Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 32
◈ 032. [Side Story] Cross Margrave (2)
that day. late afternoon.
I headed back to Margrave Cross's mansion..
“Margrave! It's inside?”
As I entered the garden of the mansion, banging loudly on the outside door, the Margrave Cross immediately came out from inside the mansion..
“I don’t think you realize how precious your life is! Surely I said it! Don't come near me again…….”
The Margrave tried to point the tip of the spear in his hand at me, but immediately dropped it..
Because I found a small cart that I was pulling behind me..
“Well, what is that??”
“What could it be??”
I grinned and lifted the cloth that covered the top of the cart..
“I love you so much I'm dying.”
The cart was loaded with alcohol..
The liquor bottles sparkled like sand on a white beach in the late afternoon sunlight..
“…….”
Margrave Cross looked at me and the bottle back and forth, not knowing what to do..
***
The Ash I possessed is a fucking bastard..
It is said that Prince Hanryang, who literally enjoyed drinking water and forest, is ashamed no matter what is shown..
There's no way a guy like this would have come down to the countryside with his bare hands. Of course, I brought a lot of high-grade alcohol..
But I don't enjoy drinking. There is no need to save.
I have been collecting all the expensive liquor that Ash brought from the capital..
“Let's have a drink together, Margrave..”
I picked up a bottle from the cart and shook it..
Beautiful golden liquid overflowed from inside the liquor bottle wrapped in luxurious packaging..
Flutter, Flutter.
The sweet sound of liquid shaking resonates.
It would be an offer that Margrave Cross, a heavy drinker, could not refuse..
Gulp.
Drool ran down Margrave Cross's skinny neck. I shrugged and put the liquor bottle I was carrying back into the cart..
“Don't hate it?”
“no no! Who said no?”
Margrave Cross opened the door to his mansion wide..
“Come in, Your Highness. Take them all!”
It's good because it's easy to understand.
I rolled up the cart filled with alcohol and entered the mansion..
“Oh my gosh.”
As soon as I took my first step inside, I let out an exclamation(?) without realizing it..
From the entrance to the inside of the mansion, empty liquor bottles were rolling around on the floor..
“Holly… … molly…….”
I covered my nose with my hand.
I don't know how many bottles had been piled up without being cleaned up, but I could feel the evaporated alcohol mixed in the air. Wow.
‘It's not just a drinker, it's alcoholism…….’
I entered the kitchen of the mansion, avoiding the liquor bottles that were spread like a carpet on the floor..
Margrave Cross took two glasses from the cupboard..
“It's been a while since I drank with other people..”
I took the cup handed to me by the Margrave and looked at the bottom of the cup uncertainly..
“Is this cup clean??”
“Even if your house is a mess, your cup should be clean. Isn’t that etiquette towards alcohol??”
Margrave Cross, who had recited a strange motto, snatched the bottle from my hand..
“Let’s see where and what kind of alcohol you brought.…….”
Eventually, the Margrave's eyes widened as he saw the words written on the label..
“‘Peacemaker’s first-year imperial whiskey! Oh my god, isn’t this something so precious?!”
‘‘Peacemaker’ is the middle name of the current Emperor of the Empire..
In other words, it means that it is a liquor made to commemorate the year the emperor came to the throne. It is also a special product made directly from the imperial brewery..
It is a drink that is not only tasty but also has a very deep symbolic meaning..
In other words, it's terribly expensive..
‘I brought you this expensive drink, now please be obedient to me..’
This intention would have been conveyed even without words..
The Margrave Cross stared at me with complex eyes, then without hesitation opened the bottle of whiskey and poured it..
Golden liquid pooled in the glasses of two people..
“Then the thing…….”
I raised my glass to make a toast, but Margrave Cross was already raising it to his lips..
“…….”
I shyly put down my glass.
Margrave Cross struck his glass with one shot. This is going to be harsh, but it's okay.?
“Puha!”
Margrave Cross looked down at his empty glass with admiration on his face..
“It really is a luxury product! It’s different from the point of view on the neck..”
“As I drink it like that, I feel the proper appreciation.?”
“If you want to make an accurate comparison with the cheap drinks you usually drink, shouldn't you drink this too? That way we can evaluate it fairly..”
Damn, I don't know much about alcohol, so I don't even know if that's right or not..
Well, anyway, I didn’t come here to discuss alcohol today. I quietly put down the glass that I didn't even drink..
“Anyway, margrave. I have something to talk about today…….”
“Don't bring up other topics!”
Margrave Cross interrupted me and filled his glass again..
“Just drink and go home. If you want to talk about something else, leave..”
“No, then at least give me some snacks.…….”
You're pouring nothing but alcohol into your stomach, you drunkard old man..
In response to my complaints, Margrave Cross reluctantly opened the cupboard again and took out a small pouch..
“Come on, let me lift it..”
“what is this?”
“It's dried fruit. Made with fruit from my orchard over there..”
Inside the bag was a pile of finely chopped, dried pulp..
I lifted a piece and looked at it closely. Is it something like mango? No, is it grapes??
“You also have an orchard.?”
“Over there, can you see outside the window? It's right behind this mansion. It's a very small place. I'm managing it as a pastime..”
“Oh, well then, I'll eat well... … Wow?!”
I spit it out as soon as I put it in my mouth..
“Well, what is this, it’s so wasteful and corrupt! How do you eat something like this!”
“no. I can't believe they're spitting out fruits they've grown and harvested with great care... … This is downright rude..”
With a displeased look on his face, Margrave Cross took a bite of the fruit himself..
“Wow!”
And spit it out right away.
“No, you can't eat either.!”
