novelraw Chapter 76 : Chapter 76
Chapter 76 : Chapter 76
Chapter 76
The marquess let out a long sigh and miraculously controlled his anger.
He was the master of the famous House of Dmitry.
Dmitry of the Iron Tongue .
Those with tongues like iron did not get excited easily and waited.
Until they could swallow what they wanted.
‘Endure, I just need to endure.
The royal knights will be here soon, so I just need to endure until then.’
He had already sent a message to the royal palace through a servant, so no matter who came, as long as someone came, the problem would be solved.
‘Even if it means begging like a dog to my king, I will lock you up in the detached palace!’
Having made that vow, this matter also felt like no big deal.
‘Yes, if I can sacrifice this one body to put a leash on the mad dog of the kingdom……’
Just as he was thinking that, the prince, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling, opened his mouth.
“You know.”
The marquess remained silent.
Talking to a madman was not something an intellectual should do.
Especially if that madman was a prince who could not be hit or killed.
“Hmm……”
The prince, who was lying down, narrowed his eyes and glared this way, then chuckled.
“I’ll just talk to myself.
Just think of it as a monologue.”
The marquess decided to think of it as a dog barking.
What came out of a madman's mouth, or a dog's bark, weren't they both equally worthless?
Thinking that, he half-listened to the prince's following words.
“The knightly order will be here soon, right?
Then I'll be returning to the royal palace with them.”
A victorious smile appeared on the marquess's face.
‘It won’t be returning with them, but being dragged away by them!’
I wish he would get a few hits then for throwing such a tantrum.
Then wouldn't I be able to have a sweet sleep tonight?
Just as he was having such expectations, the prince smiled brightly and said.
“Then please take good care of the remaining soldiers.”
‘Huh?’
The marquess, who had thought the dog's bark was quite threatening, raised his head, and the prince said with a face full of smiles.
“I received twelve hundred soldiers from a total of 12 domains.
They all firmly believe that those troops will be heading to Moner.”
That mad bastard… no way?
Feeding and housing twelve hundred soldiers was not an easy task.
It wouldn't even make a dent in the marquess's storehouse, but if one day became two, and then a month, problems would surely arise.
And the noble faction would not look favorably on this situation.
They would froth at the mouth and charge in, saying there must be a reason why the troops gathered for the sake of the nation were stationed at the marquess's house.
Finally, the marquess, with his face scrunched up, opened his mouth.
“I will just send them back.”
“Try sending them back.
Then the moment Moner falls, I’ll have 12 nobles behind me.
While doubting the king and the crown prince.
No, wouldn't half of the noble faction who hear this news stand behind me?”
Grind!
The marquess changed his judgment of the prince.
From a madman to a madman who would ruin the kingdom.
Were those troops gathered in a proper way?
“Your Highness, petitions have been pouring into the royal palace day after day lately.
Pleading to stop the Orcs who are spreading the devil's horns and the sulfur of hell.”
Weren't they troops gathered through lies and propaganda?
Due to the prince's ridiculous propaganda, it had even reached a point where reports of a demonic beast called an 'Ork' in the forest of demonic beasts were not uncommon.
But the prince did not even blink at the marquess's sharp point.
“Whether they have devil's horns or not, an Orc's axe is sharp, and even without the sulfur of hell, humans cannot live in the land they live in.
And above all─”
Though gathered through lies and propaganda, Trimia was confident.
“Am I not just a madman ?”
Because a madman doing something crazy needed no reason or explanation.
That’s right.
Who would blame a madman for seeing a delusion?
It was true that he had actually gone to Moner.
It was also true that the Orcs were marching towards Moner.
In the end, if a race war were to break out, the appearance of the Orcs would not matter.
What was important was not the presence of wings or sulfur fire, but the fact that there was an enemy aiming for the kingdom's territory.
‘A madman who is viciously mad.’
So if the Orcs were to overcome Moner, the noble faction would raise their voices and point out the foolishness of the royal family.
While praising and defending the prince who had tried to stop the Orcs even after seeing the image of a demon.
“…Does Your Highness wish for the division of the kingdom?”
