53 – 8. Village in the Mountains
The moment I learned that the Villach Uproar, directed by Guiberto and Marcus, had failed miserably.
Princess Heine realized that her father had actually been defeated by the Pope.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to just crush the arrogant feudal lords with our powerful army? The Pope changes things like the previous emperor did…….”
‘That could work really well.’
Heine tightly wrapped her clothes, listening to her inaudible sounds with one ear.
Although she carried a sacred relic to survive, no matter how prepared she was, it was not enough when climbing a mountain in the middle of winter.
It ended when the ambitiously prepared multi in front of the Pope’s territory ran aground.
Isn’t it impossible to open a two-front front against the Pope and all of his princes? Therefore, the most important thing to consider was what angle to approach the Pope with room for negotiation.
Heine was sure that his stupid brother would get very angry someday due to his temper.
If they try to clumsily plot a rebellion because they are greedy for power, they might end up being suppressed.
But now was not the time to think about such things.
In the end, after using the authority of the head of the family and the emperor to forcibly silence the crown prince, the emperor’s family immediately climbed the Alpine Mountains.
They were nobles who blocked all the roads leading to the Pope. However, the emperor was not a mountain goat, and his guard was poor, as if he thought he would climb the mountain.
So, we had to hurry before other nobles noticed and made a move.
Preparations were somewhat inadequate, but the situation was urgent so what could we do? It’s not like there’s anything else he can do.
Heine grabbed the sled given to him without saying anything.
I spent some time climbing the Alpine like that.
“I think it’s about to get dark. “Where are we now?”
“We have reached the summit, Your Majesty. “The way down will be easier, so don’t worry about it.”
“… Life.”
Heine slowly wondered what he had been doing since the new year.
A harmonious family is a family, but my situation was truly pitiful.
Those who were hanging on to the sled in front of them fluttered helplessly every time they passed over a stone. Your appearance will also be no different.
Because it was snowing, it was difficult to identify obstacles on the road. But it was good enough to be pulled up like this.
Heine’s eyes were stinging from the cold wind, so she lifted her lowered head and looked ahead.
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“Father, at this point – hehehe, it’s okay to take a break. hehehe, what do you think?”
“If you want to remain on the mountain even after nightfall, that’s fine. “I am going.”
My father stubbornly climbed the mountain, holding the guide’s shoulders and placing his hands on the ground.
In the morning there are two feet, at lunch there are three, and in the evening there are four. A riddle that could be used later was quickly completed.
He looked pitiful for being the emperor of an empire. As for my brother, I decided not to care whether he fell or not.
The mountain path was slippery and there were instances where some of the attendants fell, but so far they have managed to climb back up and successfully rejoin the group.
Of course, I didn’t know if this kind of luck would continue until I arrived.
Still, with this momentum, I felt like I could make it all the way down the mountain before the sun sets.
After that, you can ask them to stay overnight in the first village you come across. If we leave immediately the next day, wouldn’t we be able to see the Pope by this month?
It was the moment when I roughly estimated in my head the time when Heine would arrive.
The sound of rustling and shaking bushes. Snow, unable to withstand the weight, used to fall from tree branches in chunks, so it is not a strange sound to hear.
But along with that comes the pounding sound of words. This shouldn’t have been heard in the middle of the mountain.
“What, are you wearing nice things?”
“A lot of things have been frustrating lately, so this is a good place to vent! “You guys will have to give everything you have.”
“… Uh?”
His Majesty the Emperor was with him, and there was no one in the group who could say such vulgar and frightening words.
Those who were ahead slowly turned their heads, stiffened by the cold and creaking. And then I opened my mouth, which had frozen saliva and couldn’t open it, and shouted.
The words I hate to hear the most when climbing a mountain.
It is the undisputed second place after ‘This is not a mountain’.
“… “Bandits!”
The bandits who helped escape to the land of the Margrave of Canossa were chased by the lightsaber and fled to the mountains again, which could be said to be Heinrich’s own karma.
In normal times, even if these people committed banditry, they would have done so while keeping an eye on the other person.
However, in just half a year, all of my partners were wiped out and my income was cut in half.
In addition, I felt countless threats to my life in front of the swinging lightsaber, and the cold ate away at my spirit, which was why my head was half spinning.
If the opponent had not been easy, I would have retreated since I knew my life was as precious as it was, but I did not.
The act of attaching a series of wizards to the knights behind you is no different from saying that you want to go to war. It was not something an emperor seeking a pardon would do.
