The setting sun was painting the town beneath us in a golden light, which greatly helped elevate the beauty of the architecture and the white marble used as the main building block. The city was insanely large, especially by mediaeval metrics from my world. Judging by the sprawl, it was safe to evaluate the population at around two hundred thousand people minimum. At first I would say there was no way this would even be possible but after a quick thought - they do have magic which should help tremendously. Thanks to arts like healing, disease outbreaks could easily be avoided and most illnesses that were lethal in mediaeval Europe might be even less of a problem than they would be in our modern world. Additionally, different types of magic could have applications in everyday life, mainly in heavy industry, construction and, most important of all, in agriculture and food preservation. This should greatly help to support larger populations and allow procuring enough consumer goods even with an overall smaller industrial base. That is to say, I didn’t even know much about their actual industrial level either, so all that was simply a speculation based on late medieval European standards. I will have to ask and confirm those things later, not just so that I can blend in with the populace of this world easier, but also out of sheer curiosity of mine. It might be possible to recreate technologies and solutions of our world with magic and magical items, if they haven't been implemented already, that is. This idea has endless possibilities!
-Are you enjoying the view this much, Sir Hero?
I blinked and looked down at the king, caught off guard by his remark. Only then did I realise I was smiling to myself this whole time. I burst out in an awkward laughter.
-Ah, no. I was just thinking about something, my apologies. But I have to say, the view is quite something. It’s for sure better than what I would expect.
-Do not get used to this feeling, dear Hero. Most places cannot afford to so easily display such splendor as here. We are, after all, in the Holy City, a city-state run by religious folks responsible for the Holy Alliance. Technically speaking, this is the capital city of the whole realm.
-A theocratic state, huh? I can certainly see that.
I let out a short laugh looking back at the cathedral. So that little girl was the head of a whole country and not just the religion? That would explain a few things. My reactions could end up greatly damaging their diplomatic relations. Well, frankly speaking, I don't feel sorry for her at all.
-Indeed. People here are very religious but it also comes with its downsides.
-Let me take a wild guess: prosecutions and racism?
-Among many others, yes. The fanatical believers act heavily upon human purity.
-I'm kinna surprised they decided to summon people from a whole other world then. After all, you couldn't have expected that whatever comes through the summoning will even be human to begin with, let alone friendly towards humanity. Even with the special effect of the summoning spell, it was still a risky endeavour.
-It was a collective decision by the whole Holy Alliance. The Holy City was actually against it for the most part. They did not have any other ideas, however, and were eventually forced to relent.
-That would also help explain why that bitch of a priestess didn’t go to any great lengths to make up with me. I assume you're not much of a religious man yourself, my king?
-I believe in the Gods like any other human but I am not interested in them any more than that. What about you, dear Hero? Were you a religious man in your world, and how does being here change that?
-I was in a similar position to you, I believed in God and some teachings of the Church I belonged to but kept my own opinions about most matters, as well as being confident that religion and politics should not mix. And being here... I guess it doesn't change anything. It's not like I was graced by the gods of this realm so I have no incentive to believe in them or put them before my own God, even if He doesn’t exist in this reality. Hell, there was no telling if He did in my world too. I'll simply continue to live by the morals I did until now.
-That seems like a healthy approach, indeed. I am trying to create a country that is free from oppression, be it religious, racial or any other kind. A place where people can live freely despite any and all differences.
-A noble cause for sure, and one I can easily get behind.
-Not an easy one, though. Racial discrimination is still a huge issue, however it is rooted in centuries of history and will not be weeded out so easily.
-The change will come, gradually. If not from the kind heart, then from necessity to adapt in the future.
-Perhaps. Perhaps.
-Can you tell me anything more about your country, my king?
-Frankly speaking, it is not much more than a duchy. I am a king in title only. My territory consists of a single city of about twenty thousand and a few small outpost villages around it. We are situated in the Frontier, a dangerous land that has been left to nature for centuries. Our duty is to gradually expand our influence into the region but due to the Demon invasion almost all funding has been cut a few years ago.
-You mentioned you're a duchy. Does that mean you're a vassal kingdom?
