episode_0093

It means that you definitely stick to one of the two sides.

It was a decision that could not be made easily for the Count, who had walked the path in between all his life.

His main income came from taking large bites of goods transported between the Vatican, the universities, and the northern part of the empire.

This geopolitical location is an absolute blessing to humans who are slaves of gold, but it also forces lords to make such unavoidable decisions.

There were times when those in power chose to survive by designing a plan that would embarrass them and watching the results from afar.

It was a hobby that I got tired of and gave up on when the empire began to crawl into chaos on its own feet.

“His Majesty the Emperor has been sentenced to excommunication. And a bishop from the Vatican came to see his lord. What should we do?”

“Count, it is urgent. Bandits have taken over Villach! We are still investigating the circumstances, but it appears that something went wrong during the pledge.”

“A civil war has begun in the Empire! Oh, you mean the excommunication that was handed down to Your Majesty? As you saw at the castle, it is true that it was withdrawn, but I do not know for what reason the rebels rose up… … .”

“His Holiness pronounced a second excommunication. I heard that the reason was lack of faith, but why was it suddenly declared-”

Just when you think one thing has been resolved, something happens in another corner, and if you block it, problems arise again.

Until now, I had been trying to solve the problem by staying in the gray area, but I didn’t really want to do that because it was happening over and over again.

To put it bluntly, I was exhausted.

My body wasn’t what it used to be, and the motivation I had when I was young had long since faded away.

There was a moment when it seemed like it would last forever. In the face of time, anything becomes fleeting.

Many people find it difficult to admit this to themselves, but at least the Count of Canossa was facing this fact.

This was because I was fully aware of how ugly it would appear to others to try to deny it.

Because I was like that, I had to think about the future before too much time passed, and then one word naturally came to mind.

‘… Salvation.’

Was it extinct due to suffering among priests who were corrupted by gold, chivalry seen only in novels and poetry, and nobles who were petrified by power?

It was a time when it was difficult to get even just one thing for oneself, so I became stingy with giving to others.

The Count himself has had many people as subjects, and has met many more. In the process, I always made sure to mentally evaluate the other person’s personality.

And I chose the knight in front of me as the one that could be said to be closest to chivalry.

The reason why chivalric literature is so popular is explained differently by each individual.

The honor of fighting for the master, the faithfulness of following the teachings of the church, and even the mercy shown to the weak. Didn’t they just fill it with elements that made it more difficult to be unpopular?

However, the count himself thought that the more fundamental reason was that it did not exist in reality.

People naturally devalue what they have, covet what they do not have, and envy what they cannot have.

In the end, this applied to everyone, even to themselves. Since I already had it, I was able to undervalue it a little.

But no matter how much I devalued it, no matter how much I thought about it, I could only come to this conclusion.

There are many people who create and distribute it, but only a handful actually listen to it, the moral code for chivalry, chivalry.

Excluding the knight-turned-adult whose face he had never seen, the only person who met that standard was Raven.

Therefore, that knight named Raven, at least in his opinion, was not a person worthy of walking the tightrope between the Pope and the Emperor.

“ The scriptures will be used more closely in other places than here.”

“That means… … .”

“Not me. Shouldn’t someone be watching what His Holiness is doing? With the Holy See just a stone’s throw away, the owner cannot leave the territory.”

Although it would be difficult to have an open military confrontation, it would have been possible to at least check the Pope’s full-scale participation in the war.

Wasn’t it his specialty to create tension by looking at the opponent just as he was about to go over to the other side?

Given what he had done so far, I thought it was not right to be sad about sending him off to the emperor.

Compared to the other knights who accompanied their lord in groups of three or four, he could be seen as faithfully fulfilling his duties in proportion to his abilities.

Considering that the honor of a knight is the honor of a lord, the price of the land has been more than enough so far.

Moreover, even if he tried to block it with an order, there would be no way to stop it if he himself stormed out.

