Chapter 47: Monsters and Pirates (4)
Chapter 47: Monsters and Pirates (4)
When the subjugation force returned with four bugbear heads, the village erupted into an uproar.
"It was because of those, those monsters!"
"Is it all over now? Is it safe to enter the forest?"
While the villagers chattered hopefully, Eugene set up stakes in the square and personally impaled the heads upon them.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
He struck carefully with the hammer to avoid cracking the skulls, and the fleshy monster heads sank in with a satisfying thud.
Eugene knew well the power of such symbolic events. It would do more to dispel accumulated anxiety and discontent than a hundred speeches ever could.
"Now that I see them up close, they look more like pig heads than monsters."
"They might even taste good roasted."
"What kind of crazy talk is that, you idiot!"
"I'm just hungry and spouting nonsense, man."
Already, frivolous jokes were passing among the villagers.
"People of Richwood. The forest monsters that tormented you have been slain. However, you must not yet enter the forest. Time will be needed for its order to return. Please, trust in us and have patience."
Before the sight of the knight proclaiming this with his black cloak billowing, the villagers dared not harbor any other thoughts.
Eugene continued to operate patrols afterward, scouting the forest. The result was only the occasional encounter with a few wild beasts. The monsters that had been appearing on the roads and forest outskirts had vanished without a trace.
Having resolved the monster problem, Eugene gazed at the river leading to the Inland Sea.
'The only remaining problem is the pirates?'
Due to the nature of the motte and bailey, the manor sat on high ground, making it easy to monitor the river.
After constructing a road running straight from the manor to the river, Eugene organized a five-minute standby unit ready to sortie at any moment.
"Sir Eugene. The blacksmiths report that they have completed the ordered item."
Upon the scribe's report, he headed to the smithy, where Muto greeted him.
"Behold, Sir Knight! It will bite down tight on any ballista bolt you bring."
The cast-iron spear-thrower did not look, by any measure, like something made for a man to wield. Yet once it was in Eugene's hands, it could not have looked more fitting.
"What of the large spears to be fitted here?"
"Here they are."
Another blacksmith brought out a weapon two and a half times thicker than a standard spear. When fitted into the spear-thrower and lifted, it held firm without any wobble.
"Thanks to the cooperation of the woodworking shop, production was smooth. We simply had to cut the stockpiled logs meant for palisades into two sections and trim them. We have six shafts now, and four more will be ready by tomorrow."
"The spear-thrower is excellent, but the speed of the shaft production is impressive as well."
"This is a village where lumber is what we have in surplus."
Everyone in the smithy laughed. Now, if the pirates visited the village, they would have a novel experience unlike anything they had ever seen.
"It is only proper that a special weapon should have a name to match. A weapon exclusive to you, Sir Knight, on a wholly different plane from other spear-throwers! Please, grant it a name."
"I haven't really given a name any thought."
The sudden proposal left him at a loss, but Muto's earnest gaze softened Eugene's heart.
"Giant's Revenge. Let that be its name."
"A splendid name!"
Muto nodded with satisfaction.
"The knight's strength to hurl the spear is like a giant's, and the will it embodies represents the people's vengeance against the pirates—truly a perfect name."
The scribe also applauded as if in admiration.
'It's just the name of a spear from a game I played long ago.'
Feeling awkward for no reason, Eugene kept his mouth shut.
"If those pirate bastards come, might we follow? We very much wish to see our work in action."
"Of course. But it will be dangerous, so stay well back."
"Naturally!"
The blacksmiths' eyes sparkled like boys', unbefitting their age.
"All that remains is to pray that the pirates actually come. I do hope they come down soon."
Unlike monster subjugation, this was not something Eugene could proactively carry out.
The mercenaries' wages were fully covered by the Morad family, so there was nothing to burden him. Yet it was also true that the village was a dull place to be with nothing to do.
"Worry not. Those bastards will certainly come before long."
"Those vicious curs' raids are an annual event."
The blacksmiths spoke with faces half-filled with resentment and half with grim glee.
"The villages upstream have already been plundered. They know full well that there is no lord here and that the forest is in disarray. They will surely come looking for a score."