The marquess, with a contorted face, asked in a trembling voice, and at the question, the prince grinned, showing his teeth.
“Ha!
What are you talking about!
I just wish for the well-being of the royal family.”
The marquess, who had closed his eyes for a moment, inwardly lamented his situation.
He had dedicated his entire life to the royal family, only to be bitten by a mad dog in return.
The marquess, who had made his decision, unaware that blood was seeping from his tightly clenched hands, opened his mouth.
“Your Highness, Moner is a poison that cannot be swallowed.”
The marquess had no intention of helping Moner at all.
Even if it wasn't for the royal family's message, he had keenly felt the danger of Moner on the day he saw the World Tree and the Young Lord.
But the prince only scoffed at such a marquess.
“Well, in my view, it seems this kingdom, which is trying to boil the dog that guards the house, is the mad one.
Not recognizing its master, not being sick, and not even for food, but to boil it ‘away’.
Do you really think that is right?”
The prince's crazed eyes turned to the marquess.
“……”
The marquess met his gaze and thought.
The World Tree's prophecy, delivered by the king, had said that the kingdom would prosper only if Moner fell, and the marquess still believed those words.
But now, when it hadn't even been decided who would stop the forest of demonic beasts and how, he couldn't easily answer whether it was right for Moner to fall.
Perhaps the mad dog in front of him could be a good excuse for his own disbelief.
In the silence that continued for a while, the prince just stared blankly at the ceiling.
“…State your demands.”
In the end, the marquess decided to help Moner, just this once, just a little.
Because no matter how hard the prince tried, the ragtag troops would not be able to change anything.
Even if Moner survived, it would lose most of its troops and be left with nothing but a shell, so if Moner could just hold out until a new guard dog could be found, that too would be a welcome thing.
As he was thinking that, the prince got up, lifting his buttocks, and shouted.
“Oh my!
If I had held on a little longer, I would have pissed myself here!”
And with the words that he would come back and negotiate again, he kicked open the drawing room door and left.
‘……’
The marquess, who was looking at the spot where the prince had run out with his hands clasped, earnestly prayed that the Ork the prince had created would catch the prince.
***
Around the time Trimia was lying down and threatening the royalist faction.
Ian, who had arrived at the clearing, was taking a rest, having even set up a simple tent for a change.
“Keeeeuk……!”
There was no time for rest, but even for Ian, it was too much to walk around with his back skin peeled off.
“Reina!
A little gentler!”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Reina, who had answered in a voice that felt cold, mercilessly sprayed the Stimpack.
Chaa-reu-reuk!
“Kuaaaaak!”
Ian, who had wiped away his tears, thinking that this was not a kind of pain he could ever get used to, glanced at Reina.
“Reina, it feels like there’s some emotion behind that.”
“It was a mistake.
My arm slipped.”
Chaa-reu-reuk!
“Keeeeuk!”
“Ah, I’m sorry.
My hands are sweaty.”
It was an obvious revenge, but Ian kept his mouth shut.
He had entered a place that was no different from a deathtrap and barely returned with his life, so if she felt better with this much revenge, he was just grateful.
‘By the way……’
He turned his gaze and looked at the message window that had appeared in the corner of his vision.
[Achievement Unlocked! - A Faint Rumor (Uncommon)]
A rumor about the human who saved the Ogre from the brink of death has spread through the forest!
A groundless rumor that humans are kinder than demonic squirrels is spreading!
- A rumor that humans are slightly stronger than demonic squirrels has also spread.
Of course, most residents do not believe this rumor.
- The evaluation of the human race among the forest residents has slightly increased.
- The demonic squirrel has taken an interest in the human race.
…….
What on earth was this?
An achievement in 『Lost Chronicle』 was a task that could only be obtained once.
Although they were divided into common, uncommon, hero, myth, and legend, no players had much interest in achievements.
Because, as you can see, the rewards were nonexistent compared to the ridiculously high achievement difficulty.
“Reina, do you know about demonic squirrels?”
“Yes.”
A short and cold one-word answer came back to his pure curiosity.
It seemed she had no intention of talking…….
-Chaa-reu-reuk!
“Kkeup!”
Reina, who had glanced at Ian's contorted face from the unexpected attack, continued.
