NOVEL WEB Ch. 41
Chapter 41
Watching the countless people cheering for me from atop the castle walls.
Seeing them so happy brought a mix of thoughts to my mind. A hopeful thought crossed my mind, ‘With the crowd liking me this much, a rebellion probably won’t happen, right?’ followed by another, ‘Still, I shouldn’t let my guard down. People’s hearts can change at any time.’
But the most certain thought of all was this.
‘To be this happy just from crushing some thugs and wicked merchants… it seems life was really hard because of those scoundrels.’
Just because I captured the thugs and wicked merchants didn’t mean their lives would improve immediately. This kingdom was still poor, with little to eat or enjoy.
The reason people were so joyous despite that… was perhaps because they saw ‘hope’.
The hope that ‘today will be better than yesterday.’
—Waaaaaaah!!
The people continued to cheer for me with all their might. It was a strange feeling.
Something welled up in my chest, making it feel burdensome, but it wasn't entirely bad.
No, to be honest, it felt good. It was that feeling of being pumped up, so to speak.
“…”
As I was silently looking over the crowd, Jereuth began to gesture, giving some instructions to the knights and soldiers. Following his orders, the knights and soldiers roughly seized the thugs and forced them to kneel along the castle wall.
Numerous thugs and wicked merchants, battered and bruised, knelt in a single file facing me. The scene calmed my excited heart.
‘Is it time for the execution now?’
Previously, when Jereuth had reported the ‘war on crime’ plan, he said that if the operation went according to plan, they would make the captured thugs and wicked merchants kneel before the royal palace walls and execute them in front of the people.
In other words, a large-scale public execution.
When Jereuth had verbally explained the ‘large-scale execution,’ I couldn't quite imagine the situation or the atmosphere. I simply thought that even if we were executing trash, the sight of many people being executed wouldn't be very pleasant.
So I had anticipated it to some extent and prepared myself mentally… but the thought of actually watching the execution scene made my heart feel restless.
It was then.
“Pri, Prince Leonardo!! Lo, long live!! Long live!! Your Highness! I was wrong! Pl, please save me! Please just spare my life!! I, I will do anything!”
One of the thugs kneeling below the wall suddenly lifted his head, looked up at me, and cried out in a desperate voice. The distance was too great to see his face clearly, but I recognized the voice.
‘Is that Diego… the leader of the royal capital’s thugs.’
As Diego suddenly shouted, the soldiers next to him struck him with their spears.
Thwack—!
“Shut up! How dare a worm like you!!”
“Kuaaak…! Yo, Your Highness! Please save me! P, please just save…!”
“I told you to shut up!!”
“Yo, Your Highness!! It is because of me that bigger problems did not arise in the royal capital! Without me, the lowly ones would have run rampant, not knowing their place in the world… Keuk!”
“This bastard!!”
“Unjust! It is unjust…! Your Highness! I was only following the orders of a noble, I had no choice…!”
“Damn it… Hey! Gag this bastard!!”
“Mmph… Your Highness!! Mmph!!”
Diego cried out, begging for his life even as he was being beaten by the soldiers. It was a strange feeling.
‘Begging so desperately to be saved… how absurd.’
When he was backed by nobles, toying with people as he pleased, reigning like a king, and cutting off wrists for fun, and now that his own life was on the line, he begged to be saved.
He was utterly shameless.
—Yo, Your Highness! Please save me!
—I! I fought in the war against the demons! You cannot execute me like this, a man who returned from war!
—Prince Le, Leonardo! Long live! Long live!!
—Your Highness! I am Millipnos! A merchant who supplies wheat to the royal family, no, an ‘honest merchant’!!
Meanwhile, the other thugs and wicked merchants also began to cry out for their lives. It seemed Diego’s shouting had given the others some useless courage.
—Your Highness! Please save me!
—I’ll do anything! If you want me to be a slave, I’ll be a slave!
—I, I will offer all the wealth I have gathered!
If I had a voice amplification magic tool right now, I would have said a word to them.
Something like, 「“You thought nothing of others’ lives, but now that it’s your turn to die, you act so cowardly and servile?”」
But I didn’t have a voice amplification magic tool right now. The distance was too great; even if I shouted with all my might, it was unlikely they would hear me.
