Chapter 585: Soldier (5)

The Verd Territory.

It was a great territory born in the northern reaches of the Japanese server.

At first, this land had been nothing more than barren earth, a place that seemed utterly useless, until one man appeared.

So this is my territory now? How disappointing.

Hadn’t they said he was someone who had achieved various feats?

He looked over the territory’s people with displeased eyes, clicked his tongue, and put down roots here together with those named Warrior.

For the people of the Verd Territory, it was common for their lord to change.

They did not know how harshly they would be oppressed, but as always, they accepted it as something natural.

Why had the Verd Territory been so barren back then?

Because the Bellaim Kingdom, the country that owned the Verd Territory, had been sucking the blood from it.

To begin with, the people of the Verd Territory were not born in the Bellaim Kingdom. They were people who had gathered from elsewhere until they formed a territory.

To the king of the Bellaim Kingdom, the people of the Verd Territory were nothing but slaves.

How desperate will this lord be to curry favor with the king?

How cruelly will he work us?

Those contemptuous eyes, like he was looking at insects. I’ll never forget them.

The people fell asleep in even deeper sorrow.

Then one day—

something unusual happened.

“The Verd Territory no longer belongs to the Bellaim Kingdom. The things you offered to the Bellaim Kingdom—you no longer need to offer them. You will be able to take payment equal to the work you do.”

“Work. Work through the night and cultivate this barren land.”

“Train. Hold swords, shoot bows, and learn how to protect yourselves.”

“The state of you is so shameful I cannot even go anywhere and say I am your lord.”

The state of us?

He’s just telling us to keep working like mad, isn’t he?

Good grief, he’s saying all this because if we train and get stronger, his army gets stronger too.

Those were the words their new lord had said while standing on the platform, clicking his tongue as he looked down at their grimy forms.

The people clicked their tongues as they listened too.

Now that this was an independent territory, he would fatten his own belly thoroughly!

But then strange things began to happen.

The meals that had been provided twice a day became three meals a day.

“Lower the tax rate.”

The tax rate, which had been so high it had barely allowed them to stay alive, was lowered drastically until it matched that of an ordinary territory.

“Subjugate the nearby monsters.”

The people, hundreds of whom had lost their lives to monsters every year, no longer had to suffer that.

Even though their lord still looked at them with displeasure, the changes taking place were puzzling.

Since the Verd Territory had lived with its blood sucked dry from the very beginning, they still suspected he had some other motive, and they did not cherish their lord.

But......

“Did you hear the story? The story that your lord Musashi recently joined an alliance to become a kingdom, then lost.”

“Defeated soldiers are a wretched sight, you know. The whole continent is laughing at him. Your lord is finished.”

Why was it?

“What!? You son of a bitch, what did you just say about our lord!”

“Defeated soldier? Even if someone else calls him a defeated soldier, to me, he is the one and only lord in the world. Say that one more time, and our connection is over!!”

They were angry.

And the sorrow of their lord, who had returned after going through such a thing, spread to the people as well.

However, when he came back on horseback, he spoke to those staring at him.

“What are you glaring at? Don’t you have work to do?”

“.......”

“.......”

He acted as if nothing had happened.

And then, one day,

the people came face-to-face with a certain truth.

The Verd Territory, which had been declared an independent territory, had now grown enough to trade with the Bellaim Kingdom.

A merchant who had come with a merchant group told them the truth.

“Do you know that story?”

“What story?”

“The reason your territory became independent. That day, your lord, Sir Musashi, had an audience with His Majesty and said he would achieve merit, so His Majesty should make the Verd Territory independent.”

“......?”

“How insolent, His Majesty thought. Enraged, His Majesty gave Musashi and his guild members only tasks they could not possibly complete, then said, ‘If you can accomplish these, I will declare it an independent territory.’”

“It was from that day on that your lord, Sir Musashi, began completing those missions one by one.”

“The Guardian of Andali was a headache even the kingdom subjugation force could not defeat. Sir Musashi led his guild members there, fought desperately for several days, then cut off the Guardian of Andali’s head and offered it to His Majesty.”

