Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - Bonyard (3)

Eugene, the subject of the two men's conversation, was standing before a shop with a racing heart. The sign read 'Undine Tavern'.

Gulp.

Having drunk only beverages that tasted like ditch water in a backwater village for so long, he was parched for a proper beer.

-In Bonyard, they use the cold water flowing through the water channels to keep the beer chilled. The taste is also superb. Be sure to try it when you arrive. The place I recommend is the Undine Tavern.

This was the shop Beard had recommended before they parted ways.

-Undine? Why such a name?

-Due to its location along the water channels, that shop's beer is the coldest.

-Aha! Thank you for the good information.

As he opened the door with high expectations, a wide hall unfolded before him.

Unlike Kingdom's End, which wafted only a sense of fatigue from a hard day, this place was full of constant stories and laughter.

On one side, peddlers were discussing goods with serious faces, and on the other, mercenaries were cursing their former employers. The sound of a female bard in a hood tuning the strings of a lyre added to the atmosphere.

"Is this what adventure feels like?"

As he ordered while admiring the atmosphere, two glasses of beer with clear foam were brought out.

-The foam here is white? In Kingdom's End, it was brown. The smell is also very good.

Whether she was looking forward to it as well, Homi's tail, resting on her lap, flopped like a trout.

"Now, cheers!"

Clink.

The knight and the squire clinked their wooden mugs and drank side-by-side.

"!!!"

Eugene blinked his eyes.

It was bitter yet savory, the foam was soft, and it was cold! It was the first proper beer he had drunk since coming to this place.

"This is quite good. It's much tastier than I thought..."

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp!

Beside him, Homi, with her eyes wide open, held the mug with both hands and drank about thirty percent of it.

"Kahaaa!"

And she let out a refreshing cheer.

"It's a relief that even if you can't speak, you can express admiration just the same."

Unlike himself, who had many memories of tastier alcohol, she was tasting real beer for the first time in her life.

Homi wore a happy smile. The taste of the beer was one thing, but this moment of adventuring with her master and experiencing all kinds of new things was so enjoyable.

Regrettably, however, the pleasant atmosphere did not last long.

"Hey, lady!"

A boisterous male voice was heard from behind.

Two men wearing chainmail and swords stopped before the bard who was handling the lyre.

"Pick a song for us."

One of them flicked his thumb, and two copper coins fell onto the table.

"Thank you, milords."

The bard swept her hand over the table, and the coins vanished as if by magic.

"Which song shall I sing for you?"

"Why don't you try to guess. What do you think we want from you?"

A long fang peeked out between the lips of the man who grinned. Since the length of his ears was the same as a human's, he must be a dhampir.

As he pulled aside his cloak, a family crest appeared.

Above was a bright red rose dripping blood from its petals, and below, thorny stems wrapped around a naked man as if squeezing him.

"You are knights of the Piranian Family. I understand."

The bard recognized the family just by looking at the crest. Due to the nature of her profession, she had to be well-versed in noble crests in addition to songs and miscellaneous skills.

When performing, there are times when one gets entangled with nobles, and if one sings a song about that family's glory, extra tips might follow.

Conversely, one's hand might be cut off if one sings a song commemorating the family's shame or their enemy.

Twang.

The bard gripped her lyre in a tense posture.

The Piranian Family was a noble family of Barcia. As one could feel just by looking at the crest, everyone from the lord to the vassals was famous for being cruel.

"A pregnant woman spoke."

The bard began her song.

"Please do not kill me, milord.

There is a baby in my womb."

The lyrics were ominous from the start.

"Then the Piranian Lord laughed.

Why would I bite you now?

Your baby has not yet fully ripened."

At the unpleasant lyrics and somber tone, everyone in the tavern frowned.

This was a song commemorating the Piranian Family's annihilation of their rival, the Nightfall Family.

The pregnant woman in the lyrics was the lord's wife, the last survivor at the time.

No one knows what happened to her afterward. The Piranian Family claimed she had been sent to a distant monastery, but no one believed it.

"Splendid."

"For a bard from the frontier, you're quite worth listening to. It's commendable that you even know this song."

When the song ended a moment later, the dhampir knights applauded.

"Thank you, Sir Knights."

The bard bowed her head so low it almost touched the table.

"W-Well then, I shall take my leave."

