Game Mind of a Medieval Modern Person - Chapter 224



Only Noblemtl

224. The White-Eyed Toryon Forest is rich, but by no means friendly.

Serfs who did not know what it was like to set foot on nature’s bounty, only to be found as devoured corpses after a long time had passed.

However, loggers and hunters who make their living in the forest are reluctant to dig too deep.

Terve was one of them.

Terveer stopped stroking his steed’s mane and looked up at the sky, frowning.

Every time the tall trees shook their branches with all their might, even a single ray of sunlight disappeared.

At that moment, a voice calling Terveer appeared.

“Lord Tervere. Any further march is impossible.”

Sir Herset, the knight.

He has been with Terveer for a long time, and was a fellow knight who stood on the same battlefield when subduing the pagan leader Ariava.

As such, he was very sensitive to changes in his surroundings and made careful decisions.

It serves as a kind of low ground that restrains Terveer, who often becomes emotionally swayed.

This time it was the same.

Sir Herset took off his helmet and placed it between his armpits, revealing a large scar running across the bridge of his nose, and smiled awkwardly.

“There’s a thin fog all around. There are no large lakes or rivers nearby, so I guess it’ll go away in time, but it’s not something to ignore in this dark forest.”

“hmm.”

“The soldiers seem tired from being tense for a long time. It would be better to set up camp here and stay overnight today. Don’t you think we should also consider the fact that this is a sudden expedition?”

Terveer groaned at Sir Herset’s suggestion.

He stroked his horse’s mane with his right hand and his beard with his left for a long time, thinking about it.

Terveer lowered his head and let out a sigh full of sighs.

“Isn’t this environment too dangerous for Yurid to stay in?”

“Sir Terveer. I understand your concern for your daughter, but… in this situation, marching is more dangerous.”

“I should have just gone around in circles instead.”

“If we do that, I guarantee that Lord Hustan or Lord Mild, who are in charge of the border defenses, will meet us as corpses.”

Even after thinking about it a hundred times and thinking about it for hours, Sir Herset’s argument was right.

Tensions were running high in the border areas following the sudden coup in the Duchy of Nevar.

The longer Terve delays, the more disadvantageous it is for the Duchy of Powis.

After Bishop Narva had painstakingly built the frontier fortresses, which he had forced into exile, he ended up handing them over to pagan warriors for free.

So I chose the shortest route.

Even Terveer himself thought that it was crazy to force a march in the middle of a dark, dense forest with fog rising.

In the end, all this irritation and resentment could only be directed at one person.

“Narva, you damn bastard. You’re sending your only, cute, and adorable niece to such a dangerous battlefield!”

The thousand-man army led by Terveer halted after a long march as a thin fog began to settle along the forest path.

Of course, no one really thought the fog that rose up to the ankles was a problem.

The real problem was the discipline of the soldiers, who were exhausted and bored from marching without doing anything.

The soldiers were on edge after hearing ominous rumors about pagan warriors, and they were the first to spread them.

“Hwaaam~.”

“Come to think of it, well. There’s no way they’d cross the border already. They’re just pretending to have a conversation, aren’t they?”

“What’s for lunch today? It’s soup again, but you’re not just bringing me some warm water, are you?”

The soldiers’ discipline became increasingly erratic as the uneventful march continued.

Some people did not even maintain the line anymore, but just fell to the side and spread out along the road, slumping down.

Those ‘few’ were mostly soldiers from the militia under Yurid.

When Yurid realized this, he would walk around the ranks with his face flushed with shame and anger, shouting at them.

“You! Get up! I haven’t told you to rest yet!”

But from the soldier’s point of view, it was like he was suddenly drafted from the militia and dragged away.

I already didn’t like it, but when a young girl with blue hair started acting like a knight and meddling, I couldn’t help but react negatively.

But that doesn’t mean you can protest in person.

The soldier who had been dozing off while sitting on a fallen tree slowly stood up, responding with a sly laugh.

“Oh my, it’s happening now.”

“How dare you drag out your words to the knight now!”

“Oh my~. No~. I’m waking up now. I’m waking up. Okay, are you up?”

“Ugh…!!!”

Yurid was overcome by the urge to immediately draw the sword at her waist.

However, he was afraid that the stigma of swinging his sword without being able to calm down a single soldier would tarnish the honor of his respected father, Terveer, so he could not do so.

It happened exactly as Bishop Narva had predicted.

There was no soldier flexible enough to bow his head to an unreliable female knight, especially one with a strong background and a parachute.

Everyone pretends to be like that in front of others, but they keep quiet and look down on them behind their backs.

then.

“Martin!”

“Yes, Sir Yurid.”

Due to the stark difference in status, you can just use Adjutant Martin, who is always treated as a superior.

Whatever.

Martin was already responding to the call with a resigned look on his face.

“How can I punish my superior for being rude?”

“Oh, like that.”

“Sir Martin, advise me on what punishments should be given to correct the discipline of the troops!”

“He’s such a vicious bastard, I’m going to punish him by giving him the hardest part of building the barracks.”

“Oh, just that?!”

Were you really going to hang yourself?

