Chapter 154: The Thousand-Year Grand Plan (3)
Chapter 154: The Thousand-Year Grand Plan (3)
From the moment the Sicily nobles were utterly routed and the count was arrested, public opinion in the city had resolved upon surrender.
Nolt, who had suppressed that will with force, became a fugitive hunted by the entire populace the instant his personal guard was annihilated.
-Still, he was from a family that had ruled this land since ancient times...
There were those who wished to remain loyal to the count's house, but the accumulated grievances were far too great.
Pirates had secretly turned the city into a forward base, worsening public order, and all manner of criminal organizations had seeped in like flies swarming a corpse.
The city's leadership, who took pride in Sicily being the foremost city, saw Eugene's army as a heaven-sent opportunity.
-The die is already cast. Holding out here is not loyalty but obstinacy.
-Indeed. Our allegiance is owed to this noble city, not to some corrupt noble bastard.
-They say the new lord knight is most sincere in rooting out bandits. The mountain brigands and pirates he has buried with his own hands number well over a thousand. He will surely drive out every last parasitic wretch from this city.
The problem was that a surrender only truly took effect if offered before the siege began.
The moment the walls fell, Nolt fled at once, but it was not long before enraged citizens seized him.
"How dare you base wretches bare your fangs at your master?"
"Not fangs — the soles of our feet! You cur worse than a dog! The city has been utterly wrecked because of you!"
"Aaagh!"
It was the last chance to vent the fury that had built up over time. The people surrounded Nolt and trampled him thoroughly underfoot.
"Enough! Enough! If he dies like this, we're in serious trouble!"
Had the Weaving Guild Master not stepped forward to stop them, they would have killed Nolt on the spot.
"Why stop us? Look at the damage this damned bastard has caused!"
It was a situation where the new lord might well make an example of the city's upper echelons and replace them wholesale.
There was no shortage of pretext. If they had evidence, they were collaborators; if not, they were bystanders. A lord in his own domain was akin to a god's proxy.
The city leadership, who had merely been threatened at sword-point, might well feel wronged, but this was an age where collective responsibility was broadly applied, and there was no helping it.
"All the more reason we must not kill him. Should we not present this wretch and beg mercy from our new lord?"
"Would that even be effective?"
"A hundred times better than doing nothing at all."
At a gesture from the Weaving Guild Master, slaves brought forward chests loaded on a cart and set them upon the ground.
"What is this?"
The Brewing Guild Master opened one and found it filled with gold and silver coins.
"I took it upon myself to empty the combined guild treasury. Let that be known."
"..."
The treasury, built from the dues of each guild, was both an emergency fund and an inheritance from their forebears. Those who would normally have raised a furious outcry kept their silence.
"Would it not be absurd to try to settle this with just one ugly piece of trash?"
"W-well, it took a good 150 years to amass such a sum..."
"Are you trying to haggle at a time like this? You need to make a big impact right from the start. The best thing is to scrape together everything and offer it all."
"I-I understand."
When the Weaving Guild Master, the eldest among them, glared with his lined eyes, the Brewing Guild Master hung his head.
"Hmph."
"We beg your forgiveness!"
When Eugene arrived and paid not the slightest glance at the chests, looking only at Nolt, they all flung themselves flat to the ground.
"Good enough. His life doesn't appear to be in danger."
'Did I ever introduce myself, though?'
He found it strange that the city's people treated him as their lord so naturally, but soon realized the reason.
Those who had their faces planted in the dirt were trembling and stealing glances at the hooves of Might, each one as large as their own head.
Riding this beast certainly let him bypass a great many things, whether the distance was physical or psychological.
"Open the gates!"
Dwarf warriors bellowed, and the latticework iron gates rose. The city leadership could not hide their nervousness at the host of the Black Hand Mercenary Company visible beyond the wide-open gates.
Of all the demi-human races coexisting on the continent, the ones with the most savage reputation were the dark elves.
The young praised their beauty heedlessly, as if in a dream, but that could turn into a nightmare at any moment.
"Do not worry. There will be no plundering."
"I-is that truly... Ack!"
The Brewing Guild Master, his face brightening as he began to answer, had his foot crushed under the heel of the Weaving Guild Master.
'Did he really just question the lord, as if doubting a joke...?'
'Did he win his guild seat by throwing dice?'
Under the collective baleful glares they sent his way, the Brewing Guild Master shriveled into himself.
