The Medieval Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset
Chapter 64

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 64

64. Until Our Distant King Returns

Why is the Papacy concerned about Miriam Orn Yubas, who is confined to a convent?

I understood this part through my experience as a gamer.

In the multiplayer mode of [Fantasy Monarch], the pure evil confrontation that I used to enjoy, there was one very important part.

Why do users repeatedly strengthen their internal affairs, establish a system, and create a strong army? Why do they form alliances and develop subordinates they can trust and rely on? Why do they play passively while aiming for a higher position?

The reason is simple.

No matter how strong a force is, it cannot handle multiple fronts.

I will say it again because it is important.

No matter how strong a force is, it cannot handle multiple fronts alone. This is because the opponent is constantly poking, just waiting for the moment when their attention or concentration falters.

This part is easy to understand if you think of the famous classical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

You must have heard of the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition. It was an alliance of local lords who rose up to defeat Dong Zhuo, the warlord of Xiliang, after he had taken the young emperor hostage and seized power.

Although their initial goal ended in failure, this Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition succeeded in destroying the local control of the Han Dynasty that Dong Zhuo had seized. In the end, Dong Zhuo ruled only a small part of the Han Dynasty, not the entire country .

The multiplayer mode of [Fantasy Monarch] is similar to that Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition… No, the users of [Fantasy Monarch] were even more advanced than the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition.

Let’s say a user was good at marriage planning and became a relative of the emperor’s grandson. That user would purge the existing imperial family, put the grandson on the throne, and seize the country as regent, intending to seize power behind the scenes.

The user who became regent instead of the young emperor, who was not yet able to judge properly, would take various measures to increase his power base. He must have thought that now that he had seized power, he had to act.

However, the moment the user who became regent acted, the users who had been quietly waiting for an opportunity beneath him immediately came to a common understanding in secret.

-That bastard has to be taken out.

The incident that made me realize the extent of their terrifying thoroughness was an invitation. I had caught the eye of the user coalition because I had built up my power with the fame and fortune I had gained from fighting foreign forces on the outskirts of the empire .

Although I was still a newbie in terms of scheming, I was highly regarded because I managed my territory and army soundly.

[? What are you doing here?]

[You have been your power in the outskirts, haven’t you? Do you plan to develop it further?]

[? Yes.]

[Do you know that the regent is trying to strengthen the monarchy by centralizing power and forcibly dividing or revoking the titles of his vassals?]

[????]

Of course, the regent couldn’t have announced that he was crazy. Because it would be like openly telling the users that he was going to put a leash on them. However, the users had already noticed what the regent was up to.

[I haven’t touched the NPC vassals yet, but I’m currently reorganizing my jurisdiction. Some of the guys are trying to secure their finances by collecting a military service exemption tax instead of conscription soldiers, judging from their revised vassal contracts. Judging by their disposition, they will eventually break away from the users once they gain some strength.]

[Wow…]

[Moreover, although it’s not very noticeable, if you look closely, the claimants to the titles that could claim legitimate in the empire are dying one by one. It seems that they are cutting the weeds in advance to prevent any possible rallying point or support .]

The user coalition’s kind explanation made even a newbie like me understand in an instant.

[Even if all the pretenders to the throne are dead and the regent is removed from the regency, wouldn’t the regent’s bloodline and influence remain as an external relative? The emperor will still take 10 years to grow up, so what if they eat up all the important strategic points and all the government positions in the meantime?]

That’s right. Even in the game, 10 years was a very long time.

It was enough time to adjust the country to their liking while in power as regent, weakening the vassals, and create an environment that would allow them to be quickly reinstated if they were ever expelled.

As a newbie, I only realized the problem, so I was flustered and didn’t know how to deal with it.

However, our user alliance, which is made up of loyal subjects who worry about the country day and night, had already made preparations to confront the regent who dared to insult the imperial family and act tyrannically for the sake of the country’s safety.

[Among the pretenders to the throne, let’s marry the one with the least bloodline to a collateral lineage to our vassal and send them to a neighboring country. The negotiations with the neighboring country’s users are also over. It’s a great deal to protect the pretender to the throne in exchange for a few pieces of crap.]

[Okay, I’m done making up the excuses for the commoners who belong to the Imperial Advisory Council. These kids are now our puppets lol. We’re currently conspiring to assassinate the empress, that thieving b*tch lol.]

[The scheming users are ready. I’m also raising funds to arm the army. Our peasants need to understand that this is all for the sake of a peaceful world, okay?]

[Don’t create a faction and make it public yet. The regent will prioritize the weak NPC kids and won’t touch them right away, so there’s no need to create a faction unnecessarily and raise the regent’s vigilance.]

As you can see from these numerous chats.

While reading their chats, I realized that I was a frog in a well. Let’s call it the aesthetics of rebellion and usurpation. The user alliance knew better than anyone what was important in a rebellion.

[The regent is centralizing power to the point that it’s strange that we don’t have any complaints. We need to express some dissatisfaction. We need to show the NPC vassals that we’re willing to join their faction and that we’ll join them if necessary.]

[In that way, we’re hiding the real pretender to the throne that we’re supporting?]

