16. Who is your uncle? (3)
“It is dangerous.”
The grown-up boy objected again, but Kariel’s will did not change.
“There is no one in this area who can deal with us properly. Then, you should stop by even across the territory.”
“It is dangerous.”
“… You have to take the risk. What I’m most concerned about is the danger of being here while I’m gone. That’s what worries me the most.”
“I will do my best to protect it.”
“… … I can only hope that doesn’t happen.”
Even the few horses in the village, now there was only one left.
Even this is managed jointly by the village, a really precious guy.
now you are the only one
Until the moment you saddle a brown horse and step on its back.
The boy’s eyes were filled with anxiety.
“I will come back. Whether it was an antidote or a priest to solve it.”
“… … I can’t help it.”
In the end, the boy had no choice but to pray for his safety.
… … .
There were several crises.
I dealt with the bandits in the ambush, but the horse died and I had no choice but to run on my feet.
Even the rain was strong, so there was no disaster.
The soaking mud grips your ankles like a swamp.
How did you overcome this and move on?
… There was no one who greeted Kariel herself.
Priests and priests asked for money.
Some say it’s the devil’s work, it’s a punishment… insulted him again.
Did you come all this way to spread the plague?
‘why.’
Did the rumor spread all this way?
It was dark, but what would happen if I gave up here?
I wandered around the village naked.
He quickly became a beggar, but he did not give up.
As the days lengthen, the number of dying increases.
The pain is getting longer, and the hope is gradually fading away.
The number of patients will gradually increase.
Farming is not done properly, so the real problem of eating and living will soon emerge as a crisis.
The town I’ve been running… It collapses.
It’s okay to collapse, but people’s homes, hopes, and wills are fading away.
… … .
“You’re trying.”
He collapsed somewhere in the woods, and an old man touched him with a wooden staff and clicked his tongue.
“What is it that makes you so desperate that you wander through the forest for days and days without a break?”
“… Has it been that long already?”
There was no awareness.
It was a dark forest, so I didn’t even know the sun rose and set.
“You should worry about yourself, why worry about others? You could have died here.”
“I cannot die. We have work to do, and we cannot be irresponsible.”
“Your will is strong. It’s different from those who know how to become anything if they throw themselves in the hope of vaguely sacrificing themselves, so that’s fine.”
“… Are you old?”
“If you go all the way there, there will be some yellow mushrooms. Take only the lighter colored ones from among them and leave. If you take it with you, you will be able to achieve what you want.”
It’s been hard.
“Uh… god?!”
My body shuddered.
Waking up, he headed for the place the old man pointed out as if possessed.
Then, indeed, there was a mushroom colony.
“What the hell is this… ?”
Should I believe in this dream?
It’s just a dream.
Even so, I couldn’t let go of hope.
Kariel does what the old man tells him to do.
Finally, I recklessly headed to the place I felt he pointed to.
– aaa!
A scream was heard in the distance.
He sighed and quickly headed towards the area.
among the ravaged valleys.
I witnessed some troops fighting hard against monsters with hard skin like tree branches.
A situation where humans are obviously inferior.
Without thinking, he jumped into the place.
… … .
“If you are saved twice, it must be fate.”
The ugly and miserable appearance was gone.
Even though the accumulated fatigue clung to his face, it was just washing and putting on new clothes.
Kariel’s impression was completely different.
In addition.
The blond-haired young man had strange respect for Kariel.
“You mean twice?”
The young man is the one who has become the owner of this area in due time.
and once.
The one who risked death against Kariel’s own master.
He was the owner of that estate.
“When we tried to invade a village the other day, didn’t you stop it?”
Then, there I was.
“… … .”
“Even though I am a child abandoned by my father, if I were captured, I would have been killed or used in some way.”
But very strangely.
My father fell off a horse and died.
His brothers also died one after another from disease or on the battlefield.
… Somehow, the only legitimate successor left was himself.
Clearly, he was also the official heir through the blood of the royal family.