“Among those tasks was also the removal of a dangerous figure from a very dangerous enemy nation. All the knights and assassins avoided it, because they knew.”

“They knew that if the mission failed, His Majesty would exterminate three generations of their families in order to cut ties. And yet your lord carried out that mission alone, succeeded safely, and returned.”

“His Majesty was astonished and said, ‘I need a brave knight like you, one who can accomplish anything. Stand by my side. If you do, I will give you gold, silver, and treasure that no outsider could enjoy.’”

“Sir Musashi answered, ‘Your Majesty, what I want is only for my people to escape this country’s yoke and oppression.’”

“.......”

“They say that Verd, which had belonged to the Bellaim Kingdom, was declared an independent territory entirely because Sir Musashi made it happen.”

The people who heard the truth remembered.

The day he had hunted the Guardian of Andali—

“Heh heh, looks like he lost again.”

“Where did he fight this time?”

Musashi and his guild members, who had returned covered in blood, had actually been victorious.

“Guild master!”

“Are you all right?”

“Sir Musashi!”

The day he had appeared through a warp, his entire body covered in blood, and collapsed to the ground—

he had succeeded in the assassination.

And the day he stood on the platform and declared that this was an independent territory—

he had given us something called “freedom.”

That was the moment a small “king” began living in the Verd Territory.

*****

The Verd Territory.

Stories continued to spread.

“They say an army of five hundred thousand from the Parion Empire is advancing.”

“They say they are the finest elite force, one that has slaughtered or subjugated countless territories in this way until now!”

Amid that, one piece of news reached the people.

“We are preparing for war.”

Those in the Verd Territory who could fight gathered.

“Let’s go too.”

“Let’s protect this territory.”

Taking pickaxes, sickles, and even swords passed down as family heirlooms, they headed to the place where Musashi and the army were gathering.

“We will fight with you!”

“We have nowhere else to go anyway.”

“Is this not an independent territory? Our kingdom!”

They knew the story of the territory Musashi had made independent.

They had lived their whole lives being worked like slaves.

They had dared to dream, and they had enjoyed the abundance of three meals a day, with even snacks on top of that.

Even if they died, they would have no regrets.

Surging morale swallowed the entire Verd Territory.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!!

Musashi, Musashi, Musashi, Musashi!

My lord, we will fight with you!!

The sounds spreading from every direction filled the entire Verd Territory.

If they fought and died together, could there be any greater glory? They were confident they would have no regrets.

At the moment everyone was filled with expectation—

Shrrrrrng—

Musashi finally drew his Japanese sword.

They were delighted, imagining he would raise his Japanese sword high into the sky and cry out for them to protect Verd together.

Their chests burned like wildfire, and they felt as though they could do anything.

Then Musashi looked over the people and gave his order.

“I command you as your Monarch.”

“Yes!!”

He looked at the people awkwardly imitating soldiers, then ordered,

“I hereby banish every citizen.”

[122,201 residents of the Verd Territory are being banished.]

[If they disobey the Monarch’s command, they will be executed.]

The entire Verd Territory fell into chaos.

“My lord?”

“B-banish us?”

“What is this......?”

But the troops drew their swords.

Some soldiers took out bows and shot at their feet.

Thud, thud-thud-thud-thud—!!!

They panicked at the arrows buried in the ground.

“Spearmen, forward!!”

At a knight’s shout, the spearmen advanced toward the people with their spearheads thrust out.

“Why are you doing this, my lord!”

“We don’t want this, my lord!”

But Musashi did not even look back.

That day,

all the territory’s people were banished and formed a long procession.

At the head of that procession was a robed figure leading them.

“How could something like this happen......?”

“We were banished?”

“Khuhuhuk.......”

The cries of the territory’s people echoed as they lost their home and were suddenly cast out.

Not knowing where they were going, they had no choice but to keep walking.

