Chapter 3: A Declaration of War – 3

My father began corporal punishment when I was three years old.

It happened because I performed a hectopascal kick on him while he was returning home from work, as I was sledding on the railing of the mansion’s stairs on a snowy day.

What started as punishment with just a slap on the buttocks grew more intense as I got older.

By the time I learned to use magic properly, my father started using magic-enhanced punches, and today, for the first time, he used lightning to power an uppercut.

I fell down weakly, unable to even attempt a fall recovery, with the crackling sound of lightning ringing in my ears.

Fortunately, it seemed my father was still rational enough not to add an aerial combo on his son.

“Father.”

“Do you realize what you did wrong?”

“Is there anyone among our ancestors who suffered from hair loss?”

Especially someone with a noticeable bald spot.

With a look as if to say I hadn’t been hit enough, my father wrapped lightning around his fist again.

If I took one more uppercut, I felt like I’d really die, so I desperately tried to think.

What exactly did I do wrong?

Survival instinct was ringing alarm bells and my mind raced.

First, using the prince’s authority to falsify my identity, then taking unauthorized footage in a sanctuary as a minor, and drafting a few imperial knights under the guise of training to use as supporting actors.

Hmm.

If it were modern times, this would be newsworthy.

Thank goodness it’s the primitive medieval era.

As I listed all my wrongdoings, my father held the back of his neck while my mother’s tea cup, which she had been holding with calm composure, shook violently.

“At least you knew those things were wrong.”

“I know very well.”

“So, you knew and did it anyway?”

“Well, no one was harmed, right?”

“What about the knights you drafted?”

“I gave them all their fees, including incentives.”

My father frowned at my audacious attitude.

I feel sorry for my father, but even if I could go back to the past, I would have acted the same way.

Although I broke the law, no one was harmed in the process.

I might have worried my parents, but I thought I hadn’t crossed the line.

… Though, it was still understandable that I’d get scolded.

However, contrary to my expectations, my parents no longer reprimanded or lectured me.

Instead, they seemed more concerned.

“It’s fine to make movies. You must have dreams too. But recently, the number of spies coming to our knight order because of your movies has increased dramatically.”

“Does it make sense that spies are coming in just because of a movie?”

“Do you understand the impact of your movie?”

“Of course. When I walk around the sanctuary, people constantly ask for autographs.”

“From what you’re saying, it seems you don’t understand at all.”

My father pulled out a stack of papers from a corner of his desk where he was working.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Your overtime work?”

“This is this year’s application documents for our imperial knight order.”

“Oh. It looks like over 3,000.”

“Yes. It’s because of your movie.”

According to my father’s explanation, when <John Armstrong> stirred up the world, everyone was pumped up to become knights.

It didn’t matter whether they could actually become John.

When people see the overwhelming strength of other heroes, they just admire them, but they also harbor a longing to achieve such strength themselves if they work hard.

Especially the fact that John was not a hero but a retired imperial knight drove people even crazier.

When a movie gets hit, the locations where it was filmed become crowded with tourists, so it was natural for people to come looking for the knight order that John belonged to.

Fortunately, thanks to my father’s efforts beforehand, I wasn’t immediately linked to John.

And the bad news is…

“There’s been a lot of external visitors to the knight order lately.”

“It’s a military facility, you know?”

“Right.”

Normally, any outsider who infiltrated the knight order, a military facility, would definitely be a spy, with maybe a few curious civilians mixed in.

However, since John Armstrong aired, the proportion of curious civilians increased, whether out of fan enthusiasm, curiosity, or some other reason.

Naturally, according to the rules, all these civilians should be treated like spies, but the sheer number of them created a dilemma where treating them all as spies could make the Emperor seem like a tyrant or oppressor.

As a result, my father said the Emperor was currently struggling with this issue.

“There’s no special technique to call it a secret.”

“Fans are often obsessed with the basics.”

Surprisingly, people’s interest wasn’t limited to knights.

“I heard from a junior that even the magic towers are very interested in your techniques.”

“Why are the magic towers involved?”

“Wizards are weak in close combat.”

Listening to my mother, I briefly simulated the scenario.

A wizard in close combat…

If the enemy approaches, a joint lock and a stone shot to the unprotected head.

When turning a corner, three successive stone shots—two to the chest and one to the head.

Oh, that’s feasible.

To summarize, I’ve become the founder of CQC in this world.

In a medieval era where military might decides more than civilization, it makes sense that my movie caused a significant tactical impact.

