Chapter 23

Chapter 23 - Victory Banquet

A banquet commemorating the victory in the Hall War was held.

"Did you see the way the last knight fell with a flop? He wasn't even like a frog, hahaha!"

"Rather than that, the fellow Volks was more satisfying. With a body as large as a mountain, he was rolling around holding his armpits... it looked like a child throwing a tantrum."

"Now, now! The glasses are empty!"

Was it a reaction to having suffered in a somber atmosphere? The prominent figures of the city enjoyed themselves by drinking like crazy.

"What a bunch of foolish humans!"

Panis's cheeks trembled as he watched the scene.

It was true that it was a banquet to celebrate Bonyard's victory. However, the protagonist should have been Eugene, after all. Wasn't he the knight who appeared at the city's crisis and struck down all the enemies?

It was a separate matter from his personal favor. Extolling the hero who bestowed a favor was a matter linked to the city's dignity.

Seeing the people who should have hosted most enthusiastically excitedly playing among themselves made his blood boil.

"Understand them, Chief. You've been constantly seeing how the situation was going, but haven't they been in pitch-black darkness?"

The Magistrate, one of the few who were sane, comforted him.

"At least it is fortunate that a more noble person than us is by Sir Eugene's side."

"Whew, I suppose so. I almost wouldn't have had the face to see the knight."

The gazes of the two turned toward the Roman noble who was conversing with Eugene.

It is common for the observers to be invited to the banquet of the winning side, but it is not an obligation.

Benjamin, the representative of the observers, is the second son of the long-standing Morad Family. His scholarship is high and he is well-spoken, so he has high authority in several countries.

He is someone who returns to his country immediately after resolving a matter as he is a busy person, but it seems this trial by combat was impressive to him.

"Sir Eugene, will you accept a glass?"

"It is an honor."

"Please set aside such words. If I can offer wine to the Victorious Knight, it is I who am honored. It was personally cultivated and made by my family."

The wine Benjamin poured had a distinct color, of course, and even its deep fragrance was exceptional.

"I am not ignoring Bonyard, but it will surely taste better than any fine wine you can obtain here."

Roman, in the center of the continent, is a country with the widest plains relative to its land area. The soil and climate are also perfect, so it has been famous for brewing the best wine since ancient times.

To the extent that he gave out what he brought for himself to drink, he seemed to have taken quite a liking to the knight before his eyes.

"The taste is truly excellent. It is my first time drinking such wine."

Benjamin received the praise without humility.

"Though I have attended countless trials by combat, there has never been a time as great as this. To think there is someone possessing heaven-sent martial power along with a heart of mercy."

"But Sir Volks is dead."

He also had a feeling that he had killed him quite cruelly. Since Eugene also had such thoughts as whether he should have just taken off the head cleanly.

"Ha! To such a barbarian, even the title of 'Sir' is a waste. Even if one wears good armor and receives a knighthood, where would their lowly blood go? He deserves to die like a beast."

Benjamin gulped down the wine as if the mere thought made his taste sour.

"I have previously observed a trial by combat where that fellow Volks appeared."

"He was violent, but his skill was the real deal. He was the most dangerous among the three."

The armor Godfrey had passed down was excellent, but the two-handed axe Volks held could not be ignored. Regardless of the iron plates shielding the torso, he was in a momentum to sufficiently tear through the parts protected by mail.

"That is why he was called here and there. How cruel he was when I met him last time."

Benjamin shook his head.

"He struck down with his axe onto the mouth of an opponent who was begging for their life with a severed leg."

"Oh, dear!"

"The upper part of the severed head rolled around, and the courtroom became a mess."

"Cruel as it may be, isn't that what a duel is? Blood is bound to flow."

"The essence of a duel is the judgment handed down by the gods. Human weapons are merely their pens."

Eugene poured wine into Benjamin's empty glass.

"Just as a prophet who takes down the words of God should not put personal opinions into the scriptures, a warrior who steps onto the dueling ground also needs to restrain their weapon."

