episode_0134

The representative of the Konggaru family of this era.

Secondly, the imperial family, a battleground for all kinds of sad and unusual family affairs.

Thanks to paranoia, a family history boasting a long history, there were no windy days among the royal family.

At a time when the crown prince’s final intention was to plunge a sword into the emperor’s back, it would only hurt to say more.

Of course, the term ‘Bujeonjeon’ did not exist for nothing. Even if it was on the emperor’s side, the situation was not much different.

Heinrich was seriously considering the ultimate option of canceling the public certificate in his name as crown prince and making him an invalid son.

And Heine’s feelings were summed up exactly like this.

‘After making a mess of the house… … .’

In that sense, there was one question about being a proud member of the imperial family.

“Family is… What is it?”

“Family?”

Isn’t it true that others are also fighting a lonely war in their own corners of the house? Above all, there was an obvious control group nearby.

It was Lisia who went into a mood because she loved her family so much. Normally, when I looked at it from the side, a lot of sesame seeds were falling.

The girl thought for a moment and smiled brightly, probably thinking of something.

“If it wasn’t connected by blood, we are the people we can trust and rely on the most.”

“… … .”

“So being a family is a happy thing.”

It wasn’t something I could really sympathize with. I have seen too many people who spend their lives competing over who is the best immoral person to readily admit that.

That’s why I spent a long time in college thinking about it. How can I have a happy family?

And there was only one conclusion.

If there’s anything you can do to overcome this, the only thing you can do is stand in the sky –

‘No, no, no.’

The black whisper of desire died down at the last moment.

All this time, I had made a promise to myself, and if I acted on this impulse, I would be no different from my brother.

It would be a sight to see if one more cheerful rebellion were to break out in a house that was already in ruins with just one person.

Even though I understood it in my head, I tried to erase the choices based on the instincts imprinted in the royal genes.

“That’s why I want to start a family too!”

“… I see. I’m a little jealous.”

Lisia said purely, as if she liked just imagining it.

So, you said you wanted to marry Lord Raven.

Is it this happy to be able to love someone and be loved again?

I wouldn’t know if it was just one-sided.

However, despite the tempting offer, he steadfastly said that he would remain single for the time being, and in fact, he continued to keep his promise.

Isn’t this pure love? Of course, it was inevitable that there was a rumor going around that a crazy knight was trying to raise children according to his tastes and eat them, but if he liked them, wouldn’t that be a problem?

Isn’t that actually a big mistake?

It’s true that I’ve raised them since I was young, and they seem to be eating them.

“That’s a lot.”

‘But why… ‘It’s plural.’

Are the rumors going around really true?

As for who is eating whom… It seemed like a little rethinking was needed.

No, more than that.

Now it was time to focus on other things.

The battle was just around the corner. These personal matters had to be put aside for a while.

“Heine.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Are you well prepared?”

Even just before his audience with the emperor, Heine looked at the knights gathered in a corner of the battlefield.

These were the same knights who had been touring the empire all winter long.

And from now on, they were the ones who had to risk their own future.

It was a kind of community of destiny. From the moment I stepped into power, I had no idea how even the slightest mistake could turn out to be fatal.

But Heine had grounds for confidence.

“Of course. They are well trained, they understand what needs to be done and morale is high.”

“Good. You have done well so far. I believed it.”

It was a rare compliment from a father. If you think about who the emperor had been with just a moment ago, it was easy to guess the meaning behind it.

“I wish Conrad was half as good, but tsk.”

“… … .”

Once you have acquired an army, there is bound to be an inner whisper telling you to wield that power on someone at least once.

Even if I couldn’t push away that mountain because it was annoying, it was an impulse I could have felt at least once if I had the power to destroy that village because I didn’t like it.

“You kept your seat well. Honestly, it exceeded my expectations.”

“High rating, thank you.”

Is it possible to create a harmonious family in such a cruel family?

It was something I didn’t know right now.

*****

This is the battlefield I have to step into.

Elster Plain did not live up to its name.

I lifted my foot, which was about to be swallowed by the ground, and moved it to the side.