—Shut up, you bastards!
—These bastards!
—Soldiers, what are you doing! Get them under control!
The soldiers were restraining the thugs and wicked merchants who kept screaming for their lives. They swung their spears to beat them or jabbed their backs with the spearheads.
Amid the commotion, Jereuth stepped out of the line and looked up at me. Our eyes met.
“…”
“…”
Jereuth didn't say a word, but I knew his intention. He seemed to be asking what to do with them.
‘Since it was already decided to execute them, there’s no need to ask.’
Still, since Jereuth was seeking my permission, I had to give him an answer. But shouting 「“Execute them!”」 from down below the wall seemed like it would ruin the image. My young boy’s voice didn't fit the current atmosphere either.
‘So, it would be better to give a hand signal for execution rather than speaking. The most intuitive signal is a slashing motion across the neck, but that might seem undignified…’
After a moment’s thought, I came up with a plausible hand signal.
Swoosh—.
I extended my hand forward.
I raised my thumb up.
And then.
Flick—.
I turned my thumb down towards the ground.
It wasn't a pre-arranged signal with Jereuth, but it was my own signal to execute the thugs and wicked merchants.
Fortunately, Jereuth understood my intention and began to do what he had to do.
“Execute them!”
—Waaaaaaah!
—Kill them! Those fucking bastards!
—My daughter! Bring back my daughter!!
—Yo, Your Highness! Please save me!
—Sa, save…!
At that one word, the gathered crowd burst into cheers. Parents who had brought their children covered their eyes. The knights and soldiers stood by their assigned prisoners, preparing for the execution. The trash facing death screamed to be saved until the very end.
And I.
‘…Let’s go back. To my room.’
I had been resolute up to the point of ordering the execution. But I didn't have the courage to watch the scene with my own two eyes. Perhaps I was still a weak and cowardly person.
—…Aaaaaaaargh!
As I descended the castle wall stairs, a scream came from outside the castle. The scream of some nameless thug or wicked merchant.
—Ugh, uwaaaaaargh!
I heard it again.
***
Clack—.
Returning to my room, I carelessly took off the mask covering my face and placed it on the table. I also took off my cloak and draped it over a chair.
“Your Highness… are you alright?”
Elly, who had returned to the room with me, immediately tidied up the mask and cloak while cautiously observing my face. Then, she asked carefully, just as she had in the restroom earlier.
“Now that the urgent matters are all over, how about you get some rest?”
“…”
“You really look like you need a rest.”
Elly was right. I needed rest right now. To put it bluntly, my body’s condition might even be in a ‘dangerous’ state.
I knew that. I knew it better than anyone.
‘But… I feel rushed.’
Although I had dealt with the thugs and wicked merchants of the royal capital, thugs still remained in other major cities besides the capital.
Even if that weren't the case, many crises still awaited me. Crises like bandits, monster attacks, natural disasters, and plagues.
Crises like bandit or monster attacks were things that would happen later, so I could afford a little time, but eradicating the thugs and wicked merchants in other cities was something that needed to be done immediately. If rumors of the ‘war on crime’ spread to other cities, the thugs and wicked merchants there would run away.
‘I’ll have to call Jereuth to discuss handling the thugs in other cities. Before that, I should check the
Plop—.
I barely dragged my tired body and sat on the edge of the bed. I managed to lift my head, looked at Elly, and said.
“The matter of the royal capital’s thugs and wicked merchants is finished. But they still remain in other cities. Even at this very moment, as you and I are talking, innocent citizens are being violated by that trash.”
“…”
“First, I need to talk with Commander Jereuth about that. I will rest afterward. So please call the Commander.”
At my words, Elly just stared at me silently. Elly, who always responded immediately whenever I spoke, had been showing such reactions frequently these days.
Not that I got the feeling Elly was trying to disobey me. It just seemed like Elly genuinely wanted me to rest.
—…
As a quiet yet strange current flowed in the room, Elly nodded her head heavily and said.
“…I understand, Your Highness. Then I will bring the Commander.”
***
After Elly left the room.
I immediately took out the
‘First, I should check the future closest to the present. Since I got rid of the capital’s thugs, something new must have been written—.’
