The Medieval-Modern Man with a Gamer Mindset

15. The First Battle

People tend to imagine things about places they’ve never experienced.

For example, the nunnery in the Golden South or the monastery in the Golden North. Since they were called Golden South and Golden North, one couldn’t help but expect them to be full of some kind of strange, decadent atmosphere. It seemed like there would be plenty of incidents.

Half of that is wrong, but the other half is right. As a child, I was able to enter the nunnery as a man because my parents were close to the Mother Superior, so I can say this with certainty.

Monasteries are incredibly boring. Basically, silence is enforced, so no one speaks. They even tiptoe around because loud footsteps are noisy, and they just work. To be honest, I can understand to some extent why they just work.

It’s just that… there’s nothing to do in a monastery except work. If you live according to the rules of the monastery, your real life is bound to become as dull as a city covered in a smoky haze. There was only one thing.

s*xual relationships that people enjoy in secret.

There’s not a single proper form of entertainment or recreation, but it’s a place where people who are in the prime of their s*xual desire are gathered together.

As a result, homos*xuality is rampant in the monasteries of the Golden North, and there’s even a rumor that in the nunneries of the Golden South, nuns who sleep with visitors for one night end up killing and burying their illegitimate children, so there are piles of children’s bones.

Of course, this was something that the monasteries brought upon themselves to some extent. They let in wastrels who had no interest in monastic life so that they could receive donations from nobles, so it’s only natural that things would go awry.

I have nothing to say since I’m a wastrel who’s going to stir things up… When a noble is sent to a monastery, it usually means something like this: You don’t have any property to pass on to you, so crawl into a monastery quietly and live and die peacefully.

In fact, monks aren’t even clergy like priests in principle. Monks are just ordinary people who live in monasteries and continue their religious life. Unless they study separately and receive ordination as priests, it’s difficult for them to gather influence, so it was almost like a death sentence for nobles.

Perhaps that’s why all of my immediate family came to see me off on the day I boarded the carriage. That is, King Athelston and Terbear. None of the vassals showed up.

Sir Aubert, the intelligence officer I was close to, was worried that our honeymoon relationship might be discovered, so he deliberately stayed with the vassals… and everything was going according to plan. I smiled with satisfaction as I watched the servants load my belongings into the carriage.

On the other hand, King Athelston was frowning as if he couldn’t understand.

“Narva. Are you really set on the Order of the Knights?”

“Who said that?”

“Your brother goes around bragging about how proud he is of you.”

It seems that my eccentric second brother has been spreading rumors. According to Terbear, I was a passionate noble who hadn’t given up on my dream of becoming a knight, even though I was going to take monastic vows.

However, dreams and reality are different. I was determined to completely destroy the perception of me as Narva, the boy who dreams of chivalry.

“I don’t have a fief to govern.”

“Even if you don’t have a fief to govern, you can still govern people. Narva, a knight’s dream can be fulfilled anywhere! I believe in you and guarantee it!!!”

“There are freelance knights who just travel around with their men.”

Freelance knights who usually lead their own followers are often referred to as bandits. It’s the origin of the word “freelancer,” and you can think of it as someone who just sticks a lance in whatever they see on the road.

They’re living proof that freedom doesn’t always have a positive meaning.

“Brother, I don’t want to put my shoulder to the wheel right now when I might be able to become a monk knight. I have to be humble and diligent if I’m going to have any chance at all.”

“Hmm. It seems you have the mindset of a warrior to some extent. If that’s your resolve, then.”

Of course, I had no intention of actually becoming a monk knight. According to the memories of this body, knights are largely divided into three categories: ordinary knights with manors, freelance knights who wander around, and monk knights who have sworn eternal holy war against pagans.

—

Even a cursory glance would tell you, the most grueling and arduous role is that of a water knight. It’s the profession most akin to the fantasy staple, the holy knight, yet I’ve heard no rumors of them wielding holy power or performing miracles.

A holy knight without divine power? Their swordsmanship must be exceptional from sheer practice, but not for a moment did I consider taking on such a fool’s errand myself. Who would choose such a ludicrous job?

“Anyway, once I arrive safely, I’ll write and send a letter. I hope you can visit early on to help me establish dominance.”

“Of course! I’ll come to boost our little brother’s spirits.”

“Terbear, do not neglect your duty to eradicate the marauders…”

Terbear stood tall and proud, while the young Prince Aselton clicked his tongue in disapproval. No cracks showed in their facade. It’s a good thing the likelihood of dying in one’s sleep screaming is low.

And so, I boarded the carriage bound for the monastery.

—

Hours into the carriage ride, a deep regret began to coil around my body.

As we approached the edge of the forest, the delayed aftereffects I had been forcefully suppressing hit me all at once. It was an unforeseen obstacle. Reflecting on it, I realized my motion sickness was quite severe.

“Ugh… Blargh…”

In the 21st century, it was so bad that just the smell of a car seat would make my body shiver, and saliva with a sour taste would well up. I turned pale and trembled, vomiting more than once.

