Chapter 69
The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 69
69. Trinity
I couldn’t help but think about this and that on my way back to the reception room after finishing my tour of the relics.
The lonely king of the fallen kingdom.
What must have been the heart of the last king of the human kingdom that once existed on this land when he was on the verge of destruction? Although it was a hazy feeling, I also experienced the life of a monarch who had lost his country once .
I felt a strange sense of kinship with the fact that there was someone else who had failed besides me.
It’s like when you finish grading the answer sheet and look up when you’re sure you failed the test. It’s like that feeling of inner intimacy that suddenly explodes towards a classmate whose eyes you accidentally met.
As I recalled the last moment of the first time, a famous saying came to mind.
“Flowers are red for twenty-one days.”
To put it in more modern terms, it means that a team that is going down is going down. I totally agree with that. It means that I have no reason to feel guilty about the fact that the country has fallen.
The country was already doomed when I was king. If there are any guys who write about the future, I hope they don’t blame me and blame the ancestors who passed it on, saying, “Let the future generations figure it out.”
Honestly, I think it’s going too far to curse the backhoe who died cleaning up the poop after the guy who took a dump has passed away.
However, not all of the monarchs of the fallen kingdom died cleaning up the poop of their ancestors. Was the lonely king a guy who sh*t like his ancestors, or was he a guy who picked up a broom and tried to clean it up like me ?
As I imagined his appearance in life, which must now be in a casket as white bones, the Mother Superior pursed her lips and called out to me.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard such an unfamiliar expression, Your Grace.”
“I meant that flowers can’t always be red. It also means that when beauty is at its peak, the flower will soon wither. I don’t know if it will bear fruit.”
“hehehehe, does the latter mean that in order to bear fruit, the flower must fall?”
I wasn’t so dull as not to notice the meaning in those words. It seems that our Mother Superior is really scared.
I raised my hand with a sigh, putting an end to the Mother Superior’s worries and complaints.
“The Order of Saint Ariata functions for the purpose of protecting relics. The Order is permitted to exist because it has faithfully fulfilled its purpose of protecting relics, even in the absence of Stigmata.”
“Please forgive me for my slight rudeness. However, Your Grace, I dared to ask because I know how resolute you are.”
I was thinking of a fallen country when I recited those words, but the Mother Superior seemed to be thinking of the Order.
The question the Mother Superior had just asked whether I was going to force the abolition of the Order after I had forced the abolition of the Order for the sake of the result I wanted, and now it was the turn of our Order. However, from my point of view, there was no reason to abolish the Order at all.
I guess I have to make this fact clear so that the Mother Superior won’t be afraid.
I made up my mind. As soon as I passed the spiral staircase and came out into the corridor, I stopped the Mother Superior with a warm smile.
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell you why I’m not abolishing my Order.”
“Your Grace…”
It was indeed the right judgment. The Mother Superior was so touched by my consideration that she even shed tears.
“Firstly, for all its armament, the Order of Sisters has apparent physical limitations unless it produces Stigmata. Even if it employs private soldiers, it has vulnerable periods due to issues like moon madness, and it has limitations clearly in enforcing strict discipline compared to regular soldiers, so it must rely on the surrounding estates and lords for defense.”
“…?”
“Firstly, the Order of Sisters prevents the remarriage of the laity to some extent by accepting widowed or young women with assets. Just by reducing the number of those who increase their power through marriage, isn’t it of great help to His Majesty the King and the Church?”
For example, starting with Miriam right now.
Of course, if they were sane men, they might wonder if they were being ridiculed, but those who pursue only power have different emotions than ordinary people. They think like this if they can sufficiently fend off the threat that Yubas might kill them.
[If I accept the daughter of a father I don’t know as my proxy and unite with Miriam, who is an unwed mother, wouldn’t I be able to take advantage of Yubas’ authority or the protection of those who want to threaten Yubas?]
It’s a crazy gamble, but if it succeeds, it’s possible to rise to the top in one breath. In this barbaric era where the bottom line is endlessly dug up, it was a bet worth taking.
Even if it’s not necessarily such a scheming story, the Order of Sisters is also an indispensable existence in terms of protecting women’s rights.
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It’s not so much that I have a strong belief in gender equality…
Shouldn’t the inheritance of widowed women who pass away without children be used more wisely by our Church for more people?
“Lastly, our Order of Saint Arietta is unable to contribute to the church tax fund due to our difficult circumstances… but we always keep a grateful eye on the excellent believers who support and donate to the Order of Sisters.”
“….”
“The devotion of devout people who have consistently supported the Order should be duly praised. As their bishop, I want to establish their honor, so I hope that the Order of Saint Arietta will also actively cooperate.”
Like a father looking at his son who studies hard and humbly, I also looked at the vassals of our duchy. Upon hearing this, the Mother Superior swallowed hard.
“Ye… yes, I will actively consider it positively, Your Grace…”
“hahahahaha! Actively consider it.”
I burst into laughter at the Mother Superior’s spirited reply.
“Should I not order it instead of expecting it?”
“…”
***
When I returned to the reception room, I was sure that I had achieved my intended purpose.
“Yes? Even so, you slapped her?”
“I think she must have felt that betrayed…”
“Even so, to a pregnant woman!!! That’s too much!!!”
Karina couldn’t hide her shock as she heard from Miriam about the time when my jerk act was at its peak. With both hands covering her mouth, her wide, round, sky-blue eyes held faint anger and contempt.
“That’s too much! Are you listening?!”
I guess she noticed that I had come in.
After waving away the Mother Superior, whose face was ashen, I began to explain the minor misunderstanding that Karina had.
“Lady Karina, there was a reason for that. I treated her harshly on purpose.”