Just as I was opening the diary.
Fliiiiiip—!
The
It meant that my ending, the changed content, was about to appear.
Continental Calendar, year 901, December 11.
A year ago, the war between the kingdom’s army and the bandits, which began with the rampant rise of bandits, was nearing its end.
My army fought with all its might. But the goddess of fate was not on my side. Unfortunately, the end of the war with the bandits was a foregone conclusion of the kingdom army's defeat.
“…”
I was standing on the walls of the royal capital. Standing there, where I could see everything around the capital, I looked outside the castle. As dawn broke, a beautiful plain and a clear river came into view.
Truly, just looking at that, it was a beautiful sight.
But unlike that beautiful scenery, below the walls were gathered those who threatened my life.
The bandits. They insulted me.
“Soldiers who seek to protect the weak king! Surrender! Surrender and you will be spared!”
“The griffin on the flag of the Plank royal family is dead!”
“Welcome the new king, our King Aribal!”
“Hahahahahaha!!”
“This is the end for you, who dared to touch us by starting a ‘war on crime’! You foolish and stupid crown prince! Hahahahahaha!!”
It had been over a month since they laid siege to the royal capital. As a result, the drinking water and food inside the capital had long since run out, and every night, the people of the capital, unable to endure the thirst and hunger, joined the bandits.
I don't know if I should call it a relief, but the knights and soldiers said they would stay by my side until the end. However, I had learned all too painfully over the past year that loyalty alone cannot win a war.
‘…How did it come to this? Why were the bandits able to build up such power?’
Thinking back now, there were several reasons for the kingdom army's defeat.
The first reason was that I had failed to rule the kingdom as a whole. I should have properly managed each city of the kingdom to check the bandits from growing their power, but I couldn't because I tried to manage all the cities by myself.
To properly manage all the cities of the kingdom, I should have dispatched officials to each city. However, I was afraid that the officials—the former nobles—would regain their fiefs and build up their power, so I did not share authority with them. It was my mistake.
But I had my reasons for not being able to trust and being suspicious of the officials. It was because one of the officials had been caught attempting a rebellion.
Whatever the reason, I was too suspicious of the former nobles and tried to manage everything by myself. In the end, my lack of ability led to this disaster, and I failed to properly check the bandits.
The second reason was that the kingdom's military power was too weak.
Originally, the Plank Kingdom's army was divided into the ‘King’s Army’ and the ‘Nobles’ Armies.’
But when I purged the nobles, all their armies were disbanded, and in that vacuum, the bandits grew their power as they pleased. Some of the nobles’ soldiers even joined the bandits.
By the time I heard the news that the bandits were attacking provincial cities and belatedly gathered an army, it was too late. An army is not something that can be created overnight.
And the final, third reason.
The most fatal reason was that I was a ‘foolish investor.’
For the past few years, I had invested all of the kingdom's resources into agriculture and economic growth. The kingdom was so poor that people had nothing to eat, so I tried to solve the problem of subsistence first.
That was successful, in its own way. But the wealth and food of the kingdom gained from that success mostly fell into the hands of the bandits.
I regret it.
‘…I should have grown agriculture, commerce, and military power together. While keeping the bandits in check.’
To grow agriculture, commerce, and military power together to keep the bandits in check.
It was impossible for me to do alone. So I should have shared authority with people I could trust.
But who should I have given authority to? I didn't have many people I could trust.
‘I couldn’t trust the officials… would it have been better to entrust the fiefs to the knights?’
I don't know.
All I knew was that the ending I had chosen would soon be upon me.
—Open the gates!!
With Jereuth’s thunderous roar, the gates of the royal capital opened.
Through that open gate, Jereuth, along with the kingdom's knight order and soldiers, charged towards the bandits.
—Waaaaaaah!
—For the Plank Kingdom!
—For Prince Leonardo!
—To the last! Until the very end!
—Hold your swords and spears tenaciously!!
—We don't need shields! We ourselves are the kingdom's shield!!
Among them was Yoanna, who had just shed her girlhood. That girl, barely a year older than me, had become the kingdom’s first female knight and was fighting for me.
All of them were only lightly armed.
