Chapter 59

Chapter 59 - Spiritual High Tide (1)

As they got closer to northern Roman, the crowds they encountered also became diverse.

When Eugene met merchants, he traded supplies, and mercenaries testing the waters for plunder with irreverent glares were beaten up and had their money extorted.

"How should I thank you for this grace. May God bless you, Sir Knight."

When he saw elderly people on pilgrimage, he thought of Godfrey for no reason and served them even warm food.

"The place I told you about earlier will appear soon."

As the plains ended and the mountains got closer, Hind said.

"There is a trail base good for defense between those mountains. I heard a rumor recently that bandits have fortified it and are collecting tolls."

If they build a base by setting up wooden palisades and watchtowers hugging the sloped mountain, it boasts considerable defensive power.

"Haven't there been subjugation attempts?"

"It is not an area of influence of a specific lord, nor is it a core trade route. The bastards settled in well. If they hear news that a subjugation army of scale is being prepared, they will flee. They meticulously ask for surrounding information while collecting tolls."

It's not certain whether bandits have really settled down. Considering the situation, Eugene thought of fighting if they were easygoing, and if not, paying the money or going around.

As expected, perhaps the journey wasn't going to be easy, a barricade blocking the mountain pass ahead appeared. Travelers passed by paying money after talking with those guarding the entrance.

Archers holding bows are up in the 3 watchtowers keeping watch.

"Hm?"

But something is strange. As they got closer, the image was different from the bandits Eugene thought of.

They are handsome men and beautiful women with dark and clean skin such as dark brown, dark gray, and blue-gray. Their ears are elongated and their equipment is also excellent.

"Sir Hind. Were the rumored bandits Dark Elves?"

"... No."

Perhaps Hind was also flustered, he narrowed his eyes.

Getting a little closer, humans kneeling around the barricade while disarmed could be fully seen.

"The honorable Blackhand Mercenaries subjugated us who were blocking the road and extorting money!"

A hairy human male with a black eye shouted at the top of his voice from a high platform.

"In exchange for that wonderful unpaid service, they say they will only receive half the amount we originally extorted!"

Along with boos, stones flew in. The hairy man was in pain but could not stop speaking.

"P-Passersby! Please hurl your curses at us! This is all because we are bad bastards!"

Eugene grabbed his face and laughed.

"Those bastards were settling their foundation here and got smashed."

Roughly 80 Dark Elves could be seen. Passersby obediently paid money, not daring to think of jumping at them.

Some prisoners pulled out arrows stuck in the wooden palisades and guard posts, and some sorted them according to the degree of damage to the arrows and piled them up.

"Sir Knight. As you know, the Blackhand Mercenaries are absolutely not friends who work for free. Since they cleaned up the mountain stronghold, they will only disappear when they collect enough to satisfy themselves."

The mercenary captain looked like he wished to pay the toll for the most part. However, he was also afraid to tell a great knight to bow his head. Even more so since the opponent was not a noble's army but a mere mercenary group.

"We should try a conversation first. I also do not want to stack blood debts with the Blackhand Tribe. They aren't easy opponents either."

The mercenaries were relieved at the employer who didn't try to blindly fight putting up only valor.

Dark Elves armed with composite bows are Grim Reapers of the battlefield. They will rain down a rain of death with power, accuracy, and rate of fire that disallows comparison with their own crossbows.

However, the party did not need to pay money.

"Ah?!"

Because the Dark Elf keeping watch in the watchtower checked Eugene several times and signaled downwards.

"Could you perhaps be Sir Eugene who came from Bonyard?"

When it was his turn, the decurion guarding the entrance politely asked.

"That is correct. I subjugated the bandit group together with Rex there."

"It is an honor to meet you. We heard many words from Young Master Rex at the tribal council. It is fortunate we recognized you before committing a rudeness."

Rex unpacked his experiences as soon as he returned to the tribe. As they scatter and operate in various places, sharing information about how the world turns when they gather is an essential procedure.

Introductions of factions to form good relationships with, enemies to repay debts to, and VIPs to absolutely not commit rudeness towards occur. Eugene was a rare third case.

- A giant accompanied by a snow leopard beastman squire and an elf magician. His hair is black and his eyes are brown. You must absolutely not be hostile towards that Knight.

