The Medieval Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 35

35. A Medieval Agony Aunt

I used to hate raids.

Why dry out perfectly good grapes when you could just eat them fresh? In particular, the sight of a snow-white bun studded with raisins would fill me with disgust from the depths of my soul.

Such was my aversion that, to me, a bun with raisins was no different from a bun with cockroaches. I can still picture it vividly.

The sticky aftertaste that tickled my tongue after I chewed on the dried fruit, far from being refreshing, was more like an unpleasant sensation that ran down my spine.

I wouldn’t have taken it even if someone had given it to me. If this had been the food-abundant modern era, I wouldn’t have eaten it at all.

And I would have continued to savor it for a while longer if someone hadn’t knocked on the door.

“Hwaam~. Your Highness, I came to greet you.”

“Ugh.”

“Huh? What are you eating in the morning?”

The one who visited my room was John. Usually, he would come in with a grumpy expression while blinking his eyes slowly, but this time it was different. John looked at me with sparkling eyes from the morning.

“Oh.”

“Raisins? No, Your Highness! Where did you get that?!”

“Uwaaa.”

“Who gave it to you? Oh my god. Who was it? I’ll receive it all, even the ones for Your Highness!”

His intention was obvious. I stopped sucking on the fruit that I had been savoring and swallowed it with a gulp.

“You understand me well even though I’m mumbling.”

“No, Your Highness! Of course, since it’s Your Highness’s precious words, I must listen with my ears wide open! So who gave you the raisins?”

“It’s nothing. The one I received was the last one.”

Bishop Ganista had given me the dried fruit, a single raisin, and told me that I could brag about it. It was obvious that even if John begged him for it, he would just laugh and pat his cheek.

John wasn’t a pretty kid, and even though he was a fully grown man with receding hair, he would only get beaten up if he shamelessly whined. I seriously spoke firmly because I wanted John to be hit less.

Then John drooped his shoulders in disappointment and began to complain.

“Oh, gosh… I thought I could finally taste something sweet.”

“Don’t sigh here and go drink some wine.”

“Oh, dear. How can I drink before the knights? I’ll just wait until the ladies drink.”

I guess he had learned his lesson from the beating he got before. I was pleased to see him waving his hand, saying that he wouldn’t even open his mouth before the knights drank.

Those who progress should be rewarded. I gladly told John the news that would make him happy.

“That’s okay. I’ll tell you some good news. From today, you can drink as much as you want.”

“Yes? Really?”

“Yes.”

The sunlight streamed through the window, making for a pleasant morning. I expected John to smile brightly, so I decided to laugh first.

“Sir Terbear and the knights have withdrawn.”

“Oh, there’s no one to drink with, so now I can drink as much as I want?”

“Yes.”

However, contrary to my expectations, John’s face began to crumble.

“Your Highness, I don’t think that’s good news.”

“Don’t look so gloomy. You have to see the bright side. Besides, there’s also one piece of bad news.”

“Is it that it will be difficult to be protected because the knights are gone?”

The saying that even a watchdog will recite poetry after three years came to mind. John was quick-witted, especially when it came to his safety. I wanted to applaud him, but unfortunately, it was a wrong answer.

With a regretful heart, I shook my head and revealed the correct answer.

“Yubas has created a reason to either kill or subdue me. So instead of chasing after Sir Terbear and his fellow knights who have withdrawn, Yubas will focus on keeping an eye on me.”

At first, John didn’t believe me.

“Oh, come on. Even so, this is a great opportunity to capture Sir Terbear, the strongest knight in the duchy. Would he let this opportunity pass?”

“John, I didn’t know you respected Sir Terbear so much.”

Even cockroaches are said to show a moment of wit when faced with a life-threatening situation. I wonder if John is in a similar situation. I didn’t know John was this eloquent.

“Of course, Confucius is an important person, but he’s not yet capable of replacing Lord Tervere. What kind of person is Lord Tervere? He is the greatest knight who tirelessly gallops while effortlessly wielding all sorts of weapons against the raiders who press upon the coastline!”

“Are you planning to promote him in Yubas Fortress?”

Even the seeds that spread rumors wouldn’t be this enthusiastic. I felt gratitude and satisfaction towards John, who spared no praise for Tervere’s amazing martial prowess.

John is so worried about Tervere.

His hair, which is already thinning, will disappear soon if he worries like this. I have decided to do my best to dispel John’s unnecessary worries.

“Don’t worry.”

“Your Holiness, you mean what I think you mean?”

Judging by John’s anxious gaze, it was clear that he was preoccupied with constant worry. To persuade people like this, you need to speak with firm confidence and strong conviction.

