The Girl Who Eats the God of Death

Chapter 25 - The Plants You Take Care of Yourself Must Feel Good

A few days after the death of veteran general Sharov died in prison. There are many people who are secretly mourning in the capital Blanca. Rumors have spread that the coup attempt incident was a fabrication of the Prime Minister, and everyone sympathizes with the disappeared Basarov family. Disputes occurred not only among the people, but also among the soldiers.

The character known as Prime Minister Farzam has no popularity. For society, he is considered the ringleader behind all exploitation. For the soldiers, he was blasphemed as the main cause of their inadequate wages. To the military officers, he was scorned as someone who proudly rose to his position just by cursing. For civil officers, they hated the power he held as they hated snakes[1]. Even Barbora who has a close relationship with Farzam, in her heart she does not like Farzam.

Although the people's evaluation of Farzam is not wrong, the biggest cause is also because King Kristoff does not care about politics.

The king does nothing but curl up in the royal palace, have the woman waiting for him and drown herself in sexual pleasures, and if she feels like it, she will, he would pray the Star God for his oldest son who had died at a young age.

This man no longer had any interest in the matter of alan so what this Kingdom would be. There were no more signs of joy on his face like when he won the race for the throne.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for interfering with your pleasure. It's Farzam."

Farzam respectfully greeted Kristoff, whose clothes were muddled as his pale face looked lethargic. Next to her lay two concubines, wearing only a thin negligee on their body and looking at Kristoff with a seductive look.

After the important issues are resolved, Prime Minister Farzam, the only person allowed to enter Kristoff's private room, will come to report. The matter of judging right and wrong was entirely done by Farzam, and the King only received a report afterwards. The basis of his judgment was based only on whether or not Farzam was profitable. Basically the Prime Minister holds the highest authority in the Kingdom.

“......Farzam huh? What do you want at this hour?”

It's late, but Kristoff doesn't know about time. He beckoned his concubines, telling them to prepare a drink. The dim room was almost crowded with the scent of male and female relationships.

Farzam proudly began to speak with a smile.

"Ready. Sharov, the man who was the mastermind of the rebellion, had been killed in prison, so I came to report."

"......I-i understand. So Sharov's dead huh. The man who used to be called the Royal buffer."

The gaze from Kristoff's empty eyes glared. The concubine held out a glass of alcohol, but she did not react.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

"..........."

Not moving and sitting still on the bed, he held his glass. He showed no sign of saying anything.

Judging that he was acting as usual, Farzam went on to report on another matter.

".....About the negotiations with the Empire, I have requested mediation from the Star Church. A priest who knows me well is heading to the Empire as an emissary. Likely, negotiations for a ceasefire will happen soon."

“...........”

"And also, I have given the order to retake Belta to the newly appointed General Barbora as commander of the First Army. With the failure of the first attack from the Empire, the rebel forces will definitely fall if we take a heavy blow now. Soon, peace will return to the Kingdom, no doubt."

Now that his greatest political enemy, Sharov, is gone, there is nothing to fear. Thanks to the lunge from the God of Death he heard, the Empire had been destroyed by itself. After that, just destroy the rebel forces that are in sight. For that reason, he sent an elite unit of 50,000 reinforcements to Canaan. Now a large army of 150,000 has gathered in Canaan. He also sent envoys to the Fifth Army at Madros in the North and the Second Army in the South, telling them to move to Belta. There was no way the rebel forces in the middle of nowhere could face a major attack from three directions.

"......Farzam. Thanks to you I got this position. I am incompetent, and a human with no superior features other than being born a member of the royal family. I don't have a single piece that can win against my dead brother. Even I understand about it. Thanks to your efforts I was able to get the throne. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart."

Kristoff said with a bitter smile.

".....Your Majesty, what are you saying? Without Your Majesty, Kingdom–"

Farzam was shocked at these unexpected words. She immediately said flattery, but Kristoff interrupted her in a stern tone.

