Exile (1)

'I wonder if the news of King's Field's recapture has spread by now.'

With spies roaming in all directions, an army of this scale had conducted a mop-up operation. Word would have gotten around by now, surely.

The nobles' reactions to the monastery occupied by monsters were split in two.

"Your Excellency. Hunting monsters is a fine virtue, but we must aim for the Kruger family first. Now is the opportunity, while they are thrown off balance by the sudden two-front war."

Those who merely needed to demonstrate their loyalty to Eugene at this muster generally wished to ignore it.

"Is that what you would say to His Excellency? It is a monastery, of all places! Abandoned though it may be, do you intend to stand by and watch monsters defile that holy place?"

Those of strong faith, or those without a foundation who sought advancement, hoped for extermination.

And Eugene took the latter's side. It was not solely out of a sense of justice.

"Castle Lord. Monsters are thoroughly pragmatic creatures. They do not offer sacrifices for authority or unity as humans do."

It was because of Cassandra's counsel.

"A priest of the orcs who is called mad... that would mean he's engaged in some highly suspicious business, wouldn't it?"

"I suspect he already has been. An orc horde's chief is decided purely by strength. To lead a force of that size, his charisma or martial prowess would be extraordinary. If he was nonetheless murdered by the priest, it means the priest is wielding a very potent mystery."

Eugene touched the Wendigo cloak draped over his shoulders. The memory of the heretical mage he had struck down two years ago surfaced.

"Is this sort of thing common?"

"Not at all. Orcish techniques are limited to matters of combat. Their knowledge and wisdom are abysmally low."

Unlike the path of the warrior, which permitted ignorant, combat-focused training, the path of the mage, which required advanced education and study, could not help but be lacking.

In short, the orc priest who had seized the monastery was a born genius. Whether he was born with a body suited to receiving divine possession, or was simply extremely sensitive to the mystical.

"We must eliminate it at once."

"A mage who leads monsters, having cast aside compassion and conscience. There is no more dangerous existence."

The monastery they arrived at looked closer to a fortress than a religious facility. This was a common feature of monasteries on the frontier.

Britannia, like Sicily, was a land pioneered by driving out the dominion of monsters. In the early days, it was commonplace for even farmers and fishermen to band together and go about armed.

When they simply could not cope, they barricaded themselves in defensible strongholds. In such situations, one naturally turned to the gods, and thus the origin of this world's monasteries lay in serving as both fortress and religious facility.

"It's far larger than I imagined."

"King's Field was among the very first pioneering settlements in Britannia. As such, it was a region that drew many people."

Baron Lester spoke. He was a powerful lord tempered by countless battles on the northern border.

-I shall focus on mediating the disputes between the former Cornwall nobles and the other southern nobles.

Baron Foster had yielded his place at Eugene's side to the border lords, who excelled in both strength and battle experience, and stepped back.

"Isn't the eastern black-soil zone better in terms of fertility? They left that and pioneered here first?"

"At the time of pioneering, the east was a demon realm proportionate to the goodness of the soil. It was mostly plains, and since stirrups had not yet been developed, even cavalry struggled to exert their power."

As was fitting for a world teeming with monsters, the expansion of human territory was heavily constrained.

The great plains ideal for farming only truly entered human dominion after the advent of stirrups, iron weapons, and knights.

"Such remote monasteries make excellent temporary bases, so bandit gangs often move in."

"We'd like to simply demolish them, but travelers and merchant companies make good use of them as well. Also, the priests fiercely oppose it."

The other barons of the border added a word each. These were the very lords whom even Viscount Winchester had exempted from his summons.

They were a formidable fighting force, but if the border lords left their posts, the routes from the midlands to the south would lie empty. Should the Kruger family launch a surprise attack by any chance, the south would be left defenseless.

But Eugene had a way to safely mobilize even these men.

-Baron Lester. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠According to this map, wouldn't it suffice to simply block this spot? The road divides here and spreads out to the various southern fiefs.

-That is true. But how would you block a space this wide? Moreover, there are forests on both sides here, and water is hard to come by nearby. Even worse, the wind always blows strong, so it's cold even in summer.

