Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt - Chapter 182



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Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt Chapter 182

32-Post-war revival

Arthur replied.

“In the short term, yes.”

“Are you saying that it’s different in the long run?”

Hmm… … Will the value of Scalon, which has been reduced due to inflation, rise again?

Hmm… … . After thinking about it again, no. Deflation is much more dangerous to the economy than inflation.

As Arthur hesitated to answer, licking his lips, Count Stan and Viscount Karl Frant shook their heads with expressions of bewilderment.

“The liver is really big.”

Arthur replied.

“To be honest, shouldn’t someone bear the loss? Wouldn’t it be better for an egoist who only cares about his own interests to bear the loss rather than a patriot who loves his country?”

“It’s even more problematic because he’s such an egoist.”

Arthur nodded at Count Karl Prant’s remark. There must be a reason why they say that a person you hate gets an extra piece of rice cake. Those kinds of people always cause trouble by holding a grudge over trivial things.

It wasn’t for nothing that the king wanted an army that would only listen to his orders and a strong monarchy. If he didn’t want to give rice cakes to those petty bastards, he needed a club that would break the pot so they wouldn’t be able to complain.

Arthur let out a deep sigh.

“It’s already happened. What should I do?”

There were two directions in his head, but they were from the perspective of an infinite reincarnation. From the perspective of a person of this era, there might have been aspects that Arthur had overlooked.

Count Stan said.

“We must establish a rule of law that protects the rights of the common people. Then, even if they harbor a grudge against you, it will be difficult for them to harm you rashly.”

Count Karl Franz said.

“Become a great man, like that railroad master, that even the king cannot mess with. So much so that he can easily bring down a bunch of idiot nobles.”

And then their eyes met.

The first to open the gate was Count Karl Franz.

“Are you talking about republicanism or something? But honestly, isn’t that too idealistic?”

“To become a great man? One hand cannot hold back many hands.”

“Do you think Arthur will be hanged before we can establish the rule of law to protect the commoners from the hands of the nobles?”

“Don’t scare me with something that’s impossible.”

When the two showed signs of starting an argument, Arthur quickly intervened.

“I will take your advice to heart and be more careful in the future.”

The two men’s words intersected with Arthur’s plans. Even if the nobles who had suffered financial losses wanted to kill Arthur, they could not do so immediately.

No matter how much he was hated, there were legal procedures that had to be followed as long as the king was alive and well.

And during that time, Arthur had two choices.

The easiest and most convenient way was to help the king establish absolute monarchy and hide behind it. Fortunately, King Rai was not a person who was attractive or likable, but at least he had self-awareness as a king, so he was not a person who could not be boiled by Arthur’s tongue.

Another is to support the neutral faction led by Count Stan.

As the group most well-armed in terms of political ideology, they were also sufficiently equipped with noblesse oblige, so many of them did not convert their collateral agreements into bonds, and thanks to this, they were able to enjoy the protection of the rule of law under conditions where they were relatively less hated.

However, each had its own pros and cons. The former was (relatively) easy, but required flattering the king and getting on the same boat as the royal family politically. The latter was overly idealistic, requiring time, effort, and luck.

What would be better… … .

As Arthur was thinking deeply, the door opened slightly and a cute face popped out. The small, lovely face smiled bashfully and asked.

“Dad. What are you doing?”

“Hide.”

“Breath? Swish! Swish! This?”

“huh.”

Arthur took a deep breath and hugged Charlie as he entered the room, deciding that he would make the world a better place for this child. That was his duty as a father.

* * *

“What are you so worried about?”

“What would be a better world?”

As Holden quickly processed the paperwork and spoke to Arthur, who was lost in thought, he was met with questions instead.

Holden tilted his head and replied.

“A world without this damn war?”

The returning soldiers were coming back.

Far from the front lines, in the capital city where the kingdom’s political power and wealth were concentrated, those who had felt that the ravages of war were a story from another world were finally beginning to see evidence that allowed them to experience the horrors of war to some degree.

Even if I hadn’t experienced it myself, when I saw the expressions on the faces of those who had no arms or legs and were walking on crutches or begging in such a state, I couldn’t help but feel that war was something that was truly inhuman. This was because humans have the ability to empathize.

Of course, there are some acquired sociopaths who have been taught that they are different from others and that their fate is theirs and has nothing to do with them, but Holden was not one of those people.

But the good world he spoke of was an impossible world. So Arthur spoke firmly.

“There is no such world.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Holden rolled his eyes, saying that it was difficult, but Arthur did not press him for an answer. He also felt that it was a question without an answer.

In the end, it is each individual who sees the world. To exaggerate, there are as many worldviews as there are individuals.

In the end, conflicts arise because each person has a different way of looking at the world, so if you want peace, it’s simple. Just be me in the world.

But that did not mean that one had to become a wild man of nature. At that moment, a struggle with nature awaited. Therefore, true peace lay in the complete isolation of the individual, separated from all things in the world, and as far as Arthur was concerned, there was only one way to do so.

death.

After countless deaths, or rather reincarnations, Arthur had no choice but to admit that death was the only way to achieve peace.

