Chapter 96 – 9. The Story of the Years Gone by (6)
It was a cozy room.
True to the name of the castle and fortress, we arrived at a residential area where quite a few soldiers took turns patrolling after passing through complicated and winding corridors. On the outskirts of the maze-like place, there was a room prepared for guests who visited like Rome. Surprisingly, the location was right below the center of the Marquis family.
“It was cold, but you worked hard to get here. Ring the receiver on the desk or the bell on the wall and the waiting maid will come. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Outside the window, a fierce snow wind was blowing. Embarrassingly, Oriane personally put up the thick cold-proof curtain and even repaired the bonfire in the fireplace. It was very rare that a lady like her, not even her maidservant her, would go this far for a knight without her title her.
“Then, please rest in peace.”
Oriane smiled like that and finally left the room. Left behind, Rom started to look around her room in a rather bewildered mood. The room with her bathtub was obviously the perfect place to rest, but it was far from so-called luxurious.
She was neither as luxurious as the grand duke’s residence in Tarn in the south, nor as grandiose as the hospitality she received at the villa after the bishop of Grand Mande in the west. Nor did she have the atmosphere to arouse her mood her like the inn of Fontaine East.
Yes, this feeling was the desolateness of the Limousin Fortress in the southwest. It was like multiplying it several times. It’s not because Lemoang Fort was more solid and closed than any other place where articles have been reported so far.
Right now, this room and even the residential space are a fortress within a fortress, and if necessary, an environment isolated from the outside could be created at any time.
This did not mean that the impregnable castle, which had long supported the border, had never been occupied. By analogy, the living space of the citadel seemed to have been structured so that it was easy to hold a sit-in so that the margrave’s family would not be taken hostage.
‘By the way, normally I wouldn’t let outsiders stay in a nearby room…’
The stairs leading to the upper floors were only accessible through a locked door in the center of the outer hallway. As can be guessed from such seriousness, the area treated as the Lemoang family’s mansion was irrelevant even if it was regarded as a de facto uncle.
But why?
No matter how talented he was, he did. Oriane didn’t seem to care much about the fact that a knight she had never met was staying in a room close to her own. There must have been a reason why he was so confident in the security of the heavily guarded fortress, but more than that, he seemed to have no psychological resistance to treating his subordinates casually.
‘Is this the custom of northern hospitality?’
Rom, immersed in a strange feeling, unpacked the heavy load. The old weapons were hung on a rack provided in the corner of the room, and the newly acquired winter clothes and the musty clothes underneath were removed and put in the laundry basket provided near the entrance.
Was it a virtue during the military fire?
Even naked in the room, filled with subtle heat, it was quite bearable. Wanting to rest his tired body from the long journey, he headed to the bathroom. He was lost in thought as he immersed his whole body in the bath, which glowed the color of jade, probably because the floor and walls were plated to prevent rust.
‘I’m not going to hand you an apology.’
Lucien of Tarn, the grand duke who ruled the south, grabbed Rome, who was about to leave the sister-in-law with only a simple bag, and said, Leaving his brother who was distracted at the celebration celebrating the celebration of the two families, he secretly came out to meet him and made excuses that were not excuses.
‘Count Charles demanded his daughter as ransom for you. In fact, they even added more money to it. It was an offer that the grand duke who ruled the southern area could not refuse.’
Deep down, he was the grand duke who, as if ashamed of himself, stroked only his ugly beard.
‘I didn’t ask for a radical conversion to royalists. He said that if he remained moderately neutral, he would receive a lot of help in the future. They didn’t just talk sloppily, they also made a secret agreement. Please know that it was an opportunity that I couldn’t miss since I have a lot of people to take responsibility for.’
At that time, even the old and solemn appeal of the power felt like an insolence that was difficult to see.
‘In the first place, you’re the one who said that people from the Dior family don’t bargain.’
It was not unreasonable to send contemptuous glances. Because what Rom saw in the archduke that day was none other than weakness like mine. Looking back now, Archduke Lucien, who was called old man, was not a bad man.
‘Don’t resent us. Because I won’t even be sorry anyway. As a father with a daughter, I just found the best place for marriage. In a chaotic world like this, I wondered if it would be okay to bet everything on a knight like you.’
However, it was just another group of people who couldn’t admit their weakness.
‘Because that was the best thing at the time!’
‘I’d like you to correct one thing.’
So, the knight did not express any resentment. Because they weren’t sorry either.
‘Your daughter is not the property of the Grand Duke.’
‘… !’
‘It’s okay to humble me out of shame and rationalize it.’
It was only then that I realized that the world we live in is different even within the same country. It was around that time that he wandered all over the place more violently to relieve the anger boiling inside him. He wore out his sword with the blood and flesh of those he defined as his enemies, and wandered again and again in pain.
‘If you truly care for and love the young lady, please refrain from using the expression ‘more money’.
It was a soldier’s life.
