111
Wise modern man
The plan was simple.
‘It causes conflict between the younger brother and the royal knight.’
If the two clashed, it was obvious that they would return to their respective territories and fight politically, as was the case with nobles.
Even if he was an imperial knight, there was no way he could immediately kill a count, and his younger brother would not do something as crazy as touching an imperial knight.
No matter how intense the conflict becomes, it will end with them exchanging harsh words and blushing.
The imperial knight will return to the imperial court and report the count’s rudeness, and the younger brother will use the count’s connections to deal with him politically.
It was also clear that the brothers’ great undertaking would be put on hold, even if only a little.
The Imperial Knight is happy because he has an excuse to return to the Imperial Palace after completing his mission, and the younger brother is happy because he has time to check on the great undertaking with his brothers.
It’s good that Cassidy is quiet.
‘A happy ending for everyone.’
Then how can I make them blush?
If you put two people who don’t get along well together in the same place, they’re sure to blush.
If not, there’s nothing I can do.
It was a challenge without any particular risk.
‘It seems like the royal knight has no intention of moving. Then, my younger brother is the problem…’
Awu was staring at me with a thoughtful face.
It seemed like he had no intention of leaving right away.
‘Are you worried that if you leave, I’ll make you an Imperial Stew?’
If your brother seems about to cause an accident, it is your duty as a brother to stop him.
And if there was no bloodshed, it could have been resolved along the lines of Count Bechardt.
I looked at my brother for a moment, my hands shaking, and then I picked up the bread in front of me.
And then very slowly he devoured him.
I also took a sip of beer because my throat was blocked in the middle.
There was no problem.
I was wearing a cape.
The verse that says not to leave food behind was one of the most famous lines in the Bible.
‘It would have been easier if I had just been an honorary priest instead of an honorary monk…’
Auga made a strange expression, and the royal knight frowned.
I ate slowly, admiring them.
I savored it by chewing it thoroughly so that I wouldn’t get choked up if I ate it too quickly.
It was the imperial knight who broke the subtle silence that had continued for a moment.
“The East is in shambles because of vampires, and Count Behart, who manages them, is leisurely drinking in a tavern… So there was a reason why he suffered such damage from a mere vampire. Tsk.”
The imperial knight provoked him by touching the spear he had set up next to him.
I turned my head slightly and crumpled my face and bread so that only my brother could see it.
‘I’m angry.’
I muttered to myself and it made me really angry.
The moment before an accident.
I wasn’t sure if this would work, but if it didn’t, I could just eat the crumpled bread for easier eating.
As my fists began to tremble, a look of urgency appeared on my brother’s face.
“You, who came out under the imperial command, don’t you drink alcohol here too?”
‘yes!’
I was secretly delighted at Awoo’s cool rebuttal.
A look of confusion appeared on the royal knight’s face.
It seems he didn’t expect that he, a knight of the royal family, would hear such harsh words.
“I have never had a drink since I left the palace.”
The imperial knight, whose expression hardened, replied.
“That being said, you smell strongly of wine.”
“They said he was the lion of the east, but it turns out he was the dog of the east.”
The royal knight grumbled, but his younger brother’s expression remained the same.
In fact, the imperial knights could not win in a fight of words.
In the first place, since he had been wearing the shell of Count Behard, he could not have been offended by insulting Count Behard.
‘That’s foul play.’
I naturally predicted the winner.
“Do you know the difference between a lion and a dog?”
The royal knight’s right cheek trembled slightly at his younger brother’s unexpected question.
I observed the spear in his hand.
There was a worn part at the end of the spear.
‘It took longer than I thought.’
I assumed that I had grabbed it and measured the distance.
When the royal knight did not answer, his younger brother continued.
“A lion doesn’t show his teeth recklessly. He just stands his ground and bites the back of the neck if someone crosses the line. But what about a dog? He barks at anyone who seems even the slightest threat. Woof, woof. Do you think I’m a dog?”
‘You were an animal lover.’
I was impressed by the Animal Farm-level explanation.
“You are talking nonsense. It doesn’t matter whether you are a dog or a lion. You are just an insect before His Majesty.”
The royal knights were making a fuss.
“Do you think it would be different?”