"Therefore, though you decided to slander and kill Sharov my loyal followers, though you decided to constantly drown yourself in your own advantage, I allow it. I don't mind if you use my name and hold my authority as you please. I'll let you."

“......Y, Your Highness?”

"–But, when something happens, the only thing I won't allow is to leave me. You and I share the same fate. You're the only one who survives and stays alive, I won't let him. When my Kingdom is destroyed, I will drag you to death with me–"

Throwing her glass aside, Kristoff took out the letters from her breast pocket. These were secret messages that Farzam secretly sent to influential nobles in the Union. The letters cannot be seen by the King. It's something that shouldn't exist.

"I-It was-!?"

"A brash spy who had slipped into my room so kindly left these letters here. Isn't he your subordinate? If he is a rebel army, it is likely that I am dead. ........It seems that you have no popularity even among the subordinates who are under your auspices. But, I don't care. I gave you permission. I didn't see anything."

Kristoff said as he tore and threw away the secret messages. With a desperate appearance, Farzam tried to explain.

“Y-Your Majesty. You wrong. I work only for–”

"I don't need your reasons. You can go. Destroy the rebel forces and bring Altura's head before me. I place my hopes on you, Prime Minister Farzam."

Kristoff said, and he lay on the bed with a tired expression. Next to her lay the concubines.

Having lost his way, Farzam left the King's room, his face pale.

"It doesn't make sense! How could those secret messages get into the hands of His Majesty-!? Who did it-!?"

Farzam's intelligence unit he built consisted of dying and starving orphans he trained hard and brainwashed, so they would obey his orders.

As a result, they cannot be betrayed. He had already instilled the thought that if he gave them the order to die, they would carry it out.

(But what I think is that there is a traitor inside. .....Maybe I should investigate.)

The people who worked in the shadows so Kristoff could ascend to the throne were Farzam's intelligence units. They spread the scandal of her brother Kristoff, wielding the weaknesses of influential people, killing, threatening, kidnapping, they did everything they could do.

Many agents were killed in the process, but Farzam was able to ascend to the position of Prime Minister, and Kristoff ascended the throne.

His agents are willing to die for the sake of the saviors of those who have gathered them. They may also rejoice in hell, Farzam thought in his heart.

(.......Hmph, you piece of trash. He was really arrogant for the size of the doll. No problem, I won't lose. I will never give up this power. This country is mine. I'm not gonna hand it to anyone. Don't expect me to hand him over–)

Having risen to the Prime Minister of an ordinary follower, Farzam's attachment to and his desire for political power was very strong, and the only thing that could stop him, the King, was very apathetic towards politics. And that is what gnaws the mighty Kingdom.

The abominations of these two men will be passed down to the next generation as Kristoff the Shallow Brain and Farzam the Licker.

* * *

After completing their escort duties, the Schera group departed from the Capital and temporarily stopped at Fort Cyrus before heading to Canaan. It was aimed at joining Katarina and the others who had already completed the training. These new recruits, who were even unstable on their horses, were now quite adept at riding their horses.

Although Katarina who was in charge of their training was not satisfied at all.

"Woi wamil there-! How many times do I have to tell you 'don't get possessed by your horse' until you understand!? What's that thing on your head!? Do I have to open your head-!?"

"Please forgive me, Lettu!! W-Wahh-wah!"

When the new soldier turned his head, he fell off his horse and his body was immediately dirty. Katarina's face turned red, and she tightened her grip on her wand.

".....If you don't understand my words, I'll engrave them on your body. Like a horse, I'll discipline you until you're forgiving."

He pulled out a whip from his waist. After swinging it around, he struck the ground ferociously. The soldier's face changed from pale to white. The other soldiers acted as if they saw nothing.

Schera came to the training ground, talking to the coach who was swinging his whip while a dangerous smile adorned his face.

"Catarina. Good work has trained them. How are these new soldiers. They're kind of excited."