Of course, it wasn’t like we weren’t armed for a situation like this, so it would have been a good idea if the group had pushed to the side and united to fight back, but we had already climbed the mountain and were in a rush.
After finally understanding the situation, everyone ran downhill at the same time.
Of course, there were priorities, so at least the sleigh the princess rode in was not abandoned. However, the speed was incomparable to before.
Rattle rattle. An even more fantastic riding sensation than before hit Heine.
Experience short gliding times as you scrape against tree branches, have dirt splash into your eyes, and pass over frozen mounds.
There was only one thought that came to the princess’s mind as she held on tightly to the sled.
‘If I die here, civil war will be confirmed, right?’
If a civil war breaks out, it might not be a bad idea to have it heated up by the death of a member of the emperor’s family.
Heine finally came to her senses.
*****
I was able to spend most of this winter warmly.
This is why the wheat planted in the spring hit the jackpot when harvested in the fall.
Lysia gave a blessing hoping for a good harvest despite her own doubts, but when she actually checked the results, it couldn’t have been better than that.
Other nearby villages achieved similar results to last year, but Alpen villages generated approximately 30% additional income.
Usually, if the yield increased to about half that amount, or 105p, it was considered a good harvest, and if it decreased, it was considered a poor harvest.
Even though last year was not that bad, it would not be enough to say that this was a good harvest.
For peasants, farming is a task in which the entire family must participate. Even a four-year-old child was mobilized to chase away birds pecking at grains in the fields.
That’s why everyone in Alpen called this a miracle, with a bit of exaggeration mixed in with sincerity.
“You did it, Licia.”
“I… Did it help?”
“Okay. “That grain can now be used to feed those who are starving in the winter, or to buy things needed for the winter.”
“I can help the villagers!”
“Of course.”
The girl with a warm heart was purely happy about this fact.
“I can control the yield!”
“Yes…… ?”
… Maybe.
Anyway, they held a big festival to thank them for their hard work during the harvest season, and even after providing relief to those who couldn’t survive the winter, there was still money left over.
Even though I had acquired a lot of firewood, I was unable to control this overflowing wealth and had to find a new use for it.
So, I decided to give Lisia a nice medieval sports car.
I was going to give him a gift, and it seemed like he was used to horseback riding after all the time we had been going together.
First, I had to give the horse a name.
Like Sancho, the name Dulcinea was taken from the literature of an impressive knight.
After that, she asked the girl to take a ride. In particular, I picked him as a calm guy, so there was no fear of him making a sudden move like Sancho did in the past.
“Oh…… !”
“Now, let’s be careful and try again.”
“… Ugh, it’s hard to keep balance too. “I bought it for you as a gift, I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, maybe your leg strength isn’t enough. I can’t help it. “You’ll have to ride with me for a while.”
“Yes, that’s right… ….”
I thought Lisia would be fine because she had been climbing on Sancho by herself for a while, but she actually seemed to have difficulty riding around on it.
I couldn’t ask for a refund, so Dulcinea ended up being used as my pack horse and walking horse.
It wasn’t enough to ride on the battlefield and charge with a spear, but it still had good power, so it wasn’t a bad use. A knight is inherently required to lead at least two horses.
On a day when it was raining gently enough to not bother my eyes, I left the house to take a walk around the Alpen with the girl.
There was no particular reason, it was just to pray for a good harvest next year. It was difficult to cover the entire Alpine in one day, so it was a long task that took several days.
Whenever there was no one on the street, the girl would stand in my arms and bless her fields so that I could not see her using magic.
The work was halfway finished, and I was following the path with a clear view of the Alpine Mountains to move on to the next area.
“Raven.”
“Huh?”
“What is that?”
Lysia was pointing to the mountain.
I narrowed my eyes and followed the tip of the finger.
“… People?”
The number of people was too large to say that some people went out to illegally hunt as a deviation.
There seemed to be almost a hundred people. Looking at the numbers, I wondered if a nearby small count had brought his entire army, but when I looked closely, I saw that one group was chasing the other.
And the only ones capable of doing something like that were bandits.
I had a hunch that they were the thieves I had missed. The girl sitting in front of me turned her head and nodded once.
If it were an ordinary child, it would be right to send it back to the village.
But not only was Lisia not an ordinary child, but she seemed fully willing to help.
“When the battle begins, hide well. “I’ll call you separately when it’s over, so I’m waiting for you.”
“It’s okay with me if we go together, but… yes.”
I turned the head of Dulcinea’s horse toward the Alpine Mountains.
After a long time, I heard an eerie metallic sound and a cry for life.