The Medieval Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 63

63. Why Did You Send Them?

As soon as the cruise ship carrying the special guests dropped anchor and began disembarking, I couldn’t help but frowned at the thunderous cheers that seemed to pierce my eardrums. It wasn’t just the ordinary citizens who had gathered to watch, even the entourage that was supposed to be devout was making a fuss.

“Oh, oh oh…!”

“Isn’t she exceptionally beautiful?”

“A true innocent! I closed my eyes when I heard that I would be accompanying His Lordship the Bishop, but it seems that it wasn’t all bad…!”

The entourage’s reaction was even more unpleasant, as if they were soldiers cheering for an idol who had come to perform a consolation concert.

Damn them. Of all the memories from the 21st century, why did they have to bring up the ones I had tried so hard to forget? But in the back of my mind, I could understand their excitement.

What kind of lives had these priests and monks in the entourage lived? The clergy were men who wasted away day after day in the women-only areas and the holy cathedral.

Those among them whose brains were added by s*xual desire dared to break the precepts and walk a path that even modern 21st-century Earthlings would find difficult to accept. Perhaps… it might be better for them to be excited.

I stopped myself from scolding the entourage as I recalled the contents of the ‘Church Incident Report’ that the bishops secretly shared. That’s right. It’s not about turning away from desire and becoming a eunuch, but about learning to control it.

Of course, the biggest reason for my newfound understanding was a certain type of excitement that was quite reasonable.

Platinum-blonde hair that fell to her waist, round sky-blue eyes with an innocent smile beneath long eyelashes, and a sweet voice that seemed to the nurse the listener.

Karina de Bien Magister Tribunus Norpeng.

“Wow. It’s similar to the places we visited before, isn’t it?”

As soon as Karina disembarked from the ship, surrounded by priests in red shoulder mantles, she began looking around.

I could tell from her expression.

Karina has a natural talent for winning people’s favor. You might argue that it’s just based on her appearance, but the reality is the reality, no matter how horrible or uncivilized it may be.

In this era, in this world, appearance was also a form of ability.

“Ah! What a beautiful voice.”

“Truly, her kind heart is evident. Such a clear and beautiful voice can only be produced by a pure and innocent maiden.”

Even appearance became the standard for judging good and evil.

And with a voice as pleasant as hers, it was no wonder that our entourage was so smitten. I just wish they would show me some respect, even if they are smitten. I’m ashamed of the way they’ve been spouting nonsense after spending all their time in the library, learning unusual vocabulary.

But the ordeal was far from over.

The people, who had caught a glimpse of Karina over the shoulders of the entourage, were also getting excited.

“What? What’s with all the fuss?”

“Man… Nobles are just different.”

“I’m doomed. I’m doomed. How can I ever look my wife in the face again?”

Karina, the cause of all this praise and excitement, burst out laughing, blinking her eyes. Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment as she said,

“You all like to flatter me so much~.”

She even waved her hand dismissively, but it was clear that she secretly enjoyed it, just like any girl her age.

It was clear that despite her talent, she was not used to being in front of people. Karina hid behind her attendants, unable to bear the shame.

It seemed that she had been raised with great care in her homeland. She was so shy that she felt embarrassed by such a thing. To put it nicely, she was a friend who was unusually pure.

She truly fit the term “pure white” that was being thrown around carelessly.

….She even forgot the fact that I was waiting behind her, as white as a sheet.

In order to protect this pure white girl, it seems like those who serve her also need to be pure white. As I let out a sigh filled with frustration, the priests with faces that were pale and gray from cold sweat rushed over, leaving Karina’s side.

“We, we greet Bishop Forvis.”

“A test?”

“Yes, yes?”

“You’re just trying to confirm that I am a faithful hound who follows the interests of the Holy See and the mainland.”

“Bishop, how dare you test us!!!!!”

I couldn’t help but be offended. Just looking at the brat she brought along tells me that I need to teach her about the mainland’s laws, let alone the customs here.

I was so excited to devour the wisdom of the ancestors that the mainland had stockpiled, but of course that would happen when this half-wit came along. Just by looking at her, you could tell that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the real fun due to the barriers to entry, so my interest and excitement were fading away with each passing moment.

However, unlike me who was cooling down, the noble lady seemed to be getting more and more interested.

Karina, who had been hiding behind the priests and peeking out, stuck her head out and opened her eyes wide.

“Huh? Is he Bishop Forvis? He looks… younger than me? He’s not older than me, right?!”

It seems like I look younger than her.

Ah-. Is it because I’ve grown up so fast that I can’t face reality?

Those who are truly loyal to others do not spare sharp and piercing remarks. Even though it’s our first meeting, I’ve decided to be loyal to Karina.

“Karina…nim. You must be mistaken.”

“…Mistaken?”

“Yes.”

I waved away the priests whose faces were paler than a corpse and answered.

“It’s not that I look young, it’s that Karina-nim looks much older than her peers.”

***

The fundraising… no, the festival that I had ambitiously prepared for was met with a crisis from the very beginning.

“….”

When we got off the ship, our lively and cheerful tomboy was pouting with her cheeks puffed out, shaking her head from side to side.

The first step of the great plan to travel around with a medieval idol and bring in money for the streets had started to go awry.