"Why would I tear apart my own city? I am quite possessive of my belongings."
"We give thanks for your lordship's mercy. We had no thought of resistance whatsoever."
"I am aware. All of it is the fault of that Nolt, the villain."
Eugene gave a light laugh and pointed to several locations around the city. The council hall, the lord's residence, performance venues, and other sizable places.
"My forces will be quartered temporarily at several sites within the city. See to it that you properly reassure the citizens that they need not be afraid."
"Leave it to us. We shall not disappoint you."
With winter approaching, the days were growing shorter. The battle had already brought nightfall.
The skin of the army that crossed the main thoroughfare with such majestic presence shimmered beautifully, as though steeped in moonlight.
"There's nothing finer than the march of dark elves under a full moon."
The essence of the moon seemed to flow through their veins. Even each strand of their swaying hair resembled silk spun by silkworms fed on moonlight.
Even the seasoned guild masters stared blankly at the resplendent procession.
"Hmph."
"Merely an annoyance."
Cassandra and Rex, at Eugene's side, each drew their scarf and hood about their faces as though the human stares were distasteful.
Elf and dark elf. To call them both fairies was not merely a figurative expression. Though they possessed the blood and flesh of humans, they were a race close to the spirits.
Their innate arrogance and exclusivity toward humankind were not without reason.
The dark elves were blessed by the forest and the moon, and so when the full moon rose, their bodies drew nearer still to the spirits.
A faint moonlight settling upon the skin was only the beginning. Their senses sharpened, and their physical capabilities rose marginally as well.
There was a reason Eugene had chosen today, when the full moon would rise, for the siege. Rex, however, reacted as though they need not have waited.
"The siege went far more easily than expected. Had I known, I would not have waited and would have struck sooner."
"Not at all. Today was precisely the right moment."
All across the city, windows opened and passersby halted. It was not the commonplace response of watching a new conqueror's army with a mixture of dread and curiosity.
"Look at their expressions. Is that how one watches a notoriously savage mercenary company, or a procession of fairies from a storybook?"
The gaze of the city's people held a dreamlike quality, beyond mere wariness or awe of a mighty army.
Rex was unimpressed. Having constantly lived among his beautiful kin, he was rather insensitive to such things. He also cared little for any praise beyond strength and the hunt.
"Surely it matters that an army is strong. What does looking pretty have to do with anything?"
"It matters. Immensely. For the common people are not drawn by strength and fear alone."
Armies that were merely strong and impressive were hardly rare. Even the royal guards of each kingdom evoked wonder from onlookers.
But none could add an enchanting beauty to that mix.
"Your people's march under the full moon is, in itself, a kind of magic. It is at once a military parade and, how shall I put it, akin to the Milky Way descending to walk among the people. A lord who strides across that path will receive a reverence beyond what he might naturally command."
Eugene stroked Might's neck.
"So then, we are like the baby's breath flowers that make our lord shine, is that it?"
"In a manner of speaking. That powerful memory will be imprinted as a symbol upon the people and become my authority."
"I still do not understand."
"Trust me. Showing them a sight like this once is far better than prattling on about nobles' blue blood, rituals of the hunt, or bloodlines tracing back to myth."
Rex still seemed to have trouble understanding, but Cassandra looked impressed.
'Is it true, then, that only a human can truly understand the human heart?'
Eugene's unique way of thinking was always a source of fascination for Cassandra, who herself desired to become a ruler.
The next morning. The first official act Eugene carried out after assuming lordship was a summary judgment and execution ceremony.
"I, Eugene Meyer, lord of the Wandering Castle, protector of Kitania, and the knight who has laid low the champions of the evil gods."
Upon the platform, countless eyes of the populace gathered upon the bound Nolt and upon Eugene, who had drawn Last Autumn before him.
"In that righteous name, I pronounce the sentence of death. Now let your soul depart to the court of the gods. There may the sins of conspiring with pirates, of leading this city into corruption, and of sacrificing soldiers be truly judged."
There was a flash of silver light, and Nolt's head tumbled to the ground. Yet no one rushed forward with bread.
Unlike the mainland, this place was strongly influenced by the Apostolic Council, so barbaric customs such as dipping bread in the blood of the condemned had been stamped out.
"Will you personally pass judgment on the condemned every time?"
"Hardly. I am not a man of such lofty conviction, and I will gladly forgo the bothersome things."
Eugene wiped his sword with the cloth Haind handed him.
