Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 354

354―――――

To the Battlefield of Justice!

Victory, a word so distant from the current Nudia.

To those struggling just to survive, Zion’s mention of victory felt irrelevant, not only to Ive but also to King Saradin.

However, Zion spoke of victory as if it were something easily attainable, as if it were something achievable with effort, though challenging.

“…You came here to win?”

“That is correct, Your Majesty King Saradin.”

“It sounds like you and Hispaña are confidently declaring that you can change the course of this war.”

“Half right and half wrong.

Hispaña and I will help Nudia, and the two nations will turn the tide of the war and achieve victory.

No one can claim greater merit, and no one can claim greater effort.

Winning means winning together, and losing means losing together.”

“…”

King Saradin’s reaction suggested he hadn’t fully grasped Zion’s words.

In contrast, Ive, standing beside him, seemed to have understood Zion’s message.

After all, if one side falls, the burden on the other will naturally increase, making it impossible to win against the Holy Prussen.

Since they have already branded Nudia and Hispaña as sinners, there will be no truce or end to the war.

It’s a death match that will continue until one of them is finished.

“So, please do not worry.

Hispaña is not here to gain an advantage.

Nudia extended a hand, and we in Hispaña took it.

Therefore, when Nudia struggles, we will naturally hold that hand, help them rise, and walk forward together.”

The title of war hero isn’t limited to Hispaña.

Although they were utterly defeated, Nudia clearly knows how capable and formidable Zion Clausel is.

Therefore, it’s only natural that they would subtly listen to Zion’s words, as King Saradin is doing now.

“…Young Lord Zion Clausel, your words make me feel foolish for asking that question earlier.

I think I’ve been doubting both Nudia and Hispaña all along.”

“Not at all.

That’s not doubt but concern, and always considering and preparing for the worst-case scenario is a natural quality for those who lead a nation.”

The boy before him is not a king who was prepared from the start.

His father died early, naturally distancing him from the throne, and until recently, he lived quietly somewhere before being made king by new forces led by Ive.

Naturally, he is not prepared to distinguish and dismiss ministers who only praise him, say only good things, or, to put it bluntly, flatter him.

Zion cleverly exploited that weakness, and King Saradin opened his mouth with a voice that was noticeably more relaxed than before.

“Even if it’s just empty words, I can’t help but feel a little better.

Every day has been a continuous cycle of busy and hectic life since I took this position.”

After saying that, King Saradin sighed.

One might wonder how heavy the sigh of a middle school boy could be, but considering his position as the ruler of a nation, the many emotions and pains contained in that sigh were only natural.

“To cut to the chase, Young Lord Zion Clausel.

The Nudia royal family plans to leave the royal palace.”

“A retreat?”

“Yes.

We will leave here and head to the relatively safe territory of Count Basura.

There, we will reorganize and make every effort to continue the fight.”

“The retreat is the conclusion and will of Nudia’s King and nobles, so it’s not something for me, a person from Hispaña, to comment on.

However, I would like to ask one thing.”

At Zion’s words, King Saradin raised his hand slightly, as if to say he could ask his question.

“It seems there are still many people remaining in the royal palace.

What will you do with them?

Although the decision to retreat was made now, preparations must have been ongoing for some time, and if the decision has been made, it seems to me that you will leave the royal palace within three days at the latest.”

“As you said, I will leave the royal palace in three days.

However, most of those remaining in the royal palace will probably not leave this place.”

“Why is that?”

“They can’t leave.

Who else would have as much attachment and lingering feelings for this place as those who have lived in the royal palace?

And they may still want to believe that the Holy Prussen, the fairies, the Doctrine of Light, and the celestials will not harm them.”

It’s foolish and utterly stupid.

Rumors are spreading that those who resisted the Doctrine of Light in the east and south have all been hanged as sinners or burned alive.

The celestials and fairies were constantly creating an atmosphere of fear to weaken the enemy’s resistance and sow discord from within.

They say that all those who have not actively participated in this glorious holy war are sinners, traitors, and corrupted individuals who must be judged and purified by fire.

