Chapter 94

Chapter 94 - Gord (1)

"Chase them!"

"Don't let them escape toward the highway."

The shouts of Eugene's party echoed in the forest.

Due to the Moving Castle's descent, chaos erupted in the forest, causing some monsters inhabiting deep within to run out.

"Kikik-!"

It was Goblins.

They aren't dangerous, but leaving them be is a clear nuisance. Eugene annihilated visible ones while moving.

"Hwiiiik-!"

As Homi blew a whistle and pointed in one direction, the cavalry altered their direction towards there.

Until now, Homi had only taken on auxiliary duties and always stayed in the rear during actual combat.

But not anymore. Fluttering her ponytail hair and long tail, she rode her horse at the front alongside her lord.

Homi held an exclusively Dark Elf-made composite bow, larger than typical ones, in her hands.

"I found them!"

One mercenary pointed at 5 escaping Goblins.

As Eugene and Homi immediately fired arrows, two fell headlong.

"Kiit-?!"

Then, cleverly, the remaining three scattered in 3 directions. Now it was the mercenaries' turn to step forward.

"Those scatter..."

Thwack!

Before the mercenary captain could even yell, the third one fell.

"...ing bastards, chas..."

Thud!

The fourth one tumbled as an arrow lodged deeply in its back.

"...e them?"

Swish!

When Eugene nocked a second arrow and finished aiming at the last Goblin, an arrow was already flying from beside him.

Thud!

As the final Goblin grabbed its neck and collapsed, everyone turned to look at Homi.

Her white, thick tail held 2 arrows.

Upon confirming there were no enemies left, the tail holding the arrows rotated 180 degrees and placed them back into the quiver.

'This works?'

Rapid fire through arrow supply via the tail.

He thought it would certainly be possible, but to think it showed this much effectiveness in actual combat.

Not only the mercenaries preparing to charge but even Eugene couldn't help but stare at Homi with a dumbfounded face.

Radiant smile.

Homi was extremely delighted with such reactions. She had finally proven she could stand side-by-side with Eugene as a full-fledged warrior.

* * *

Upon arriving at the city, the guards quickly recognized Eugene.

"Welcome! Bonyard always welcomes the Victorious Knight!"

It wasn't because they remembered his face, but because several characteristics easily stood out.

A well-armed knight itself draws attention, but a rare giant accompanied by a pretty snow leopard Beastkin squire.

Furthermore, if they had even a little interest in the city's history, they would know Eugene's hair color, narrowing down the scope in an instant.

The guard looked in the direction Eugene came from.

"Did you also see it on your way, Knight? A thunderbolt from a clear sky. It is an ominous omen."

"...Is that all?"

"Excuse me?"

Both Eugene and the guard looked at each other in puzzlement.

There was enough time for the incident in Rostock to propagate here. The story that a giant castle descended after numerous thunderbolts struck.

Even if not anywhere else, it would be natural in Bonyard to suspect 'Perhaps the Moving Castle is near our city?', but there was no such reaction from the guard.

"Ah, I said it because the city looked too calm. There must have been dozens of thunderbolts."

"Dozens? It struck two or three times and then ended."

There was a reason it remained quiet unlike the uproar in Rostock.

"I see. Good work."

"Have a safe trip, Knight."

There is a saying that even if the head forgets, the body remembers.

'The castle is regaining its sense of peeking into the world.'

Even if a person who has trained for decades lives debauchedly for a few years and gains fat, they quickly recover lost muscle if they exercise again.

The Moving Castle was the same.

Before disappearing from the present world, it was certain it roamed everywhere in the world. Because Eugene also felt the castle recovering its senses every time it teleported.

Now, it seems examining the expected destination with thunderbolts a few times is sufficient. It might even decrease further in the future.

"Knight?"

When he explained the situation to the mercenaries looking with curious faces, everyone nodded.

"Isn't that a good thing? Because it means you can roam the world even more stealthily."

The mercenaries seemed more excited than Eugene.

"Indeed, when it first appeared, it was too noisy."

"Phew! Don't even mention it. I thought the world was falling apart then. It was a miracle no one was crushed to death in the tournament grounds."

While Eugene and the mercenaries conversed comfortably, the tribal merchants who followed to assist in commerce were stiff with tension.

Living in a world with strict hierarchy, the atmosphere was too easygoing for them.

-We must assist with our utmost effort.

-Because his wealth will soon lead to the abundance of the nest we will reside in.

Having received earnest requests from the elders, they also felt the burden of having to generate a huge profit from the trade unconditionally.

"By the way, Knight. Wouldn't Rostock have been better if you were going to trade anyway? The inland sea is freshwater, so salt is precious there too."

"Because it is the center of the continent, there are many trade goods gathering from all directions. We could touch big money if we bring those and sell them in the south."

Eugene looked at his subordinates with a peculiar face.

"When did you guys change jobs from mercenaries to merchants?"

"Hehe. Lately, when we're among ourselves, a topic we often discuss is how we can make money with the castle."

