Chapter: 114
On January 9th at 3 PM, the content was partially revised.
“Cursed.”
I said softly.
“That foolish one tried to flaunt his country and royal power to desecrate the Goddess of Life and the Temple of Life…”
I continued with a slight smile.
“For someone who possesses nothing but the strength of their kingdom and royal lineage, it would be simple to strip him of everything he holds dear, just to teach him a harsh lesson about reality.”
Of course, I admit I was a bit harsh.
Because of one idiot’s mistake, all the citizens of the country must have suffered.
It was reckless, and a rash decision too.
But as the Goddess of Life, I can’t say such things.
Those who dare insult a deity must be punished severely.
The best way to maintain the deity’s dignity is to prevent anyone from looking down on them.
And… if I, who holds the highest position as the supreme deity, let this blasphemous fool slide without strict punishment…
[The Goddess of Life let this much slide, and they’re still this angry!] It might cause trouble for the other gods… the children.
Humans are just that foolish.
“I’m sorry to the people of Arcad but lifting that curse won’t be easy. The crime of insulting the temple and the deity’s representative is immense.”
I had no choice but to say this.
“I see.”
King Makai only sighed at my response.
“I just hope… that the curse on that land can be lifted…”
“If you want that, then you should bring your brother to apologize in the Temple of Life, rather than asking me.”
There’s a matter of sincere apology, but that can be sorted out physically.
“At that time… I thought if he was exiled, that fool would quickly realize his sin and atone for it.”
But his brother’s stupidity… was much greater than he expected.
“But that my brother would remain ignorant of his own mistakes for decades… I never saw that coming. If I had known beforehand, I would’ve kept him close and constantly reminded him of his wrongs.”
“Hmm. That might’ve been faster.”
“But the people are innocent, right?”
King Makai looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
“The population of Arcad in its prime exceeded 80,000, yet after the Goddess cursed it, only a few thousand remained in the 6 cities and 17 villages. The rest either fled or lost their lives.”
Sorrowful eyes. Eyes filled with grief.
“Among those who lost their lives was my father, the late king.”
Hmm. Even the previous king was pushed to the brink of death.
“My father, who blamed himself for my brother’s foolishness, handed the crown to me shortly after the country fell apart, and he never got up again.”
I listened silently to Makai’s words.
“On the day my father passed away, I discarded my name. I abandoned the name Shuruto, took on the name of a fierce beast, and wandered from country to country, using the crown, once the kingdom’s treasure, as collateral to buy land, abandoning the agriculture that sustained the nation, and sharpening my sword all this time.”
A faint madness flickered in his eyes.
“And now… the representative of the Goddess, the root cause of it all, has come to this land. Isn’t this all a divine arrangement?”
“It’s just coincidence.”
I can state that with conviction.
Passing through the wasteland that was Arcad, meeting the cavalry on patrol there, and arriving here in Arcadia – all purely coincidental.
“Coincidence, yes, but when coincidences pile up, they become inevitable.”
King Makai said, raising the corner of his mouth.
“If I didn’t have the duties of a king, I would have sacrificed my life to beg the Goddess for forgiveness, but the responsibilities of kingship have shackled me.”
“…”
He was filled with sorrow.
“Please, if the Goddess shows pity for the suffering people of Arcad due to your curse, grant a small blessing to those who have inherited their wills and intentions.”
He spoke with desperate sincerity.
“Since you cursed that land, please bless those who have survived there.”
It was a voice imbued with sincere desperation.
“For those who cannot return home, who know only how to till the fields but are forced to raise livestock; for the poor old folks who lost their ancestral lands and died of guilt; and for the foolish ones clinging to life out of a sense of duty.”
He fell to the ground before me, speaking as if he were pouring out his heart.
“Bestow a blessing upon them.”
A blessing.
A blessing, huh.
“What kind of blessing are you hoping for?”
“The best would be a blessing that removes or offsets the curse placed on the land of Arcad, but…”
“In the name of the deities, I cannot reverse a decision once made.”
At my words, King Makai looked up.
“Yes, I thought that might be the case.”
He nodded, saying:
“Then… I hope this country becomes strong.”
“Strong, you say?”
“Yes. This country, which depends on useless lands borrowed from other nations and the food that is sold to us, needs to grow strong enough to resist other nations. Strong enough not to be belittled. Strong enough to repel foreign armies.”
So he wants the country to be strong.
