Chapter 10: One Who Understands the Three Worlds (10)
Chapter 10: One Who Understands the Three Worlds (10)
Even for night, the village was excessively quiet. Even the windows were shut tight.
"Did you hide the children?"
"Yes. But shouldn't we just pack up and run away?"
The villagers couldn't sleep, their hearts pounding. They had lived in peace for so long that the current situation felt unreal.
"Honey, they aren't ordinary bandits. They were all on horseback. We could all be killed."
"Wait. It's true they aren't ordinary, but they're definitely not bandits."
Even under his wife's prodding, the husband kept his composure. If everyone else was holding their breath inside and he went out and caught their eye, he might be the first to taste a blade.
Judging by the cavalry's armament and the way they spoke, they were far from loot-crazed bandits.
Above all, those eyes glowing in the darkness! He recalled the women who had been paraded through the village from the monastery a few days ago.
"They probably aren't after us. Let's just lie low quietly."
That was the judgment of this household's head.
Of course, there were also houses that couldn't contain their curiosity and tried to sneak a look outside.
Creeeak.
A window creaked slowly open at the sound of Eugene and Homi passing by.
"Aaaagh!"
At that moment, screams and the clash of weapons rang out from the monastery.
SLAM!
The window snapped shut like lightning.
"Uryaaaaa!"
"Hyaaa!"
Cheers followed right after. Marcus and his party, who had escaped from the dungeon, must have joined up with the shield-bearers.
When Eugene and Homi reached the entrance of the village, the two watchmen were lying on the ground.
"Both alive. They really did seem like proper gentlemen."
Since no blood was pooling on the ground, they seemed to have been knocked out by blunt weapons.
Once even they were passed, a wild land overgrown with weeds lay trampled underfoot.
They had walked it countless times before, but today it felt different—almost like a gateway to a new world.
"Doesn't the air itself taste different?"
"?"
Homi looked at him quizzically.
"First, let's go back to the hut. There are too many things worth taking with us."
Nod.
Right then, the sound of hoofbeats came from behind. It was undoubtedly Marcus and his party.
Elite troops were elite indeed. The moment they secured the women, they gathered their engaged forces and withdrew swiftly.
No sign of pursuit was visible, so they must have dealt a heavy blow to the priests. Only chaotic shouts reverberated loudly from the monastery.
"Stop. For now, they aren't our enemies."
He stopped Homi, who was drawing her crossbow and starting to stand guard.
Even from their brief encounter, he could tell. They were not the sort of scoundrels who would repay kindness with enmity.
Even if his judgment was wrong, there was no need to needlessly provoke a cavalry troop on the plains.
"Sir Eugene."
Marcus, who was at the head, greeted him.
"I was too flustered earlier to give a proper greeting. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Marcus. Head of the Pierce family."
"As I said before, I'm Eugene Meyer."
"..."
"...?"
Marcus stared at him intently.
"Is that all?"
"It is."
"I thought a knight as renowned as yourself would have plenty of achievements to introduce."
Beside Marcus, Aaron nodded as if it were a matter of course. He seemed to have already forgotten the grudge of being struck and sent flying.
"Ah, that's what you meant."
Knights were like moths flying toward honor and glory. If they had even the smallest thing to adorn their name, they always mentioned it.
Among veteran knights, many were embarrassed about the dark history involved.
Such as proudly introducing how they caught a single goblin or kobold in their youth as a suffix to their name.
"Thank you for the high regard, but I'm a rookie knighted only a few days ago. I have nothing to boast about yet."
Tap tap.
Beside him, Homi touched the back of Eugene's hand.
She pushed her nose up with her index finger to make a pig's nose, which seemed to mean, 'why don't you tell them about hunting the monster boar?'
But what could he do? There were no witnesses, and 'boar-slayer' wasn't a very charming title.
"Knighted a few days ago? Then it must have happened here."
A name immediately came to Marcus' mind.
"Could it be... by Sir Goffrey?"
"I see you know my master."
"Of course! So you truly inherited his teachings."
Marcus and all his subordinates looked at Eugene with an even deeper reverence.
Before, he had been an unidentified knight with monstrous strength, but now the halo of being the successor to the Knight of Prophecy had been added.
"Ughhh."