"Count Benjamin's words are correct. The blood of the dueling ground is like ink; if it is excessive, it merely stains the scriptures."

"Hahahahaha!"

Benjamin burst into a hearty laugh.

"Didn't I say there would be no other knight like you? There should be more knights like this, but when the world is turning increasingly barbaric..."

Unlike Eugene, who remained unchanged despite drinking more, Benjamin was becoming quite intoxicated. For from a certain point, he had been grumbling about the internal situation of Roman.

"To think someone claiming to be a descendant of the Ancient Kingdom would falsely claim the title of Emperor! The world is coming to an end, coming to an end."

'Oh! This is the information I wanted to know.'

Eugene poured even more alcohol into his empty glass.

Gulp, gulp!

Though Benjamin kept the virtue of moderation, he was loosened today for various reasons.

"I understand the internal situation of the Roman Empire... no, the Kingdom is in chaos due to that incident."

Benjamin, having emptied his glass, frowned.

"Khah! You may comfortably call it an Empire. They're already fixing all the legal codes too. If they discard the inherited laws and aren't even a Kingdom, what on earth kind of descendant of the Ancient Kingdom is that?"

The servant tried to stop his lord's unusually disheveled appearance, but Homi blocked him.

"Squire, please step aside..."

"Grrr-."

"Heek!"

Toward the tall stature looking down on him, the ice-cold face, wild eyes, and even the fangs... the servant was cowed by the intimidation as if facing a beast and stepped back.

"Goodness, what does Count Benjamin have so much to say that he's sticking close like that?"

"I agree. How many people are there who want to ask a favor of the knight? He should at least think about the people behind him. Tsk tsk!"

Thanks to that, those who were trying to extol Eugene's honor and subtly put in cheap requests were merely stomping their feet.

Eugene scanned such people with cold eyes. For he also knew that the hyenas couldn't approach because of Benjamin.

"Sir. A large war will break out before long."

"...!"

If Benjamin said so, it would certainly happen.

"There are already nobles whose titles have been stripped, and there are nobles whose heirs, who were in the capital as hostages, have died."

"They won't just stay still."

"They're already grouping together around the great nobles. A civil war will break out. In my opinion, from the Holden region..."

As Benjamin, who had been talking in detail, slumped down, Eugene glanced at Homi.

She made a path, and the servant who came running hurriedly took Benjamin away.

-They say a farmer lives on peace, but a knight lives on war.

Eugene, who had entered the city merely to try and earn living expenses, realized that a greater ambition was boiling within his heart.

Surely, he too seemed to have become a full-fledged knight. To think he felt aspiration rather than fear while thinking of war.

* * *

"To think you are perfectly fine even after drinking that much wine... amazing."

Karas visited Eugene while he was taking the night breeze on the balcony.

"You also look fine."

"As for me, I barely drank. After tasting the wine of my hometown, the bilge water here won't go down."

"You have quite strong pride in your hometown."

"It is the only thing stronger than my sword."

"Is it a pity your turn didn't come?"

Karas stood beside Eugene with a smile.

"I thought so at first, but watching was also quite interesting."

Karas made a slicing motion across his armpits with the edge of his hand.

"Seeing that bear-like fellow turn blue was quite a sight."

"Did you participate in Cressy's funeral?"

Near the banquet hall, a funeral was being held for Cressy.

Even if he wasn't helpful, he was a knight who died while fighting in the city's crisis. It is the city's pride to hold a funeral with all their might.

"He's a fellow I'm embarrassed even to call a knight, but he was an ally for a short time. And I don't like banquets. Such things where people smile 'haha hoho' while gilding each other's faces."

Karas shrugged his shoulders.

"So I offered flowers at the funeral home, had some food, and came back."

Just then, a commotion arose from behind. The drunk city figures who were trying to enter the balcony were restrained by Homi.

"Get out of the way! Do you know who I am, to block my path! Hmm?"

A wealthy merchant dealing in fabrics in the city, who was quite intoxicated, shouted before his face became loose.

