Viscount Hadion's declaration of war.
Father's response to it was quite shocking to me.
'Is it okay to kill a messenger like that?'
[It is not a very good action. However, enduring such an insult is also ridiculous. The Lord's authority would fall to the ground, and the name of Palaon would be tarnished.]
In other words, they crossed the line.
But if we do this, won't the messengers we send be in danger?
I harbored such doubts, but perhaps Father was concerned about that too, as he sent knights along with them.
They say touching knights is truly an irreversible act.
Meanwhile, according to the knights who went as messengers, Viscount Hadion was greatly enraged.
"His face turned bright red and he was huffing and puffing; it was quite a sight!"
"He tried to save face in front of us, but that made him look even more ridiculous."
They said they almost died trying to hold back their laughter in front of him.
And even after that day, messengers went back and forth between Palaon and Hadion a few more times. It was a procedure to determine the exact date and rules of the territory war.
How many days passed like that?
Father summoned me.
"The exact date and rules of the territory war have been decided."
The date was in two weeks.
"The method of the territory war is a 'Restricted Battle'."
"Restricted Battle?"
What is that?
When I glanced at the Ancestor, he shrugged his shoulders.
[There was no such thing in my time. We just implicitly agreed, 'Let's not cross this or that line'.]
It seems to be a rule that came into existence after the Ancestor's era.
It was Sir Balt who answered my unspoken question.
"If we clash with full force, the damage to both sides will be great, so we limit each other's power. Generally, the board is set excluding 'Bloodline Knights' and 'Territory Mages'."
Come to think of it, since each superhuman is treated as a strategic weapon in this world, such restrictions are only natural.
But wait.
"Aren't we at a disadvantage if we do a Restricted Battle? I heard Father was active even in quite large wars?"
"It is not necessarily advantageous for us either. They have mages over there too. Even if we win, the damage would be uncontrollable."
"Hrm."
Is that so.
Anyway, we had prepared in our own way.
The standing army spurred on their training, and the knights diligently trained the gathered conscripts.
However, in the meetings held every day, the knights' predictions were not very good.
"Since Hadion has a larger population, it seems numerical inferiority is unavoidable."
"How about gathering more conscripts instead?"
"The village I manage still has some capacity."
Even the manor knights who managed the villages were imploring Father to increase the troops.
However, Father firmly shook his head.
"Farming season is coming soon; if too many men die, there is no future even if we win. This is enough. And isn't Sir Balt and my son Ktun here?"
"Hrm, certainly if it is Sir Balt... Yes."
"Come to think of it, I saw Young Master Ktun's training earlier, and his skills were outstanding. Surely he will do the work of ten soldiers."
"Ah! I wasn't the only one who thought that! Young Master Ktun is truly..."
At the sudden praise time, Father could not hide his pleased smile.
Of course, it was understandable.
'Do you know the genius stolen by the Necromancy world?'
[There was no such thing.]
What do you mean 'no such thing', he is right here.
Anyway, our forces were as follows:
12 Knights (including Sir Balt)
132 Standing Army Soldiers
300 Conscripts
If we add the knights, is it a total of 444?
People talk about armies of a million or ten million, so it might seem small, but it was by no means a small number.
Think about it.
About 400 people is similar to an entire grade gathering when I was in school, but that many able-bodied men are fighting with swords and spears.
Of course, a certain someone seemed quite dissatisfied.
[Is this truly the potential of Palaon? At this rate, the title of noble is embarrassing.]
'I heard even this was revived in Father's generation.'
[Really... I am speechless.]
Is it that bad?
[Tell him to hire mercenaries instead.]
'He says there is no money.'
[Ugh...]
Funding is funding, but above all, time is tight.
They say it is hard to find mercenaries because the southern part of the Heorn Kingdom where Palaon is located is surprisingly peaceful.
However, it seemed Father also felt the military force was insufficient.
He spoke confidently in front of the retainers, but occasionally, when I looked at Father lost in thought alone, I could feel an anxiety he could not hide.
Meanwhile, I was equally troubled.
'Is it really war?'
[Then is it real or fake?]
'...'
One day, as the territory war approached day by day.
I had to admit it.
That I was currently trembling in fear.
***
Territory War.
A war waged between territories.
War is essentially the act of humans killing humans.
Its justifications are diverse and complex, making value judgments difficult, but few people denied that 'war' is a terrible act.
But I ended up participating in that war.
Holding a sword and a shield.
As that fact suddenly hit home, my stomach turned.
[What is it, why are you suddenly like that?]
'Just a moment.'
I put down the shield and caught my breath for a moment.
My head was getting complicated.
How should I put it?
My state of mind and the resulting mood changed three or four times a second, confusing my head.
How long did I catch my breath with my hands on my knees like that?
In my vision directed at the ground, I saw the Ancestor's feet.
[Are you okay?]
'Hm...'
[If you are not feeling well, you must say so. Overexerting yourself needlessly might be worse than not training at all.]
I hesitated for a moment at those words before answering.
'My body is fine.'
[Your body is fine... To my ears, it sounds like you are saying somewhere other than your body is not fine.]
As expected of my Ancestor.
He is sharp.
For a moment, I felt an impulse to confess my inner thoughts to the Ancestor.
That I am afraid of war, that I want to run away right now.
