5 Ch ~ 5#

The next day I left town early to try and see if I could get some good morning hunting in. I had decided to head towards the lake. I was curious about something; and it had been bugging me for a while. I know this world has magic and that allows for some amazing things. But they also have construction methods so why were they using magic to water the fields when they could build an aqueduct that connects to the lake? My first thought of why they didn't was because of the local banshee legend. Considering the fact I'm in a different world it may be true… but still why not use the magic users to destroy the banshee?

When I reached the lake I looked around and noticed its shape. But I also noticed something else that seemed rather strange. There were some signs of animals along the south east part of the lake. But when I looked across the lake I saw someone walking on the shoulders of the mountain and trees. What was weird about the person was he was dressed in some rather fancy looking armor that seemed to show a little age. I guess he didn't see me or at least didn't think I was worth noticing. Then again there is a lake between us, so it might have been he didn't see me. Though it begs the question of why a knight was in this area to begin with. After all there are no military outposts, maybe he's from the theocracy? But that doesn't make sense either, after all sending one lone knight to scout out enemy territory doesn't make any kind of sense.

I didn't get back to town until it was late, I managed to hunt a few animals along the way so the day wasn't a complete loss. When I got back to town I sold two Herba I caught; the furry snakes with legs. I only got four silver for a lot of them; I didn't complain though; after all the butcher's just trying to keep a roof over his head like the rest of us. At the inn where I'm staying I talked with some of the local hunters. I don't know why but that knight I saw earlier just wouldn't leave my mind. When I brought it up I could tell the entire inn heard me, mostly because not only did the air change but all eyes seemed to turn to me. When I described the armor to them they were stumped too. Apparently the Theocracy paints their armor with purple coating, which only adds more to the mystery. The armor on the man I saw at the lake while I'm fully sure had a faded blue color to it.

Eventually one of the hunters recommended that I bring it to the local lord. Which I can understand; though I couldn't help but notice a few eyes seem to linger on us even after the mood returned to a calmer presence. The next day I went to see the lord; he lives in the tower-like structure on top of the hill. When I knocked on the door you can imagine my surprise when a young boy now older than twelve answered. He wore some well kept clothes; I got my answer of who the boy was when he asked me a question.

"Are you here to see father?" The boy asked as he looked up to me.

"Yes… I have some news about a strange knight I saw in the forest… I was advised…" I stopped when I began hearing clattering and what sounded like things being thrown.

In the crack of the door I see what looks like books being thrown about and someone shouting out in a language I don't fully understand. I thought about maybe trying again at a different time but that was thrown out the window when I noticed the boy had already run off and began yelling at his father.

"Father, you have a guest…" I hear the boy call out.

I silently stepped in and turned a corner only to see the father sitting at a small wooden table that I guess was a desk. He wore the same kind of well kept clothing his son had. Though the paper books, and scrolls strung about the room gave off a different feeling. I tried to keep my focus on the lord as he ushered his sun away. I gave him a slight bow which seemed to surprise him a little.

"I guess the rumors of you being from a strange land were true. Sense your showing such respect to a low vassal." He said with a slight chuckle.

I guess rumors had spread about me without me knowing. Though honestly a mysterious guy wandering into town every now and again before moving in and using strange methods of hunting is going to have rumors.

"It seems so sir… Where I come from I was taught to show respect to all." I said as I rose up from the bow.

Looking over the man; he wasn't overly fat, he wasn't well built, he seemed like a normal man you would expect to be a hard working father that might work at a local government office.

"I'm Gryff Krado vassal to duchess Krado. It's an honor to meet you." He said as he stood up and gave me a bow as well.

"Anyways lord, I came here because I came across something strange yesterday while I was out hunting." When I told him about the knight I had seen; I couldn't help but notice his worried expression.

"Sounds like a knight from the Hukhiya Republic… but… that can't be right, they died out almost a hundred years ago." Gryff said as he seemed to be in thought.

He sat back down before looking at me.

"Tell me something… why were you in that area to begin with? I know you can hunt Aries Porcus but that requires a small party…" He asked, seeming to be a bit more tricky to deal with than the locals.

"I was curious about the lake my lord, I thought it might be a good idea to put in an aqueduct." I honestly stated which seemed to confuse him.

"What is an… aqueduct?" He asked a question which gave me a few answers to how this world works.

From his answer alone I can discern that the people of this world or at least the Oligarchy rely a lot on magic to provide basic things such as water. Though those two slaves were the only ones besides myself I hadn't seen anyone else use magic, it painted a picture of this land.

"Put simply lord it's a channel dug into the earth that allows water to run from one point to another. In my home land we used them to provide water from nearby sources such as the lake. Almost like a man-made river." I started my basic understanding of ancient technology; though it was mostly surface from a roman documentary I listened to during my work back home.

After giving my explanation I noticed he seemed to be in deep thought. He placed a hand to his chin and looked at a wall mounted map of the local area.

"Tell me how long it will take to construct one?" He asked which let me know he was interested in my idea.

"Considering we only have a mile of land between the source of water and us it shouldn't take more than a season or two. Though the main problem will be storage… we could divert the water to a dug out along the back of the motte and bailey if you wish." I pointed out as we continued to discuss; for those curious they operate on a seasonal calendar in this world.

The topic of discussion eventually went back to the knight I had spotted earlier. Gryff ended up asking me to investigate the knight further. He also said he would get back to me on the aqueduct idea I mentioned. Given the current state of this town's finances I can understand his hesitation at such a project. After all, moving a mile long channel of earth while sounds easy can get expensive. Not to mention the fact that you would need to build not only a container for the water. But given that the land isn't smooth or even you'll need to build channels up as well. I don't think there will be anything on the large scale as they had in the Rome or Aztec empires but still it'll cost a few gold coins at least from my estimate.

The next day when I had guard duty I kept my eyes out towards the direction of the lake. I don't know why but the image of that knight carrying the long handled axe was just unsettling. During my guard shift Nathaniel; Elva's husband approached me. He talked it over with Elva and apparently they decided to leave the town too. I have to say it was not unexpected though it didn't take out the force behind the news. After all, they're one of the few people I honestly know; though, who am I to stop them. He mentioned that Elva was willing to sell me their last slave, the cat girl with white spotted hair. I told them I would pick up the girl tomorrow after coming back from hunting. I didn't bring up the knight since they would be heading in the opposite direction.

After being able to go home I sat down on the bed. My mind was racing too much for me to think. I can't really complain since I brought this all on myself; I honestly didn't expect the local lord to request my help with the mystery knight. Though I guess it's to be expected, I mean from his point of view I might not be an official citizen and just an immigrant that's currently an expendable piece. But then again I'm sure that's how a lot of people view the world around them. A game of complex chess where pieces can be thrown away and replaced with others. Makes me wonder about grandpa; after all he taught me how to survive, so was I a pawn to him or was he a pawn to me? Or was I a pawn to my dad when I was helping during his construction work. I think in the end all we can do is blame ourselves when those types of things occur. After all, just because we're pieces on a board to some doesn't mean we can't play our own game right?