Chapter 49

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 49

49. 3 Years, Flowing Time

I learned in the military that time is very relative.

Time passes quickly when you are passionate or focused on something. It is especially easy to realize when you are a last-year corporal with D-100 days left until discharge. All your mind and concentration are focused on the discharge date, and all you can do is wait.

Time passed slowly even if you tried to shirk your duties and avoid the eyes of the chief warrant officer or officers. Because you’re not really resting when you rest. Your heart is already outside the damn unit you’re in.

As I rolled around hiding in the warehouse, I finally had an epiphany and put it into practice.

“Hey, you slacker. What are you doing here? You should be out there working hard.”

“I came out to work.”

“No. You should leave it to the guys downstairs. I’ll treat you like a sergeant, so don’t put in a complaint later. Just go over there and rest.”

“I really came here to dig. If not, please give me a sickle or a scythe to cut grass with.”

“Wow… You’re such a weirdo.”

Since I had no choice but to wait anyway, I might as well do something to pass the time, or so I thought. Of course, the juniors who went to the front lines with me didn’t understand easily.

“Sergeant, why are you working when you’re the highest-ranking officer?”

“Because I got tired of sucking on honey.”

“Wow… I want to suck on honey like you, Sergeant.”

“Just digging is the best. Sucking on honey will only make your discharge day come slower. Just don’t get hurt.”

Eventually, I ended up doing all sorts of chores, including cleaning the toilets in my later years, and I even received an offer to become a professional sergeant. I turned it down in a heartbeat, but the moral of the story is that time passes quickly when you’re doing something.

This was the reason my second adolescence flew by in a flash.

-Time passed. The Starlight of Grace, or whatever, 1209, age thirteen.

“Narva. Recite the history that your first and last names hold.”

Thanks to Edelred’s harsh teachings, I was able to memorize the knowledge I had never known before.

“Narva is one of the names of the saints who rose up against the Heretics when the Lux Stella descended. It’s a name of a local saint in the mainland, so it’s rare in the Dawn Archipelago. I think my mother must have missed the mainland … and didn’t give me a mainland-style name. Or maybe she was honoring her hometown.”

The important thing is not the first name, but the last name.

I heard that even on Earth in the old days, the last name was a typical yardstick for distinguishing between commoners and nobles. The nobles of this world were the same. For example, my name, Narva Orn Stregos Glerio Powys, can be explained as follows:

The first [Narva] is my first name, which has nothing to do with my last name. It’s just a name that parents, godparents, or godmothers give with meaning. Although there is a division between names that commoners often use and names that noble society often uses, there is no major distinction.

Whether or not one is a real member of the nobility was divided by the names that followed.

[Orn] is a middle name with the same concept as De or Von in medieval Earth. It roughly corresponds to ‘of’ when saying ‘of where and who.’ Originally, it was not a name that only nobles used, and some educated and cultured people called themselves [Orn].

Next, [Stregos] is a name given by the church in consideration of one’s contributions to the temple and the timing of one’s conversion. According to Edelred, this part shows how many achievements one has made in the temple and how quickly one has converted.

Let’s organize the names distributed by the church for those who like to play ranking games…

[Tribunus] for those families who converted immediately after the descent of the Lux Stella and led the Grace’s uprising.

[Honorabilis] for those families who converted late but distinguished themselves by making remarkable achievements during the temple’s construction.

From Noble mtl dot com

[Magister] for those who impressed people and drove out heretics not through military achievements but through scholarship and doctrinal debate.

[Stregos] for those who drove out heretics using various means and solidified the Lux Stella faith.

Of these, the most respected is [Tribunus], but all four of your names are not easily given by the church, so they are said to be very rare. Of course, if you falsely claim to have one, you will be insulting the authority of the church and mocking the nobility, and the minimum punishment is death.

So what is [Glerio]?

This is the name given to families who did not believe in the Lux Stella but rose up against the Heretics, or to those who converted to the Lux Stella faith belatedly and fought against the Heretics.

Families with the name [Glerio] can be seen as having had a deep influence on the local area even before the arrival of the church.

Finally, [Powys] is…

Just a place name.

I recited the knowledge I had learned while studying in a soft-spoken but clear manner. However, Edelred listened expressively for a long time without any reaction.

Then, he twitched his eyebrows and asked, his eyes half-open.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right.”

“?”

Adelheid laughed as she closed the book after hearing my answer.

“If you had thought yourself lacking in education, you would have hesitated after losing your confidence there. It is fortunate that you have studied hard, Narba.”