War is equally terrifying for 33-year-old Kim Kang-min and 15-year-old Ktun.
But how could I confess such cowardly thoughts to the brave Ancestor?
No, it was a story I could not confess to Father either, not just the Ancestor.
Because Palaon must be brave.
So I forced down the words rising to the tip of my chin and swallowed them, but the Ancestor sat on the ground and looked at me.
[Sit down.]
"Yes."
Since no one was in the training hall, I just answered aloud, and the Ancestor stared at me before speaking.
[Your voice is trembling.]
"..."
[Your pupils are trembling too. Trembling pupils are proof that your heart is wavering. Are you perhaps afraid?]
"Of what?"
[War.]
"..."
I did not answer and gave an awkward smile.
But seeing my expression turn serious, it seemed that alone was an answer for the Ancestor.
After that, a light silence settled.
The only sound heard was the sound of Golgol swinging his sword in a corner of the training hall.
It was not long before the Ancestor opened his mouth.
[Fear is not a shameful emotion.]
"Pardon?"
[I said there is no need to be ashamed of fear.]
What? At the completely unexpected encouragement, I was speechless for a moment.
Regardless, the Ancestor spoke calmly and in a firm tone.
[Everyone has times when they are afraid. Sometimes there are moments when one cannot overcome that fear. I was the same. My heart pounded when I stepped forward to face the Mad Dragon. Would it be only then?]
When he first held a sword and went out into the world to face bandits.
When he ended up in a duel with a famous knight from which he could not back down.
He said fear surged up suddenly in other moments too.
And although he was quite young, he said there were times when he was soaked in fear and defeated, just as he said.
[But I did not break. No, even if I broke, I learned how to stand up again.]
What is that method?
I quietly waited for the Ancestor's words, and the Ancestor continued his story.
[Acknowledge the fear. Do not deny it. And figure out what makes you afraid. Are you afraid of defeat? No, few people fear defeat itself. Most are afraid of the situations that will stem from defeat. Like this, the human heart is complex enough that even the person themselves does not know it properly.]
So figure it out.
What am I afraid of?
But no matter how much I thought about it, what I feared was the war itself.
No, to be precise, I must be afraid of the situation where I might harm someone, or perhaps where I might get hurt.
I calmly spoke of these feelings of mine, and the Ancestor listened silently.
And when my story ended, he spoke.
[You are a coward.]
"Hm."
An undeniable fact.
But why?
The corners of the Ancestor's mouth curled up in a gentle arc.
[Facing something you do not fear is not courage. Being fearful means, in other words, that you can be braver than anyone else.]
Saying that, the Ancestor looked up at the sky.
At the same time, a wind blowing from somewhere ruffled my hair.
Why?
I had not heard a proper solution, nor had the fear disappeared, but I felt my heart becoming lighter.
To me, the Ancestor said:
[If it is really hard, create a brave you inside your heart. Let the brave you protect you in every fearful moment.]
A brave myself...
I slowly chewed over those words, then rose from my seat and lifted the shield.
"To a warrior of Valhalla, there is no such thing as fear."
[...? What is that?]
"There is such a thing. Golgol—!"
Golgol?!
I called Golgol again and resumed training.
"Valhallaaaa—!"
A thunderous shout to blow away fear!
[Descendant, I did not mean for you to lose your mind. Huh? Why is there no answer. Descendant?]
Ancestor, I am merely following your advice.
...Anyway, time passed like that, and the long-awaited day of the territory war arrived.
"All troops, halt!"
At the command of Father, who stood at the forefront riding a splendid horse, the soldiers halted.
Well, except for the standing army, everyone looked like a motley crew that was ambiguous to call 'soldiers', but anyway.
"Is Viscount Hadion not here yet?"
"Yes, it seems so."
"Hrm."
With those words, Father gazed ahead.
In the meantime, I checked the condition of Golgol, who was covered in a robe.
[Are you really okay?]
'Yes, I said I am okay. I am not afraid at all now.'
[No, I asked if your mind is okay.]
Hm, is he still worried?
Fortunately, my mind is fine.
And as I said just a moment ago, I was not afraid either. There is no such thing as fear for a warrior of Valhalla.
Anyway, how long did we wait like that?
"Over there, they are coming."
"Hm."
Far away, through the fog, a group appeared.
The one wearing splendid armor must be Viscount Hadion.
The moment I saw the troops following behind him, the corners of Father's eyes trembled slightly.
I did too.
'Hm, this is not good.'
The number of knights Hadion brought was twenty.
But the real problem was the number of soldiers following behind them.
Roughly... six hundred? Seven hundred?
In any case, there were definitely more than us.
"Baron Palaon—!"
When Viscount Hadion called Father, Father answered.
"Speak—!"
"Is there no change in your thoughts!"
"Ask your father!"
"Why are you suddenly bringing up my father?! Anyway, it seems there is no change in your thoughts! Fine! Then further conversation is useless!"
Hadion said that and immediately stepped back.
It was right after that.
DOO, DOOO—!
He even brought a horn trumpet?
Anyway, as soon as the sound of the horn trumpet was heard from that side, the sound of tearing air rang out simultaneously.
SWISH, SWISH SWISH—!
Arrows... yes, it was arrows.
Daring to use arrows cowardly?
It was a moment when anger boiled up from deep in my chest.