Chapter 80

Chapter 80 - Advent (4)

"Miles in one hit?"

The fainted man was a skilled person counted on even among them. However, it's not a strange thing.

Homi did not receive knight classes, but she trained diligently every day, and her innate physical abilities were extraordinary.

Leaving aside handling cold weapons, in martial arts using only the body, she is at a level where she has no match in Eugene's army.

Sniff sniff.

Homi's sharp nose twitched cutely.

The smell of iron, oil applied for maintenance, the unique body odor of hands deeply seeped into weapon handles. Such things did not waft from the men before her eyes.

She communicated with hand signals that the opponents were unarmed.

'We'll have to capture them alive.'

Eugene abandoned the thought of drawing his sword. More than their ransom, there seemed to be a lot of information to tear out.

"Who are you guys?"

"Eugene of the Meyer family. A knight attending the celebration banquet by the invitation of His Grace Duke Ismar. And who are you?"

When Eugene spoke readily, the Emperor's knights were rather flustered.

"W, We are... Uh..."

The situation where the opponent proudly introduced himself with a noble's accent.

Lying that they were travelers was shameful as a knight, and saying 'We are so-and-so who came to commit terrorism by the Emperor's secret order' was even more embarrassing.

"You idiots! I said just jump them!"

A middle-aged knight clicked his tongue at his hesitating comrades and lunged.

Harsh knight training also includes close-quarters martial arts.

He was only pitiful of the guy who was careless and got knocked out by a kick to the face. He had enough confidence to overpower a slender woman.

However, Homi simply snatched the knight's fist and twisted it backwards.

Crack!

"Kkeuaak!"

As the middle-aged knight's back of the hand bumped against his wrist, it induced a terrible pain.

When a rolled-up fist planted itself into his defenseless chin, he fainted in one hit just like Miles.

"Sir Paulson!"

"Damn it! This bitch hasn't ordinary strength!"

The knights realized it was not the situation to weigh honor and attacked all at once.

However, their martial arts were ultimately nothing more than what they learned to assist swords.

Smash!

Thwack!

Everyone fell down like bowling pins to the man and woman who were overwhelming in both skill and strength.

A knight and a squire who had matched hands and feet sparring for nearly 10 years. The two covering each other's blind spots and fighting looked like they were dancing a dance.

"Sir Simon! Why are you just watching?"

Simon is not the type of magician who can instantly exert combat power in this kind of situation.

Furthermore, a man in a monk's attire is aiming his hand at him from the doorway.

"Leave that magician to me."

A dangerous energy gathering on a burned hand. It harbored a power that would take Simon's life at any moment.

Meanwhile, everyone was terrified by the knight with monstrous strength swinging a comrade by the ankle like a club.

"A monster-like bastard!"

A knight who barely dodged a comrade flying at him floating in the air allowed Homi's low kick aiming for an opening. At the pain as if the back of his knee was cut off, strength left his leg.

Grab.

Homi, grabbing both cheeks of the kneeling knight, delivered a knee strike right to his face.

Bang!

Homi turned around and dusted off her hands at the knight who fell back scattering a grand nosebleed.

Eugene unconsciously touched his cheek at that brutal sight.

It's a cruel violence that couldn't be thought of as the touch that stroked him with affection while shaving him.

"?"

"No, nothing."

Eugene smiled awkwardly at Homi's expression asking why he was looking like that.

"I surrender."

Simon had just been raising both hands since about the middle.

'Damn it. It wasn't the time to worry about that summoner bastard.'

The mercenaries Hind called arrived and bound the fainted knights and Simon tightly.

* * *

A little while after Eugene escaped, the tournament was halted.

"In the name of Ismar, I declare an evacuation order! Guide the ones in chaos! I will strictly punish those who disobey the order!"

"Oh my!"

At the Duke's order, the lower-ranked knights who couldn't show off their skills lamented.

"His Grace the Duke has permitted somewhat of violence. Beat up the bastards who don't listen and move them."

"Send them slowly! If you do that, the moment several people fall in a heap, they'll all be crushed!"

Knights and soldiers shouted, trying to contain the crowd falling into chaos.

Flash!

But as the intervals of the lightning became shorter and the world constantly turned white, it was not easy.

Because screams erupted from all directions, and there were also many who just plumped down or lay flat on the spot.

"Mooom!"

Even soldiers permitted to use violence couldn't bring themselves to touch a mother lying flat hugging a young child.

'I should have hurried more.'