-It seems like it would be sufficiently blocked if a castle were moved there.

-...Oh!

Eugene put the idea into action. A colossal structure settled into a space that had been empty ever since history began.

-Now you too can answer the summons, can't you?

Eugene's cloak billowed fiercely as he turned with the Wandering Castle as his backdrop. It was already a windy place, but as the gusts struck the castle and were forced to either side, they became an even fiercer gale.

-Your Excellency! I hope you will forgive my impertinence, but could you not simply leave that castle here permanently?

-We've been missing other nobles' banquets all this time because we had to guard that damned road!

The lords gathered at Eugene's call laughed hollowly in wonder. Every one of them answered the summons, leading their armies.

* * *

There was no particular response from the monastery even as the army encircled it. No sentries posted, either; only stillness hung in the air.

"Th-that's a relief."

"Relief, my arse. That makes it more dangerous, I tell you."

The new recruits rejoiced, thinking the monsters had fled, but the veteran soldiers kept their faces hard.

Monsters lurking in a specific building did not use walls and doors as shields to fight a defensive siege like humans did.

Like ants burrowing tunnels, they hid throughout the interior of the building, forcing close-quarters combat. That was a dangerous task in its own right.

A commander might not care, since the position could be taken so long as the numbers were superior, losses notwithstanding. But the soldiers who would be fighting on the front lines had no desire to be counted among those sacrifices.

"I shall enter through the main gate."

And so, when Eugene announced that he would personally lead the knights and take the vanguard, everyone cheered.

"Your Excellency. This is but a preliminary skirmish. Would it not be better to send the soldiers in first?"

"I fear that a cowardly strike from the darkness might harm your noble person."

Eugene acknowledged his vassals' concerns but did not change his mind.

When assaulting a place like this, exploiting the element of surprise was critical. Probing cautiously with common soldiers and giving them time to prepare was not a good choice. They had to crash in with one strike using knights equipped with the finest armor, courage, and swordsmanship.

"I shall lend you silver swords. Let each of you receive one."

Above all, there was a high probability that a wicked mystery was entwined here. With Eugene, bearing Last Autumn, leading the assault, it was easier to respond should the unforeseen occur.

'To think there are so many silver weapons. It befits one who has made a name hunting monsters.'

'Even if a ghost appears, I shall cut it down!'

The southern knights accepted the silver-plated swords ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠distributed by the dark elf quartermaster with wide eyes.

For the way a wealthy great lord flaunted his riches was by holding lavish banquets—not by dispensing tailored supplies on the battlefield like this.

"Er, do you happen to have a mace?"

"We do, Sir Knight. Do you desire pure striking power? Or one with a spike on the back-spike?"

"Give me the one with the spike!"

"We also have military picks, so do speak up if you wish."

"Here! Here!"

They even catered to every sort of weapon type. The knights found this unfamiliar experience to their liking.

They looked back and forth between the backs of Eugene, who was glaring at the monastery from the vanguard, and the silver weapons each of them now held.

This young liege lord seemed to have a countermeasure prepared for any disaster, any baffling situation.

"I will serve as the Castle Lord's guide."

Cassandra, who had changed into rogue attire instead of her usual armor, stretched. The tight-fitting leather gear relentlessly emphasized Cassandra's voluptuous figure.

"Is this the belly portion of lamia leather?"

"Heheh. Its defensive power is somewhat lacking for use in pitched battle, but it is the best for maintaining mobility, low weight, and keen senses."

Being the belly leather of a serpent's body, it was smooth and patternless, reminiscent of a full-body leotard.

"..."

The hot-blooded knights averted their eyes from this sex appeal that was ahead of its time.

The elven female form, sculpted by harsh training. It was more beautiful than the body of any woman the knights had ever seen. Precisely because they were knights who worshipped physical strength above all, they were all the more drawn to that figure.

All over Cassandra's body, various throwing weapons and tools for pathfinding and dismantling traps were attached.

Equestrian skill and close-quarters combat were not her specialty, but in these special operations tasks, she excelled above anyone.

