Chapter 14: Bonyard (1)
Chapter 14: Bonyard (1)
After that, it was peaceful.
They followed the narrow forest path, enjoying birdsong, rustling leaves, and the sound of flowing water.
Ordinarily, this was simply what the journey from Bonyard to Kingdom's End was like.
Just as the warm sunlight and tranquility were beginning to draw yawns from the mercenaries, they arrived at their destination.
"Sir Eugene, I sincerely welcome you to our city."
Bonyard (Born Yard).
A white city born from an enormous quarry stretched out before them.
Homi's tail wagged vigorously with anticipation. Eugene's heart raced just the same.
"It may not be the greatest city, but everyone here works hard and takes pride in it."
"I've never been here, but I've heard plenty. This place supplied stone for countless structures of the Ancient Kingdom, and its waterworks are better than those of most major cities, correct?"
"You are well informed."
Sorin was delighted.
Anyone could confirm that much with a little research, but praise from a great knight sounded different.
"Yet I smell no stone dust."
Eugene had worried about breathing in quarry dust in a world without masks, but the city's air was fresh.
"Living off stone quarrying is ancient history. We have transformed into a thriving commercial city now."
Long ago, there had been two dynasties that unified the entire continent.
The first was Rui Amor, founded by the elves. In their language, the name meant 'First Favor.'
The second dynasty to unite the continent was established by humans and was simply called the Ancient Kingdom.
This was because the royal houses of every nation now claimed descent and each used a different name for it.
The Ancient Kingdom lagged behind Rui Amor in every aspect save one.
That was masonry.
The buildings and roads from that era had withstood the ravages of time and still stood intact.
"Our Bonyard supplied the most stone to the Ancient Kingdom. For that merit, it was granted the title of the workshop that established the kingdom's very foundation. What greater honor could there be?"
The guards stationed at the city entrance recognized Sorin.
"Sir Sorin? You have returned already?"
By the original schedule, he would only just now be arriving at Kingdom's End.
"I was fortunate and resolved the matter quickly."
"That's a relief. Good work. The city is as safe as ever!"
"Keep up the good work."
The guards knew which direction Sorin had gone, but not the purpose of his trip.
"The man who just passed was a knight, correct?"
"Aye. High-ranking folk have been going out frequently and constantly bringing knights back from all over."
"Could a war be brewing?"
"If that were the case, they'd be recruiting mercenaries and the trade in military supplies would be surging. But everything's normal. So what's going on?"
Even as low-ranking guards, they saw and heard enough at the main gate to make them uneasy.
Once inside the city, Eugene felt that something was off everywhere he looked.
'The buildings are all... peculiar.'
This was because the upper and lower portions of many buildings were unnaturally different. Not only in color, but in form and texture as well.
"Did a great earthquake strike the city once? It looks as though half-collapsed structures were rebuilt in places."
"Not at all. There has never been an earthquake here. The buildings look strange for another reason."
Sorin explained regretfully.
"As you know, this place was a quarry that became a city after the fall of the Ancient Kingdom. The problem is that when the kingdom vanished, their masonry techniques were lost as well."
"I see. They built additions on top of the old structures using completely different construction methods, which is why they look like this."
"That's right. Since the place had originally been a worksite, many structures did not even have roofs."
Sorin pointed out several fairly large buildings one after another.
"Renovations were carried out: the open-air laborer recruitment yard became the guard barracks, the stone drying yard became a large warehouse, and so on. As wealthy individuals moved in, one-story buildings were expanded to two or three floors."
"That explains why the tops and bottoms of the buildings looked different. But could they not have simply demolished them cleanly and built anew?"
Sorin waved his hand as if the notion was absurd.
"Even siege engines can't make them budge."
"That is truly remarkable."
He had heard that the Ancient Kingdom's masonry bordered on the work of the gods, but he had assumed there was some exaggeration.
But if this was the case, was it not a level surpassing even reinforced concrete?
"It has been an honor to serve you, Sir Knight."
Beard bowed respectfully.
"The words should be mine. I traveled comfortably thanks to you all. It was a joy to share my first journey out into the world with you."
"I shall pray for the day I may serve under you again, Sir Knight."
Eugene moved to grasp Beard's hand but stopped himself. He was now the sole successor left by the Knight of Prophecy and the knight whom Homi served.
However friendly he felt toward Beard, Eugene had to preserve his dignity by addressing him as a social superior. That was simply how this world worked.
After parting with the mercenaries, Sorin guided Eugene.
"I know of a good tanner."
They had skinned the warg, cleaned the hide, and packed it with sand to slow decay, but that was only a temporary measure. To use it properly, it needed tanning.
