In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 122 The End of the War and the Countdown of Life

After two days and one night of fierce fighting, the snow-covered plains of Shelag, ravaged by countless artillery and missile attacks, finally came to an end.

This all-out battle, which staked the fate of both nations, came to an end with the destruction of 90% of the steam knights, the utter annihilation of the Columbia mechs, and the complete rout of the Victoria army.

This result is not unexpected.

The Duke of Caesar's army was divided, reducing the total strength of the Victorian defenses by nearly half before the battle even began.

[Furthermore, the appearance of Sherag's high-speed warships dealt a significant blow to the morale of Victoria's side.]

[Furthermore, the sudden and devastating offensive launched by Letania caused a severe drop in Victoria's morale, throwing the entire force into chaos.]

Despite such a huge disadvantage, Victoria was able to hold out for two more days, thanks in large part to their powerful steam knights.

The vast terrain of the snowfields allows steam knights to maximize their effectiveness on the battlefield.

Even though Letania possesses overwhelming firepower, several airships, and air support from the Sarkaz royal court.

Over the past two days, they have paid a considerable price to defeat the combined forces of the two countries.

But it was all worth it.

Because in this battle, Victoria lost half of her army.

The Duke of Cactus, who held immense prestige in Victoria, was captured by you, while the Duke of Windermere was captured by the Letanian army.

After this devastating war, which could be described as annihilation, the Letanian army, under the new emperor's orders, began to seize opportunities presented by Victoria's military vulnerabilities and advance rapidly!

At this moment, the new king, whose mind was preoccupied with the lucrative prize of Victoria, had no time to worry about the small town of Shelag.

If the purpose of capturing Shelag was to gain an advantage in a confrontation with Victoria's army, then...

Now that Victoria is already in ruins, the small, easily defensible town of Shelag is no longer worth Letania's further mobilization.

In the end, to prevent Kjerag from sending troops again and disrupting Letania's supply lines, the new emperor only sent Duke Glaufeld as his representative to negotiate with Kjerag.

The duke who launched the invasion of Kjerag on behalf of Letania is now forced to return to the negotiating table and negotiate peace with Kjerag on behalf of Letania.

Ultimately, through your communication with Glaufeld, the two countries reached a consensus.

First, Letania fully recognizes Shelag's international neutrality, is not under the control or jurisdiction of any country, and possesses the independent right to defend its territorial integrity.

Second, Letania will restore diplomatic relations with Kjerag and resume cooperation in trade, industry, and tourism.

Third, military clashes between Letania and Kherlag have been suspended, and the two countries are redrawing their border.

A 100-kilometer radius centered on Mount Kjerag is designated as state-owned territory of Kjerag.

[The Duke of Glaufeld, who had signed the armistice agreement and was renowned for his military achievements, shook your hand and sighed with a tone that was hard to decipher—it was a mixture of self-mockery and admiration.]

"I may be the first general in the history of the Leitanian Empire who did not sign the agreement to achieve victory."

Thus, the war between Kjerag and all the nations finally came to an end.

The war was over, and after more than ten days of devastation, Shelag finally returned to peace.

Every single person in Shelag paid a heavy price to defend their homeland.

When this hard-won peace, bought with blood and tears, finally arrived, all the survivors were moved to tears and cheered with joy at this moment of victory.

When Aktos, a burly man, heard of Sherag's victory, it was as if his entire psychological defenses collapsed; he collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

[It turned out that after this battle, 80% of the members of his Perroch family were killed because they were on the front lines, including many of the elders.]

The victory in the war finally allowed him, the tribal chief, to comfort his people and the spirits of the dead with dignity.

[The Brantau family, including Heru and Yutanka, upon learning of the war's end, this couple, overjoyed at their reunion, locked themselves in their room for an entire day to celebrate the victory.]

The next day, Ratatos, who had remained unmarried as the clan leader and had spent the entire night listening to the commotion, sported dark circles under her eyes and looked deeply resentful.

