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Grandpa and the North Sea blizzard (4)
“Sir General.”
Ronald Rupert, who was examining the dusty library, turned to the young voice.
A deacon was staring at him from the wide open door.
“Cardinal Ari Shoth, I would like to see you.”
“·················ogue.”
When she nodded her head without saying a word, the girl bowed her head and stepped back with the gun.
It was meant to be visited by guests.
The cardinal’s deep eyes moved as they were, and headed out the window.
“·······Then bring the ladder this way! No, this way!”
– Koo!
“Yes, Nari!”
In the winter desert, the Temple of the Boundary was still under renovation.
At the site where the debris was collected, materials and equipment for reconstruction were now piled up like a mountain.
It wasn’t snowing or the weather was to bring cotton, but the temperature was definitely lower than in summer.
Workers who worked outside all day often rested by a bonfire.
The paladins encouraged them, raising their voices here and there, and checking the progress.
Their special ether was also very helpful.
“majesty. Did you bring your meal?”
Around that time, a mysterious voice rang out from behind him.
The commander-in-chief looked back slowly. As always, with an expressionless face.
“Welcome, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. It’s been a long time since I asked for a belly button.”
······· Cardinal Ari Shoth.
He was a member of the Pontifical Neutrality and was recently the elder of Rupert’s attention for his pro-imperialist actions.
Now, the only high-ranking priests left in the temple were the senior citizens of the neutral faction, including Shoth, and the commander-in-chief.
Most of the priests from the new country fled to their hometowns as soon as the war broke out, and never again set foot in the desert.
The emperor was guarding the road with his eyes wide open, so he wondered if there was a way to return even if he risked his life.
And the imperial army remaining here referred to the commander-in-chief as the ‘Penetian’s Dog (番犬)’.
It meant that the commander-in-chief who did not budge even though the war was waged by one side’s sin is like a dog of the new country.
It was also meant to accuse him of not working for a neutral zone.
At least in the eyes of Lister’s subjects, a leader who did not act was not a leader.
The monarchs they served from generation to generation were great men who did anything even if they failed.
So, the commander-in-chief was, of course, an object of humiliation.
Rupert knew it all, but he tolerated it. It wasn’t a one-day thing anyway.
“okay. What’s going on?”
“I came to inquire about whether you see the sky these days.”
“·················ogue.”
There was a silence as harsh as sand at those words.
The commander-in-chief looked at Shoth, who was standing upright like an old tree.
“What do you think the person in charge of the Vatican is thinking about the white stripe that appears over there?”
“·················ogue.”
“Shouldn’t the interpretation be revealed soon? The war between the two countries is not enough, and natural disasters are taking place, so the people of both countries are likely to be very anxious. What about the feelings of the people in the neutral zone who have nowhere to turn?”
“·················ogue.”
According to the rumors floating around, Rupert was the one who didn’t take a single step beyond the realm of the temple.
However, as far as the inner workings were concerned, he knew everything perfectly. So I knew it well.
The fact that the old man in front of him agitated his colleagues through the neutralist council held once a quarter, and finally handed over information about the new kingdom to Emperor Lister.
It didn’t matter how old the intelligence was or how much it served the Empire.
The key point was that Schott was no longer a ‘neutral’ being.
traitor of faith. The commander-in-chief tilted his head as if invisible.
“It’s embarrassing. As you know, I am not the Holy Father.”
“Yes. You have the title of general manager.”
“As for God’s great will or plan, I have nothing to say.”
“majesty······. I don’t know how you do this.”
Then, Shoth made a sad expression.
The commander-in-chief looked down at the old man with his back straight.
“It is a very shameful thing to say, but I did not appoint His Majesty as the commander-in-chief of the Hoseon in the past. That’s because we were concerned about these results. However, at that time, the mechanical neutrality of the charge was very popular. He’s very knowledgeable and he never lines up on either side, so it’s the perfect choice for balancing the two countries.”
“·················ogue.”
“But that too is a thing of the past.”
The old man looked up at the commander-in-chief with his peculiar, mysterious eyes.
There was an unbreakable majesty in old age.
“Still, do you think inaction is the best course of action?”
“Of course.”
Rupert answered in a low-pitched voice.
Shhod closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The commander-in-chief was a non-human figure ‘in a neutral sense’.
Rather, he looked more like a doll sent down by the Lord to make the current situation worse.
The old man spoke slowly.
“The other day, Cardinal Aurelie Butier stopped by the library here.”
“That’s right.”
“On that very day, the sky was cracked. What a mysterious coincidence.”
The old man said as if telling an old story.
“After that, unprecedented torrential rain fell, causing a great flood in Penetian, and the New Guild Army made a massive withdrawal. Emperor Frederick went inland without hesitation. In the rainy sky, a second white line appeared.”
“·················ogue.”
“But now, there are rumors that the black market in the new country has collapsed.”
There was blood on the old neck.
Shoth clasped the hand holding the staff firmly with the other.
“It is said that there was a great earth god sealed there. Rumors that the ‘Heroic Spirit of Iran’, which we neutral old men could not find even if they devoted their entire lives, were being trapped in such a place and suffering are coming and going through the mouths of children.”
