novelraw Chapter 78 : Chapter 78
Chapter 78 : Chapter 78
Chapter : 78
-The Bellua Margrave's army has been summoned-!
-The target is the mouth of the Ariège River, another battle unfolds-!
The rumor spread so quickly that by the time I finished organizing my troops, various people had gathered around me.
“If our Elf King has acknowledged him, it must be fine to join him! Margrave! I will join you as well.”
Wandering elf knights who had arrived late and couldn't go to the front lines.
“May the grace of the Holy Mother Mary be with you. Drawn by your Excellency's beautiful piety, we have come to lend our strength. Please accept us.”
And paladins supported by the Knightly Order of Saint Mary.
They were in many ways proud and lived by their own self-importance, but they were still a very powerful cavalry force.
For me, whose army was mostly infantry, it was a welcome opportunity, like a drop of rain in a drought. Of course, I didn't think they would listen to my commands well.
But I readily allowed them to join and began to advance rapidly towards the mouth of the Ariège River.
“Meeeh-! Lord-nimu. Do you have a plan? Mer?”
“Hmm? A plan?”
When we were nearing the mouth of the Ariège River, Bishop Marco suddenly asked.
“Meeeh. Didn't you say a curse was placed there? You must break the curse, Lord-nimu!”
“That's right. Didn't you say the river suddenly turned blood-red? This is very similar to a curse I read about in a history book.”
“Mehehehe! That's right.”
“Hmmmm.”
Bishop Marco and Magician Agpiel seemed to think this phenomenon was due to divine punishment.
But I was a little different.
A phenomenon where water suddenly turns red.
In fact, wouldn't a modern person have seen and heard about it a lot and roughly guessed what it was?
‘It seems like a red tide phenomenon.’
Although it mainly occurred in the sea, red tides sometimes happened in freshwater as well.
And the red tide phenomenon in freshwater was exactly like the phenomenon the messenger had described.
Crimson, blood-colored water.
Freshwater red tides turned so dark red that if you didn't know anything, you would really think it was blood.
“Isn't it just... simple pollution? Magician Agpiel. I've heard that when water is polluted, it can turn crimson. If you think about it, when rusted iron is exposed to water, doesn't the water turn crimson?”
“Oh? Now that you mention it, that seems plausible. A fresh idea.”
“Meeeh! But what if it's a real curse? Mer!”
“That is also a valid point. I know well that you don't really believe in curses or superstitions.... But rumors usually have a reason.”
“Mm, I understand. I will be careful, Magician Agpiel.”
In the mindset of people in the [Pangea Universalise] era, it was something that could be fully accepted as divine punishment.
Besides.
‘Well, it’s not wrong, though.’
This was even more so in a world where gods, magic, and various mysteries actually existed. It would be awkward if I went there thinking it was a red tide and it turned out to be a real divine punishment.
Then, Bishop Marco, the goat beastman who had been listening quietly from the side, let out a goat's cry as if pleased.
“Meheheheheheh!”
“?”
“Our Lord-nimu. Do not worry! Meeeh. Just trust me. Meeeh!”
“Huh?”
“Meheheh! I brought a ton of holy water. Mer! If it's a real curse, I'll pour it all into the river. Mer.”
As he said that, Bishop Marco pointed behind him. There, three large wagons were moving with a creak.
‘I was wondering why he brought those...’
I was inwardly impressed.
For the world's biggest miser, Bishop Marco, to spend money on me! This was truly an event that could turn heaven and earth upside down.
And it seemed I wasn't the only one with this thought.
“Did that goat beastman eat something wrong? Did he eat some cursed food?”
Even Magician Agpiel found it hard to believe and was whispering to me.
“Magician Agpiel….”
“K-Keuhum. Isn't it hard for you to believe too? To think I would see a person change in my lifetime.”
“Don't be like that. He's a decent (?) friend.”
Then Bishop Marco came closer and tilted his head.
“Mwa?”
“It's nothing. I was just praising your thorough preparedness.”
“Meheheheheh! Lord-nimu. It's nothing. It's nothing to make a fuss about. Mer.”
At my words, Bishop Marco let out the goat beastman's characteristic cry and squirmed. As expected... he's quick on the uptake.
And as we were having these small happenings.
“Uwaaaah!! It really is a curse!”
“Oh God. Save this little lamb!”
The camp began to stir.
We had arrived at the mouth of the Ariège River.
* * *
The color red, in many ways, had a magical element that captivated people's hearts.
A certain magic that made hearts pound and made people anxious.
In that sense, when we arrived at the mouth of the Ariège River, it was only natural for people to fall into chaos and fear.
“It's red.”
“That's right. It really is... blood-colored, Magician Agpiel.”
“Meeeh! It's a curse. A curse!”
“Oh God. Human Lord. Is this really going to be alright?”
The mouth of the Ariège River was truly crimson. It looked so much like blood that I could almost smell the scent of blood at the tip of my nose.
‘Hmm, but it doesn't seem like a mystery, though?’
After experiencing mysteries several times while receiving the goddess's blessing, I now had a certain feeling for it.
That there was a unique wavelength to the strange phenomena where mysteries operated.
But there was none here.
“Like you said, it doesn't seem to be a strange phenomenon like a mystery or a curse.”
And it seemed Magician Agpiel had the same thought.
“Oh, is that so? I thought so too.”
“Hmm. Then this means it's a natural phenomenon.... I have no idea. Or could it be divine punishment?”
