The Medieval Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 37

37. Come to Me

Sailors are always depicted as passionate and adventurous.

No matter where they go or what era they live in, the sea is a perilous place. Even the calmest of seas can turn rough in the blink of an eye.

Sailors are the ones who must stand their ground on the swaying deck, with no place to escape, even from the smallest of waves. However, the sea itself is not the only danger that lurks in the ocean.

The rough sea surface was pounded by a cold wind. One ship was struggling to sail through it. The people on board were busy carefully navigating the intricate coastline.

Perhaps it was because they were too busy, but the unfortunate sailors did not notice the gazes watching them from the cliff above.

“The ship is departing.”

A knight with prominent cheekbones spoke, looking at the departing ship. Then, the sound of heavy footsteps began to approach.

Platinum blonde hair that reached his shoulders and sharp, beast-like eyes. It was Cardal Orn Yubas.

Cardal stopped the guards who were following him with a gesture and looked down at the ship’s deck. In most cases, it would be useless because they would be too far away.

But that didn’t matter to Cardal.

“Oculus, Conspector Oculus. Favor to the one who offers.”

His beast-like eyes shone brightly, a yellowish-green. Cardal stared at the departing ship for a long time.

After a while, Cardal turned away with a sigh mixed with fatigue.

“There are children.”

“If there are children.”

“A flimsy excuse to hide the Stigmata bearers. Shoot a signal flare to the captain. The surrounding waters are such that the birds migrate to the opposite side of the mainland in winter, so they will have to make stops along the way.”

A heavy silence passed. The knight frowned and remained motionless. However, Cardal was not one to back down, not a member of the Yubas bloodline.

“If the captain involved in this is a smart fellow, he’ll wait until he’s a fair distance from both the islands and the mainland.”

“…”

“My, why so gloomy?”

Cardal silently put his hand on the shoulder of the knight who bowed his head.

“It’s the work of pirates. The sea is a dangerous place anyway.”

With those words, Cardal mounted his saddle, along with his guards. Only one person, the knight who had been looking at the ship, remained silently, facing the sea wind.

Cardal sighed and began to comfort him.

“Don’t pity them because they’re young, old, women, or weak. We are at war.”

“Your Majesty.”

“There is no absolution in war.”

Only then did the knight stop wandering. The knight realized that there was no one who deserved to die.

But there were those who had to live.

***

A medieval-like world where everything feels lacking. There is one thing that is particularly important here.

From Noble mtl dot com

I’m not talking about religious relics or food. It was a build-up for an item that is more practical and used in a wider variety of places. An important item in this world as well.

It was the map.

Bishop Ganista spread the leather-bound scroll on the desk and began to explain it point by point. There was no sign of anyone around. A properly marked map was like this.

The map was something that even the most loyal servant would not dare to look at.

“The Archipelago in the morning consists of three islands inhabited by the majority of humans. And four of the five duchies are located in the southwest of the archipelago, on the largest piece of land, the Sea Stag Island.”

People gave different names to the island based on its size.

In fact, the center of the system was called the Sea Crescent, the influence of the five dukedoms was strong in the Moon Crescent, and the influence of the Church was the weakest in the Star Crescent.

The rest of the small islands were roughly grouped together as the Broken Archipelago.

“The place we need to keep an eye on here is the Sea Crescent Island, especially the ones that are a short distance from the mainland.”

Following the bishop’s finger, I looked at the map and quickly realized an important fact.

“The marked cities all have something in common. They are close to the mainland.”

Most of the cities on the Dawn Islands developed along the southwestern coastline. Of course, that doesn’t mean that all cities are in the southwest. There were a few cities that were formed along large rivers.

The problem was that most of these lands, like Altolan, were in the territory of Yubas. The Principality of Powys, where I was born and raised, was squeezed to the west by the power of Yubas.

The Bishop seemed to read my worried expression and groan with a grave expression.

“The Dawn Islands received military support very late due to their characteristic as islands and the remnants of scattered pagans. As a result, they have lost a significant part of the legacy of the Human Kingdom in the past, so they had no choice but to rely on the support of the mainland, especially the Holy City.”

“The legacy of the Human Kingdom?”

I couldn’t help but ask a question without thinking. It had been 500 years since the faith of Lux Stella had taken a dominant position in the Dawn Islands. And as far as the body’s owner remembers, there had never been a kingdom in this land.

The Bishop, hearing my remark, smiled bitterly and pointed to the empty part of the map, the eastern part where there were no other markings.

“1208 years ago, when Lux Stella answered, uprisings of our humans took place all over the world. The place where Lux Stella first answered is now the Holy City, Idea. The rulers of Ise tried their best to suppress the Holy City, but as a result, they lost control of the provinces.”