Before long,

they climbed a distant mountain and looked down at Verd, the territory where they had lived, and their sobs grew even louder.

With the people gone, all the gates of the now-empty Verd Territory began closing one by one.

Kuuung—

Kuuuuuu—

Kuuuuuuung—!

Through the closing gaps, they could see the troops moving urgently and, to one side, Musashi, the man who had been their Monarch, commanding them.

“Let’s go. There is no time.”

They wanted to look at him even a little longer, but they had no choice but to follow the robed figure urging them onward.

After walking without knowing where they were headed, they reached the sea.

Swaaaaaaaaaa—

When the people realized they had to cross beyond the sea, they cried out even more bitterly.

They had to abandon the place where they had lived and leave forever.

“Whyyyyyy!!”

One citizen clutched his chest and wailed.

“Why did you banish us!”

By their common sense, they could not understand it.

Then,

the robed man opened his mouth.

“The moment war begins, the Verd Territory loses its function as a territory. From now on, it will be used as a complete strategic stronghold. Every day, thousands to tens of thousands of troops will come and go. It will become a fortress where destruction and restoration repeat, and because it will lose its function as a territory, no one can live there.”

The robed man’s words broke them.

His banishment had been for their safety.

And the reason he had not looked back was to move them quickly, without leaving them even a single point of regret.

“Another reason he had no choice but to banish you is that if you live with the name of having been residents of the Verd Territory, you will become targets of the Empire.”

One by one, the reasons for his banishment were revealed.

And then—

“Musashi told me about the territory. He said that when he first came here, he had lost most things.”

The territory’s people listened to the story being passed on.

“He said that when he saw the residents, he began to feel a desire to remake this territory. He had wanted to give up everything, but because of the people of this territory, he felt that he wanted to continue playing instead of leaving this world called Ares.”

Playing.

They did not know exactly what the man’s words meant, but they could understand the rough meaning.

The robed man smiled.

“You received a new life through Musashi, and he received a new life through you.”

The man smiled gently as he looked back over the territory’s people.

At that moment—

Bwooooooo—!

Several ships shaped like turtles appeared on the sea.

“After the banishment, Musashi sent me a whisper and asked me to tell you this.”

Everyone listened.

“I am not going there to die.”

“.......”

“I will send you news of victory.”

One by one, they boarded the ships.

The ships cut across the sea, passing by the territory where they had lived.

Swaaaaaaaaaa—

One resident asked,

“Where are we going?”

“The nation of Hyun.”

It was the new home where they would live from now on.

They were shocked to learn that the place saving them, Musashi’s territory’s people, was the very place Musashi had clashed with so many times.

And also—

they learned that the person before them was the king of the nation of Hyun, and realized he was their new master as well.

Then—

Kieeeeeeee—!

A firebird blazed in the air.

Fwoooosh—!

The territory’s people there felt an ill omen from the note tied to the blazing firebird’s leg.

“My lord......?”

They realized it.

The letter the firebird had delivered would contain the current state of the war.

“Is that so......? Rollo was there too?”

The king named Hyunsoo spoke words they could not understand, then read the contents of the letter.

“The Parion Empire Army has confirmed that the Verd Territory has no intention of accepting the alliance agreement. A cavalry force made up of two knights and one hundred thousand soldiers is advancing along the Erbe foothills. Clash at the Erbe foothills.”

The Erbe foothills.

It was a place with terrible terrain, but through it, the enemy could advance on the Verd Territory in one stroke.

“Current state.”

The people knew without needing to hear it.

The final farewell Musashi had given them had only been a greeting meant to reassure them and send them away.

It made no sense for a force of barely a little over ten thousand to send news of victory.

“Ah, aah......!”

“My lord......!”

“No, no!”

Some collapsed to the ground, and some wore expressions as though they could not believe this situation.

Then the robed man spoke in a powerful voice.

“The first battle—victory.”

“......!”

“......!”

The people were shocked by the news.

The weeping territory’s people stopped crying.

Their lord, who had said he would send them news of victory,

had kept his promise.