Still, maybe it was because she had the guts and the gift of gab that she had developed while begging from pilgrims. Several merchants who were good at talking tried to catch Karina, but it was no use.

“Wow! Your skin is so fair! You’d be perfect if you just wore this pearl bracelet!”

“Hmm. I think a bracelet would be too cumbersome. Not everything that glitters is gold. Miss! How about this incense pouch with a soft and gentle floral scent?”

“….”

For a moment, I could see her ears twitching, but Karina just stubbornly turned her head away.

At that sight, the embezzling priest Foros, who had been following me, let out an exclamation filled with 100% admiration.

“Bishop, it seems like the priesthood is your true calling. It’s clear that the starlight of the great incarnation has been with you since birth.”

As expected of someone who has been covering up his embezzlement with endless flattery. However, even empty praise is still praise, so I couldn’t help but feel a little smug at Foros’s words.

“Don’t talk nonsense. How can I, who is nothing more than a humble servant of the radiant church, be so proud? I still have a long way to go.”

“Where do you plan to go from here…”

Look at this guy, he’s surprised by just this. Foros was overwhelmed by my boundless ambition. But this ambition is what separates those who have received the holy mark from those who have not.

In order for God to be satisfied, effort is necessary. How can one walk the path of the priesthood without the determination to become a better person each and every day?

Even in a profession where you can just enjoy yourself and have fun, it’s strange that there are those who don’t. I feel like a two-eyed person thrown into a one-eyed world. From my perspective, all the priests in our parish who should be working but are instead playing are strange.

And while I was trying to correct the mindset of a gamer, Karina, who had been pouting, was now looking around with a smile on her face.

“Is this really the finger of Saint Illenio?”

“U-Uhm… Yes… I mean…”

“Then will you cut off my finger later? Since you have to sell it?”

“Uhhh…”

The merchant who was selling the fake relic glanced at the priests in their crimson capes behind Karina, who were biting their lower lips, and rolled his eyes.

And the moment he met my gaze, he suddenly started blabbering out facts I didn’t even ask for.

“Actually, this is a fake. I cut it off from a poor serf named Bess, who was starving to death because he didn’t have any land to farm on a secluded estate, and gave him enough living expenses for a few months. “

“?”

“So, there’s no need to cut off your finger, my lady. Rest assured, rest assured! hahahahaha!”

“hahahahaha!”

This time, I laughed.

I pushed aside Karina, who was bewildered, and the priests who were biting their lower lips, and stepped forward.

“Well done. You almost ended up with the charges of counterfeiting relics and tempting an innocent serf with money as bait, which would have sent you to the gallows.”

“Ha, ha, hahahaha…”

“Anyone can go down the wrong path. But if you repent and turn to the right path like you did, you can find salvation again.”

“I… Does that mean I’m pardoned?”

“hahahahaha!”

The headache I had because of Karina washed away as if it were a lie.

As expected, you need good communication skills to sell things. I patted the converted merchant on the shoulder and told him plainly.

“Turn yourself in and hand over half of your assets.”

“…”

“You probably haven’t paid taxes, so I won’t recognize your right to appoint a legal representative, which is a privilege given to honest taxpayers. If you had paid your taxes regularly, you could have avoided this.”

Of course, if he tried to run away in the middle of the night and got caught, he would be hung.

When I added that last remark, the merchant was able to gain confidence that the path of repentance he had begun to tread was the right one.

“I, I will turn myself in no matter what happens. I will live honestly from now on, so please…!”

“Prove it with your actions. Don’t just talk about it.”

I felt good as I received voluntary donations from those who were soliciting customers for relic fraud under the guise of sightseeing for Karina.

From Noble mtl dot com

Karina herself was looking at me with her round, sky-blue eyes as if she didn’t know what had happened.

“…So, I don’t have to cut off my finger?”

Instead of answering her, I glared at the priests in the crimson capes.

“Why did you bring them?”

“Y-Yes, Your Grace. Please calm down. It’s all thanks to Your Grace’s blessing.”

I suppressed my anger once more as they handed me a letter while trembling.

If it wasn’t for my blessing, there would be no saint or anything.

I tore open the sealed wax tablet with a bright blue seal right on the spot. I wasn’t generous enough to be lenient with principles and all.

And the moment I opened the wax tablet-.

“….”

“What are you looking at… Your eyes are scary.”

-I couldn’t help but look at Karina with a trembling expression.

***

Lost in thought, I followed behind Karina, who trailed behind our finely bred, spoiled Karina.

“How does this one look?”

“It suits Your Grace well.”

There was something more important than the shameful behavior of the entourage, who were all talking about accessories.

I immediately tore up the wax tablet on the spot, crushed it under my feet, and completely destroyed it, but I couldn’t help but continue to chew on the contents.

[Have Karina meet Miriam and show off her close relationship with the royal family and the church on the mainland.]

[Miriam Orn Yubas is an important pawn to counter Yubas’ sudden betrayal. I am truly grateful to you for securing her in advance.]

[The factional rivalry within Yubas is intensifying. When the pagans and those loyal to the church clash, those who are close to the church are likely to be promoted or have strong influence beyond gender limitations.]

[To that end, we must raise Miriam’s presence from now on. I hope Bishop Powys will put aside his personal feelings.]

… As expected, the church is the one that does politics.

I have definitely learned a lesson.