"Eh, uh! The colonel! Y-You're back?"

Immediately hiding her whip, Katarina saluted. Suddenly stinking of a good idea, while licking a hard candy, Schera gave a suggestion.

"You fit that role perfectly. If you want, you should lead the cavalry instead of me. I don't know the tactics of war. What do you think, Katarina. I think that's a good idea."

Schera patted Katarina on the shoulder. No kidding, Schera is serious. If Katarina says yes, she might actually become a commander. He refused respectfully.

"Don't joke! This cavalry exists because of the Colonel! This cavalry is not very suitable if the commander is someone like me!"

"You're pretty good at praising, Katarina. Fits you. By the way, I wonder what happened to that."

"Ready-Ready, it's already grown well! Yesterday was sprouts!"

"So that. That's what I want to see. Continue his training, Lettu Katarina."

Schera threw her scythe and walked towards the castle fog. Catherine thought she would lean the scythe against the wall, hold it, but it weighed far more than she had imagined, and she could not lift it. He lost his balance, and the scythe fell to the ground. The soldiers around noticed him.

"Kuhh– I've guessed this scythe is indeed heavy! But if I can't swing it, I can't be a Colonel."

The Colonel's physical strength was indeed frightening, Katarina thought. He pressed his glasses and nodded repeatedly.

"U-Um, can I help you?"

The new soldier, who could not stand still, approached. I think she misunderstood that Katarina was weak. The other soldiers tried to stop him, but their warning was ignored.

With an evil and cruel smile, Katarina gave the order of the new soldier.

"good. Bring the Colonel's scythe back to the barracks. Do yourself. You won't get your rations until you're done with it. If you think that's impossible, come to me crying."

"Understand! Even a child could do something like that!"

"......I-i understand. Let's just see."

The new soldier proudly walked up to the scythe after insinuating Katarina subtly. Can imagine the result, Katarina sighed softly and went to the barracks.

The new soldier, three hours later, will come to him crying.

The Fort Cyrus. The ground is ploughed square at the corner. There, planted the Wealth Potato seed that Schera brought home from the Empire as spoils of war. Putting aside the taste, the seedling grows quickly, resists disease, and can be planted in all environments. Even in this region of the Cyrus mountains, the potato grew well.

"......The sprouts are out. This much. I really can't wait for this potato to grow big."

Schera watched closely the little sprouts. A soldier who came to water him, greeted Schera.

"Welcome back, Colonel. If you want, do you want to try planting it too, Colonel? It's very noisy because everyone wants to plant the remaining seeds."

"......But, I, farm–"

A blurry memory flashed through Schera's mind. Poor life, the blaze everywhere, the sword outstretched, the splash of fresh blood, the scent of death, a robber with a vulgar smile, the scythe of the God of Death on his slender neck.

Thenwhat? Her.....

An irresistible hunger overcame Schera. He frantically held her back while trying not to be seen on her face.

"Come, it's just stockpiling potato seeds.... Hey, are you okay, Colonel? Your face–"

"......I'm doing fine. I want to try growing it too. Be careful not to eat accidentally."

"Haha–, you won't get poisoned by eating it anyway, but please don't eat it! If you're patient, one potato seedling can double dozens of times later, and we can take it home!"

"Indeed, I'll try to be as patient as possible."

Joked the soldier, and Schera cleaned his hands and stood up. He stuffed the last vegetable from the pouch on his waist into his mouth. At first, the vegetable was a bit sour, but it slowly became sweet. It was a fruit that pretended to be a vegetable. A dried apple. Since it was already dry, he could not judge whether it was a red or green apple. And it doesn't look good, but the more he chews it, the better it will be. Schera chewed on the dried apple to the fullest of her heart.

His hunger is a little bit gone.

"Hey hey, whatever you want to say, but you planted it too tightly. Do it like this, evenly."

"We're building a potato field inside the fort, that's just gonna piss the military police off. Should we make it as small as possible?"