From their conversations on the road, Sorin had learned that it had not been long since Eugene was knighted.
"I never imagined it was your first quarry after becoming a full knight. Then we must take even greater care to commemorate it. After all, it will be the foundation upon which you shall build great achievements in the future."
Sorin pressed the tanner so insistently to take special care with it that Eugene eventually had to intervene.
Homi was delighted as well. Unlike the backwater dominated by the Orthodox Church, demi-humans were not rare here. There was no problem at all with walking about with her tail exposed.
Sniff sniff.
Her perky nose reacted constantly to the scents of various goods and foodstuffs.
"Sorin, neither Homi nor I has ever been in a city before. We have some things to prepare, so could you give us two days?"
"Of course!"
That was exactly what Sorin had hoped for, so he welcomed the request wholeheartedly.
Several other officials besides Sorin had been sent on missions to invite knights. With the city already busy preparing to receive them, Eugene's early arrival could leave the arrangements incomplete.
After traveling with Eugene for several days, Sorin had learned enough about him that two more days would let the city prepare much better hospitality.
Sorin had been reluctant to ask for the delay himself, so he was grateful that Eugene requested it first.
"Then please, take your time looking around. I shall report to my superiors and return in two days."
Having secured a temporary inn for them, Sorin bowed with great courtesy.
When they entered the inn, they saw the proprietor beyond the counter, puffing leisurely on a tobacco pipe.
"Eup!?"
His indifferent expression changed the moment he saw Eugene's armor and Sorin standing deferentially behind him. He set down his pipe, blew out two quick breaths, and hurried over.
"Welcome, Sir Knight!"
"I shall stay for two days."
Eugene handed over copper coins.
"What will you do for meals?"
"We will manage outside, so just bring us water."
"Understood."
The innkeeper did not seem disappointed.
A colorful array of foodstuffs flowed into Bonyard from trade routes in all directions. It was common for first-time travelers to wander the market and fall for the street food.
The two entered their lodging and unpacked.
"Whew. That was a rough trip, huh?"
Homi nodded twice.
The moment they were alone, Eugene wiped the solemn expression clean from his face.
"Keeping up an expression and manner I'm not used to is enough to drive me insane."
'You looked magnificent. The way you led the battle, you seemed like a lord ruling some domain.'
Homi answered in sign language.
She liked her master's usual unpretentious attitude well enough, but the way he had carried himself with such gravity before the mercenaries had also been admirable.
"This room is far better than I expected. Master Goffrey used to scare me so much with his inn stories, I was a little on edge."
The lodging was not spacious, but it was clean, with no sign of decay anywhere. The sheets gave off no foul odor, and there were no bedbugs crawling across the walls or floor. Sorin had arranged a good place for them.
Flutter.
Even so, Homi stripped back the blankets and sheets, inspecting them meticulously, and sprinkled insect-repellent powder in every corner.
Eugene removed his cumbersome armor and headed for the inn's courtyard, eager to wash off the sweat and dust.
'You wash first. I'll come down after I finish tending to the armor.'
Homi remained in the room to see to a few more tasks.
As a remnant of the Ancient Kingdom, Bonyard had a functioning water-supply system.
It was not enough to supply every location, but key buildings such as the government hall, the guard barracks, and the inns could draw clean, cold water at all times.
In the first place, the city's notables had each claimed plots connected to the old water system and expanded them, gradually shaping modern Bonyard.
The bathing area in the courtyard was also furnished with curtains, perhaps out of consideration for both male and female guests.
Eugene placed his sword where it would not get wet and began to wash.
SHHHHH...
He scrubbed himself with an expensive, hard bar of soap and a soft cloth until filthy water ran off him.
Unlike medieval Earth, manufacturing solid soap that did not harm the skin was easy here.
"Thank you, Rui Amor."
Eugene expressed his gratitude to the elves who had vanished long ago.
It was because the first continental unification dynasty, the Rui Amor, had developed and distributed the plants used to make hygiene products.
Even now, when the vast majority of their relics had disappeared, these plants alone flourished across the entire continent.
Only God knew how many lives they had saved from disease.
Fweeeet!
Homi's whistle rang out.
"Yeah. I'm washing up in here. I'm almost done, so wait just a moment."
After drying off with a towel and changing into fresh clothes, he felt so refreshed it was beyond words.
When he pulled the curtain aside, Homi stood there with her ears perked and an eager expression on her face.
"It's your turn. I'll stand watch, so don't worry."
Smack!
Homi smiled brightly and slapped her palm against his as if passing a baton before stepping inside.
Along with the sound of her undressing, water began to pour down.
Since the curtain stopped about twenty centimeters above the ground, Homi's fair-skinned insteps and healthy calves were fully visible.