Eugene's physical description was in a state shared with the majority of the Blackhand Tribe operating outside.

"Then can we just pass by?"

"Of course. However, if you are not busy, we wish to treat you, Sir Knight."

The place the Dark Elf pointed to was a fairly well-made log cabin. It was originally the officer lodgings of the mercenaries who occupied this place.

The Blackhand Tribe are excellent warriors Eugene also wants to get close to. There is no reason to refuse when the opposing side comes out so favorably.

"Thank you. I shall happily accept."

"It is always a joyful occurrence to serve a great warrior."

Respecting the strong and despising the weak is a universal inclination of martial artists in this world, but Dark Elves were those at the extreme of it.

Eugene's party was guided inside the spaciously established camp.

"I should have hugged Rex tighter when we parted back then. To think it's such thankful consideration."

"Stop it. Rex will die if you do that."

At Eugene, whose face was serious for a joke, Valda kept a straight face and stopped him.

'I felt this from before, but they really are the military itself.'

Those collecting money and standing guard maintained a strict posture. They scanned each and every person approaching the entrance as if doing a full inspection.

The footsteps of those walking around inside the camp were also suppressed to a minimum, and their resting discipline was strict, ready to jump out at any time.

"Is that person the Knight who caught a Demonic Beast alone?"

There were many people stretching or doing muscle training in various places, and half of them were exercise methods Eugene had passed on to Rex's group.

"I want to ask if this posture is correct."

"Wouldn't it be okay to ask? I heard he's an immensely generous person."

"What are you going to do if you get whipped by Captain Helga doing that."

Separate from goodwill towards the strong, the desire wanting to ask about exercises gave off a strong smell. However, due to the overflowing discipline, the atmosphere was everyone restraining themselves.

'Ask! Ask as much as you like!'

Far from hating teaching exercises, Eugene is one who rather enjoys it. In this world, only Homi and Dark Elves could share that joy.

"Please enter this way."

"..."

"What is the matter?"

"No, nothing."

However, no one ended up asking until Eugene entered the large log cabin.

* * *

Eugene and Valda received wonderful treatment. Considering it is a field camp, a colorful variety of food was laid out on the table.

"It is a meal I didn't even think I would taste in such a place."

"We bought this and that from passing merchants. There are also things we received instead of tolls."

Helga, the captain leading the unit, answered.

She was tall enough to reach just below Eugene's eyes and had a trained body fitting that.

"Has your money-making in Roman already finished?"

"My unit's has. Because we luckily captured the eldest son of a certain Marquis family and received a massive reward. Other units will also return soon."

"Since it's winter and there are no battles, money-making won't be good."

"Yes. But there is a bigger reason. A festival where all Dark Elf tribes gather is scheduled to be held. It is an important event that happens once every few years. Even though the schedule was set suddenly, we cannot fall out."

Wandering peoples like Dark Elves or Centaurs often held events where the entire tribe gathered like that.

Because if they don't maintain their connecting rings with each other even faintly, there is a danger the people itself will disintegrate in front of the world's torrential currents.

Even if they say each survives on their own, at the final moment, the only thing to rely on is expectedly only their kin.

"Originally, we must return to the tribe and wait, but a place to drop by arose due to a request from the Summoner accompanying our army."

"Summoner!"

Valda's golden eyes sparkled with interest.

A Summoner is an existence that obtains power from another world. Because of that, they are rare enough to be called magicians among magicians.

Feeling mysteries in the world also requires an extraordinary destiny, but to go a step further and have to feel mysteries from another world.

Due to the characteristics of the magic they pursue, if they make a wrong move, they might look overlapping with pagan magicians. That's why instead of Necromancer, which was used since the old days, they use the more neutral title of Summoner.

"Could you tell us what kind of matter it is?"

Helga nodded as if she had been waiting.

"Just in time, the Summoner also wished to converse with Sir Eugene. If it is okay, try going to his room on the 2nd floor."

"That's great."

Eugene still has a lot of curiosity about magicians. Since excluding both himself and Valda, the pagan magician he met briefly in passing and Decimus were all.

Valda had a regrettable face. Because it was customary for magicians' invitations to be sensitive to uninvited guests and not casually intrude.

