Chapter 354
My Villains Episode 354
59. plateau(14)
Theodora... … Should we say ‘what’s inside and outside’? A person who is hard on the outside but soft on the inside..
Perhaps due to having lived as a high-ranking nobleman, nun, and saint all her life, she wears manners, kindness, formality, and dignity. So, although it is difficult to approach, if you look closely, it has its own charm and even feels subtly cute..
It's like that just today. After receiving the offer to show me the dream left behind by Saint Abel, he followed me with a determined expression, but when I led him to my room, he suddenly turned stiff and shy..
“Uh, sir. I am, um, a paladin who must take a vow of chastity.……
“……yes? Just going into my room for a moment doesn't mean I lose my virginity..”
“……“That’s true.” Her light green eyes were a mix of wariness and fear..
Let's just say it was the kind of wariness you would normally see in a beautiful woman with strong self-love..
But what about fear? It wasn't something a powerful paladin would have in a hallway without even a single ant, so I found it very interesting..
“I am also a Gwangmyeong believer, and I believe in it. I'm not interested in breaking your vows, so just come in..”
Of course it's a lie.
If you only look at it, Theodora Hale
Because he matches my ideal type just like Ra. It is impossible to not have dark feelings at all..
Regardless of my sincerity, my tone of voice was quite firm, and Theodora, who was hesitant, made a strange expression. A funny face that looks a little upset or embarrassed…….
He led the princess into the room, ignoring the various changes in her expression. My goal is to comfort her, so I plan to focus on that today..
Theodora must have been upset by the lie, but when she entered the room, she kept a long distance between me and the hem of her clothes..
Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-
But that was only for a moment, as soon as a black disk popped out from the dimensional seal on my wrist, she quickly clung to my forearm. I felt a tremor through my clothes and burst into laughter..
And then fall.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch/”
Theodora gritted her teeth and endured the free fall that began from above the clouds, and eventually screamed..
Out of consideration for her, I slowed down her falling speed a little, and she clung to me while repeating inexplicable exclamations such as 'Wow wow wow wow-'. I felt the scaly breastplate against my side. Regret came to me too late, thinking I should have taken off the armor and brought him back..
After fully enjoying the dizzying feeling in the quasi-dimension, I returned to reality. Te Odora, who had become scattered, stumbled for a moment and then collapsed on the bed..
“……Ugh, hoo.”
After catching her breath for a while, she suddenly turned to me and her eyes sparkled..
““This is an amazing thing.” The tone of voice was that of an excited girl, not a confident paladin. Have you come to your senses yet?.
“What are you excited about?？”
“They say that in the hearts of people there is courage given by the Lord. They say that at first it is soft like a child's skin, but the more it goes through hardships, the harder it becomes like steel..”
“……But?”
“I just felt it. Falling headlong from the sky is an incredibly scary thing, but the second time it happened, it got a lot easier..”
“It didn't look that easy.”
“I can't believe it was just a dream. How is it so vivid?.”
As if he couldn't hear anything, Theodora continued talking without even straightening his hair..
“If you experience this three, four, five, or more times, you will be able to enjoy falling like a repair.?”
“I guess so..”
“Then next time-”
She chattered excitedly and then closed her mouth in shock. Did I realize that I was not able to maintain my fidelity as a noble and a Holy Knight, or was I just embarrassed to say what I said next?.
That look was funny, so I smiled and answered..
“So next time, let’s wear something more comfortable and light. So you can feel the wind more vividly.”
“……uh,”
The candle light on the nightstand flickered, and a small face with delicate features took on color..
The peach-colored lips licked silently and only stammered out..
“Yeah, like that- uh, no… … okay. Please do so, sir..”
The innocent Seongsa, barely able to finish his sentence, quickly got up from the bed as if he had been burned. And with an unnatural ravenousness he leaned against the door..
“I, no, I. I committed disrespect..”
“What kind of disrespect do you mean??”
“that……
Did I get drunk again? Theodora's entire face, ears, and even neck were dyed red..
“I'm done, it's dark outside.”
With a final, incomprehensible greeting, Theodora left the room as if running away..
……She's a girl who has a taste for teasing. What if I get addicted to this??
The next day, around lunchtime, we set off again..
Prince Ulkar left Lord Hylterre and some of his troops at Longdale as planned. These are the people who will return to High Castle after completing the settlement of the village..
The plateau overall was rather desolate, with many hills and rocky mountains here and there. However, since the road was paved, it was not inconvenient to run a horse..
After running for about half a day, I encountered a winter rye field as I entered a small basin-like terrain. As I looked at the greenish-blue leaves sticking out through the half-melted snow, I could feel that winter was coming to an end..
There was a village around the edge of the rye field. It was a small village with about 15 wooden buildings surrounded by a fence made of piled stones, but it didn't feel like it was popular..
“……I think it's late.”
It was just as Ulkar said..
Most of the houses were burned and collapsed. There were blood stains here and there, so I was able to roughly guess what had happened..
The cavalrymen were in a gloomy mood for a moment before Sir Gisella, the knight of the Birdhawk, noticed something and shouted..
“Your Majesty, here!”
What she found was the remains of a collapsed house in the center of the village. There was a hole in the mud mixed with ash, snow, and dirt, and there were footprints nearby..
“It's a trace of a person.”