"What's this, why is the tail so long and thick? How interesting. Where did you come from?"

"H-Hey! This person is..."

A friend who was still somewhat sane tried to stop him, but the wine flowing in the veins has a way of transforming anyone into a warrior.

"Listen! I am Gazelle, Gazelle! Anywhere in the city, when I appear..."

The merchant who had been talking with a red face became quiet. Because the friend beside him grabbed his face and forcibly turned it from the balcony.

Being on the receiving end of the glaring gazes of the two beast-like knights, the alcohol instantly sobered.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know the knights were here!"

The merchant staggered but ran away quickly.

"I wondered why you took around a squire who can't speak, and now I see there was a reason."

When Karas showed his wrist, there was a red handprint on it.

"It seems Homi didn't want to let you through."

"Yeah. She cherishes the rest you enjoy alone. To think she blocked me with such a resolute expression."

Whether the pain still remained, Karas massaged his wrist.

"How did you get in? Did you perhaps shake off Homi's strength?"

"No way. Though I'm not pushed back in strength anywhere I go, I couldn't match your squire. Anyway, she truly suits her master well."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"I told her I came back from Cressy's funeral. When I said I wanted to mourn his death together, she let me through."

There was favor in Karas's eyes as he looked at Homi. The appearance of the squire guarding the entrance with a disciplined posture was that of a soldier.

"I used to travel alone as I detested someone following me around, but seeing this makes me a bit envious."

Karas suddenly stroked his own prickly chin and neck. On the other hand, Eugene's face was always clean.

"You should find a squire yourself then."

"I shall do so when I find a squire like that one."

"Then you'll be traveling alone for the rest of your life."

Eugene teased with a smile.

"So, what does the Victorious Knight intend to do from now on?"

"I intend to stay in the city for the time being. Since I'm a fledgeling who just stepped out into the world, there are many things I don't know. It's quite good here as there is a lot of information coming into my ears."

Karas found the knight before his eyes, who unhesitatingly referred to himself as a fledgeling, to be interesting.

With this level of skill, he could have acted big as much as he wanted, but he maintained a strange cynicism. He seemed to have no excitement even while draped in glory that anyone would covet.

Eugene looked at the banquet hall that had entered the cleanup phase with a regretful face.

"They said they also invited a magician from the nearby forest to the banquet, but they ultimately didn't come. I really wanted to meet them."

"Are you talking about the Lady of the Forest?"

Since she was a very famous magician, Karas also knew from rumors.

"I was curious because I've never seen a magician. I had many things to ask about magic and wanted to have a conversation."

The farmers of Kingdom's End brushed off magic as something that appeared in old stories.

However, as Eugene had personally experienced the existence of surreal power, he was very interested in the existence of magicians.

"What is a knight trying to do by getting involved with a magician? You're a weirdo anyway. Well, I suppose that mindless monstrous strength would also be magic if it were magic. Does that mean you're drawn to your own kind?"

To a commoner, a magician is like an immortal who helps poor farmers in fairy tales.

Conversely, to a knight like Karas, they are uncanny existences that distort the world by wielding power he cannot understand.

In the eyes of a traditional knight who carves out the world through effort, sweat, and courage, a magician is an existence hanging somewhere between a ghost and a human.

Hoooooo-!

At that moment, an eagle-owl flew over the balcony while obscuring the full moon.

"It seems that fellow has been circling around for a while now? Unpleasantly so."

Karas looked up at the sky as if it were an ill omen. Owls or eagle-owls were symbols of ill omen to the people of this era.

Especially in the stories of beasts wielded by evil magicians, they often appeared as regulars.

"I suppose it came to catch the rats drawn by the banquet. It's quite handsome-looking."

However, to Eugene, who was not bound by superstition, it was merely enjoyable to be able to watch an animal he could not often see. It was so large that it almost obscured the entire full moon.

However, there was one strange thing.

'Is it an illusion? It feels like it's been staring only at me for a while now.'

The eagle-owl, as if it had no interest in foraging, alighted on a distant roof and was staring intensely at Eugene.