Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 164

164

Loki stared at the man kneeling before him.

He was an old man.

He wore tattered, ragged sacred robes. When he removed his hood, red hair and eyes were revealed.

He knelt, bowing his head, slamming it against the floor.

As Loki watched him indifferently, a snort of laughter came from the side.

“Huh!”

It was Aum, who was assisting Loki.

“…A Kartal citizen?”

Considering their location, Aum spoke, trying to control his emotions as much as possible.

“Hmm….”

The Kartal Kingdom was a small kingdom directly under the Holy Order.

Their distinguishing feature was their red hair and eyes.

“Do you know him?”

“…….”

Normally, he would have quietly listened to what the old man had to say, but this time, he asked Aum.

It was because there was a deep anger in Aum’s voice.

“The Kartal Kingdom was a vassal state of the Holy Order.”

Of course, the Holy Kingdom was surrounded by small kingdoms, which it subjugated under the guise of protecting them.

But that was just in name; in reality, they served as a shield to prevent invasions from other kingdoms.

“Also, they were the first kingdom to actively hunt down our Norse people.”

To curry favor with the Holy Order, the Kartal Kingdom ostracized and even hunted not only pillagers but also Norse mercenaries and travelers.

Was that all?

Some even formed parties, secretly invaded the frozen lands, massacred the Norse, and boasted about it.

They even hung their heads on trees.

Perhaps the Holy Order valued the Kartal Kingdom highly?

The Holy Order drew most of its Black Inquisitors, who could be considered inquisitors, from the Kartal Kingdom.

“Also, during the war between Asgard and the Holy Kingdom, the former king served as a vanguard.”

And the former king of Kartal died in battle against Emperor Karma’s army in the war with the Kron Empire.

“Even after the Holy Order was destroyed and a warrant was issued for the Holy Emperor, there were still many who supported him. Because of that, there was a question of whether Holy Emperor Palis was in the Kartal Kingdom.”

Each time Aum spoke, cold sweat ran down the face of the old man who had come as an envoy from the Kartal Kingdom.

“…….”

Loki tapped the armrest of the throne with his fingers.

This meant that they indiscriminately killed not only pillaging Norse but also any Norse, regardless of whether they were guilty or not.

And now, they were being invaded by a corrupted Constellation.

“I, I will atone for the misdeeds committed against Asgard… no, the Norse people. You can tear this old man apart and kill me… but please, please save our kingdom, my grandson.”

“…State your name.”

“I am Jermy Kartal.”

Judging by the surname, he was royalty.

Aum whispered that he was the ‘father of the former king’ of the Kartal Kingdom.

Loki found it interesting.

“You’re royalty, yet you’re dressed so shabbily.”

He understood to some extent.

He must have been trying to hide his identity.

“Very well, Jermy, was it? Explain in detail.”

Jermy then opened his mouth.

***

The crisis of the Kartal Kingdom was not a direct invasion by a corrupted Constellation.

It was an invasion led directly by the chosen ‘Apostle’ of that Constellation.

It was the invasion of their neighboring country, Belette.

“The Constellation of Light, Mercury, has commanded: Do not leave a single one of those foolish heretics who do not worship him alive!”

Numerous cities in the Kartal Kingdom were instantly set ablaze.

As the Belette royals took the lead and wielded divine artifacts, dozens, hundreds of knights and soldiers died.

A massacre was carried out, and the Kartal Kingdom surrendered.

But….

“What we want is not surrender. It is war! Fight to the end! Otherwise, all that awaits you is a meaningless death!”

The Belette Kingdom did not accept the surrender of the Kartal Kingdom.

All they wanted was an opportunity to proclaim the greatness of the Constellation they served and a human sacrifice to offer to him.

Whether they resisted or not, the Belette soldiers killed everyone.

As things turned out this way, the Kartal Kingdom asked other neighboring countries for help, and other kingdoms responded by dispatching troops, but….

“…How boring.”

The power of the Belette royals, or rather, the ‘artifacts’ they possessed, was too strong.

The Belette royals, who had piled up mountains of corpses, mocked the other kingdoms.

In the end, most of Kartal’s territory was burned down.

Eventually, only the capital and the border region behind it remained.

The Kartal Kingdom hired Norse warriors, who were known to be skilled in combat, as mercenaries to try to hold out somehow, but-.

“…We refuse. Do you think we’ll help the Kartal people?”

The Norsemen instead threatened those who tried to hire them and refused.

Jermy revealed everything and watched Loki’s reaction.

“So, you came to us?”

“It is mostly this old man’s fault that the Norse were ostracized. When I was neglecting everything, it was my grandson, the current king, who rebuked my son for making the wrong choices. Only he, only he defended the Norse. So… please save only my grandson. He will surely implement policies for the Norse in the future-”

“We.”

Jermy, who was speaking, raised his head as Loki opened his mouth.

“Are not a charity.”

“……!”

“What can you give us?”

Jermy couldn’t say anything.

“Can you give us gold?”

“I, I cannot.”

There was no way they could give gold like the Kron Empire….