"If you say so."
When the scribe chimed in as well, Eugene nodded. There was no one more accurate about local circumstances than the natives of a place.
And indeed, it did not take long for the uninvited—no, now the awaited guests—to arrive.
A longship, a boat with a single mast and sail, cut vigorously through the river of the Roman.
Round shields hung in rows along both sides of the ship, and the twenty oars protruding between them moved in perfect unison.
The men at the oars were all veteran sailors and warriors. Though their muscular arms rippled continuously, they showed no signs of fatigue. Only excitement stirred, born of the hunger for the plunder to come.
The only one worried was the navigator.
"Chief. There's a rumor that the lord has returned. Will it be alright?"
"It's a false rumor. It's only been a short while since he was summoned to the main house for the war. You think he'd be back already? We need to grab a proper share while Roman is in chaos."
This was the common thought not only of the chief but of most of his men. Pirates who operated in the rivers of Gord or Barsia envied them greatly.
"Even if he has returned, so what? How could men with no skill but riding horses catch us on the river?"
The ability to strike when they wished, gauge the enemy's response, and then decide whether to fight or flee—that one-sided initiative in battle was why pirates plying between the Inland Sea and the rivers were a nightmare.
"True enough. Opportunities like this don't come often, and it'd be a shame to let it go."
"That's right, man. We have to return to the islands of the Inland Sea before winter comes anyway."
Winter was harsh to all, but it was like hell especially for those who lived off the sea.
There was a famous story of men who, running out of food, went raiding in winter, and the rowers all got frostbite and became cripples. That tribe couldn't survive the winter and starved to death to the last man.
"Everyone, rally your spirits. Finish this job right and we'll go home and rest easy until next spring!"
"Whoa!"
The pirates answered their chief's call with a roar.
The problem was that around the time they entered the boundary of Richwood village, dozens of troops were coming down to meet them.
"Looks like they've caught on. They seem to have prepared in advance. They've even cleared a road straight down."
"Damn it! There are three knights mixed in there!"
The pirate chief lamented.
The fear of knights was something all raiders shared. Their own lightly armored selves, geared for sailing and raiding, would be cut down like rotten branches.
Moreover, with reinforcements sure to arrive soon, landing now was nothing short of suicide.
"Everyone, keep your spirits up! Is this the only village? There are plenty of other places to plunder! We'll just pass by and head to the next village!"
"Understood!"
But the pirates were so furious at the thought of simply leaving that they decided to at least hurl some insults to vent their anger.
"You sons of bitches! We're just trying to make a living too, and you think you can get in our way like this? Don't you know what sympathy is?"
"We'll just take enough to fill our bellies, so get lost!"
The pirates shamelessly cursed and mocked the knights, acting as if they were the ones wronged.
"Eat this."
Pssssss.
One pirate suddenly stood up and pissed toward the knights, and the rest joined in, giggling.
"..."
Yet something was strange.
Normally, the knights' faces should have been flushed red with rage by now. They should have ridden their horses to the shallows, swinging their swords at nothing and howling.
But today, there was not a trace of anger. They were looking at the pirates with an expression that was something else entirely—almost expectant.
"Did those bastards eat something wrong?"
"Yeah. Somehow it feels like they're welcoming us."
They had been raiding for years, from a few to over twenty, but this was the first time they had seen such a reaction.
It was then that the large knight at the front dismounted from his horse. A beautiful beastkin woman handed him a huge spear, and he assumed a throwing stance.
At the sight of him about to hurl something that ought to be loaded into a ballista and shot, the pirates pointed fingers at him as if he were a madman.
But the moment the knight actually launched it, all laughter vanished. For a tremendous sonic boom swallowed every sound.
FWOOOOOSH!!!
KABOOM!
A hole one meter in diameter was punched through the front of the longship, splinters of wood scattering in all directions.
"Aaargh!"
Splash!
The impact sent two rowing pirates flying into the river. The intense shock sent all the pirates tumbling over one another.
Trickle trickle trickle.
Among them, the one who hadn't finished pissing was mixed in as well. But everyone was too stunned even to have the composure to be angry at their comrade.