-To a degree. We have been sponsored by the bigger kingdoms, one in particular. They would invest money and resources into us to have some influence over our expansions and get a portion of goods we extracted. The Frontier is where the more valuable ores are located, you see. The main realm is nearly entirely mined out at this point.
As we were talking, we walked down the hill the cathedral was built upon and eventually approached the gatehouse of the inner wall. After the two knights that accompanied us talked to the guards, the gate was opened and we were let outside. There, right next to the entrance, a large stable was located, with a great number of carriages and wagons parked nearby. The king headed towards one of them, a small and old-looking one, while the guards started preparing two of the horses. Not knowing what else to do, I continued to walk alongside the old man. He procured a small key from one of his pockets and opened the door to the carriage. He rummaged through the things inside for a moment before finding a small pouch with what sounded like coins inside.
-The journey will take a couple of days, so we should find you some spare clothing. And at least a basic weapon and some armour in case we run into any dangers. The roads are not that safe, even within the realm. What do you prefer to fight with?
-I can handle pretty much anything, honestly. But I guess I’m most comfortable with a longsword or a regular arming sword with a shield.
-A sword and a shield, huh? Just give me a moment.
The old man took off his crown and robe, revealing a much simpler tunic underneath, and put them away in the carriage. He then closed and locked the door again. Seeing my slightly confused look, he chuckled a little.
-If the shopkeepers cannot tell I am a noble, there is a better chance I will get a fair price, instead of an artificially inflated one. Our country is not exactly rich and most of my money goes to my citizens too, so I apologise but I would like to save whenever I can. Especially here, where prices are already high compared to other cities.
-It's entirely understandable. I wouldn't dare to go for any of the expensive garments either. Something simple but practical is completely fine for me. It doesn’t even need to be particularly comfortable. They’re supposed to be travel clothes anyway, no need for them to be super fancy or something.
-Thank you for understanding. Now, there is a pretty good clothing shop nearby. If you would follow me.
I nodded and let myself be led by the old man. He took me down the main road, skillfully manoeuvring between the surprising amount of people still being out at this hour. We didn’t stick to the main street for long, though, quite quickly turning into an unassuming side alley. There, in the corner of a small plaza at the end of it, we found a small shop. Despite the limited space, it still offered a fairly decent selection of various clothing sets, from regular tunics to stuff that looked like they would fit misfit adventurers in some fantasy game. The king engaged in a conversation with the clerk while I browsed the stock. After several minutes of browsing I managed to find some much simpler looking tunics and trousers. After trying them on, they weren't the most comfortable thing I have ever worn, but they weren't causing me any issues either. They also allowed for a full range of motion, which was a lot more important to me than comfort or looks. White and brown weren't my favourite colours either but they will have to do for now. I can get some custom-made clothes once I get some money for myself and don’t have to depend on the kindness of others. I can only assume dyes are fairly expensive in this world too, just like they were in ours in the period, so this surely will not be a cheap endeavour. I guess I will have to wait for a while before I can wear something I will really feel fine in. I was already starting to miss the comfort of cargo pants and jackets.
I approached the clerk with the set I was most comfortable with and the king immediately ordered three of them. I guess it will be a long road, so it made sense to have some spares. I wonder, though, if he was just this kind or if he saw this as an investment, trying to get me indebted to him. I shrugged it off, either way I already agreed to assist him, at least for now. Whether I have a debt to work off or not, that won’t change anything, really.
After finalising the purchase, and having me carry a crate with my new garbs, we headed straight for the weapon shop. This time we headed to a place located on the main street and yet, somewhat surprisingly, there were no customers inside. What's more, the petite, young girl behind the counter seemed to be sleeping, instead of managing the shop. For some reason I still felt some pity towards her. With her small posture, managing all that stock surely couldn’t be easy. Unless she was just a clerk and didn’t have anything to do with cargo distribution.
-Don't mind her and just look for a weapon you like.
I decided to do exactly that, placed the crate next to where the king decided to wait and started browsing the stock. I noticed a lot of fancy looking weapons, most of which seemed completely impractical and were ridiculously expensive in comparison to the more regular-looking pieces, so I just ignored them. Even if they were magical swords or something like that, I didn’t have any magic power, so there was no telling if I could even utilise their power or not in the first place.