My brother immediately counterattacked.
Sharp opposition.
The voices got louder and louder, making it more enjoyable to watch.
Each of them had a subordinate behind them, and they couldn’t back down because their teeth had already been exposed.
It was all the more exquisite because the balance between the two was strangely right.
‘This is fun.’
An emergency escape button had already been thought of in case things got too heated.
I looked at them both while fiddling with the cape.
***
‘You have great patience. You can endure it even in front of an imperial knight.’
Roxit, in the form of Count Behard, looked sideways and admired.
His brother Aaron showed his anger with his whole body, shaking his hands and making a fierce expression, but he did not act on it.
He was so patient that it was hard to believe he was a ‘set’ of brothers.
The bravery of the three was very famous among the brothers.
Of course, bravery and ignorance were similar, but the force of the ‘set’ turned him into bravery.
‘Since then, all three brothers have disappeared, and I never thought they would be in a remote place like this…’
The moment she first met Aaron, Roxit had a gut feeling that he was one of the ‘Set’ brothers.
A huge body and ferocious face reminiscent of a giant.
Ignorance and barbarism rivaling that of barbarians.
And finally, the unique smell of ‘set’.
There was no doubt that they were the ‘three’ brothers.
But the reason I wasn’t sure until Aaron said yes was because the energy he was spreading was so strong.
Compared to the level of the other brothers, he felt lacking, but the main thing was that he was one of the ‘three’ brothers.
The ‘set’ brothers have such strong bodies that there is a story that they inherited their parents’ bodies.
However, there was also a downside to not having energy, but Aaron was not like that.
‘The three of them have powerful energy in their bodies and have incredible endurance.’
Although his physical strength may be lacking, he was stronger than any body I had ever seen.
Occasionally, a brother appears who exceeds the standards.
Those people become the eldest sons.
He was destined to become the eldest son of ‘Set’.
‘The three of them were cut off… We must take care of them.’
The plan went a bit awry as the spell cast on Count Behar wore off and he ate it faster than expected, but for now, it was a blessing in disguise.
Even considering the tangled nature of the plan, it was worth saving the eldest brother on the ‘set’ side.
‘Imperial knight. Hypocrite among hypocrites.’
They were the ones who chose hypocrisy even when faced with the truth.
The resulting power was somewhat threatening, but the level of those currently in Cassidyk was not that high.
‘If we just avoid armed conflict, it can be hushed up sufficiently.’
Since the royal family also had brothers, it was clear that they would be able to handle it.
He himself would never do something stupid like clashing with an imperial knight, but his brother, who seemed to be holding back his anger, was the problem.
As expected from the set of brothers, there was a high possibility that they would become brave.
I had to somehow keep my brother from exploding.
At that moment, the brother roughly put down the beer mug, and the beer that spurted out hit the hypocrite’s arm.
Roxy opened her mouth in panic as the hypocrite glared at her brother.
***
“Isn’t that you, the dog?”
‘Oh…, it’s coming out strong?’
The royal dog.
It was a typical derogatory term used to refer to royal knights.
Of course, it was a nickname that was called in secret because it was the imperial knights’ seizure button, so if you called it out in front, it would be a big problem.
But my brother spoke of him openly.
The atmosphere among the royal knights instantly became heavy due to Aou’s rash remarks that were out of context.
‘Not bad.’
I glanced at him to gauge his momentum.
“What you just said. Are you talking about me?”
The royal knight fact-checked,
“You’re a dog that understands such words. I’m sorry.”
Auga’s expressionless face only raised the corners of his lips.
“You are being polite to me because I am your Count. You are talking nonsense without even knowing the place. Behard.”
The royal knight spat out the words.
‘You were being polite. Western manners…’
The bread in my mouth tasted sweet as the tension grew.
“You are mistaken. It was not you who extended the courtesy.”
Awoo’s hand went down under the table again.
Ku-ung.
As the imperial knight struck the ground with his spear, soldiers from both sides rushed out one by one.
Although the younger brother had a rash of injuries, it didn’t seem like it would lead to bloodshed.
It seemed like he was just gathering his side for a full-scale fight.
It is natural for humans to become braver when there are more of them.
“You rule over the mediocre people of the East, in the abandoned lands, and you have forgotten your own duties. Behart.”
