Episode 129 – Kingdom (9)
“The officers’ duties are enormous. Since it is a matter of national interest, I hope everyone can be faithful to their duties.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
In the far north, preparations for war were in full swing as always.
Even within the kingdom, which enjoyed incomparable peace there, there was bustle for the first time in a long time. The task was to form a mission to be dispatched to the north.
And the day when the nominees who have completed their preparations greet the king and leave. They received a letter from the king and moved north.
‘It’s a little later than expected, but that doesn’t matter. Anyway, it led to some meaningful results.’
Of course, Lihar was also there. Even if the active exchange he wanted was impossible right away, the departure of the delegation like this was a sufficient achievement.
At least he wasn’t ignored internally for telling lies or accused of being a spy for being in cahoots with the enemy.
Of course, there were a few people who made such claims, but they were put to rest thanks to the King’s interest.
‘If you go there anyway and see it in person, your opinion will change.’
All that remained now was what kind of evaluation the delegation would make of the Arin people, but Lihar wasn’t too worried about that.
This is because he was telling only the truth, and if he saw for himself the miraculous things happening there, people would naturally believe what he said.
“I don’t know what the barbarians who don’t know manners or laws will do, but aren’t there too few guards?”
“The late king subjugated the barbarians near the border and subjugated many of them, and his reputation must have spread widely. No matter how ignorant he is, he knows that if he harms an envoy of the kingdom, he will be retaliated against.”
“…”
Before getting into the carriage, Rihar looked at the two people talking in front of him in silence.
A middle-aged minister dressed in official uniform and a young knight in uniform. This was the person who was in charge of the delegation and the person in charge of the guard.
‘Although he is a person with a lot of back and forth, he has sufficient ability. If the Deputy Foreign Minister passes over… there is no problem for the others.’
The person appointed as representative was a man of integrity and ability, although he was a simpleton, and was trusted by the king. Lihar believed that if such a person could be persuaded, the government would have a clear view of the Arin people.
“What does that mean? “The energy of the north is unusual.”
But when they got near the border. They were embarrassed by the news coming from the north.
The news was that the Arryn people they were going to meet were on the verge of going to war with Luke’s great army.
“It’s true. “The tribes that have come to us have reported news from the grasslands, and it is said that Warchief Luke, who is unifying the grasslands with a fearsome force, is moving to conquer the east with an army of over 50,000 men.”
“5, 50,000…”
Their complexions turned pale as they heard the story told by the garrison commander guarding the fortress. It was more common for tribes in the grasslands to fight among themselves than to eat, but it was rare for the scale to exceed 10,000 units.
“Isn’t this really going to unify the grasslands?”
The Deputy Minister glanced back at Lihar. The Vice Minister was also someone who knew about the plan to foster power in the grasslands, which was secretly led by the King.
“Wasn’t our plan to keep the empire in check by encouraging a strong group to form in the grasslands?”
“That’s true, but I’m worried that something like that is actually going to happen.”
Lihar and the Deputy Minister talked secretly in the carriage they were alone in. Compared to Rihar, who was calm because he had already experienced it himself, the Vice Minister looked a little anxious.
“If Luke finds out that we’re in contact with the Arryn people, we’ll be in trouble. “You’re giving them a reason to go astray.”
“We were just doing a ‘deal’ from the beginning. As long as a businessman makes money, that’s enough. When do you sell products without knowing who you are selling to? Luke won’t be able to catch us off guard with that fact. Rather, do you think Luke’s tribe will win?”
“Isn’t it all thanks to our kingdom’s support that that guy named Luke was able to grow like this?”
“That’s right.”
Lihar did not deny the Vice Minister’s words. It was the kingdom that recognized the young and ambitious Luke’s potential, secretly contacted him, and raised his small tribe into a large tribe, providing various supplies.
But Richard experienced something more than that. Armed with weapons superior to the steel weapons they supported, and using magic greater than their own.
Above all, the Arin people had a weapon called faith that could never be shaken.
“There is a high probability that a unified tribe will enter the grasslands. But it will not be Luke’s tribe, but the Arryn people striving for their noble mission.”
“Huh. 50,000, 50,000. Even for us who have artillery, 50,000 barbarians in the north is a number we can never ignore…”
The Vice Minister burst into laughter at Lihar’s firm words.
At this point, I almost wanted to see what on earth Lihar believed and was so determined.
“Now, let’s leave quickly.”
In any case, the king’s command had to be kept, so they took the risk of leaving the border and headed further north. Although friendly tribes joined them and provided protection, it did not last long.
This is because they cannot escape from their own territory.