A mercenary's life is wandering all over the place depending on requests.

With a long career, they come to know quite well what local specialties are, and what is cheap or expensive in which regions.

Especially in an era lacking entertainment. The veteran soldiers grew fond of debating ways to generate maximum profit with the Moving Castle.

When mercenaries who had smuggled as a side job laid out business plans mixed with adventure tales, everyone clapped and listened attentively.

'Hooh?'

Eugene thought he should make time later and hold a debate session. It seemed somewhat useful ideas would come out.

"Thanks for the advice. But it is because the nobles flocking to the north are burdensome."

"If the castle appeared again and opened its gates, they would swarm like bees."

With Eugene's current circumstances, he is not in a situation where he can accommodate and treat those nobles.

But if he turns away honorable nobles at the door, Eugene's reputation would fall.

Mercenaries couldn't help but be insensitive to these kinds of things.

"I also want to stay as far away from the Emperor's attention as possible."

"Hey, even if it's the Emperor or his grandfather who comes, they won't be able to do anything about our castle."

"Is that all? If it's you, Knight, whoever the enemy is, you would conversely sweep them away and grab more fame."

The mercenaries trusted their employer who brought great victories and spoils wherever he went.

"But still, the Emperor is the Emperor, isn't he? Drawing attention will become exhausting. Now is the time to quietly earn money, pile up supplies, maintain the castle, and accept enough residents. I want to focus just on business without interruption."

The mercenaries only thought about whether the castle would fall or not.

Putting aside his identity as a knight for a moment, Eugene's desire as a businessman to distance himself from the Emperor. This would be difficult to understand.

Meanwhile, the tribal merchants looked at Eugene with surprised eyes.

As far as they knew, Eugene was a killing chariot who felt no fear and felt joy in crushing enemies.

But looking at him now, he somehow seemed like the blood of a merchant akin to themselves flowed in him. Even if it might be an impious thought they dared not speak.

* * *

Eugene's visit was immediately reported to the upper echelons of the city via the guards. There was no need to book lodgings; he was guided to a VIP mansion.

"I see a lot of knights?"

Unlike the peaceful atmosphere, knights roamed everywhere in the city.

Compared to when Eugene was invited as a champion, the quality dropped, but the numbers seemed double.

A short while later, the unchangingly plump Panis came running to Eugene.

"It has been a while, Magistrate. I'm glad to see you're looking healthy."

"I-I should be the one saying that. You have no idea how happy I was every time news of the new fame you built reached here. Eeheuk!"

Eugene approached Panis, who was bowing and offering a handshake, and hugged him warmly.

Since he, who had risen from a mere knight to a lord, treated him with unchanging friendship, tears welled up in Panis's eyes.

"You make me uncomfortable when you do this!"

"What could be uncomfortable between us?"

It wasn't pleasantries, he sincerely meant it.

Even if it's the periphery, Bonyard is an excellent intersection for logistics and information. Panis, who is a big player here openly and covertly, is good to get close to.

Moreover, aside from profits, he is the person who became the biggest bridgehead in Eugene's rise.

If it weren't for Panis, there wouldn't have been the fame of a Victorious Knight, the meeting with Valda, nor the relationship with the Blackhand Tribe. It could be seen as the biggest butterfly effect in Eugene's life.

"Aren't you the master of the Moving Castle, Sir? You have already far surpassed an ordinary lord. Now I feel too deeply honored."

"How did you know that?"

The fact that he had become Castellan was something that would gradually spread through the Harris Merchant Group in charge of river crossing and supplies.

However, it would take more time for the rumors to reach here from the wasteland in northwestern Roman.

"The Harris Merchant Group is among the clients in our city. They sent a carrier pigeon making secret inquiries about you, Sir."

"So that was how it is."

It is already well-known that Eugene has close relations with Bonyard.

"Would my visit perhaps be considered uncomfortable by the city? Considering I took the castle the Emperor aimed for so much."

"Not at all! There is no problem at all."

Panis waved his hands with a smile.

"The thugs in Gord right under our noses are scary; the Emperor of Roman has no power here at all. Do you know how many noble faction territories there are to cross in the middle?"

Even if the Emperor went crazy and sent an expeditionary force, the city had the potential to adequately repel it.

When Eugene informed him he visited to sell salt and purchase trade goods, Panis acted as a bridge to the Merchant Guild of the city.

When the tribal merchants began haggling with the Merchant Guild, they spouted words fluently, making one wonder when they were ever nervous.

'Those guys' attitudes are quite something.'

The frozen faces before Eugene melted away instantly in the heat of arrogance.

Dark Elves basically treated humans as if treating an inferior race. It was only unique when they treated Eugene.

"No, isn't this too expensive?"

"It should naturally be expensive. It isn't just salt, it's premium salt delivered to the royal family of the Ancient Kingdom."

"!!!"

One couldn't help but admire the sales tactics trying to package salt that had been stuck and aged for a tremendously long time and sell it off in that manner.