“I am Count Behart. How dare you call me by my name. Education seems to be a mess these days.”
“I only serve Your Majesty. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Who knows that you do not serve your Majesty? Who among those who have set foot on the continent does not serve your Majesty? The world does not flow without hierarchy, because there is a hierarchy within it. However, it seems that there is no order among the imperial knights.”
‘As expected of a devil, he speaks better than a knight.’
The royal knight’s face turned red at Aou’s unstoppable logic.
I was immediately angry, but I couldn’t seem to think of anything to say to him.
‘1 to 0.’
I scored the meat as I tore at it.
The argument continued to escalate after that, but unlike the excited imperial knight, Au’s face was relaxed.
The score on Au’s side continued to rise.
At this point, it was close to a decision win.
‘If reinforcements come, it’ll be a different story.’
I took a quick look around.
The knights behind Behar had tense expressions on their faces, but the imperial knight did not show any sign of fear; he only raised his voice.
‘How many knights can one imperial knight fight against?’
The strength of the imperial knights was not known exactly, nor was it measured.
You could probably deal with at least two, but the actual battle wasn’t measured simply by numbers.
This was a place where even the imperial knights, if they let their guard down, would get stabbed in the back of the head by a weasel hiding behind the door and end up in a coma.
Then, the door opens.
The knights I saw at the garlic pear duel came running in.
‘You’ve summoned all the knights.’
Among the nobles gathered for Yeong-ae’s birthday, there was no one who could refuse Count Behar’s words.
Behard was not called the Lion of the East for nothing.
The knights were momentarily confused when they saw the imperial knights, then stood behind Behart.
It seemed a little funny that they were trying to stand behind each other.
It felt like a mixed feeling, but the pressure was quite high because the number exceeded ten.
‘Pulputs didn’t come.’
In an instant, the balance of power collapsed.
Although Awu was still expressionless, the face of the Imperial Knight was distorted as if he had been hit.
A moment of silence.
The sound of someone swallowing spit was as loud as thunder.
Finally, the door opened and golden waves came in.
Three imperial knights in golden armor and a number of soldiers.
The aura they gave off was so great that the faces of the knights on Behar’s side crumpled.
The imperial knights looked around the hall, a clear sneer on their lips.
The difference was so great that the numbers were three times greater, but he didn’t feel like he was losing anything… No, he actually felt like he was enjoying this situation.
‘You were after Count Behar from the beginning.’
It was a very large bar, but with more than a dozen knights in armor, the hall felt full.
Although Behard’s side was numerically three times larger, the imperial side had more momentum.
On the other hand, the knights on Behard’s side looked very scared.
‘···Does Behard look like he’d be able to do it?’
In my opinion, the advantage was still on the side of Behard, who had more numbers, but the knights seemed to feel psychological pressure from the name of the royal family.
It was a little strange that all of the knights, not just a few, had similar expressions. It was as if they had learned something.
“Are you rebelling against the imperial ceremony now, Count Behart?”
Everyone except for Awoo trembled at the words of the royal knight.
If you get involved in the wrong situation, you could be accused of rebellion and sent on a family trip to the guillotine.
‘No, there is no imperial flag.’
If there was no imperial flag, even if it was called an imperial article, it could not be considered an imperial event.
My brother seemed to have similar thoughts to me as he slowly opened his mouth with a calm expression.
“Yes, Gromwalbetz. Do you know why the Imperial flag is long and tall?”
A random question.
Suddenly, everyone’s expressions became strange due to the Golden Bell atmosphere.
The royal knights frowned as if they knew the answer, but they did not shout out the correct answer.
When I was thinking about raising my hand and asking for a hint, my younger brother said the answer first.
“To prevent anyone from ever mentioning the royal family. To prevent anyone from causing trouble in a bar run by commoners.”
‘Did that mean anything?’
It seemed quite plausible, so I tilted my head.
Actually, the ceiling of this bar wasn’t low, but the door wasn’t that big either, so the Imperial Guard couldn’t come in.
The imperial flag could not be tilted or erected horizontally.
The atmosphere changed in an instant at Awoo’s plausible words.
In an instant, the imperial knight was branded a hooligan.