“So, Lord Raven.”

“Yes.”

“Is it okay if I leave my next job to you?”

“Yes, my lord.”

I thought it was a bit of a waste. It was a natural feeling that I wanted to keep good things to myself.

For a moment, the gambler’s heart showed itself as he thought about taking him with him to walk that tiring tightrope between the Pope and the Emperor one more time.

But in such a mean heart.

A spark flew from a handful of faith and enthusiasm for salvation that I thought I had forgotten.

*****

… I felt cold for a moment.

Even though I’ve been working hard to encourage him, he feels like he’s going to say let’s go overthrow the emperor. If that were the case, it would have been a bit embarrassing.

I was anxious, perhaps because of my twisted religious beliefs, or because I had been tricked by the evil Pope’s hypnosis Bible, but thanks to this, I was able to take a breather.

I don’t know what it would be like if there were other knights who served four or five masters and formed a harem, but for now, my master is the only one.

Since this year’s service obligations have not yet been completed, he still retains the right to order me.

Therefore, if I refused to follow his orders, the land paid to me in return for my service should also be returned.

It was land paid in return for battle, so if they were not going to fight, why should they just sit back and give it back? Of course, there are cases where knights really sit down, but that is only in name.

It was that kind of contract from the beginning.

If one party does not have the will to comply, it is reasonable for it to be broken.

However, the Count did not seem to have any intention of breaking this contract yet, and even set me free.

It seems like only yesterday that we were shouting that we would remain neutral, but now we have come to this decision, albeit passively.

You’ve grown, my lord. Now I can leave with peace of mind… … .

“How did it go?”

“Let’s go north. Oh, I have to stop by the university before that.”

After finishing the conversation, I went into the room where Lisia had already taken her seat.

The face, which was slightly tense until the question was asked, brightened as soon as the answer was given.

“Would you like me to check that relic?”

“Yes. And I will ask you one last question. Are you really going to follow me? It’s okay to study more at university or wait at Alpen.”

“Yes! Sure. If you didn’t know before, I’m not a kid anymore.”

As I watched in silence, the girl timidly added that she felt like she was hurting herself.

“… Of course, I’m not an adult yet! Still, there isn’t much left.”

“Still, how many years are left?”

“It is a minor problem that will take time to resolve. More than that, I am also at an age where I am treated as a semi-adult… … .”

Lisia said the word ‘adult’ in a slightly excited voice, and the excitement that she did not hide was clearly visible.

This was something I occasionally experienced when dealing with children staying at Bolle’s church.

When I was just a few steps away from becoming an adult, I was likely to have those thoughts.

An unfamiliar feeling of anxiety that I have never experienced before, along with the anticipation that something dramatic will change.

“Do you really want to become an adult? Even if it actually happens, you might be disappointed because there isn’t much change.”

“No. There will definitely be at least one big change.”

“A lot of people say that. Even if I’m disappointed later, I don’t know.”

The day’s itinerary ended with dinner with the girl who was muttering, “No, it’s not true” behind me.

After staying one night at Canossa Castle, I headed towards the university.

Bologna, who returned only a little over a month later, was not much different from when he left.

The weather is a little warmer than before, but the lively stalls on the street are shouting and children are running around.

“Yes, I stole it! Are you pissed?! Too bad!”

“Hey, catch that guy! Young man over there, please catch that thief!”

Of course, old man.

I nudged one foot in.

“No one can judge me as a college student! That’s one side of the judiciary in this city!”

And then, flopping.

The boy, who was running at full speed, spun half a circle around his ankle.

He fell lifelessly to the ground, face first, following a neat circular trajectory. He wriggled for a moment, but for now he seemed to be alive. Of course, I noticed that the bottom was soft mud.

The student who seemed to have lost consciousness for a moment came to his senses and screamed loudly as he was being dragged by several people running behind him.

After all, university.

It was no different from before.