Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 344

344―――――

Not good.

The Hispania 2nd Army, quickening their pace, finally reached the territory of Margrave Klausen.

After taking a comfortable two-day rest here, they planned to enter the territory of Nudia, which could truly be considered a battlefield.

—They say the eastern part of Nudia is on the verge of falling.

It’s said that Aive G. Restion stepped up and held out for almost five days, but since they were pushed back in the power struggle from the start, it was close to a miracle.

—

The news flying in from the royal capital was all bad.

Still, with a proper king in Nudia and an outstanding woman like Aive taking her place, Sion thought that some talented individuals who had been hiding, disappointed by Nudia’s actions, would have emerged. But even so, five days was the limit.

Sion bit his lip slightly, wondering if they could hold out for at least a week, until the Hispania 2nd Army entered Nudia’s land.

‘If the east is completely pushed back, the royal family will naturally decide to move the capital.

Once the east is completely seized, it’s just a stone’s throw away from the center where the royal capital is located.

The south is a mess, and there’s nowhere else to run to in the north, so the only place the Nudia royal family will head to is…’

The west of Nudia, right here adjacent to Hispania.

And when the king moves the capital, it’s only natural that the kingdom’s people who follow the royal family will also take refuge to avoid the war. In the end, countless people will flock to the west of Nudia.

It goes without saying that refugees are, as the word suggests, refugees.

Their lives and the lives of those around them are more important than anything else.

The rules they had been following until now become meaningless in the face of survival.

Chaos will reach its peak, and Sion was 100%, no, 1000% sure that enemies disguised as refugees would sneak in during that chaos.

He had rejected Nudia’s conditions in anticipation of this situation.

If Hispania had taken the west of Nudia, it might have been good at that moment, but in a situation like now, it would have been nothing more than a burden.

“They say refugees are already gathering.”

Margrave Lichten pressed his forehead as if he had a headache in response to Sion’s question.

The fact that he was showing such a 모습 [Korean: appearance/state] even though not only Sion was present, but also Marquis Volko, the executives of the 2nd Army, and even Zyan and Eos, was proof that the situation was truly difficult.

“I would have accepted Hispania’s own people without hesitation if they had come as refugees.

They are our own people, and if they were to commit a crime, there would be no problem punishing them in the name of Hispania.

But the refugees of Nudia are different.

Until recently, they were people from a country that was in conflict with our Hispania, and even though we are now allies, I can’t do anything about the distrust that we hold deep in our hearts.”

“The people of the territory, as well as many of the kingdom’s people in the east, will feel uncomfortable.”

“It would be a relief if they just felt uncomfortable.

I’m most worried that they will harbor hostility and do something to fuel discord between each other.”

The people of Margrave Klausen’s territory, and the kingdom’s people in eastern Hispania, are the ones who are most adjacent to Nudia and therefore the most uncomfortable with Nudia.

If you suddenly tell those people to accept the refugees of Nudia, who on earth would say, ‘Ah, I see.

We will warmly welcome them!’

They might on the surface, but they would be thinking differently inside, and if the outside and inside are different, they would eventually go through a major ordeal.

“The problem isn’t just that.

If we accept refugees, problems will naturally arise.

The subject may be a Hispania person, or conversely, it may be a Nudia person.

If we punish Nudia refugees according to our Hispania’s will in that situation, there may be movements trying to exploit that opportunity and incite discord.”

“···Either way, it’s all a problem.”

Even Marquis Volko, who had initially suggested that it would be good to accept refugees, had now completely withdrawn his opinion after hearing Margrave Lichten’s words.

In the end, they are people who are heading to the battlefield for the sake of this Hispania.

However, if they were to accept those who seem to only harm Hispania and cause problems in the rear, they would naturally say not to accept them.

“But Margrave Lichten.

Wouldn’t it be a problem if we didn’t accept the refugees and drove them away?

Putting aside the reaction of the Nudia royal family, the refugees who were trying to cooperate may turn into troublesome beings.”

The one who raised a dissenting opinion was Ludwig, surprisingly, not Sion.

In fact, this could also be said to be Sion’s work. While coming to Klausen, Sion had been holding onto Ludwig and telling him about the scenery and social atmosphere that would change due to this war.

Sion knew that once people heard a story, they would use it at least once later, and he had prepared a device for this knight who had never been at the center of attention.

‘You need to make a good impression soon.

That way, you’ll have more places to play an active role, and you’ll have one more reliable ally to take my side later!’

It was much better to create connections or personal connections yourself than to build them up.

If you start on an equal footing, you’ll simply move on to the level of a transaction, but if you push a pedestal under the person below and gradually raise them up, a much more desirable relationship will be formed.