“My father was greedy. So, aiming for this period when the Berg kingdom was shaking, I dreamed of becoming a king myself.”
However, his own king was not a position he could rise to if he wanted to.
Moreover, he did not have the talent to lead an army or the overwhelming power to slay enemies alone.
“I was able to join their alliance by providing some territory in connection with the Enzul family, who are now starting to lead the Berg family.”
“Enjul is… .”
“Yes. Leading by the great warrior Eland, the five holy swordsmen who made their names known in Berg. And sooner or later, the pope will consecrate the head of the Enzul family. The Berg family… It has fallen, but he will probably take over the throne anew.”
was that enough
There is a clear distance difference between the Belgian kingdom in the north and the southern one.
Of course, if you ride a horse, it’s a few days away, but there’s a mountain range and there are lakes and swamps, so it’s not a big problem for individuals or small merchant groups to come and go, but if you want to move in a county unit, it will definitely get in the way.
“Right.”
They seem to be changing the world.
different from yourself.
“Still, isn’t Lord Kariel in the southern part of Berg?”
“… I mean?”
“I have personally witnessed Prince Iland earlier and seen his deity with my own eyes.”
However.
“I am with him and Kariel. I couldn’t be sure which of the two had the upper hand.”
“that… .”
It is nonsense.
In the South, with the self who ran amok ignorant of the world.
A warrior of the century who swept many battlefields and dominated the world.
How can you compare yourself?
“… Southern warriors have the strength to grow by facing barbarians. That confidence gave my father the futile dream of being able to wear the crown.”
Although there were countless famous warriors.
“Prince Kariel. We were thrilled that you cut down more than half of them.”
A warrior of a small lord, what is so great?
If only that guy had been my subordinate!
Why didn’t the sky give me a subordinate like that!
“My father’s lamentation was great even at the time.”
said the young man.
“You know? Even your master was afraid of you.”
“… … .”
Kariel thought.
The reason why he, who was the master, sent himself completely.
The reason why I didn’t use a lot of hands in the village after that.
And the days when I stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
… And even when confronting him at the end.
He, as a result, did not treat himself coercively, unlike other subordinates.
I was just pretending.
… I didn’t know that, but
That’s because he respected himself.
It was because we were able to understand each other’s feelings and depend on each other.
… But from the outside, does it look like this?
And maybe, maybe that’s right.
Kariel, deep down, became complicated.
“I know you want to leave quickly. Still, I am afraid that I might get into an accident while riding on a dark day.”
“… Are you saying you want to talk to me?”
“Didn’t you save my life? Where would that be? I will do my best to support you in any way I can. Not just now, but also in the future.”
I heard the story.
“The knight you mentioned is the mindset of a warrior and different from the oath they make, but I was more attracted to that side.”
please.
“I will sincerely pray that what you are doing will work out without any problems at all.”
even up to this point.
Kariel said everything went well.
I was relieved.
Then, like snow melting, fatigue set in.
Indeed, after about ten days, he was able to sleep comfortably.
… … .
“It is said that the barbarian army is stirring the entire Baronense territory.”
next day.
Even until I heard the news.
is Kariel.
Hello, thank you that everything turned out well.
One horse ran until it frothed.
Taking that into consideration, I have no choice but to thank him for taking care of my reserve horse.
Even the second horse frothed, and he started to run.
I was used to running.
From a very young age, the boy wanted to build up his stamina and train his body as the knight ordered.
ran
Running on mountain trails, climbing uphills, and running downhills.
It ran like flying on flat ground.
After all, the me of the past is now in this place.
If he is not used to running.
He must have waited patiently for the horse to recover.
because that’s right
So, the reason why I can exclude such an option and run.
If there is a reason to bet on the possibility.
… This, too, must be the product of his past efforts.
Even though the body is old, and the training is not as desperate as it used to be.
He didn’t even take a break.
It wasn’t just to teach children.