“·················ogue.”
“I heard that the Empire has liberated it, and the gods bless them and never leave. That very day, there was a third row in the sky.”
“·················ogue.”
The two pairs of gazes were intricately intertwined in the air.
The old man’s eyes were wrinkled like sand.
“You still don’t know? He was too learned to be taught by the old man in the back room…”
“·················ogue.”
“The Lord is showing his will. That thing in the sky is definitely a miracle that is appearing on the continent in order to spread His word. Especially in a way that helps the Lister Empire.”
“Do not dare to misrepresent the will of the Lord.”
“Do not dare try to cover up the meaning of the Lord with the word tuna. It is not a threat to a mature old man.”
After saying that, the old man started laughing for a few days. Rupert was just silent and silent again.
He was the only one who had survived his whole life.
Soon after, Shod, who changed the direction of his wand, took a brisk pace.
“I respect the decision of the general manager to keep ‘neutral’ again this time. If you believe that this is the way to protect the Holy See, there is nothing you can do about it. But there is one thing you must remember.”
Then he stood in front of the huge doorway, and finally looked back at the commander-in-chief.
“Maybe the Lord will finally give us the Holy Grail. Your Majesty, are you well prepared for that day?”
Then, for the first time, Rupert’s eyes widened.
Instead of continuing the conversation, Shod raised the corners of his mouth slightly and walked away.
Holy Grail. The noblest cup of God’s tears. In other words…
“The regent of the Lord.”
It meant that, at the end of this war, maybe a pope might be born.
Rupert stood there for a while, motionless.
*
Another few days passed smoothly.
From https://noblemtl.com
Of course, it wasn’t all about happiness and joy.
More than half of Lake Yeri collapsed, including the black market, making it a city with no guarantee of restoration, and the number of patients in the monastery, which had been turned into a ward, did not stop at all.
When someone held on to life on one side, another lost the hand of the world.
Still, we did not give up hope.
Yesterday was definitely better than yesterday, and today was definitely better than yesterday.
The city was slowly recovering its vitality little by little.
– Hui Yiying…
And you could tell just by looking at the faces of those walking around the streets.
I sat in Amhart’s saddle and observed all directions.
“Wow, the air is cold. I can smell the winter already.”
– Close up, close up, close up
Every day after Bishop Blaise’s soul treatment was over, I went out to the tent village to heal another patient.
From https://noblemtl.com
On a couple of occasions he attended military meetings and sat down with His Majesty Stanislas to sharpen arrows.
In the meantime, we have certainly had some wonderful events. For example-
“Mr. Morhan, are you going too fast? Shall we go a little slower?”
“Don’t treat me like a child, my lord. I live ten times longer than you.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha.”
Meanwhile, ‘information’ Mr. Morhan has woken up!
I laughed out loud and looked at the round head in the front seat.
She was very weak, but at the same time desperately wanted to live.
Since I woke up, I haven’t left a patient ceremony, and I often went for a walk.
Yesterday, for the first time, I remembered the memories of ‘that day’.
‘He recognized me.’
‘······· That was the child’s choice.’
Morhan, no—the last moment of his beloved brother ‘Noel’.
“By the way, the wind is blowing fast. The weather is weird.”
“is that so? My grandfather and His Majesty said the same thing. The wind is not strong.”
“okay. Usually, it’s only mid-January that you feel the cold weather…”
Big eyes looked up at the sky.
A sky full of dark clouds faced her.
“I wonder if the flapping of Griffin’s wings will have an effect on Genji.”
“Yes? yes?”
-Purreung
I couldn’t believe the sentence I just heard and asked twice.
Reum fluttered her ears and paused, and the Bacari Islands who came as my escort today—a non-combat wizard, but said to fight better than me or François—blinked their eyes.
What makes your wings flap?
“Come to think of it, you don’t know. Haha, how can foreigners know about rumors that are unfamiliar to the people of the new country?”
Mr. Morhan muttered something like a sigh, and then cast his gaze in the distance.
We hurriedly followed her eyes.
Beyond the tavern ‘Unforgiven Liquor’ that was horribly destroyed…
“·················ogue.”
“·················ogue.”
A high fence was erected, and sharp iron thorns were attached to it, and a black market lined with several layers of mana was seen outside.
Exactly the traces of it. A huge, dark abyss of black magic.
“Mr. Morhan, shall we go back to the castle and talk?”
“······not. Someday it was supposed to be a place. I am indebted to you.”
Jeong Bo-sang answered in a soft tone, turned to me and lowered his voice even more.
“How much do you know about Griffin?”
I’ve met
“uh······. I only know as much as I read in books. It is a monster from a very old continental myth, and it is treated as the ancestor of modern demonic beasts along with dragons.”
“You know just as much as the people. Is it okay for a child to be favored by the imperial family?”
Why are you hitting someone all of a sudden?
“There is a saying that with one griffin’s move, a city is destroyed, a fortress is turned to dust, and a man is turned to dust.”
Bakari-kun, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke seriously.
Then Mr. Morhan nodded his head.
“Nobody believes it, but there are rumors that a griffin will appear in the northern tip of the New Kingdom.”