Chapter 171

Chapter 171

***

It was a bizarre sight. The sight of 10,000 people gathered in the canyon, starving and unable to even sleep properly. Both paths of the canyon were tightly blocked by the Knighthood's military force.

Normally with this many people gathered it would be expected to be noisy and bustling bustling, but everyone was looking up at the steep cliff with scared expressions.

The flags of the Steel Knights fluttering in the winter wind, and the flag drawn with a golden eagle wearing a crown symbolizing Adelorn. Right now the sound of the flags flapping was the loudest.

Unlike mercenaries, the knights of the knighthood were wearing unified armaments, and standing sparsely on the cliff they were looking down below.

And one more person, the winter wind like the skeletal grasp of death swept up the slope and reached his feet.

With his red cloak flapping, wearing a sword at his waist he stood somewhat crookedly and as if holding an object of no value whatsoever, he was holding the iron-made crown in one hand.

Rickart's blond hair also rustled softly in the cold wind. Looking only at his back it was impossible to know what he was thinking with his head bowed.

And next to Rickart people with their four limbs bound were kneeling in a row sideways.

Whether they were afraid of the execution that would happen soon, or afraid of the price of their sins they would pay after dying, the trembling of their bodies wouldn't stop easily.

Whether the priest holding the Bible was cold, or doing so because he was afraid he was shrinking his body with a tense appearance.

Hugging the Bible tightly to his chest, he approached the first among the prisoners and said exactly as if whispering softly.

"The time has come. Will you make a confession?"

Thereupon he swallowed ungathered spit several times and nodded his head. And then soon looked down the cliff and spoke loudly.

"I, I grew up in a brothel. My mother was one of countless prostitutes, who exactly she is I don't know. My father must have been one of the brothel's customers too. Because living was fucking awful, blindly following a mercenary band was the motive that made me start this job for the first time. At first I started from gathering firewood and......"

He recited the entire process of his life. Just as there was no person without a story in the world, he was the same too.

"Ha-, half my life, for half my life I habitually committed murder and rape. I have burned down temples more times than I have made confessions. I dug up the graveyard of nuns too. I have committed sins that cannot be washed away. However i-, if you give me a chance just once, just one single time, w, wait! Dear God!"

Even before his words finished, Rickart walked over and just pushed him with his foot. Bound by his four limbs he couldn't put up any resistance and fell down the cliff.

The people looking up from below all gasped panting, and because the number of heads was large a gasp sound echoed in the canyon.

The prisoner who fell pitching here and there on the steep slope soon had his entire body broken and crushed to the point his form couldn't even be recognized.

The priest who couldn't even give absolution after the confession ended hugged the Bible and trembled rattle rattle, and Rickart looked back at him. His indifferent gaze didn't have a single speck of regret, fear, or anger.

However the priest felt exactly as if his heart sank with a thump at that indifferent gaze. So he quickly approached the next person and said.

"W, will you make a con-, confession?"

Thereupon because the prisoner had seen all the appearance of the preceding person dying, he glared at the priest and shouted forcefully.

"It's fine so just quickly give absolution!"

He seemed to have already given up on living and wanted to drop to a less terrible hell after dying. However even before absolution was given, Rickart pushed him with his foot.

Thereupon the next prisoners in line went into an uproar. Wriggling wriggling with their four limbs bound they screamed wildly. That sound echoed in the canyon. All 10,000 people below heard it.

"Fuck! What do you want us to do!"

"Who asked you to save us! You should at least let us do the confession!"

"Demon-like bastard!"

Whatever they shouted, Rickart neither fast nor slow pushed them down the cliff one by one.

The dying people had all sorts of emotions whip around in a very short time. Getting angry and wildly cursing Rickart, then begging, then giving up on everything and looking at the sky praying.

Anyway, them all dying was exactly the same. And soon silence visited the canyon again. Only the bleak blowing winter wind and the sound of flapping flags were heard.

Those trapped in the canyon looked up with despairing expressions. The sight of a mercenary band, or commander-level figures of a mercenary band dying begging and pleading, was more despairing and terrible than merely dying.

Because for them there wasn't a single speck of forgiveness, mercy, and salvation.

Rickart looked down at the canyon again. As the winter wind died down for a moment, the flapping of the cloak also subsided.

And at that time, Rickart slowly put the Adelorn iron crown he was holding in his hand on his head himself. The heavy weight pressed down on his head.

His first order as King was short and concise.

"Execute."

As the order fell a knight nearby blew a horn horn longly.

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

A heavy and thick sound echoed in the canyon. To the 10,000 mercenaries who were Grantz's subordinates, it sounded exactly like a trumpet sound echoing at the end of the world.

"Knighthood Infantry! Advaaaannnnnce!"

From far away on both sides of the canyon path, someone shouted forcefully. Thereupon the Knighthood's soldiers who were holding their spears up, lowered them forward and began to advance in step.

A step, step, step sound was heard, and the mercenaries trapped in the canyon became Agihell instantly. Sounds of being filled with resentment, begging, or anger clumped together and created an unimaginable sound.

Truly, it was a sound you would hear in hell.

With the number of people being 10,000 perhaps breakthrough might be possible somehow if they pushed to one side.

However, that was something possible only when done with one heart and one will. Grantz died, commander-level figures died too, and moreover having starved for days and unable to even sleep properly their will to fight was completely broken.

So those who rushed at the Knighthood's soldiers even though it was chaotic were less than a few hundred.

Most chose to flee to places without even hope, and those trapped in the middle were crushed to death or trampled to death.

