Chapter 99

Chapter 99 - Opening for Business (1)

"The flower crown has withered."

Valda greeted Eugene as he returned from his geographical reconnaissance. Holding the dried and shriveled flower crown, her expression was full of regret.

-I picked the flowers directly from the garden and wove them together stitch by stitch myself.

It was a flower crown completed by Aisha, Count Andar's daughter, specifically picking beautifully bloomed flowers.

With it resting on his head, Eugene received countless praises and glasses of wine at the banquet on the first day.

-A true warrior must be solid both inside and out!

-Knights of Gord! Are you going to disgrace our country? Can't you get up quickly?

Even while knights were collapsing from drunkenness, everyone in the banquet hall cheered for Eugene, who remained perfectly fine alone.

"Since it was made with living flowers, it is only natural that it withers as time passes."

"Do you not have me?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, I can preserve it with my magic."

With forest magic, it is possible to semi-permanently maintain the vitality of a flower plucked from its stem.

Since the prize for victory was gold, this flower crown was practically the only memorabilia.

However, Eugene declined Valda's offer to cast a spell to preserve it.

"This is a token commemorating your first tournament victory. It is too precious to disappear like this."

"Because this isn't the flower crown I wanted to receive first."

If it had been a tournament in Roman or Barcia, Eugene would have ridden his horse directly to the seating area where Valda was.

He would have caught the flower crown thrown by Valda with his spear, raising it like a flag to praise her honor.

However, this was Gord, and he had to respect local traditions.

"Your sentiment is an immeasurable honor, but."

Accepting her scarf, Valda's heart pounded at the attitude of the man who stood up as her very own knight.

Passion and honor that she thought she would never have ties with for the rest of her life until just last year.

It was an exquisite wine sweeter and stronger than any alcohol she had tasted at the banquets she was invited to so far.

"Still, the sincerity imbued in the flower crown was not ordinary."

As a forest magician and an Elf, Valda could read many things from flowers.

She could tell that it was a flower crown Aisha made genuinely aiming to bless Eugene's victory with all her heart.

"Let's stop talking about this here. As we wander around in the Moving Castle, there will be occasions to participate in tournaments again."

Eugene grabbed Valda's shoulders. The soft sensation of her skin filled his hands.

A close advisor yet a Forest Elf who had felt like a flower blooming on a sheer cliff. However, since a certain point, they had become able to casually share this level of physical contact.

"I will be looking forward to the flower crown Lady Valda will gift me then."

Valda placed her hands crossed in an X shape over the backs of Eugene's hands gripping her shoulders.

"...I will prepare the greatest flower crown that will never be seen again in this world. Staking my honor as a magician and an Elf."

Stroking the back of Eugene's firm hand, Valda spoke as if making a vow.

"You don't need to go that far."

"It is my wish."

Eugene was overwhelmed by Valda's momentum. She overflowed with more intensity than the Gord knights he faced in the tournament.

Her burning golden eyes contained the strongest stubbornness since Eugene had known her. Eugene was extremely delighted by that.

Her first impression was like a dead tree carved from ice. To think the one who changed it this much was himself; just the thought of it made...

* * *

Now, there was only one task left. What should be the first request they take using the Moving Castle as their base?

In this era, the definitive ways to touch big money were war and trade.

"In my situation, the war side is still better, right?"

"Normally I would have told you to reconsider, but I have no way to stop you."

Attending as a staff officer, Marbas smiled bitterly.

As the most experienced person among Eugene's surroundings, he knew that earning money through combat was a poisoned chalice.

If you win, you have everything, but if you lose, you end up with nothing. As the battlefield holds countless variables, no matter how strong an army is, it can collapse for absurd reasons.

"Because your moving castle can minimize the costs and variables of combat."

"Marching, supply routes, and a base to retreat to when disadvantaged. Since we can solve all these difficult problems with just one."

An army incurs vastly greater costs when marching than when stationed. In disadvantageous situations, it inevitably faces numerous hardships.

However, Eugene's army, which accompanied the castle, could almost entirely ignore such risks.

Thanks to this, they could consider taking on numerous requests they normally would have given up for various reasons.

"Escorting convoys the size of dozens of carriages, huh."

"Transport requests are the most common means for mercenaries to earn a living. This one is quite large in scale."

Rex advised Eugene, who had sifted out the lucrative requests.

"Whether there is a war or not, logistics will never cease."

"It's good for novice mercenaries to safely build stamina and experience."

"But transport escorts don't pay much, do they?"

"Yes. You only receive the strictly predetermined daily wage, and merchants also prioritize safe routes, so there are far fewer fights than you'd think. It's practically impossible to obtain spoils of war."

