Ch.83Blood City. Fernheim (10)

“Ladies and gentlemen of Fernheim. Please welcome the winners with enthusiastic applause! The victors are entering!”

“Wooooaaah!!!!”

My Iron Walker party and the Thunderer party walked side by side toward the platform.

On either side of us were parties we had killed directly or those killed by other teams, now resurrected, giving us envious glances that said ‘that spot should have been ours’ while offering reluctant applause.

Soon we stopped just below the platform, and one of the staff approached and said to us:

“Party leaders, please come up to the platform.”

Hearing this, I straightened my clothes and ascended the platform alongside the Thunderer party leader, where beautifully adorned women placed floral wreaths around our necks.

Eventually, the crowd’s cheers grew even louder, but when the host raised his hand and made a full turn, they quickly subsided.

“In the name of the Blood God Karil, fitting rewards shall be bestowed upon those who fought today. Blood payment shall be given to those who died bleeding, and to the warriors who endured to the end on the ground of corpses and entrails! Let those who oppose raise their hands to prove their valor!”

As the host subdued the audience with a deliberately solemn voice, the previously noisy crowd fell silent without making a sound.

The host nodded, turned around, and gestured, whereupon attendants brought forward two horses and two large boxes.

“The contract sealed under the name of Blood God Karil has now been fulfilled! Two beautiful and ferocious war horses and treasure chests shall be divided equally between the winners! May the blood blessing be upon those who walk the earth and will someday enter Valhalla!”

“Slaughter for the Blood God! Holy war for Karil!”

The host and audience chanting in thunderous unison resembled an enormously swollen choir.

The attendants handed each of us a treasure chest and gave the reins of the war horses to our party members waiting behind us.

“Karil’s birthplace! Warriors’ paradise! In this colosseum, the altar for the Blood God, once again those blessed by Karil have emerged!”

“Wooooaaah!!!!”

The crowd began to shout at the top of their lungs once more.

The other party leader and I held our boxes in one hand and waved to the crowd with the other. The cheers filled the colosseum until we mounted our war horses and left.

This was daily life in Fernheim, the birthplace of Karil.

*

“Snort!”

“Whew. This one is quite difficult to handle.”

The saddled war horse would snort loudly if I held the reins too tightly.

Perhaps it hadn’t yet accepted me as its true master.

“Handle it gently. With you on its back, it looks like it’s carrying a small child.”

“I’ve never seen a horse this big…”

The war horse was literally enormous.

The spotted horse I had been riding was like a mere pony compared to this war horse. And that’s saying something, considering my spotted horse was an impressively large draft breed!

“This one looks like it would eat a ton…”

“War horses are genetically modified, so they don’t eat more than other horses. The only issue is whether you can handle this horse properly.”

“Hmm…”

Naturally, war horses are fundamentally ferocious.

Not only are their snorts incredibly loud, but their powerful legs, which don’t even need weak iron horseshoes, could be life-threatening if they hit you squarely, even if you’re wearing armor.

Ah… if only I had awakened as an Aura user, I wouldn’t have to worry about how to handle such a horse…

“Let’s head back to the inn and think about it. We also need to figure out what to do with your spotted horse.”

“Ah… my spotted horse.”

At Simon’s words, I thought of the spotted horse that had suddenly lost its owner.

The truth was, I hadn’t bought a war horse before due to lack of money and skill, so coldly speaking, the spotted horse was now useless to me.

I wouldn’t be putting a yoke on it to plow fields or pull carts, so what use would the spotted horse be to me now that I had a better horse?

“Tsk. I suppose I’ll have to sell the spotted horse.”

“That would be the best option, right?”

“Slaughter seems a bit much, doesn’t it?”

I’ve spent quite a bit of money on it, but if it gets sold as a breeding horse, it will be treated quite well.

It’s received all the vaccines available in this Faerun continent, so its antibodies should be well-formed. At least it would produce healthier foals than breeding horses without antibodies.