[Instead of revolting all at once as a supporting faction, don’t we need a fake revolt that will attract the imperial regular army first? We need a user on the other side to respond with us when we attract the regular army to a certain extent so that it doesn’t collapse right away.]

[Okay, I’ll bring one of the eastern border lords for that. They’ve been raised well.]

It was the moment when the people who had been beating drums and gongs in the chat room suddenly focused on me.

[So.]

[Will you join us in the coup?]

It was the moment when my heart, which had already been half-tilted, completely fell over.

No matter how large a bamboo tree is, it will fall if it is hit ten times with a logging ax. I knew that the tide had completely turned and answered cheerfully.

[Okay…]

-The coup d’état attempted by the user alliance after a long preparation was successful.

The regent user failed to suppress the rebellion that sprang up from all sides, and when the empress, who symbolized the political alliance with the emperor, was assassinated, he lost his last base.

When even the NPCs, who knew that the tide had turned, joined in, the regent finally lost all his power. The result was disastrous.

The regent was blinded and castrated for daring to strengthen the centralization and authority of the imperial family in a feudal game, and he died as a commoner, stripped of all his titles.

Of course, the reward for restoring the imperial family was sweet. The user alliance became de facto rulers of the empire and rose to the rank of prince-electors, although it was not stated in the law. The emperor had somehow become an elective office rather than a lifetime position.

The emperor’s term of office was the moment when the user alliance would have to start replacing him.

It’s a happy ending, a happy ending, because it contains a considerable amount of democracy? Republicanism? That people like in an unenlightened absolute monarchy?

… Of course, the reason I solved this long story was that it reminded me of so many things.

***

“Miriam Orn Yubas? Yes, who is that person?”

The reception room after finishing the shopping tour.

Karina asked, scooping up the lemon juice with a faint steam rising from it into a teacup she had brought from her home country. As I looked at Karina’s innocent face, I couldn’t help but think of my young niece.

Sometimes I want to spank her, but I just hold it in because I’m afraid of where it will go.

“Miriam Orn Yubas is a member of the Yubas clan, the most powerful force in the archipelago at dawn.”

“Huh…”

Even though she was obviously not interested, she sighed at the tone of her voice.

Well, it’s strange that she, a Stigmata awakener and a noble bloodline, would care about a nun from Yubas. Still, work is work. I continued my speech in the softest possible tone and calmest possible manner.

In my judgment, Karina is not persuaded by political or practical benefits. I had to offer her a different topic… for example, a benefit that benefits a young girl her age.

“However, due to political reasons, she suffered many hardships and even had an unwanted child. As a single mother, she was ostracized by the world and lives a lonely life in a convent, unable to talk to anyone.”

“That’s… too much to ask.”

“Indeed, a very valid opinion. His Holiness seems to have thought so as well, and was troubled by it. So He sighed and gasped, and when He heard that Lady Karina would come here, He ordered me to convey His request.”

“Request?”

Emphasize the isolated situation to evoke empathy, and then suggest it in the form of a request rather than coercion, befitting the word ‘pure’.

“If possible, I would like Lady Karina to be her conversation partner… and more.”

He also appeals to our Holy Father’s magnanimity.

“Ahem. Hmm! That grandfather?”

“…”

“If it’s grandfather’s request, I can’t help it~. hehehe.”

….I couldn’t help but swallow dry saliva.

Just… just how close is she to the Pope in private? Maybe she’s showing off her personal friendship because she knows I’m ignoring her? But looking at what she’s doing, she’s a total idiot?

Then suddenly, my thoughts came together.

The reason I brought up the story I experienced in [Fantasy Monarch]. When I add Karina’s pure appearance to that, I can see a little bit of what the Pope is hoping for.

“….”

Certainly, Miriam Orn Yubas is an important pawn.

However, it is unclear whether she is really the focal point that will unite the churchgoers within Yubas. There was also the possibility that she was a decoy that the church would put forward to protect the next candidate they had their eyes on.

The opposition would also notice this fact and continue to harbor suspicion and wariness of Miriam. In the meantime, it is natural that Karina’s words and actions, which will be sent to show off her relationship with the mainland, will be noticed.

In reality, anyone who meets her in person will not be able to receive any impression other than that of a fool… pure, but what about the potential enemies who have to rely on reports and documents?

The answer was obvious.

They will not give meaning to each of Karina’s foolish words and actions, but rather try to figure out her true intentions. The fact that Karina’s public appearances are rare also helps the misunderstanding.

The enemies would have been able to figure this out so far, but… the reason they put me with her must have been to prevent that.

It was not strange that I, who am considered a close aide to the Holy See, followed the orders of Karina, who came from the Holy City where the Holy See is located. Rather, it is more plausible to speculate that I moved at the direction of Karina, the Holy See, rather than my own judgment.

“Indeed.”

“Yes?”

“I am impressed by Lady Karina’s pure heart.”

“Huh, you’re not fooling me.”

I was finally able to fathom the Pope’s blessing and his deep intentions.

Karina… not only gives me a pretext to justify my judgment, but is also a kind of shield that will cover me from showing my face too early.

And incidentally, it could raise suspicions that Karina is actually smart and capable.