VI. The Enemy Draws Nearer (3)
VI. The Enemy Draws Nearer (3)
Compared with the roads he had traveled before, the journey to Spitzenberg was short.
Two days westward at most; even allowing three for comfort, they would reach Spitzenberg quickly.
Unlike the vast, barren snowfields of the North, the lands around Bogenberg near the central Empire contained many villages and plenty of places to stop.
That would make the journey considerably easier. They would rarely need to sleep outdoors, and fatigue would accumulate more slowly.
The thought lifted some of the weight from Keldric's mind.
This time, he might actually travel at a leisurely pace.
Once his discussion with Count Bogenberg was largely finished, Keldric's first task was to find Alisa.
"Alisa."
"Ah, Sir Keldric."
Alisa waited in a room resembling a parlor.
Her color was healthy and her spirits unusually high, probably because the tournament had recently shown her the taste of easy money.
"Have you finished your business?"
"Mm... About that."
Keldric swept his gaze around the room. No one else was inside, and beyond the door only servants occasionally passed through the corridor.
"Alisa, what do you plan to do from here?"
"...My plans?"
"We have traveled together from Schaffendorf to Bogenberg, but neither of us knows how long this arrangement will continue."
Keldric and Alisa's relationship was somewhat ambiguous.
When they first met in Schaffendorf, Bellam had been their only shared destination. After that, each was supposed to choose a separate path.
Events had simply carried them onward until they found themselves together in Bogenberg.
Continuing together after Bellam had been an easy decision. From this point onward, matters were different.
"I signed a contract with Lord Bogenberg."
"Ah..."
"You were right. Something dangerous is happening around Lord Rasau, and a territorial war will probably break out before long."
That contract was the reason Keldric had raised the subject.
For the time being, Count Bogenberg's orders would limit Keldric's freedom of action.
That posed no particular problem for Keldric, but it affected Alisa, who had traveled beside him until now.
If she continued accompanying him, it would be difficult for them to discuss or pursue anything outside Count Bogenberg's contract.
Keldric knew little about Alisa.
He did not know where she meant to go or what she intended to do next.
He remembered what Alisa had said when they decided to travel together to Bogenberg.
'Did she say she had business of her own in Bogenberg?'
Her goal had happened to align with Keldric's own destination, so they had continued together.
Until now, Keldric had relied on Alisa for countless small matters, while Alisa had benefited from his protection against the mounted bandits and from the tournament wagers.
They had helped one another, but their relationship ended there. Going any further required trust.
Keldric knew almost nothing about Alisa, and she had never shown much curiosity about him either.
They were simply reasonably trustworthy traveling companions.
They were not close enough for Keldric to reveal every detail of his contract with Count Bogenberg.
The same surely applied to Alisa.
"You accompanied me because you had something to investigate in Bogenberg, as you mentioned before."
"Yes, that is right."
"Then continuing to travel together may no longer be practical."
Keldric did not know how Alisa would receive it, but in his mind, he was being considerate.
He was bound by contract now. She was free to leave and pursue her own affairs.
By any measure, it was a clean parting. Alisa's faint frown suggested she saw it differently.
"That matter is already settled."
"Oh, is it?"
"Yes. I haven't decided on my immediate destination, but the purpose of my journey has become even clearer."
Keldric tilted his head. Everyone who set out on a journey carried some purpose.
Alisa was no different. If her goal had become clearer, she could simply leave to pursue it.
"What is your goal?"
"There is a wizard I have personally been trying to track down."
During their brief time together, Alisa had rarely spoken about herself.
Keldric knew only that she was somewhat prickly and did not create trouble without reason.
Her decision to speak about herself now was unexpected, but Keldric listened silently.
"I came to Bogenberg hoping to discover that wizard's whereabouts. As it happens, I found useful information."
"Then do you intend to leave and search for the wizard now?"
"The wizard I seek is currently staying as Lord Rasau's guest."
Her purpose was to find a particular wizard, and that wizard was presently Count Rasau's guest.
Keldric paused.
He did not know why Alisa sought the wizard, but he would have no right to object if she joined Count Rasau's side.
"Then you mean to place yourself under Lord Rasau as well."
Keldric did not bother hiding his disappointment.
Alisa blinked at him in confusion.
"What? No, that is not it."
"...Did you not just make it sound that way?"
"I was not searching for the wizard because we share some friendly connection. It is closer to a personal grudge I intend to settle."
"Oh..."
"Sir Keldric, did you agree to fight for Lord Bogenberg?"
"I did. The terms seemed fair, so I decided to place my sword at his service for a while."
Alisa stepped closer with visible hesitation.
Her fingers fidgeted restlessly. Unable to read her intention, Keldric narrowed his eyes.
"If the wizard I seek is staying as Lord Rasau's guest, they are probably in his employ. That leaves me in an awkward position if I want to settle my grudge."
"You mean..."
