Chapter 100: Opening (2)
Chapter 100: Opening (2)
The heart of the Wandering Castle. The room housing the core was accessible only to the castle lord.
-I ask you.
-This is not a rule I made. It is a rule of the castle, and it is for your safety, Marbas-nim.
-I am aware. I merely wish to attempt it. If it proves impossible, I promise I shall withdraw without lingering attachment.
There had been an occasion when Marbas, unable to restrain his curiosity, was granted leave to accompany him at his persistent request.
The result was that he was stopped dead at the entrance to the long corridor leading to the core room.
The passage, where a faint current of mystical energy had flowed gently, turned as violent as a storm the moment Marbas stepped into it.
-Grrk!
As Marbas hastily retreated from the staggering blow to his psyche, the passage immediately grew calm again.
Just as the lungs cough violently when even a little water enters them, the castle had expelled the foreign substance that was Marbas.
-Are you all right?
-I seem to be uninjured. Hoo...
Marbas let out a sigh that mingled relief and lament. Unlike himself, Eugene stood in the corridor with a serene face.
-The realm of mystery is a cruel one. It is utterly ruthless to those who were not chosen by fate.
Marbas accepted it with composure. For a mage, the most essential virtue was knowing one's proper place.
What could not be done simply could not be done.
Yet there was a single exception. One being whom the castle, aside from Eugene, permitted to enter its heart.
"Why are you the only exception, I wonder? We are not even related by blood."
"..."
Homi, who had followed him into the core room, wore an embarrassed expression. She could hardly know the reason when even the castle lord himself did not.
"Because we are family who have been together since childhood?"
Boing!
Homi's long, thick tail sprang upward.
The setting being what it was, she tried to maintain her composure and discipline with a proper expression. But her tail, which moved of its own accord in her happiness, was beyond her control.
"Or is it because I trust you enough to let you shave me every time? You're the only person who puts a blade to my throat. If so, I suppose this castle can trust you with its heart as well."
Boooiing!
This time her tail sprang up a little higher.
Eugene's hair and beard remained Homi's exclusive domain as ever. Though she was not one to covet things, this alone she yielded to no one.
"Anyway, thanks to you, I was able to finish the work smoothly. Thank you."
Paintings neatly sealed beneath glass hung all around them. They were works by the painters Eugene had hired during this trip to Gord.
Portraits were a commodity much favored by nobles when establishing their authority. A number of talented painters had gathered, aiming for the nobles who were attending the tournament.
Eugene's subordinates had promised them decent pay and had them paint landscapes of key locations in southern Gord.
The work of moving the completed paintings and arranging them throughout the core room had just been finished. It would have been tiring work had Eugene needed to do it alone.
"To think places I have never visited can feel this familiar. These must be memories imprinted on the castle."
When viewed outside, they had merely evoked the impression of, 'They painted these quite vividly.'
But viewing the paintings in the place where the castle's core resided changed the sensation entirely.
A déjà vu washed over him, as though he were seeing regions he had traveled through in the past once more.
This living structure—his other body—was projecting its hazy memories onto Eugene through the medium of the paintings.
'Chieftain Alessa's painting collection will not have been in vain.'
It seemed there would be no need to personally tread across every corner of this vast continent on his own two feet.
Eugene's satisfied smile was gradually swallowed by the intense Mystery and light that began pouring from the core.
"Nngh."
Homi's tail stood erect as she stepped backward. It was an energy too mighty and a magic too fearsome for her to endure.
"Come here."
When Eugene turned his back to the core and opened his arms wide, Homi ran over and nestled gently into them.
She wrapped her two strong, deft arms around Eugene's back, and her long tail coiled about his waist.
'I have come too far, holding my little sister's hand.'
The present scene was so utterly removed from the days of their past, when they had roamed the mountain valleys together gathering herbs and picking fruit.
What would they look like ten years hence? He could not even imagine it now, but he was certain of one thing.
"Stay by my side, always."
Homi nodded.
Homi gave her wordless answer. It was less a nodding of her head and more a rubbing of her face against Eugene's chest, marking her scent upon him.
Squeeze.
Her powerful tail constricted around Eugene's waist like a serpent.
This was not a damp, murderous constriction, but a soft and affectionate embrace—a pleasant sensation that only Homi could bestow.
Flash!
The moment an intense flash swallowed the two of them, the people of Bonyard saw a colossal bolt of lightning surge upward from the northern forest.
A mere instant later, a great castle descended upon the threshold of the Shield Mountains in southern Gord.
A large number of people gathered in the hall behind the firmly shut central gate.
Gulp.
Dark elves with tense faces stared fixedly at the gate. They were new members of the tribe who had only recently joined the castle.
"I barely felt a thing, except for a slight tremor."
"So once that gate opens, there will be a completely different world outside?"
Whispered murmurs full of anticipation sounded from all directions.