As she tried to leave quickly, her wrist was grabbed.

"Uh-huh! Sing one more song."

Clink.

Another copper coin fell.

"Milords, my throat is sore, so I should rest a bit..."

The bard spoke while watching their expressions.

"What? Your throat is itchy?"

"Shall we scratch it for you? I guarantee it. The sting will be brief, and you'll feel good soon."

As the dhampirs bared their fangs, the tavern atmosphere froze beyond merely sinking.

"I shall sing!"

The bard sat down quickly and gripped her lyre with trembling hands. Cackling laughter poured over her.

Everyone was in a situation where they couldn't open their mouths out of fear of the knights' blades, even though they hated listening.

Eugene let out a sigh.

"I suppose I should step in."

However, Eugene, who was about to stand up, had to sit back down awkwardly. This was because a man was already standing before the dhampir knights.

In a unique way, he was a handsome man whose appearance seemed to be a mix of Latino and Asian. His dark seaweed-like hair and deep dark circles were strangely charming.

He draped dark leather armor over himself and wore a rapier and a main-gauche at his waist. He held a beer mug he was drinking from in his hand.

"Do you also want to request a song? We're first, so go somewhere else."

The dhampir knight spoke.

"I came because I wanted to cancel the song request."

"What?"

"The song is just too crappy. This house is good with beer, but listening to a song like shit makes it feel like it tastes like shit."

The dhampir knight wore a face as if it were absurd.

"I also can't tolerate good beer being wasted on a Samur monkey. Leave that beer and get out."

The companion beside him mocked him by mimicking a monkey.

Samur is a country located in the south, a barren place where desert and jungle coexist.

However, active trade was carried out because it had the seas to its east and south, and the desert trade route leading to the southwest.

The dates traded in Bonyard also came from Samur.

"It's just as strange for you Barcia fellows to have come down this far. You're uninvited guests who aren't welcomed anywhere... what is there for you to pick up and eat that made you crawl in?"

Instead of answering, the dhampirs examined the Samur man's appearance.

Unlike themselves, who were wearing metal armor, they wore a contemptuous expression toward him, whose leather armor was all he had.

"What did you ride to get here? A beggar like you wouldn't have a horse... so a donkey?"

"A donkey is good. We have to go to a brothel if we get bored while riding horses, but Samur fellows can handle it right on the spot."

The Samur man approached the mocking dhampirs.

Then, his aura changed as if the loose appearance he had just until a moment ago was a lie. A sharpened atmosphere that could draw a blade immediately! Even if they are thugs, a knight is a knight after all.

However, since it was two-against-one, and perhaps because of his pride, he did not stand up from his seat.

"Your ears are short, aren't they?"

"..."

"..."

One of the things that one must not do before a dhampir is to mention the length of their ears. Because it is their greatest complex.

"Do you know why I came all the way to Bonyard? Riding an expensive horse?"

The Samur man downed the beer he was holding to the bottom. Their gazes clashed beside the wooden mug whose angle was rising.

'If I were him, I would be worried about being ambushed while drinking and couldn't gulp it down properly.'

Eugene was impressed by that guts.

"I came to earn money. I was promised a large sum if I swing my blade a few times here."

He set the empty beer mug on the table.

"But having arrived, there was something else I liked. I heard there were Barcia blood-suckers who came to the city for the same reason as me. Since they're fellows I wanted to beat up anyway, how good is it that they came all the way from the northwest just to get hit?"

"Such insolence!"

The two dhampir knights drew their blades at the same time.

However, the Samur man was faster. He kicked the armrest of the chair the dhampir further away was sitting in.

Crash!

As the chair flipped over, the one who was sitting rolled onto the floor.

The dhampir right in front of him stood up, but he was too close and had no room to swing his sword.

A foot sneaked in like a stone in his path as he stepped back.

Trip.

"Ugh!"

The Samur man grabbed the arm of the dhampir who was falling after losing his balance. It was the side holding the sword.

Squelch!

"Argh!"

As the main-gauche passed like a flash of light, blood poured from his wrist and the longsword fell to the ground.

"You bastard!"

The dhampir knight who had fallen with the chair jumped up, but he had to stop.

"Be careful."

Because the main-gauche blade was stopped at his friend's split wrist.

