Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was a king.
This greedy and foolish king thought everything in the kingdom belonged to him.
He stole wheat that farmers toiled over and snatched away livestock they cherished to feast upon. What a bad king he was!
However, nobody dared to rebel against him.
If they spoke ill of the king, the fearsome soldiers would take them away.
So, the king, who lived as if the whole world was his property, had one thought.
“I’ve heard rumors that Elf and Dwarf women are beautiful and cute. I want to take the Elven and Dwarven beauties as my wives.”
He shared this thought with his ministers, but they all just shook their heads in dismay.
If he were to take in the beautiful Elven and Dwarven women as wives, everyone would surely look up to him!
Calling his ministers nothing but fools who knew nothing, the king set off with his soldiers towards the village of the Elves and Dwarves.
– A fairy tale. The foolish king.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Has the messenger still not arrived?”
A man sat on the throne, Lucius Aurelius Commodus, grumbled while looking at the ministers lined up on either side.
As the Emperor of North Romania and the noble heir of his lineage, nobody dared to go against Commodus’s words; what he heard had to be words that praised him.
Thus, his ministers couldn’t say a word to him.
As for a reply, the messenger sent to deliver a letter from the Emperor had returned with only his head, while his body was taken elsewhere.
Even if they told the Emperor such a fact, he would never accept it.
He would only grow furious that his benevolent offer was refused.
Without realizing the absurdity of his proposal.
“Your Majesty, Betelgeuse has long been a city where Elves and Dwarves compete. How can mere humans like us interfere there?”
“So, didn’t I generously extend a hand to them?”
In the letter the Emperor sent, it stated that the city where Elves and Dwarves engaged in a contest, Betelgeuse, would be allowed to come under the North Romania Empire’s protection.
And that ten beauties each from the Elves and Dwarves would be sent to become concubines of the Emperor to bear his heirs. Quite a letter, indeed.
Naturally, it was an absurd proposal.
“Are they foolish enough to refuse my generous offer?”
Unfortunately, Emperor Commodus was not capable of rational judgment.
“Your Majesty, they are not citizens of Romania; they will not heed your commands. Please reconsider.”
“Ha. Why would they make such a foolish choice? How pitiful.”
Commodus clicked his tongue slightly, then took a small fruit from the table beside the throne, rolling it in his mouth.
A tiny, sweet fruit not found in North Romania. The cost of bringing in just one of these fruits could feed a peasant family for a week.
But for the Emperor, it was merely a snack for a moment’s sweetness.
“Hmm. Is merely permitting them to dedicate Betelgeuse to me not enough? Truly a greedy lot.”
Commodus picked another fruit and moved it to his mouth.
“I hear that there are many beauties among Elves, and Dwarven women maintain a youthful appearance until they die. It wouldn’t be bad to bring such women in as concubines….”
Listening to the Emperor’s words, his ministers felt a wave of disbelief wash over them.
Elves and Dwarves. Who were they?
Elves, skilled with bows and wielders of powerful spirits, and Dwarves, small yet solid, durable, and strong blacksmiths.
The Emperor’s condescending gaze towards them was utterly incomprehensible.
“Calm down, Your Majesty.”
As the Emperor’s voice rose, an old man approached.
The hooded old man, his face hidden, had been the Emperor’s mentor and taught him many things before he took the throne.
In some ways, he was a man of higher standing than the Emperor himself.
“There is a proper order to all things. Showing your majesty to the Elves and Dwarves is essential, but if you act rashly, they will scatter into the forests and mountains. Finding them would become quite difficult.”
“Hmm… then what should be done?”
Upon the Emperor’s question, the old man smiled broadly.
“I’ve heard that Betelgeuse has been blessed by the goddess of life since ancient times. Because of that blessing, there is an arena where life is not lost and true matches can be fought.”
“Hmm. That is an intriguing tale.”
“That means… the Elves and Dwarves in Betelgeuse are connected to the Church of Life, does it not?”
The ministers gasped in horror at the old man’s words.
What is the Church of Life? It is a group that worships and reveres the goddess of life who cares for all living beings.
It is natural for anyone with life, regardless of race, to pray to the goddess of life.
Yet the old man was whispering words to the Emperor that seemed hostile towards the Church of Life.
“The Church of Life….”
“Indeed. The Church of Life. In this world, the most eminent and noble is Your Majesty, yet why do they praise the goddess who looks down from the sky?”
The old man whispered irreverent words into the Emperor’s ear like a serpent.
Witnessing this, the ministers wanted to flee this place immediately.
“Moreover, it is said the Church of Life is reaching out to the unruly crowd in the south. How can we simply let them be?”
“Hm. That is true. Regardless of all else, if they are connected to those impudent folk in the south, I cannot overlook it.”
The ministers’ thoughts united as one.
What on earth is this foolish Emperor saying?
Does he not know what the Church of Life truly is and what it does?
There is a limit to ignorance, but how can one say such foolish things?
Their fundamental roles include blessing the newly born, aiding the injured or ailing, and praying for peaceful rest after death.
Pilgrims creating paths while traveling the world, maintaining stability in public safety along those paths, ensuring the seamless flow of logistics, and rapidly delivering news or letters through the messengers of the Jo-in.
Additionally, purifying monster materials and handling various mana stones, as well as mediating conflicts between the shrines.
To put it simply, without the roles of the Church of Life, this world would live a life utterly disconnected from other regions.
The dissemination of new knowledge and the spreading of information would slow down significantly, and unbalanced development would give rise to even more problems.
This world had become increasingly difficult to maintain without the support of the Church of Life.
“Then shall we close all the shrines of the Church of Life?”
“That may be necessary someday, but not now. For now, let us focus on the Elves and Dwarves of Betelgeuse.”
It was that old man. Since that man had become the Crown Prince’s mentor, everything began to crumble.
The old man, with a serpent’s tongue, would destroy everything.
He would push North Romania into the pits of humiliation.
That must not happen.
I must prevent that at all costs.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The king headed to the city where Elves and Dwarves lived, accompanied by his soldiers.
The path was treacherous, causing many soldiers to abandon the journey and fall behind, but the king, with his unnecessary tenacity, refused to give up.
Upon arriving at the destination city, the king declared to his soldiers:
“The Elves and Dwarves of that city have disobeyed my commands, so I shall punish them!”
Most of the soldiers, upon hearing this, did not understand the king’s words.
Why would the Elves and Dwarves comply with the king’s orders? They were of different races and belonged to different lands.
However, such facts were of no concern to the foolish king.
He only wanted to punish the Elves and Dwarves who had defied him.
Thus, the king shouted.
“Attack!!!”
At his command, the soldiers who had followed him scattered immediately. It seemed they realized they could no longer obey the king’s words.
Unaware of this fact, the courageous king charged forward only to be beaten up by the Elves and Dwarves, ending up in a pitiful and tattered state.
Truly, a fitting sight for the foolish king.
– A fairy tale. The foolish king.