"Lady Cassandra. Here..."

Cassandra downed the potion the tribal witch had handed her in one long draught. Then she closed her eyes for a moment and controlled her breathing.

"Haaaa."

Eugene felt the warmth of Cassandra's breath turn cold in real time. When she opened her eyes shortly after, her pupils had transformed, resembling those of a reptile. Her impression had been cool to begin with, but now she was the very image of an ice queen.

"What effect does the reagent have?"

"It allows one to see what cannot be seen, and to see what can be seen even more clearly."

Cassandra's gaze swept from Eugene's chest down to his lower body as she flashed a subtly meaningful smile.

"Can I see that effect as well?"

"Regrettably, impossible. This is a mystery that can only be used by women, specifically witches brimming with negative energy."

"If I were to use it, the two disparate energies would clash, or one would be devoured by the other, I suppose."

Eugene realized that what Cassandra was speaking of concerned yin and yang. Even though the world was different, when one delved deeper into the scholarly aspects, he often encountered unexpected convergences like this.

"As expected of someone born of an excellent bloodline. You grasp it at once."

Cassandra smiled, impressed and pleased.

The fact that Eugene was the son of a witch engendered great goodwill among the witches. Communication flowed easily, and they felt a sense of kinship, a feeling that they lived under the same fate.

"Rex. I entrust command to you in my absence."

"Leave it to me. I shall keep them on a tight leash and prepare for any contingency."

Rex was an excellent archer and commander, but as he had not been formally trained as a knight, he remained behind.

"Are you leaving that fearsome axe behind?"

"It's too large for indoor use. Pillars and all sorts of clutter would hinder my swings."

"For a knight of your caliber, couldn't you simply cleave right through the obstructions as well?"

"If I did that, I'd end up cleaving the knights fighting alongside me as well."

"Aha!"

Eugene had met the jest with a jest of his own, but it seemed Rex took him quite seriously.

"A good choice. Nothing cuts down wicked beings quite like an Etherje sword. Please return safely to my embrace."

Varda, who had mounted Might in his stead, offered a prayer for Eugene.

She was more than enough to stand in for his authority in his absence. Her mere presence at the army's center, like an idol, lifted the soldiers' morale.

A short distance away, the tribal witches were placing protective enchantments upon the knights marching out.

"I-is this really all right?"

"His Excellency is offering it, so what else can we do?"

The witches fastened amber necklaces containing honeybees around the knights' necks. Then they inscribed marks imbued with protective charms on the knights' cheeks. They looked like warriors of a primitive tribe preparing for war.

Though Britannia was friendly toward the elves, witches were an unsettling presence. Conversation might be tolerated, but casting spells upon nobles like this—any priest who witnessed it would surely have convulsions.

"He is a man who has slain countless demonic beasts and monsters, so he must possess his own wisdom. Surely His Excellency would not offer us something harmful?"

"That is true."

The renown Eugene had built worked to their advantage in times like these. Once his name was invoked, the knights quietly assented.

Naturally, his inner circle—including the tribal knights who had followed Eugene from the start—accepted it without discomfort.

"It tickles, Lady Homi."

As a soft, fluffy tail coiled around the witch's neck in thanks, a delighted peal of laughter rang out.

Homi had armed herself with a large crossbow for the occasion. It suffered fewer spatial constraints in indoor combat. There was also the advantage of being able to move while loaded and fire instantly upon a sudden ambush.

-The modified bolt assembly made loading easier, and Hydra bone fragments were used in the frame to reduce weight.

The dwarf master craftsman Walker had worked on it, further enhancing its performance. Every bolt crammed into Homi's waist satchel was silver-plated.

"The two of you standing side by side suits each other well."

Homi with the large crossbow slung over her shoulder and Cassandra standing with her hand resting on her hip—together they were like a painting. All the more so because both possessed tall, well-trained physiques.

The difference was that Cassandra had darkened her lamia belly-leather armor for concealment, whereas Homi, a front-line soldier, had left hers pure white. It went beautifully with the snow leopard beastkin's hair and tail.