Or no…
“Since we can only raise livestock here, we are perpetually short on food, leading to a lack of population, and barely hanging on as we are pushed around by others. If this continues, we’ll have no choice but to make a final desperate choice.”
If the final choice for a country that can only herd livestock is…
Plundering.
And if that’s on a national scale, it’ll turn into war.
War. A war.
I get that there’s a need for war, so I can’t exactly deny it, but it’s still sad that so many lives will be lost.
“Are you planning on waging war?”
“If it’s necessary, then yes, we shall fight.”
“Even if the people die or get hurt?”
King Makai spoke with grim determination.
“It’s a decision we’ve all made. It’s a place where you can’t survive without fighting.”
It’s a tragic thing to say, but it’s an undeniable truth.
The struggle for survival. The food chain. To live, one must eat, and to eat, one must harm another.
For them, there truly is no other option.
“Why not ask for plants that can thrive in this barren soil instead?”
“If those crops could protect us, we would have done that.”
Food merely sustains life and grows the population.
But it won’t necessarily protect the kingdom.
That’s why the man before me seems to be wishing for the strength to protect the kingdom.
“What kind of strength do you seek?”
“Not individual power, but collective strength. No matter how exceptional an individual is, they can never fully defend the nation.”
“The power of the collective…”
Collective power equals military might.
Military power translates to morale and cohesion.
I clapped my hands once and conjured something up.
A long flagpole and a big flag. A rectangular flag woven with silver thread and trimmed with black thread around the edges.
If this flag serves as a buff item to strengthen the army beneath it, it might just be what the guy in front of me is looking for.
“I’ll invest various blessings in this flag. However, its power will only support the land of whoever is holding it. If that flag steps onto another country’s land, it will lose its power for a year.”
“That’s sufficient for defending the country.”
If the military-enhancing flag can also be used on foreign land, isn’t it conceivable to conquer the world with just this flag?
That’s precisely why I’m tacking on those penalties.
If the flag steps foot on another nation, it will revert to a basic flag for a year.
It must be used solely for defense.
Is that enough? Should be, yeah?
“By the way, are there any designs you want etched on the flag?”
“A design? Ummm…”
King Makai thought for a moment before stating.
“A saber-toothed tiger. Please draw a saber-toothed tiger.”
“A saber-toothed tiger?”
“Yes. It’s the animal after which my current name is named.”
Saber-toothed tiger, huh. Alright. I illustrated a black saber-toothed tiger in the center of the flag.
Now, let’s brainstorm the buffs this flag should have.
First off, morale boost. Soldiers fighting under this flag will have their morale uplifted.
Morale is akin to the army’s will. An army filled with fighting spirit won’t crumble easily.
Those who’ve played games featuring large-scale battles understand just how critical morale is.
And absolute vitality… Those receiving commands directly from the commander holding this flag will always be at their prime.
Lastly…
I made a thin silver fabric sprout from the flag’s edge.
A cloth of suitable size to wrap around the head; the one who cuts it off can communicate their intentions to each other, no matter how far away.
Like a radio of sorts. It can be wrapped around the head or arm for use.
Oh, and just so you know, those receiving commands through this cloth won’t get the full vitality effect. After all, it’s a perk meant just for those directly under the commander’s orders.
In essence, it’s intended for the commander’s guards.
And… The cut cloth will vanish after about seven days and grow back on the flag… That should work fine, right?
Also, I attached a sharp spearhead at the end of the flagpole, allowing it to double as a weapon. The flagpole, spearhead, and flag itself will regenerate automatically… Hmm, plus, plus…
This should be enough, right? Frankly, the morale boost and energetic feel alone seem like powerful buffs.
I handed over the completed flag to King Makai and said,
“If you command your army while wielding this flag on your country’s soil, the soldiers within your sight will keep their spirits high, and those under your direct command will always be bursting with energy.”
“Energy, you say?”
“Precisely, they’ll always be at their prime condition. And if you distribute the thin cloths from the edges to your subordinates, they can communicate effortlessly, no matter how far apart they are.”
Upon hearing that, King Makai swept his fingers across the long, thin cloths dangling from the flag’s bottom.
“The cut cloths will fade in seven days, but new ones will grow back on the flag. And don’t forget, if that flag steps on another country’s territory… it loses its power for a year.”
“Understood… I will keep that in mind.”
Great. This should be sufficient. Plus, it’s restricted to only defend against external threats!
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