Game Mind of a Medieval Modern Person - Chapter 166



Only Noblemtl

166. This ring is premium. There is no war without sacrifice.

Whenever people fight with swords, someone is bound to die.

Even though Terveer and his knights took action and risked desertion, they could not save everyone.

But the surviving refugees did not dare to criticize or resent the knights.

If the knights hadn’t shown up, everyone here would have been killed without any help.

As soon as the refugees came to their senses, they went to the knights who had rescued them and bowed their heads repeatedly.

“Thank you, Narids! You are the true heroes!”

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to hear your name.”

“Haha, this is true.”

Terveer shrugged his shoulders and looked embarrassed, but he couldn’t really hide his smile.

Eventually, Terveer, unable to resist the refugees’ urging, took off his helmet and revealed himself.

“My name is Tervere Orn Stregos Glerio Powis. My loyal ones, when you tell tales of my exploits, do not forget the knights who stood with me.”

Then the refugees were all shocked, but soon understood.

Terveer’s abilities and honorable deeds were already known to everyone in the Duchy of Penrad.

Those who knew how to be polite would put their arms on their chests, cross them, and kneel, and even the dark-sighted people who were far from learning would take off their hats, dust off their bodies, and kneel respectfully.

“Te, meet Terveer Nari.”

“The world’s assessment that you are truly honorable was not wrong…! May you be praised, great knight!”

Terveer waved at them and burst into hearty laughter.

“Everyone, stand up. We’ve only just overcome one difficult crisis. This place is not safe yet, so instead of being overly polite, take care of yourselves first.”

In difficult times, humility and kindness are more important.

Moreover, the Terveer that the refugees saw with their own eyes was an exemplary knight who lived faithfully according to chivalry.

Some of the refugees were so moved that they couldn’t hold back their tears and lowered their heads.

“Oh, oh…!”

“I will not forget, I will never forget. I will pass on Nari’s name for generations to come!”

The refugees’ praise and respect were not only directed at Terveer.

From the old knight Sir Betak, who decided to kill his precious steed before anyone else to save the refugees, to Sir Herset, who was so filled with determination that he was prepared to fall from his horse.

All of those who had made a desperate charge with Terveer were receiving touching praise from the refugees.

On the other hand, Narva and his troops were somewhat distant from such an atmosphere.

Because they appeared much later and focused more on destroying the pagans than on rescuing the refugees.

In reality, it was the pursuit party led by Narva that killed the most pagans, but no one paid attention to that fact.

Husten Ornster.

The knight who had declared himself Narva’s adjutant could not help but grumble and be dissatisfied with this sight.

Sir Husten dismounted from his horse’s saddle, clicked his tongue, and looked at the refugees with pity.

“They’re such ignorant fools. They don’t even know who truly saved them.”

Following him, another knight also dismounted from his saddle.

Mild right geron.

He, who had a petty personality, immediately scolded Sir Hustan for complaining.

“Oh, isn’t it obvious that if Sir Terveer hadn’t stepped in, there would have been a lot of damage?”

“It is also true that if Your Majesty had not intervened in time, we would all have died.”

“you…”

Sir Mild opened his mouth to retort, showing signs of weariness at Sir Hustan’s snorting attitude.

To be exact, I was trying to open it.

“Okay.”

The reason why two people got off the saddle.

Bishop Narva, who had been holding up a ring while deliberately standing at a distance from the praised Tervere, joined the conversation.

Narva warned sharply, his eyes still fixed on the ring.

“Hustan Orn Suster. Do not belittle the achievements of Lord Tervere.”

“Yes.”

“In fact, if Sir Terveer hadn’t stepped forward, they would all have died. I had no intention of wasting my troops to save them.”

“…”

When the person in question said this, I was left speechless.

Sir Hustan paused, his lips pursed, but he answered like a loyal knight.

Sir Mild, who had been watching silently, took a step back and was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Sir Husten, even though you are my brother, your remarks were too harsh.”

“The one you serve has been dishonored. Since when has it become the duty of a knight to remain silent?”

The straightforward persuasion of the meticulous Mild Lord actually had the opposite effect.

Sir Husten, who had barely been able to hold it in, exploded again.

Only then did Narva take his gaze away from the ring.

Narva laughed as he stabbed the tip of his spear, which had lost its silvery shine and was turning crimson, into the ground.

“I intentionally gave Sir Terveer power because he will become an important figure who will shake up the political situation in the Duchy of Penrad in the future.”

“yes?”

“It’s a kind of contrast effect that was aimed for.”