“…”

Our nephew seemed like he would have a difficult life. That was the vague feeling I had at that moment.

Of course, learning continued even after that.

-About 1210, when the Starlight of Ince was fourteen years old.

I was sweating as I faced Terbear, who was ruthlessly wielding a wooden sword against a young child.

“Knights do not run away!”

He was saying knightly things that almost sounded brainless.

“Because behind a knight’s back are the weak who cannot protect themselves!”

“T, Terbear-nim. I think I’m that weakling…!”

Just looking at the thickness of the lump that had appeared on his upper arm, it was obvious who was weak. I made a very logical and rational argument, but my opponent was Terbear. He was a knight among knights, who lived and died by passion and romance.

“Narba! What kind of weak words are those!!!!”

And Terbear never tolerated the words ‘I beg you’. Here, he even distinguished between ‘gongsa’ and ‘kongsah’. He was merciless even when the one who begged him was his beloved youngest sibling.

Rather, his eyes turned bloodshot as if he disliked the attitude of appealing to the feelings of blood relatives.

And then, finally.

Bang-bang-.

A piercing sound that was much more creepy than a wasp buzzing by my ear started to hit my eardrums. I received a much heavier blow with the wooden sword than before and cursed inwardly.

Really, just inwardly.

This… damn it….

“Knights and nobles fight on behalf of serfs and tenant farmers! Warriors who fight on behalf of those who are afraid to fight! Just as priests are called those who represent God, we represent the weak and powerless! Those who cannot protect themselves!! !”

“Ugh, eek.”

“Knights are their armor and swords! We become cruel on their behalf, and we bear the guilt on their behalf. We believe that by killing one, we can save dozens, and by killing dozens, we can protect hundreds of lives!”

“Ugh…”

The Stigmata originally gives strength beyond one’s specs, but it does not help one overcome an overwhelming difference in strength without training. My defense, which was slowly crumbling before Terbear’s fierce attacks, was proof of that.

“Do not show weakness, Narba! Arm yourself with honor and chivalry! Unless you want to become a good-for-nothing who just swings a sword without conviction or faith!!!!”

“I… Bishop…”

“A priest who mediates between God and man!!!! If such a priest says he will represent God but not man, what nonsense is that!!!!”

Terbear had no answer. He was the kind of person who was determined to make me a knight, no matter what excuses I came up with. He was a truly pre-modern knight who would respond to a single rebuttal with multiple beatings.

Rather, it felt like Terbear had evolved into a more disgusting person thanks to Adelheid’s clumsy teachings.

If I ever went back to the present, I vowed not to even look at media featuring knights.

I wanted to burn all knightly romances and chivalry and everything.

Anyway, after the brainwashing disguised as training was over, I was rolling around on the dirt floor of the training ground. Terbear brought me a leather bag full of water after putting away his wooden sword.

“Narba. You said you didn’t want to train as a knight because you were a bishop.”

“…”

“But the pagans will not treat you well just because you are a bishop. And neither will the wicked or the opportunistic.”

I raised my upper body and took the leather bag. It was so cold that dew had formed on it.

As I quietly untied the string and poured the cold water inside over my head, Terbear brushed the dirt off his pants and said in passing,

“I hope you can at least hold out until I come to your rescue.”

Whew.

Letting out a deep sigh, I rose to my feet once more.

“Brother, since you have put away your wooden sword, let’s spar instead.”

“….Of course! Narba, I knew you would say something like that!!!”

-Year 1211 of the Human Era, age fifteen.

Having been pushed around between my two older brothers, I was now starting to get chewed out by the Bishop of Illeniput, Ganista. He had personally come all the way to Powys to hand me a few thick books.

I asked him bluntly.

“Bishop, I thought that if I were to become a bishop, I wouldn’t need to study.”

“Ho ho ho. You don’t need to study. This old man is not forcing you. Even if you don’t become a bishop, it wouldn’t be a big deal for the church.”

Bishop Ganista said as he tapped his monocle with his index finger.

“However, if you yourself want to take the initiative to do something, you should do it yourself rather than leaving it to someone else. If someone else does it, it’s their work, not yours. Of course, one could argue that all you have to do is assign the right people to the right places.”

He said, taking the words right out of my mouth.

“But how do you know if that person is truly an expert, a capable individual? By listening to what others say and making a vague decision? Is that what you consider assigning the right people to the right places?”

“…”

“It goes without saying, but…rather than considering all that, it’s much easier to live as a puppet, a straw man. You can just live off of the scraps that others give you. Many people don’t realize that they are just pets being raised, whining for more pocket money until they are slaughtered.”

