Chapter 684

Chapter 684

I looked up at the sky, stretching my shoulders habitually, and I remembered myself a few days ago feeling good, realizing that winter was passing and spring was coming.

“If I had known this shit would happen, I wouldn’t have even thought of it.”

Ask anyone on the street to name one of the few advantages of winter and they’ll probably mention that everything rots more slowly. It’s possible to magically create a freezer, but that doesn’t mean it’s something you can put in every home like a boiler.

I was like that now. The journey to Levien suddenly became a stronghold defense, and now I am suffering from the remains of people scattered on the ground.

It was not like they were ignorantly camping in the middle of corpses. After the first battle, they arrived late and heard about the situation. They ordered Um Bell and his party to find a good location and build a camp. As if to prove that military fatigue doesn’t go anywhere, they set up in a really good location.

Originally, we had only a few materials to make a campfire and a tent, but that didn’t matter in front of the supplies left behind by the annihilated enemy. We had to carefully select and find only the best grade items to set up camp, and there would still be enough leftover.

The problem was that the stay was longer than expected.

“Honestly, I thought you would immediately demand negotiations since one unit was burned to the ground.”

“I did that too”

The battlefield that I look down on while answering the laughing bell is full of beasts.

In fact, it was still clean compared to the number of people who died. It was because they used the equipment and property of the deceased as payment and made the survivors work as labor to dig the graves. However, they did not collect all the spilled organs and body parts thoroughly, so that alone caused the current disaster.

“I didn’t know that those guys would come and attack me for the third time.”

thrice·

Three times as much

There are hundreds of dead people. Since they were able to intercept the command center quickly, it would have ended here. If they had taken the soldiers first, there would have been no way to clean them all up, and a hill would have been formed with the abandoned corpses.

When I think of the lumpy pseudo-grave that is taking its place, I am reminded once again of the greatness of human labor.

“How long have you been here?”

“It’s been about two weeks.”

“If the next ones make a fuss about fighting, I’ll just go to Levien.”

“All right·”

The reason I have stayed in this place for so long was out of consideration for Levien and other territories.

Before we can judge right and wrong, we started a fight against the regular army. If it doesn’t end well, it will definitely be an armed conflict. If they started it, I don’t think we can let other city residents suffer because of the fight I started.

Actually, there were three fights, so I guess this time my prediction was right.

When I heard that he was preparing such active support while I wasn’t even expecting support, my head was spinning. Bisquente smiled slightly at me as I was getting ready to give him support, then took out a scroll from his bosom.

“I have decided to formally condemn the massacre of civilians committed by the Allied forces in the name of maintaining order while moving to the Eastern Front. The Allied forces may not have known it, but the people of this village had been receiving permission and support from the local lord for two months and were even paying taxes. It is impossible for this village to have been a village of bandits.”

“This... small town?”

Just looking at the scale of the ruins, you can tell that two months is certainly not a short period of time, but it was not enough time for the refugees to settle down and properly set up a village.

And these villages are usually poorly managed.

There are cases where people who applied suffered damages due to bureaucrats doing something, like the village that was attacked by the mercenary group run by Envelde in the past. However, since not all territories are rich and have many workers, there are many cases where they do not have the capacity to care about those who refuse to belong to the territories.

Knowing that fact, the first thought that came to mind when I first heard it was, “Did they even create a non-existent official document to make up a pretext?” However, Bisquente’s subsequent explanation was completely different.

“Thanks to Ega Kyung”

“Why am I coming out of there?”

“Your Majesty not only informed us of the unreasonable threats that unregistered villages could face through our Raviel estate, but also, through the Oak Gate incident, of the benefits that supporting registered villages could bring.”

That... is that how the snowball rolls? I heard the explanation and understood it, but it was a story that was hard to believe.

“This is an area that is also related to taxes, so the royal family has been serious about this issue for a long time. I know this because I often hear stories about it from my father. However, it was postponed because there was no proper way to block the loud voices of the nobles who opposed it due to the cost aspect.”

It was because the royal family’s influence could not completely overcome the House of Lords. I never thought I would break that shackle.

Anyway, since my actions were all about catching bad guys, I thought the royal family would benefit from it, but... I never expected that it would turn out to benefit me, so I just laughed in vain.

“I am sorry that it took so long to prepare. I am glad that I can tell you this now.”

“Then what happens to the Allied Forces?”

“I can’t make a rash prediction, but for now, our job is to head to Levien. Even though some of the Allied Forces have crossed Levien, their headquarters is still in the Demon Territory beyond Levien.”

So, Your Majesty, please come to Levien slowly. I will go first and prepare to conclude this case.

Bisquette, who spoke like that, looked incredibly dependable even though he was clearly only in a position to convey orders.

A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)

Thank you yukare for your silent 100 coin support!

I feel ashamed to have received support, but I plan to take some time off during this Chuseok holiday.

At the beginning of the series, I was able to write in advance and go even if I took a break... But now that’s no longer the case, so I have nothing to say. I guess a long-term series is not easy.

I will write a separate notice, but I will be taking a three-day break from Friday to Saturday.

I hope all readers have a great Chuseok holiday.