However, not everyone present was intrigued by the experience of crossing the continent aboard this mystical castle.
"I-is it over?"
A dark elf woman covering her face with both hands spoke in a trembling voice. Her long, brown ears quivered with tension.
"I told you, it's all right. I heard they've already traveled like this countless times."
"But still..."
Fear of unknown beings and unknown powers was an entirely instinctive matter.
Tales were common of children who followed fairies into the shadows of dark forests and vanished forever.
They had volunteered for the mission out of duty and affection for the tribe, but quite a few of them still feared the castle's magic.
Before the dark elves stood dwarf guardsmen, arrayed in stalwart ranks with sturdy shields and hammers in hand.
"The place where we now stand is no longer the gentle forest of a moment ago. It is the borderlands of the Shield Mountains, perilous beyond measure."
Centurion Rampage shouted to his subordinates.
"Never let your guard down. The trust our lord has placed in us by stationing us as this great castle's first gate and public face—we must never repay it with disappointment."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dwarf guards responded by striking their shields and hammers together.
At that moment, a voice resounded throughout the entire castle.
[This is Castle Lord Eugene Meyer.]
As time passed and he used the power to teleport the castle again and again, Eugene came to understand something.
It was that this structure had not yet fully awakened. One might say it was in a half-dreaming state, like one just roused after slumbering for an immeasurable span of time.
There were still many secrets of the castle that its lord had not yet brought under his control. What Eugene had newly discovered this time was the power of his voice.
Carried upon the air that circulated through the ventilation passages, Eugene's voice spread to every corner of the castle.
[I shall open the central gate shortly.]
It was no mere vibration of the air. It was a wave of thought-bearing will, imbued with magical power.
Thus, though his voice was low, everyone could hear it with perfect clarity. As if it were seeping directly into the brain rather than through the eardrums.
[The scenery offered by the mountain range ahead is beautiful. May you enjoy the refreshing air blowing from it.]
Flick.
The magical lights illuminating the wide hall extinguished all at once, and darkness descended.
"Eek."
A few startled souls let out small shrieks but quickly calmed.
RUMMMMMBLE.
The magnificent gate opened, and the sunlight from outside began to seep through.
[I welcome you once again as members of my castle.]
Brighter light poured in through the widening gate, and a bracing wind rushed through.
Soon, the immense form of a great mountain range filled everyone's field of vision.
"The forest... really is gone."
"S-stay still, now!"
Adults exclaiming in wonder, and children laughing brightly, ready to dash outside at any moment.
Their way of life was different, but their nature was that of forest sprites. Having wandered only the plains until now, it was only natural that their hearts raced at the sight of a mountain range brimming with nature's power.
Opening the castle gate with everyone gathered like this was Eugene's own consideration. It was meant to ease the anticipation, or perhaps the anxiety, of those newly arrived.
The effect seemed undeniable.
"Tents... we don't need to set up. And we don't have to dig drainage ditches or haul water either?"
"That's not all, is it? We don't have to post night watch or sentries either."
The tribesmen, who had been about to move according to the habits of their wandering life, realized there was now nothing they needed to do.
They needed only to take in and enjoy their new surroundings. Expressions of people intoxicated by the sheer convenience appeared here and there.
"I heard there's a real sea at the southernmost edge. We could go there someday, couldn't we?"
"I want to go beyond the north. They say the snow never melts all year round there. I heard you can ride wooden planks down the mountains like boats."
"Do you think we could ask the castle lord somehow?"
"Are you insane? You'll be flogged until the skin peels from your back."
Hopes for foreign lands they had always longed to see but abandoned as impossibilities in their lifetimes began to blossom.
"Jerico should have seen this sight."
A faction that refused to acknowledge the Wandering Castle as the cradle of prophecy and wandered in search of a city or land to settle in was also mentioned.
"I want to show Raniya. Then those fellows would drop their stubborn nonsense too."
"It's dreadful, always having to watch for humans while grazing scrubby pastures with no nourishment. These stables are heaven."
Another faction was mentioned as well: those whose innate wanderlust made them refuse to settle in one place and who were satisfied with their present life as mercenaries.
Now the dark elves felt that their split interpretations of the prophecy had been foolish.
It seemed that if they invited any opposition faction within the tribe to the castle and let them live together for just one week, they would all yield their stubbornness of their own accord.
Eugene's army was not the only force hired for the New Year Subjugation.
Eliminating monsters that threatened the territory in advance was not its entire purpose. It was a comprehensive event that also served as a kind of military training and a social gathering for nobles and knights.
-I will distinguish myself honorably in this hunt without fail!
-I shall look forward to it. Sir Raiza.
For knights newly appointed after gaining a noble's notice at the tournament, it was also a stage to prove their worth.
Additionally, apart from the compensation provided by Count Andar, the byproducts obtained from hunting monsters were quite lucrative.
"Are there truly dire wolves in a place like this?"