[It's believed that the Blangau family will soon welcome its second new member.]

During this time, you also had Enciodes bring in Victoria's doctor to secretly treat your gunshot wound.

The gunshot wound you sustained damaged your intestines and stomach, causing significant bleeding inside your body.

[Furthermore, you didn't seek medical attention promptly, but only had time to provide some emergency treatment after inspecting the three armies.]

[Your injury was delayed until the negotiations ended, at which point you finally had time for surgery.]

This has worsened your injury.

[It should be said that it's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Under Yeragand's protection, your condition deteriorated less than expected, and the doctors managed to save you.]

However, due to damage to your intestines and stomach, you will be unable to eat during your recovery period. You will only be able to consume light meals and rely on intravenous fluids to sustain your life.

The doctor further advised you to rest completely during this period and avoid any work-related activities.

But you chose to remain silent about the doctor's good advice.

As a fellow doctor, you have a deeper understanding of your own body than the average person.

[You didn't agree to any medical orders, but simply had Enciodes allocate a large sum of money as payment to these doctors. You also brought their families to Sherag to settle there.]

Faced with your domineering forced relocation, you didn't explain much to the doctors, but simply stated firmly:

“Shelag has just gone through war, and the people here need doctors more than ever.”

"Rest assured, for every treatment you receive, you will receive a commission. I guarantee that you can earn more here than in Victoria."

"Of course, you may also take my actions as a threat to you."

"Whether you hate me or want to kill me, I will no longer need your diagnosis in the future."

"I only hope that you can still maintain a bit of compassion as doctors and show your professionalism as physicians to the common people of Shelag."

[Thus, under your coercion and enticement, several doctors who treated you were also forced onto this treacherous path and had no choice but to settle in Shelag.]

But you know very well that for Sherag now, these doctors are nothing more than a small advantage you've gained.

To truly revitalize this country, you need to develop a much larger post-war reconstruction plan.

To complete this plan, you made a decision that made everyone around you nervous.

You plan to convert your hospital room into a second office.

"No! This time, no matter what you say, brother, it won't work!"

[Upon learning of your decision, which was essentially jeopardizing your life, your sister Enya forcibly entered your hospital room to confront you.]

[Your younger sister stood before you, her eyes red and swollen, glaring angrily at you, and through suppressed sobs, she demanded in a sharp voice:]

"Brother! Don't you really value your own life?!"

Even if you don't think about all of us, think about all of us, and think about your family!

"Do you really want to make Dad lose his son, and Encia lose her most beloved brother?!"

However, Enya seemed to understand how you would respond, and before you could speak, she interrupted, saying, "Don't use your 'I am the King' rhetoric! I am speaking to you as the Holy Maiden of Kalan!"

"And don't give me that 'religion shouldn't interfere in politics' nonsense!"

"Even if you replace me, the Holy Maiden of Kalan, I will still say the same thing today!"

"I, as the Holy Maiden of Kalan and the spokesperson for Yeragand, command you—Your Majesty King of Kalan—to go and rest immediately! Do not provoke me to anger!"

"Believe me, if I get angry, the consequences will be far beyond what you can afford!"

"boom!"

After saying this, Enya even slammed the Holy Bell of Jeragund, which she was holding, heavily onto the bedside table next to Chen Qi's hospital bed.

As for her, she angrily plopped down in the seat next to you, her red, wet eyes fixed on you.

She's sending you a signal through her actions—she'll be watching you and making sure you don't continue working.

As her sibling, you've already made your judgment based on Enya's series of tantrums.

You can't reason with Enya to make her stop monitoring you.

But in the end, you still chose to "disobey orders."

"I'm sorry, dear Saintess."

"Please forgive me... no, please forgive me, your elder brother, for not being able to accept your proposal."

Under Enya's tearful gaze, in this hospital bed where only the two of you are, you shed all the pretense of being a king and revealed your true self.