“That’s ridiculous. If I don’t have an Imperial flag, then I’m not an Imperial Knight.”
“No, you are still an Imperial Knight. And I am a Count, directly granted a title by His Majesty. How many Imperial Knights are there? At least 1,000.”
‘There’s more than I thought.’
“Then how many counts are there? At best, it wouldn’t be more than 50. How many gold coins do you think I pay to the imperial family every year? Just you, one of a thousand dogs, and me, who pays an uncountable amount of gold coins every year.”
Auga began to speak more quickly and straightened his posture.
My younger brother, who was as big as me, stretched his back out, so I naturally looked down at the royal knight opposite me.
‘···Is it really true that you are not Count Behar?’
It was such a perfect performance that even I had doubts.
“Who do you think is more loyal to the Empire, Your Majesty?”
The surroundings became quiet at Awoo’s question mixed with laughter.
Even the royal knights who had been refuting without resting for a moment were quiet.
‘If there had been an imperial flag, it would have been a different story···.’
I gave the decision to my brother.
It was an expected result.
Even if they were the imperial knights, they had little justification for beheading the count without the imperial flag.
“What a funny story. We are the swords of the royal family.”
The royal knight, sensing that he was losing his wit, spoke briefly and stood up from his seat.
Now, the perspective of the royal knight looking down.
“You are just a count from a remote region.”
He declared in a voice that was not flat like before.
‘This is coming out stronger than I thought.’
I sipped my beer and watched him.
Things were going great, and the beer was delicious.
***
‘The Imperial Knight and Count Behar are facing off in a tavern?’
As Pulpouts left the castle, he thought back to the report he had just heard.
In the first place, why is Count Behart in a commoner’s tavern in the outer castle and not the inner castle, and why is an imperial knight there?
It was a series of incomprehensible situations.
‘Things don’t seem to go as planned these days.’
Pulpouts grumbled, pressing his temples.
The problem was really constant.
It was overwhelming just to keep up.
‘The Count even summoned knights from other nobles.’
It would be foolish for Count Behar not to clash with the Imperial Knights without going crazy, but it felt excessive.
‘···That’s strange. That’s strange.’
The sense of foreboding felt from Count Behart became clearer.
However, now was the time to make a choice.
The imperial side was heavier, but it was not a situation where I could stand on Behar’s side.
The place I arrived at while pondering without an answer was a huge bar.
‘···What a wonderful Aaron rabbit.’
Pulpouts frowned at the sight of Aaron’s name again.
Count Bonita approached next to Fullfoot.
It seemed like he was waiting for the full foot without going in.
‘What does this woman want?’
I felt uneasy again at the sight of him trying to give himself strength.
‘But since we have the knight of Count Bonita, we can mediate.’
The thing to keep in mind is not to raise your hand to either side.
Baron Fullfoot took a moment to catch his breath and gestured,
A mean-looking man standing next to the bar opened the door in surprise.
The scene inside the bar caught my eye.
Two sides divided by the center.
On one side, there was a brilliant golden light gathered.
On the other side were knights in various armours and Count Bechardt.
The difference in numbers was obvious, but neither side seemed willing to back down.
A situation where even loud shouts are exchanged.
What caught Pulpouts’ attention was the figure right in the middle of the heightened tension.
‘······Aaron.’
He was at the center of the incident again.
The way he puts bread in his mouth calmly, as if he doesn’t feel the explosive atmosphere around him.
It looked really annoying.
All eyes were on Fullfoot, who arrived late.
The faces on both sides became subtle.
Since even Viscount Bonita had given him strength, it was clear that the situation would change depending on where Pulpouts chose to go.
Amidst the focused attention, Fullfoot looked at Aaron sitting in the center.
Our eyes met for a moment.
His indifferent gaze seemed to ask.
What choice will you make?
Or perhaps a look that seems to ask you to guess the answer.
And Pulpouts clicked his tongue at the sight of her bowing her head belatedly to show her respect.
‘Maybe he caused the accident and I stopped it.’
I had that thought, but shook my head.
The scale of the accident was too big to be caused by a single person.
Fullfoot turned his gaze back to the problem.
The Imperial Family and Behard.
It’s a tough choice no matter which one you choose.