“Your Majesty.”

At this moment, Ive subtly opened her mouth and asked if she could explain instead.

King Saradin nodded as if to say yes, and Ive expressed her gratitude before speaking to Zion, who was sitting across from her.

“Do you think we would welcome having people in the royal palace?

No matter how much we warn them, those who were going to leave have already left, and those who were going to stay have stayed.”

“What’s the reason?

Are they really curious if those fanatics will harm them?”

“Of course, there are those with such foolish reasons.

But there are those with more important reasons.

They are the families of the soldiers currently holding the last line of defense.”

“…It’s not like their presence here will prevent that defense line from being breached.”

“You can’t always explain people’s hearts rationally.”

With Ive’s explanation, Zion sighed but had no choice but to nod.

Many people in Nudia have already suffered from the war.

If they lose someone else in this situation, many will have no reason to live, especially since they know that if the enemy breaks through, their beloved homeland and motherland will be burned and destroyed, so they would rather face death cleanly than wander around and suffer.

‘Even rolling in dung is better than the afterlife [a common saying implying that even the worst life is better than death].’

Nudia’s situation has been so bad for so long that they have no hope or dreams, and naturally, that has pushed the people here to their limits.

In Hispaña, the people are encouraging each other and boosting the atmosphere, but here, some are struggling to survive, while others are thinking it would be better to die.

‘Not good.

We need to inject a dose of 뽕 [ppong – a Korean slang term for something that is extremely exciting, uplifting, or addictive] quickly.’

In this unprecedented crisis, there must be something decisive to uplift people’s spirits.

If Hispaña manufactured medicine with patriotism and the idea that enemies are jealous of us, Nudia must manufacture and prescribe medicine in a different way.

The first thing to solve is to raise the confidence that has fallen as low as it can go due to repeated defeats in the war.

“Your Majesty King Saradin.

Currently, 20,000 elite Hispañan soldiers are stationed half a day away from the royal palace.

They are ready to be immediately deployed to the front lines as soon as the discussion with Nudia is over.”

“…20,000, you say?”

“They are troops composed of soldiers from the central region, as well as skilled soldiers from the east and north.

In addition, there are warriors from the northern tribes who will not be pushed back even in a fight against the Knights.”

“Just hearing that, I can feel that Hispaña is betting everything, just like Nudia.

If you’ve taken almost all the troops from the east, doesn’t that mean there’s no turning back if you lose here?”

“I already told you.

We came not to endure or to defend, but to win.

We will plant our flag in the sanctuary that the Holy Prussen cherishes so much.”

“You’re still full of confidence.”
You can say that because you don’t know the true nature of the enemy, how strong their forces are.

When you actually clash with the Holy Prussen, those words will come back to you.

Perhaps King Saradin wanted to say that, but he seemed to be holding back because he didn’t want to be rude to Hispaña’s guest.

In fact, he also thought that Hispaña’s army might be better than his own soldiers.

Nudia has been losing in the continuous war, and the biggest problem is that their confidence has plummeted.

On the other hand, Hispaña won the war with Nudia, cleared out the pirates in the south, and formed a joint alliance with the northern tribes, so their morale was incomparable to Nudia’s.

‘I can see it all, kid.

Your ability as a king isn’t bad, but you’re not very good at hiding your true feelings yet.

A king should be able to hide his emotions and maintain a poker face.’

Thinking that, Zion decided to get to the point.

“Your Majesty.

I apologize for being rude, but I would like to say something.

Would that be alright?”

“Rude, you say?

Are you going to give me some harsh words?

A guest from another country, to the king of a nation?”

“If you think so, I’m sorry, but I am only offering advice to the ruler of a nation waging war, as a commander who has experienced war.”

“…”

King Saradin stared at Zion for a moment.

He was a nobleman from Hispaña, a man with such outstanding abilities that even the nobles of Nudia once said he must be eliminated for the sake of the country.

He was the one who literally crushed the opponent in the previous battle with Nudia.