Even in an era of asphalt roads and smooth rubber tires, I suffered. What about now? The carriage jolted over unpaved dirt roads, shaking so much that even using my bedding as a cushion, I occasionally felt my body lift off.

Eventually, my stomach turned so many times that the party had to stop.

Sir Topa, the knight in charge of our safety, with his spiky goat beard, looked at his attendants with a troubled expression.

“Is the young master always this ill?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of him going outside before.”

“This is troubling… Even though the young master has been disowned under dubious circumstances, he is still of the Poise lineage. It’s unsettling to see him suffer like this. We should stay put for a while. Everyone, prepare to make camp.”

Gasping for breath, I raised my hand. It was a silent gesture telling them to stop. I chewed on my saliva mixed with bile, spat it out, then spoke.

“It’s alright. I’ll just catch some sleep inside the carriage. Let’s continue on.”

“Young master, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Disowned and yet you still call me ‘young master.'”

“If you were in your right mind after such an insult, that would be strange. If it were anyone but the barbaric Yubas, and I were your husband, I would have slapped you senseless. Or perhaps even drawn my blade.”

It seems Sir Topa pities me. He is a noble who values honor, and as a knight, he even harbors the concept of honor killings. His grinding teeth at the thought of killing both wife and child were chilling.

“And yet you endured, young master. All of Poise owes you a debt. It’s suffocating to see them criticize you without knowing the truth.”

“Owe me a debt?”

“It could lead to war if it went any further. Whether you realized it or not, you must have made that judgment and held back.”

It’s like interpreting dreams. I accidentally stumbled upon the correct answer, but I can’t fathom why they would think so deeply about it. Seeing that Terbear thought similarly, it’s likely that the knights are favorably disposed towards me.

After rinsing my mouth with water from a leather pouch and spitting it out by the roadside, I continued.

“Let’s hope that’s the case. Tell them to move out. We have a long way to go.”

—

“Yes! Everyone, get moving!”

But that didn’t mean the seasickness was cured instantly. At best, vomiting once lessened the dizziness. There was no room to spare a thought for others. Perhaps that’s why my expression remained sour, or maybe it was because John, who was with me, seemed restless.

“If you’ve got nothing to do, practice loading the crossbow.”

“But, that’s… Sir Topa ordered not to do anything that might endanger your safety.”

“Just practice pulling and setting the string without the bolts. That should be enough.”

By the time I had said this, I caught a strange change in John’s expression. True to his oddly intuitive nature, he seemed to sense that something was amiss.

“Sir.”

John, while pulling the crossbow’s string, slowly returned it to its place and began to sneak glances this way.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that using a crossbow for hunting damages the prey too much to be useful.”

“Weren’t you doing it for fun? It’s the kind of hunt where you don’t need to worry about such things.”

Hunters need to skin and sell the meat, so it makes sense for them. But if it’s a hunt not for leather or meat, focusing on power is fine. Yet, our John seemed to have conjured up some bizarre fantasy.

Suddenly, he was teary-eyed and bowed his head deeply.

“What’s the matter? If you have any worries weighing on your mind, I’m more than willing to listen.”

“I miss the exclusive maid who used to serve by your side…”

“Why would you miss Edwina? For a moment, I wondered if John had taken a liking to Edwina.

“If the maid were here, I could have gotten off the carriage and walked outside.”

“John, you’re enjoying a privilege. Isn’t it a benefit to be riding in the carriage while everyone else walks?”

This guy, warm and well-fed, was spouting nonsense. I listed the facts in a calm voice, appealing to John’s reason. Objectively speaking, John, you’re indulging in tremendous luxury.

Then John wiped his tears with his sleeve and looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

“Then, may I switch places with that friend outside?”

“…”

After that, John continued practicing loading the crossbow without a word. I too surrendered to the rocking of the carriage and danced to my heart’s content. And so, an awkward silence lingered for a while.

Bored with pulling the crossbow’s string, John inadvertently looked outside. Following his gaze, I saw the sun setting over the dense, dark blue forest.

Just then, a flock of birds took flight from the forest, becoming the highlight of the scene. John gaped in pure admiration.

“Wow. It’s a magnificent sight, the birds flying together.”

“They’re coming.”

“Yes?”

Birds took flight from the forest as the sun set. It was a scene you might see in a nature documentary, but from the perspective of a hunter, it couldn’t be viewed without a hint of paranoia.

Just before the sun sets, bathed in the backlight, moving within the forest’s shade, it would be difficult to discern the exact location even if one were marching now. Once it’s completely dark, the noose will be swiftly tightened.

“John, go and tell Lord Topaz. The enemy will come from the west.”

“Sir? …The enemy?”

“After you report, you’ll load all the crossbows in the carriage.”

“Aren’t there five of them?!”

I returned a simple answer to John, who was revealing his strange doubts.

“So. Should I be the one loading them?”

“…”

“If you want to live, get it done.”

The most important thing in a fight is to set a clear goal. I have set the goal of this fight to hold out for a set period of time. The problem is the level of the opponent.

I tapped my forehead with my index finger while looking at the forest swaying in the wind.

Yubas.

Finally, the moment to confront them head-on has arrived.