You reached out and gently stroked Enya's soft fur, which was so close to yours, and patiently explained your plans to her, despite your pain.

“I understand. Enya, you need me, and Ensiodes, Ensia, you all need me as your brother.”

“But, Enya, the Sherag people need me now more than ever, they need a king who they dare not rebel against, who will guide them on the path to revival.”

You gently pinched Enya's chubby cheeks, looked directly at your sister who had always silently supported and assisted you, and calmly revealed the true state of your body.

"Enya, your brother... doesn't have much longer to live."

Enya's eyes widened, but then narrowed in a flash of terror.

Even with your calm tone, Enya's tears still streamed down her face without hindrance.

She choked up, unable to speak, only shaking her head slightly, repeatedly refusing to accept the fact.

But you understand that birth, aging, sickness, and death cannot be reversed by one person's resistance to treatment.

"So, before I die, I want to do one last thing for you, for Sherag."

“Enya, you can only manage religion. Enshia hasn’t even grown up yet.”

“Enciodes… he is not fully mature yet.”

Your tone became more subdued when your younger brother was mentioned.

[It's not that I'm disappointed in your younger brother. You know he has tried his best, and he hasn't let down the position of "Prime Minister."]

However, as the next leader you have chosen, Enciodes is still not mature enough and not rational enough.

[Perhaps because of your existence as an older brother, Enciodes feels he still has someone to rely on, but he's unlikely to be prepared to shoulder all of this.]

As long as you live, he will never be the next Wise King of Shelag that you expect.

Everything you're doing now is simply paving the way for his succession.

"As for the Sherag people... most of them don't even know what politics is, and they don't even understand what I'm doing all this for."

"The masses will only follow the crowd; they cannot distinguish who is right and who is wrong."

“If I don’t raise the flag and guide them in the right direction, then they will be guided by others, by other flags.”

"How can I believe that the flag they are following is ultimately for the future of Shelag?"

"Therefore, I must raise this flag and keep them following me."

"At least, it might be better if I'm in control of all of this."

Only in this way can Enciodes, after seizing power from you through a coup, quickly win back the hearts of the people by correcting your mistakes.

[From this point on, Sherag will enter an era of centralized power, and the succession of power over the next thousand years will be much more stable.]

[With such a continuous alternation of power across generations, you no longer need to worry that future Sherag will be shrouded in religious ignorance.]

As for the so-called lifelong infamy.

As long as the future can be better, why should you, a simulator, care about these things?

Knowing that your death is imminent, your mind suddenly becomes much more open, and you no longer feel any constraints.

Now, all you want is to do as much as you can for the descendants of Shelag before you die.

Even things that no one understands, things that might fill your life with controversy.

“Enya, I need your support, just like before.”

You turned your gaze to Eun-ah, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and forced a warm smile, pleading with each word:

"Without your support, I couldn't have accomplished so much in Shelag."

"Do you still believe in your brother?"

"--elder brother!"

The next second, you felt a soft body fall into your arms. Enya pressed her face tightly against yours, sobbing uncontrollably.

This is also the first time you've realized that your little sister, who usually only loves sweets and seems to do no exercise except for walks, actually has so much strength.

[Enya hugged you tightly, as if trying to protect you from the clutches of death... and you let your sister's tears soak your chest.]

This time, let her indulge in her charm.

After all, who knows if there will be another chance tomorrow?

However, outside the ward, Enciodes, who had come to visit with flowers in hand, listened quietly to everything, unable to pry open the doorknob.

Beside him, Yeragand's "eyes," after a long silence, quietly chose to leave.

No one knows what they are thinking; the only certainty is the overwhelming sorrow in their hearts.

They couldn't imagine what would happen to Sherag without Qi.

Even Yeragand, who is a "god," seems to be able to do nothing more than silently pray to the "god" in her heart.

I pray that day can be later, much later...

(End of this chapter)