I answered in a clear voice, as concisely and decisively as possible.

“Yubas gave me a very important reason to kill me rather than Tervere. Lord Tervere will return relatively unharmed.”

“No!!!! Your Holiness!!!!!”

***

Yesterday, after meeting with Yubas, I was convinced of one thing.

Yubas changed his target from me, a twelve-year-old boy, to Tervere, the strongest knight in our duchy. In fact, Tervere was advantageous to the plan in many ways if he could be captured.

Tervere is a man who loves women so much that the Order of Knights refused to admit him. He would easily fall for a honey trap because of his weakness for carnal desires, and he would be so worried about the women he had not been able to embrace that he would be preoccupied with how many illegitimate children he might have.

My argument that Tervere should be withdrawn first was accepted because of this reasoning. However, not everyone agreed. Tervere resented the idea that he should withdraw, and even resorted to arguments he hated so much.

“Narva, embracing a woman is a virtue that is natural for a man. How can you dishonor your brother in this way?”

“Brother, what would you do if you received a marriage proposal related to Miriam?”

“Miriam… She was certainly a beautiful woman. Of course, it was wrong of me to hurt your pride, but it must have been heartbreaking for her as well. I cannot simply condemn her. If it were me… I might have forgiven her because her circumstances were understandable.”

I can still vividly see Tervere’s eyes, which were gazing into the void with a deep and hazy look.

At that moment, Bishop Ganista and I made eye contact. The two of us probably had the same thought.

This is the end of the moment of capture.

I imagined a future where Tervere, who had fallen for a honey trap, would ask for some land for his children. If Yubas, who would become his in-laws, intervened, it would be more than enough to shake up the succession structure.

As a result, the verbal battle that Tervere had waged ended in my overwhelming victory.

My opinion that he should take all of his knights with him so that Tervere could safely break through any encirclement that might be there to prevent pursuit was actively accepted.

Of course, Bishop Ganista’s unconditional support also played a part.

The problem was Yubas’ persistence. They disguised themselves as mercenaries once and as pagans twice, trying to capture me, who had been officially expelled from the family. They even attacked the monastery.

Yubas was the only one who could not be compared in terms of their execution ability. Even if Tervere abandoned his honor as a knight and fled, Yubas would not let him go easily.

How can I divert the attention of these persistent bastards?

I found the method in the Stigmata and the Church.

On the day the Holy See handed over the right to appoint as a candidate for sainthood, they chose me as the new archbishop. They intended to control the local church by giving me, a local aristocrat with a Stigmata, the authority of a saint or something similar.

Considering that Saint Illenio is the only saint mentioned in the morning canon, this would be a very drastic measure. The Holy See must have known this and tried to examine my miracles.

This was the key.

If I were simply a degenerate who had been expelled from the family, it would not be a problem to deal with me as a low priority. But what if I started to move as a candidate for sainthood certified by the Holy See, with the authority to pressure the local church?

The fact that the bloodline of Povis, whom they had tried to swallow up, had risen to the rank of a candidate for sainthood was enormous pressure in itself. From Yubas’ point of view, they would want to stop me no matter what. However , Illinifut is clearly within Yubas’ territory.

If I have a problem, all suspicions will fall on them. Even in the current situation where rumors of discord are circulating, if suspicions arise that they killed a candidate for sainthood, the believers of Lux Stella will turn their backs on them.

That is, unless there is one way out.

Inside the bishop’s office, which I visited as soon as the morning breeze started blowing.

In the quiet atmosphere that followed the departure of Tervere and the knights, Bishop Ganista was the first to speak. The bishop polished the lenses of his pince-nez and said,

“As His Highness instructed, we have begun spreading rumors about the miracle examination.”

“How long will it take for the rumors to reach Yubas’s territory?”

“It will probably take three or four more days at the least. However, since we have spread the rumors through the refugees who have recently fled earlier after seeing the confrontation, Yubas’s army that is currently stationed there will likely hear about it.”

“Then they will likely open the path for us. They might even escort us, so the road ahead might be safe.”

It was a fairly plausible opinion, but it seemed that the listeners did not think so. Both John, who had been listening silently, and Bishop Ganista in front of him began to groan.

The Bishop rubbed his temples with his left hand and said,

“Of course, it will be safe until we reach the port in the south. I cannot guarantee anything once we board a ship for the miracle examination.”

He is such a worrier. The Bishop was on the verge of being consumed by worry, just like our John.

I seriously spoke in a calm tone to the Bishop.