Behind them, a girl appeared on horseback. To be precise, she was tied by a rope to the back of the cavalryman riding in front of her.
It was Maria, Marcus's sister and the person they'd come to rescue. She grimaced and shook her head as if suffering from a severe hangover.
"It seems like you've had a deep sleep for the first time in a while. Close your eyes. We'll bring you to safety."
Even though Marcus spoke with worry, Maria stubbornly kept her eyes open.
"Incredible mental fortitude."
"Thank you. She's my sister, but I'm truly proud of her."
Marcus was delighted by Eugene's praise. His sister was giving immense aid to the family, yet she was being undervalued even more than himself.
But now that the knight before his eyes acknowledged her, he felt that grievance was being rewarded.
Eugene had only meant that she had endured the sleeping drug he gave her, but Marcus mistook it for praise of how she had survived sleeplessness and harsh captivity.
"The one... that was prepared..."
"Yes, my lady."
Another cavalryman approached, leading a horse by the reins.
"Take that horse."
Maria spoke.
The cavalryman offered the reins with both hands as if making an offering, but Eugene only looked at it without extending his hand.
"Why are you giving it to me?"
"In return... for what I received."
After spitting out one sentence, Maria's head drooped as if she would fall asleep, but she raised it again with difficulty.
"Food from the maids, blood, help escaping... I should at least give this much."
Slump.
Maria, who had been lifting her eyes with difficulty, fell asleep after those words.
"Hmm."
Honestly, it was incredibly tempting. What was a knight without a horse?
His master's armor was excellent, he had two weapons, and he even had a capable squire. The final—and largest—missing piece was a horse.
Whether or not he rode a horse changed the reactions he received in countless encounters.
That held true for everyone from peddlers on the road, to villagers giving him shelter for the night, to guards at a city gate.
Even when selling his strength to earn money, his value would jump significantly.
"Maria told me everything—how courteously you treated my sister and her maids, the precious blood you gave her when she was weak, your mercy in sparing my men, and the debt we owe you for helping us escape. Sir Eugene, you have earned that horse."
"If you put it that way, I'll accept it gladly."
Eugene took the horse's reins.
Refusing once was enough. From Marcus's account, Eugene had done enough to earn the horse.
Besides, Marcus didn't seem like the type who would later act petty over something like this.
Snoooore...
"It's been a long while since I've heard my sister's snoring."
Marcus laughed brightly and raised his arm to signal the withdrawal.
"His name is Might. Sir Eugene, until we meet again!"
"I am Aaron Tait. I will look forward to the day I stand honorably beside you, Sir."
Marcus, Aaron, and the soldiers offered a mounted bow before departing.
After they left, Eugene stroked the horse's mane. Might had a sturdy build, calm eyes, and a glossy, well-fed coat. He was a properly trained and well-kept warhorse.
"My master used to say there are few horses as good as Barsian warhorses."
Prrrfff.
Might, seeming to take a liking to his new owner, gave a cheerful snort and rubbed its face against him.
Homi stood a little apart, clasping her hands together.
"You look even happier than I am."
Homi smiled faintly. She knew what a great knight her lord would one day become.
It had always pained her to see him forced to travel on foot.
He would look magnificent surveying the world from horseback, as a knight should. But a warhorse—not merely an ordinary horse—was far beyond what a backwater squire and herb-gatherer could afford.
And yet, that wish had now come true.
"I'll ask once again. Will you follow me on the journey ahead?"
Instead of answering, Homi humbly knelt on one knee.
Smooch!
She took Eugene's hand and planted a deep kiss on the back of it.
"I look forward to working with you from now on."
Her thick silver tail wagged excitedly. Homi had long awaited this journey too; her wild nature hated being tied to one place.
When Eugene mounted the horse, Homi moved here and there, gazing up at him from various angles.
"Hurry and get on. Let's go back to the hut, pack our things, and leave. It'll be troublesome in many ways once daylight breaks."
Nod.
Homi leapt up lightly and mounted behind Eugene. She buried her face in his dependable back and wrapped her arms around his chest.
As they rode toward the hut together, they saw flames rising from the monastery.
"So that's why the priests didn't chase after us."
It seemed Marcus's party had set fires here and there as they escaped.
