Arcadia (2)
Content partially updated on January 9th at 3 PM.
"A curse," I said softly.
"That fool tried to disgrace the Life Goddess and the Life Temple by shoving his kingdom and his royal authority in their faces...."
I smiled faintly and continued.
"For a guy who has nothing but the power of his country and his royal status, the simplest way to teach him harsh reality is to strip away everything he has left."
Of course, I admit I went a bit overboard. Because of one idiot's mistake, all the people of a nation suffered. It was hasty, a rash decision.
But as the Life Goddess, I couldn't say that. Those who insult a god must face severe punishment. The best way to maintain a god's dignity is to ensure no one takes it lightly.
And... if I, in the position of the supreme god, let such blasphemy slide without harsh retribution...
'The Life Goddess let that much slide, but you're getting mad over this little thing?!' Other gods... my kids might think that way, causing trouble for them too. Humans are that foolish.
"I'm sorry for the people of Akad, but I can't lift that curse easily. The sin of insulting the temple and the goddess's proxy is endlessly grave."
I had no choice but to say that.
"I see."
King Makairodus let out a sigh at my response.
"I just... wish you could lift the curse on that land...."
"If you want that, instead of begging me, just capture your brother and make him atone at the Life Temple."
There might be an issue with genuine repentance, but that could be resolved with physical means easily enough.
"At the time... I thought exiling him would make that fool atone for his sins soon enough."
But his brother's foolishness must have been far greater than he imagined.
"I never dreamed my brother was such a fool that even after decades, he wouldn't realize his own mistake. If I'd known, I would've kept him by my side and burned the error into his bones."
"Hm. That might've worked faster."
"But the people are innocent, aren't they?"
King Makairodus looked at me with eyes full of resentment.
"Akad at its peak had over eighty thousand people, but after the goddess's curse, only a few thousand remained in its six cities and seventeen villages. The rest fled to other lands or lost their lives."
Eyes full of resentment. Eyes filled with sorrow.
"Among those who died were my father, the previous king."
Hm. So even the former king perished in that desperate situation.
"My father blamed himself for my brother's folly. Shortly after the kingdom turned to wasteland, he passed the crown to me and collapsed, never to rise again."
I listened silently to King Makairodus's words.
"The day my father passed, I discarded my name. I abandoned 'Stur' and took the name of a beast, wandering various nations, pawning the kingdom's treasure—our crown—to buy land. I gave up farming, the foundation of our nation, and have survived to this day by honing my blade."
A faint madness seeped into his eyes.
"And now... the goddess's proxy, the cause of it all, has come to this land. Isn't this the goddess's arrangement?"
"Coincidence."
I could say it with certainty. Passing through the Akad Wasteland, encountering the patrolling cavalry there, and coming all the way to Arcadia—all pure chance.
"Coincidence. But they say coincidences piling up become fate."
King Makairodus smirked.
"If I weren't burdened with the duty of king, I'd offer my neck to beg the goddess's forgiveness, but that duty chains me down."
"......"
His eyes brimmed with sorrow.
"If the goddess pities the people of Akad who have suffered under her curse, please bestow a small blessing upon those who inherit their will and resolve."
He spoke with desperate earnestness.
"Since you cursed that land, bless those who survived it."
His voice was infinitely pleading.
"Those who can't return to their homeland, who knew only farming but were forced to raise livestock; the poor elders who lost their ancestral kingdom and took their own lives in guilt; and the fool clinging to life out of duty."
He spat the words and prostrated himself before me.
"Bestow your blessing."
A blessing. A blessing, huh.
"What kind of blessing do you want?"
"The best would be a blessing that lifts or offsets the curse on Akad's land...."
"In a god's name, I can't revoke a decision once made."
At my words, King Makairodus lifted his head.
"Yes. I figured as much."
He nodded.
"Then... I wish for this nation to grow strong."
"Strong?"