They had devoted everything to attacking the bandits, without a care for their own lives.
They were loyal, strong, and brave knights and soldiers. Without them, even the royal capital would have fallen long ago.
But the number of the kingdom's army led by Jereuth was too small compared to the bandits.
Squeeze—.
I grabbed the hilt of the royal sword hanging from my waist, which I couldn't even wield properly due to my lack of strength. Perhaps because my palms were weak from the lack of any training, the skin on my palm tore as I gripped the hilt tightly.
‘I should have fought with them too… is this really how it ends?’
As I was trying to hide my complex emotions, Seria spoke to me, her face devoid of any color.
“Prince Leonardo. The teleportation magic that will allow you to escape outside the kingdom is ready. It takes a little time to activate the magic, but the knights and soldiers will buy time, so if you go to the magic circle right now, there will be no problem with the teleportation.”
“…”
“If the elders of the Mage Tower were with us, we could have prepared it much faster… I am sorry. This was the limit with the power of myself, my daughter, and a few other mages.”
As Seria mentioned the elders of the Mage Tower, I thought of them too.
‘The elders of the Mage Tower… letting them leave was also a mistake.’
I should have somehow kept them from leaving after the ‘war on crime’ ended five years ago. If they had been here, I wouldn't have lost the country to the bandits so pathetically.
Seria continued to speak.
“Lady Elly said she will remain in the castle to continue treating the injured. His Majesty also said he would stay. Sir Heinshtangl is working on burning all the kingdom's wealth so as not to hand it over to the bandits. He said he would go out with a sword when he's finished.”
“…What about you, Lady Seria?”
“I also intend to remain in the castle.”
“Let’s escape together—.”
“I cannot go. The long-distance teleportation magic I can use can only take one person. Oh, the destination of the teleport is the ‘Foothill's Rest’ in the northeast of the kingdom. It is dangerous for ordinary humans to enter as it is the land of the elves… but since Your Highness is a half-elf, the elves will not attack you without reason.”
“…”
“And I have prepared the most powerful magic at the cost of my life. I plan to unleash that magic when the bandits enter the castle. I've never used it before, so I don't know if it will work well, but if it succeeds… the crows will feast heartily. It's a magic I've always wanted to try someday, and now I get to use it like this. Hoho…”
Seria finished speaking with a faint, forced smile. Her gaze was directed at the crows flying in the sky. They were Seria’s crows.
Caw—! Caw—! Caw—!
Those crows were certainly ‘allies,’ but being crows, they were a bit eerie.
I didn't know what kind of magic Seria had prepared. But if it was a magic she prepared with such difficulty that she was drained of all color, it must be a great magic.
‘…Seria never intended to escape from the beginning. Neither did Elly, nor Jereuth, nor Heinshtangl.’
While I was talking with Seria, the knights led by Jereuth were penetrating the center of the bandits’ main camp. I couldn't see well because of the dust clouds, but somewhere far away, where the bandits were falling like autumn leaves, Jereuth must be there.
‘…So that’s why Jereuth was called ‘a single ray of light illuminating the battlefield’.’
Truly, Jereuth was literally like the only hope seen in a hopeless battlefield.
I was seeing it clearly with my own two eyes. Jereuth’s bravery and martial prowess. As a man, I admired him.
Yet, in the midst of this, to think that I alone was prepared to escape, I felt small.
‘Escape… escape, huh.’
I didn't want to go. No, I couldn’t go.
Abandoning the people who were about to sacrifice their lives for me, I, who had lived as the crown prince of this kingdom for years, could not leave this place.
I wasn't trying to act cool. I just didn't want to go alone, leaving behind the people fighting for me.
So I decided.
Shing— Thud.
I drew my sword. Barely. But the sword was so heavy that I couldn't lift it properly, and its tip touched the ground.
As I laboriously lifted the sword that was pathetically dragging on the ground, I, like Seria, forced a smile and said.
“I will go out and fight too. If I die… this war will end.”
That was the newly written ending of the
An ending where, years later, bandits cause a ruckus and the kingdom falls into ruin.
And as soon as I read it, my head throbbed again.
Ha— damn it.
‘…How am I supposed to solve this one?’