“Hmm.”

“Seizing that opportunity, some heroic humans led uprisings even in places where the light of Lux Stella had not reached. The people of that time, who did not yet know Lux Stella, often deified their leaders. Of course, the Church later embraced local beliefs by honoring them as saints.”

When he said this, the Bishop, who always had a mischievous smile, sighed for the first time.

“However, the Dawn Islands are the only exception. It is clear that a human kingdom existed before the light of Lux Stella reached there… 600 years ago, the kingdom of the Dawn Islands was destroyed by the remnants of pagans and the invasion of pagans from across the sea. Without leaving any proper records.”

After hearing this, I noticed a contradiction. Let’s say that the leaders who led the uprisings against the races of Ise are today’s saints.

Unfortunately, the human kingdom that existed in the Dawn Islands was destroyed before the Church arrived and did not leave any proper records. However, there is a local saint in the Dawn Islands, Saint Illenio.

I wondered how such a contradiction arose.

“Then what is Saint Illenio? He must not have been the leader of the uprising.”

“hehehehe. Saint Illenio was the one who led the remnants of the destroyed kingdom at the time when the demons of humanity were in place.”

According to the scriptures, Saint Illenio received the revelation of Lux Stella and led the remnants here. In return for refusing to serve the old gods of Ise, he suffered from terrible diseases.

Nevertheless, Saint Illenio safely led the remnants here and was able to meet the expeditionary force from the mainland that had just landed. At that moment, Saint Illenio is said to have breathed his last, knowing that his mission was over.

The last destination where Saint Illenio led the remnants and where he breathed his last. This was the reason why the place was named Illenfoot.

What a religious and touching story.

However, what I had to read from this part was not about Saint Illenio’s noble sacrifice, but something else. It was the part about the expeditionary force from the mainland landing. I looked at Illenfoot marked on the map and found its true meaning.

“Illenfoot is an excellent place as a landing point. It is located in a bay, making it easy to protect ships even in rough seas, and there is a river nearby, so the supply of drinking water is smooth. If you have proper defenses , you can hold out for a long time.”

If you just look at the shortest distance, there are cities with better locations. However, Illenfoot was located in the southwest, close to the mainland, and it was not a swamp, but a natural stronghold with solid ground, clean fresh water, and a bay.

Even Yubas, who had been sucking honey in cooperation with the Church, could not easily give it up.

I could guess how the conflict over the right of investment between Yubas and the Church was triggered. Among the many complex factors, there would be the strategic value of the Illenfoot Bishopric.

If Yubas truly wished to establish an independent and powerful kingdom… Illenfoot was a place that could never be given to the Papacy.

“The main body is actually a port located to the south, and this place, where the cathedral is located, is an outpost to block secular troops coming from the land.”

“Oh.”

“Somehow, I thought Yubas was going too far. Isn’t it too much?”

I didn’t like Yubas, but I was beginning to understand them a little. The Papacy was not completely innocent, but it seemed to have grabbed Illenfoot as a kind of insurance, which must have seemed to Yubas like an opportunity for the lords of the mainland to intervene at any time.

I said it as if I had stimulated too much and caused division.

“hehehehe… Your Highness, what would have happened if Illenfoot had been handed over? The Papacy would have been helpless and would have become a lackey of Yubas.”

“Hmm.”

“Look at Yubas right now. Secular lords are always likely to apostatize for immediate gain. His Holiness is not trying to reclaim the right of investiture simply out of a lust for power. It is only because the clergy, who serve only Lux Stella, remain in an inviolable realm, free from secular interests, that they can support the most important strongholds and protect humanity.”

Now that things have come to this, in retrospect, I think it was the right decision to grab hold of Illenfoot. As the papacy would have been far more lethal had I been betrayed, it was only right to secure some form of insurance.

Bishop Ganista, who spoke on behalf of the papacy, was not entirely wrong. Yubas has indeed apostatized, and there is no guarantee that other lords won’t do the same. From the papacy’s perspective, only the anointed saintly lords are safe from the threat of apostasy.

Perhaps this is the reason why the papacy, which emphasizes the protection of humanity, and Yubas, who desires to build a powerful nation, have clashed.

After considering all of this, I lifted my head slightly and looked at the bishop.

“In any case, I understand that Illenfoot is a truly important place for the Church, both religiously and militarily.”

“As expected of the prince. I was impressed just now.”

“So.”

“So…?”

It would be disrespectful to just gloss over it. I rubbed my hands together and chuckled.

“Would it be possible for the Miracle Investigation Unit, which reports directly to the papacy, to come to this significant place?”