“Can you give us talent?”

“I… cannot.”

Many families in Kartal had been burned down.

Not only was there a lack of talent, but it was also difficult to see the remaining families as favorable to the Norse.

They would refuse to be taken as hostages.

“Then what can you give us?”

“…….”

Jermy tightly closed his eyes.

Soon, he slowly opened them and spoke.

“Worship.”

Jermy raised his head, looked at Loki, and said.

“We will offer the faith of our Kartal Kingdom!”

***

Jermy was allowed to stay in Asgard for a while.

However, the request for dispatching troops was rejected.

Just faith?

To give their hearts?

That alone was not enough to dispatch troops.

Jermy visited Loki every single day to plead.

When he couldn’t meet him due to his busy schedule, he would pray in front of the palace.

But that didn’t mean Loki would be swayed by personal feelings.

Morning, noon, and evening, Jermy came to Valhalla Palace.

Unable to endure, he would eventually lose strength in his legs and collapse on the floor.

Then, Cancun would approach, help him up, and take him to his lodging.

“Thank you. Saintess.”

“I am not a Saintess.”

Jermy shed tears endlessly.

When everyone cast cold glances, Jermy had been constantly receiving help from the woman before him.

“You help me like this every time, I don’t know how to repay this grace….”

“It’s alright.”

Of course, even if the woman gave help, it wasn’t out of compassion or service.

“I’m just doing what I do because I thought Loki would be troubled.”

If a helpless old man was collapsed in front of the palace, it would be difficult to give a good impression to the believers who came to see Loki.

“There is no support without a price in Asgard. So, either bring what Loki wants, or give up.”

Cancun said bluntly, looking at Jermy.

Her gaze was also extremely cold.

“…I’m sorry. This old man has caused trouble.”

Every time he saw her gaze, Jermy’s heart ached.

He desperately felt that the sins committed by his son were being directly received by his kingdom and his grandson.

‘If I had properly guided my son….’

Perhaps he could have saved his grandson with the help of Asgard by now.

“I, I want to hire mercenaries at least.”

Jermy said, looking at Cancun, who was about to leave the door.

“Please, please help me!”

“…I also receive reports about the Kartal Kingdom.”

“……?”

Cancun turned around and glared at Jermy with a cold expression.

“Do you think all the Norse have abandoned the Kartal Kingdom?”

Unless Loki implemented a ban on hiring for the Kartal Kingdom, all Norse mercenaries were free.

There was no way all of them would refuse to be hired by the Kartal Kingdom.

“Many hired Norsemen have died in battle.”

Even though the Norsemen didn’t like them, they were tempted by higher wages and responded, or some stepped forward to help them out of sympathy and compassion.

But most of them.

“Died at the hands of their allies.”

“……!”

“The Kartal nobles place the Norsemen at the forefront, making them fight as shields or bait, and not only do they not provide supplies, but they also don’t pay the remaining contract money except for the advance payment.”

“T, that can’t be! I have never received such a report-!”

-Never.

But it wasn’t like he didn’t feel uneasy.

The oppressive politics against the Norse that Jermy’s son had implemented.

Because of that, other nobles also had deep-rooted distrust of the Norse.

There was no way that discrimination wouldn’t occur during the war.

And there was no way the nobles would report such actions to the royal family.

“…I’m, I’m sorry.”

Jermy only shed tears endlessly.

“I’m sorry. If only this old man had looked into it more closely….”

He sobbed and covered his face.

Cancun’s expression softened slightly at the sight.

She felt sincerity from him.

But the sins that the Kartal Kingdom had already committed could not be undone.

The Norsemen would refuse their requests, and Asgard would have no plans to dispatch troops.

Cancun gave Jermy a handkerchief and left the room, closing the door.

Her back leaned against the door.

Only his regretful sobs could be heard from beyond the door.

The next day, news came.

The capital of the Kartal Kingdom had fallen.

The whereabouts of the young Kartal king became unclear.

After that, Jermy did not go to Valhalla Palace.

He simply became a wreck in his lodging, blankly staring at the sky.

“I’ll leave your meal here.”

It was Cancun who took care of Jermy.

She placed the meal on the shelf.

Jermy was staring at the sky from the window.

Cancun sighed and turned her back.

How many days had passed like that?

One day, in the morning.

Instead of snow, the summer monsoon rain fell in Asgard.

The Norsemen were amazed by the rain that fell after a long time and came outside to watch the rain.

“Wow…! Water is falling from the sky!”

The children were amazed.

The adults were also seeing rain for the first time in years.

When everyone was smiling brightly, Cancun put on her robe among them. She was about to go out on a capital patrol.

“S, Saintess!”

Jermy came to the palace entrance.

In his hand, he held a crumpled, wet piece of parchment.

“A letter has come from my grandson!”

Jermy looked at Cancun with desperate eyes.

“My grandson is still alive!”

As he approached her, the Norse warriors blocked him with their spears.

“Mercenary.”

He cried out to Cancun desperately, as if begging.

“I want to hire a mercenary!”