Martin forced the words he couldn’t bring himself to say down the back of his throat and said something nice to hear.

“Sir Yurid. Excessive punishment fails to discipline the soldiers and only increases distrust.”

“Ugh… ugh!”

The only fortunate thing is that not only the militia brought by Yurid, but also the experienced veterans showed similar behavior.

That was proof of how harsh Terveer’s forced march was.

“I’m dying. I can’t eat, sleep, or walk. I can only sleep for a day or two.”

“Keuh-heuh… keh-heuh…”

Some people were dozing off, sitting on fallen trees.

Some others were leaning against trees on the side of the road, snoring loudly.

The situation was similar for the majority of soldiers who were barely able to keep their formation while walking.

Their fatigue was evident in their posture and facial expressions.

Before they knew it, the soldiers’ biggest worry was not the fight against the fearsome pagan warriors, but the difficult and boring march.

This was why Sir Herset, Terveir’s de facto lieutenant, had recommended a rest under the pretext of a thin fog.

This experienced knight was representing the common man’s position to Terveer, who was so energetic that he had difficulty estimating the fatigue of his soldiers.

The good news is that Terveer doesn’t just think, he does it.

Terveer smiled as he looked around the disorganized ranks only after Sir Herset had spoken.

“You all certainly seem tired. If I start marching again, you’ll desert immediately.”

“ha ha ha….”

And then Sir Herset burst into laughter, the corners of his eyes not going up, and suddenly shouted.

“You guys, get up! I understand you’re falling asleep while walking, but those who blatantly leave the line will get less food today!”

***

Fortunately, the forest was peaceful today.

Beyond the shadows of the dense forest and the light fog that settled on the ground, the chirping of invisible birds soothed the tired minds and bodies of the soldiers.

One reason might be the fact that this was the first time they had a proper rest after a long march.

Before it got dark, the soldiers who had set up their barracks gathered in groups of three or four in front of campfires or braziers and chatted.

“When I hear the chirping, I think of sparrows. Those guys who steal wheat, those fat guys. It would be so delicious if I caught them and roasted them to eat them.”

“Go ahead and kill some chickens. Don’t you know that these days, when veterans get their paychecks, they stop by the chicken farm first?”

“Have you seen the price of Siam Hen? You want me to buy it with my salary?”

“You have to sow the seeds to reap the harvest. You don’t know whether next year will be a good harvest or a bad harvest. You have to sow the seeds first to get anything. Even the bishop keeps chickens himself, so why don’t you keep chickens?”

“If I had done as the higher-ups said, I would be standing next to you right now wearing a thimble, you idiot.”

But not everyone welcomed the break with a bright mood.

Some people clutched the window sill tightly as each ray of sunlight streaming through the tall trees disappeared.

To those soldiers, the chirping of birds, invisible to them, was more eerie than peaceful.

Then at some point.

One of the soldiers who chose to look out over the forest instead of gathering around a campfire or brazier and talking spoke.

“You, never go near the forest.”

“You idiot. How are you going to collect firewood if you don’t go into the forest?”

The eyes of the soldier who lived near the forest and had developed good hearing were trembling incessantly.

“That doesn’t look like a bird.”

“What are you talking about? Hey, stay put so I can pick up some dry branches.”

“Hey. Hey! Come back, brat! Even if I told you not to go!”

“Oh, you should sleep where you are.”

Something is strange.

The soldier who felt that way tried to stop his comrade from leaving, but it was no use.

The back of my colleague disappearing beyond the forest, leaving behind only a fluttering hand gesture.

That was when.

“Huh, huh?!”

The fog that had risen only to the ankles suddenly rose.

I had only taken a few steps, but my colleague’s back was hidden in thick fog.

An obvious anomaly.

The quick-witted soldier shouted urgently.

-I tried to shout.

“!”

A gentle breeze blew through the dark forest where not a single ray of sunlight had disappeared.

Shh, shh.

Only a muffled sound came out from the mouth that was trying to warn of an ominous omen.

The soldier put his hand to his neck in a hurry, and only then did he realize that something was flowing out.

A pungent, iron-like smell that stings the nose.

A dark red color that makes your palms sticky.

“…”

Even though I tried to speak out, it was no use.

With his vocal cords already torn, he could not make any sound, any meaningful pronunciation.

Instead, completely unexpected sounds began to leak out from between my lips.

Huhu.

“…!!!”

Huh, huff-.

The sound of invisible birds chirping was being spewed out from human lips.

It was at this time that a faint silhouette appeared beyond the fog.

“Hehe. It’s a bit disappointing that I can’t fight Lux Stella’s Great War fairly…”

Thud, thud.

The sound of approaching footsteps, crushing branches and piles of corpses.

A man with white eyebrows appeared, carelessly trampling on his comrade who had bravely stepped into the fog just a moment ago.

“…No matter how I look at it, this one looks like a warrior king. Please understand that I am putting this aside for a fair duel. You do not need to worry. You will be attending the gods.”

Huh, huh-!

The desperate cry of a wingless bird trapped in the fog.

White-Eyed Toryon listened to the sound and smiled eerily.

“The true gods of this world, whom you were to serve!”