Her silhouette, balanced on one leg like a crane as she washed her toes, showed impeccable balance.
Just then, some man trying to sneak into the courtyard made eye contact with Eugene.
"What are you staring at? Get out of here, now!"
The man fled in a panic before the threatening glare of the tall knight.
Fweet?
"It's nothing. Take your time washing up."
Eugene waited leisurely for Homi's bath, which took about twice as long as his own. She was always a quick, efficient kid, but washing was the one thing she took her time with.
Splash!
From behind Eugene came the sound of laundry being washed.
Homi had worked a thick lather into her long tail and was squeezing the suds out beneath the stream of water.
For Eugene, a simple bath was the end of it, but for her, doing her own laundry was unavoidable, so of course it took time.
"Hm-hmm~ Hmm~!"
Thanks to Homi humming happily to herself, the wait was not boring at all.
They had saved up a fair amount of cash, and they also possessed rare ingredients like high-grade medicinal herbs and truffle mushrooms.
In a rural village, there would have been no one to buy them at a high price, but in Bonyard, there was no shortage of places to sell.
Here, too, the help of his capable squire was immense.
Sniff sniff.
Homi's nose twitched adorably.
With her animal-sharp sense of smell and intuition, she could tell when a merchant was trying to cheat them—or, more precisely, detect subtle lies.
'I've found I can tell from their face, voice, and breathing. Though I can't be sure I'm always right.'
Homi had explained it to him once, but it was a wild instinct Eugene could never imitate.
That was also why he had briefly consulted her opinion regarding Sorin's invitation.
"I'm offering you an honest price, Sir Knight. In Bonyard, the name Gamba is practically a byword for trust."
Eugene was, needless to say, a giant of a man, and Homi was also taller than most ordinary men.
With the intimidating aura the two of them gave off as well, the merchant's twenty years of business acumen meant nothing; he was cowed from the start.
Homi nodded.
At the signal of affirmation, Eugene closed the deal immediately.
A bit of haggling was needed when selling the truffle mushrooms to a merchant who supplied ingredients to a noble household.
"Grrrr!"
"Eek!"
When Homi bared her fangs with a ferocious face, the fat merchant's legs gave out and he collapsed.
"My apologies if I startled you. My squire has a rather unique way of sneezing, you see. So, what was that price?"
Eugene, his lips pressed firmly together while only his eyes smiled, grabbed the merchant by the shoulder, and the bargaining was over instantly.
"I-I made a mistake in my calculations. Oh dear, I suppose it's about time for me to retire. Hehehe!"
More silver coins clinked into the purse, and Eugene grinned.
Thump!
From an angle the merchant could not see, Homi's tail, wagging excitedly, smacked into Eugene's backside.
"You don't need a spare bowstring?"
Homi shook her head.
"Then you only need bolts?"
Homi nodded twice.
"Still, you ought to have a melee weapon for yourself. You can't keep relying on just a single dagger going forward."
For Homi, he bought a buckler she could strap to her wrist. At least this would not hinder her reloading a crossbow or her movement.
He added a warhammer to go with it. Despite the grand name, it was an ordinary one-handed weapon, with a hammer head on one side and a pointed spike on the other.
He had wanted to buy her a proper, fine sword, but she had declined.
-I'm not skilled with swords. But I'm used to hammers and pickaxes from hunting and foraging, so they feel right in my hands. They'll also help when making camp or maintaining equipment.
As Homi's hands flew through the signs, Eugene could only nod.
Eugene already had a high-quality longsword and a large flail, so he bought no more weapons. Instead, he supplemented his defensive options.
He replaced his old leather greaves with metal ones and obtained a circular iron shield to cover his upper body.
He would have preferred a heater shield, which was more efficient on horseback, but the only shield in the corner made entirely of metal, grip and all, was the round one.
'The feel of smashing someone with a shield was satisfying.'
He thought back to the dungeon fight and the warg that had rushed inside his flail's reach.
A shield could block bolts and arrows and also served well as a bludgeon to beat down any foe that got too close. To withstand his monstrous strength, a grip fixed with mere leather straps had never inspired any confidence.
"Is there anything else to buy?"
'We brought plenty from the cabin, so it's fine. The tableware and tools the blacksmith made are better than the ones here.'
Homi's eyes held a look of reappraisal for the blacksmith of Kingdom's End.
They had brought plenty with them—spare clothes, tableware, daily necessities, styptic medicine, and more—so there was little else to buy besides equipment.
"Our load has been cut in half in terms of weight."
Even so, both smiled ruefully at how much lighter their purse had become.
'Guest of honor or not, we'd better start thinking about how to earn some coin.'
Fortunately, he and his squire had many ways to make money.