Of course, it’s natural to push them while carefully grasping their true intentions, as they may stab you in the back.

‘In that sense, Ludwig is a bit lacking in tact and has a bit of flair, but he’s not the type to betray you or talk behind your back.

He’s the type of character who will work harder to repay the favor if you just give him a hat [idiom: give him a reason to be proud].’

Moreover, Ludwig is the one and only heir to the Redenen Marquisate.

The Redenen Marquisate is one of only three marquisates in the Kingdom of Hispania and a family of meritorious subjects who founded the country, and they receive a lot of support from knights and soldiers within the kingdom.

If you could bring the person who will inherit that family and become the next marquis to your side, wouldn’t that be the best and most beautiful picture of all!

‘In the novel, he was criticized for trying to beat Kim Yu-hyun somehow and acting recklessly, but he shouldn’t do that this time.

How important is the marquisate that the only bloodline is cut off with a *thud*! [onomatopoeia for a sudden, heavy fall]

That’s a national loss, isn’t it?’

In fact, it came from the black heart of wanting to have one marquisate completely on his side, but either way, it’s true that it’s a national loss if one marquisate disappears, so let’s move on.

“Hmm.”

Hearing Ludwig’s words, Margrave Lichten muttered that he certainly had to pay attention to that as well, and let out a sigh.

This war was not just about fighting, but an unprecedented event in which they had to face the Holy Prussen and the Doctrine of Light, as well as the Celestial Race, who they had thought were on their side until now, so it was necessary to manage the public sentiment that remained here more than anything else.

Margrave Lichten was well aware that if only negative aspects were emphasized to them, they could turn into internal enemies.

“Certainly··· Count Ludwig’s words make sense.

Even if they are people from Nudia, they are ultimately those who have decided to stand against the Holy Prussen with our Hispania.

It is clear that we cannot be careless with them, or we may face some kind of backlash.”

“In the end, we’re back to square one.

Margrave Lichten.

Don’t you have a good idea?

You know very well that we can’t leave the main force with a dangerous situation in the rear.

You can see that almost all of the eastern forces are in our 2nd Army, so in the end, Klausen has to play the role of a shield again.

If there is a problem here, our 2nd Army will also be in trouble.”

Margrave Lichten sighed at Marquis Volko’s words.

Honestly, even if they sat down and worried like this, no brilliant ideas would come to mind.

Refugees hadn’t started flocking in earnest yet, begging to be allowed to enter Hispania’s territory, and it wasn’t like the Nudia royal family was leaving the royal capital and coming this way.

They were just trying to prepare for what might happen in the future while watching the situation unfold.

“For now.”

Sion gets up from his seat and changes the atmosphere.

The refugee problem was a problem that they would inevitably have to go through an ordeal no matter what choice they made, so trying to find the best solution in the current situation was a waste of time and meaningless armchair theorizing [engaging in theoretical discussions without practical experience].

Rather, it would be better to find a way to prevent Nudia from sending those refugees to Hispania and keep them on Nudia’s land while somehow making use of them.

“For now, it would be better for the 2nd Army to get plenty of rest as they have exhausted some of their physical strength coming this far.

The same goes for everyone here.

It wouldn’t be bad to take a good rest for today and gather again tomorrow with a clearer mind.”

“···Let’s do that.”

Marquis Volko, the commander of the 2nd Army, was the first to get up from his seat, and the executives of the command followed him and left the conference room.

As Sion said, today was truly the last day to rest, and tomorrow they would have to be in the conference room all day for another strategy meeting, and the next morning they would have to march into Nudia.

“···Aren’t you leaving, Ludwig?”

“It’s my duty to assist you, the vice commander, so where would your adjutant go.”

“It’s officially break time now.

Don’t waste your energy here and go rest today.

It’s going to be crazy busy again starting tomorrow.”

Ludwig nodded as if he understood Sion’s words.

Then, he bowed his head to Margrave Lichten and followed his father out.

“Zyan.

Why don’t you go out for a bit too?”

“···I was going to stay because I had something to say to you.”

“That’s true, but I have something to talk about with my father for a while.”

“Are you saying you need a family conversation?”

“That’s right.

Family time is necessary.”

“···Am I not Sion, your family too?

Since we’ll be a couple later···.”

“Okay, okay, sister.

Stop talking nonsense and let’s go out?

What are you doing being so tactless.”

Fortunately, it was Eos who subdued Zyan.

Thanks to her stepping up and grabbing her sister, Zyan was dragged out of the conference room without much resistance, and soon only Margrave Lichten and Sion were left in the conference room.

