Once we passed through the mountains, our view opened up all of a sudden. An endless blue in front of us, with infinite cresting waves. The ocean. We had arrived at a seaside kingdom from a landlocked one.
“Rgh... The seabreeze feels amazing.”
“Hm. There’s about twenty kilometers between us and the ocean. You couldn’t possibly feel any seabreeze.”
Tiamat countered my sentiment. Why did she have to say things like that? Placebo’s a thing. The ocean isn’t less real just because we’re looking down on it from atop a mountain.
“I just wanted to enjoy the setting.”
“Because you’re human. Tia-o.”
The ridiculous back-and-forth had become a routine.
“Still, many have the same reaction as you, Mister Eiji. It’s a dramatic change of view.”
Mister Murdock laughed as he pulled the reins from atop the carriage. I was walking, by the way. We had been traveling for over a month. I couldn’t be the weakling forever. With a little tan as well, I think I was beginning to show my wild side, if I do say so myself.
“Only our boss man would brag about catching up to the average,” the much-wilder-than-I mountain of a man remarked.
Laugh it up. It was an achievement for me to be able to keep walking all day long.
“Now, now. He’s come a long way, Mister Baze. Remember, when we first started, he spent most of the day in the carriage. When he finally started walking, he’d give up in a few hours. Compared to those times the difference is night and day.”
Please, Mister Murdock. If your intention is to defend me, please stop talking.
“In any case, we’re on course to arrive at our destination by sundown. I’ve missed the sensation of a soft bed under my paws,” said Hieronymus.
Miss Eily walked alongside the refined gentlemen, and they seemed to be getting along smoothly. Human form? Cat form? Didn’t matter to this chick magnet. Disgusting.
As Hieronymus mentioned, we had been camping out the past few nights, as there weren’t any inns along the mountain pass. The first city after the mountains was going to be Mostail. As the second largest city in Noura, it apparently served as an entry point for travelers via land and sea.
The Murdock troupe intended to show their first performance in Noura at Mostail. Of course, there was no guarantee before they could speak to the lord or lady of the city and be granted permission.
“Are your permits ever denied, Mister Murdock?”
We had been traveling with the troupe for a while but I had yet to see that situation. It seemed unrealistic that the people of this world starving for entertainment would turn down traveling performers after they’ve already arrived at the city.
“It does happen. Sometimes the plaza is booked for another event, and other times they can’t be bothered with performances.”
“Can’t be bothered?”
“When preparing for battle, for example.”
“Oof.”
I wasn’t in peaceful Japan anymore. The lord/lady of a city had a completely different role than the mayors of Japan I was used to. They were tasked with running the city bestowed upon them by the crown, safe and sound. Fighting against bandits and monsters was part of the job description. That’s why they were granted decision-making powers and an army. The only reason I didn’t come across such a scene was dumb luck.
“If possible, I would like to keep our journey peaceful.”
“That’s what they call Chekhov’s gun, Eiji.”
Tiamat was right. All because of my stupid mouth, the Murdock troupe was facing a possible cancellation of their performance in Mostail.
“As if. This is just a coincidence.”
“Hm. Who are you trying to convince?”
When we arrived at Mostail, I could feel the tension in the air. Apparently, an army of monsters came close to the city, where battle ensued. The opposing force of ten thousand was mostly comprised of goblins and orcs, with a few ogres and cyclopes, too. That was more than a decent militia.
Even if the city fought them off from their walls, the city would take hits. And if enough enemies breached the walls, to the point where there were too many to eradicate, Mostail itself would fall. That would be a critical loss for the kingdom of Noura, as they would lose their trading post out west and their major seaport. The safest tactic was to keep the battle a siege and protect the walls while waiting for reinforcements from the capital... but even that was risky.
Things weren’t looking good. Faced with an uphill battle, Earl Mikhail Agamemnon, Lord of Mostail, made a daring decision. Not fighting the monsters head-on nor defending a siege, but guerrilla warfare, utilizing his army of one thousand. They used the shadowy forest, the dark of night, hunting traps, anything they could to lessen the number of the monsters. In fact, they were fighting like typical monsters themselves, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing again.
Of course, there were reasons behind choosing this unusual strategy. First, they couldn’t very well only defend Mostail. There were neighboring towns and villages that were unprotected. Things would turn very gruesome if the monsters changed their targets to those towns and villages. Being innocent civilians, many would die without much of a struggle. Farmland would be decimated, too.
“Most importantly, a soldier’s duty is to protect their people. Being under my command was your misfortune. I need every single one of you to give your life in exchange for at least ten of those monsters. A thousand of us, and ten thousand of them. That would eliminate us both from this world.”
That was a quote from the earl’s speech upon deployment. Moved by his determination, his loyal warriors forsook both their pride and chivalry as soldiers and knights, turning into monster-hunting machines.
With their elaborate armor cast aside, they blended into nature with mud smeared all over them. They hid in the shadows, picking out monsters one by one. Apparently there was even a battalion that took the place of one of the monster’s teams, then got close to other monster teams before stabbing them in their backs.
This was, in no way, how the honorable Knights’ Order was expected to fight. But they found pride in nothing else but protecting their people. Therefore, they wanted nothing but victory.
Earl Agamemnon’s army fought on with tragic determination. While they succeeded at slowing down the monsters, there was no way that their tactic was going to last. The one thousand plus Earl’s army had lost half of its soldiers already, and the remaining half was becoming too exhausted to function as a military. They had taken down 20% or so of the monsters with them, but the other 80% were still going strong.
The Earl had no other option but to have faith that the royal army of Noura was traveling fast during the few days’ time his men had bought... and to turn the battle into a siege, ready to die with his castle.
This is when we arrived. A traveling troupe of performers waltzing into the depressing atmosphere. I couldn’t tell you how painful the glares of the guards were, prodding as if to say “What the hell are you doing here?” Well, we couldn’t help it. How were we supposed to know what was going on when we came in from the other side?
“I’m sorry that you’ve come all this way, but we don’t have the luxury to enjoy such things at the moment. Moreover, this city will soon turn into a battlefield. I implore to leave, quickly.”
Earl Agamemnon did grant us an audience, though, and said this to us. It translated to ‘go back the way you came.’ While he looked exhausted, he seemed like an excellent man to me. Still, we couldn’t very well take his offer and run.
“I think that this, too, is a part of our world-saving endeavor.”
Tiamat shrugged her shoulders.