Chapter 134: Hunger and Pride

Gwen stared blankly down at the body of the bandit.

The enemy was undoubtedly skilled. The man was formidable enough that Gwen had momentarily prepared for death. This man, at the brink of dying, had expressed that he didn’t want to die. Gwen had been subjected to the philosophy that if one could die in battle, it was a fortunate thing.

It was impossible for everyone to be battle-crazed. But if this acknowledgment led to negating the existence of the Allied Nations themselves, wouldn’t that be problematic? Spreading the thoughts of those who rejected warfare might only cause annoyance for the majority of the population.

In this way, did he have to turn a blind eye to the feelings of those who had been abandoned?

Despite pitying those who had fallen to banditry, Gwen ultimately couldn’t do anything, feeling pitiful and helpless.

“…Gwen-san…”

Someone was calling him. Turning around, he saw Lutz looking at him with a curious expression.

“Oh, Lutz. What’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter? It’s not just ‘what’s the matter.’ Why are you standing there bleeding from your stomach while lost in thought? You’re going to die.”

Only after being told did Gwen recall that he was injured. He had been stabbed in the side by a spear. Fortunately, it hadn’t reached his organs, but his skin and flesh were torn open, and blood continued to flow.

“Your trousers are soaked as if you wet yourself. Claudia has prepared bandages and medicine inside, so let’s treat this.”

Lutz pointed toward the back of the carriage.

“Yeah, you’re right…”

With Lutz’s assistance, Gwen climbed into the carriage and first received a needle and thread. He pierced his own flesh with the needle and threaded it through. The white thread immediately turned deep red as it passed through his body. His fingertips became bloody and slippery. He wiped them repeatedly with cloth and repeated the process with the needle.

“Doesn’t that hurt…?”

Claudia asked with a face that seemed to reflect her feeling the pain herself.

“It hurts a lot.”

“Is it though…”

Gwen endured without letting out a single groan. He believed that showing pain here would be disrespectful to those who had to die even though they didn’t want to. Even though it was a pointless sentiment, and despite knowing that, he had no other options.

After finishing the sewing, sweat glistened on Gwen’s forehead.

Endure and persevere. That’s what Gwen was right now, and that’s what the Allied Nations were. Their condition was far from healthy. Forcing such thoughts onto others was unthinkable.

So, what should he do? He didn’t know.

Gwen’s thoughts were going in circles, and the pain was getting in the way.

“Since the road will continue to be bumpy…”

Saying that, Claudia tightly wrapped the bandage.

“I’ll loosen it every thirty minutes.”

“Please.”

After kicking the bandit’s corpse aside and clearing the way, Ricardo returned. Lutz and Claudia were seated side by side in the driver’s seat, and the carriage set off.

As Claudia had warned, the journey was extremely turbulent. Gwen pressed his side with his hand, and amidst the blurred thoughts caused by bleeding and pain, he murmured.

“How can we help those who are forced into banditry due to poverty…?”

“There’s no choice but to make the country prosperous, right?”

Claudia, facing forward, said that as if it were self-evident.

“Stop wars and plundering, expand farmland, secure ample food through hunting—then no one will go hungry and everyone can live.”

“But there can be years of crop failure due to cold weather, for example.”

“That’s what trade is for in those times. If there’s no food, you obtain it from somewhere else. Isn’t it a simple concept?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Simple, natural, ordinary. The problem is knowing that and not being able to implement it.”

“It’s like saying, ‘Just stop all wars for the sake of world peace.'”

Knowing but not being able to do. Lately, they were constantly reminded of that.

“We’ll have to solve each problem one by one. If the Saligari tribe joins trade and the village becomes prosperous, wouldn’t other tribes join in one after another?”

“Yeah, that’s right…”

Gwen began to say that the chief of that tribe wasn’t really understanding, but he stopped himself. It was his duty, not the responsibility of people from another country, to persuade that stubborn old man. Even as a mere knight, he had to save the country, and if he wanted to follow through on that somewhat selfish desire, he couldn’t avoid it.