"His name is?"

"He is Lord Marbas."

* * *

When he knocked in front of the door on the 2nd floor, a dignified voice could be heard.

"Come in."

When he opened the door, a man wearing dark monk robes is sitting on a chair.

On the table, medicine and unwound bandages are placed. Burn marks could be seen on the wrists, arms, and neck gradually revealed out as he cleared them away.

"Nice to meet you. I am Eugene Meyer."

"Please forgive the rudeness of making a precious guest come and go. Because your visit was unexpected. It's troublesome to move in my current condition."

"What would be hard about a knight climbing a few stairs?"

Would his age be around early 50s? It's difficult to estimate his exact age because of the burns, but by his voice, he looks around there.

Faint burns were also seen on the face covered by the hood's shadow, but the shape of his ears is intact. They are ordinary ears that aren't pointy, like Eugene's.

"You were human."

"Since one cannot raise a magician just by wanting one, there's no choice but to invite them from externally. And speak comfortably. Aren't we both comrades who have stepped into the same mystery?"

Fitting a summoner, Marbas immediately noticed that Eugene handles the power of another world.

"It is fine. This is comfortable for me."

He is a skilled person to the extent that a highly prideful Dark Elf Centurion respectfully calls him Lord Marbas. Moreover, he also somehow gave off a feeling similar to Master Godfrey.

"I heard this unit is moving by your request."

"I had business at a ruin near Veles City. Since I also have a lot of interest in the Moving Castle the Emperor of Roman aims for."

"For that, aren't you too relaxed? The ruins will be dug up while you just collect money here."

"I am a hired person, not their captain. Even if I made several big contributions to the tribe, isn't it the rule that I cannot demand more than this?"

Marbas clearly understood his own position. A magician who cannot do that and acts arrogant eventually dies stabbed in the back by a knife.

"Even if knights visit anyway, they won't be able to find anything special."

Even though Varden's group meticulously searched through it, the true power of the ruins was opened only after Eugene arrived. It is not strange for Marbas to act leisurely either.

"Indeed, to go and come back twice from the Emperor's territory, no matter how much they hurry, it will be slower than going from here."

Marbas pointed to Eugene's chest with his finger.

"As a result, waiting here was the correct answer. Because what I was wishing for rolled in on its own."

"...!"

He suddenly cut in.

"It seems you already visited the ruins? The artifact currently in your bosom seems to be what you obtained there."

Eugene had a premonition that holding out his flippers (feigning ignorance) would be useless. The man before his eyes had 100% certainty in his own words.

"How did you know?"

"There is no need to be on guard. I have no intention of breaking the custom of hospitality against a popular figure of the clan. Honestly, if I jump at you, it seems only my neck will be snapped."

The words just now also contained Marbas's certainty. Although this was the kind that put Eugene's mind at ease.

"I shall swear upon my magic. I merely want to see what kind of artifact it is."

Now Eugene, who is also a magician, could know well how powerful a binding force that oath has.

Eugene took the golden key out of his bosom and placed it on the table between the two.

"A key. While it seems like nothing special, it might perhaps be the most important treasure."

"You haven't answered my question yet. How did you know that I visited those ruins and collected spoils?"

"Because it smelled."

Marbas tapped his own nose.

"I am a Summoner. When I was young and overflowing with hot blood, there was a time I overdid it to look into the deepest place of another world. The price for that recklessness was horrific."

When Marbas rolled up the sleeves of his monk robe, burns as if dozens of fire snakes had ridden past were revealed.

"I thrust my body too deeply into a well where hell had sunk. Thanks to that, I experienced hellfire alive and came back. This is not a figurative expression."

"I know what you mean."

"As expected, understanding is fast between fellow followers of the Way."

Something horrific that exists exactly opposite to the Holy Communion Eugene uses. That must be the cause of the burns that mangled Marbas's entire body.

"Thanks to this horrific experience, I can smell the scents of other worlds amazingly well. I noticed the moment you entered this house embracing the key."

"He who looks into the abyss, beware that the abyss will also look into himself... is it."

"A wonderful saying. It fits me perfectly. It would have been good if I had known in my youth."

At the modified words of Nietzsche, Marbas laughed and nodded his head.