Perhaps, he devoted himself to training for a while to escape reality.
Because when I rested my body, all sorts of despair, negative emotions and thoughts flooded me like a nightmare.
The day goes down.
Even so, it doesn’t stop.
Breathing was precarious as if it would stop.
Okay.
It’s familiar.
Compared to four days on the battlefield, when I couldn’t sleep and was harassed by enemies, I still couldn’t budge.
only
It’s not even about someone trying to take their own life.
that this is hard
No way.
It’s nonsense.
Even at that moment when your whole body is drenched in sweat.
Even at that moment when consciousness fades.
On the contrary, it sharpens the mind fiercely.
breathe more reliably.
He tried to lead his limbs, his body, and his head, which had become heavy like a ball of iron.
It moves.
runs
However, it is impossible to make sure that the physical condition does not collapse, but it is impossible to be absolutely helpless.
control the state
Desperate, but not desperate.
What if the moment you reach it, the enemies attack you?
Are you just going to watch?
Are you planning on killing me for nothing?
neither of which is acceptable
Even if it’s hard, think about it.
Prepare for the worst.
All kinds of negative emotions have been holding on to my ankles.
Shake it off.
So again, by the time the sun rises.
finally started to show up.
… fortunately.
Still, the village seemed to have neither burned nor collapsed.
I don’t know yet because I’m looking at it from afar.
Maybe he was just impatient.
… If that’s really the case, isn’t that something to be thankful for?
Let’s risk our nerves and somehow reach the village.
“Kariel?!”
The modestly armed personnel, with faces full of nervousness and fear.
greeted him
By the way.
“Where is Ruel?”
To that question from Kariel.
One of the young men stared at him with a worried expression.
No, not just him, because everyone else was like that.
“no way… ?”
“In sickness… it took A lot of condition… Not good.”
“… … .”
It was dark in front of my eyes.
Kariel grabbed his spirit again and again.
“Take it.”
The young man who received the pouch from him asked in a puzzled manner.
“This… something?”
“Not a lot, just grind it up and feed it. to all the sick. and… Support will come soon, so just tell them to hold on with hope.”
“Yeah, did you hear the news? The savages lead an army around here… .”
“okay.”
So, that’s why I ran.
“Hey, look over there!”
On a plain far from town.
As if drawing a horizontal line, outlaws appeared in a row.
“… … .”
Even though I’ve been breathing for a while.
His physical condition was currently at its worst.
For more than ten days, he wandered around the country in the rain and wind.
I managed to catch my breath by getting a chance that was like a miracle.
He ventured through the crowd again and arrived here now.
So, thank you.
… At least, as before, I was able to somehow prevent such a terrible situation from happening in a place where I was not confident.
You won’t be able to make up for what has already happened.
But if it hasn’t happened yet… .
“I asked the lord for help, but… He didn’t even meet me.”
“… Okay.”
Kariel calmly accepted their anxiety.
“Because I came. Don’t worry.”
Kariel told them to look after the sick and the rest.
Glancing at the shabby town signs.
Towards the crowd watching this place.
Walked out.
At the time of running, it has been a long time since I threw away even a little unnecessary things to reduce weight.
therefore.
All she had was her sweaty, staggered and soiled clothes.
But still, I have two swords left.
One bag was dedicated to the village.
The remaining one sack could not even be given up in the end to protect the village.
Even he ended up buying medicine to take care of the villagers, soothing his bitter heart and selling it at a bargain price.
… By the way.
For some reason, I received a better sword as a gift from a former enemy.
In the end, nothing was left in his hands.
But all of them are tools and part of the means.
Even the precious sword I received from my master earlier.
Wasn’t it lost in vain while wandering around the battlefield?
So.
All that’s left of me now
There is only this one body.
“please.”
Oh God.
if you really exist
If you are watching this place right now.
“Are you satisfied with that one?”
then gladly
without a single regret.
with a grateful heart.
This one body, crawl into that fire pit.
What’s going on?