Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 595



Stories of the Past. Old Testament – 2

The kingdom of the king rises and falls with the human king. After the previous human king was taken by the mountain god, the reign of the newly appeared girl king should have been weak and chaotic, as befits her age.

But the reign of ‘Nuna’ was more brilliant and splendid than ever. Voices praising the king were heard throughout the country, and people overflowed, walking miles just to express their gratitude to the king. In every field, crops ripened beautifully, and people gathered in groups to show off their knowledge.

It was in full bloom. The brilliant civilization finally bore fruit. The people stopped opposing each other just because they served the same king. Instead, they shared and boasted their knowledge, becoming each other’s teachers.

Songs praising ‘Nuna’ resounded everywhere, and her portraits were sold. The land that enjoyed her grace shed tears of gratitude, and humans far away sucked their fingers, eagerly awaiting her arrival.

It was the season when both body and mind grew plump. It was humanity’s autumn.

“My lord, how about leaving a tent here?”

One day, the keeper of tradition, El, who appeared suddenly, said something as random as usual. The warriors serving ‘Nuna’ naturally showed reluctance to his words.

“What are you talking about? The number of tents is neither more nor less than needed. Why leave a perfectly good one?”

“This is the point where one waterway and seven land routes meet. If we leave a tent and set up a signpost with wooden boards, travelers will find their way more easily. People will gather and form a village, and it will become a landmark to guide someone on the right path.”

El was always like that. Always here, but his eyes looked further, and his mouth sang of things to come. It was random, but the voice of the keeper of tradition, El, was too heavy to ignore.

It was El who led humanity’s autumn.

If the human king was the tree that bore fruit, the keeper of tradition was the wind that carried the pollen, the butterfly that pollinated, and the bird that spread the seeds far and wide.

Knowledge and wisdom spread from El’s fingertips. El, who became the head of the keepers of tradition, created type and printed scrolls, spreading letters so that knowledge became a boast, not a secret. He brought ingenious and excellent techniques, surprising the king’s warriors and piquing ‘Nuna’s curiosity.

Thanks to repeated achievements, the keeper of tradition eventually became second to none.

“The tent you left behind will grow into a village, and the steps you took will become the path of humanity. The marigold seeds sown here will one day become a proud nation. My lord, please.”

In the land that would one day become the capital of the Marigold Principality, El pleaded with ‘Nuna’. Before ‘Nuna’ could respond, the king’s warriors, loyal to ‘Nuna’, shouted in anger.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying! Do you know how many materials and how much effort it takes to make a single tent? Do you intend to let the lord sleep on bare ground?”

From noble mtl dot com

The king’s warriors, who were absolutely loyal to ‘Nuna’, glared at the war hero. They were jealous of the war hero and were determined to teach him a lesson. Even the younger warriors, who were relatively friendly to the war hero, looked troubled and reproached El. Although the war hero had achieved great success, the demand to leave the king’s tent behind was too presumptuous.

However, only one person was favorable to the suggestion.

‘Nuna’ spoke.

“Let’s do it!”

“My lord!”

The surprised warriors urgently spoke up, but ‘Nuna’ merely waved her hand lightly.

“It’s fine. We’ll just make another one.”

‘Nuna’ was still a beast. Some expected ‘Nuna’ to have the authority befitting a king, but the beast king only responded to kindness with kindness and hostility with hostility.

The nation had already evolved from a simple tribe into something much greater, but humans were still beasts. The human king was no exception.

“El worked hard, so I’ll work hard too.”

As ‘Nuna’ sided with the war hero, the king’s warriors felt humiliated. They were angry and ashamed that their loyalty was not rewarded.

Nevada also felt similar emotions, but as ‘Nuna’s friend before being a warrior, she first considered the lord’s feelings.

“My lord…”

“Nevada? Why?”

“You shouldn’t do this. The warriors spoke up for your sake. The war hero’s request benefits no one, so you should reward their loyalty.”

“Huh? They did it for me, so I should reward them?”

“Because feelings are also exchanged.”

“Ah, like bartering?”

‘Nuna’ nodded as if she understood, but that didn’t mean she would act according to Nevada’s wishes. ‘Nuna’ told Nevada.

“I don’t want to hear requests not to do something. If I listen to that request, I’ll be stuck here, unable to move.”

“I’m worried it might trouble you.”

“It’s okay, Nevada. It’s not troublesome for me at all. Even when I wrote the scroll for you, I never thought it was troublesome!”