“Reason? …On purpose?”
“How could I have felt comfortable treating a pregnant woman like that?”
Yubas was determined to go to war, and we in Powys had to somehow annul the marriage. The easiest way was to horrify the people who had been watching me act like a jerk and gain the justification for the oath of the monastic vow.
To this end, I desperately played the role of a jerk that went against my nature, and even Karina understood when I told her this.
“Your usual conduct is also like a jerk’s.”
“That is an unpleasant misunderstanding. Lady Karina, it is true that my words and actions tend to rely on authority, but I do not resort to coercion and sophistry.”
I only make judgments based on rationality and reason, so why do people say that I’m a jerk?
When I thought about this unbridgeable gap between the [Middle Ages] and [modern times], a sense of maddening loneliness washed over me. Perhaps the title of lonely king would suit me better.
It was then that little Enon, who resembled Miriam, jumped down from his mother’s lap.
Enon blinked his big, brown eyes, full of curiosity, and looked up at me.
“Bishop, Bishop.”
“Hmm.”
It seemed that during my absence, the home-schooling had been carried out properly. Even though he was not a bishop but a bishop-elect, I decided to just let it slide rather than try to explain the concept of an ecclesiastical prince to such a young child.
“Then where is my older sister, that is… yes. Where is my niece?”
“….”
“And our father, our uncle, brother-in-law? Do you know who the bishop is?”
The child seemed to be quite intelligent for his age.
I lifted my head slightly and looked at Miriam and Karina alternately. Both were equally embarrassed.
Karina waved her hands, saying that it was not her place to speak about the affairs of others, and then glanced at Miriam. Miriam pursed her lips, not confident enough to explain the background.
Of course, I couldn’t say that you are that niece. How could I say that your father, brother-in-law, and grandfather are a trinity?
Even I, who pursue truth over falsehood, found this weighty fact too heavy to utter.
“Have you ever heard of the Trinity?”
“Yes?”
“Yes!!!!!!”
“Uhhh… I, I don’t know anything…”
Oh, I thought my eardrums would burst. Karina covered her ears and cringed.
Miriam must have felt like I had just launched a nuclear warhead, judging by the look on her face. Miriam glared at me with a truly murderous look. She soon lowered her head, realizing her position, but she still seemed quite worried.
Miriam looked at Enon, who was staring blankly, and distressingly, gritting her teeth.
“Please don’t tell him…”
“Your love for your younger sibling is truly profound. I understand completely.”
To so heartlessly dismiss the desire of a young child to know who their mother is.
In any case, it was a fact that would have to be revealed someday in order to establish a claim against Yubas… Miriam, it is truly difficult to understand her heart. Still, I have no intention of forcing the issue against her will .
Instead, I made a proposal that would satisfy both Miriam and Enon.
“But don’t you think it’s a bit early to be thinking about taking religious vows?”
“What do you mean…”
“I’m talking about our little nun. I have no intention of making her an abbess, but I can act as her legal guardian.”
“Really?!”
Little Enon’s eyes lit up at the thought of leaving the boring nunnery.
“…What are you thinking, Yeha.”
Miriam, who was deeply involved in worldly affairs, regarded my generous and benevolent proposal with suspicion.
“I mean, think about it if you’re planning to return to secular life. If you’re going to stay, then don’t worry about it.”
Of course, there was a price for my guardianship.
If the price was to guide the lives of Miriam and Enon in the right direction with my good influence, then so be it. I would also work hard to find a way to put a strong enough leash on them that the Holy See would applaud, so that the failure of Yubas would not be repeated.
One thing was for sure, little Enon welcomed my proposal.
“Sister, sister!”
“Enon.”
“The bishop is a high-ranking person, so wouldn’t it be easier for you if the bishop took care of me?”
“…”
Miriam, who had already been alienated once, thought that my interest would not last long. She tried to appease Enon, but the moment our eyes met, she showed a slight wariness.
“Unexpected. I thought Yeha would be worried about the scandal.”
“hahahahaha! Really? She looks so much like my mother that it would be hard to connect her to me.”
I laughed as I placed my hand on little Enon’s white hair.
“Well, isn’t he the spitting image of his father?”
“…”
I looked at the silent Miriam and felt touched once again.
It was a moment when the vocabulary that the warriors of the advanced barracks had relentlessly drilled into me during my time in the army shone.
How many arduous years had I spent trying to continue that legacy?
The days I spent with a corporal, and then with a sergeant, were the most meaningful moments of my life. So much so that after being discharged, I went to the place where he worked part-time and yelled at him countless times.
As I was savoring the touching true story of a reunion between a teacher and a student…
“Yes, Your Grace. I believe you should spare a moment, as I have some very important news.”
The head nun, who I had clearly dismissed with a gesture, rushed in with an anxious expression.
“What’s going on that you’re making such a fuss?”
Just when people were finally strengthening their relationship, why was she interrupting like this?
Just as I was about to express my displeasure, the head nun pushed her wrinkled face forward and whispered in my ear.
“Your Grace, it’s a messenger from His Majesty the King. His Majesty urgently requests your presence.”
***
As soon as I heard the head nun’s message and went out into the corridor, a breathless messenger was waiting for me.
The messenger gasped for breath through his parched lips and handed me a letter soaked in sweat from his pocket.
I quickly broke the seal and couldn’t help but stiffen as I read the contents of the letter.
[Request for aid from the Principality of Penrad.]
“R, return immediately after reading the letter.”
“…”
“His Majesty said to tell you to hurry… gasp…”
The phrase added at the end of the very concise letter was particularly striking.
[Judging from the scale, it is suspected to be an invasion.]
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