“Meeeh! Divine punishment? Then even holy water won't work? Mer?”
But as expected, even Magician Agpiel didn't know everything.
I left the fuss-making Bishop Marco behind and headed to the bank of the Ariège River.
“M-Margrave, Your Excellency.”
“It's fine. No need for formalities, step aside.”
On the crimson, blood-like river, there were numerous dead fish floating belly-up.
Just in case, I scooped up some water with my hand, but as expected, it didn't smell like blood, but rather a slightly nauseating rotten smell.
‘Hmm. It certainly seems like a red tide.’
It was just as my information told me. That meant the method to solve it was also the same.
‘What a relief. If it had been a real curse or something, there would have been no answer.’
I let out a sigh of relief and stood up. Surprisingly, the method to solve the red tide was very easy.
All you had to do was scoop up yellow clay, dry it well, and then sprinkle it on the water polluted by the red tide. Of course, the yellow clay itself did not purify the red tide.
The red tide was a problem caused by an excessive growth of plankton.
Therefore, when yellow clay was sprinkled, its fine particles would attract the plankton and sink to the bottom, eliminating the red tide phenomenon.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, Agpiel. That is correct.”
“Hah.... It's a bit hard to believe. But since you did the same in Canton before, it must be right...”
Of course, everyone who heard that story couldn't believe it.
But whether they did or not, I moved the army back so they couldn't see the Ariège River, and then immediately ordered them to scoop up yellow clay from the surrounding area.
Once a sufficient amount was collected, I planned to pour it into the river right away.
And at the same time, I summoned the Jubo merchants who were hesitating here.
“We-we greet Your Excellency.”
The Jubo merchants seemed to be aware of the crime they had committed. As soon as they saw me, they greeted me with timid and anxious expressions.
I looked at them with a bored expression.
“Yes. Nice to meet you. Ah? Is it not nice to meet? I feel like I should be seeing you next to the Prince-elector of Bohemia, not here.”
“Th-that is, Your Excellency….”
When I said that, the Jubo merchants began to make excuses, sweating profusely.
“You have seen it, Your Excellency. The river has turned red like blood. No one wants to cross the river.”
“That's right. Everyone is whispering that it's cursed.”
“Besides, on the other side, a heretic noble is occupying it with his army. How can we provide supplies in this situation?”
In a way, it made sense.
But if they couldn't provide supplies because of this excuse, what was the reason for the contract? Then they should have gone around or by boat, but to stop like this.
Thanks to that, I couldn't even rest and had to come out to the battlefield like this-!
Besides.
“Now that it's come to this, we must stop the war.”
“Isn't it because God is angry that we have committed too much slaughter?”
They slyly tried to back out of the conversation, as if they didn't want to go any further.
Watching them, I was just dumbfounded. Weren't they saying they would take the money and stop right here? That couldn't be allowed.
“Really? Then is it all because of that?”
“Yes, yes. That is correct, Your Excellency.”
“If you just get rid of that, we will move immediately.”
My blood was boiling, but there was nothing I could do. This was the mindset of the people of this era.
“Fine. Then I will take care of that.”
“What?”
“A-Are you serious?”
At that, the Jubo merchants were startled and asked back.
“Yes. Can't I solve something like that?”
“Even if Your Excellency is someone who performs miracles….”
They seemed to find it difficult to believe my boast. At their expression, I threatened them and said.
“Don't worry. I will take care of everything. But!”
“But…?”
“If I solve this, you will have to pay a price for exceeding the promised time. Understood?”
“Y-Yes, we understand, Your Excellency.”
* * *
The heretic noble's camp across the river.
The once quiet place suddenly became noisy.
“This is a disaster!”
“What disaster do you speak of? Sir. Calm down.”
“That man. That damn bastard has come here.”
“A damn bastard?”
Viscount Avignon, the commander leading the heretic army, tilted his head.
Who was this damn bastard that could startle this oafish knight?
Then the knight, panting, opened his mouth.
“The Performer of Miracles, I mean!”
“Ah. Him? The Bellua Margrave?”
“That's right. He is here now.”
“Hah? Already?”
It was truly a swift movement.
He had just departed from Mangtong City a while ago, but to think he had already arrived.
But unlike the knight before him, Viscount Avignon was not greatly disturbed.
‘There are many words about him being a Performer of Miracles and all that, but in the end, he's probably just a figure created by the Holy See.’
Viscount Avignon had never seen a miracle in his life.
He had only seen charlatan mendicant friars who claimed to perform miracles themselves. Such friars would speak the truth with just one fire-heated iron bar.
So, to Viscount Avignon, the appearance of the Bellua Margrave was actually a joy.
“I was wondering what it was. What is there to fear about that liar, Sir.”
“A-A liar? How can you say that when so many people have seen his miracles, Viscount Avignon.”
“Hahaha. There is no such thing. And even if he knows how to perform miracles, do you think he can turn back that crimson river?”
Viscount Avignon scoffed and pointed to the distant Ariège River.
The river, stained crimson.
That was not a curse or some strange phenomenon.
God, God Himself-!
It was a divine punishment sent down directly to warn this corrupt world.
“Oh, God….”
“That's right. You are right.”
“So do not be swayed, my comrades. If the Bellua Margrave dares to challenge us. I will gladly defeat him.”
The murmuring in the room subsided for a moment, and prayers praising God rang out. Viscount Avignon watched this and smiled pleasantly.
As long as God's divine punishment existed.
They would surely not be defeated.