"Yes. For this nation, reliant on useless land borrowed from others and food sold to us like charity, to grow strong. Strong enough not to be swayed by other nations. Strong enough not to be looked down upon. Strong enough to repel other nations' armies."
He wants the nation's power to grow strong. Or perhaps...
"Here, we can only raise livestock, so food is always scarce, our population dwindles, and we barely hold on, pushed around by other countries. At this rate, we'll have no choice but the final option."
The final choice for a nation with no food production beyond livestock... plunder, of course. And national-scale plunder means war.
War. War, huh.
I don't deny war itself, understanding when it's necessary, but it's regrettable that so many lives will be lost.
"Planning to start a war?"
"If necessary, yes."
"Even if your people die or get hurt?"
King Makairodus's face hardened with resolve.
"It's what everyone has decided. We can't survive without fighting."
We can't survive without fighting. A lamentable truth, but undeniable.
Survival of the fittest. Food chains. To live, we must eat; to eat, we must harm other lives.
They have no other choice.
"Why not ask for plants that grow well even in this barren land?"
"We would have, if those crops could protect us."
Food merely sustains and grows the population. It doesn't defend the nation.
That's why the man before me seeks the power to protect his country.
"What power do you seek?"
"Not individual strength, but collective power. No matter how one person shines, they can't protect a whole nation."
"Collective power."
Collective power means army strength. Army strength means morale and leadership.
I clapped once and created something: a long flagpole and a large flag.
A rectangular flag woven with silver thread, edged in black.
If this is a buff item that strengthens armies under it, it should fulfill what the man wants.
"I'll place various blessings on this flag. But it will only aid in defending the holder's nation. If you march it onto another nation's soil, it loses power for a year."
"That's enough, as long as it helps defend the nation."
If it could be used anywhere to strengthen an army, world conquest would be possible with just this flag. So, pile on the penalties.
If the flag touches foreign soil while held, it becomes a normal flag for a year. Restrict it to defense only.
Is that enough? Should be.
"Any emblem you want on the flag?"
"An emblem? Hm...."
King Makairodus pondered, then said,
"A saber-tooth tiger. Draw a saber-tooth tiger."
"Saber-tooth tiger?"
"Yes. The animal my current name comes from."
Saber-tooth tiger, huh.
I drew a black saber-tooth tiger in the center of the flag.
Now, buffs for this flag. First, morale boost. Those fighting where this flag is visible will have boosted morale.
Morale is like an army's will. Armies with strong will to fight don't break easily.
Anyone who's played games with large-scale battles knows how crucial unbreakable morale is.
Next, perfect vitality... Those directly commanded by the flag-bearer will always maintain peak condition.
And finally...
I made thin silver cloth grow from the flag's edge. Cloth sized right for wrapping around the head.
Those who cut and hold pieces of this cloth can communicate with the flag-bearer no matter the distance. Like a radio.
They can wrap it on their head or arm. Oh, and those receiving commands via the cloth won't get the perfect vitality effect. Only those directly commanded get that buff.
Essentially, only the commander's guards get it.
And... the cut cloth disappears after seven days, regrowing on the flag... That should work.
Plus, a sharp spearhead on the pole's end for use as a weapon. Auto-repair for pole, blade, and flag...
Hm. And, and also... This should be plenty, right? Honestly, morale boost and overflowing vitality already feel like morale buffs.
I handed the roughly completed flag to King Makairodus and said,
"If you command your army with this flag raised in your territory, the troops who see you won't lose morale, and those directly under your command will always brim with vitality."
"Vitality?"
"It means maintaining peak condition at all times. Plus, if you cut the thin cloths at the edge and distribute them to your subordinates, you can talk to them no matter how far apart."
At my words, King Makairodus ran his fingers over the dangling thin cloths at the flag's bottom.
"The cut cloths vanish after seven days, and new ones grow back. And don't forget—if that flag steps on foreign soil... it loses power for a year."
"Indeed... I'll keep that in mind."
Good. That should suffice. And since the restriction is only against foreign invasions!