Rex smiled and added an explanation, noticing Eugene's expression that suggested it might be too bland for their first monumental request.

"But that is the story when an ordinary mercenary group escorts them. We can go beyond escorting and substitute the transport itself."

Merchants and laborers pull carriages, and a mercenary group follows to protect them. This is the basics of a transport request.

In contrast, Eugene just needed to bring the merchant group to be escorted into the Moving Castle and teleport.

"Since we can demand not only the escort fee but a portion of the transport fee as well, it will be quite lucrative. Since there has never been a precedent like this, we will have to negotiate, though."

"I am quite curious about the expressions of the merchant firm people when they hear the conditions we present."

"Hahaha!"

Indeed, it seemed funny to everyone just imagining it.

"Sir Knight. For any first attempt, it's customary to start with the standard."

"Exactly. How about choosing the transport request?"

The tribal warriors, who would usually have been unenthusiastic saying 'It is not the job of true warriors,' actively urged him to accept it.

'I was thinking of jumping into the trade business anyway.'

It seemed fine for Eugene to occasionally take these requests while moving his own goods to build relationships with merchant firms.

However, they had just barely looked at the first request. They checked the next request form.

"Subjugating a peasant rebellion, huh."

"They say it erupted quite largely. Several wandering knights joined forces with locals well-versed in the geography and are roaming around the forest."

"It would be hard for ordinary lords to handle."

In wars here, being well-versed in geography provided an absolute advantage.

Moreover, numbers equaled power. With knights joining to reduce disorder and lead them, a clumsy subjugation force could inversely get annihilated.

However, Eugene tore the request form apart.

"I might consider it if it were bandits, pirates, or at least a territorial war, but I do not want to interfere in something like that."

"I thought you would say that."

The primary causes of peasant rebellions are harsh exploitation by lords or famines.

Of course, the peasants who rebel are not merely victims. It is common for them to devolve into bandit gangs endlessly looting.

Even so, Eugene felt an instinctive aversion to turning his sword and spear against peasants.

Even from a pragmatic standpoint, one couldn't harvest side income like spoils from poor peasants anyway.

"Moving Castle sightseeing? What is this?"

"The nobles who attended the banquet said they want to see the legendary castle. They were willing to pay quite a large sum of money."

It was a request to earn money without shedding a single drop of blood or sweat.

Usually, receiving external nobles as guests only costs the host money to entertain them, but at the level of the Moving Castle, they could actually be the ones receiving money.

"This is rejected too. We're not fully ready to welcome guests yet."

The castle was in the middle of being reorganized. Eugene wanted to receive guests only when the interior was completely sorted out.

"The New Year subjugation?"

"This was proposed by Count Andar's family."

Eugene focused. This was an agenda to be treated more importantly than any other request.

"In the south, there is a giant Shield Mountain Range."

It was named so because it acted as the kingdom's shield, blocking the monsters swarming in the Demonic Forest.

"I know that place too. When I was leaving my hometown with Homi, I briefly considered crossing it to head up into Gord territory."

Even though he immediately gave up because it seemed like pure madness no matter how he thought about it.

"To the west of that lies the forest called the Demonic Realm."

He hadn't even considered going in that direction from the start.

"Count Andar's territory is a frontier bordering most of the Shield Mountain Range and a part of the Demonic Forest. No matter how rugged the mountain range is, there are always monsters that manage to break through and come down."

"Is the request to subjugate those bastards?"

"They say it is an annual event held once a year. That is why it's called the New Year subjugation."

Since the notably wealthy Count Andar is the client, the reward will surely be large. Moreover, since the hunting targets are monsters, they could harvest all sorts of by-products as spoils.

"This is the one I like the most."

"Subjugating monsters pouring out from the Demonic Forest is a request our clan has always been interested in."

Rex also swallowed hard, presumably sharing Eugene's opinion.

"Even though we always had to give it up until now."

"Why?"

"To resolve this request, we have to dispatch a large number of elite mounted archers, but if an accident occurs on the continent's frontier, there is no way to help them."

Except for special cases, the Blackhand Tribe always operated with the center of the continent as their base.

They were people who survived solely on their individual martial prowess in a situation with many enemies and few friends. Fighting in a distant foreign land was excessively dangerous.

Of course, it will all be a thing of the past returning forward.

"Alright. Let's go with this."

"I have been waiting for those words!"

Rex and the tribal warriors rejoiced, shaking their tightly clenched fists.

Although they worked as mercenaries now, their roots were nomadic people. Going further back, they carried the blood of hunters roaming the forests. They naturally craved hunting beasts and monsters.

Eugene visited Count Andar in person to announce his acceptance of the request.

"Not only did you elevate the prestige of the tournament, but for our ties to continue like this, I am delighted."

