423 422 'Before you wish to have any proof of the corr...




 He sank deeper into his chair and stared into the face of Richard's grandfather. His aged fingertips lightly traced the edge of the wine container. A gleam of sunlight filtered through the window, bringing a ray of light into the room.

 Was he satisfied with my words, or was he dissatisfied? I can't tell from his expression. But it seems that it was worth giving it some thought.

 With only one arm, he dexterously propped himself up on his elbow and chewed my answer to the fullest before opening his lips. He looks like the man I used to know so well.

 He was just like the old man I knew so well, the one who prized vices and violence.

"Well. There's no God, is there? So long, Lugis. Stop talking about nationalizing heraldry and usurping the throne. What's left for you to do? At best, it's a great honor.

 Honor is just a word dressed up. It won't make you hungry.

 And with that, the old man shows his teeth and smiles with a good-natured lift of his mouth. His face was grim and his voice was hovering in the air.

 At this point, I had a very bad feeling about this. My skin felt strangely rough.

 In my experience, when an old man has this kind of expression and voice, he usually doesn't say much. Feeling a small pain in the area between my eyebrows, I dipped my lips in wine and looked at him.

 At the same time, the old man opened his mouth and continued.

"Don't tell me you're helping someone, let's just take the whole country. Just you and me.

 My eyes widen reflexively. What are you talking about, old man? What do you mean?

 My heart beats like a fast bell. I couldn't taste the wine in my mouth. My fingertips are hot as if they burned.

 He was extremely thirsty, even though he had just swallowed the wine. He opened his mouth, choking on his words.

"...... old man. You can't do this. The alcohol you drank yesterday must be getting to you now. You know?

 His voice was strangely husky. That's what I managed to come up with.

 My heart hasn't stopped beating fast. I was shocked by what the old man had said, but more than that, I was afraid of what the girls behind me might do.

 Please don't say anything else. That's what I told the old man. I'm sure you're not a person who can't understand that meaning.

 And yet, he raised his voice, showing his teeth in a very happy manner.

"There's no way you can't. The people occupying King's Landing right now are my troops and your troops, Rougis.

"Not my soldiers. The heraldic army. There's no one to follow me.

 I don't know," the old man said as he stood up and put one arm over the window. Before he knew it, his eyes were looking out. The sunlight was tinting his gray hair.

 He slowly opened his mouth. He said with a bite.

 A soldier, he said, should serve a general, not a king. Soldiers trust generals who have stood on the front lines and braved the rain of arrows with them more than leaders who teach and lead from the back with their ideals and doctrines.

 A soldier is a creature who can risk his life for the sake of those he eats, drinks, and talks with, the old man continued.

 From behind him, Fialat leaned forward and said.

I don't think it's that simple. I don't think it will be easy. It's different from what you know of soldiers, isn't it?

 Fialat's voice was sharp and tense. You can tell that he has a certain amount of emotion in his words, not to say hostility.

 But the old man shrugged his shoulders, as if he didn't care about such a prickly voice.

I'm not saying that the saint girl doesn't have influence. I'm not saying the saint girl doesn't have influence, but she's definitely the one who has the initiative over the troops. Lugis, if you say you're going to make a move, the saint lady will definitely approve it, she has no choice but to.

 Then who has the troops is a trivial matter, the old man said. His tone was smooth, as if he had been thinking about this for a long time.

 Apparently, the old man has something he really wants me to do. I can't read what kind of interests or intentions are involved in this. Still, it didn't sound like he was joking at the bar.

First of all, as long as the heraldry is on top, the gods you hate will always be with you. And are the saints and princesses really active in suppressing the catastrophe? It's not like we want to be poor, that's what everyone thinks.

 I intertwine the fingers of both hands and grip them. Sweat was covering his palms. He really is a nasty old man. He's a really nasty old man. He's got a way of getting right to the point you don't want to be hit.



 Well, of course, no one's going to want to put down a catastrophe on their own. It's just like old times. Not everyone feels threatened until their castle is directly set on fire. Even if they were to be executed in turn, they would just flap their hands and feet, hoping somehow to be at the end of the line.

 That's the way it's always been with forces. The goal of every power is to maximize its own profits, and there is no power that can easily abandon that goal.

 What will Mattia and Philos think now that they have the capital? That's something I can't know. But if they are thinking normally, they will move to defend the forces near the capital. That's definitely the best thing for the heraldry alone.

 My eyes waver, unconsciously. I felt an inexplicable heat in my back teeth. Sweat licked his forehead.

"If you want to do something, you've got to have the power, Lugis. And power is always something you can either be born with or take away. Just like I taught you a long time ago.

"You're suggesting I betray them, old man. That's a great line, a stage actor would applaud it.

 "That was a great line for a stage actor. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. He looked at the old man with narrowed eyes. He felt as if all the liquor he had in his body had flown away.

 The old man replied without any pause.

"No need to betray me, I'm telling you, you're on top. I told you. At this rate you'll end up dancing on someone's palm. Is your life someone else's platform?

 Take control of the heraldry from the saint Mattia and then marry the princess. Then the position of lord will come to you. Both cause and effect are right in front of you.

 The old man said, bathed in sunlight, his eyes shining with the ambition that was still alive and well even though he had become a ship's arm.

 I held my forehead with numb fingertips and looked him straight in the eyes. The color of his eyes did not indicate that he was telling a lie. He may not have been telling the truth in some parts, but at least he was serious about what he had said.

 --You're kidding, right, old man?

 The words I was going to say just wouldn't come out of my mouth. My lips were dry and I couldn't move.

 What should I say back? What should I say?

 What about the national army that had evacuated to the north? How to govern the neighboring cities, how to deal with the nations? There were so many questions that came up, but I couldn't bring myself to put them into words.

 From the way the old man was talking, he wasn't thinking without thinking. He must have thought it all through before bringing it up to me. If that's the case, all the doubts I've put up will just end up being swept under the rug.

 As if to moisten his lips, he sipped the wine again and said.

"Why are you telling me this, old man? What is your purpose--

"-- Ambition. Ambition can always be the goal of things. Whether it's good or evil.

 At the same time the old man opened his eyes, I could hear a flurry of activity. It was the footsteps of a messenger.

 It was the footsteps of a messenger.