“It's so tasteless. It's a fruit I grew, but it's a bit trash..”
Margrave Cross quickly poured some wine, rinsed his mouth, and then threw me a bag of dried fruit..
“Well, it's a gift. Take it.”
“Why are you giving me something that you can't eat as a gift?!”
“If I could eat it, why would I give it to them? It sounds obvious.”
I know? It's definitely nonsense, but it's strangely persuasive..
I gritted my teeth and packed the fruit bag in my arms..
Anyway, wasn't it a gift from the previous lord? You can't just throw it on the floor..
Margrave Cross looked down at the remaining pulp in his hand and sighed..
“Crossroads is located at the southernmost tip of the continent. The sunlight is high and the land is fertile. There is no land better for fruit farming than here..”
“But why does it taste like this?!”
“Not only fruits but also all other crops can produce abundant fruits as long as you cultivate the fields..”
I paused at the next words..
“If only monsters hadn't invaded on a random day..”
“ah…….”
“It's not only a problem that monsters destroy fields and kill farmers, but when they die, they spread murky magic on the land. Then do you know what happens??”
A bitter smile appeared on the wrinkled mouth of the Margrave Cross..
“The entire area is polluted. This means that even if you grow crops, it will become a cursed land where they will fail and die..”
Margrave Cross looked down at his glass with confused eyes..
A golden liquor brewed by the imperial family using grains and fruits that cannot be harvested in this area.…….
“That's why there aren't any fields around Crossroads. What do you do when the sunlight is good and the ground is fertile? I can't grow anything. No matter how hard you work, one invasion will leave you in ruins..”
“…….”
“This is a cursed land. It was like that before, and it will be like that again..”
I pointed out the window.
“But why take care of the orchard??”
“Everyone has at least one regret in their lives, right??”
The old man looked toward the orchard with faint eyes for a moment, then closed his eyes and took a sip of his drink..
“That orchard is my obsession.”
After that we didn't have any conversation until the bottle was empty..
“I can't get drunk anymore.…….”
Margrave Cross muttered while swirling the empty bottle..
I took the next bottle from the cart, uncorked it myself, and poured it into Margrave Cross's glass..
“Margrave. Do you have any idea why I came today??”
Margrave Cross's wide gaze glared at me..
“Didn't I tell you to leave if you're going to talk about anything else??”
“If you want to kick me out, kick me out. But I guess I'll end the story and leave..”
widely.
After filling the Margrave's glass, I placed the bottle on the table and opened my mouth..
“The monsters have begun to act again. And the scale is unusual..”
“…….”
“The last invasion was with 1,000 Living Armor. We managed to stop it, but the walls were greatly damaged and there were not enough soldiers..”
“…….”
“We desperately need reinforcements..”
Margrave Cross was listening silently. I raised my voice.
“Margrave. I need soldiers under your command..”
“There are no soldiers under my command..”
“I came to know that there was a private soldier in your family..”
“I have friends that I have chosen, taught, and walked the battlefield with for the rest of my life..”
Margrave Cross let out a long sigh..
“But when I gave up my position as lord, when I laid down that spear and shield... … Those friends also laid down their weapons. They're all retired now..”
“Please reconvene..”
“It's useless.”
Suddenly, suddenly.
Margrave Cross poured a drink into his mouth in one go and muttered vaguely..
“This is land not worth protecting..”
“what is that…….”
“What I'm saying is, don't waste your lives guarding this worthless battle line and let everyone run away..”
From ancient times until now.
The man whose family made it his business to protect this land said so..
It was so unexpected that I froze for a moment..
“Look, the prince is getting better. Why did you come to this land??”
The Margrave Cross looked at me gently and calmly blurted out,.
“In this land, everything is just dying. Without hope or future.”
“…….”
“This is advice from someone who has spent his entire life protecting this place. get out of here As soon as one day soon. Before I am eaten by the curse of this land.”
What happened to this old man?.
Why did he deny himself his whole life?.
I wanted to ask and hear the answer, but Margrave Cross turned his head and waved his hand..
“Let’s go. It's too much for me to talk any more..”
I had a gut feeling that this was it for today. I stood up slowly.
“I will come again, margrave.”
“…….”
“Next time, I'll bring some good snacks with me..”
The margrave did not answer or turn his gaze in this direction..
I just stare from a distance at my own orchard outside the window..
After taking one last look at the old man's profile, I left the mansion..
***
When I came out, Lucas was waiting with his horse..
“Your Majesty, was your persuasion successful??”
“no. failure. But I still got a gift.”
Even though it's dried fruit that I can't eat, it's a gift. Isn’t this a huge step forward??
I shrugged my shoulders and climbed onto the saddle..
“Well, how can everything be resolved in one day??”
“You're going to keep coming..”
“If you succeed, you can recruit veteran troops who have been fighting monsters their entire lives. It's well worth the effort.”
I tilted my head as I started to return to the city with Lucas..
“By the way, what happened to Margrave Cross? It seems like something big has happened... … Lucas, do you know anything??”
“No, I don't at all…….”
Lucas, like me, had lived his entire life in the imperial capital and had just been demoted to the south..
I don't know the details of this place..
“Ader told the Margrave himself to hear it... … Wow.”
Ader didn't seem to have any intention of spoiling it at all. Damn director guy.
“Anyway, persuasion is persuasion. Until then, I'll have to do what I can..”
What you can do.
Repair the walls and prepare for war.
No matter what card I hold in my hand, monsters come. I just kill monsters as best as I can, as efficiently as possible..
I looked at the city in the distance and said it to myself as if I was making a promise..
“Let's go back to Crossroads. There's a lot to do.”
Comments