Therefore, he could not give peace. Even the Son of God came not to bring peace, but a sword. What even the Son of God could not give was peace, which meant that there was no peace for humans while they were alive.

Anyway, Arthur thought about a better environment for himself and recalled the words of Count Karl Prant. He said that he should become as great as a railroad engineer. He wasn’t without confidence. He didn’t think it was impossible, although it would require some luck.

But what happens after you die? You can inherit your property, but you can’t inherit your abilities. And there’s a bigger problem. It’s not just your property that’s inherited. Your grudges are inherited too.

If you hate your father, then of course you will hate your child. Your enemy loves and cherishes his child. Is there a better person to vent your resentment on? And what’s more, he is not as experienced or strong as your enemy?

That is why this kind of grudge could not be renounced.

The only exception is when someone is abused and neglected by their enemy, and everyone thinks that they are pitiful. If the child feels ashamed of their father and hates him, it is the icing on the cake. In such cases, the person who holds the grudge can rejoice in the discord between the parent and child and leave it alone.

But would Arthur treat Charlie like that? Arthur wasn’t foolish enough to make a relationship where they saw each other every day under the same roof uncomfortable with resentment and hatred.

If that was the case, then he shouldn’t have accumulated too much resentment to pass down. If he did, he should have accumulated as much as Charlie could handle.

Ultimately, it all came down to how Charlie grew up.

“It’s difficult.”

I have been a father countless times, but being a father is harder than raising a child. If Arthur had lived a peaceful and ordinary life, he would have been a little better off than the father and mother next door, but isn’t he entangled with political power?

In this day and age where taking over a family business is the norm, Charlie’s life was bound to be far from ordinary.

The conclusion was ultimately twofold: be careful with your actions, and teach Charlie well.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

At that moment, a young servant came in in a hurry. Arthur hurried to follow the news he brought.

A familiar face stood in the hallway with an unfamiliar air.

“Brother. You’re alive.”

“……okay.”

Arthur, who shook hands with his older brother who had returned with a gaunt and shadowy face, did not say that he had suffered. He knew better than anyone that it would be insulting to sum up the war with the word “sufferable.”

Arthur silently hugged Hans’ shoulders and patted his back. Soon, Hans buried his head in his brother’s shoulder and began to sob.

* * *

Arthur was able to hear more detailed accounts of how the war unfolded from Hans, who had returned from the war.

The royal central army, with its momentum and morale boosted by successive victories, advanced deep into the Trava Basin and was surrounded and destroyed. The crossfire of cannons mounted on the hills obliterated the line infantry, and the sharp swords of the cavalry cut through the backs of the retreating infantry.

Hans, who barely escaped by going into the mountains, followed his men back to the rear, but had to retreat to where the local army had formed a defensive line. In the process, Hans was able to hear various stories from the soldiers and other officers.

The commander of the royal central army at that time was the Count of Flamont, a fallen nobleman who became a commander based more on political interests than military prowess.

Could this be the result of a compromise between the nobles who could not allow the elite army such as the Royal Central Army to be manipulated as the king pleased, and the king who tacitly allowed the nobles to finance the Royal Central Army through bribery and the sale of official positions?

At that time, the Royal Central Army had been victorious in succession, and the commanders of each unit were blinded by their achievements.

They had guessed that the Kingdom of Jatra had not yet recovered from the aftereffects of the previous war, so they advanced without much concern for supplies in order to completely occupy the Trava Basin, which was the objective of the war, and end the war.

It was fortunate that we had brought some food, but we did not bring enough gunpowder and ammunition.

As they moved in a hurry, they naturally gained distance from the heavy artillery, so they lacked the firepower to break through the encirclement and launch a counterattack. Above all, the fact that the distance from the artillery was so great, and the army was dispersed in order to quickly occupy the strategic point in the Traba Basin, was fatal.

Hans continued.

“It’s said that it wasn’t particularly unilateral on the part of Count Flamont. He simply made that decision after gathering the opinions of the other commanders.”

The commanders were thirsty for victory and achievements. The small profits they had made compared to the damage they had suffered in the First Battle of Traba Basin also stimulated their greed.

The desire to relieve all the sorrow from the meager achievements in one breath burst out.

Rel, who was listening to his older brother’s story, asked.

“Then what happened after that?”

While 10,000 provincial troops defended, 5,000 recruits headed east.

Hans said with a dark expression.

“The defense line was breached before the recruited soldiers arrived.”

Did he realize that the provincial forces and the reorganized central forces were trying to buy time?

The Kingdom of Jatra pushed forward with great force. The advance, which took heavy casualties, was quickly breached, and when the news reached the rear, the generals of the Kingdom of Skara hastily formed a defensive line with the recruited soldiers.

And then there was a turn.

A thin cloud of smoke assaulted my vision and covered my nose. A bullet from an unknown source caused my comrade standing next to me to groan and fall.

When a crater was dug in the ground and dirt was flying around, the soldiers behind it would have huge holes in their chests or lose their heads. Even in the thick smoke, soldiers who witnessed such a sight would panic and scream or vomit out what was inside them.