Sir Gisella spoke thoughtfully, looking at the footsteps heading northwest..
“There are also many children's items mixed in. He must have hid in the basement to avoid looters and then escaped..”
“ Q ”
The prince nodded silently and lifted the reins, and more than a hundred horsemen immediately followed..
A few hours after leaving the basin-like terrain. We followed the footprints and discovered two more villages..
Of course, just like the village I first saw, it was completely empty and only a few corpses remained. However, the footprints continued to increase in size, so it was not difficult to guess the situation..
“I found one more village, the situation is similar..”
“The same goes for me, Your Majesty. It looks like all the residents have evacuated..”
It was a report from pro-military Randel and cavalry officer Seto, who had led a detachment to search the surrounding area. After being lost in thought for a moment, Ulkar looked back at Lord Ankir..
“Everyone seems to be moving in the same direction, what do you think??”
‘It is said that Lord Ankir, who is 'giant', is from 'Whitestone', a fortress in the south of the plateau. He is the successor of the family that has been the lord of the castle for the second generation..
To him, the plateau was like the courtyard of his own home, so when Ulkar asked a question, he was able to come up with an answer right away..
“There is a settlement to the west that looks like a small town. It's called 'Kybor', it's bigger than Longdale but it's a poor neighborhood..”
“I guess he went there.?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Nine times out of ten, it will happen..”
We rode west and were able to catch up with the refugees as the sun was setting..
When cavalry suddenly appeared from behind, the serfs who were walking heavily were frightened and screamed..
“Calm down! I am King Lionel III
Your Majesty's Son, Ulkarda!”
But that was only for a moment, as Ulkar, who took the lead, took off his helmet and revealed his identity, and the chaos soon subsided..
No, to be precise, the chaos did not subside. The residents who met the kingdom's idol made a fuss in a different way like passionate fans..
“Prince! Prince Ulkar!”
“We ran away without taking care of even a single thing. Please save us.!”
“Prince, I can fight! Please take me to High Castle!” It was none other than me who finally calmed down the serfs, who numbered about three hundred..
When I drove the bicorn and approached Ulkar, the surprised people couldn't even scream and retreated in haste..
“Well, that is.”
“He's a bloody prosecutor..”
“I'm riding a monster.”
Following a low murmur that clearly showed signs of fright, the babies burst into tears. Women holding crying children trembled and turned their shoulders in the opposite direction from me..
What is this atmosphere? what did i do wrong?
Prince Ulkar looked at my shocked expression and said with a bitter smile:.
“Practice smiling kindly. Especially in front of the weak. Looks like Kyung needs that..”
“I'm still doing well... … . Take a look.”
When I said that and smiled, Ulkar nodded with a hesitant expression..
“……“It wasn’t a matter of facial expression.” "yes?”
“No, forget it. Let's go.”
……What is it? I feel uncomfortable..
We entered Keibor, passing the inhabitants parting like the Red Sea..
Keybor was a large village surrounded by flat and wide farmland, which is rare in the highlands..
It looks like rye farming is also done here in the winter, and unlike the rye fields I've seen before, the snow that has fallen has been cleared away, giving the field a neat and tidy appearance..
The edge of the village was surrounded by a low, thick wooden fence reinforced with stone in some places. It didn't seem to have been attacked by the Bloodmane mercenaries. Was that because the settlement was well-protected against shouting?.
It was fortunate that the village wasn't sacked, but that wasn't necessarily a positive thing..
“……A ceremony of blessing, you mean? To the paladin of the Kalan Bridge Church.?”
Perhaps because it was a large village, Keibor had a manor and a lord..
It was a man named Baron Boanen, and he seemed stubborn and had a very unfriendly attitude..
“I'm sorry, Your Majesty. All residents of Keivor, including me, are faithful believers of the Light..”
“That's the problem? My niece is also a priest of the Gwangmyeong Church..”
“Isn’t this heresy?.”
“what! What nonsense is that?!”
An angry Lord Ankir jumped up, pounding on the table as if he would break it, but the prince stopped him. Baron Boanen still showed a stubborn attitude despite the threats from the large knight..
“As a vassal of His Majesty the King and His Excellency the Margrave, I will treat the Prince, a member of the royal family, with good will, but no congratulatory ceremony will be allowed. This is related to the internal affairs of the territory..”
If the remnants of the Bloodmane mercenaries had attacked here, and if we had saved the village in danger, things might have changed a bit..
However, Kaybor avoided plunder through thorough defense, and Ulkar, who was only a visitor, had no reason to force Baron Boanen..
Several rights, including the right to levy taxes during wartime and the right to conscription, which had been transferred from Count Landry, were useless in front of the baron, who was the undisputed owner of the fiefdom..
“……Isn't Keibor, unlike Ronde, where commerce was booming, forced to starve when the harvest is poor? Moreover, although the land here is said to be fertile, a plateau is a plateau. If the blessing ceremony is missed even for a year, the land may die, and the priests of the Elganor Church are absent, so how about making concessions for the sake of the people??”
Despite the prince's kind persuasion, Nam Boanen was extremely stubborn..
I knew that the Ra El Ganor Church was especially influential in the borderlands bordering Calandari's territory, but Ulkar seemed to have never expected to meet such a 'faithful' person as a worldly lord..
The prince remained silent for a moment, then nodded and stood up..
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