Chapter 69: Northern Debut (1)
Chapter 69: Northern Debut (1)
"This is the first time we have formed such a deep pact instead of a one-off mercenary contract."
"I seem to be taking quite a few of your house's firsts."
Rex laughed at Eugene's joke.
"We needed a relay base as well. North Fork is an excellent location. It's convenient for communication and exchanging resources."
"Why haven't you secured a suitable base until now? Even if you didn't settle, plenty of nobles would have offered you favorable terms."
Despite turning them down every time, the tribe apparently received frequent offers of marriage alliances from lords.
That was unusual considering that, however large they were, they were still a wandering mercenary people. It spoke to the tribe's strength.
"Because they are beneath us. Wolves cannot be expected to live crammed into pens with pigs and sheep, can they?"
Rex spoke with his arms folded, his eyes full of the contempt one might show a rain-soaked sewer rat.
"And why are they all so hairy? The stench is unbearable too."
Eugene had bathed with the tribal warriors during the festival, and they really were all smooth-skinned. He was the only one who shaved his beard.
"I cannot stand even imagining one of those bodies embracing someone from our tribe."
"L-Lord Rex!"
When the accompanying warrior glanced nervously at Eugene, Rex waved a hand.
"Ah! Naturally, Sir Knight is an exception. The sweat shed by a great warrior is the lingering scent of valor."
"And the hair?"
"You cannot treat a sewer rat's whiskers the same as a lion's mane."
"Pfft!"
True to being Chieftain Alessa's nephew, Rex was a silver-tongued politician in the making.
"Feel free to insult humans around me from now on. It must be tiring to add something like, 'except you, Sir Knight,' every time."
"I've been waiting for you to say that. See? I told you there's no need to be so tense."
Just when Eugene grew used to Rex's courteous warmth toward him, this cold side would show itself again.
Moments like this reminded Eugene that Rex was a proud dark elf. He did not dislike the double standard.
'I suppose I've fallen pretty hard for these people too.'
Being on the receiving end of such favoritism brought a wellspring of private joy and pride.
"That aside, how do you like the new weapon? Our smith really showed off this time."
"I'm very pleased with it."
CLINK.
Eugene raised the new flail he had received as a gift. Its striking head looked like three mace heads linked together, and it was vicious.
The old iron club had been badly damaged smashing the golem, so the tribe had provided a precious rare metal for the replacement.
"I truly look forward to seeing you wield that on the battlefield, Sir Knight."
CLATTER.
The three mace heads were not fixed together; they were divided into sections by chains.
"It will be easier to strike over shields or suddenly sweep an enemy's ankles."
"Your smith understood exactly what I wanted. Unpredictable attacks are this weapon's greatest advantage."
Its lethality aside, the effect on enemy morale would be excellent.
Even at a distance, even behind a raised shield, death could come crashing down at any moment.
That knowledge alone could disrupt enemy shields, attention, and formations whenever Eugene was nearby. For Eugene as a field commander rather than merely a single knight, that was an enormous advantage.
"Preparations to board the ship are complete."
Two tribal knights approached to report.
They were two of the men who had challenged Eugene during the festival and been thoroughly beaten. One was a master spearman; the other carried a greatsword on his back.
"A greatsword. Fine weapon."
Eugene had always been personally interested in the weapon. With his prodigious strength, he could wield a greatsword one-handed.
He had even considered unusual combinations such as pairing one with a shield or simply wielding two greatswords at once.
-The most dangerous enemy on the battlefield is one who employs tricks you've never seen before. The second most dangerous is one who uses a weapon with long reach.
It would have fit perfectly with the lesson his master Goffrey repeated constantly.
He no longer considered it, however. At range he had the flail, and up close he had the Etherje sword and shield—both more effective options.
"It doesn't compare to your large flail, Sir Knight. I've never seen a weapon modified into such a grotesque shape."
"Among us, calling a weapon grotesque is a compliment. Please do not misunderstand."
Fearing Eugene might take offense at the tribal knight's words, Rex hastily added.
"It's fine. Even if you called it outright wicked, I would take that as a compliment."
Treating grotesque weapons as praise seemed to be a custom left over from the days when the tribe worked as assassins.
"If I had my way, I'd have brought every fool who challenged you and made them serve in this campaign, but we've been far too busy."
Apart from their existing mercenary work, the Black Hand Tribe had been busy investigating the Cradle mentioned in the prophecy.
They gathered information from across the continent, hired adventurers to explore uncharted lands, and even spied on the Emperor's own search for the Wandering Castle.
-Sir Eugene obtained a key from a Guardian in the ruins of the ancient kingdom. It must be connected to the Wandering Castle. And the dream he had on the day of the lunar eclipse was surely fate guiding him.
After hearing Marbas's story, Alessa and the elders could no longer shake the thought: 'Could that castle truly be our Cradle?'
"We're setting out!"
At the sailor's shout, the ship cut through the current toward North Fork.
'Is this what it feels like to go home?'
That feeling of returning to the place where he belonged was something Eugene had forgotten for far too long after leaving the hut for life in the monastery.
It was by no means an unpleasant feeling.
That winter, the sound of hammering never stopped in North Fork.
Workers and supplies constantly crossed the domain as a palisade fort was built for the tribe to live and train in.
An arrow-making workshop went up near the harbor, while rows of racks along the river dried fish into campaign rations.
The domain had initially tensed when the famously warlike tribal warriors poured in, but the mood quickly relaxed.
They built their fort where it would trouble no one while giving them a good view of the surroundings, then patrolled the area. The residents found the sight reassuring.