"I just cut shallowly just now. But if I cut properly one more time, this guy might die? Even if he lives somehow, he'll be a cripple for the rest of his life."

"Grrr."

The dhampir knight could not charge at the sight of his friend in pain. The bard and other guests had long since fled, and even the proprietor was nowhere to be seen.

"In my heart, I want to just kill you outright, but since I'm also in the position of being an invited guest, I should endure. It would be troublesome if a guest committed murder on the first day. Though I don't know if catching a mosquito counts as murder."

The Samur man pushed the person he was holding as if throwing him.

"Ian!"

The unscathed knight hurriedly caught his friend.

"Take him and get out."

"Just you wait!"

The dhampir knight vanished quickly to treat his friend before he lost any more blood.

"There was no room for us to step in?"

Homi nodded her head.

"You there, the big fellow with the sword."

However, the situation had not yet ended.

"Me?"

"Yeah. You, the cowardly knight who was cowering and not living up to your size."

Eugene restrained Homi, who was about to stand up in a huff.

"You're not wearing armor, but it's obvious you're a knight just by looking. How can you endure such a sight? Are you still a knight after that?"

"It wasn't that I was trying to endure. I was going to step in, but you beat me to it."

"With words, one can say anything."

Eugene looked into the Samur man's face.

"Are you still upset because you couldn't kill those fellows earlier?"

"As expected of a coward, you're quick-witted."

"Then what can I do to appease your anger?"

"Well, I've seen enough blood today."

The Samur man wiped the blood from his blade with the bread on the table and sheathed it. Then he showed a clenched fist toward Eugene.

"Just let me hit you once."

"This isn't Samur."

Procedures for knighthood investiture vary by region, but there are many places where an assault is delivered as an initiation.

Among them, Samur is a neighborhood famous for being tough, along with Gord, so there were even knights who fainted during their investiture.

"In awakening a forgotten chivalry, this is the best. In my view, the reason those knight fellows up north are un-knight-like is because they haven't been hit enough."

The Samur man grinned while circling his fist.

"Is it over with just one hit?"

Eugene asked.

"Yeah. With just one hit, I'll cleanly forget it."

"Understood."

Bang!

Eugene kicked off the floor.

"What?"

Despite there being some distance, the distance was narrowed in an instant due to his tremendous leg power.

The Samur man reflexively threw a punch, but he was easily caught by Eugene. This was followed by an over-the-shoulder throw manifested through monstrous strength.

Whoosh!

The Samur man was driven into the floor while feeling as if the world was turning around once.

Thump!

"Guh!"

A truly intense impact! His breath was choked, and all the air in his lungs was sucked out. His consciousness plummeted rapidly amidst a feeling of his vision turning yellow.

Eugene checked that Homi had placed the beer money on the bar and headed for the exit.

The Samur man struggled on the floor and tried to grab Eugene, but he could not steady his body at all.

Thud.

He eventually collapsed and lost consciousness without saying a single word.

Homi, who followed with quick steps, grabbed him and threw him into a corner.

Clatter!

"Hmph!"

Homi stepped out while dusting off her hands.

For a knight of justice who had shown an overwhelming appearance just until a moment ago, it was a pathetic ending.

* * *

Two days later, Sorin visited the inn.

"Sir! Preparations for hosting you at the city are finished. Would you go with me?"

"I was waiting. Let's go quickly."

Eugene was guided to a mansion where the city's VIPs stayed. The inn he was staying at now wasn't bad, but this place was in another dimension.

Every maid passing by was a beauty in good clothes, and high-priced artworks were hung in a row along the hallway.

In the garden, a man with a stylish mustache was trimming garden trees with pruning shears in hand. Each guest room was more than sufficient for a noble to stay in.

"You will be meeting Security Chief Panis."

"He's the person who invited me, right?"

"That is correct."

A large brown door with its wood grain alive appeared. A nameplate reading 'Security Chief Panis' hung on it.

"This is it."

The moment Sorin was about to knock, a mournful voice was heard from across the door.

"Sir Karas! Those were knights I had difficulty obtaining!"

It was Panis's voice.

"Their personality was trash and their skill was trash? There's no use in having them stay, as they wouldn't have been of help. Such fellows' rowdiness only tires out the innocent city people."

A voice was heard that seemed as if it had been heard somewhere. From the atmosphere, it seemed the owner of the voice was Karas.