bookpower Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Time flowed quickly, and it was soon early October.With the harvest finished, all the kingdom's citizens were expressing their gratitude towards the royal capital where the King resided, just as they had this year.
"Another bountiful year! It must be because the great King rules this land!"
"Hahahaha! Of course! A toast to the great King!"
—Cheers!!
Not only in the city's taverns but also in the small pubs in the countryside, the sounds of praise for the King never ceased.
It was only natural. Their lives themselves were happy thanks to their proud and great King.
A world where no one starved.
A world where no one had to worry for their lives.
A world where anyone who worked hard could live a better life than yesterday.
How could they not praise the King who had created such a world, one that seemed to come straight out of a fairy tale?
Gulp—.
A man who had deliciously downed his drink spoke in an excited voice.
"Ah, did you hear? They say Commander Jereuth is getting married!"
"Commander Jereuth? Who is his partner?"
"I heard she's an elf."
"Oh… an elf!"
His drinking companion exclaimed in admiration.
"As expected of Commander Jereuth. To take such a beauty as his wife."
"Do you even know who that elf is?"
"I don't. But I went to the northern fortress during the last war, didn't I? I saw many elves then, so I know. All elves are truly handsome men and beautiful women."
"Oho!"
As such pleasant conversation flowed.
Another man in the pub brought up a different topic.
"Did you hear about this? They say the dwarves are building a huge ship at the western port."
"I heard. They say they're building it with human craftsmen and giants. But why are they building such a large ship?"
"Well, a merchant friend told me that the ship was designed by His Majesty himself, and that it carries Gryphons."
"…Carry Gryphons on a ship? Why?"
"How would I know? The great King must have a need for it, so he's having it built."
"Indeed, it's not like guys like us can understand the King's profound thoughts."
As the cheerful voices and conversations continued.
Thump—!
Someone forcefully opened the pub door and entered. Since it was a noisy pub, everyone didn't pay much attention, but then someone recognized the man who entered and called out happily.
"Dax! Are you back?! You went to the royal capital on the lord's orders, didn't you!"
At the man's cheerful words, everyone in the pub turned their gaze to Dax.
"I just got back today."
"Oh! Why did you go to the royal capital? What for?"
"I went to learn skills from the dwarves."
"…Skills? From the dwarves?"
"Yes. It was an experience that made me realize I was a frog in a well. As a blacksmith, I was a truly terrible one."
Everyone in the pub was surprised by Dax's words.
"What do you mean, you're a terrible blacksmith? What are you talking about! You've been the best blacksmith from your youth until now!"
"I thought so too. Before I saw a skill that was ‘above.’"
"……."
"I am simply grateful to His Majesty. For bringing the dwarves to the kingdom so that I could further develop this lacking skill of mine."
Dax, who spoke calmly like a sage who had attained great enlightenment, took something out of his bag.
It was a dagger the size of a hand.
"This is a dagger I made with the skills I learned from the dwarves."
"…It doesn't look particularly special."
"It might look that way on the outside. But—!"
Clang—!
Dax forcefully struck a nearby stone decoration with the dagger. Everyone was surprised by the sudden outburst, but what surprised them even more was the state of the dagger.
"My goodness… there's not even a scratch?"
"Yes, do you understand now? Why I said I was a frog in a well?"
"……."
"This is the skill I learned from the dwarves. A way to make swords harder and lighter. It is the basis of blacksmithing skills, but also its pinnacle. Blacksmiths hammer away every day to create harder and lighter weapons."
Everyone in the pub nodded at Dax's words.
They didn't know much about swords, but not just swords, but also farming tools were much better if they were hard and light.
Dax carefully put the dagger back in his backpack and said.
"Well, anyway, ‘Dax's Smithy’ will be open again from tomorrow, so please come by. I'll make you farming tools or whatever for cheap."
After finishing his words, Dax snatched and drank his nearby friend's drink. Immediately, the two started bickering, and the atmosphere in the pub returned to its usual boisterous state.
However, the topic of conversation did not change much.
This night was too short to praise all of the King's greatness.
***
While the greatness of the King and the marriage of Jereuth are becoming hot topics in every city.
The royal castle was naturally buzzing with those two topics as well.
Among them, ‘Jereuth’s marriage’ was the biggest issue.
Because that wedding was today.
Hooo—.
‘…Why am I so nervous about this? Acting my age, I am not.’