It’s understandable why my parents were concerned about me.

Excessive attention at such a young age could be detrimental.

“Don’t worry. Am I someone who would feel burdened by where the attention is focused? I just do what I do.”

“Yeah, that’s like you. Do as you wish.”

“Huh?”

My father surprisingly gave me a clear permission.

It was so clear that I was taken aback this time.

My father finally smiled with a sense of accomplishment, as if he had delivered a decisive blow.

Then, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, he muttered as if talking to himself.

“I was about 16. I told my father a story similar to yours.”

“What did he say?”

“That I would become a hero.”

Blood doesn’t lie; my father also dreamed of being a hero.

The difference between us might be that my father longed for the glory of a hero, while I was captivated by the beauty of the movies themselves.

But the fact that both my father and I love movies remained the same.

“Didn’t grandfather try to dissuade you?”

“So, I negotiated. I asked if he would permit me if I passed the knight’s exam.”

And my father ultimately succeeded.

As you can see, as an actor, knight order leader, and head of the family.

Although imperfectly.

“Of course, as you can see, it’s imperfect, but still, I occasionally appear in theaters as an actor.”

My father was an actor but not a hero.

A hero is the ‘protagonist’ who embodies the concept and direction of the movie.

But my father didn’t become a hero, and his role stopped at a supporting actor.

His title as the commander of the Emperor’s elite guard was suitable for the role of a hero’s mentor in movies, so he appeared as a mentor in numerous hero universes.

The beheading show I first saw when I was three years old was also a role he played as a mentor to motivate heroes to defeat the demon lord.

“Sometimes I wonder. If my father had fully supported me back then. If I hadn’t compromised with reality, would I have become a hero?”

My father, lost in reflection, opened his eyes and looked at me.

“As a father, I can’t force my regrets onto my son. That’s why I permitted it.”

“Father…!!!”

“Son!”

My father returned to his strict demeanor.

“The family cannot support you on this matter. After all, it’s for your dream.”

“Of course. I’m grateful even for that.”

The position of a count is not a light one.

In modern terms, the family is like a corporation.

With so many people involved in our family, if the family’s power is used for personal gain, someone within the corporation—in this case, particularly the territory’s residents—will suffer.

Using the corporate credit card for your own child is unacceptable. (Though many families do it covertly.)

“Still, I’ll help you with my own money.”

With my father’s support, I felt like I had gained the support of an entire army.

It didn’t matter how much money my father could give.

In this entertainment-less, primitive medieval era, I was confident that I could succeed.

It was only now that I realized how good it felt to know that my father believed in me.

However, there was an unexpected aspect.

“It was originally made for commoners, but surprisingly, the nobility’s reaction has been more intense.”

I thought the nobility would criticize such violent and barbaric films, but the reality was the exact opposite.

The nobility were more excited than the commoners.

“Son, you wouldn’t know because you’re always in the training grounds and don’t attend social gatherings.”

“Ugh.”

“The authority of the nobility comes not from words or flattery, but from the sword. In that sense, your film is very well-made from their perspective.”

In a world where monsters exist and commoners carry a fireball in their hearts, managing a territory and ruling over commoners is a testament to the nobility’s exceptional abilities.

Both in terms of military might and strategic acumen.

In such a world, my film, which was well-handled in terms of historical accuracy, was not just a violent and provocative movie but also an educational tool.

In other words, it was a cultural piece worthy of being discussed in noble social circles.

Realizing this after hearing my father’s words, I felt a bit more confident.

My mother, proud that such a work came from my hands, looked at me warmly.

“But how did you receive the baptism? Did you, by any chance, bribe the Sanctuary Administration?”

“I received it legitimately.”

I understood my father’s concern.

He was worried about the growth plate of the soul, the spiritual core, being damaged.

One might argue that if there’s no need for resurrection, it should be fine, but that’s not the case.

Even without resurrection, the process of creating an avatar for activities in the sanctuary has continuously reported distortions of identity and various side effects.

Furthermore, spending one’s sensitive teenage years in a sanctuary where people die and are resurrected can surely distort one’s common sense.

But I had a solution for all of this.

“I was officially admitted to the order and received baptism. I also received a divine oracle, so don’t worry about that.”

If the PD who decides on film production is akin to a high priest, then the priests residing in the sanctuary can be compared to agency staff.

Registering with a particular order means that order becomes my agency, and among the priests there, the archbishop is like the head of the agency.