Although it looked like a pristine plain, the soles of my shoes were covered in soggy mud.

“What a great battlefield.”

“That’s right. There is nothing better to decorate the ending.”

The knight who was patrolling next to me responded to the exclamatory comment.

It hadn’t rained last night, but the ground was damp from the morning dew.

It was okay to just feel like it was wet, but if you go further ahead, the swamp spreads out wide.

The soft ground was not solid enough for horses to run freely, and it was ready to suck in any human being with the added weight of armor.

In the end, the knight’s flower, the cavalry charge, was stranded along with the warhorse, which had become a sack of barley.

That’s why the standard raid method for knights is the first step.

The strategy of getting off the horse was practically non-existent.

“I even prepared a new horse during the winter just for this day.”

“It’s a shame. Since you won’t be using it for a while, hang it up on a tree somewhere.”

Naturally, the strategy moves on to the second stage.

Block his movements by trapping him in a swamp, and stab him with a dagger. Similarly, thanks to the surrounding environment, it was safe to say that half of the achievement had already been achieved.

“You’ll be very rusty after the battle, ugh. When are you going to scrape it all off again?”

“Still, you should take everything you can wear. It won’t be an easy fight.”

“No matter what, what can’t I do to live?”

The moment I unluckily lost my balance in the mud or fell because someone kicked me, it was as good as begging for someone to stab a dagger through a gap in my armor.

The only comforting fact was that this was not just our team’s situation.

There was no way the opposing knights were wearing waterproof armor, so the situation eventually returned to square one.

Perhaps he wanted to prove that fact clearly, the knight who almost got caught on a stone and ended up in the mud suddenly asked.

“Why do we have to do this?”

“Because it’s not time to step out yet.”

“It’s a bit boring. It’s already been two days since we’ve had this confrontation.”

As the saying goes, quite a bit of time has passed. Neither Heinrich nor Rudolph, who had set up camp, moved from that spot for a while.

Of course, there was a good reason for setting up camp in front of this swampy area, which only heightened the discomfort level.

Since all the nobles who had promised to gather had not yet joined, it was to take some time.

It would have been okay if they had gathered together throughout the war in the first place, but the military is essentially a group that only consumes.

Since there were no other swarms of locusts walking around, the fact that they dispersed before winter meant that they could feed and sleep on their own in the meantime.

And no matter when it was disbanded, problems were bound to arise when the troops scattered throughout the empire reassembled.

“The number is a bit empty. I wonder if anyone is there… So, when will Duke Vritislav arrive?”

“The messenger who just arrived said that it would still take another half a day.”

“Rudolph’s behavior is unusual. What’s really unsettling is that it has to arrive by this morning… … .”

In the promises of this era, there is no concept of what time, what minute, and where to gather.

Although it is possible to roughly estimate time using the natural clock, the sun, and the body’s built-in umbilical clock, it is difficult to guarantee accuracy.

I wonder if there is some sort of railroad built there, or at least a well-paved road.

As for roads, they were only making extensive use of the legacies left behind by past empires that spanned from hundreds to a thousand years, so it would be a blessing if the date was kept.

Half of the political power was focused on preventing absenteeism, and the other half was devoted to catching those who tried to run away after just putting their names on the attendance list.

In the end, with the swamp in the middle, the two emperors spent their time shouting:

“Count Merzen has informed us that he has just arrived at the camp!”

“Okay, great!”

“It is said that Baron Melich was attacked by a pack of wolves and will be delayed by a day.”

“Damn it!”

Without having to think much about it, the primal exclamation that comes out at the end of a simple way of thinking that it’s good if it comes and bad if it doesn’t comes continues for a while.

“Hey, can you see it?”

But the wait was bound to end someday.

I moved my gaze toward the direction he was pointing.

The dot-like shape was swarming and growing. The ground trembled slightly as people took steps all at once.

“It looks like they are trying to make a preemptive attack.”

“… okay. We should prepare too.”

Rudolph, who must have had a rough idea of the superiority and inferiority of his strength, seemed to have made a decision.