"Those who merely followed orders died in this siege. Setting aside the mercenaries, there were even some who died as part of the city watch. And since that bastard Nolt already earned so much resentment anyway, wouldn't it be nice if he took all the blame with him to the grave?"
"I don't think there's any need to go that far. Who would hold a grudge against the Castle Lord over deaths suffered while fighting under a different banner? They're not nobles, after all; they're merely townspeople."
Haind's thinking wasn't wrong.
It was simply that Eugene treated others with a casual familiarity; fundamentally, an enormous chasm existed between the nobility and those who were not.
Even if they had died at the hands of Eugene's army, within the special circumstances of war, it would be regarded much like suffering a natural disaster.
Even without a convenient scapegoat like Nolt, the bereaved families of the fallen soldiers would never even think of holding a grudge.
It wasn't a matter of 'daring' to. Their resentment and thought simply could not reach that far. That was the barricade that existed between commoners and the nobility. One built solidly over thousands of years.
But Eugene was not the type to be satisfied with that.
"I'm greedy, you see. If there's something more to be gained, there's no need to just let it slip. If I can earn gratitude and respect merely by moving my body a bit and spending some money, then why not."
Eugene had no intention of becoming a conqueror ruling over the entire island of Sicily. After all, he wasn't going to keep residing on this island permanently.
Messana, Phileremo, Kitania. He only wanted to govern the three cities he had obtained well—completely, if possible.
"Arrange funerals only for those of the city watch among the fallen in this battle, and pay consolation money to their bereaved families."
"Understood."
Even if they were powerless and could be ignored, he wanted every single person belonging to the city to harbor good feelings toward him—or at the very least, neutral ones.
* * *
"I implore you to accept my oath."
"Head of House Penwood. I gladly accept your fealty."
Eugene accepted the minor lords whose territories neighbored the three cities as new vassals joining his cause.
-As of today, the toll on this highway shall be raised by thirty percent.
-What are you saying? Every highway in Sicily has maintained the price set by the noble council for centuries.
-So you can't pay it? Then you cannot pass!
-You! You! Invader from the Peninsula!
This stood in contrast to the mercenary commanders and nobles of the Peninsula who had stood on the right wing.
After the victory, they had each claimed a share and were now clashing with the Sicilian nobles over every last matter. Having overextended themselves to participate, the debts they had to repay were so numerous that they had no choice.
On the other hand, Eugene had many acquaintances whose faces he had come to know through ransom negotiations and banquets, and they had built mutual respect by witnessing each other's valor on the battlefield.
"Baron Arlington. We meet again since we fought on the battlefield?"
"I am merely relieved we never crossed swords directly. If we had, my wife would be a widow and my good-for-nothing son would have come in my stead."
"You are modest. Have you come to swear an oath of fealty as well?"
"It is the sword that you, Sir, graciously returned."
During the retreat, Baron Arlington had dropped his sword, an heirloom of his line.
A warrior of the Hammer Brotherhood had seized it as loot and presented it to Eugene, who had praised the baron's valor to an envoy of the Arlington family and returned the sword.
"I believe I have kept faith with the count who played with pirates for as long as was warranted. If you will accept my sword, I shall serve with all my loyalty as a vassal."
"I welcome you sincerely."
Most of the notable families surrounding the city that Eugene had been keeping an eye on recognized him as their new master.
The immense renown he had built as a knight drew comparisons to the former count, and his unsullied faith and lack of excessive monetary demands drew comparisons to other conquerors.
Frankly speaking, he was by no means a bad liege to whom one would object to shifting one's banner.
"It is quite a sight, the barons calling you 'Sir' and swearing their allegiance."
Varda chuckled, stifling a laugh.
Eugene was still just a knight, without any formal title. A curious scene unfolded as barons, who in noble society nominally outranked him, knelt, kissed the back of his hand, and swore their oaths.
"It's not as if a title puts food on the table, so what's the rush?"
"At this point, it rather seems you're beginning to enjoy it?"
"Enjoy it, you say?"
Varda cleared her throat adorably with a 'Hrrm! Hrrm!' and then spread her arms arrogantly, lowering her voice.
"Come and kneel before me. You high-and-mighty lord! I have no title nor anything else, yet I am your superior."
"...That is remarkably accurate."
Eugene, as if he had been waiting for it, knelt before Varda.
"Uh, what?"