The monastery had been built in lofty isolation, separate from the surrounding buildings, so there was no risk of the fire spreading.
"■■■■ ■■ ■■■"
A few priests burst out, shouting something, but the villagers were still too frightened and kept their doors locked without coming out.
The priests were probably having a hellish time tending to groaning casualties and hauling water to douse the flames, but that was none of his concern.
Thanks to the chaos, Eugene climbed toward the hut in a good mood, enjoying the monastery fire like an enormous campfire.
Once they arrived, the two packed quickly. They had already sorted out what they needed, so preparations took almost no time.
The first was wealth.
He had firmly refused the money his master had tried to give him.
-Your master may not look it, but I put away plenty during my days as a knight. So don't refuse...
-Homi and I are healthy, and we're good at hunting and gathering. We'll have plenty of ways to earn money. You should spend yours on yourself, Master—eat well and sleep somewhere warm and comfortable.
-Do you think it makes sense for a pilgrimage to be comfortable?
-Why shouldn't it? If you get arthritis with no disciple to nurse you, it'll be a huge problem.
-The things you say.
Eugene also had loot he had acquired from taking on various requests and eliminating bandits. Homi, too, had saved money from hunting and gathering.
On top of that, they packed high-grade herbs that were easy to preserve for a long time and simple to convert to cash.
Homi's pack also held travel essentials such as stimulant powder, styptic, and insect repellent.
They packed enough provisions to last a good while: jerky made from rabbit, mountain birds, and roe deer, along with dried fruit, hard travel rations, and rock salt.
Like a proper squire, Homi helped Eugene into his armor and fastened a cloak around him against the cold and dew. With that, they were ready.
Their work finished, the two stepped out of the hut.
"It's truly farewell now."
Before mounting, Eugene looked once at the memory-filled hut, once at the still-blazing monastery, and once toward the place where his mother's remains rested.
'Where will you go?'
Homi asked in sign language.
"Well, we should head east, shouldn't we?"
Kingdom's End lay at the southern tip of the warrior nation of Gord, in the continent's southwest.
West from here was an endless expanse of dense, dangerous forest, so that was out of the question. The monster boar they had dealt with a few days ago had been an uninvited guest from there.
To the south and southeast lay the Samur Desert. They would lose their way and die of thirst long before reaching the trade routes that caravans used.
To the north lay Homi's gathering grounds and a towering mountain range.
If they went straight up, Gord's territory would appear, but crossing the mountains as they were was practically madness.
That left only the east. Goffrey and Marcus's group must have used that route as well. Kingdom's End was a backwater precisely because harsh terrain boxed it in on every side.
"Let's go—to Bonyard."
The eastern road led to Bonyard, an old free city that served as a gateway toward the heart of the continent.
And so, the knight and his squire left their homeland of Kingdom's End.
They had followed the road for four days. At this pace, they would reach the city in another three.
'Won't the priests chase after us? Maybe we should pick up the pace a little.'
Homi asked in sign language.
"Don't worry. Between the fighting and putting out the fires, they'll be exhausted. Why waste attention on the likes of us? They're probably too busy raging at the unknown attackers."
'That's true.'
Eugene rubbed his chin.
"I only wish the Sealed Shrine had burned down with the rest of it."
Homi giggled.
Marcus's group seemed to have left the road and slipped away along the forest. Homi had smelled horse droppings in the grass, so there was little doubt.
"I had braced myself for hardship, but thanks to you, the journey's been easy."
Homi, walking beside the horse, smiled broadly.
Even night watch was incomparably easier when two people could split the duty.
"Tell me whenever you're tired. I'll dismount and let you ride."
Homi shook her head.
Perhaps because her beastkin blood ran strong, Homi had enough stamina to keep pace with Eugene's horse without difficulty.
Watching her walk with her tail swaying gently made Eugene feel as though he were taking a puppy for a walk.
Stop!
Her tail suddenly froze. People were resting far ahead.
"They aren't merchants."
There were no carts or wagons loaded with goods.
'They aren't herb-gatherers or hunters, either.'
Homi signed.
If they were gathering or hunting, they would stay near Bonyard. There was no reason to venture this deep toward a backwater like Kingdom's End.
More importantly, they were armed, though even from a distance their equipment looked wretched.