The bishop said, raising the back of his hand.

“By the way, I’ll let you know now, I am bound by an oath of honesty.”

Treat honest people with honesty. I decided to live by those words.

“Bishop, your personality is quite foul.”

“Ho ho ho, I see that the bishop-designate has also taken an oath of honesty.”

At the very least, I didn’t want to live a life where I received pocket money. I should be the one making the budget and having fun. I couldn’t stand the idea of living off of the money others gave me and having to watch my every step. Besides, considering the inheritance I received from King Aethelstan, I had to work anyway.

The saying “crying while eating mustard” suddenly came to mind.

I let out a sigh as I looked at the many books the bishop had given me.

Bishop Ganista smiled contentedly at the sight.

“Bishop-designate, never rely on others. If you love and care for someone, you should protect them, not be protected by them.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Those who cannot protect themselves cannot do anything. You should not only pursue strength, but neglecting strength will also come back to bite you. In any case, continue to build your strength. This old man advises you to do so.”

It seems that the bishop was worried about my peaceful and gentle nature. Only then was I able to laugh, realizing the meaning behind Bishop Ganista’s barbed words.

“I am a bit of a softie, aren’t I?”

“Ho ho ho.”

I could guess what he was thinking after hearing about the oath of honesty.

…He probably thinks I’ll spill the beans even if I’m about to die.

***

The Holy City of Ideas.

The city that bears the alias of being the place where the Human Era began, and the most prosperous place in the Human Era. Idea was where the papal state was located, and countless organizations were established there, giving it a dignified and pious feel. However, if one were to venture into the back alleys, one would encounter a somewhat shabby and decadent atmosphere.

Church spires could be seen everywhere, but that was all.

Even in the most pious and prosperous city, poverty and destitution spread like mold, and even among churches, there were those that were lavishly decorated and those that were falling apart.

However, just because a place is stained does not mean it is dirty or vulgar.

In a small church located in an alleyway where people with sharp eyes wandered, there was a girl sitting on the altar, swinging her legs.

“Tee hee~.”

Her humble and puffy clothes were reminiscent of a nun’s habit at first glance.

However, the platinum blonde hair that flowed down to her waist and her sweet, elegant voice combined to make her charming. Her round eyes under long eyelashes would brighten up her surroundings when she smiled.

Before long, people began to gather despite her simple humming without any particular melody. If no one had interrupted, the church might have been packed.

However, the people who had gathered in front of the church were forced to disperse.

In the end, when the girl opened her eyes, there was no one in the church.

“Oh?”

“Don’t be so shameless.”

“I’m just looking for a friend.”

“Are you referring to a peer who has received the Stigmata?”

The cause was the men in purple shoulder mantles. They were priests belonging to the Holy See’s Filmocracy. They were in charge of persuading people with their extensive knowledge and rhetoric rather than force.

They sighed as they looked at the girl who was smiling happily on the altar.

“I told you that it is very rare for Lux Stella to grant the Stigmata.”

“But~.”

“It’s not a ‘but’.”

“But I heard there was a child who received the Stigmata at the age of twelve in the Frontier Islands.”

“Not the Frontier Islands, but the Islands of Dawn. And that person is already approaching the age of sixteen… and has even served as a Bishop. Be careful with your words.”

The girl stuck out her tongue at his words and raised the back of her hand.

A bright blue cross.

It was proof of Lux Stella’s favor.

“Tch. I received it too.” S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“…”

“I’m stuck here, playing around~. While she’s running around as a Bishop.”

“The Bishop and the Bishop’s aide… are by no means positions to play around with. There’s a reason why the application rate is low.”

“I don’t know about that. I’ll never know unless I try.”

The priests, who were still arguing with the girl, began to look at each other.

“Are you really going to let her do it?”

“What crime have the Stigmata-less bishops committed?”

“Well… shouldn’t we send her as a deacon? If she does a good job as a bishop even once, she won’t be able to say things like that.”

“That’s a tempting offer.”

Whispering, muttering.

The more the priests talked, the more their minds began to change.

“But where do we send her?”

“It’s a bit harsh to make her suffer too much… For now, let’s ask His Holiness to send her to a place that’s relatively close.”

“Hmm. Wouldn’t it be counterproductive if we sent her to a stable place? If it’s nothing special, we can crush her even more. If we’re going to send her, we should definitely send her to a difficult place.”

The priests had already decided where they wanted to send her.

The girl stopped swinging her legs on the altar and instead smiled and opened her mouth.

“If I’m going on a Bishop observation, there is a place I’d like to go.”