There were no methods that could instantly solve every problem. Gwen himself knew well what would happen if they rushed and resorted to extreme measures.

It was a tranquil village with a rural atmosphere, yet it was spacious enough to be considered a town. The Saligari tribe was a large clan, capable of mustering an army of nearly three thousand if war were to break out.

However, the village couldn’t be called prosperous, and the people’s faces were not bright. Claudia felt that their expressions were filled with fear of an unseen tomorrow.

As the royal merchants’ carriage advanced towards the chief’s house, the sentiments of the pointing villagers were far from favorable.

This place seemed even more closed-off and exclusive than anticipated. Despite the proximity of the border and the initiation of trade, these individuals showed no interest, and suspicions arose that they were hindering things behind the scenes. Claudia and the others couldn’t help but acknowledge this understanding.

Gwen and Claudia approached the meeting with the chief, having obtained permission. The words they heard from the sharp-eyed white-haired old man were as expected.

“I Decline. Leave.”

“Why…?”

Gwen asked with frustration. Chiefs of this age often seemed needlessly arrogant. However, they were here for negotiations, so they couldn’t resort to attacking.

“Why? Do you expect me to explain that to the likes of you?”

“We’ve come for negotiations. We can’t just back down after being declined. If you have concerns or dissatisfactions, let’s discuss and align our conditions to move towards realization.”

“Then I’ll tell you. There’s no need for trade, and I don’t like you people. Those are the two reasons.”

No use talking. The chief didn’t seem interested in conversation from the start.

Claudia hadn’t given up yet. She continued talking, hoping to find some thread to hold onto.

“However, Chief, if trade were to begin, the village would become more prosperous, and the lives of the villagers would improve as well. The spices and high-quality gems from the Allied Nations sell well in the kingdom.”

The chief responded with a contemptuous gaze, as if thoroughly disapproving.

“As soon as a woman opens her mouth, it’s about money, isn’t it? Ridiculous. It’s this sort of thinking that weakened the Allied Nations, corrupted the nation of warriors. Isn’t it what led to that miserable peace treaty!?”

Not only himself, but even the former king, Cassander, seemed to have been insulted. Gwen’s patience was being stretched to its limits, feeling as fragile as the surface tension of a glass about to spill over.

It’s okay, just barely okay. Gwen spoke without making eye contact with the chief. If he looked at his face, he might just strangle him then and there.

“Chief, we were attacked by bandits on our way here.”

“What does that matter? Do you want sympathy?”

“…None of them willingly fell into banditry. Driven by hunger and poverty, they were forced into becoming the ones who steal. Of course, it’s not allowed to rob from innocent citizens who are suffering from hunger, so we defeated them on the spot. However, however! I humbly ask you to reconsider the matter of trade, taking into consideration their regrets!”

Gwen’s impassioned speech, completely unlike him, seemed as if the bandit who said he didn’t want to die was speaking through him. The chief’s demeanor also showed a slight sign of contemplating this.

“…Those guys died in battle?”

“Yes.”

“Then the warriors’ pride was upheld; there’s no problem. To rob, fight, and elevate each other—this is what it means to be a Saligari tribe warrior.”

Gwen heard the sound of a glass tipping over in his mind. Before he realized it, he had risen from his seat with the force of kicking away a mat, and was looking down at the chief.

“Don’t be silly! How dare you speak of pride while starving the people!?”

It was a shout so fierce that the entire house trembled. Even the arrogant chief momentarily displayed a hint of fear, and although Claudia hadn’t done anything to provoke his anger, she trembled as well.

Although he had been doing nothing but the work of a village chief recently, he was originally a knight under the former king, Cassander. His fangs remained unbroken.

Upon hearing the commotion, warriors armed with swords emerged one after another from the back. Claudia sensed that things were taking a dangerous turn and said,

“Excuse us…”

With those words, she pulled Gwen’s arm and left the chief’s house. The guards couldn’t move under the pressure of Gwen’s gaze.

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