‘Nuna’s words were devoid of any emotion. She whispered to Nevada calmly, as if reminiscing.

However, thanks to ‘Nuna’s whims and mercy, Nevada, who had become a proper druid, couldn’t lift her head out of embarrassment.

The suddenly appearing Keeper of Traditions exuded a unique presence. She knew everything, and her decisions always led to good results. Correct judgments brought trust, and as this repeated, doubting her became a laughable joke.

There wasn’t a word for it back then, but if the gossipers had seen it, they would have said the word was born here.

‘Faith.’

“Keeper of Traditions…! Thank you! Thanks to your foresight of the flood, we were saved!”

“Keeper of Traditions! To find our secret buried in the sand! How can we repay this gratitude?”

“Thank you so much…! The crops you gave us before are growing really well! Now there’s no hunger in this area!”

As if foreseeing the future, she always brought about the best results. It wasn’t that she did something grand. She told passersby the celestial secrets she read, lit incense upon discovering ruins while walking, and planted small seeds she found somewhere.

She received praise from countless people, but in fact, that was just a part of the many things the Keeper of Traditions had accomplished.

One day, El had someone cut down a tree while walking. A warrior following El cut down the tree in one stroke, placed embers inside the split tree, and left. After she passed, thick smoke rose.

One day, El caught a butterfly sitting on a petal, held it in her hand for half a day while walking, and then released it in a field of blooming white flowers. The butterfly, tired from the involuntary journey, staggered and landed on a nearby flower.

One day, El had a few people copy a scroll. El, who received the copied scroll, tore it without a word and sewed it into her clothes. As she walked for days, pieces of the scroll trailed along the path like footprints.

The Keeper of Traditions would sometimes set a pole in the ground for no reason, or weave a golden thread around a large tree. She had also painted on a large stone with a brush. When people who admired El asked what it meant,

“The small flutter of a butterfly’s wings will return as a great storm.”

No one understood the answer of the Keeper of Legends. The Keeper seemed to have no intention of making them understand.

As this continued, the king’s warriors split into two factions. Those who believed and followed the Keeper, and those who were dissatisfied with him.

Unlike the former, who had a focal point, the latter had nothing but resentment, and so they pledged their loyalty to ‘Nuna’. They claimed that only ‘Nuna’ was the greatest being, and the Keeper merely relied on her grace.

Since it was a fundamental argument, no one could refute it. Even those who followed the Keeper had no intention of abandoning the human king. Even if they did, they couldn’t have said it out loud.

Naturally, the balance of power should have tilted to one side. However, the human king ‘Nuna’ cherished the Keeper more than anyone else, so the balance was precariously maintained.

“Great Druid. I have something urgent to say.”

Nevada was now called the Great Druid. Her talent was exceptional, and having been taught by the human king and learned all the druidic magic of the world through the Keeper’s knowledge, she was especially respected among the king’s warriors.

Above all, she was a loyalist who did not get involved in politics or power struggles and only served ‘Nuna’, so the fundamentalists tried to gather around Nevada.

“If it were that, I would have refused long ago.”

However, Nevada was on a different level from those who dared to call themselves fundamentalists.

“The words of the king are the law, and the steps of the king are the path to follow. Only the king can command us. If you truly serve the king, follow the king’s will.”

A biting dog does not bark. It needs to use its mouth for biting. Similarly, Nevada did not proclaim herself a fundamentalist. She only glared, ready to bite.

Those who wrapped themselves in the guise of fundamentalists fell silent before the real one.

“Someday, the Keeper will challenge the king’s authority.”

“The Keeper is devoted to the king. The king also reciprocates. It is right to watch for now. If the Keeper plots treason, it will not be too late to deal with it then.”

Nevada dismissed their concerns and continued.

“If the Keeper is truly wise, he would not dare to rebel against the king.”

The human king is strong, wise, capable, and benevolent. Even if the Keeper’s actions are not understood, it is all for ‘Nuna’.

The fact that ‘Nuna’ cherishes the Keeper is the same as when she cared for Nevada. Nevada also believed so.

“My king! Please relieve my grievance!”

However, it wasn’t long before that faith was put to the test.

“Those wicked ones who burned the village, kidnapped the maidens, and devoured the infants…! Please, in the name of the king, kill them! I offer my life!”

One of the people, who had walked until his feet were blistered to find the human king, spat out his blood-soaked grudge and then died.