After a couple minutes of browsing, I ended up finding a sturdy looking, completely ordinary, steel arming sword. Despite how interested I was in HEMA and medieval history, types of swords always eluded me. I was always getting lost in what different types were supposed to represent or what changed between them. This one featured a straight, double-edged blade with much less visible taper than what I was used to, suggesting it was based on designs from earlier periods, probably X to XII century. The blade also felt a little long and tip-heavy, likely a cavalry design. Maining both longswords and arming swords, I was leaning more into heavier one-handers, so that worked out perfectly for me. Additionally I found myself a regular wooden heater shield with some hardened leather on the edges, as well as a helmet and a gambeson for some basic protection. There were a couple examples of plated or chained armour but it all looked impractical in many regards, and expensive as hell on top of that, so I had to settle for the base minimum for now. I’ll finalise my set with some mail, greaves and gauntlets next time I have a chance and some more money to spare. The king didn't seem to have any complaints about my choices and woke up the clerk girl to complete the purchase. She gave me a long, curious stare while the old man was counting the coins but she didn't say a word to me. And with that, we took my things and left. Returning to the carriage, one of the horses was already harnessed and one of the knights was sitting behind the reins. The other soldier saddled up on the second horse. The king opened the carriage door and climbed inside. I secured the two crates to the back of the stagecoach with some leather straps and entered the cabin as well. After a couple seconds, the carriage started moving and we found ourselves going at a slow pace towards the outer gates of the city.
The carriage had a single window with a curtain over it, however there was a narrow gap which allowed me to still look outside. The closer to the outskirts of the city we were, the more people were appearing on the streets, all busy with their own problems. The rich architecture was ever-present, the white marble reminding everyone about, I would assume, the purity of this city and its residents. It is the Holy City, there should be no place for sin here, right? Some propaganda like this, probably.
The king seemed to have noticed me staring outside with a frown and coughed slightly to catch my attention.
-What do you think of the Holy City so far, Sir Hero?
I glanced over at the old man, who was sitting opposite to me. He was looking at me with half-closed eyes. It all looked like he just wanted to kill some time, but I could tell he was really curious about how I'll reply. I pondered over my answer for a little bit while I returned to staring outside.
-First impression? It just looks too pure. Everything here is white, religious items are displayed literally everywhere... It's almost like they are trying to distract us from something evil happening behind the scenes, of all the dirt hidden behind the corners. I don't know why but... maybe it's the way that girl treated us, maybe it's what I heard about racial discrimination, but I don't like this place one bit.
The king nodded slightly, giving me the time to say what I wanted. As I finished, he smiled a little, his tone suggesting he was content with how I replied.
-Neither do I, mainly because of the issues you accurately identified. Racial discrimination, especially towards beastfolks, is present everywhere. However here, in the city of religion meant to serve as a beacon of unification, it is the worst. Demi-humans usually cannot even enter the city unless they are slaves under constant surveillance of their owner. In any other case, they have to be locked up inside, away from public eyes. If one is caught on the streets without their owner, they are usually beaten nearly to death and imprisoned. Their owner has to then pay a high fine to reclaim them so, instead, most are left to rot away in the prison cells.
I gritted my teeth. The king must have noticed it because he quickly shifted the subject a little, seemingly trying to appease me.
-It's not like that everywhere, though. In most countries, even if humans despite demi-humans, there are laws in place prohibiting and penalising harsh treatment.
-The fact that slavery based solely on a race is allowed in the first place is what bothers me here.
-I am interested how this topic was viewed back in your world, if I may know?
-There's only one, quote on quote, intelligent race, where I came from. At ancient times, slavery was almost exclusive to war prisoners and people in debt. It later turned into serfdom, although the more “cultured” people already had a knack for slaves from other continents, one primitive one in particular. That was until we discovered a new continent and found ourselves in need of cheap labour to cultivate its many resources and ship them back to the mainland. That's when racism started to pop off and, while slavery as a rule has been banned for a long time now, a surprising amount of people cannot stop being hateful bitches disliking anyone that is just slightly different from them.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
-It seems humans are scumbags no matter in which world they exist.