Breeders, unless they’re fools, wouldn’t kill a draft horse that isn’t meant for meat just to have a horse meat feast.

“So what are you going to name this horse?”

“Bruiser.”

“That’s a straightforward name.”

“As you know, beating around the bush doesn’t suit my temperament. Right, Bruiser?”

“Neeeigh!”

When I called its name and patted its neck, Bruiser whinnied as if pleased.

“Now you just need to awaken as an Aura user to become a knight-errant.”

“Hmm. I suppose so.”

Whether I become a knight-errant or not, to reach the metal rank, I must awaken as an Aura user. I heard spell casters have to take some kind of test, but since I’m not a mage, it’s not really my concern.

As I muttered this, I opened the box I was holding.

Click!

The box opened with the scent of wood, and inside was a short piece of parchment congratulating the victory, along with various items, including 100 silver coins lining the very bottom of the box.

The rest were some ornaments, which I could tell through Navis were enchanted. Being careful not to startle the horse, I handed the box to Simon.

“These look like artifacts. Could you check them?”

“Ah, yes. The colosseum wouldn’t give mere trinkets as prizes…”

Simon stroked his beard and began appraising the artifacts, running his palm over them, while I moved slightly forward to ensure passersby didn’t disturb Simon’s horse.

Soon the artifacts under his hand began to tremble and emit white and blue light, and when Simon removed his hand, there was a flash of light.

“Phew… that’s done.”

“What are they?”

“A pair of earrings for darkvision… a necklace for water breathing. And this ring increases magical power.”

“Good. Then Raisha can have the earrings, I’ll take the necklace, and you can have the ring.”

I already had a marking spell for darkvision, so I didn’t need it, but the water breathing artifact would be very helpful in emergencies.

And the magic power ring, useless to Raisha or me, should naturally go to Simon.

“Here you go.”

We put on the earrings, necklace, and ring right there on the street, on horseback, and laughed boisterously about finally becoming successful adventurers.

What a joyful thing adventure is!

Obtaining such precious items through bloody struggles alongside wonderful and beautiful companions is a happiness permitted only to adventurers.

“Ah… all that remains is the Crusis Mountain Range. What adventures await us there!”

Saying this, I headed to the inn’s stable to bid farewell to my spotted horse.

*

“Sturdy, well-vaccinated… a healthy draft horse with no illnesses.”

“How much can you offer?”

“300 silver coins.”

Considering I bought the spotted horse for 160 silver coins, it was just under twice what I paid.

I thought about haggling more, but it felt incredibly painful to negotiate the price in front of the spotted horse, so I handed it over to the horse merchant for 300 silver coins.

“Alright. I’ll sell it for 300.”

“A reasonable choice. Here’s 300 silver coins.”

The merchant gave me three bundles of silver coins strung together in circular shapes, which I put in my spatial storage before taking one last look at the spotted horse being led away by a stranger’s hand.

The spotted horse, seemingly sensing its fate, neither whinnied nor looked back, which made me feel even sadder.

“Now you’ll have to run hard for the spotted horse’s share too. Understand, Bruiser?”

“Snort…!”

Bruiser, now fully equipped with leather and chain barding from a nearby stable, looking every bit a knight’s war horse, snorted roughly.

Fortunately, though its expressions were rough, it listened to me well and reassured me as much as its sturdy build suggested.

“All done?”

When Simon asked me, I nodded.

“I’ve disposed of everything that needed disposing of, and we’ve all stocked up on provisions, so there’s nothing more for us in Fernheim. We leave for the Crusis Mountain Range tomorrow morning.”

“Finally heading to the last famous spot on this continent!”

I nodded, and Bruiser moved away from me to eat the remaining feed.

Now, to the final famous location on this Faerun continent.

We will advance to the peak of the Crusis Mountain Range, where one can see the most beautiful scenery on the continent.