“Isn’t that the nature of voyage? Unexpected storms on reefs, strange epidemics, or endemic diseases.”

I even added a performance of putting my neck with the back of my hand.

“It wouldn’t be strange if someone suddenly died.”

“Your Highness, how should this old man respond?”

“I will simply trust in the amazing speed of message delivery that you showed me when we first met.”

“Ugh….”

The Church’s headquarters, the Holy See of Idea, is not on the archipelago but on the mainland. You can only get there by crossing the sea by ship. Naturally, the miracle examination team, which is directly under the Pope, was also across the sea.

“One more thing.”

And the sea has always been dangerous, both in the past and now.

“If possible, I would like you to continue monitoring the number of fleets that Yubas possesses.”

Especially because it is very, very capricious.

***

Yubas’ army is strong.

Unlike the mediocre armies of other lords, even ordinary conscripts often wore chain mail. Most people thought that the great general who had won successive defeat, bringing them abundant wealth and countless spoils of war, had created a strong army.

However, the real reason why Yubas’s army was so strong was because of its leadership by example.

None of Yubas’s blood relatives are recognized by birthright. They all had to prove themselves by meeting the strict standards set by the Lord, and were sometimes thrown into harsh environments unbefitting of nobles.

The direct descendants who have the right to succeed are relatively safe. Yubas did not pay the ransom for his blood relatives outside the line of succession who were taken prisoner.

Nevertheless, the only way for Yubas’ blood relatives to receive proper treatment was through military service.

This harsh family tradition has become an opportunity for Yubas’ blood relatives to be evenly distributed as knights, squires, and ordinary soldiers under the standing army.

In the process, those who have distinguished themselves in battle or proven their unwavering loyalty lead the army. If there is no such person among the blood relatives, they are willing to employ even those of humble origin.

Thanks to this, Yubas was always able to secure ambitious and enthusiastic personnel. Even without outstanding heroes, those who were faithful to their respective roles gathered to form a strong army.

Of course, there are two sides to everything. Behind the myth of the strong army that Yubas created, there was an equally dark and heavy shadow.

“Miracle examination?”

Inside the largest tent in Yubas’s military camp.

The man sitting on the upper seat, crossing his legs and whistling, suddenly showed curiosity. The messenger who brought the news did not dare to look him in the face and answered with his head bowed.

“That’s what the group that secretly escaped from the castle said. They said that there is a boy with stigmata in the Bishop’s territory and that the Pope will confirm it…”

At that moment, the knight standing next to the man spoke up. The knight was so thin that his cheekbones stood out prominently, as if he had been starving for a long time.

He had his eyes closed, as if to hide his uniquely sharp gaze.

“It is highly likely that he is the third son of Powys that I mentioned.”

“Ah. That… my almost-brother-in-law.”

“He has a face that is not befitting of his age. Considering the animosity he holds toward our family, I believe that even if he does not have stigmata, the Pope is likely to use him as a puppet.”

“Indeed. He is a man the Papacy will put forward, with or without the Stigmata.”

The man sitting on the throne shifted his posture. Only then did his appearance become clear.

Platinum-blonde hair that reached his shoulders, and cat-like eyes that gleamed in the darkness. The pupils, resembling a beast of prey so closely that ordinary people would freeze upon meeting his gaze, fully opened for the first time.

“Report to Father. However, not through official channels. Do it in a way that will attract less attention.”

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“…”

“And the warships anchored in the capital. Do you know any of their captains?”

“You could end up bearing the responsibility for failure alone.”

The knight warned him of the risks in a monotonous voice. However, it had no effect on the man with the pupils of a beast of prey.

“I will also claim the rewards of success alone.”

The knight quietly closed his mouth. The man’s statement was one that ran through the entire Yubas family.

The man who had silenced the knight looked down at the messenger prostrating himself in the heavy atmosphere and smiled fiercely.

“What will you do?”

“I, I…”

“Will you withdraw from here, or…”

The man stood up as he spoke. His height was twice that of an ordinary man. The imposing presence that could be called that of a giant was contained in his every step.

The messenger trembled and bowed his head even lower. However, the man did not allow him to look away or escape. In an instant, the messenger’s helmet was removed, and the man grabbed his hair and forcibly lifted his head.

“Ack, kugh.”

The messenger looked ahead with tears streaming down his face from pain and fear. It was a signet ring engraved with a black lion holding a sword. Beyond it were the eyes of a beast waiting to sink its teeth into its prey.

“Will you kiss my ring now?”

Kardal Orn Yubas.

It was the name of a young lion, of a beast.