-Mhm. I'm not much of a pacifist, let alone a hippy, but people should really pull a few sticks out their arses and start being kinder to one another. It's generally free and gets us a lot further as a society.
The king nodded, being in agreement with me there. The topic then drifted to discussing various forms of government, some history lessons and a lot of other political aspects of both worlds. It seemed that the old man had a good grasp of what I was saying even if he couldn't understand a lot of the vocabulary I used. We often exchanged questions back and forth asking for explanations and details, however he seemed to be asking a lot less than I would expect from him. He was excited to hear about solutions present in our world and I really wanted to learn more about the world I will now be forced to live in, as it could make my life a whole lot easier for me, so we ended up talking quite a lot.
Those everyday discussions took us most of the time during the trip. Every morning and evening I was also spending a couple minutes each time on practice, gradually getting used to the sword and shield I now wielded. The two knights looked at me intrigued each time I did it. When I asked them about it, they said they're surprised to see me being this defensive, and even cowardly, in how I was hiding behind my shield at nearly all times. When I replied that this is how a shield was supposed to be used, the soldiers laughed. One of them pulled out his own and presented to me how it was supposed to be done, in his humble opinion. To say the least, it felt like watching some cheap action movie crap instead of an actual combat performance. He was constantly wide open to feints, his sword swings were overdone and easy to read, his footwork was greatly lacking... And then he started to talk about Skills, a way to infuse magic into the attacks to get the most out of the wide swing or how to have your shield protect more than just your left arm because you're holding it half a metre away from your body.
Hearing all that, I simply shook my head in disbelief, but if this was any indication of the average level of competency among this world's swordsmen, I might have a fairly decent chance at winning a lot of one-on-one duels as I stand now. Magic was still an issue, however, as I didn't know how much of a factor it could be in an actual fight yet.
Most of the time it was just the same boring routine. At some point, after the king and I ran out of topics to discuss, I even started switching with the knights to have a chance to ride on the horse. This way I could at least do something fun instead of just uncomfortably sitting in one spot and staring out the window due to a lack of any other form of entertainment. However, as soon as we crossed the fabled Frontier border, the air suddenly changed. It became noticeably heavier and was irritating my nose and mouth quite a bit. At the same time the visibility dropped, although not by a large margin, but the horizon line seemed to be a bit closer and fogged up.
-Welcome to the Frontier, young Hero. Just don't shit your pants too quickly!
I glanced over at the knight driving the carriage with a disappointed expression. At the time, I had a chance to ride the horse, so I sped up a little to ride alongside him.
-Is it always like this here?
-No. This is just one of many abnormal weather conditions of the Frontier. One of the safer ones, too.
-Hm, sounds like a lovely vacation spot.
-You'll stop laughing once you see some of the monsters in this region. I bet that even some of the weaker ones will have you tremble in fear and cower even more behind that shield of yours.
Well, I could definitely pass on that. While I might have a chance fighting overconfident humans, bloodthirsty beasts are a whole different can of worms. Especially if those beasts were also magical in nature and potentially possessed some unexplainable by logic abilities. For now, I've decided to return to observing our surroundings. Since this region is significantly more dangerous than the part of the realm we travelled through so far, we had to exercise extreme caution. In most countries being attacked on the main roads was very much a rare occurrence. The wilderness was still highly dangerous in the whole realm but the roads, even the ones going through woods, were usually pretty safe due to frequent patrols. Here, in the Frontier, anything could happen. Monsters were supposed to be more common, more fearless and, not to mention, much more dangerous. Despite that, the first few kilometres into the Frontier, as I understood, were basically a breeding ground for lawless groups such as bandits, smugglers and other outlaws, usually making their hideouts here to avoid being chased by the militaries of other countries. Convoys heading for and from the Frontier were usually rich in cargo and rarely ever sufficiently protected past the border. This made them prime targets too. And since the kingdoms handling those territories rarely had the manpower to spare on raiding those bandits, they really thrived in here.
A bit over an hour later, just when I was about to switch places with the knight in the carriage, I noticed something up ahead of us, just to the side of the road. The knight driving the carriage did not seem to react to it yet.