“···.”

“···.”

Silence, silence, and silence.

Margrave Lichten, who seemed like he was about to open his mouth right away, was tapping the table as if he was worried about something, and was holding back his words.

Sion, who was originally going to wait for Margrave Lichten to speak, thought that he would have to take the lead and make him open his mouth, so he fiddled with the back of his neck and said.

“I think it will be the most tiring fight.”

“···Tiring, huh.

Not the most difficult fight, but tiring?”

“It’s also common to say you’re most tired when it’s most difficult.

Aren’t the two similar?”

“Stop with the wordplay.

Difficult and tiring are similar, but the feeling they give is different.”

“···.”

“Tell me honestly.

Is it really just tiring, or is it difficult?

This is a question I’m asking my son as your father.

So tell me straight without hiding anything.”

I remember Margrave Lichten’s voice and eyes when he first came into the body of Sion Klausen and questioned his mistakes.

It was the same questioning look as now, but the feeling given by the voice was different.

If the previous voice was coldly hardened, the current voice was a soft voice that sincerely worried about his son.

“···.”

Sion looked at Margrave Lichten for a moment.

It was as if if a negative answer came out of his son’s mouth, he would leave the territory behind and go to the battlefield with Sion.

If the 2nd Army was defeated and Nudia was completely taken over, the next would be Klausen, and the next would be Hispania.

If it wasn’t something that would end just by one person dying, it was worth thinking about dying together rather than dying in order.

“···Aden Klausen.”

But Sion had no intention of ever losing or dying.

From the beginning, such a future did not exist in his head.

If he were to die, it would only be in two cases: dying of old age or dying from overwork.

“Aden.

I remember this 형 [Korean: older brother, used by males] telling you not to eavesdrop behind the door, right?”

“···!”

Click―.

The sound of the slightly open conference room door moving is heard at Sion’s words.

Only then did Margrave Lichten realize that his youngest son had been waiting for his 형 outside the conference room.

“Come in.”

“···.”

“Is 형 angry?

Come in quickly and come here, Aden Klausen.”

Click!

Doddododo!

At Sion’s warning, the young child, as if reminded of his 형’s extremely cold appearance in the past, hurriedly ran into the conference room and stood in front of Sion.

Aden, who shares the same blood as Sion, though from a different mother, has some similarities with Sion.

Unlike him, he had quite a talent for handling mana, so he was originally an unfortunate boy who suffered from all sorts of jealousy and envy from his half-brother, and eventually left the family on his own.

Gulp―.

The young child stands in front of his 형 and looks up at Sion with a tense face.

His 형, who had become a completely different person a year ago and had become a brilliantly shining sun.

He was afraid that his relationship with his 형 would return to the way it was before, now that he was saying that he would get angry, instead of cursing, hating, and hating him, but treating him as a younger brother.

“Aden Klausen.”

“Yes, yes.

형님! [Korean: respectful term for older brother]

Ah, no.

형!”

“Who am I?”

“···Huh?”

“I’m asking what kind of person your 형 is.

Tell me what you know about who I am.”

“Th, that’s···.”

“If you answer well, I’ll play ball with you for two days later.

How about it?”

It was a pretty good deal, so Aden nodded without realizing it.

Then, after struggling for a while, he carefully opened his mouth.

“Father’s eldest son, and my 형.

A person of this Klausen.

The next Margrave of our proud Klausen Margraviate.”

“Yes.

And then?”

“He has made many contributions so far, and the Queen has praised him, and other nobles have praised him···.”

“So what do people call me, Aden?”

“A hero.

A hero of the kingdom, a young hero of this Hispania.

Sion Klausen.”

Yes, that’s it.

Sion smiled and gently stroked Aden’s head.

Then, he stared at the one father sitting in front of him, looking at his two sons, and opened his mouth.

“Did you hear that, Father?

I am the eldest son and heir of this Klausen, the proud Margraviate, and the next Margrave.

I have made so many contributions that even the nobles, who used to be quick to bite when I made contributions, can no longer dare to do so.”

“···.”

“A hero of the kingdom, I am that hero.

So, I will not lose or die.

I may be a little tired, and I may be a little difficult, but that’s it.

I have no intention of losing at all.

I’m not a third-rate, not a second-rate, not even a first-rate.”

A guy who cries when it’s hard is third-rate.

A guy who endures when it’s hard is second-rate.

A guy who laughs when it’s hard is first-rate.

And.

The one who uses his head and doesn’t put himself in a difficult situation in the first place is the real best.

―――――――Author’s Note―――――――

Sion’s illustration···.

Work has begun···!