episode_0151

Right now, I was half out of my mind and was just waving my hands.

In fact, in Lysia’s own opinion, there was something a little unfair about it.

First one.

All humans use what they learned in childhood as the ground to stand on.

For Licia, the stories Raven told her were like that, and she had never been taught that it was wrong for a ward raised from a young age to be connected to a guardian.

So, the name is… Was it Count Monkeyspanner?

I remembered it clearly because it was about a child who had been raised with love since childhood and who becomes a lover. Since Raven brought it up first, I didn’t think he would be resistant to the concept.

“Okay, how was the story today?”

“After all, it’s not strange for a protected person to love their guardian!”

“… Does that happen?”

He didn’t give me a proper answer at the time, but since it was close to silence, I thought it might be okay to interpret it as an affirmation.

I came up with this idea, and Raven, who laid the groundwork by saying a lot of dirty talk, probably also had some share in it. In short, since the foundation was like this, thoughts also flowed like a waterfall falling from top to bottom.

Next two.

As usual, he was just doing a bit of tidying up while Raven was away, and it was natural that the clothes he had left lying around the day before became the object of that effort.

All I knew was that I thought deeply about the bundle of clothes I had picked up, wondering if I should at least do laundry if there was a problem.

‘There’s only one year left, so just wait patiently… … .’

It’s not that I don’t trust Raven, but isn’t the position of earl inherently like that?

Like other things with power, there was a possibility that it would suffer from something that went beyond its will.

I definitely didn’t think that way because the classmates I saw in college were of an age where they were married and had two children.

It was not because of such a one-dimensional feeling of alienation, but because of anxiety that arose to a minor extent.

And while I was lost in random thoughts, out of habit, I just held it close to my nose for a moment to check the condition of my clothes.

In that state, the lingering feeling of the temptation I had overcome just before overlapped, and the time was inadvertently prolonged a little.

“Licia?”

“Oh.”

My slowly spinning head refused to accept reality.

It would have been better if we had at least reacted, but it felt like death if we stayed still.

After an awkward silence, Heine said he was sorry for disturbing him and quietly turned around and left the tent.

The hand that tried to grab it only cut through the air, and immediately afterwards, Lisia kicked the blanket with all her might.

Of course, I trusted Heine. He said he would act as if nothing had happened, so he was going to keep his word true.

However, the biggest reason for shame was not the fact that someone else knew, but the fact that I knew it myself.

Lisia looked at her clenched fist with a blank face.

Heine would have pretended not to notice. If he hits his head and faints and wakes up, wouldn’t it be the completion of a world where everyone is happy?

I could tell without even looking at the water that my face was very red right now.

And it was when Raven returned a little while later that Lisia, who had been dozing gloomily on the bed, stopped moving.

*****

I left the Emperor languishing among land-hungry nobles.

That was what it was like to begin with, and it seemed as if he himself was slowly walking a tightrope and trying to maintain discipline.

“Your charge?”

“Ah, Lord Raven.”

“You could have waited inside or called later.”

“No, I didn’t wait long.”

And when I returned to my tent, where I left it to its own devices, the princess was waiting in front of my tent.

The reason why he was waiting outside was because Lisia, who had taken the concept of an innocent civilian anyway, was telling a story that she shouldn’t have heard.

However, he only exchanged brief greetings with Heine and received appropriate compliments.

This was enough to say that it was an important and political story.

“Are you not accepting the position of count?”

“For now, yes. How ridiculous would it be if you only wanted rights without having any land.”

“That’s also true. Since no one will go anywhere anyway, it’s just a matter of having a little patience… … .”

Heine glanced back toward my tent and continued.

“Licia will like it.”

“Yes?”

“When you become a nobleman, things tend to happen that go against your will.”

I know what you’re saying.

What is commonly called a noble marriage.

Although I am not yet a noble, it was an extension of the marriage stories from noble families that I often received.

“After all, a marriage between a knight and a commoner would be better than a marriage between an earl and a commoner.”

“… Did you know?”

Heine smiled quietly.

In fact, the Count of Ravenna knew about it, so there was no way she wouldn’t know about it since she was the princess.

“Licia likes you very much.”