"Hmf, is it really wrong where is the matter of personally meeting the needs of the fort? If they complain, let me kick them. Come on, spread it out a little bit rarely! Soil nutrients will not be able to spread evenly!"

"Oh my God, don't make trouble for the Colonel, wait, K-Colonel!?"

"Honor Colonel Schera!!"

"Welcome back, Colonel Schera!"

A young man, looking at Schera, rushed to his feet and saluted. The clothes of the people around him were dirty with dirt.

They said loudly, and welcomed the return of their superior officers.

"Look easy. Continue your work. Actually, I want to help you grow potatoes too."

Schera pointed to a wooden crate containing potato seeds. There's still a lot embedded in it.

"That sounds good! With the Colonel's sacred protection, I'm sure his potatoes will flourish!"

"After we harvest them, we call these potatoes "Death God Potatoes" and sell them to other units."

Joking with the soft voice of a young man while having a carefree voice.

"Colonel can hear you, bego-!!"

The man pushed his friend. Laughter came out of the people around. As the young man glared at them, they frantically shut their mouths.

"I told you to 'just relax' right? So don't worry."

More importantly, Schera urged him to immediately hand over the seedlings.

"Hehe-, then Colonel, please."

"Thank you a lot. .....Gini how?"

Schera was given potato seedlings and put them in a small hole in the field. The soldiers gently hoarded him.

"Perfect, Colonel!"

Excited, Schera continued to plant the potato seedlings, and an hour later, all the seedlings in his wooden crate were exhausted.

"Fuu, amazing, Colonel. We're done planting the potatoes. The potatoes will be fine if we take care of the fields. From what I've heard, potatoes will grow well even if we let them."

".....I get it, it's very interesting. It might not be bad to grow your own food."

"I agree. But the fun part is after a few months. Cook something you grow yourself, and then eat it rame-rame. That's when the best feeling is."

With a carefree smile, the young man cleared the ground in his hands.

"Well, that's also if the results are not taken by the higher-ups. There's really nothing good about being a farmer."

The young man smiled wryly while scratching his head. The plants they grow will be their own.

No matter how much they produce, their crops will be taken as taxes. After harvest, everything will be taken when the tax collection time. The reason the men signed up to be soldiers was because of the food problem. If a person does not earn money, his family will not be able to live.

For the farmers in the Kingdom, it would not be an exaggeration to call these few years like hell. Even so, they managed to survive without having to starve to death because everyone had their own secret fields. And this amount of food is shared with priority for the workers, no rations for useless people.

That's what Schera used to be.

"This is our spoils of war, so everything belongs to us. We just need to keep the military police from seizing it."

Muttering a soldier as he glanced at the military police watching them, there was a danger of their fields being vandalized and cleared.

"......I-i understand. I know, we'll just make a notice so no one can break it."

Using a piece of wood nearby, Schera made a simple mark. The cavalry members watched with interest.

"Colonel, what are you carving?"

"This is our field, and a simple sign that even an idiot can understand."

Schera took out a small scythe from her waist and carefully carved the wood. After a few minutes, he planted the signboard prominently in front of the field.

[Fields of the Schera Cavalry. Dare to ruin it I'll kill you. Colonel Schera Zade]

"–Where?"

Schera turned to face the soldiers while putting her scythe away. He also smiled sadistically and glared full of killing intent at the military police. Their faces were pale, and frightened, they ran away like fleeing kelnci.

"I think it's good! In accordance with the habits of the Colonel. That's very easy to understand, and yes, no problem."

"certain. There will be no idiot who dares to mess around. Whether it was insects, birds, or the vile military policemen, they would definitely not dare to approach."

The soldier said, laughing as he stared at the place where the military police were.

After the man did the cleaning, saluted and left, Schera sat down in front of the field.

The sun went down, and not losing interest, Schera continued to stare at the field, until Catherine came to call him.