The domain might have been peaceful, but the outside world was still in turmoil. Near the end of winter, northern Roman was swept up in a new upheaval.
"You say the inland sea pirates have begun their plundering?"
"The brief but fierce civil war drained the northern nobles' strength. The weather is fairly warm this year as well, so the pirates are probably exploiting the opening early."
Rex, who regularly received intelligence from his house, offered his assessment.
"Not a single one came down around here, though."
"Sir Knight, your domain is strong, but word has also spread that our mercenary company is stationed here. Who would be bold enough to attack?"
"That is reassuring. Thanks to you, I can leave without worrying about the place."
"I was just about to ask about our next destination. I've narrowed down a few tempting candidates. What do you think?"
As if he had been waiting for the question, Rex spread out a map and pointed to several places. The Black Hand Mercenary Company was no stranger to turning raider when circumstances called for it.
Especially in a civil war like this, they could plunder the opposing side without much need for a pretext. How convenient was that?
But when a neighboring lord sent an envoy, Eugene realized the pirates were not such a simple problem.
"So they weren't just pirates. The Emperor put them up to this."
"Noble lord of the North! Please, we beg for your aid!"
The envoy had been sent by Baron Est of a neighboring domain.
"Given the nature of the inland sea, I suppose privateers can be used this way too."
Eugene found himself impressed once again by both the Emperor's resourcefulness and his willingness to go to extremes.
Privateering was a strategy in which pirates, acting with royal sanction, attacked the merchant ships of an enemy state. It was essentially a maritime mercenary contract.
As the name suggested, privateers normally operated at sea, but this continent was unusual. Rivers running from the inland sea let them penetrate deep into inland domains.
"The Emperor even granted titles to pirate chiefs! They say he promised to make them lords outright if they seized a domain!"
The envoy ground his teeth as he spoke, fury at the underhanded scheme rising in him.
"Have you asked Duke Ismar for aid?"
"Yes. But to be frank, I doubt he can help. He has little strength to spare himself..."
Duke Ismar was the great northern lord who represented the Noble Faction and was Baron Est's liege.
Normally he would have led the effort to suppress the pirates' raids, but he too was in a difficult position.
He had suffered heavy losses fighting the Emperor Faction and was already overwhelmed just looking after the vassals closest to his own lands.
"I will give you an answer soon. Wait outside for now."
"The trial by combat in Gord, the defeat of the bandits, even the slaying of an Imperial Guard knight—my lord has praised your renown countless times! Please extend to us the same justice with which you saved those suffering unjust persecution!"
Eugene dismissed the envoy, who had practically prostrated himself in entreaty.
"They've investigated me thoroughly. They must be desperate to get help somehow."
Eugene smiled at Varda beside him. Ever since he became a lord, she had always accompanied him as an adviser in audiences like this.
"Will you join the war?"
"That is what I intend. If the neighboring domains fall one by one, the consequences will reach us too."
If he had to fight eventually, it was better to do it in someone else's territory.
"My men are itching for action, and there's no harm in putting the neighboring lords in my debt."
"If you help Baron Est, you can earn the goodwill of his liege, Duke Ismar, at the same time."
Good relations between lords were encouraged everywhere, but that tendency was especially strong in the North.
The waterways made it easy for neighboring domains to affect one another. Build goodwill when the chance arose, and it would pay back somehow.
Moreover, under Roman customary law, there was no concept of prior ownership of spoils on a battlefield.
Defeat raiders and you could simply take the wealth they had plundered from everywhere else. If you trusted your strength, joining the fight was profitable even without any concern for justice.
With that decided, Eugene prepared to march. It would be his first expedition as a lord.
Preparing supplies was much easier than before. In the past he had needed to comb through markets and gather everything himself; now he only had to issue orders to the people responsible.
Eugene handled the final inspection himself, and food was naturally what he paid the most attention to.
"So this is the last of the dates."
"I can still get them, but they are far too expensive. More than four times what they cost in Bonyard."
"Good heavens."
A huge pile of raisins sat before Eugene and the mercenary captain, who smacked his lips regretfully.
Now that their base of operations had shifted to northern Roman, raisins would provide the unit's sweetness from then on.
Large quantities of dried fish from North Fork's abundant catches were loaded onto the wagons as well.
Dried fish was flat, easy to transport, and nutritious. In a hurry it could simply be chewed; with more time, it could go into a pot to make stew. It was an excellent campaign ration.
"Some of these are rather poor quality, but with our skill we can use them without trouble."
Rex nodded after examining the wagonloads of arrows from every angle.
As a trading village, North Fork received as much outside information as it did goods. The residents knew pirates were roaming nearby and that raids were rampant.
They also knew their lord was setting out on a preventive expedition to keep the war from reaching the village. Eugene's army departed to a grand send-off.
The total number of troops, when combined, was around one hundred and twenty.
With a summoner, mages, and knights besides, it was an absurdly luxurious army for the lord of a single village to command.
What made the force truly exceptional, however, was the Black Hand Mercenary Company.
"Now I understand why your mercenary company was so notorious."
"Most dark elves live as nomads as well, after all."
Rex grinned from horseback, unlike during the Bonyard campaign. His bow-carrying warriors were mounted as well.
Horse archers!
Dozens of riders embodying the nightmare of pre-gunpowder battlefields followed behind Eugene.
"I understand being excited about battle and plunder, but don't forget that we may have to turn back at any time."
"Of course."
Just as the tribe would aid them if North Fork were attacked, Eugene would have to cooperate if they found a clue to the Cradle of the prophecy.
For both sides, this mattered far more than political advantage or wealth.