Chapter 203 : Chapter 203
Chapter 203 : The Time of Crow (4)
Before leaving, I was adjusting the position of the saddle on the horse I borrowed from the Lord.
“Ahem, hem.”
When I turned around at the sound of a dry cough, it was the Lord. He was strolling closer while surreptitiously glancing at his surroundings.
His vassals were kept quite a distance behind, and he was alone.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Ummm, well⋯⋯.”
The Lord approached and whispered.
“Are you by any chance, Bihen Benkou?”
I didn’t show much on my face.
My eyes did widen, but since the Lord was leaning his head toward my chest, he probably couldn’t see them.
“⋯⋯How did you know?”
“I knew it. Ah, don’t worry. I have no intention of informing anyone whatsoever.”
As he spoke, he looked around, and I could feel how nervous he was.
“There is no one here, so please speak. How did this happen?”
The Lord took a slight breath and slowly continued his words.
The circumstances were as follows.
Two months ago, that is, long before the war even broke out.
The third son of Windermere had come to visit.
“Isaac Windermere. Have you heard of him?”
I shook my head.
‘I know Isaac Hart. Bolero’s lover in my past life.’
Well, the name Isaac probably wasn't limited to just that one person in the Kingdom.
First of all, the surnames were different.
“That man said so. That the protagonist of the Conwell Civil War, and the man rumored to be the Sword Fiend, was coming this way.”
Two months ago, was that when I was going from Labotas to Aldenfort?
My memory is a bit hazy.
‘But at that time, I didn't even have a plan to go to the south, let alone the west.’
Nothing was decided other than the fact that the end of the journey was the Imperial Capital.
‘No⋯⋯.’
Just because that man said ‘this way,’ it wouldn't necessarily mean he was pointing specifically at the west.
To go from Conwell to the Imperial Capital, one eventually has to pass through the western region.
In other words—
‘Isaac Windermere knew that I was going to the Imperial Capital.’
⋯⋯Let’s not jump to conclusions too hastily. Well, as for my destination, even the Wild Dogs and Sewer Rats could have found out as much as they wanted.
“So? Did he tell you to hold me back?”
The Lord was horrified and waved his hands.
“Wh, why are you being like this. Would that even be possible?”
“What then.”
“He just asked me to let him know.”
“Let him know?”
“That’s right. He asked me to let him know if you happened to come here. Or else―”
The Lord rummaged through the inner pocket of his coat. Soon, he pulled out a small gold-leafed envelope.
“He told me to be sure to deliver this.”
I opened the envelope and scanned the contents.
It was an invitation to the mansion left in the name of the third son of the Windermere family, Isaac Windermere.
“He said he definitely wanted to meet you in any way possible.”
“So, what is it that you want to say to me?”
Somehow I got the impression that the Lord was beating around the bush.
The useless introduction was long.
At that moment, the Lord’s eyes sparkled.
It also seemed like he had been waiting for this very moment.
“From long ago, this Pretoria has been a buffer zone maintaining neutrality amidst the power struggle between the two giants of the western sphere. Even if it looks like this, it is a place with quite a tradition.”
Barely holding back a sigh that felt like it was about to come out, I looked around.
Tradition or whatever, one thing was certain: the scenery was incredible.
The atmosphere of autumn was thick everywhere.
As far as I knew, such a territory that embraced both mountains and lakes was rare in either the Empire or the Kingdom.
“So that’s why―”
The Lord lifted the sword hanging from his waist with both hands, scabbard and all, and held it out to me.
“Could you stroke this sword just once?”
“⋯⋯What?”
I looked down at the sword again.
At a glance, it was a very old and worn sword.
From the leather covering the scabbard to the handle, everything was worn down as much as time allowed.
“It’s a tradition, a tradition. Pretoria was always in a precarious position, sandwiched between the two giant families of Springeus and Windermere. Nevertheless, because we had to maintain neutrality, a custom of borrowing the courage of swordsmen and knights errant who passed through here remained from long ago. It is believed that if one places a hand on this sword and prays for Pretoria’s good luck, their protection will dwell within and guard this land.”
I stood still, speechless, then looked at the Lord’s serious face and swallowed a sigh once more.
He wasn't joking at all. It was to the point where it would be embarrassing to refuse.
In the end, I reached out my hand.
“⋯⋯May there be blessings upon Pretoria.”
“Oooh―”
The Lord’s cheeks flushed red. I felt that I wouldn't be any different right now.
“Thank you, Bihen Benkou. No matter what happens, I will act as if I didn’t see you. Go in peace. Take good care of Roxy too, and no matter how curious I am about what happened between you and Roxy, I will absolutely not ask.”
“⋯⋯I’ll leave it to you.”
I hooked my foot in the stirrup and hopped up.
Come to think of it, it had been a very long time since I sat in a saddle.
From below, the Lord asked.
“Ah, would you not need a map? Springeus is not far from here.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine.”
Thanks to my past life, the geography of the western part of the Kingdom is clear to me even with my eyes closed.
“Take this. Travel will not be easy because of the war, but this will be fine.”
The Lord handed over a pass stamped with the maple leaf pattern of Pretoria.
Come to think of it, using the Conwell pass I received from Adeline in a situation where other nobles were entangled in the current war would only invite unnecessary misunderstanding.
“Thank you.”
A pass from a neutral zone would be reliable.
It was sufficient as a reward for granting the absurd request.
***
Clatter—! Clatter—!
As I drove the horse for the first time in a while, a strange sense of liberation washed over me.
‘This is not the time to be soaked in sentiment.’
I have to hurry.
I pulled the reins tight.
