn't it natural to want to have one's own fief?"

I imagined it many times while living in the monastery as a child. What if this monastery were a manor, and I were the lord?

The dream of owning a large private land and building was sweet in itself.

-You will definitely get it one day. The day will come when you will be called Lord, not Knight.

The look in Homi's eyes as she spoke in sign language wasn't something like 'You'll do well!'. It contained a belief that it simply had to happen that way.

"If that happens, you would also no longer be a squire. You would become Sir Homi, the knight."

-Even if that happens, you'll let me serve you, right? Putting your armor on you and boiling the stew for you to eat during travels... I don't need to be a squire.

Eugene burst into laughter.

It wasn't a conversation for a two-person party of greenhorns who had just set foot into the world to share.

However, to reward his squire's devotion, he felt he should aim for at least one small fief.

Though he didn't know if it would be a position that a knight from the countryside could reach starting from the bottom.

* * *

Bonyard was harmoniously governed by several officials and representatives of commerce and industry under the command of a magistrate.

Panis, the security official who was Sorin's superior and oversaw the city's defense.

Lately, he lived with dark circles under his eyes due to lack of sleep and stress.

"I am sorry. I failed in the invitation."

"It's fine, so get out."

He waved his hand at the subordinate who was apologizing while bowing at a 90-degree angle.

Hearing the door close, Panis massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Dammit. Linton also failed, and the one Hobbs brought back was a hollow knight full of froth. Sir Godfrey... please, if only things went well with Sir Godfrey..."

The adjacent Gord nobles had received tribute from Bonyard for generations.

Lately, however, it seemed their greed had grown, as they drew their blades saying they wanted even various interests of the city.

Fortunately, they weren't saying they should have a war with armies. They were saying they should select three Champions to represent each side and negotiate with steel and blood.

"Those thugs disguised as nobles!"

Since the weak had no choice, Bonyard put all its effort into gathering capable knights from nearby areas.

But no matter how hard the city tried, this was the frontier of the continent.

Free knights that could be called are few, and cases where they are even outstanding are even rarer.

As he was stamping his feet in anxiety, he heard a knock.

"Come in."

"Greetings, Chief."

The one who opened the door and entered was Sorin, the subordinate who had left to fetch Sir Godfrey. It was the place where Panis placed his greatest expectation.

"You're back already?"

Panis's already fatigued face distorted.

"Could it be that the mercenaries took the money and ran? They're guys with good reputations, so that shouldn't be the case."

Sorin looked somberly at his superior who was pouring out suspicions out of the blue. He wasn't originally such a negative person.

"Not at all. The Beard mercenary troop did well and the mission was completed. Sir Knight is resting at the inn."

Jump!

Panis stood up from his chair and pointed at Sorin with his index finger. It was his habit when he heard good news.

"You succeeded in hosting Sir Godfrey?! Yes! That's it! But how did you come back so quickly? Normally it would have taken two more weeks."

"Well, Sir Godfrey was already gone. I heard he had set off on a pilgrimage. Instead, I was able to bring his direct disciple who was setting off on a knightly journey. Since we met him on the way, we were able to return this quickly."

"Ah..."

Thud!

Panis, with his index finger still raised, fell back and was buried in his chair. His index finger tilted diagonally toward the ceiling.

"Then it's a dud! It has to be the Prophetic Knight or it's no good!"

"Not at all. Sir Eugene is a strong knight no less than Sir Godfrey."

"It seems you're not grasping how the situation is unfolding right now. We're in a situation where the city's about to be snatched by those bastards of Gord! Moreover, what assurance do you have that that knight wasn't lying? Did you even see the scene of his investiture?"

"First, please listen to the story."

Sorin reported the impressive experience he had gone through.

Panis, who was sitting indifferently with a face that said 'Fine, let's hear your excuse'.

Even he had to change 180 degrees at the part where Eugene swung a large flail to finish off 10 wolves in an instant and crushed the head of a fleeing Warg.

"A Warg in three exchanges?"

"Yes. And each one was amazing. Which knight would lift a Warg like a skewer with a sword held in one hand? And how about him flying away from a single kick? Even Sir Godfrey wouldn't be able to do this."

Jump!

Panis rose from his chair as if bouncing.

Point!

And he pointed his index finger. For the first time in a long while, a smile was floating on his face.