kscans

“Welcome, traveler. If you’re here to eat Yueitan (moon fish), then I recommend this sake. It’s a clear, refined sake called Pran Shiyu (sake). It’s clear and beautiful. If you drink roasted or cloudy sake, it’ll kill the taste of the moonfish.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, give me that Pran Sake. By the way, what kind of fish is moonfish? Do you boil it or grill it? What does it taste like?”

“I see. Don’t you know about it, traveler? Then, I won’t tell you. It’s a taste that can’t be described as either good or bad. Some people even say it’s disgusting. But once you try it, you can’t stop. I’m thinking of eating it myself tomorrow.”

It had been two months since Godon had become his traveling companion. The two of them were in a small village on the southern edge of the Egzera Lord’s territory. If they took the shortest route from the Mageia territory, it would be about sixty kilometers. A person with good legs could walk four kilometers a day, so it was a very leisurely horse ride.

They enjoyed the scenery and tasted the local flavors along the way, so it was no wonder they took their time. In addition, Godon seemed to believe that this was a journey of salvation to help the people, so when a village suffered from wild beasts, they spent a week hunting them. They even spent eight days wandering the mountain paths looking for a group of five thieves. In the end, they couldn’t find them, but the villagers thanked them for their efforts. This was all well and good, but Bard wanted the people to stop mentioning Bard Rowen, the “Knight of The People” name everywhere they went.

When they arrived in this village and asked about the local food, they were told it was the moonfish. If they went up the mountain, there was a stream and a shop there. Moonfish could only be eaten at that shop. When the people of this village wanted to eat moonfish, they went there. It could be eaten during the day, but it was better at night, and people could even stay up all night at the shop. Eating moonfish and drinking sake while looking at the moon had a unique charm that couldn’t be found anywhere else. Yueitan. A fish born in the moonlight. What kind of fish was it? They couldn’t miss it.

The two of them galloped off on their horses. They soon found the shop by the stream. The plump and lively landlady greeted them. At fiest, she wondered what two big warriors were doing there. When they said they wanted to eat moonfish, she told them that they couldn’t catch any right now, so they would have to wait until night.

While drinking the tea served to them, they listened to the landlady’s story. She came to this mountain with her husband eleven years ago. Her husband loved this stream. The fish and mountain vegetables were delicious, and the scenery was beautiful. And there was Toga growing in abundance there. Toga was a spicy and refreshing herb. It could only grow in places with a cool climate and clear water.

The landlady and her husband wanted to settle here. The village head was pleased to discover Toga and asked the lord to grant their wish. The landlady and her husband were given a special tax rate, and in return, they agreed not to sell Toga outside the village. Later, four other families came to this creek. Her husband allowed the four families to collect Toga. Her husband said it was a good life three years ago before he died.

They noticed the existence of moonfish as soon as they started living there, but they didn’t realize its true value until the second year. Moonfish harvested under certain conditions and eaten in a certain way was an exquisite delicacy that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world. However, the miraculous taste disappeared after a short time. That’s why it was a fish that could only be eaten there.

After tea, sake was served. When they drank sake and eat mountain vegetable dishes, a serious problem arose. There was little sake left. The landlady asked the other four families, but they didn’t have any high-quality sake that would suit the palate of the two.

If they went down the mountain on horseback, it wouldn’t take long to reach the town at the foot of the mountain. The two of them decided to go to the town to buy sake for the moonfish.

2

As they were about to buy sake and return to the shop by the stream, they noticed an marching army marching down the road. Two soldiers with shields led the way. Ten archers followed them. Five porters followed the archers. The arrow barrels they carried were filled with fire arrows. A knight was at the head of the column. Two people who looked like townspeople followed him. The atmosphere around the troops indicated that they were on a serious mission.

After the troops passed, they heard rumors about their mission. There was an outbreak of Shihai disease had occurred in a village in the mountain creek. The village apothecary confirmed that the landlady had contracted the disease. The apothecary had been helping people for many years. The lord immediately dispatched a knight. The knight explained the situation to the village leader and scolded him for his lack of supervision. And now, the knight and his men were about to enter the mountain.

Bard had never heard of the Shihai disease occurring in the Tercian territory or its surroundings. But if it had happened, he would have had to burn down the village and the town. He would have had to kill everyone living there. The Shihai disease was such a terrifying disease. (t/n: shihai also can be tl as Ash disease)

The person who contracted the disease had ash-like spots all over his body. The spots would grow larger and eventually cover the whole body. Once that happened, they would lose all their bodily fluids and die in agony. Anyone who touched the infected person, even slightly, would contract the same disease.