Count Andar felt as if a matter that had been bothering him anyway had already been cleanly resolved.

To think the strongest knight he knew and the Blackhand Mercenary Group, considered one of the best on the continent, would fight for him.

Apart from slaying monsters, being able to temporarily place these strong warriors under his command was a great joy in itself.

"First, we must return to Bonyard. We will prepare troops and supplies there and depart immediately."

"By immediately, I assume you mean arriving the moment you depart? With your castle, that is."

"That is correct."

In front of the Count, whose eyes sparkled like a boy unbefitting his age, Eugene smiled awkwardly.

* * *

Given a hearty send-off, he left Gord and arrived at the forest entrance north of Bonyard.

There, nearly 100 people were camped and on standby, consisting of tribal warriors, male and female servants, and slaves.

Spotting Eugene's group, they quickly ran over and paid their respects.

"We are additional support troops sent by Chieftain Allesa. We came with orders to assist in defending and repairing the castle."

"I like the term new residents better than support troops."

"We are delighted you say that."

"Welcome, everyone. It felt a bit too much like a military barracks right now anyway, but now it will feel more like a place where people live."

At Eugene's words, the tribespeople smiled. Just as their Chieftain said, he was a knight they should respect but didn't need to be too tense around.

"Our tribe members will continue visiting the castle frequently from now on."

Rex whispered.

"We will keep moving, will they be able to track our location?"

"We are continuously communicating. You do not need to worry about that."

When they all entered the forest together, the Moving Castle welcomed its master with an unchanged appearance.

Beyond the gates wide open to welcome Eugene, the neatly organized hall revealed its majestic figure.

"Welcome back, Castellan! There were no irregularities while you were away!"

The Dwarves guarding the hall entrance raised their axes and offered a military salute.

The open gate wasn't the only one. There was also a gate leading to the stables keeping livestock like horses and cows.

"Let me guide them!"

"You did it last time when the merchants came, didn't you?! It's my turn this time!"

The new residents couldn't understand the Dwarves making a fuss to be the ones guiding them to the stables, which was merely a chore.

However, when the giant gate opened, they immediately understood why. Inside the pristine pens stretching endlessly to the left and right of the gate, horses were resting.

"Warhorses take priority, so butcher pigs or cows if space is tight."

"Even if our entire tribe joined, it would be difficult to fill a place this vast. I have never heard of or seen such a massive stable inside a castle."

"It's a scale that makes no sense, really."

The Dwarf guard wore a proud expression. The greatness of the castle they guarded was practically their pride.

Generally, a stable refers to a small hut-like structure built in an open area. That was no exception even for the castles of significant high-ranking nobles.

A stable capable of stationing hundreds of warhorses in an isolated safe zone like this? If you mentioned this outside, you would be scolded to stop talking nonsense.

"You can give them water from here."

The guard pointed to water pipes installed at regular intervals.

"Finally free from fetching water every day."

"With this castle, we could even conquer deserts!"

The tribal horse handlers excitedly chattered among themselves.

Horses drink more than 10 times the water humans do. Because of this drinking water supply problem, cavalry is difficult to maintain and their marching routes are naturally bound to be read.

However, together with this castle, even such common sense would crumble.

And yet, there was still a decisive final blow remaining.

A long feed trough running across the center of a spacious area that was embarrassing to even call a stable. Inside it, peculiar yellow crops were growing densely.

Snap.

The Dwarf guard plucked a stalk and offered it to a horse a tribesperson had brought.

"It's grass humans can't eat, but the livestock go crazy for it and rush at it."

Sniff sniff.

The horse, nervously looking around the unfamiliar environment, immediately reacted with its nose. The moment it cautiously took it in its mouth and chewed a bite.

Brrrt-!

The fear filling its face evaporated instantly. Its wide-open eyes filled with the joy of delicious food.

'It isn't piled up, it grows inside the trough?'

It wasn't dry hay piled up neatly; it was stalks standing upright in the trough. Because everyone heard the 'snap' sound when the Dwarf guard plucked it.

"Even if they eat it all, it grows back to this level in one night. Truly, magic is amazing, isn't it?"

"My goodness!"

Realizing what kind of place they had come to live in, the tribespeople let out screams full of joy.

'You can't resist guiding them strictly because of this!'

Just like the merchants before, every visiting guest couldn't help being astonished repeatedly.

That was the reason the guards offered to guide guests to the stable.

"Everyone is full of energy."

"Isn't it nice to see? Seeing mercenaries stepping up to do such work without extra pay is something to be proud of as the Castellan."

Valda and Homi watched the scene with satisfaction.

This was an honor one couldn't enjoy without being chosen by destiny, no matter how much money or authority one possessed.