The horse let out a loud snort and sprang forward.
Starting early in the morning like that, when it became late at night, I arrived at the Bart territory located on the path entering the Springeus territory.
‘⋯⋯Hmm.’
In my past life, we called this place ‘Bart Fortress.’
A stone wall worn by time surrounded a tiny piece of land that was barely half the size of Pretoria.
It was to the point where it was embarrassing to even call it a territory.
“You came from Pretoria? What’s the matter?”
While I was briefly lost in sentiment, a guard asked.
He was wearing a shabby chainmail and a rusted helmet.
Because it was that familiar appearance from my past life, I inwardly felt a strange emotion.
“I have business in Springeus.”
The eyes of the guard, who had been yawning languidly, widened.
“Springeus? What kind of business?”
“I’m looking for young children.”
“Are they refugees?”
“I don't know the details. I’m also in a position where I’ve taken on a request.”
“Hrm, that’s troublesome.”
The guard went into the post in the back, consulted with a superior soldier, and then returned.
“Since it is the official seal of the Lord of Pretoria, it seems travel will be possible for now. It is possible, but⋯⋯.”
The guard suddenly whistled and rubbed his thumb and index finger together.
A snort came out.
Even his appearance like a total moron who lacked military discipline was welcome.
Ting—
As I threw him a silver coin, his expression brightened significantly.
“You’re lucky. Travel between Bart and Springeus is virtually blocked.”
Taking and eating money and then suddenly backpedaling?
It was just as my hand was slowly moving toward the hilt of the Heavenly Demon.
“As you know, our Lord has sided with Windermere. It is quite troublesome for us as well. Since we are right next to Springeus. But well, regardless of that, it’s a fight of choosing sides by those above, and shouldn't we make a living?”
Just as the meaning and weight of the war were different for each city and village within Conwell, and for each person, it was the same here.
If a soldier belonging to a territory would say such things, it seemed the aspect of the War of the Roses was flowing not as an all-out war, but in the form of a duel over pride between nobles.
“Once a day, Springeus soldiers come here specifically to escort people. Of course, that is also entering secretly through a back road, but what can be done? All normal passage is blocked. Anyway, consider yourself lucky.”
The guard added. That it would be tomorrow morning.
I headed toward the gathering place he told me about for now.
It was in a back alley near the opposite castle gate.
At the end of the narrow alley, a fairly spacious vacant lot was revealed.
A bonfire lit in the center and lanterns hung here and there dimly illuminated the area.
People were gathered in a place where old tents were roughly set up like rags.
‘Are they merchants?’
Bundles piled up high here and there caught my eye.
Among the sacks of grain and tool boxes, worn-out armaments were clumsily covered.
I could see some where the bloodstains had not yet dried.
It meant that not only ordinary merchants but also fences were mixed in.
“Whether you get a room or sleep on the street nearby, that’s up to you, just don’t be late. Since we’ll move by wagon, leave your horse somewhere as well.”
A man who was standing at the entrance approached and gave me a piece of iron.
It was stamped with the pattern of Bart.
‘If we’re going secretly through a back road, is an official pass needed.’
Well, it’s originally like this. War gives birth to numerous irrationalities and logics.
If this small war is like this, the war that will strike this land in the future—
‘⋯⋯.’
Let’s throw away the idle thoughts.
By the way, they are squeezing the pockets quite harshly.
I’ve ended up spending money on a night's lodging and even stable fees for no reason.
I arrived late at night so it’s only this much, but if I had come at an awkward time, I would have even been fleeced for meal costs.
It was clear that they intentionally matched the departure time to only once in the morning so that people would use a whole day in Bart.
“You don’t look like a person who deals in stolen goods?”
After leaving the horse at a nearby stable and returning to roughly take a spot in a corner, someone approached and spoke to me. It was an ordinary middle-aged man covered in a traveler’s robe.
“Where did you come from? I am⋯⋯”
I wasn't curious, but he was laying out his own introduction on his own.
Listening roughly, he said he runs a fabric shop in a nearby territory, and he came in a hurry because it has become ‘peak season.’
“What do you mean by peak season?”
At my question, the merchant looked at me as if asking how I could not know that, then his eyes rolled as he even moved his lips.
It was an expression that it was good he met an ignorant person just when he was bored.
“Fights often break out in the west. The rabble following the Red Rose and the White Rose split into the Red Army and the White Army and fought each other. Should I call it a proxy war for the two families? Well, it’s like a tradition.”
This guy or that guy, that damn tradition, tsk.
“Wow, but this time the scale is not usually large? Quite a lot of casualties are coming out as well.”
“Are you calling it peak season because there’s an overflow of stolen goods?”
I pointed at the large bundle behind him.
From the outside of the round bundle packed tightly, swords and short spears were poking out like twigs.
“Well, something like that. From what I see, you look like a mercenary who came from somewhere far away. Am I right?”
“⋯⋯.”
“I’m right, I’m right. I knew it just by looking. Your noggin is exactly that sort.”
Along with the sound of wood burning, the sound of a dog barking was heard from afar.
I ignored him, lay down, and closed my eyes.
The merchant didn't seem to have any intention of giving up.
“Seeing you, man, I finally feel certain. About the rumor that the scale of this War of the Roses will grow larger. Someone said that we should park our butts quickly before the spots are taken. Because among these fences, the battle for spots is fierce in places not visible.”
“⋯⋯.”
“The Mercenary King in Springeus, Conwell in Windermere. Kyah, who will really win this—”
In an instant, goosebumps shot up my spine to the crown of my head.
I stood up abruptly and grabbed the fence by the collar.
“What did you just say? Conwell?”