"If anything happens, we'll rush outside. Be ready to shoot at any moment."

"Leave it to us."

Outside the monastery, ballistae installed by the Hammer Brotherhood were trained on the building.

Should a monster emerge that Eugene and the knights could not handle, the plan was to lure it outside and finish it off.

Shing.

As Eugene drew Last Autumn, the blade's brilliant silver sheen reflected the sunlight. The knights sent looks of envy and admiration toward the dream of every swordsman.

"Now, it is time for purification."

But those looks soon hardened into fighting spirit. The heavily armored knights followed in a column behind Eugene as he took the lead toward the monastery's main gate.

It was common for a small mercenary company hired by a village or an adventurer party seeking treasure to search an abandoned place.

But for an elite force composed of knights to conduct a search, as they did today, was extraordinary. The mercenaries had no doubt that any foe who blocked their path would be cut down.

* * *

Clack.

After disarming a cunningly concealed bear trap, Cassandra silently pointed toward a corner.

There stood an angel statue of the sort commonly found in monasteries. Upon the back of a woman who covered her face with both hands as if weeping, sacred wings spread forth.

"Destroy it."

"Th-that would be blasphemy."

"Look properly. Is its appearance not far too lewd for a holy place?"

"Now that you mention it..."

The other statues wore ancient vestments, but the angel statue Cassandra pointed out wore not a single thread. The tips of her bursting breasts were barely concealed by her elbows.

"My eyes can see it. Beneath that stone hide—the pulsing craving for human flesh."

Homi moved first.

Twang!

A silver bolt cleaved the darkness and struck the statue square in the chest.

"■■■ ■■!"

A bizarre shriek that no human language could express pierced the knights' ears.

The silver of the bolt embedded in the statue's chest reacted violently with the evil presence and began to evaporate in a fury.

"A monster!"

As the gargoyle, its identity exposed, lowered its hands, the venomously twisted face of a wicked woman was revealed.

The wings they had thought belonged to an angel had already transformed into demonic wings, and hook-like talons sprouted from its fingers.

But because Homi's large crossbow had struck its vitals while it was still in disguise, it could not muster its strength.

"Kreee—! Kree—!"

The gargoyle tore out the bolt, but by then all the plating silver had already dissipated. The liquefied silver was coursing through its fiendish body, rampaging.

"Kehk—!"

The gargoyle spewed a mass of ectoplasm from its mouth and then had its head severed by Eugene's slash.

"I thought all gargoyles bore the shape of demons. It seems that is not always the case."

"For a being from the Otherworld to operate for long in the mortal realm, it requires a medium. It is not uncommon for them to use inanimate objects like this."

Eugene recalled the demons that had filled the Wandering Castle. Those creatures had unmistakably possessed physical bodies.

Eugene flipped over the decapitated gargoyle corpse with his foot.

"I gather they are not particularly fond of this sort of body?"

"If one wishes to taste human blood and flesh, such a dull shell is a hindrance. Gargoyles are the type that embrace their victims and slowly drain their life force."

"In any case, this is no ordinary orc den. Everyone, stay sharp."

As the knights nodded, Homi signaled with her hand. The sound of footsteps creeping through the darkness, stalking the intruders, reached their ears. The number was not small.

"Grrrr-."

They were armed orcs. They were not of the larger subspecies like the Uruk-hai, but common orcs only a little bigger than goblins.

Yet their intelligence seemed utterly evaporated, quite unlike creatures supposedly capable of human speech.

"Be careful. Do not think of them as ordinary orcs. Regard them as something far more wicked wearing an orc's skin."

"Understood!"

The knights had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already grasped the situation from the gargoyle. They swapped their silver weapons for iron ones and readied themselves for battle.

"O Goddess Vanas, grant your grace to the great knight who spreads your name throughout the world."

The moment Cassandra finished her prayer, the lantern she held blazed with light, illuminating every direction.

Within the lantern was a feminine form composed of light. Eugene thought its silhouette was identical to the statue of the Goddess Vanas inside the Wandering Castle.