In medieval times, there was a disease that would destroy a village if it appeared there, and a city if it appeared there. If a sick person fled to a neighboring town, that town would also be destroyed. It was no wonder that the soldiers had a tense expression on their faces. The disease itself was terrifying, but that was not all. They had to kill the people they were supposed to protect. The soldiers could never sleep peacefully again. Even during their patrols, they had the feeling that the families, friends, and lovers of those they had killed were watching them. But still, they had to do what they had to do. The suffering of the knight who led these frightened soldiers and resolutely carried out their difficult duties was immense.

“No, wait. Wasn’t that the village in the mountain stream? Didn’t we just talk to the landlady a moment ago? This must be a mistake!”

Bard thought this and rode his horse to catch up with the unit and talk to the commanding knight. But the knight just looked at Bard and didn’t stop or answer him. He must have been under orders not to listen to anyone no matter what they said. The soldiers tried to ignore Bard as well. They couldn’t carry out this kind of mission if they didn’t close their hearts tightly. Desperately, they covered their ears.

Thinking that this would not end well, Bard and Godon went ahead of the unit and headed up the mountain path. Since everyone except the knight was on foot, the marching speed was not fast. There was a convenient spot just before the stream where they could stop the unit with just one person. The two of them waited there.

Soon the unit arrived.

What should they do? Stop the unit and let the landlady and the villagers escape? But this was the disease of death. Those who escaped would be thoroughly searched for and killed. Besides, the landlady wouldn’t just leave the house full of memories with her husband. Should they send the unit back? If it was only Godon and Bard, it might be possible. However, the enemy had shields and arrows, and there were heavily armored knights. On the other hand, they only wore light armor suitable for traveling. It would be an all-out fight with no mercy. Besides, even if they chased them away, the village in the stream would not be at peace. What should they do?

If he were the commander of this unit, what would he do after arriving at the stream? He would never enter the village. He would surround it with soldiers, shoot arrows from a distance, and burn the village to the ground. If anyone came out, he would be shot. They wouldn’t try to get close enough to see their faces or talk to them. In that case…

“Godon! Bring the landlady here! Hurry!”

Bard ordered Godon. He barked once and ran up the mountain path. They just had to buy some time. They couldn’t let the unit advance any further.

They were coming. The unit arrived. The sound of the soldiers’ footsteps hitting the ground was unnaturally powerful. They couldn’t move forward without inspiring themselves. When they were within earshot, Bard shouted loudly.

“I am Bard Rowen, a knight of Pakula. I have something to say about the village in the stream! May I ask for the name of the commander?”

For the first time, the commander answered.

“I am Margageri Ecola, a knight of Drano. A traveling knight. No need for pleasantries. Please clear the way.”

It was a strong, deep voice. The voice of a warrior who had seen many battles. The unit did not slow down at all. They advanced in a single file with the shield bearers in front.

Bard was about to say that he had just seen the landlady safe and sound, but he stopped himself. It would be tantamount to confessing that he had touched a person with the disease of death. If he said those words, they would undoubtedly try to kill him without question. The distance between the shield bearers and Bard was now only about ten paces.

Bard drew his sword. Not to attack, but to intimidate.

“Shield up! Charge!”

The commander barked his orders in a sharp voice. The two shield-bearers raised their shields and charged at Bard, who was facing an urgent military operation under the lord’s command. Even if he was shot down by arrows or killed by swords, he couldn’t complain. Yet, this commander was not a heartless person, as he tried to push away the shields instead of using arrows or swords.

As an experienced knight, Bard could easily charge into the archers’ line and throw the unit into chaos by avoiding the two shield-bearers. But, that would lead to a battle.

“What should I do, Stavros? Tell me.”

Bard stroked his sword sheath, which was a memento of Stavros, with his left hand. Without hesitation, the two soldiers charged at him with shields. Bard instinctively thrust his ancient sword at the shield.

“Damn it!”

Bard panicked at his own actions. The tip of the ancient sword was dull. It looked as if it had been cut off horizontally. Even if he thrust it, he couldn’t do anything with the shield. Bard’s shoulder was in trouble. The enemy was a big soldier. He attacked with his whole body. If he stabbed him with the flat sword, all the impact would go to Bard’s shoulder.

The moment the shield and the ancient sword collided, Bard saw a bluish-green phosphorescence. There was no pain or destruction in his shoulder. The feeling of hitting something was there, but it was very light.

The impact on the shield-bearers was not light at all. The leading shield-bearer was blasted back, and the one behind him didn’t stop him, but was blasted back together. The two of them charged into the line of archers about eight paces away and mowed the soldiers down. The archers fell like a game of shogi, and in the end, all the soldiers but the commander’s knight fell to the ground. The commander’s knight stopped his horse and opened his eyes wide.

“What a martial prowess. Wait. Bard… Bard Rowen?”

At that moment, the sound of a horse galloping from the mountain path approached. It was Godon, with the innkeeper behind him.