-Movement, front.
-You saw something?
-Yeah, left side, by that rock over there.
The knight nodded and knocked on the seat three times, a sign to the people inside that there's a possible danger. I loosened up the reins a little, moving my right hand up to the saddle and allowing it to rest closer to the hilt of my sword. Just a few seconds later, something suddenly came flying at the carriage from in front of us. An arrow lodged itself in the wall of the carriage, right next to the head of the guard. I immediately pulled out my sword and raised my shield, holding the reins in my off-hand. My horse shook its head nervously, sensing danger as well. I spent a few years learning horse riding with the intention to fight in knight tournaments but that never came to fruition before. At least the skills I learned then will come in useful now, it seems. Too bad I never actually learned how to properly melee on horseback.
From behind the rock, six crudely armed men came out. One was keeping to the back, holding a drawn bow, oddly at a forty five degree angle. Others were armed mainly with clubs and hatchets, excluding one huge guy up front with a zweihander that had the tip broken off. Their armour was mostly regular clothing and gambesons, two of the grunts were wearing leather caps for helmets. The leader also had some metal bracelets and what looked like extra padding on the chest with a leather patch over it. While leather itself made for terrible armour material, I couldn't fully exclude its usability given the magical nature of this world. It was possible it was leather from some magical creatures that had different properties or that the material was in some way enchanted to strengthen it. Although, I had a hard time believing these goons could really be in possession of such artefacts, it was possible they robbed a few pieces of a quality gear from a poor merchant at some point in time.
The muscular guy up front took a step forward and announced loudly with a deep voice:
-You are being robbed by the Generous Hand, the greatest thief group in this part of the Frontier! Hand over all your valuables and we may consider letting you live. You have one minute to start unloading your goods!
The knight in the coach seat of the carriage looked at me nervously. As I glanced back over my shoulder, I noticed that Gurthan had pulled over the cover on the window and was also looking at me expectantly. Luckily, it just so happened I had an idea I wanted to test out that could potentially give us a pretty easy resolution.
-My king, may I ask for permission to taunt this guy a little and try to force him to a duel?
The old man thought about it for a few seconds.
-There is no way they will let us live with how little wealth we have on hand or if they learn my identity. If you have an idea how to resolve it, go ahead.
I nodded and looked back at the bandit leader. He was getting impatient and was about to start shouting at us again when I prompted my horse to go a few steps forward and exclaimed myself:
-You call yourself the greatest bandit group out here and yet you can't even ambush us properly?
-What did you say!?
-First, you shouldn't be shooting at the driver. Getting him would cause the horse to panic and it could gallop away with your loot. Second, you should surround us and not appear only in front, especially at that distance. It wouldn't be too hard to turn around and escape. Same for breaking our way through, you haven't blocked the road at all to prevent us from doing that either.
-You have the gut to mock us? Guys...!
-Wait, I have a suggestion. How about a duel, to prove you're as good as you claim to be. After all, strategy and planning is pointless if you have enough physical prowess, right? You beat me one-on-one and you can take anything you want. I beat you and you guys leave, saving your lives, as long as you never appear in front of me again.
The bandit leader likely suspected it to be a trap of some sorts by how he hesitated to answer. Seems he wasn't as proud and stupid as he originally appeared to be. But his goons clearly were and their lively cheering finally forced him to make a decision whether he favoured it or not.
-Alright. One-on-one, on the ground.
I jumped off my horse and passed the reins to the knight at the driver seat. I then started walking, somewhat nonchalantly, towards the enemy. I wanted them to believe it would not be a hard fight for them by appearing incompetent... but then I realised it could be taken exactly the other way around, that I'm so confident in my skill that I don't have to worry. Luckily for me, it seemed that it was the former, as the bandit leader lowered his guard a little as he started approaching me. When he got within a few steps away from me, he bolstered his chest out and loudly proclaimed:
-The duel starts now!
I immediately raised my shield in response. I held it close to myself, allowing myself a full range of motions, and looked over it at the enemy. The bandit, seeing I was going defensive, started to slowly raise his weapon up as he murmured something. Magic? If that was the case, I had to strike now. There was no telling if I could withstand a hit from anything magical yet.