But I couldn’t help but choose.
‘······It’s complicated.’
Knock knock.
The pain was so intense that the accident didn’t go away.
No, it’s a situation where no matter how much you think about it, there’s no way you’ll get an answer.
I had to choose one somehow.
‘If I had to choose the one with less damage, it would be…’
I made up my mind, but I wasn’t sure.
But there was no Geralt and no time to be verified by Nova.
Simply making a judgment on your own would most likely be wrong, and you couldn’t make that judgment on your own.
That was the reason why Fullfoot continued to drag Gerel, who was thinking of something else.
‘There’s nothing I can do.’
Fullfoot took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.
However, as soon as Aaron got up, attention was instantly drawn to him.
“I’m sorry, but it’s time for evening prayer. I’ll get up.”
Aaron spoke in a deep voice, stroking the strange cloth tied around his neck, and left the room.
The tension that had filled the room with that unexpected action collapsed in an instant.
A hidden choice revealed in a situation where there seemed to be only two options.
‘···There was such a way.’
It was also consistent with the principles that Pulpouts had established.
‘Aaron, do whatever you want.’
There was no need to worry only between the royal family and the count.
Fullfoot hurriedly placed his right hand on his forehead.
“I too must attend evening prayer. It is so late. Is there anyone who would like to join me? The abbot of the Catholic Church recites the prayers very well.”
A church event.
It was a good excuse that no one would object to.
It was also a good means to cover up the current situation.
However, the expressions on the faces of the others were so funny that Pulpouts had to try hard to hold back his laughter.
Perhaps, he thought that was the same face he had when he saw Aaron.
‘Aaron. What a wonderful man you are.’
Pullputs left the bar, revising his assessment of Aaron.
***
‘hmm···,’
The Abbot of Brighton suppressed the corners of his lips as he looked at the unusually packed hall.
‘Why did they suddenly come rushing in like this?’
The usually quiet synagogue was packed with people today.
Even among them was the Baron Pulpouts, the lord of the castle.
Baron Pulpouts was a man who never went to the synagogue unless it was for business reasons.
For such a Baron Fullfoot to come to the synagogue…
It was clear that something was up.
‘What’s different from usual…’
The Abbot of Brighton turned his gaze to the back of the chapel.
Inquisitor Joanna Ethan, her face crumpled as if she was very upset, and Honorary Monk Aaron shaking a cake next to her.
‘···Thanks to Honorary Monk Aaron.’
I had a feeling that the reason the chapel was full had something to do with the Aaronic monks messing around there.
‘The chapel is full.’
The Abbot of Brighton smiled with satisfaction as he looked out at the packed chapel.
‘I should invite Honorary Monk Aaron to worship more often from now on. I didn’t know he would be so faithful.’
At that moment, Inquisitor Joanna Ethan slipped her hand into Aaron’s cake.
Inquisitor Joanna Ethan’s eyes were still sharp, but her mouth was full of cream from eating cake.
Brighton shook his head as he tried to point it out to him, and slowly continued reading the Bible.
Perhaps because the chapel was full, the Bible was read more smoothly than usual.
“Even in the darkness, I will always light the way for you.”
···Drumroll.
‘How long has it been since you started?’
Brighton squinted his eyes at Aaron and Joanna, the inquisitors, who were snoring side by side, and read the Bible more loudly.
Then, Priest Blian, who was sitting in the front row, dozed off.
“Father Blian! Rise. We are in the middle of a service.”
The Abbot of Brighton gave a sharp rebuke.
While Father Blian looked back at him as if he was wronged, Brighton turned his gaze to the Bible.
***
‘Ahem···.’
Gesher Wind, the reserve director of the Eastern Management Agency, cleared his throat and held up the paper askew.
Across from there, Sinan Halina was staring intently.
Gesher Wind adjusted his posture, wondering how he could read the paper better.
“···What are you doing?”
In response to Sinan Halina’s question, Gesher Wind cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
“Hmm. The new tool deployed by the Central Administration in the East is called ‘hypocrites’?”
“It’s written there.”
“Ah, I see. Those hypocrites… If those who were thought to have been destroyed reappear, there will be chaos in the religious order.”