“Demonic squirrels are cute.
They’re just like big squirrels.
I’ve seen them running around on trees sometimes… hmm, they’re just cute.”
Right.
I had asked just in case, and the answer that came back was the same as my thoughts.
As far as I knew, the demonic squirrel was an unremarkable demonic beast.
A squirrel the size of a man, except for the fact that it was a herbivore despite being a demonic beast.
A species that gave nothing even if you killed it, perhaps its cuteness was its weapon.
‘Then did they think humans were weaker than squirrels until now……?’
Thinking that the evaluation of humans among the forest residents was quite harsh, I ignored the achievement.
Nothing would change just because a demonic squirrel took an interest.
If I was lucky, maybe it would leave a big acorn nearby.
-Guwoooooor!
As I was resting with the Ogre's roar from a distance as a lullaby, I heard someone hesitantly approaching the front of the tent.
“…Young Lo, no, Duke… no, uh……”
For a moment, I wondered who the stupid bastard who still hadn't decided on a title was.
Too lazy to even turn my head, I just gave him the answer.
“Commander.”
“Yes!
Commander, Commander!”
And then I heard him whispering and memorizing, ‘Commander, Commander, Commander……’
It didn't seem like such a difficult title to memorize.
‘Is he indirectly saying I don't look like a commander……?’
At this point, I became curious and looked at the entrance of the tent, and I saw Tail walking in.
“Ah, chick.”
He seemed to be as stupid as his first impression.
“Ch-chick!
It’s already been…… since I joined the Knightly Order!”
Tail, who had flushed red at the nickname and was about to raise his voice, took a deep breath the moment his eyes met mine, then bowed his head and shouted.
“Thank you for saving me!”
Ah, so that’s what it was.
“It's not like I saved you because I liked you or anything.”
‘Yes, you can go now.’
“Sir……?!”
Ah, my inner thoughts and words had come out reversed.
I said, as if making an excuse to the drooping chick who seemed to have been hurt.
“Ah, I meant I would have saved anyone, not just you.
Whether it was a soldier or a knight.
Anyone under the name of Moner.”
Because manpower was a resource more precious than anything else.
Unlike Orcs, who picked up an axe at 6 months old, it took 16 years to make one human soldier.
And for that soldier to survive a few battles and gain some decent experience, dozens of such soldiers would be needed.
So a knight was in the realm of heavenly luck.
For a human with martial talent that might be found in one in a thousand to be born in a blessed environment where they could unfold that talent and dedicate 20 years solely to martial arts was nothing short of a miracle.
Well, it seemed the case was a little different for Moner's knights, but they were precious troops all the same.
“So don't worry about it.”
Just as I was about to turn my head after saying that, a sword dangling from his waist caught my eye.
‘To tie down such high-class manpower to just a sword.’
Tears welled up at the frustrating sight, and I quickly turned my head.
‘I need to create ‘real knights’ who carry a bunch of weapons as soon as possible……’
They were all doing that because they could afford to.
Only when they see their comrades dying every day on the brink of extinction would they think, ‘Ah, King of Ten Thousand Arms and pride be damned, I need to live first,’ and pick up a bow and a spear.
It might be different for a master who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship , but for a regular knight, handling one more weapon was the way to survive one more day.
***
Unfortunately, Tail had no idea what Ian was thinking.
So, seeing the single tear that had formed in Ian's eye, he thought.
Ah, the Young Lord of Moner truly cherishes his soldiers.
That person, who stands at the forefront of the battlefield, cherishes Moner so much that he would risk his own life.
Tail, who was truly moved by that sight, began to chirp about Ian's sincerity when he returned to the unit, but it was not an important matter to Ian.
***
The next morning.
Ian, who hadn't slept a wink, sought out Vergil and Hoodwock with a dark face.
“Commander, are you really okay?”
“How many times do I have to say it, I'm fine.”
“Your face is the color of an undead right now……”
I furrowed my brow at the two's uncomfortably worried gazes.
“I didn't come here to be worried about, so just give me the report.”
Ian's eyes flashed as he continued.
“Because we need to find those damn Orcs as soon as possible.”