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait! I am Godon Zarkos, the Knight of the People, and I have come with the innkeeper of the stream. Where is she sick with the ash disease? Look at her with your own eyes.”

As he shouted, he slipped past Bard’s side, stopped his horse, and dismounted, leaving the innkeeper behind. When someone brought the innkeeper in front of him, he couldn’t ignore her. And when he looked closely, it was clear that she was not suffering from the ash disease.

“What is this? Apothecary. What is the meaning of this?”

The commander’s voice had a tone of severe questioning. The apothecary man fell to the ground instantly. The man next to the apothecary ran away. Two soldiers ran after him and caught him. When the innkeeper saw the man, she said,

“Oh? This man has been coming to my shop for some time now, trying to sell me things and lying to me. I don’t see him around here very often.”

When the commander’s knight pointed his sword at the man, he immediately confessed the truth.

The man was a member of a band of thieves who had raided the northern part of the lord’s territory. The knights were dispatched because they had made too much money, and the gang was destroyed. One man escaped the pursuit and came to this mountain. He buried a large sum of money under a tree as a landmark in the mountains and fled to a distant place.

That was fifteen years ago. He came back this year, thinking that the heat had subsided. He was surprised when he went to the place where he had buried the money. The tree had been cut down and a shop had been built. He asked the innkeeper to sell it to him, but she refused. He was wondering what to do when he ran into the apothecary. The apothecary had also been a member of the band of thieves in the past. If his identity was revealed, he would be beheaded. The apothecary was threatened by the man and reported to the lord that the innkeeper of the stream had contracted the ash disease.

“What will happen to the apothecary man?”

The medicine man had served the village for many years. He was willing to examine patients even in the middle of the night, and he never forced the poor to pay for his medicine. The villagers loved him for his kindness.

However, lying about a patient having the deadly ash disease was the worst possible crime a medicine man could commit. Normally, he would be burned at the stake.

The innkeeper was shocked to hear that a large sum of money was buried under her house. Two soldiers were stationed there for the night to guard it, and a more thorough investigation would be conducted the next day. The commander of the soldiers was a regular at the nearby tavern. He thanked Bard and Godon for not killing the innkeeper.

They were invited to the lord’s mansion, but Bard refused. Though his name might not be well-known, the lord of Mageia, Godon Zarkos was famous in the area. If a lord from another territory got involved in a dispute, it would be bad for both parties. It was best to pretend that nothing had happened. Godon Zarkos had not come here, so there was no need to go to the lord’s manor. Bard explained this to the commander.

In truth, Bard’s body felt extremely weak, and his head throbbed. He didn’t want to deal with anything inconvenient.

“It is amazing how a man who used to be a cruel bandit can now live a life as a beloved medicine man. Humans are really unpredictable.”

It was true. People were unpredictable. Speaking of unpredictable, Bard still didn’t understand the ancient sword. He hadn’t used its power during his confrontation with Godon. Since then, he had killed many beasts, but he had never seen its mysterious power. He wondered if it only manifested when fighting demonic beasts.

“In any case, we missed out on the moonfish.”

Bard suddenly pulled on the reins and stopped his horse.

“What? We missed out on it?”

He turned his horse around and headed back.

“Oh, Uncle? Are you going back? Did you decide to camp out here tonight because you didn’t want to deal with the hassle? You can’t go into the mountains without going through the village. Are you going back after being seen off so grandly?”

Godon didn’t understand, Bard thought. There was a difference between important and trivial matters, and the former required a sense of urgency. One should not fuss over trivialities when faced with important matters, and one should not hesitate when faced with urgent matters.

There was a legend about the two moons. The star god Zaiyen proposed to the princesses of the two sisters. The older sister accepted his proposal immediately, while the younger sister took too long to get ready and missed her chance.

Thus, the older sister was called the “Star God’s Wife (Sura),” while the younger sister was called the “Latecomer (Sarie).” Sarie inherited all the wealth of her ancestors, since she couldn’t get married, and was also called the “Owner of Everything”. Sarie’s moon was smaller than Sura’s, but it was brighter and faster.

Tonight was the night when the two moons shone the brightest. If they hurried, they could drink moon-gazing sake while watching the two moons. It might even be the night of the “Conjunction”. When the two full moons overlapped, Sarie would be illuminated by Sura and wear a crown of light. Drinking sake while watching the double moon was an extraordinary experience. The moonfish was said to be especially delicious on such a night. They had to reach the river before Sarie caught up with Sura.

“Run. Come on, run.”

The beautiful Sarie galloped through the sky, illuminating the earth with her radiance. The silhouette of a horse and rider gradually became clearer, slicing through the grass like two knives. Bard rode his chestnut horse, breathing in the scent of early summer in the lush grass.