Duke Ismar reflected on the uneasiness he felt early on. On not following the warning his inner self sent.

The meteorologist standing near him had turned beyond white to a half-corpse state.

The garrison troops stationed in the city also went into a riot.

"Call in everyone who is off-duty and on vacation!"

The emergency bell summoning all armed forces of the entire city rang loudly.

Actually, even without ringing it, the majority were already running to their posts on their own.

Because the pay and working conditions were good, the competition was fierce, so a high level of military discipline was established.

Moreover, several territories that lost their owners in the Northern civil war came into the Duke's hands this time. The mercenary captains aiming for success couldn't help but be impatient.

- If I make a contribution, I can also become a lord!

- If I even just receive one small village...

Everyone was tightly squeezing their subordinates, puffed up with the dream of becoming real nobles.

"What's happening?"

"Did a large monster appear or something?"

The hastily gathered soldiers wondered why an emergency was called.

Because with the Emperor's army and pirates all defeated, no matter how much they thought about it, there was nothing that could be called a crisis.

But those on duty only said, 'You won't believe me if I tell you.', or 'You'll know when you get there.'

"Crazy..."

The soldiers who climbed the city walls like that were astonished.

"Am I dreaming?"

Everyone rubbed their eyes and looked at the plains outside the city.

A majestic structure that couldn't be thought of as man-made looked down at them arrogantly.

Rostock had tall city walls counted even in the whole of Roman, but the guards had to completely bend their necks up to look at it.

"Is that a castle? Or a ship?"

"It definitely looks made of stone, though."

"Look at the top part. There are zigzag-shaped walls like ours, right? That's a castle! It's the Moving Castle we saw in Bonyard!"

A soldier from Bonyard shouted in excitement.

A blunt yet pointed rectangular shape resembled a ship, but the texture and the overwhelming presence are definitely those of a castle.

The dark clouds that filled the sky quickly retreated like they had arrived.

Sizzle.

As the warm sunlight shone down, the empty chill attached to its surface began to be driven away.

The soldiers got the illusion that a giant dragon was enjoying a sunbath from that appearance.

"Ooh..."

The haze and fog spewing from the frozen castle made it feel as if the castle was breathing.

* * *

The meeting room owned by Duke Ismar was densely packed with nobles. It was a situation where even local lords came up for the festival and tournament.

Apart from the Duke's assembly order, they too were extremely curious about this unprecedented situation.

"The Moving Castle, you say?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

At Eugene's answer, Duke Ismar was surprised.

"I am certain. It is the final legacy left by the ancient kingdom. I have seen a replica that looked exactly the same in Bonyard."

"What did your magicians say?"

"They share the same opinion as me."

The authority of the advisors Eugene leads is absolutely not to be underestimated.

Valda is the sage of the forest every noble desires to meet. Marbas is also a great summoner numerous religious orders want to invite for lectures.

"Ha, well! Even if it sounds like nonsense, something like that popped out right before our eyes, so."

"I prided myself on wandering the continent in my youth and having many wondrous experiences. But seeing that, everything feels trivial."

The nobles let out empty laughs and murmured.

A giant structure that appeared along with a lightning storm. It harbored wonders that couldn't be explained unless it was a legacy of the ancient kingdom.

"Who would build such a majestic castle? It is an impossible task even for Dwarves."

"Ahem!"

A few Dwarf nobles present showed signs of discomfort but could not refute it.

"Sir Eugene. I thank you representing the North for arresting the Emperor's spies. Had it not been for you, we might have just moved on thinking of this incident as merely a disaster."

At Duke Ismar's words, the other nobles also agreed and showed courtesy.

After catching Simon's gang, Eugene reported to the Duke, and the prisoners were handed over to the city guard.

Simon confessed everything nicely from the start, and the knights bit down and endured harsh torture before confessing one by one.

"Thanks to you, the meteorologist's life was also saved."

"That is a relief."

Eugene smiled back at the Duke patting his shoulder.

The meteorologist had reportedly already written a will with the thought of hanging himself out of guilt.

"I didn't think the Emperor would come out this pettily."

"I heard he was scouring ancient ruins, but to think he would have gotten his hands on such a powerful magical tool."

Originally, it's absolutely not a magical tool that would exert this much power.

However, since the Moving Castle was keeping its mouth shut, no one, including Eugene, had any way to know why a thing like this burst out.

"Your Grace. Those who scouted around the castle have returned."

The captain of the guard informed.

When setting out, the scouting party had a grim face as if being put on a suicide mission. But when returning, they were excited like young boys who saw a fascinating spectacle.