The fact that Eugene was the Wandering Castellan was known to everyone with some power in Bonyard, so the tribal merchants could haggle comfortably too.

"That's not all. Even the demons infesting inside the castle didn't dare enter the warehouse where this salt was piled up. So it could be preserved perfectly."

Since ancient times, salt was considered to have the power to purify evil things. The tribal merchants also used that unsparingly.

The reality was that it was simply salty, so the monsters didn't even look at it.

Overlapped with the halo of the Magistrate who came to greet him later, they struck a deal at a fairly good price.

However, they didn't receive all of it in money; some of it was to be exchanged with specialties for new trade.

"I missed this taste so much."

The mercenaries rejoiced tasting Samur dates for the first time in a while.

It might be cheap here, but if taken to Barcia or Roman, the price jumps 3~5 times.

"Do you mean the undried ones?"

"Yes. We want to take half dried and half undried."

At the flustered appearance of the guild member, the tribal merchant and Eugene looked at each other and smiled slightly.

-If frozen, they won't rot for up to half a year. If thawed slowly in the refrigerator later, it can preserve the fresh texture quite well.

-In the northern continent, it's a product hard to see even for kings. It will fetch whatever price you name.

Selling plump dates to nobles will make the price jump more than ten times.

Eugene had no intention of trading obvious goods like wheat, barley, or animal hides.

Instant long-distance transportation, mass transport, refrigeration, and freezing. He planned to do trade utilizing these three elements to the extreme.

"This is just the beginning."

"Pepper, rose water, tea, ceramics, saffron, tapestries. There are overflowing numbers whose price jumps tens or hundreds of times just by transporting them intact."

After concluding the negotiations, the tribal merchants returning to Eugene chattered in excitement. Producing greater results than expected seemed to have given them confidence.

They were people who had agonized over profits their entire lives while bound by realistic constraints.

How to set the route, how many porters to use, worrying about stock unexpectedly rotting, organizing escorts—which are money guzzlers—not too many but not too few.

However, trading through the Moving Castle allowed them to skip all the problems that had tormented them.

The mental pleasure it gave was like a drug to them.

Eugene pointed out one more thing the merchants hadn't thought of.

"Do not forget that there are no tariffs and bribes involved in all those trades."

"Th-there was that too!"

Truly lucrative trade is maritime trade. For this, one had to mind the nobles occupying the ports and middle managers.

Apart from tariffs, massive bribes, intelligence warfare for assessing the situation, and efforts to cater to their whims went into it.

They could ignore all of that.

Wiggle wiggle.

Eugene saw the tribal merchants clenching and unclenching their fists.

-Knight! How about placing a catapult on the rooftop? Some crazy bastard will come out directly striking inside the castle instead of the walls!

-Unfortunately, waging a siege battle with this castle is impossible. It can only teleport to regions far away from human souls.

-Oh my.

It was exactly the same action the Dwarves showed when bathed in the thought of repairing the castle and installing armaments.

* * *

After finishing the trade, Eugene heard an unexpected story from the Magistrate.

"A tournament? In Gord?"

"Yes. Soon is the foundation anniversary of Gord."

A society exploited under a caste system is like a tightly shut boiling pot.

Overlords ruling with spears, swords, and armor while looking down on commoners also knew they had to let off steam a few times a year.

These anniversaries were festivals where everyone ate and drank, as well as a time of opportunity to establish nobles' authority and pioneer paths of success for knights.

"I heard several powerful lords have united to host it more grandly than previous years."

"Because of the civil war in Roman."

"A foreign country's war is a blessing for one's own country. Starting this year, they'll try to stick a spoon in, whether commercially or militarily. It's a warm-up event for that."

By the Magistrate's standards, a powerful lord meant a Count-level at minimum. If several such individuals rallied, the scale would be on par with or even exceed the one held in Rostock.

The prize money involved would be great too.

"As expected of the Knight. Is your fighting spirit already boiling?"

"Ah, well."

The Magistrate smiled at Eugene's gaze shifting.

"I thought I saw quite a few knights traveling in the city, there was a reason."

"Tournaments in Gord are good even for poor knights to participate in. That's how popular they are among free knights."

Gord-style tournaments are infantry group battles. Jousting tournaments could only be seen at banquets hosted by the King.

Barcia, traditionally on bad terms, would belittle it as a vulgar gang fight among ignorant knights.

However, it was a land of opportunity for low-ranking knights with poor horsemanship. Those lucky enough to receive knighthood from mercenary origins, or third sons of poor families and such.

"How about Sir Eugene participating as well?"

"Is it okay considering it's a country effectively an enemy until last year?"

Eugene is also called by the flattering nickname like the 'Guardian of Bonyard'.

How would it seem to the city's people if he participated in a commemorative event of those who tried to swallow half this city until recently.

Even if he coveted the prize money and the connections to be gained there, he had been restraining himself for now.

"Hahaha! That's precisely why I further recommend it. How satisfying would it be if the best knight of our city appeared in their event and smashed everyone?"

The Magistrate seemed to instead earnestly hope Eugene would participate.