episode_0119

It was a noisy battlefield with clashing blades, cries, and cries for life.

Nevertheless, the words the knight spoke with all his might were able to overcome all the commotion, even if only for a moment.

However, not everyone was focused on the scene, and it was rare for people to remain conscious enough to leisurely assess the situation.

Among ordinary soldiers, there were many cases where they dismissed it as just someone shouting something.

Still, not everyone accepted it that way.

One exception was the generals under the emperor. They immediately reported what they heard to their superiors.

“Your Majesty, did you hear what Lord Raven said in front of you?”

“It was so far away that I couldn’t hear it well. Was it an important story?”

“In the judgment of the competent authority, it is so.”

That declaration meant one thing.

It was a legitimate request for a successor position without an owner.

Emperor Heinrich laughed a little when he heard that.

Even if Raven had not said a complete rejection so far, she had never said a clear acceptance.

How many people have you seen and seen through their inner self? If you couldn’t tell that he had a bit of hesitation, you would be disqualified as emperor.

I was able to infer that he did not dare to refuse because he was pressured by his authority. Still, I was a little dissatisfied with the fact that I didn’t agree right away.

But now it didn’t really matter. That’s because it knows how to move as it wants.

“Your Majesty, are you sure it’s okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t he claiming the title of Count of Ravenna?”

“Yes. But it’s a fair argument.”

In the first place, the announcement that the award would be based on performance was merely a threat, not a threat.

It was to make it known that he had the upper hand in negotiations, and could be seen as a kind of ceremonial procedure.

Of course, it was possible to take the Count of Ravenna’s land directly if one were to force it, but swallowing something like that without any justification was bound to lead to trouble.

The justification is not a simple reason, but history. And history is connected through blood.

Only lineages and families that have ruled the land for a long time have the right to rule it in the future. Although it was conventional, people found legitimacy in it.

If you take the land of the Count of Ravenna, suppress all kinds of complaints, and do so for decades.

Thanks to the history accumulated over time, the cause was able to be loosely passed on to the royal family.

But it takes too long and is inefficient. Above all, it is not even possible to guarantee whether the land can be protected.

Therefore, it was better to hand it over to someone who was friendly to the imperial family. Even after tapping away at the calculator, the fact that I could replace a noble I didn’t like was enough of an advantage.

“Isn’t he saying something wrong?”

“Haona-”

“More than anything, I gave permission. Don’t argue about this anymore.”

A few of his subjects cautiously expressed their concerns, but all of their opinions were silenced.

Even though he was about to compete, he emphasized his goal and even gave him a portrait, so if this wasn’t de facto permission, what was it?

*****

Of course, giving charity to poor beggars is a good thing.

However, if the beggar lost his entire family in an unfortunate accident some time ago, and what the knight gave him was the last remaining silver coin in his hand, the honor was doubled.

Simply providing a cure is not enough. It would be more relatable to the listener if there was a background in which he appeared like a hero and gave medicine when the entire city was suffering from a plague.

There had to be a story like that to get a nickname, and the story that makes that possible is a narrative.

In this context, an article that simply cuts the count to pieces is too dull.

However, if the narrative is that the main character is an abandoned child from a long time ago, the situation is a little different.

So, a sincere knight who just cuts off the enemy’s head.

It becomes a symbol of human victory, not being broken by hardship and injustice, but successfully climbing up to regain its rightful place.

“… You idiot, how dare you try to deceive innocent people with nonsense that is embarrassing to even make up!”

“Master, I will bring that crazy knight’s head and offer it to you.”

Of course, it was like that for our allies, and for our enemies, it was just a vengeful spirit that reversed the same thing.

The knights, who wanted to prove their loyalty as if it were their own business, cried out for punishment, forgetting for a moment the number of knights Raven had destroyed.

“… Count?”

“Please give the command.”

However, the person involved in the story had an idea that no one else would dare guess.

It was very far from the embarrassment and denial that one would normally expect.

‘Then, what number child is he?’

This was the first question that came to the Count of Ravenna’s mind when he heard the shout that rang out in the middle of the battlefield.

It has been a long time since death became closer than birth. If I do this, I will live a long time.

Although there were difficult and sad times, life was generally satisfying.

If there was one flaw in such a life, it was the issue of succession.

Although legitimate children were not born, there were as many illegitimate children. Rather, it was also the reason for leaving the house.

And I thought I cleaned up the mess neatly.

It was only when I finally reached this moment that I realized that it was an illusion.