(For reference, those without a religion simply have no agency.)

I entered the sanctuary, and after various circumstances, joined the <Order of Entertainment and Joy> and was baptized right away.

Baptism is essentially a guarantee from the gods who own the sanctuary.

In other words, the gods have certified that “this person will have no issues with their spiritual core while operating in the sanctuary.”

I presented the baptism certificate to my father.

Although my identity was forged, the baptism certificate was genuine, so my father reluctantly permitted my activities as a hero.

“But can you manage both the lord’s studies and your hero work?”

I have an older brother, but he plans to dedicate his life to the magic tower.

From my mother’s experience as a former head of the magic tower, it seems that one cannot balance being the head of a family with being a magic tower master.

As a result, the right of succession naturally fell to me.

The problem is, I’m not confident that I can juggle both the lord’s studies and hero work.

I quickly came up with a solution with my sharp mind.

“Wouldn’t it be possible mother if you create a younger sibling?”

“Are you still here?”

“Pfft!”

Mother, who had been quietly drinking tea, burst out laughing.

Allen’s father, with a flushed face, threw the documents at Allen, who quickly fled the office.

As he huffed with a red face, his wife calmed him down.

“William, calm down. The child has been saying strange things for quite some time, hasn’t he?”

“Ella, isn’t it because you’ve been too lenient with him?”

Goodness, the couple, who are approaching their 20th wedding anniversary, still call each other by their first names!

Allen’s mention of the younger sibling was not without reason.

Allen’s argument was that if a couple with a strong bond calls each other by affectionate names, it’s only natural to expect a youngest child.

With William’s grumbling, Eleonora smiled faintly and moved her finger.

Following her finger, the teacup lifted and was placed in front of William.

With a single turn of her finger, the bottom of the empty teacup began to fill with tea.

Although she had stepped down from her position as head of the magic tower for marriage, her skills were still fitting for that role.

William took a sip of tea to calm himself and continued the conversation.

“Indeed, blood cannot be denied.”

“I agree.”

Both William, who could not give up his dream of becoming a hero despite being the head of the order, and Eleonora, who could not abandon her dream of being part of a film crew even after becoming the head of the magic tower.

They were similar in that way, which was why they had met. And the second child wanted to walk the same path as these two.

Ironically, the first child, who wanted to pursue a purely academic career, was an oddity in such a family.

“I suppose I should contact my younger sibling. Our child isn’t particularly interested in politics or factions.”

“Make sure to discuss it well. I’ll also speak to His Majesty about it.”

Given that they were such people, they knew that Allen had no personal ambitions.

However, being such people, they also misinterpreted Allen’s true thoughts.

“I suppose I should ask my younger sibling to keep a position in the counter-espionage department open.”

“Perhaps he might join our order, so I should prepare as well.”

Allen overlooked one fact.

Actors in the sanctuary were not full-time actors.

No country would leave someone who could physically recreate the overwhelming magic seen in films as a mere actor, and gods did not lease the sanctuary solely for film production.

In ancient times, when the concepts of heroes and demon lords existed.

The world was ablaze with war.

Every nation declared total war, showcasing human malice with child soldiers, suicide bombers, and more, making even the gods shudder.

Then, in one era, a new hero and a new demon lord appeared, making peace and offering prayers to their respective gods, and the weary gods created the sanctuary.

Since then, the nature of warfare changed.

It became customary for nations to fight in the sanctuary, where no one died, to determine the outcome.

As time passed, the sanctuary naturally became a place of entertainment and a showcase of national strength, but its essence remained war.

Although it appeared as entertainment for the citizens, there was always a political undertone.

The political message, such as ‘The hero in the movie is our country’s soldier, why not show it off?’ was unavoidable.

For example, why would William, as the head of a country’s order, appear in a film?

It was all propaganda to gain diplomatic advantage for the empire.

In other words, in this world, film actors, staff, and even directors are considered major national assets.

In this context, Allen’s statement of ‘I want to become a hero!’ sounded different to his parents.

Interpreted more accurately, it was closer to ‘No matter what, I want to be a soldier!’

Ultimately, Allen, in William and Eleonora’s hearts, was becoming a proud son who could not contain his overflowing sense of justice and aspired to be an officer.

“Permission granted!!!”

“Don’t kick the door!!!!”

Meanwhile, Alan, oblivious to this, was genuinely delighted at getting closer to his dream of becoming a hero.