The Medieval Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 48

48. Our Brothers, the Private Tutors

Thinking about it, our Powys family was bound by strong familial love.

There were no insidious power struggles where we aimed daggers at each other, nor did anyone show any signs of envy or hatred towards anyone else. This was even though my mother had lost her life giving birth to me.

I could have easily understood if my siblings had turned their displaced grief into hatred. It wouldn’t have been an unusual occurrence.

However, King Aethelstan and my two older brothers didn’t show any such immaturity. They didn’t blame their youngest brother for the death of their beloved wife and mother.

Instead, they pitied their youngest brother who had grown up without his mother’s care, and they cherished and protected him. It was a far cry from the Flour Sack household. Having someone you could trust and rely on like this was a great blessing.

…It was a blessing.

Thud.

I couldn’t help but glare at the books that had been unceremoniously dumped down in front of me with a dull thud.

“Lord Aethelred, what is the meaning of this?”

These weren’t just any books.

People who have grown up in modern times, where e-books are commonplace, might not be able to imagine it, but books that have been well-thumbed over a long period of time tend to swell up like moldy bread, as if they’ re absorbing the years. They also become a murky, yellowish color.

There was more than one of these books; there were eight of them. What was even more shocking was the fact that they weren’t just empty husks. Every single one of them was filled to the brim with writing, to the point where the covers were bulging and on the verge of bursting.

While I was still reeling in shock, Aethelred began to explain, pointing to each book with his finger.

“Volumes 1 and 2 contain a list of the major nobles known to the Isles of the Dawn, Volumes 3 and 4 contain our family’s genealogy and information on our major relatives, Volume 5 is an introduction to heraldry, and Volumes 6 through 8 contain information on the vassals who have sworn feary to our family and their genealogies.”

“But…”

Aethelred had dealt with vassals before. He couldn’t have failed to realize why I was asking him this question, even though I already knew the answer.

However, judging by his reaction, it seemed like he was going to ignore me unless I asked him directly. In the end, I steeled my face and asked him the question that was burning inside me, a mixture of bewilderment and desperation.

“Why are you giving these to me???”

I could understand if I was the heir to the duchy or someone who was going to inherit an estate. But I was just a bishop, and I had no intention of meeting with nobles very often.

Wasn’t my future supposed to be that of a medieval counselor who simply collected tithes? That was the question I had asked.

Aethelred didn’t answer me right away.

Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at me intently before finally opening his mouth.

“We’re surrendering the right of investiture in order to negotiate with the Papacy. Heh heh… It was a difficult choice to make. It was quite a reckless plan.”

It was a nuance that was difficult to tell whether it was praise or mockery. In such cases, silence was the best response. There was wisdom in the old saying that if you don’t set up camp, you’ll end up going halfway .

As if to prove me right, Aethelred quickly wiped away the faint smile that had been playing on his lips.

“However, Narva. They say that reckless and impulsive actions tend to come with a much heavier price than usual. The material that is now piled up in front of you is a typical example of that.”

“…”

“You took more than your share and you took it sooner than you were supposed to, so your father’s intention is for you to learn as much as you can and assist him. Do you understand why you need to study now?”

I understood it all too well, which was the problem. I wondered if he had taken offense at my remark about wanting to collect my inheritance. Come to think of it, King Aethelstan had a bit of a mischievous side to him. It wasn’t t a big deal; his son had simply gotten his priorities a little mixed up.

I couldn’t just meekly accept this, so I carefully looked up at Aethelred.

“Um, Lord Aethelred, aren’t you busy?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not so heartless that I wouldn’t make time for my younger brother.”

“If you’re too busy.”

“Narva, this is a family matter. I’ll make time even if I don’t have any.”

Aethelred even went so far as to scold me, his expression suddenly turning serious.

In novels and games, brothers usually couldn’t stand each other and wanted to kill each other. Our brothers were close, but they seemed to be waaay too close.

“Besides, if it wasn’t for me, no one else would be able to handle you properly.”

“Lord Tervair is your tutor, you know.”

“One should prioritize what they excel at. Tervair is your martial arts tutor.”

It felt like he was alternately tearing me away and gluing me back together.

Unlike his gentle appearance, Ederled sat on the chair without making any compromises. As he set down the book titled [Those Who Faced the Dawn of Heresy] from the top of the pile of books,

Ederled’s brown eyes were now burning with passion.

“Narva. Personally, I have high expectations for you.”

“Expectations?”

“Yes. As you know… Tervair was truly awful at this kind of thing.”

His blunt way of speaking about Tervair, unbefitting of a noble, was very natural. Ederled blew out a breath and brushed away the dust that had accumulated on the book, and then soon smiled in satisfaction.

“Tervair, who is poor with words, was good at making excuses. He would say that he would give up his inheritance to live as a knight so that he could build up military achievements. hahahaha… That guy. He wouldn’t even help his older brother and would run away like that. Fortunately, you are different from Tervair.”

“Lord Ederled, to tell you the truth, being a knight was my dream.”

“Narva, you must perform your duties as a bishop, so you can’t run away like Tervair and live as a knight.”