I sprinted forward, still holding my shield up. I kept my sword to the side, its point towards the ground for now. I really wanted this whole gig to look like I was still playing defensive and was just closing the distance. The bandit leader likely expected me to stop in front of him and raise my shield higher to block his strike, however I just simply rammed him at full speed with my shield, catching him completely off-guard and with his strike only half-delivered. When I pushed him back, I attacked with my sword, cutting upwards at an angle. It managed to cut clean through the clothes of the opponent, however it only barely grazed his skin. I didn't stop there, immediately bringing the sword back on the same arc as I continued to push forward. The blade struck my opponent's armpit and got stuck on a bone. Not able to drive the sword any deeper, I pulled it towards myself and dashed to the side to gain some distance and avoid the zweihander falling down. This freed the blade, while at the same time dealt a gaping wound to the opponent that almost completely neutralised his right arm. All this time I kept my shield closely in front of my torso for protection. My sword was now raised up and pointing towards the enemy, the flat side of the blade resting against the top ridge of the shield. I was ready to either defend and retaliate or to renew my attack at a moment's notice. However, it seemed like it would not be necessary.
The bandit leader just stood there, shocked, before his adrenaline levels dropped a little and he felt the pain. He immediately dropped his sword and fell to his knees, wrapping his left arm around the other one and screaming in agony. I honestly did not expect the cut to be this deep or dangerous but here was, this huge guy, trashing on the ground in a pool of his own blood, losing more every second thanks to the fact he couldn’t just sit still for a moment and receive treatment.
-If you don't help him, he'll die within a minute. Duel’s over, now per our oral contract, you're obligated to leave us be. Grab this guy and get out of our sight.
I said that as I relaxed my stance and swung my sword in the air to clean the blade from the blood. The bandits didn't react immediately but with the next loud whine from their injured commander, they quickly threw their weapons away and rushed in to rescue him. It took them some time to stabilise him and drag him away from the road. In that time, I ensured my blade was clean and sheathed it before jumping back on the horse.
-That's a weird fighting style, Sir Hero.
I glanced over at the soldier driving the carriage. He was still staring at the place of the duel, as if mesmerised. His shocked face and the clear amazement in his voice betrayed that he felt at least a little stupid about criticising me so much earlier.
-That's not a style, I just used my head. I saw an opening and used it. I don't know what he wanted to unleash on me but I won't be just standing there and waiting for it to hit me if I can attack him and stop the cast before that happens.
The soldier just nodded and focused on driving the carriage instead, unable to formulate a reply. I started riding alongside it, when the old king looked out of the window again.
-I had a good feeling about you from the beginning, Sir Edward. But it was truly impressive how swiftly you dispatched that bandit.
-It was way too easy. Magic should be used to supplement your fighting style and strength, not replace it. If this bandit's skill is any indication of the general level of the swordsmanship in this world, I apologise for being so blunt about it, my liege, but us, Heroes, as we stand, are currently almost unbeatable. Potentially even when fighting a few opponents at once, we should still hold high chances. Once those kids master their magic and Skills, they'll basically become one-man-armies. I'm honestly not surprised you needed our help, someone has to clearly redefine the way of the sword and magic for all of you and teach you all the basics of combat.
-Ho, ho. I see, I see. Taking you in will definitely be greatly beneficial to us then, if that is the case. I will be glad to listen to any and all advice you have for us regarding the military matters then.
-So there was still some ambition in that old head of yours, and not just empty ideals, huh? That's good, it means my fight alongside you will have some meaning.
-Then let us change this world for the better, shall we?
-Ha! That's a long order. But we'll see the fruit the sooner we start working on the root.
-I like your spirit, young Sir. It fills me with confidence that, together, we truly can achieve something amazing within this country. I am truly looking forward to working with you, Sir Edward.
-Likewise, my king. Anything to help your people. And if you throw in damaging that little church girl’s reputation, I’ll put in double effort.
The king laughed at my reply and moved back to the carriage. The journey continued without any additional mishaps along the way. By the evening of the next day, the capital city of this frontier kingdom, Katerial, finally appeared in sight.