"Beautiful elf maiden. Sage of the Emerald Forest and my most trusted advisor. What does it matter that I possess a mighty army, a castle, cities, and treasures of gold and silver? All of it pales before your superiority."
"I was merely mimicking you... wait a moment, why is that, eek!"
They were enjoying themselves immensely.
Considering their usual dignified demeanor, their subordinates would never imagine their liege and his sorceress playing around in such a manner.
* * *
Kitania had been used as a dumping ground for the count and Nolt's money-making schemes. Stolen goods plundered by pirates and slaves abducted from the Peninsula were processed and traded there by every means imaginable.
As a bonus, the gangs that received these subcontracts extorted protection money from merchants, harassed young ladies, and ran roughshod over the market district.
While accepting the fealty of his vassals, Eugene also carried out a grand purge of Kitania city.
"Walk straight, you sons of bitches!"
Crack!
A warrior of the Tribe swung a thorny whip, tearing open the back of a gang enforcer. His scream of agony was immediately drowned out by the jeers of the crowd.
"Serves you right!"
"Beautiful warrior! Swing harder!"
Stones flew from every direction. Every time the gang members thrashed, the placards hanging around their necks swayed back and forth.
'I am a thug. I will face the people's judgment.'
The gang members who had once swaggered under Nolt's backing were all dragged out and pilloried.
Eugene donated the wealth confiscated from them to the city's orphanage, poorhouse, and religious order.
"Is there truly a need to go this far?"
"You could simply keep plunder like this for yourself, Castle Lord."
So diligently did he endeavor to win the hearts of the city that his own subordinates wore expressions of exasperation.
But to Eugene, who now held three port cities in his grasp, the money gained from looting gangs was nothing but spare change.
"I'll be roaming the world with the castle for the foreseeable future, so I ought to plant as favorable an image as possible while I have the chance. So that no unnecessary disturbances arise in my absence."
"So a mere viscountcy truly isn't enough to satisfy you?"
Cassandra said with a beaming smile. A man's ambition was something she relished as much as chiseled muscle.
"I do desire a higher title. But that's merely a means to an end."
"And that end is?"
"All things have an end. Even the prophecy of destruction threatening the Black Hand Tribe will one day be stopped and scattered by the Wandering Castle."
"A prophecy, too, is akin to a kind of natural disaster. Just as a typhoon borne from the sea dissipates after traveling some distance over land."
As a witch, she had a keen understanding of the nature of prophecies.
"Suppose we huddle in my castle and evade the prophecy of destruction. What then, after that?"
"..."
Neither Cassandra nor Rex had thought that far, and both fell silent.
Eugene chuckled and took hold of one of Rex's and Cassandra's hands each.
"The time I spend with you both is truly joyous. Always victorious, sharing delicious food, each and every moment an unforgettable memory."
Rex firmly grasped back, and Cassandra twisted her hand half a turn to intertwine their fingers.
"And when you spend time with those so precious to you, you naturally come to think of the future."
"What kind of future do you mean?"
The two dark elves gazed at him warmly.
"A faaaaaar distant future. A future where I, you, our descendants, have all died and even our bones have crumbled to dust."
"???"
At the unexpected answer, both Rex and Cassandra's eyes widened and their ears perked straight up.
"In a far-off place. A very far-off place, there was a great nomadic empire. They were once the ones who trampled countless powerful nations and unified nearly half the world from east to west. So much so that even among the peoples who have adorned the pages of war history, they stood out the most. What do you think became of them afterward?"
It was a tale that stirred the pride of the dark elves as fellow nomads.
Rex spoke of the founding myth of a great dark elf hero-king who once existed, and Cassandra spoke of the ideal kingdom she envisioned.
Neither was the answer.
"After a long passage of time, they shrank away to nothing but empty husks. They were reduced to leading a truly miserable existence. Completely controlled, caught between the great powers."
At first, it had been enough for Eugene if he, Homi, and Varda, just the three of them, ate well and lived well.
Then, after he became friends with the Black Hand Tribe, safeguarding their well-being was added to the list.
As time passed, the larger the company Eugene led grew, the farther into the distance he came to gaze.
Once more than a thousand dark elves entered his castle, the future he envisioned stretched hundreds of years ahead, and beyond.
Then, at some point, he realized something. The fate of destruction looming over the Black Hand Tribe was not just one thing.
The first could be avoided by hiding within the magic castle, but the second was not of the sort that could be evaded by hiding.
End
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