By now, both Prince Penrad and Kardal Orne Yuvas would have come to their senses.

When I recall that fact, I can’t help but laugh.

“Those who fought for dominance and agreed to the wicked schemes I proposed, allowing the deaths of innocents, and those knights who disobeyed and chose to save the people. Those who were locked in despite having thousands, and those who willingly fought despite having hundreds.”

Wearing a crown doesn’t make you a king.

Narva never forgot these words, which were deeply engraved in his memory.

For the sake of the bigger picture, I hope for the immediate destruction of the Duchy of Penrad, but later on, it was a land that Powis would have to swallow up someday.

To prepare for that distant future, we must lay the groundwork starting now.

“In the future, when people choose a lord to serve, which one do you think will move their hearts?”

“”…!””

Sir Hustan and Sir Mild immediately understood the meaning behind those words.

‘Your Majesty would like to place the Powis family on the throne of the Morning Isles!’

-It was the moment when Narva first revealed his true colors.

The two knights, who finally realized what Narva was planning, looked at each other with wide eyes, then quickly pursed their lips and simultaneously raised their hands to their chests.

Narva nodded and smiled at the two polite knights.

“Sir Tervere is not always smart and right, but… isn’t he better than the current Prince Penrad?”

Even the way of thinking is somewhat similar.

The two knights deliberately ignored the insulting remarks.

But the contemptuous words that seemed to test Sir Hustan and Sir Mild continued.

“If our golden niece Yurid also rises in status to become the legitimate daughter of a duke, she will be able to find a fiancée. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, yes… Yeha!!!”

If things continue like this, a disaster might occur.

Terveer, a knight known for his outbursts at objective assessments of his daughters, was right next to him.

Sir Mild rolled his eyes, desperately trying to find another topic.

That moment.

“Oh, by the way, that ring.”

“huh?”

The ring that Narva kept holding caught my eye.

“Is there something that you are holding on to?”

It was an amazing base.

Even Sir Husten, who was relieved, winked secretly and sent his compliments.

Narva blinked her eyelids several times as if she had been taken aback, then with a gentle expression on her face, she held out the ring as if showing off.

“Oh, this expensive-looking ring. It’s a blessing, considering I was already worried about my finances.”

“Is that something that expensive?”

“It’s a valuable item that antique collectors and historians would love.”

Narva smiled mischievously and revealed the engraving on his ring.

“A sigil ring of incredible history, once worn by the lonely king of a fallen kingdom.”

***

A sword superimposed on a semicircular anchor.

It was a symbol of the royal family and the kingdom of Labansta, the prosperous kingdom of the founder of maritime trade.

It is also a cursed sentence that always stays on my left index finger and never leaves.

Whenever I had the rare opportunity to reflect, I would look down at my signet ring with this phrase engraved on it and just blankly stare.

And this kind of leisure time usually came right before a battle.

But the reason this signet ring is the most memorable is not because of the cursed phrase.

3 years.

It was the third year since I moved to my parents’ house.

As I was quietly lost in thought under my personal tent, I heard the adjutant’s voice.

“Your Majesty, this time the refugees have come again.”

“…”

The news of killing the Immortal was considered a feat, separate from the praise directed at me.

People recognized that I was almost the only one who could stand up to the invaders, whether I liked it or not.

As a result, despite the harsh conscription and merciless draft, people began to come under my influence, one by one.

The problem was their numbers and momentum.

Supplies were limited, while people were overcrowded.

I straightened my posture and gave instructions to the adjutant waiting outside the tent.

“Inform them that our stockpiles are limited and that distribution will be restricted.”

“then…”

“Before that, release your soldiers and surround them. Prevent them from escaping.”

“…”

The adjutant hesitated.

Well, everyone would do that.

Not everyone can be cruel to those who come to them with great difficulty in pursuit of a small hope.

I stood up myself in place of the hesitant adjutant.

“By the king’s command, I will requisition the supplies they brought.”

Struggle? Of course there was.

But at this time, the number of refugees under my command had already exceeded 4,000.

This is because all the nearby settlements were exposed to invasion, so they all fled in a hurry.

In order to feed them for just one more day, every single grain of corn had to be distributed efficiently, whole and undivided.

Exceptions could not be permitted.

But the refugees who fled could not back down either.

Eventually, one side had to resort to violence.

“Oh my, Nari! You can’t take this far! Our mother won’t even be able to produce milk for the baby!”

“It is the king’s command! It is a decision for everyone here!”