"If it would not be an imposition, I would like to continue following you for a while. Would that be acceptable?"
Keldric had no reason to refuse.
If a capable wizard like Alisa wished to continue accompanying him, he would welcome her with open arms.
"I have no objection, but Lord Bogenberg may regard the matter as sensitive."
"Ah, that is true..."
Count Bogenberg's reaction was the only potential problem.
Once Keldric began acting under the count's orders, he would be handling secrets that could not be freely shared.
Alisa had only received verbal permission to accompany him. Count Bogenberg might resent her following Keldric through every confidential task.
"Then I'll hire you myself."
"That would be ideal."
And so Keldric decided to employ Alisa.
A formal employer-and-retainer contract would at least provide a foundation for trust.
Alisa had no objection to the arrangement. Keldric patted her shoulder twice.
"It is reassuring to have you with me. I will be counting on your help."
"Thank you. Thanks to you, Sir Keldric, I believe a path has opened for me as well."
They had gone from simple traveling companions to trusted comrades.
Keldric could not know whether the relationship would last forever, but for now he had gained a dependable ally to whom he could safely entrust his back.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
Although Alisa would continue with Keldric, Henri and Alan could not.
"Damn it. If only it weren't for those marriage negotiations..."
"I regret it as well. A true knight like you is not easily found."
Henri and Alan each voiced their disappointment. Keldric felt the same.
They were not quite Keldric's equals, but both fought well enough to deserve the name of knight, and the houses behind them carried considerable influence.
Whatever else might happen, they would likely fight well beside him in the coming territorial war.
Henri had to attend to the marriage negotiations involving his kinsman Jacquesmon, while Alan was due to return to his own house and could not continue Keldric's journey.
"Those are not the only reasons, are they? We will meet again someday."
Even without those obligations, they could not simply follow a knight who had entered Count Bogenberg's service.
To do so, Henri and Alan would have to serve the count as well.
If they could not, a clean parting here was best.
"Still, a contract with Lord Bogenberg... Why did you not become his vassal?"
"Vassalage must never have been discussed. What an ignorant Frankish question."
"He didn't offer vassalage to the tournament champion? That's even stranger."
As the two knights began bickering again, Keldric kept quiet.
He had no intention of stirring up trouble by babbling about the earlier vassalage offer or any of the other details.
He could have demanded an oath of silence in God's name, but the information was not important enough to justify the effort.
"So the wizard will continue traveling with you?"
"I hired her personally."
"Good. She's exceptionally sharp."
"Ugh... A wizard, of all people."
Unlike Alan, who calmly praised Alisa's abilities, Henri still feared her.
"By the way, Henri, why are you so afraid of wizards?"
"Ah, Sir Keldric, have you not heard the rumor? Henri once—"
"God damn it! Shut your mouth!"
Judging by Henri's frantic attempt to silence Alan, a humiliating scandal apparently lay behind the fear.
'I'll have to ask around later.'
It might have been coldhearted, but someday those two knights could find themselves on the opposite side from Keldric.
That was the nature of a knight's world.
Even companions who drank and traveled together could become enemies in a territorial war when their interests diverged.
That was another reason Keldric guarded his words.
"So where are you going now?"
"Spitzenberg."
"Oh...! I have heard of that place."
Keldric recalled Henri's earlier description.
Spitzenberg was a stone fortress amid sharp mountain peaks, supposedly carved by ancient dwarves from an entire summit.
Keldric had vaguely wanted to see it someday.
Now chance had given him the opportunity without even requiring him to pay for the journey. Life was unpredictable.
"Still, a contract with Lord Bogenberg... I envy you. I wonder when I will find a worthy lord to serve."
"You should improve your skill first..."
"I have endured enough! You insolent Britas bastard! I challenge you to a duel!"
Keldric looked away as the two knights rose with fists clenched.
He had seen this too many times. Merely thinking about stepping between them left him exhausted.
Alisa, who had been quietly sipping her drink beside him, edged her chair closer.
"Sir Keldric, will only the two of us be going to Spitzenberg?"
"Lord Bogenberg said he would assign us a mercenary company."
"I see."
Count Bogenberg was not so unreasonable that he would send Keldric off with nothing but the clothes on his back.
No one knew Baron Spitzenberg's intentions, so providing a mercenary escort was only proper.
"Which company?"
"The Iron Claw Mercenary Company. Have you heard of them?"
"No. That name is new to me."
Iron Claw Mercenary Company—that was the force Count Bogenberg had assigned to Keldric.
Keldric sipped his wine and considered the journey ahead.
'I need more provisions... and perhaps it is time to take on an attendant.'
Keldric had traveled without an attendant until now, but acquiring Aveline as a spare horse made the need increasingly obvious.
He could hardly ask Alisa, a highly skilled wizard, to perform menial work.
Keldric stared at Henri, who had begun throwing punches.
If he wanted advice, it was best to ask someone with experience.