The Medieval-Modern Man with a Gamer Mindset

5. The Madman

Becoming a married man at twelve changed nothing.

Even if he were perfectly sound, much less a magistrate, what good would it do to have a wife? If I were to indulge in s*xual pleasures, I would only end up bankrupt. Is she planning to squander the family fortune?

No matter how reckless a man may be with other women, he would exercise self-restraint when it came to matters that involved his family’s wealth. In order to give Yubas no cause for suspicion, it was imperative that I completely eliminate the possibility that the child in Miriam’s womb could be mine.

However, one could argue that I was continuously and cruelly rejecting my wife. If I pushed her away too much, her family might come looking for me with swords in hand.

I needed to find a way to reject her gently, yet firmly. Fortunately, I had a capable assistant by my side who could help me with this. The ones who always spout all sorts of tedious nonsense about norms and rules.

The Church.

They had begun to interfere in the marital affairs of a twelve-year-old bridegroom, mainly to prevent Miriam from demanding consummation. Without fail, the priest would block Miriam’s path as she came rushing in with hasty steps around the time the evening glow began to dim.

The priest would not speak at length. He would simply observe Miriam silently, a faint smile playing on his lips beneath his graying hair and calm eyes. Miriam would stare back at the priest with equal determination, but the outcome was always the same: Miriam’s defeat.

Once Miriam had left, the priest would turn to me, give me a meaningful smile, and take his leave. However, it seemed that Miriam was finally reaching her limit. After several days of exchanging hostile glances, Miriam finally opened her mouth and addressed the priest.

“Father, I only wish to see my husband. Is it wrong of me to feel the need to communicate with him in order to maintain a harmonious relationship?”

“Your intentions are certainly honorable, my lady. However, that is precisely why we must postpone consummation.”

“How can you say that? Distance will only lead to estrangement.”

“Regrettably, the prince is still too young to distinguish between carnal desire and pure affection. If you were to understand that the marital life advocated by the Church is not one of indulgence in lust, but rather a relationship of mutual support and growth, then you would comprehend my concerns.”

The priest rattled off his prepared responses as if he had rehearsed them, then turned his head slightly to look at me. He winked one eye, causing the wrinkles around his eyes to bunch up. I chuckled to myself at the sight.

He truly is a master of his craft. He had been observing from the sidelines for a while, reading the underlying circumstances of this marriage proposal, and had decided to extend a helping hand. He must have seen this as an excellent opportunity, especially since Yubas was attempting to secure his own survival.

In any case, I needed the Church’s assistance for my plan. I gladly accepted the priest’s offer of help. At this point, I needed to strongly emphasize my immaturity.

“I apologize, my lady. However, listening to the tales of great heroes is just as important to me as being a good husband.”

“…How very childish of you.”

She was not amused. But I held my ground, firmly maintaining the stance that I was an innocent child who had never even seen pornography. Miriam had no choice but to give up.

Miriam retreated silently, her expression slightly sullen. There was one peculiarity I noticed. Whenever Miriam uttered the word “child,” it seemed as if her jaw clenched involuntarily.

I stood there with the priest until Miriam had completely disappeared from sight. Then, I opened the door to my room and invited the priest inside.

“I have already dismissed the maidservant. Would you care to stay a while so that we may speak freely?”

“I am grateful that Your Highness has informed me in advance. Had I seen the true nature of the prince first, I fear I would have been possessed by a demon!”

The priest entered the room, chuckling heartily. I suppose he was trying to be funny. If I were to look in a mirror right now, I am certain that my expression would be twisted with disgust.

If I were to indulge in such jokes, I might truly become a demon. I offered the priest the chair I had prepared for him and sat down on the bed. I silently resolved to get this conversation over with as quickly as possible.

“I trust in the goodwill you have shown me, Father.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“I have heard that the bishop from Yubas’s side was absent during the feast of Saint Illenio. Was this a mere coincidence, or was it due to some political discord, as the rumors suggest?”

“My, my. It seems the prince enjoys following idle gossip. Such rumors are nothing more than the chatter of those who seek to attach great significance to trivial matters.”

My direct question was met with an evasive answer. A person with less patience might have been greatly disappointed at this point. However, I could sense a strange emotion lurking beneath those calm eyes.

He was testing my reaction to hearing an answer that was completely different from what I had expected. His exaggerated gestures and the way his gaze quickly scanned my body were evidence of this.

—

As expected, silence prevailed. As I continued to gaze silently, the priest slowly began to compose himself.

“Of course… this is but the church’s superficial rhetoric. The true intent is as you surmise.”

“I dare not guess why Yubas has disappointed the holy and the church, being young and lacking in insight. But what is clear is that instead of repenting and seeking forgiveness for his sins, Yubas attempted to turn his back on the church’s light.”

I fully employed my honed sensitivity and empathy. I, who once joined a military service event just for a Choco Pie and sang hymns. I was confident that I could be a pastor’s son’s friend in a church or an unshaven monk in a temple.

“The recklessness of Yubas is not solely their problem. ‘Leave what is secular to the secular,’ they say, but how can things flow just so? When secular rulers chase their desires and forget their duty to lead, the holy and the church have no choice but to step in. That is what I believe.”

“Hmm.”

“The problem is that the secular powers resent the church’s inevitable intervention. The duchies around here insult Yubas, calling them ‘rootless’—not simply because they are a new house, but because the secular rulers indirectly deny the church’s intervention.”

The priest was, by my estimate, in his tearful forties or fifties.

In the gloomy, drab grey brick castle, the priest began to nod, wiping away tears with his finger, having met a sympathizer for the first time.