Soldiers wielding swords over a sack of flour, and an old woman protesting fiercely.

“Hey, he’s so ugly he can’t even lift a spear or something…!”

“You have arms and legs and you’re over ten years old?”

“Please, please… show mercy. I am the only man left in the family…”

“…The circumstances are dire, but it is the king’s order. If you hand it over now, I will warn you so that you can carry out your mission safely, so just give up.”

“Ugh, hehehe…”

A woman desperately protesting while hiding her terrified child behind her back.

I gladly listened to their cries and voices of resentment, and took the lead in distributing the newly acquired supplies and manpower.

“The 18 new recruits are to gather firewood. Team up with the soldiers we sent out hunting. The flour we get will be used to make porridge rather than bread. We need to feed as many people as possible.”

During this time, I was experimenting with any plants and animals that looked edible.

While there was a lot of resentment about people picking weeds and boiling them to eat, wheat flour porridge was released.

Although it was not cooked properly and was just a bunch of flour lumps floating around, it was enough to appease the angry public.

Slurp, slurp.

The refugees gathered in the camp slurped and swallowed the pale wheat porridge.

The sound was so loud that it drowned out all other sounds around it.

If you just listen to the sound of it being eaten, you might mistake it for something really delicious.

However, if it is not heated evenly, lumps of flour will float around, and even if it is heated, it will simply become water with flour dissolved in it.

I didn’t have the confidence to eat something like this deliciously, so I was killing time by fiddling with the spoon.

It was at this time that the sound of cheerful footsteps was heard.

“…?”

It was supposed to be a private tent where the king resided, but someone had entered without permission.

When I felt a presence and raised my head, there was a girl with a disheveled appearance, holding a sack that looked like it had been worn with difficulty, and looking cautiously in my direction.

How did a kid like this get in here?

Fortunately, the question was quickly resolved.

As I was looking around, I saw a restless shadow outside the tent.

The adjutant… The weak-hearted adjutant could not refuse the young girl’s request and secretly sent her in.

It was obvious what the petition was about.

The rations were not enough to feed everyone.

I sighed, looked down at the girl, and opened my mouth.

“We can’t give you any more rations. No one makes an exception, no matter who you are.”

I tried to explain it as gently as possible, but it must have come across a little differently to the listener.

The girl cowered in fear, her eyes wide open.

But surprisingly, he had guts and instead of running away, he fiddled with the sack and spoke courageously.

“Yes.”

“?”

“Hasborne…”

“What are you talking about?”

The moment I tilted my head, wondering if there was one.

When I came to, I was holding this little girl by the collar.

“Ugh, ugh.”

“Where did you hear that name?”

Thud thud!

It was at this time that the clothes were torn off.

The clothes, which were as thick as a rag, were torn apart by my strength.

But the thought that he had done something bad to the girl soon disappeared in the face of the truth that was soon revealed.

I looked down at the child sitting on the ground and said.

“You. You’re a man. Judging by your build, you must be over ten years old.”

“Ugh, ugh.”

“Do you think you can avoid conscription forever by dressing up as a woman?”

At that moment, the child who had been shedding tears desperately opened his mouth.

“Yera and Hasborne, who lived in the house across the street, if you tell them their names, you’ll recognize them.”

The girl who lived in the house across the street, Yera.

And Hasborne, the affectionate father whom Yera was proud of.

….Yera, who was screaming in front of me, and Hasborne, who was pierced by a spear and killed in front of her.

“Mom, Mom…”

And the mother of the child who knows me.

Only then did I realize what kind of being the child in front of me was.

This child….

I gritted my teeth.

The first thing he did when he realized who the child was was to slap the child’s cheek with the back of his hand.

If I leave safely, there will be people who will think they can get more from me.

Even if that weren’t the case, anyone would be tempted to see a young child come out healthy.

match!

“?”

Once more towards the child whose eyes widened after being suddenly slapped.

match!

Hurry up before I burst into tears!

For a long time like that.

After slapping the child for a long time, his appearance became miserable.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Pieces of broken teeth flow out with blood between the swollen cheeks.

Only after seeing that sight did I snatch the leather bag the child had brought.

And he stuffed all the stuff he could find inside the tent into it.

Anything that sparkles and looks precious.

As the cannon grew heavier, the tent began to feel hollow.

Then, finally, the moment came when the leather pouch was completely full.

I knelt down and hugged the crying child tightly.

“I won’t hear your name or your mother’s name. You must never go anywhere and say such things again. Take your bundle and go back to your mother.”