"Not long ago, I saw a heavy-bellied female coming down from the summit. Her den must be somewhere nearby."
The hunter hired as their guide answered the knights' question.
"I'd heard dire wolves lived in the Demon Forest."
"You know rightly. But when the breeding season comes and they bear pups, they venture out beyond the Shield Mountains to make their dens."
"To evade predators?"
"To be precise, they are wary of the males of their own kind. Rutting males will bite any cub they see to death. Only then will the females consent to mating."
"Well, I'll be. Beasts are beasts after all."
Behind the knights followed mounted mercenaries armed with light crossbows and servants carrying nets.
"The sky's looking sullen. Seems like it's about to pour."
The mercenaries looked uneasily up at the dark clouds rolling in, but the knights showed no intention of turning back before achieving something worthwhile.
A few dozen minutes later.
"Found them! The den is over there!"
"Kill the mother and take the cubs alive!"
At the guide's shout, the knights eagerly gave the order.
Bolts fired by the mounted mercenaries bloodied the mother and knocked her down, and a knight thrust a spear through her throat to end her life.
YELP!
YIP!
The hired hunters and servants skillfully spread their nets and captured the cubs.
The hide of the dead dire wolf fetched a fair sum, but if they captured cubs alive, they could be sold for an exorbitant price.
Colosseums, wealthy great nobles, mages researching beast magic, nobles of the eastern Empire—
There was no shortage of buyers. And for newborn pups only a few days old, like these, the seller could practically name any price.
A drop of water fell onto the face of a knight smiling with satisfaction. The ominous sky had at last begun to unleash the rain.
"We'd best wrap up here for today."
The cubs, baring their teeth fiercely, were wrapped in thick cloth and placed into cages.
Similar situations were unfolding all across the surrounding area.
SHHHHHH.
The rain streaks thickened in an instant and began to pour down in torrents.
"Damn it."
"We'll have to ride at least half a day to reach the village."
The mercenaries clicked their tongues. There were no settlements near the dangerous Shield Mountains. A small cabin used by a few hunters was the closest thing, and even that was more than an hour away.
"Find a campsite at once! If even one cub catches cold and dies, I will hold you all accountable!"
Hounded by the knights, the mercenaries cursed inwardly as they looked around for somewhere to shelter from the rain.
"The fuck?"
Just then, one mercenary rubbed his eyes and looked ahead again. The other mercenaries who saw the same thing went slack-jawed as well.
"What is that?"
"Am I seeing things?"
A gigantic castle loomed arrogantly down at them through the pouring rain.
A separate group of knights traveling at some distance away was also staring at the castle with bewildered faces.
"Sir Knight, why don't we take shelter from the rain over there?"
"Have you lost your mind? That's clearly a ghost's castle!"
"There was nothing here when we came through, yet it suddenly appeared in the wind and rain. If we go in there, we'll never come out again."
The hunter's fearless suggestion horrified the mercenaries.
KRA-KOOM!
Right on cue, lightning split the sky. A blinding white flash washed over the castle, making the sight twice as terrifying.
But there was a reason the hunter had been able to say such a thing.
"There's a person over there, you see?"
"..."
The hunter pointed to a balcony on the castle.
Everyone looked where the hunter was pointing. A tall, powerfully built man stood on the balcony.
While they were drenched to the bone, he alone gazed out calmly over his surroundings, creating an atmosphere that defied description.
"Perfect timing."
Eugene stood on the castle balcony, gazing down at the rainy landscape with a satisfied expression.
He could feel the countless raindrops crashing fiercely against the castle being absorbed directly into its interior.
Unlike his subordinates, who simply basked in the grandeur and convenience the castle provided, Eugene, as its operator, had many matters to tend to.
"Does this resolve the water issue?"
Rex asked cautiously.
"Yeah. It's quite a strange sensation. Like I'm drinking water through my skin, I suppose? It feels like the castle's own cool freshness is overlapping with my senses. It's wonderfully refreshing."
Eugene, with his eyes closed, swayed his body this way and that, a sight unlike his usual unpretentious demeanor.
Rex, a mere warrior, could sense that Eugene was a mighty being who wielded a vast mystical power beyond anything he dared to imagine.
In the downpour, the Wandering Castle slaked a thirst that had lingered for truly long ages.
"Seems we'll have guests."
"Hardworking bunch, aren't they?"
RUMBLE!
Eugene and Rex looked down at the group drawing ever closer to the castle with each flash of lightning that lit the world.
Rex had been unhurriedly preparing his subordinates to sortie once the weather cleared.
But seeing that many humans had already departed for the hunt and were now returning, a surge of competitive spirit rose within him for no reason.
"Set your mind at ease. A few days' head start won't change a thing. You'd just end up looking like drenched mice like them."
"I said nothing at all?"
"Why don't you try wiping that competitive look off your face before you speak?"
Rex, having his inner thoughts exposed, coughed dryly.