“I think it’s a little too much affection. What’s so good about a guy like this, Won.”

Heine, who had opened his mouth a few times after what I said, sighed softly and added in a muttering tone.

“I think maybe that’s the problem… … .”

“… … ?”

“I should also tell Lisia to aim for a more sound direction.”

After saying words with no context, the princess returned. I thought about the meaning behind it for a while, but in the end, I couldn’t come to a conclusion, so I put it away in a corner of my mind.

Anyway, if the day comes when I need it, my future self will take care of it.

I turned around, lifted the tent slightly, and went inside.

“I went there.”

“Hot!”

I only said one word, but the response I received was dynamic.

Licia, who seemed to be muttering something with her face buried in the bed, jumped upright.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Even though I was just standing there and staring, Lisia was trying to avoid my gaze.

what. Is it late puberty?

*****

The next day, I came out again to the battlefield, which had been roughly resolved.

This time, instead of Sancho and the knights who were running together, Licia walked by his side.

Likewise, there were soldiers on the battlefield exploring for treasure, but they moved to avoid them.

Only when I decided I had reached the right point did I open my mouth, scanning the floor with a compass tied to a pole.

“So, the name is… … .”

“Sacre Coeur.”

“Yes, Father Sapiens.”

I lifted up the plank that had once been part of the shield with my foot. There was something that looked like an ornament underneath.

It doesn’t look that expensive, and the compass response wasn’t too harsh. I think it might be a bracelet I got cheaply at a church.

“There was one thing the priest asked me to do before he left.”

“Obviously, I asked you not to leave the Vatican.”

But the important thing was not the relics dug out of the ground, but the fact that the girl and I could walk around alone without being disturbed.

I roughly put the bracelet in my pocket, thinking I could dispose of it later at a reasonable price. But my mind was a little complicated.

“His Majesty the Emperor has decided that the next destination is the Holy See.”

“And telling us not to leave means that we will first enter the city, right?”

“It doesn’t mean that we should sit down in front of the walls and protest until the end. And entering the city means that victory in the civil war is assured.”

“Then is there any reason not to leave there? It doesn’t mean you should settle there. Raven will also go to the County of Ravenna when the war is over… … .”

I walked along the forest for a while, but still couldn’t think of a good reason.

However, if there is one lesson I have learned from living in the Middle Ages for a long time, it is that it is not impossible for events to pop up in unexpected places.

If it was that kind of thing, even trying to think about it in the first place was a waste of time.

“I’m not sure either.”

“Me too. Still, only time will tell. I’m sure the wandering saint wouldn’t have said anything harmful to us.”

The girl’s face, as she was thinking about something, turned slightly red at some point.

“Could it really take more than a year?”

“If I go from here to the Vatican, it will be around summer. If the siege becomes longer, it may take longer than that, but I guess it’s up to me to work hard to finish it as quickly as possible.”

“Well, next year, I too will be an adult.”

“Huh?”

“You know, right?”

“Of course I know. It’s already been so long.”

He grew significantly taller and his age grew longer. Only after a long time had passed did he show off his presence.

I’m not talking about the war, but about the time before that.

So, I thought back to when I first picked up the girl, when I took her to church, and when she went to college.

Although we couldn’t find the saint with a compass this time, we looked back a long time.

*****

War is the perfect opportunity to decide between good and bad.

It would be best if it didn’t happen in the first place, but it was only natural to take advantage of it once it did happen.

While the camp was being dismantled, Heinrich welcomed the unexpected guests with open arms.

Those who had not actively participated in the rebellion were the first to bow down, and carrots of reconciliation were given to them one by one.

The rebels who resisted most fiercely did not show up in the first place, so there was no chance for the whip to be pulled.

A declaration was announced to start resistance again by enthroning a new emperor, but it did not attract much attention.

In any case, since the focus was lost and there were only a few small-scale clashes, the emperor was relieved and turned his horse to the south, leaving behind only the minimum number of soldiers to maintain security.

And, perhaps because he was an experienced person, he crossed the Alpine Mountains easily and without any problems this time, as he had already crossed them once.

“Arrived!”

“It’s been a while since I came here. It’s still a place that looks familiar.”

We marched along the ridge and finally arrived at Canossa Castle.