Jereuth let out a deep sigh and wiped the faint beads of sweat from his forehead. At that, a maid beside him flinched and gently, very, very gently, chided Jereuth.
"…Commander, I've told you repeatedly. Please don't touch your face. Your makeup will smudge."
"…My apologies."
"I'll fix your makeup, so please, please don't touch it. It's not easy to match the color."
For the first time in his life, Jereuth had worn makeup. To be precise, it was the first time he had ever touched cosmetics.
‘If His Majesty hadn't told me to wear makeup, I never would have.’
The reason Leonardo ordered Jereuth to wear makeup.
It was because he looked too much older than Silvia.
‘"What will people think if the groom looks as old as his father-in-law? Cover your wrinkles with makeup, and also cover your face, tanned from the battlefield. Like a new groom."
—That’s what he said.’
He was truly grateful for the King's consideration.
But—.
‘…This is a bit much, though.’
Born a farmer's son, Jereuth had met a master by chance, had his talent for the sword recognized, and walked the path of a knight.
Since then, he had been active in various wars and became a hero.
Because of that, he had never cared about adornments like clothes or accessories.
So ‘makeup,’ which could be called the pinnacle of adornment, was bound to be uncomfortable.
‘But if it’s His Majesty’s order, I must follow it.’
As Jereuth was thinking.
Click—.
Someone opened the door and entered. There were only two people in this kingdom who could enter the room Jereuth was in without knocking.
One was the woman Jereuth loved, Silvia.
And the other was—.
"Haha, Commander. What's with that expression? It's a happy day."
The great king whom the kingdom respected and loved, Leonardo.
As Jereuth tried to stand up and greet him, Leonardo waved his hand to stop Jereuth.
"Just stay seated. You'll have to be on your feet all day, so you should rest now."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. You must be busy, what brings you here?"
"I was just curious to see how you were doing."
While saying it was nothing.
Leonardo gave a look to the maids in the room. A subtle glance telling them to leave the room.
—Click.
Understanding Leonardo's intention, all the maids in the room left.
Leonardo pulled a chair in front of Jereuth, sat down, and spoke.
"You're going to say it today, right? That you're stepping down from the position of Knight Commander."
"Yes, Your Majesty. You've created a gathering for all the vassals, so I plan to say it today."
"There will be quite a bit of confusion. Are you sure you won't reconsider? You still look to be in your forties with all this makeup."
"Haha… you're teasing this old soldier, Your Majesty. I appreciate the words, but I no longer have the skill or stamina to lead the Knight Order. As I've aged, my spirit has weakened, unlike in the past."
"Is that so? I still find you the most reliable in the military, Commander."
At Leonardo's words, Jereuth couldn't hide his smile. To be told that by the lord he respected was the highest praise.
But Jereuth's will was firm.
"I will continue to serve Your Majesty as a single knight. If you command me to fight, I will fight, and if you command me to die, I will die. But now is the time to entrust it to the ‘next generation.’ To the young generation who can protect Your Majesty to the end, unlike this old me."
"Is that next generation Yoanna?"
At the king who specifically mentioned ‘Yoanna,’ Jereuth was slightly surprised, but then nodded as if it were to be expected.
"You have good instincts, as always. That's right. Not just Yoanna, but the lower-ranking knights who are growing, and the knight squires. They will become another ‘3rd Knight Order’ and protect Your Majesty."
"……."
"Your Majesty, I believe Yoanna will protect you to the very end. Of course, since that knight is a woman, her strength is lacking compared to other knights. But Yoanna has the swordsmanship talent to overcome a man's strength. And above all… Yoanna's loyalty to Your Majesty is greater than any other knight. She has more than just loyalty to the king."
"Hmm…."
Leonardo let out a slightly regretful sigh.
‘So Jereuth quitting as Knight Commander is an unavoidable future. It's flowing exactly as it was in the
Of course, he could forcibly keep Jereuth as the Knight Commander.
But if you force someone to do something they don't want to do, it won't yield good results.
‘It can’t be helped.’
"I understand. I will respect the Commander's wishes."
Leonardo stood up from his seat and spoke in a light voice, as if to dispel the heavy atmosphere from a moment ago.
"Then please have a son within the next year and raise him to be the best knight. Since Lady Silvia is an Elder Elf, the son she gives birth to will be born with the talents of both you and Lady Silvia. Sir Elvandor said it's fine for elves to have one child with other races."