“People from the northeast who claim to be Arin people patrol this area regularly. “There is no reason to invade because we can trade freely with them as they have a lot of food and daily necessities.”
“This far?”
The delegation sighed after hearing their testimony. The Arin people were already solidifying their territory.
“Hey, it’s their scouting party.”
And finally, the delegation was able to encounter the Arin tribe for the first time.
Indeed, they were recognizable at a glance, as their attire was clearly different from that of other tribes.
Armor made of pure white bone instead of steel, carapace and black leather, helmet made from the skull of a horned beast, etc. It may look crude at first glance, but those who saw it in person felt an inexplicable sense of intimidation and flinched.
‘Gin, you were nervous? ‘Me?’
The same was true for Leo, the head of the guard. He was surprised to find that he was exerting more force than necessary while holding the sword handle.
“I heard the news. “You are a delegation from the kingdom.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Could it be that you are everything?”
The Vice Minister who met each other was shocked when he saw the Arin scout party. This is because the number was too small to carry out protocol or provide escort.
“I can’t help it. “Now that we are in wartime, almost all of our troops are on the battlefield.”
“Hmm, I heard that.”
“We don’t know when the battle will end. First, we will guide you to the first village, but in the meantime, you will pass the second village near the battlefield, so it would be best to move quickly.”
The scouts showed them the route. It was not a northeastern route with a series of rough forests and mountains, but a safe route slightly heading west.
Since that was also the route Lihar came from, the delegation did not reject the offer.
‘It’s easy, as the warchief said.’
However, this was Varun’s intention when he gave the order to the scouting party. The idea was to have the delegation pass near the battlefield and show them what it was like.
“It is unlikely that they fully believed Lihar’s words. Negotiation will be easier if we keep in mind who we are and what is happening here. “Didn’t Richard do the same?”
This was the result of expecting that the delegation would still have questions about them. Varun, who realized the effectiveness of shock therapy through Lihar and the kingdom wizards, wanted to try it again.
“No matter what, having to pass near the battlefield…isn’t that a problem?”
“We will definitely protect you.”
The delegation, unaware of the intention, set out on their way, trying to control their anxiety. If you were to carry a lot of luggage like now, it would take more than a few days.
***
From Noble mtl dot com
“Oh, it’s frustrating.”
A mouse fiddling in the air in vain. Because there were neutral or hostile units, it was impossible to pick them up with the mouse and move them all at once.
Thanks to this, I had to just watch the delegation, drawn by carts and carriages, traversing the road in slow motion.
Maybe it was because I picked it up and moved it or just saw the residents riding horses around with ease, but they couldn’t get used to it at all.
‘I should just stop paying attention and look elsewhere.’
Anyway, there were almost no dangers around the delegation, so I turned the screen. As the residents prepared for war, I also prepared for war.
It’s a pretty tiring process where you can’t sleep properly or be active. Of course, only those fighting in a real battlefield would do this, but the problem was that my body was one.
-I sympathize. I was also someone who didn’t drink coffee or energy drinks.
“There is no consideration for users.”
I just waited endlessly, chewing on the master program with Lee So-yeon. This is better than if I miss something and something goes wrong or people die.
-I think I understand why you didn’t reveal your identity.
“It almost caused trouble.”
While talking with her, a story came up about how I took action a few days ago to kill bugs near my house.
There was no longer any aversion to fighting. Because I knew that the strength I had was not simply given to me to overcome fatigue.
But I also didn’t like the aftermath of that fight. What I need now is not fame or anything else. So he wore a cape and hid his identity until the end.
It seems like I’ve become famous on the Internet, but I didn’t even bother to look for it. I thought that I, wearing the cape, was just a different being from my original self.
-But are you still going to keep moving forward?
“Because I think it’s my duty.”
duty. In fact, the user’s duty is to train residents diligently to prevent bugs from occurring in their area. The master program even said the same thing.
But I interpreted it a little differently. Like Riena, who sends infinite faith to me with the word of duty.
Of course, my priority is the people I have to take care of, so I can’t go out without any worries at any time.
‘But now, slowly.’
The residents seen on screen have already completed preparations for war. Heavily armed cavalry moved in large numbers and troops began to gather in the western village.
The enemies have also created several huge camps nearby and seem to be planning to relax. From each person’s perspective, there was a high probability that a large-scale rotation would occur, something completely different from what had occurred before.
‘Please don’t die too much.’
In some ways, both enemies and allies can be important human resources that have to face the monsters called bugs. Of course, what I wanted was victory, but if I was going to win, I wanted to surrender without too much loss.