“Um, what a foolish thing that guy did… … !”

“General.”

“Yes, we will send the remaining articles and process them right away!”

“That’s not it. Later, gather more rumors about that knight named Raven, organize them, and report them to me.”

“When you say it’s a rumor… … ?”

“Literally everything, including why he claims to be my flesh and blood and what kind of life he has led so far. Since you both made your living fighting against each other, you probably know better than me what is worth mentioning and what is not necessary.”

Children who were not properly cared for by their fathers often died at an early age.

Of course, there were children among them who managed to survive with their tough vitality, and in those cases, we dealt with them appropriately.

So I thought everyone knew and died alone. It wasn’t strange to come to this conclusion even without tracking them down.

The streets were not peaceful enough for unaccompanied children to roam freely.

It was a world where it was difficult to expect kindness, so it was impossible to survive unless you were extremely lucky.

Still, it survived.

“Is God watching?”

“Master?”

“It’s nothing. Rather, isn’t this a battlefield? Instead of worrying about these little things, do what you have to do.”

Yes, it would have been possible if God had arranged it that way.

If so, has the person who is watching me from heaven abandoned me?

I didn’t care much about the church’s teaching that if you live a good life, you will be rewarded, and if you live badly, you will be punished.

Long experience has shown that the world does not work so simply and well.

However, there was a result right in front of my eyes that reminded me of that.

It was no wonder that the truth he had firmly believed in his entire life was shaken.

Putting his complicated thoughts aside, the Count prepared to leave.

It was time for the battlefield, which had been extremely heated, to gradually cool down.

*****

A knight’s battle time is shorter than that of regular infantry.

Armor is not so heavy that you can’t run around wearing it, nor is it something that restricts movement.

But that doesn’t mean it’s light. Although it is okay because the weight is distributed throughout the body, it is also true that it is a burden to fight while wearing it.

Therefore, the knights’ bodies are not left behind after the battle because they have to move around the battlefield and swing their swords under the weight that presses them down knowingly or unknowingly.

And the stamina of the horse on board also became a problem.

If you charged twice, you were using your stamina wisely. If I tell Sancho to run one more time, he might abandon me.

Of course, if it were me now, it might be okay to go into full close combat mode after the knight’s second phase.

But returning to the friendly camp is a different matter. Unfortunately, this is not a kind world where an inn will revive you if you close your eyes after being captured and stranded in the midst of enemies.

“How about withdrawing quickly? I see people getting tired one by one.”

“Indeed, that’s true, but what do you think, Lord Raven?”

“This is a sufficient achievement. Stop going back.”

The mission of reducing morale and breaking through the enemy lines was quickly accomplished.

What was even better was that they successfully blocked the next cavalry charge.

Above all, I was not alone here.

Even though I was not the head of a household, I had lives to take care of.

“Just in the distance, our allies are preparing for the next assault. We should leave some space for those who are not tired.”

“Wow, wow… Let’s do that.”

“You all heard it, right? Everyone is slowly going back!”

Their condition was worse than mine, but not better.

On the battlefield, people did not fight gracefully, as if dancing in the face of death. Rather, they desperately tried to survive by using physical fights and even punching.

Of course, knights were the ones who would not listen to anything anyone said except their lord, but surprisingly, they had the virtue of pretending to listen to orders from someone stronger than them.

Among all the battlefields I have experienced in my life, I thought this might be the moment when the will of the lord and other knights was most aligned.

Before gathering the remaining knights and leaving, I turned my head towards the Count of Ravenna.

He pulled away and looked at me, and before I knew it, he had hid himself among the soldiers. We had to part ways here for now, but we will meet again soon.

The way back was smoother than before. It wasn’t strange since we had been having fun playing tag with the knights just a little while ago.

I returned to the friendly camp with light steps and sat down on the base of a neatly cut tree to rest for a while.

Then I took off my helmet and took a moment to breathe heavily.

As I slowly turned my head at the sight of someone behind me, a small white hand came up to my shoulder.

“Laven, Laben.”

It was a familiar voice.

The girl’s breathing was a little rough, perhaps because she had used magic earlier.

This was not a place for Lisia to wander around.

If I were someone who knew the inside story in detail, I wouldn’t know it, but to other people who don’t know the circumstances, I think it was a place where you could die by being hit by a blind arrow.

Just as I was about to open my mouth to give a warning or a light warning like I always did, the girl turned around and stood in front of me.

Then, smiling softly, he opened his mouth before me and asked.

“Can I understand this as consent?”

… What does this mean?