Corpses were laid down, laid down on top of that again, and dying stepping on corpses to go up, like that they killed each other. Truly in an instant, even without a long time passing a mountain of corpses began to pile up. Actual people stabbed and killed by the Knighthood's spears weren't even that many.

Screams to the point of numbing the eardrums echoed filling the canyon. It seemed exactly like it would never end for eternity. However among them like a lie there wasn't a single sound of anyone repenting.

With indifferent eyes Rickart watched all these hell-like sights, and all the processes one by one without leaving anything out.

Surprisingly it didn't take a long time for the screams seeming to echo from hell to die down. An hour? Two hours? At first it was torturous to listen to but around the time he gradually got used to it the sound began to die down.

Except for a few buried inside the pile of corpses wriggling, when almost everyone died someone shouted.

"May His Majesty the King live long and prosper!"

"Live long and prosper!"

Rickart only then took his eyes off the mountain of corpses and bowed his head. The crown worn on his head was still pressing down on his head, and the shouts praying for the King's disease-free longevity wrapped around his shoulders like epaulets.

Rickart wasn't happy at all. He didn't feel a sense of burden either. Truly peculiar was that it was an emotion similar to his shepherd days when he knew neither joy, sadness, happiness, nor unhappiness. He wasn't empty and was just indifferent.

From ancient times a great King was supposed to be equipped with both ruthlessness and mercifulness.

Rickart innately had ruthlessness, and growing up in the embrace of his family mercifulness was also naturally cultivated.

Was all of that for the sake of right now. Anyway, for the coronation of Adelorn's new King 10,000 living sacrifices were offered.

That meant one conclusion and another start.

A King's right was granted by God, and continuing through bloodline was the foundation.

Establishing a dynasty meant a new foundation had to be established, so to avoid the tangling of complex genealogies he had to create a new family.

With the right of a King, Rickart established the Rikarn family himself taking his own name.

If the progenitor of the Adelorn royal family was Ilya, Kaldebert as the intermediate progenitor opened the Caldebern family, and Rickart again became the intermediate progenitor of the Rikarn family.

Rickart von Rikarn. King of Adelorn, Duke of Adelun and simultaneously Duke of Morawitz.

Besides that he also held the rights to 12 County territories, the titles he didn't possess were Lords whose existing titles Rickart acknowledged like Count Ceska and warlord factions still staying still.

Led by Count Ceska the minor Lords his influence reached said they would come to pledge loyalty to Rickart, and the warlord factions also tried to did so but Rickart refused.

The new King's message delivered to the warlords who occupied regions taking advantage of the Kingdom's chaos was simple.

Put down your titles and fuck off, or die.

In re-establishing the nation's foundation it wasn't a matter where he could acknowledge the titles of bastard from mercenary backgrounds not knowing which dog bone they were rolling from.

Of the 12 County territories he distributed 8 as fiefs to 8 knighthood commander-level knights, and had the remaining knights and soldiers follow them and receive lower titles again.

Doing like that Rickart's directly subordinate knighthood only remained around 200 people as the Royal Guards, and Raimund became the Royal Standard Bearer, Military Affairs Officer, and Count Palatine.

All powers such as legislative, judicial, administrative, and tax collection rights lie with the one holding the title, namely the King or Lord, and to efficiently exercise those rights they had to be delegated and entrusted.

Generally a King's direct subordinate vassals had positions like Prime Minister, Treasurer, Military Affairs Officer, Spymaster, and Court Priest, and as advisory council members they had the authority to separately form and operate organizations.

And from Capital Guard Captain to Court Physician, Warhorse Manager, Almoner, Chamberlain, Steward, Royal Architect, Executioner, etc., there were people in charge of assisting the King's personal duties.

The Treasurer was Paolo, Hebert who once led Adelorn's border army took charge of the Capital Guard Captain, Roy became Chamberlain, Lester became the Royal Forester and Captain of Rangers and Archers, and Bremen who was a guide took charge of Steward.

Bori was the Royal Librarian. It was a position given to collect and manage books and did whatever he wanted to did in the meantime.

Anyway from personnel to administration it was a situation where things couldn't be done haphazardly anymore but tasks had to be handled paying attention one by one, and Marie did most of all this.

She was Queen, the King's personal secretary, and the advisor closest to the King.

Honestly speaking Rickart was from the countryside and wasn't a person who studied that hard either.

With innate talent, insight, animalistic senses, and experience from his past life he merely carried out battles and made decisions, it was true that he was somewhat of a layman for complex administrative duties or tasks requiring knowledge.

Still as the saying gwent personnel was everything, successfully placing talents in the right places was no different from having done all the duties as King.

Holding the center well, harmonizing well, and making good judgments in this and that situation was Rickart, the reason for the King's existence.

The rights granted by God must be used to protect the Kingdom. Wouldn't remembering just that be enough.

Probably because there was a lot of work, even though it was winter Adelun was busy without a moment to feel the cold.

Day by day knighthood traversing married, threw festivals even if modestly, and because there were many people he had to meet as King Rickart spent quite hard days in his own way.

While doing so he also had to not neglect his duties as a married couple, and on a certain coldest day the Court Physician delivered the news of Marie's pregnancy.

Thus finally, all the foundations of the Kingdom were equipped. Because no matter what was said a family with strong when there was an heir.

However although Rickart didn't reveal it outwardly, he felt a truly complex mood.

Even though he himself told the knights to form families and raise children with love, when it actually became that he was going to be a father he felt exactly as if shrinking.

Why would it be? Wearing the heavy iron crown on his head and sitting solitary on the throne he fell into thought, but he couldn't know the answer.

Rickart and Marie's age was eighteen.