Even if he is a war hero from another country, a war hero is still a war hero.

He would definitely be better than himself when it comes to fighting, battles, and war.

“…”

He turned his gaze to Ive, and she hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Listening to this man’s story wouldn’t be harmful.

King Saradin, seeing that Ive, whom he trusted the most, answered that way, gave a look of understanding and said.

“Alright.

Young Lord Zion Clausel.

I will listen to your words.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.

Then I will speak frankly in this place.”

Entering the first stage.

The first thing you always have to do before getting a prescription is to touch sensitive areas and shake them until you can’t control your emotions.

“The current Nudia army has no hope.

Not a single grain of hope!”

“…What?”

“It’s not an army, it’s just a mob of people gathered together, worse than a militia.

No matter how good their equipment is, no matter how good their training is, soldiers this broken cannot fight a proper battle.

Just enduring right now is a miracle.”

Of course, it’s a miracle.

Right now, the demons are secretly moving behind the scenes to confuse the Holy Prussen, and naturally, the light-crazed people who consider demons the number one target of judgment will temporarily put aside their offensive against Nudia and focus on them.

If the demons hadn’t moved, the defense line would have been breached long ago, and Hispaña’s reinforcements would have had to draw a new defense line in western Nudia and fight without even needing to come near the royal palace.

“Zion Clausel, watch your words…”

“They are irredeemable trash.

They should not only defend but also think about counterattacking and inflicting damage on the enemy, but they are only focused on blocking.

This is worse than not resisting.

The enemies are not trying to drag us to the negotiating table, but only trying to tie us to the stake, and with these weaklings, we cannot escape from there.”

“Wh-what are you doing?

Zion Clausel!

What are you saying in front of His Majesty…”

“The current Nudia army, the soldiers, have completely lost their way and have even forgotten why they have to win.

In this state, they are not helpful and are merely meat shields that buy time.”

Clang!

As if he couldn’t listen anymore, King Saradin jumped up from his seat.

He tried to listen to the advice, but all he got was harsh criticism.

Even though Nudia’s situation was already the worst, he didn’t consider that and instead fanned the flames and poured more oil on the fire.

“That’s enough.

I won’t listen anymore.

If you want to be treated as a guest, you should stop too.

I won’t say harsh words considering the relationship with Hispaña, but if you provoke me any further, Zion Clausel, I will make it clear in this place.

If you intend to insult Nudia, go back.

I have no intention of asking for help while being treated like that.”

“…”

His words were dignified and cold, to the point where he couldn’t be seen as just an ordinary boy.

Ive was blinking her eyes, perhaps seeing that side of the king for the first time.

“We are bleeding and losing soldiers while enduring.

Don’t insult that.”

After finishing his words, King Saradin sat down.

Then, as if trying to calm his still uncooled anger, he repeatedly inhaled and exhaled.

“Are you angry?

Were you furious?

How did you feel when you unleashed that anger?

At that moment when you confidently told the Hispañan reinforcements, perhaps the last lifeline, to go back.”

“…”

“That’s it.

That’s what the Nudia soldiers don’t have.

They are still wandering.

They are clearly enemies who are trampling on our country!

They are not sure whether that enemy is really a bad guy, or whether we ourselves, who call them sinners, are the bad guys!

That’s why they can’t be angry at the enemies, they can’t show hatred for their actions, and the spears and swords they wield have no killing intent.”

“What are you saying…”

“Do you know what you need to be angry?

It’s conviction.

The conviction that I am a good guy and you are a bad guy.

So, you must be able to confidently say that everything I am suffering is their evil deed and injustice.

No matter how much you push them to fight, without that conviction, they are just pieces of ice that will soon melt away.”

Zion, who had stopped speaking for a moment, looked at Ive, who was sitting next to him.

She was definitely a smart and capable woman, but her ability to use her brain was too focused on pursuing the right path.

That’s why she couldn’t give this advice to her king.

“It’s not enough to simply call them enemies.

They must be injustice, they must be evil, and they must be darkness.

We must be justice, we must be good, and we must be light.