“Your Highness, I did not expect such humility despite your cultivated discernment. Indeed, if the secular rulers acted before the church needed to intervene, the church would not need to step in at all.”

In the Middle Ages, clergy also served as the intellectual class, and it seems similar here. A profound sense of mission to lead the uncivilized and barbaric contemporaries weighed heavily on the priest’s shoulders.

In my view, our priest is also a semi-barbarian. But since the arm bends inward, I decided to keep any bad thoughts and words to myself, as he is someone I must win over to my side.

“Father, I believe that the steadfast light of the church can do more than the secular powers swayed by personal desires. We cannot stand idly by as Yubas turns away from the church and seeks autocracy.”

“You speak the truth, Your Highness. However, Yubas is already so powerful, and the surrounding duchies cannot unite, leaving the holy without recourse.”

“I intend to create that opportunity. I plan to use the bait thrown by Yubas to stir up resistance.”

I conveyed the outline of the plan I had been crafting to the priest. It seemed Yubas was scheming something, so I asked for help when the time came to break off the engagement. The main content was a promise of full support.

Of course, it wasn’t for free. I had prepared a fitting reward for the church. This part of the plan had not yet been shared with King Aeselton. One must be honest when seeking cooperation, even if intentions are explored in ignorance.

I faithfully followed this principle, and the priest, having heard everything, clasped his hands together with a moved expression.

“Lux Stella, starlight of this world. Now that I understand Your Highness’s will, I too shall reveal why the church has excommunicated Yubas. Since the matter is connected to the plan you mentioned and is of great importance, please forgive me for consulting the bishop first.”

“Is it as I expected?”

“Most likely, Your Highness.”

If I truly despised religion, I wouldn’t have eaten a Choco Pie at a military service event. By now, my soul must be mortgaged to all sorts of gods. As long as it benefits me, what does it matter what religion does?

And time flew like an arrow. The priest brought an important truth when Miriam’s belly was full-term.

Upon hearing it, I couldn’t help but applaud.

“I thought as much.”

***

1208 years since the star of this world set and the star of humanity rose.

The birth of new life is mystical. A child’s birth is indeed a blessing. Joy and jubilation should naturally overflow.

But here, within these walls, people were different. The mother’s screams echoed for a while until finally, the baby’s cries filled the air. It should have been a blessed birth, yet no one cheered. The people of the inner sanctum all looked at each other with pale, ashen faces.

“Where is His Highness?”

—

“You still do not know.”

The servants were at a loss, wondering whether to inform or not.

“What is it that I do not know?”

“My lord, the young master.”

From beyond the corridor, a 12-year-old boy appeared. His black wavy hair and eyes like obsidian. Though not called beautiful enough to stir hearts, his features were pleasant enough to win favor. And this was also why the servants could not celebrate the birth of the child.

“I heard the baby’s cries. The lady had a hard time, and I am worried.”

Narba Orin Streagos Glerio Forwis.

He is the third son of the Forwis Duchy that rules these lands. Unlike his older brothers who matured quickly and took on responsibilities, Narba was still childlike. He was a boy originally loved by all for his lively and bright smile.

That perception changed over time, probably after the unwanted marriage talks began. The smile remained, but the look in his eyes changed.

After the innocent sparkle in his eyes gained the sharpness of a quivering blade tip, no one could approach him easily anymore. The clumsy imitation of adult gestures also became refined and sharp over time.

Narba stood with his back turned, hands clasped behind him, accompanied by his maid Edwina, whose eyes were like beads, and a single braid draped over her shoulder. All the while, he looked up at the small, elongated windows in the corridor.

“Seeing that the stork has already delivered, it must be a child sent by the gods for a great purpose.”

“It must be so…”

Under normal circumstances, everyone would have rejoiced. The problem was that the lady, who had not even consummated the marriage, let alone been with a man, had given birth. No fool would believe in a virgin birth.

This was why the servants could not meet Narba’s pleased smile and turned their gazes away. Before they could stop him, Narba, with a pale face, headed towards the room where the mother was.

“I received reports of the baby’s cries. Are both the mother and child safe?”

Clatter, clatter. A noisy sound came from inside. The midwife’s voice was trembling thinly.

“They are safe. But you cannot meet them right now!”

“The noise is unusual. I must see for myself, open the door.”

“Oh dear, the child is unclean!”

At that moment, Narba’s eyes, which had been smiling, sharpened.

“Does that mean I will never be able to see my child? That I can never face them for the rest of my life?”

“…”

“Open it.”

Without a word, the midwife opened the door. Narba did not approach the child and mother right away. Instead, he looked at the midwife fumbling in front of the screen.

“A precious child. Midwife, you also clean your hands when you receive a child, do you not? I shall also receive with a pure heart.”

The midwife brought a boiled cloth and kept bowing her head.

“My lord, please regard this child kindly.”

“Which father in the world treats his own child so coldly?”

After cleaning his hands, Narba moved beyond the screen. Miriam, his wife through a political marriage, was smiling warmly. Her expression was clean, showing no sign of guilt or hesitation.

“My lord, look at this child. Isn’t he just adorable?”

“Let me see.”

The child, wrapped in a swaddle, was handed to Narba. Narba held the child and smiled brightly. Abuaou. The midwife inadvertently let out a sigh of relief at how brightly he smiled at the babbling child.

But suddenly, Narba’s face hardened.

It was hard to believe he had been smiling just a moment ago. Narba carefully passed the child back to the midwife.

“It seems you’ve taken me for a fool.”

“My, my lord.”

“Seed.”

The midwife, who had hastily taken the child, immediately closed her eyes and turned away.

“To receive such a lowly seed!”

The sound of a backhand slap filled the entire room.

***

That day, Narba was summoned by the Duke of Aselton.