'Indeed, it holds up because it's made of solid iron.'
Eugene had just thrown a javelin with the maximum force he had put into any throw in his life. Until now, the spears had been too light, and he couldn't put his full strength behind them for fear the shafts would snap.
"Next."
Homi immediately fitted the second large spear into the spear-thrower. It was so large and heavy that no one else could properly serve as his loader.
That was because he had to hold the shaft and the thrower with one hand each and fit them together. It was a task only Homi could manage.
Fweeeet!
The whistle signaling that loading was complete sounded in his ear.
Tremble...
Strength surged into his thick arm, tendons rising. Every blood vessel explosively pumped nutrients to the muscles.
FWOOOOOSH!!!
The second javelin flew toward the boat carrying the pirate chief. Aimed at the lower hull to sink it, the spear skimmed close to the water's surface.
Thanks to that, despite its tremendous speed, everyone could clearly see its trajectory. For the water's surface was grandly split by the wind pressure.
KABOOOM!
The lower center section of the boat was smashed, and river water began rushing in with terrifying force. This was not a level that could be bailed out.
"Row faster! Escape immediately!"
The vice-chief aboard the unattacked boat shouted urgently, but those were his last words.
Fweeeet!
FWOOOOOSH!!!
The terrible sonic boom that came paired with the whistle!
The spear, tearing through the shields hung on the ship's side like paper, vaporized the vice-chief's upper body.
SPLAAASH!
"Hiiik!"
The pirates, drenched in the grandly exploding blood, dropped their oars in terror.
"Magic! It's magic!"
"They've brought a mage!"
The pirates screamed. True to sailors who believed in superstition more than mercenaries, they seemed to think Eugene was a mage.
"How the hell does that look like a mage? Have you ever seen a mage with that kind of build?"
"The villagers brought a muscle-bound mage!"
"It's a magic that shoots spears with a whistle!"
One pirate, babbling whatever came to mind in his panic, stumbled onto the right answer by sheer chance.
Eugene was one who could understand and command Mystery. And sufficiently overwhelming physical force was, in its own way, no different from magic.
"What are you doing?! Grab the oars, quickly! Do you mean to sit still and die?"
At the veteran pirate's bellowing, everyone grasped the oars with trembling hands.
"No!"
"Don't abandon us!"
The pirates aboard the chief's sinking ship screamed.
"Ignore them! We have no time to pick those bastards up!"
Even as the veteran pirate urged them on, that monster, impossible to tell if he was a knight or mage, continued his absurd spear-throwing.
CRUNCH!
Seventy percent of the fleeing longship's mast vanished, and it tilted rapidly before snapping in two.
GRRRRUMBLE!
"Get out of the way!"
"Aaaargh!"
As it toppled backward, it crushed the rowers at the stern beneath it. The sounds of shattering bones and agonized wailing filled the river.
The shock of the mast and sail falling shifted the center of gravity backward, causing the bow of the ship to lift slightly.
Fweeeet!
FWOOOOOSH!!!
The huge spear bombarded the exposed keel.
CRRRAACK!
CRUNCH!
As the ship's spine shattered, the vessel began to tear apart in a chain reaction from that point. The ship the chief had been aboard was already sunk.
"Hoooh!"
With a few more spear throws, the ships were utterly destroyed. Eugene rolled his right arm in a circle to loosen the stiffness he felt.
"..."
"..."
Turning around, he saw the knights and blacksmiths who had been struck dumb as if they'd eaten honey.
In contrast, Eugene's direct mercenaries waited for orders with a sharpened posture, as if they were gradually growing accustomed to this.
"Capture all of them. You may kill any who resist."
"Yes!"
The mercenaries ran to the riverbank with loaded crossbows. There, fishermen who had been hiding jumped out and were readying their fishing boats.
"Uff! Uff!"
Deep hatred was etched in the eyes of the fishermen as they glared at the pirates who had fallen into the water.
-For what matter have you called us, Sir Knight?
-Do you not wish to take revenge with your own hands?
-...!
Eugene was one who placed great importance on protecting civilians under his charge. However, once the situation was safely secured, he had no reason to refuse a joint civilian-military operation.