"Thanks to the faith and offerings of the believers, and the power granted by the Wandering Castle, she is now able to send an avatar into the mortal world. Though this is still the limit of what she can do."

From the light that banished the darkness, the knights felt a strangely warm touch. It called to mind a mother's embrace shared before departing for the battlefield.

It was the first time the knights had personally experienced a god's miracle in battle. Filled with courage and exaltation, they fell upon the orcs as a single mass of violence.

Thunk!

"SKREEE—!"

An orc, its abdomen pierced by a knight's sword, shrieked and thrashed even more wildly. It was not an agonized struggle but the pure venting of an urge to slaughter.

"These bastards! They seem to be under some spell!"

"Wicked wretches!"

When an orc whose arm had been hewn off charged undeterred, the knight thrust his blade straight through its throat. The orc's movements halted for an instant, but its glaring eyes still brimmed with ferocity.

"You dare?!"

It lunged forward instead, gnashing its sharp fangs wildly at the empty air. As the vile lips drew close to the sword's grip, the knight drew a dagger with his other hand.

Slash!

The reverse-gripped dagger burst both of the orc's eyeballs as it swept past, and the creature's resistance weakened sharply. Even if they knew neither pain nor fear, the loss of sight invariably threw them into confusion.

In that opening, he cut its throat, and the orc's corpse slowly toppled sideways.

The other knights sized up the situation and responded with veteran skill. They were not mere mercenaries. They were knights.

They were humanity's vanguard, born and trained for slaughter. If they faltered before something as simple as an unkillable monster, they would disgrace the name of knighthood.

Thud!

A brief pause as an orc reeled from a body slam by an iron-clad knight.

The knight thrust the sword he gripped in both hands like a flash of lightning. The orc, its heart precisely pierced, spewed bloody foam and went limp.

The one displaying the greatest prowess here was, of course, Eugene. He did not particularly aim for vitals. He swung his sword recklessly, seeking to cut down even one more foe in the time such precision would waste.

The orcs cut by the Etherje sword had their spells broken in an instant, and reason returned to their madness-filled eyes. With reason came pain.

"It hurts! It huuurts!"

Clutching their severed limbs or deeply gashed torsos, the orcs shrieked until nearby knights took their lives.

In the darkness, the snow leopard's icy gaze fixed upon the orcs.

Crunch!

The spike on the fighting gauntlet punched through an orc's eye, killing it instantly.

Homi moved three-dimensionally, racing across pillars, walls, shelves, and every other indoor structure as though they were flat ground.

A knight who had just slain one orc and was fighting a second sensed a presence from the ceiling and took up a defensive stance.

Fweeeet!

The whistle that rang out an instant later told him it was not an enemy.

Homi dropped from the ceiling, her two gauntleted hands clasped together into a hammer. She brought it straight down on the orc's skull.

CRUNCH!

The orc, its cranium caved in, collapsed lifelessly.

Homi seized the corpse and hurled it at the three orcs ganging up on one knight. Two of them tumbled from the sudden impact, and the remaining orc lost its head in a flash.

Homi soared once more like a bird. Stepping on a nearby knight's shoulder, she vaulted even higher and, from midair, kicked an orc square in the temple.

BAM!

The orc, unable to react to the sudden attack from above, collapsed with a concussion. Homi used the recoil to spin like a top and land lightly.

"Beautiful."

The knight, though used as a springboard, felt not the slightest displeasure. He was lost in admiration of her phenomenal destructive power and agility.

-Your Excellency! Might you accept my son as your squire? It would be an honor that would remain with our house.

-I am sorry, but there is no opening. I must graduate the current one first.

-Sh-she was a squire, not a lady-in-waiting?

The vassals had wondered why a knight as great as Eugene kept a mute woman as his squire. But now they all understood.

A silver wave, bound by no gravity, swept across the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠field of battle.

THUD!

Every time it did, the soul-stolen orcs fell as corpses without fail. Against the rock-like impact that crashed down from above, numbers held no meaning whatsoever.

End

ⓒ Gusojae#1wecx