Only then did I recall that Ederled was also a child of King Aethelstan. With a gentle smile, Ederled began to sort through the books one by one.

“Today, let’s start with the traditional noble families that have continued since the advent of the Lux Stella faith.”

“Today?”

“Isn’t it the first time? It’s like you’ve just started walking, so let’s keep the amount small. Today, let’s just briefly learn about the families that occupy important positions in the five duchies, and tomorrow…”

“Tomorrow?”

Questions that would cause a fight just by listening to them continued. My question, which was meant to make him stop, was met with another answer.

“Tomorrow, we must learn about the families to which the vassals of each duchy belong. At the same time, let’s also study the introduction to heraldry.”

“Heraldry?”

“Yes. What symbolizes a noble is their name, etiquette, and heraldry. If you know heraldry, it’s easy to know where they originated from, which family they branched off from, and whether the other party is a real noble or a fake noble . Moreover, it’s easier to learn by connecting family names and heraldry together. In particular, it will make it easier to understand the surnames of nobles.”

“Surnames???”

“hahahaha… Narva, your real name is Narva Orn Stregoz Glerio Powys. Just by hearing this name, you can tell how noble and old our family is. Isn’t it amazing? If you know the structure and words used in the surnames of nobles, your future learning will be much easier.”

I listened to the answers that came back every time I spoke. I have now learned to think to myself instead of speaking out loud.

Ah… Future learning?

“Lord Ederled, I have a calling as a bishop. I’m very willing, but…”

“Don’t worry. Considering your young age, the bishop of Illinifut will take care of the work for the time being. I will take care of the local affairs with the staff. You can focus on your studies without any worries.”

“….”

With all my rebuttals thwarted, I had no choice but to stare blankly at Ederled.

“Brother, are you angry because I sold the right to invest without permission?”

At that, Ederled blinked and then burst into laughter.

“hahahahaha. Did I look like that?”

“Didn’t you?”

“Of course not.”

Ederled smiled brightly at me.

“Quite the opposite. I thought it was wonderful how you volunteered to be a bishop.”

***

“Something like that happened.”

In the castle’s training ground. I sat down after beating up a straw doll for a while and told Tervair in detail about what had happened with Ederled.

To Tervair, who had taken it upon himself to be my martial arts teacher.

Terver rubbed the leather belt hanging from his waist and nodded carefully.

“When you were little, you used to love making me sit on a chair and show me the letters. It seems to be the same for you.”

“Weren’t you showing me to read it?”

Terver’s face looked puzzled at my reasonable question.

“How could I? I can’t read because I fall asleep when I see letters. You know that, too.”

“Hmm.”

“Looking back, you were unusually considerate in many ways. Now that I think about it, I remember you visiting me every evening to show me letters for the day I would have insomnia.”

“…”

“It wasn’t long because you got busy.”

Terver spoke as if he were reminiscing about his mother singing him a lullaby, but I could share the despair and frustration that Edelred must have felt. Thanks to that, he must have felt a greater sense of responsibility as the eldest son.

However, this isn’t the time to feel sorry for Edelred.

If I couldn’t shake off Edelred, I had to shake off Terver too. I could never accept studying after working full-time as a fitness instructor. I subtly hinted at Terver’s duty and responsibility.

“Now that you mention being busy… Is it okay for Sir Terver to be here now? The raiders will still be aiming for the coast.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“It’s not about what.”

“It’s about knights teaching the squires. Don’t worry, because the other knights understand. Rather, they told me to teach you properly.”

Terver said so and tapped the ground with the wooden sword in his hand. He smiled very warmly.

“Narva, everyone is looking forward to going to the battlefield with you.”

“Sir, I’m a bishop. I’ve never been a squire.”

“hahahahaha! Boy. I, Terver, will persuade you with the rhetoric that I learned with the help of Brother Edelred. Listen carefully.”

And I encountered a shocking and unexpected logic.

“When a monk becomes a knight, they become a monk knight. They are known for their harsh asceticism and martial arts trained in actual combat.”

“Well.”

“Then what happens when a bishop becomes a knight?”

“?”

“Since a bishop has a higher position than a monk, wouldn’t a bishop be stronger if they became a knight?”

Our Terver bravely knew that monks were lay positions. To be honest, I want to give him extra points for this part. It’s okay to have a circle on an answer sheet that has been marked with a red line.

“Stop making that face. Narva, you don’t have to worry. You have talent!”

“…”

“Now that you’re rested, get up. Fix your posture again! What you need is not skill, but stamina and physique, so you’ll quickly become a knight with the appropriate advice from this brother!”

As soon as I heard that, I hurriedly took off my gloves and revealed the stigma engraved on the back of my hand.

“Sir, I don’t know if you know this, but the stigma prevents me from feeling physical fatigue.”

“Stamina doesn’t just mean the body. It’s your spirit! This brother will thoroughly instill the spirit of a knight in you! Never fall, no matter what happens!!!!”

***

Father, no.

It seems that King Athelstone is really pissed off at me.