"Haha… I will do my best. But Your Majesty."
"Yes?"
"Even if Silvia and I have a child… even if a half-elf like Your Majesty is born, he will never be as great a person as Your Majesty."
"……."
"You are a great person, the likes of which this kingdom will never see again."
At Jereuth's somewhat sudden praise.
Leonardo gave an awkward smile and then replied calmly.
"I hope the history of this kingdom will also evaluate me that way. The ‘history’ that the people of this kingdom will write… a diary."
"It will surely be so."
"Haha… yes. Then I'll be going. I shouldn't keep bothering the groom."
With those words, Leonardo left the room.
Watching the King's back, Jereuth also smiled faintly.
‘He is indeed a very humble person. My King.’
***
Time passed quickly again, and it was mid-November.
A cold winter was coming to the Plank Kingdom, but the hearts of the kingdom's people were warm. It was because this winter was more abundant than any other they had experienced.
However, far across the southern sea of the kingdom, at a port in the Jerpan Archipelago, a tense situation was unfolding.
—The envoy ship from the Plank Kingdom is docking!
At a soldier's words, the knight in charge of the port swallowed nervously.
‘An envoy from the Plank Kingdom, so suddenly… what's going on.’
It hadn't been long since the ‘Era of the Broken Crown’ ended.
A strange rumor was circulating in the Jerpan Archipelago. A rumor that ‘the Grand Lord and the lords have decided to attack the Plank Kingdom.’
Many people thought it was just a simple rumor, but the knights and soldiers were different.
Because the lords were building new ships.
‘The lords didn't even explain why they were building new ships.’
The rumor that they would attack the Plank Kingdom across the sea, and the lords building many ships around the same time.
The knights and soldiers were not unaware of what the two meant.
It meant that another war would break out.
‘More importantly… I have to deal with them first.’
The knight thought as he looked at the Plank Kingdom's ship entering the port.
He showed a certain level of courtesy to the people disembarking from the ship and spoke.
"I have been informed that you are envoys from the Plank Kingdom across the sea. You must have had a long journey."
While speaking politely, the knight observed the envoys from the Plank Kingdom.
Their atmosphere was anything but ordinary. It seemed that each one of them possessed skills that could not be ignored.
‘What's more concerning is… is this an envoy? They look like pirates.’
The tall, long-haired man at the very front was at least wearing armor, but the others were no different from any other pirate.
There was even one who openly glared at the soldiers with a weapon slung over his shoulder.
The tall, long-haired man in armor also didn't look like an ordinary envoy, with the long scar across his face.
"Thank you for the welcome. I am Ronak, who has received a direct order from the great King, King Leonardo. I am the representative of the envoys."
"Ah… yes."
The knight replied hesitantly. It was because the attitude of the man who called himself the ‘representative of the envoys’ was not that of an envoy.
There was no courtesy, let alone politeness. It was hard to think of him as an envoy of a country.
‘Still, he’s an envoy, so I must treat him politely for now.’
"Sir Ronak. You can discuss the details with the Grand Lord's vassal when he arrives from the territory. However, before that, may I ask you one thing?"
"What is it?"
"I am curious about the reason the King of Plank sent an envoy. I am asking because I also need to have some understanding before the Grand Lord's vassal arrives, so I would be grateful if you could tell me in as much detail as possible—."
Before the knight could finish his words.
Ronak cut him off and spoke coldly.
"My King has spoken. That you will attack the Plank Kingdom."
"……?"
"I am here to confirm that."
Shing—.
Ronak drew his sword, letting it hang long, and finished his words.
"My King told me to judge for myself. So if I judge that you will attack my King, I will kill you. Every single one of you in my sight."
"……."
"Even if I fail, the great King and numerous knights who are stronger than me will do it in my stead."
To say such things with only the personnel of three ships.
It was arrogant. It was conceited, and a remark that ignored the Jerpan Archipelago.
However.
‘This man… is serious.’
That man named ‘Ronak’ seemed confident.
Confident that he could kill everyone in sight.
He also seemed confident that even if he himself failed, his king would avenge him.
‘…What kind of place is the Plank Kingdom, where there are many who are stronger than this man? And what kind of person is that king?’
The ‘show of force before diplomacy’ that Ronak had intended.
It was the moment of its success.