Chapter 159 : Who Are You?
In the game, there were seeds of conflict in each city. Taking Gellerg City as an example, there was competition between megacorps, the uprising of the Brotherhood factions, and wars with other cities due to the city government’s blunders.
The City of Iron and Blood, Brahms, was as blatant as its name. War, that is, a civil war and a war of conquest between the lords. But unless things went to the extreme, it was a fire that would go out on its own. At most, two or three of the existing lords would be eliminated, and their territories would be merged.
This was because of the existence of the king who ruled the public district. If the war between the lords intensified to the point of affecting the management and survival of the city, the king would mediate the dispute, even if it meant moving other lords.
Of course, it was rare for things to go as far as the king mediating. A one-on-one duel for honor was just a romance of a knight in a legend. In the ruthless world of politics, they didn’t just watch the fight between two forces.
If an opening was seen, everyone would think of backstabbing first, so in the end, a third party would take the profit. Therefore, in Brahms, even if a war broke out, it would not go to the end.
That’s why justification was important. A clear basis that could exclude the intervention of outsiders other than the parties involved.
“Frederic suddenly attacked us at a meeting. The head of the family was brutally murdered on the spot, and the elite knight order was annihilated. It was a planned surprise attack.”
“……Frederic did that?”
In light of the physiology of Brahms, the story that Darian told was shocking.
“Doesn’t it seem absurd even to an outsider?”
“Didn’t they act with a very short-sighted view? They may have greatly reduced Morheim’s power for now, but the other lords wouldn’t have just stood by and watched.”
Frederic had broken the unwritten rule of the city. Even if they had eaten Morheim, they had provided a justification for the other eight lords to intervene, so it was the worst self-destructive move.
“We thought so too.”
Darian smiled bitterly at his own situation as a fugitive.
“No territory tried to intervene.”
“If the head of the Frederic family had a good tongue, well, I can understand.”
If you strip away the luxurious packaging of justification, it’s just a war of words. If they had even handed over some of the interests behind the scenes, it was not an impossible scenario.
“No, if that were the case, I wouldn’t have felt so wronged. He said he had just drawn his sword because he had been insulted. Then he immediately sent in his troops and conquered the territory, and then he fabricated a justification, claiming that we had plotted first, and insisted on his righteousness.”
“And that nonsense worked?”
“You’ve experienced it, haven’t you?”
The Frederic knight order was not intimidated, but was rampaging with high spirits, searching for the remnants.
“Half of them condemned Frederic, but half of them were silent. They had been won over in advance and had coordinated their stories. That was already three months ago. You can probably imagine what happened after that.”
One side had started and had even succeeded, so it was time for a copycat to appear. Moreover, since they were all in it together, it would be strange if a chaotic situation did not occur.
“How many lords of Brahms are left?”
“Seven.”
It was ignorant to say that it wasn’t like this every time a dispute arose in Brahms. It meant that three noble families had fallen in three months. It was an incredibly fast pace.
And it was a dispute that was still ongoing. I had played FP many times, but this was the first time. I gradually felt that it was time not to completely trust the storyline in the game.
In a world that had become reality, anything could happen beyond what I knew.
“I understand roughly what’s going on. It must be a situation where you’re resisting to clear your name and regain the position of the lord that was taken away.”
“Exactly.”
The fact that he was cheating at a gambling den… it probably wasn’t to raise military funds. Seeing as the Frederic side had attacked them openly, I think it was not a secret hideout. In conclusion, Sage’s search had hit the mark.
“But isn’t the fact that you’re called traitors a bit far-fetched?”
“The logic is that since the king has condoned this war, we who do not submit and continue to resist are traitors.”
“Is it true that the king has condoned it?”
“The royal family has not made a statement. So we were also denying it, but…”
Darian’s face clouded over.
“This time, the Frederic knight order swung their swords in the public district.”
They had not only aimed for Darian’s group, but had also attacked unrelated civilians in the public district without hesitation. No matter how much they had erased the mark of their family, would they have gone so far as to ignore the king’s authority?
It was a situation where one could infer that there had been some prior discussion.
‘If the worst-case scenario is that even the king is in on it.’
This was too big a problem to conclude just because it was suspicious.
‘If that assumption is correct, this case is not a civil war caused by the greed of the lords, but a culling led by the king.’
It was a peace maintained by the lords, who were on equal footing, keeping each other in check. What benefit could the king gain by intervening and breaking this composition? In the end, the power of the surviving lords would only have become stronger.
“This is all I can tell you. I think I’ve rested enough, so let’s move again.”
It was a long story. The blue light of dawn was already spreading across the sky. As Darian packed his things, his companions, who had been lying on the floor sleeping, began to get up.
‘For now, shall I be satisfied with having a rough idea of the board that’s going on in this city?’
Should I dig deeper? That was something to decide after meeting the person I was looking for.
***
“We’ve arrived!”
A castle could be seen in the distance. A moat made by bending a river, a large castle wall. However, it seemed that it had not been long since it had been repaired, and there were still crude parts that stood out.
The group moved to the castle gate with light steps. The gatekeeper, who had been on guard with sharp eyes, seemed to recognize Darian and sent a signal somewhere. Soon, a person who seemed to be in charge appeared from inside the castle wall.
“Darian!”
“Uncle Gareth.”
He was a noble of the same bloodline. Gareth hugged Darian, who was a mess from his life as a fugitive, tightly.