“Boohoo…”

“And… and…”

Don’t come back ever again.

With those words I finally let the child go.

As I pondered what I could give to the child who was still sitting there crying, my gaze went down to the index finger of my left hand.

The action followed immediately.

“If anyone tries to take the cannon, you must show them this ring and say that it belongs to the king. Many people fear me, so they will not touch it rashly.”

“Mom…. sob sob…”

“Just stop crying!”

I forcibly opened the child’s hand and handed him the ring.

He made the child fold his hand with his fist and hold the ring.

“You must run away with your mother.”

-After that, the reports brought by the scouts became more serious day by day.

“Black smoke began to appear from the north!”

A scout shouting urgently while prostrating himself.

The weak-hearted adjutant closed his eyes tightly when he heard the news.

“Still… This is where the people who couldn’t escape still remain. Since the smoke has been confirmed, it’s only three days away at most.”

“Further relief efforts would be pointless.”

“yes…”

The Kingdom of Lavansta was already in ruins.

Either by invaders or by the merciless conscription of a cruel king.

But even if the means were brutal, it was clear that the strength to strike back at the Kingdom of Ravansta was growing.

As the fact that 4,000 refugees have come to us shows, I have gathered a significant army after overcoming dozens of defeats.

“What are their numbers?”

“I don’t know yet, yet…”

“The question is how long we can last with 5,000.”

An army of 5,000 men, gathered by squeezing through the settlements that were falling by the minute.

Even the pagan invaders would no longer tolerate my presence.

They had stopped their usual slaughter and pillaging and were clearly advancing in this direction.

If it were normal… I would have taken a step back and waited for the next opportunity.

“Have the refugees been cleared yet?”

“yes?”

“I asked if the refugees had left yet.”

“Many have taken steps, but there are still… an estimated two thousand who have not yet left.”

The adjutant’s manner of speaking was still the same.

“Don’t worry.”

When I heard the voice dripping with nostalgia, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I won’t throw it away this time.”

***

A king must always face his enemies with confidence.

Even if you are engaged in a fight where your chances of winning are slim.

I stood there dumbfounded, my back turned to the refugees who were running away in a panic.

The noise of the cart wheels and the terrified voices mixed together made it incredibly noisy.

but…

“Adjutant. Just in case.”

“Speak, Your Majesty.”

“What would you think if you met your family now, whom you thought were dead?”

At those words, the weak-hearted adjutant began to look into the distance with dreamy eyes.

“You’ll be really happy, but at the same time, you’ll think it’s a dream.”

“dream?”

“If something so good happens, wouldn’t it be a dream?”

dream…

Thinking like that made me feel at ease.

It was definitely a magical word that explained everything.

“It’s a dream.”

“Yes. If it’s a dream, I’ll definitely wake up someday.”

Boo woo woo woo-.

The sound of trumpets filled the air.

Beyond the hill, under the shade of the lush forest, a foul odor began to emanate.

Even a rotting corpse moving around wouldn’t be more poisonous than this.

The enemies proudly showed themselves, carrying brown bloodstains and torn human skins as their spoils.

In response, our soldiers also began shouting in a chaotic manner.

Enemy, each to his position, ring the bell…

The adjutant’s strangely calm voice was clearly heard amidst all the commotion.

“Even nightmares can wake you up someday.”

“You gave me something to think about. Thanks.”

When I think of it as a dream, my shoulders feel much lighter.

Yes. I’ve been playing too many strange games and I’ve been so immersed in them that I’ve started having strange dreams.

If I had lived a fulfilling life while maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I wouldn’t have had this dream.

No. Rather, it might be okay since I can now cut without any restrictions in my dreams.

Even if I lose, it’s a dream so it’s okay…

But me, Barial too.

Even in my dreams, I enjoy fighting, but I don’t enjoy losing.

If you don’t win, you can’t have fun.

I have never taken on a challenge with the expectation of defeat, but rather with the hope that I might win someday.

No matter what I did, I always had to win to feel satisfied.

That moment when my mind thought of the people nagging behind my back.

The moment I realized that among those people were people I thought I had lost forever.

…I became stronger the moment I felt that there was still a reason why I became king.

“Ring the bell! Everyone, follow the military flag and inspect!”

“Ring the bell, count the number!”

I grabbed the hilt of my sword as I watched the messengers running along, following the adjutant’s repeated orders.

-I want to win.

It was a thought I’ve always had.

Today, for the first time, another modifier was added to that thought.

I want to win.

Crazy!

Episode 167