The riots in the eastern countryside of Fontaine were quelled with one clenched fist and without a suit of armor. Even though it was a knight with a sturdy physique, it was truly a feat that shocked everyone to beat dozens of ringleaders who rose up like bees without holding weapons.
‘I can’t pay such ridiculous taxes!’
‘We are people who earn a living every day!’
‘Proud knight, does a nobleman like you know about our starvation?’
Even though it was enough to see a political agreement.
‘But that’s not a reason to kill innocent officials and rebel.’
Prioritizing orders over justice, he followed them like a puppet.
‘The publican you killed was a man of integrity. There was also a record of struggling to somehow lower the tax rate set high by the center. But you, unable to control your emotions at the moment, brutally killed him and his family.’
‘He first… !’
‘Shut up, trash.’
Perhaps it was from that time.
‘What! As long as it’s a knight, you think it’s everything!’
‘Do you think you can beat us alone and without a sword?’
Rumors of a knight who was only revered as a hero began to add bad weight.
‘You guys don’t deserve to live.’
In the Gallic royal family and the Dior duke’s family, only resentment and resentment were passed over intact.
‘It’s been a while, Rom.’
‘Sister Marguerite.’
‘It’s hard to see your face. Even your reflection in the crystal ball seems to be getting emaciated.’
So, around the time he left Fontainebleau, she even received such a call. I found a sanctuary that was close to the contact that the wandering priest of the church had brought and took the communication. Inside the sparkling white stone crystal ball, I received a kind proposal from my dear sister.
‘It looks like the lighting here is a bit dim.’
‘My cute little sister, noona is not an idiot. Everyone in the world is pointing fingers at you, how can you not know that? My brother and Charles are also very indifferent. I’m always worried about how vulnerable you are.’
A proposal that might have led to a different future.
‘If it’s okay, how about coming to me?’
‘Are you talking to my sister?’
‘As you know, my godfather, the Bishop, seems to have received a letter from Bishop Ravel of the West this time. It was about the Sultan of Nasr showing signs of invading the coast once again, but I think you’ll have a role to play here at the headquarters.’
It wasn’t like any other aristocrat, standing on the front line and asking me to lead the vanguard. In preparation for the upcoming war, she was asked to become an instructor to foster the Celestial Church’s Paladins. Her half-sister her, who cared so much for her youngest her, did n’t want her younger brother to be wrecked wandering the bloody battlefield.
‘Heaven embraces everyone. The religious world of state religion is another political and social world. If you want to achieve your dreams and goals, it would be nice to learn and strengthen yourself by his side of him.’
‘My bloodstained hands will become who to the merciful heavenly spirit.’
‘Rom, you know that’s not the case.’
‘Even if I don’t become someone to the Heavenly God, I will become my sister.’
I would be lying if I said I did n’t feel guilty from my sister who had a sad expression on her face. Because of that, the next place the knight headed was Grande Mande on the west coast.
‘I don’t want anything like that.’
Just as the commanders of the southwestern border all died and became the sword of Tarn who formed the final line of defense in Limousin.
‘In return, I will relieve the bishop’s worries myself.’
Rome became the sword after Bishop Ravel. The Sultan’s army, which had returned stronger, ran frantically from the shore to the top of the deck, and finally won the victory.
‘It’s amazing, Romuald of Dior!’
‘Your Excellency after Bishop.’
‘I heard that reinforcements were sent from the headquarters, but I can’t imagine that it was a knight capable of repelling the Sultan of Nasr single-handedly. You are truly a blessing from the heavens these days, when the invasions of the evil Apostolic cults continue unabated!’
He also had an uncomfortable time with a stingy and greedy high-ranking priest, contrary to his appearance.
‘As you know, the invasion of those who believe in the Apostolic Church continues in the southwest of the continent. In the northeast, the Rus Empire is aiming for neighboring countries. At a time like this, it would be nice if you, who led the great offensive of Limousin, would take refuge in the Heavenly God.’
‘It’s hard to hold on to.’
‘Aren’t you interested in a crusade that will defeat the Apostolic Church of Aragon and the main church of Rus?’
Lucien Tarn’s assessment was very accurate. Bishop Hu, who was deep in cunning, did not show it on the outside, but tried to get his hands on Rom by any means and methods. In particular, after learning that he had rejected the bishop’s proposal, he even tied his feet for religious ceremonies such as prayer and worship so that he could not leave without a word.
‘This is the weak sincerity of our church.’
The people of the East hated him. The Grand Duke of the South found him uncomfortable. The family in the center had no intention of accepting him except for his sister. The only regions he had left were the west and north, but even the west turned away from him because of the hasty appeasement of the bishop.
Yes, of course there were some extreme choices. Pretending to be drunk, he intentionally broke several stone statues and holy relics of the church. He had also defeated several clergymen who had been trying to stop him, and as if he had come to his senses belatedly, he escaped through the night.
‘This is a letter, Mr. Romuald.’
‘… From whom?’
‘From the northern, frozen land margrave family Lemoang.’
Until today.
‘Madame Orrianne Lemoang wants you.’