- No monsters, ghosts, or any other small movements are seen.

- There is what looks to be a large entrance or castle gate at the bottom, but it is completely closed.

- Absolutely do not touch the castle. It is still extremely cold. One of the soldiers almost got frostbite.

It was fortunate that it didn't immediately turn into a disaster, but they couldn't just neglect this castle. Regardless of the danger, it was too political an entity.

"Wouldn't the Emperor lead an army up here?"

"Since it's a relic he frantically searched for..."

At the worried words of the nobles, everyone's expressions hardened. Because it made enough sense.

Even though they thought they destroyed the Emperor's Faction early on and became peaceful, the possibility of the North being swept into the flames of war again arose.

* * *

Whether the high-ranking folks wracked their brains or not, ordinary people were extremely excited.

Travelers and bards, adventurers and mercenaries, low-ranking nobles, free knights, scholars of various fields, etc., a large number of those holding an interest in the Moving Castle swarmed in.

For them, political problems are none of their business. How could they miss a spectacle that would become bar chatter for the rest of their lives?

"Have a meal! We sell it cheap!"

Merchants and laborers trying to do business with them also set up tents and stalls everywhere.

"Touching the castle directly by unauthorized persons is strictly forbidden. If you cross the control line, we will arrest you regardless of the reason."

Because of that, the control troops dispatched by Duke Ismar tasted death.

The castle is so huge that it couldn't be perfectly surrounded and blocked off. For that, troops at the level of fighting an ordinary siege would be needed.

"In the 10,000 to 1 chance you disobey instructions and are arrested, it will be considered a challenge to His Grace the Duke. We will punish it strongly."

The guards pressured the onlookers with murderous glares and severe punishment.

Eugene's party was permitted by the Duke, so they could investigate the castle freely.

Hind, who had ridden a horse and checked around the castle, returned. Rex returned to the Blackhand Tribe to inform them of the important issue.

"The places where one can enter inside are firmly closed. How the hell did they build it to not even have a gap for a single dagger to enter?"

Hind could not hold back his admiration at the solidity of the castle. As a born knight, he was much more fascinated by such a perfect fortress than gold, silver treasures, or top-tier beauties.

"I see what looks like a balcony up there."

Both of their necks bent backward fully.

"That height would be impossible even if you brought any existing siege tower."

Unless you rolled someone in a thick straw mat, put them in a catapult, and shot them, there seemed to be no way to reach it.

"By the way, isn't it amazing?"

"What are you saying?"

"This was built by the masonry of the ancients. What could possibly have injured the castle this much?"

The surface of the Moving Castle seen up close was severely damaged, being scorched, cracked, and chipped here and there. The overall shape was intact, but it looks like it went through a truly terrible experience.

"Because structures of the ancient kingdom are sturdy enough to fall over if hit by an earthquake, but not break."

"The magicians will return soon, so ask them then."

Valda and Marbas were each examining the surroundings taking escort troops.

"Not a nobleman, I see."

No sooner had Hind's words ended than Marbas returned from the other side.

Full of excitement, he didn't even answer Eugene's words of 'Good work' and asked outright.

"Do you remember what I said when we first met? That the Moving Castle is an existence drifting caught between the present world and the other world."

"Yes. It was also the reason why it wasn't discovered for a long time."

"To think that castle seemed to have been to a place far, far further than I thought."

"Further place, what do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the space filled with malice that burned my body and soul. If I tasted the beginning of hell and escaped..."

Marbas approached the Moving Castle with a face where fear and an unshakable curiosity coexisted.

"This castle seems to have touched the end of it and returned."

His scarred palms felt the castle.

Not like the ancient kingdom buildings left in Bonyard, but the scorched and damaged surface.

"It is a result tempered alternatingly in heat and chill that cannot exist in this world."

"I wondered what could possibly ruin even the legacy of the ancient kingdom, but it makes sense now."

Hell.

A metaphysical space existing at the deepest part of the other world. The edge of time and space.

No matter how mighty a creature is. Even if it is a dragon from legend, a domain of terror that cannot be reached maintaining a body and soul.

Even masonry of the ancients that reached the domain of gods is human technology and materials of the present world.

Crumbling and fading before true terror was a natural occurrence.

And one more thing.

When Eugene placed his palm on the castle, an unknown sense of familiarity was felt beyond the texture of the rough stone.

The Moving Castle, which reached the end of another world, did not seem to have returned containing only the heat and chill of hell.