“I’ve heard everything. Those traitors are now even causing trouble in the public district?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“You survived the schemes of those vile people, so that’s enough. The same goes for you all. Go inside and rest comfortably.”
Gareth, who had been encouraging them one by one, making eye contact, stopped in front of me and Sage.
“Darian, who are these people?”
“They are the benefactors who helped us from Frederic’s pursuers.”
“……For such skilled people, I’ve never seen their faces before.”
“They are outsiders. They say they are from Gellerg City.”
“Outsiders! From Gellerg City?”
Gareth’s face, which had been glaring with hawk-like eyes, suddenly brightened.
“This won’t do. I’ll guide you to Katarina myself.”
“……?”
Katarina? Seeing the friendly tone, it seemed she was also a noble. But she was a person I didn’t know. Above all, the fact that he was going to take me there just because it was revealed that I was from Gellerg City was out of the blue.
As if it had all been discussed before.
“Why aren’t you following? You must have come to see Katarina.”
But on the contrary, their reaction was one of bewilderment. Darian scratched the back of his head and said to me.
“Uh, just follow him without saying anything.”
“Why? I must have told you about my business.”
“That’s why. I don’t know what misunderstanding my uncle has, but the name of the person you’re trying to meet is Katarina.”
“……”
What was this situation? I didn’t quite understand, but since that was the case, there was no reason to refuse the guidance.
I followed Gareth and walked through the castle.
“They all look like knights or soldiers.”
As Sage said, there were few civilians on the street. They were all walking around with at least a sword or a spear. The number of people was also small. It was noticeable even when compared to the crowd in the public district, let alone District 3 of Gellerg City.
‘Darian said himself that this was the headquarters.’
It meant that it was a place where all the survivors, including the direct descendants of the family, were gathered. I could realize that the explanation that the family was on the verge of extinction was not an exaggeration at all.
The dispute between Frederic and Morheim was as good as over. They were just holding on to the last thread of hope here and continuing their resistance.
We passed the barracks where the exhausted knights were sleeping, the training ground where shouts echoed, and the wide stable, and entered the inner castle.
「The World Tree fans itself, saying it’s hot.」
Although it was the inner castle, we were heading to a quiet place, but the air was getting hotter and hotter. Now, there were only one or two knights to be seen. It was to the point where I even had the random thought that they were taking me to a place of execution.
“This is it.”
Next to a large building, a furnace could be seen. The heat of the hot flames was shimmering, and a haze was rising like in midsummer. It was a blacksmith’s shop.
“Katarina!”
There was a figure hammering on an anvil. Every time she hammered with a rhythmic beat, sparks flew from the red-hot iron. The sweat that dripped down mixed in and hissed, creating smoke.
“Katarina! Can’t you hear me? Ahem! Katarina!”
“Ah, why!”
A woman wearing a sweat-soaked bandana and only a T-shirt under her overalls. As the woman turned around, her short-cropped hair stuck to the nape of her neck. Her features were round, giving a gentle impression, but her voice was sharp.
She grabbed her overalls and wiped her sweat, not seeming to care if her skin got dirty.
“Is your armor broken again? Then leave it in the basket there! I’ll fix it by tomorrow!”
“That’s not it…”
“Then what! Are you telling me to hurry up and make swords to meet the quota? I’m doing it now! I’m busy as hell, so stop rushing me! I’m going to get a neurosis!”
“I said that’s not it…”
“Forget it! If you’re in a hurry, don’t ask me for the rest of the quota and just take the factory-made ones! No, just take this opportunity to give the non-knights guns! A kid holding a sword doesn’t mean he can beat an adult! This is a masterpiece when it’s in the hands of a knight, but it’s much better for ordinary people to use guns!”
“You’re wrong, so stop wiping your sweat and show your face.”
“Yes?”
The woman let go of the front of her overalls, which she had been pulling, and raised her head. Her gaze slid from Gareth’s face to the side, past me, and reached Sage.
Her large eyes blinked. I also just blinked my eyes. Of course, it wasn’t that she recognized us. Gareth, who was not very perceptive, didn’t know that and smiled with satisfaction.
“These are the guests you brought. You said you would bring in help from an external city, but had you already made contact when you told us? Very well done! Thanks to that, Darian came back alive!”
“Uh, yes? An external city?”
“Yes, they say they are from Gellerg City. You said you had an acquaintance there who could help, right?”
“I did say that, but…”
“This kind of surprise gift is welcome! We can finally give those damn traitors of Frederic a big blow!”
As Gareth laughed heartily, the woman said sharply.
“I haven’t called anyone.”
“……What?”
“I don’t know these people.”
“……?”
“Who are you?”
This time, it was Gareth’s turn to blink his eyes. I knew this would happen. I stepped forward with a sigh.
“I think there was some misunderstanding, but it’s true that we came looking for you.”
“Me? How do you know me? It’s true that I was in Gellerg City for a while, but I’ve never seen your face before.”
“Uh, you didn’t know each other? Ahem.”
Gareth, who had finally realized his mistake, looked around awkwardly.
「The World Tree is melting, saying it’s going to die of heat.」
“Shall we go inside and talk?”
Sage was also hot and was fanning her face with magic. The woman, who had been staring at me warily, finally clenched her hammer and said.
“Okay, come in.”
(End of Chapter)