“That’s right. The church has to do something about it. They’ll probably send the Knights Templar too. But the hypocrites are no slouch either, so they should be able to meet the supply.”
Gesher Wind nodded and signed the paper with a pen.
“It’s really funny that the hypocrites and the religious sect, who share the same roots, fight to the death.”
“···Do you find this funny?”
Gesher Wind rolled his eyes for a moment at the unexpected response from Shinan Halina.
“Poohahaha! Just kidding! Just kidding!”
Only after Sinan Halina laughed did Gesher Wind laugh again.
Sinan Halina often plays pranks that are difficult to understand, so it was really difficult to get her to agree with him.
“I heard the North is having a hard time because of those who crossed the wall···.”
Gesher Wind glanced at Sinan Halina’s face as he naturally moved on to the next conversation.
‘Should I ask you to have dinner together? I’m a reserve officer now, but I’m a director now.’
Ahem···.
Gesher Wind lowered his voice.
***
Although a little agitated, both the Imperial Army and Au left Cassidy.
The Imperial Army disappeared that very day, and Au called me the next day, emphasized the invitation, and then returned.
It was clear that both of them wanted to get back up and ready for this fight.
I couldn’t follow along right away because I had a lot of things to take care of.
Plus, there was no information about that side.
As the remaining nobles all left, Cassadic regained peace in the frontier.
‘Uncivilized medieval bastards.’
Once again, the situation was cleverly resolved with the wisdom of modern people.
“Good morning, Geralt.”
Today was a security checkpoint, so I greeted the new mascot, Gerel, and stood in front of the gate.
The tall, tied face of Geralt was greeted with a fluttering wind.
Fortunately, it didn’t smell bad because it was dried well in the sun.
‘That will come down soon too.’
Judging by the fact that there was almost no flesh left, it seemed like it would come down in the near future.
“Chief! We are the carriage drivers from Castle Byzant, and we have something to tell you!”
At that moment, Berman, who was working as a security guard, raised his hand and called me.
There were three carriage drivers, surrounded by six fierce-looking mercenary friends.
It seemed like the carriage drivers had gotten together and hired a mercenary band.
It was a wise choice.
Mercenaries were untrustworthy, but those who formed a mercenary corps were also untrustworthy to some extent.
‘Even so, he’s a mercenary.’
I approached him, making a face and waving my hands wildly on purpose.
The effects were immediate.
The startled carriage drivers hid behind them and the mercenaries fiddled with the handles of their weapons.
“You have something to say?”
Gulp-.
The sound of someone swallowing answered.
“I don’t think there are any?”
“I’m sure this guy said he had something to say. Hey, buddy.”
Berman poked the coachman at the end.
The startled carriage driver shook his head wildly.
“Yeah, people who talk a lot tend to have their lungs full of air and go up high. Like Gerel over there. Everyone say hello to Gerel.”
When the guys opened their mouths and urged me to say hello again, I got startled and waved them over.
As the wind blew at that moment, Gerel’s head shook wildly and he greeted them, causing the fierce mercenaries to scream in fear.
Berman spoke to the coachman again, and a silver coin, shining brightly, rose into Berman’s palm.
“Yeah, if you go inside and cause trouble, you’ll get close to Gerel over there, so be careful. Gerel gets really lonely. What? Gerel? You like this tight-fisted guy?!”
I made a light-hearted joke, but they were so scared that they were weak-willed.
Looking at their pale faces, it seemed like they were quietly staying inside.
‘That guy is still useful even after he’s dead.’
I looked up at Geralt for a moment and then turned my gaze away.
At that moment, Jace, with a shit-chewing face, approached from inside the gate.
‘Was your face originally like that?’
I couldn’t tell them apart because their expressions were always the same.
Jace, who had noticed me, approached me with brisk strides and opened his mouth.
However, the words that came out of the illegitimate child’s mouth were unexpected.
“Commoner, Baron Fullfoot calls you.”
Unlike before, it was a peaceful time with no particular problems.
But what a sudden call. It was clear that there was some intention behind it.
‘You’ll know when you go.’
I stared at him for a moment and then nodded.
“I’ll guide you, Sa-gak-bang.”
“···Don’t shorten my name.”
Jace grumbled as he walked ahead.
