"The curse."

I spoke softly.

"That foolish individual tried to impose his own kingdom and royal authority upon the goddess of life and desecrate the temple of life..."

I continued with a slight smile.

"For one who has nothing but the power of the kingdom and the royal family, it would be simple to completely destroy the little he had to teach him the harsh reality."

Of course, I admit that I was a bit too harsh.

The people of the entire country must have suffered because of the mistake of one fool.

It was hasty, and a hasty decision.

But as the Goddess of Life, I cannot say such things.

The one who tries to insult the deity must be severely punished.

The best way to maintain the dignity of the deity is to not let them be looked down upon.

And... If I, who is in the highest position of the deity, do not punish this blasphemous one harshly and let it slide...

[The Goddess of Life has let this much go, and they're only getting this angry!] This may cause trouble for the other gods... the children.

Humans are so foolish.

"I'm sorry to the people of Arcad, but I can't easily lift that curse. The crime of insulting the temple and the representative of the deity is immensely great."

I had no choice but to say that.

"I see."

The King of Makai simply sighed at my answer.

"I only hope that the curse placed on that land can be lifted..."

"If you wish for that, you should not ask me, but bring your brother and make him apologize at the Temple of Life."

There is the issue of having to sincerely apologize, but that can be resolved physically in any way.

"At that time... I thought that if he was exiled, that fool would soon realize his sin and atone for it."

But the foolishness that his brother harbored... was much greater than his thoughts.

"But that my brother would be so foolish as to not realize his own mistake even after decades passed... I never imagined it. If I had known that beforehand, I would have kept him by my side and engraved his mistake in his bones."

"Hmm. That might have been quicker."

"But... the people are innocent, are they not?"

The King of Makai looked at me with eyes full of sorrow.

"The number of people in Arcad during its heyday exceeded 80,000, but after the Goddess cursed it, the number of people remaining in the 6 cities and 17 villages was only a few thousand. The rest of the people either fled to other places or lost their lives."

Eyes full of sorrow. Eyes filled with grief.

"Among those who lost their lives were also my late father, the previous king."

Hmm. Even the previous king was driven to the point of death.

"My father, who blamed himself for my brother's foolishness, handed the crown to me shortly after the country was devastated, and never rose again."

I listened silently to Makai's words.

"On the day my father passed away, I discarded my name. I abandoned the name Shuruto and borrowed the name of a fierce beast, wandering through various countries, using the crown, the treasure of the kingdom, as collateral to buy land, and abandoning all the agriculture that was the foundation of the country, and have been sharpening my sword until now."

There was a faint madness in his gaze.

"And now... the representative of the Goddess, the cause of everything, has come to this land. Isn't this an arrangement made by the Goddess?"

"It's just a coincidence."

I can say that with certainty.

The fact that I passed through the wasteland that was Arcad, met the cavalry patrolling there, and came here to Arcadia - all of these were mere coincidences.

"Coincidence, but when coincidences accumulate, it becomes inevitable."

The King of Makai said, lifting the corner of his mouth.

"If I didn't have the duty of being a king, I would have offered my own life to beg the Goddess for forgiveness, but the duty of being a king has become a shackle that binds me."

"..."

He was filled with sorrow.

"If the Goddess has pity on the people of Arcad who have suffered under the curse you have imposed, please bestow a small blessing upon those who have inherited their will and determination."

He spoke with a desperate voice.

"Since you have cursed that land, please bestow a blessing upon those who have survived in that land."

It was a voice filled with desperate sincerity.

"For those who cannot return to their hometown, who know only how to cultivate the fields but have been forced to raise livestock, for the poor old people who lost the country inherited from their ancestors and lost their lives out of guilt, and for the foolish ones who forcibly sustaining their lives out of responsibility."

He prostrated himself before me, speaking as if vomiting.

"Please bestow a blessing."

A blessing.

A blessing, huh.

"What kind of blessing are you hoping for?"

"The best would be a blessing that removes or offsets the curse placed on the land of Arcad, but..."

"In the name of the deity, I cannot reverse a decision once made."

At my words, the King of Makai lifted his head.

"Yes, I thought as much."

He nodded and said.

"Then... I hope this country will become strong."

"Become strong?"

"Yes. From the useless land borrowed from other countries, to the food that is being sold as other countries provide, this country should become strong enough not to be swayed by other countries. Strong enough not to be looked down upon by other countries. Strong enough to repel the armies of other countries."

He wants the power of the country to become strong.

Or rather,

"Since we can only raise livestock in this land, we are always short of food, and as a result, the population is also lacking, and we are barely hanging on, being pushed around by other countries. If this continues, we have no choice but to make the final choice."

If the final choice of a country that can only raise livestock is...

Plunder.

And if it's plunder on a national scale, then it will become war.

War. It's a war.

I understand the need for war, so I don't deny war itself, but it's a bit sad that many lives will be lost.

"Are you planning to start a war?"

"If necessary, we will have to go to war."

"Even if the people are killed or injured?"

The King of Makai spoke with a firm determination.

"It's a decision made by everyone. It's a place where you can't survive if you don't fight."

It's a sad thing, but an undeniable statement.

The struggle for survival. The food chain. In order to live, you have to eat, and in order to eat, you have to harm other lives.

They have no other choice.

"Rather than that, why don't you ask for plants that can grow well even in this barren land?"

"If those ingredients could protect us, we would have done so."

Food can feed the people and increase the population.

But it won't protect the country.

That's why the man in front of me seems to be hoping for the power to protect the country.

"What kind of power are you hoping for?"

"Not the power of the individual, but the power of the collective. No matter how much an individual excels, they cannot fully protect the country."

"The power of the collective..."

The power of the collective means the power of the military.

The power of the military means morale and leadership.

I clapped once and created something.

A long flagpole and a large flag. A rectangular flag woven with silver thread and finished with black thread on the edges.

If this flag is a buff item that strengthens the army under it, it could be the item the man in front of me is hoping for.

"I will bestow various blessings on this flag. However, the power will only be used to protect the country of the one who holds the flag, and if the flag is raised and steps on the land of another country, it will lose its power for one year."

"That's enough to protect the country."

If the flag that strengthens the military can be used in other lands as well, wouldn't it be possible to conquer the world with just this flag?

That's why I've attached all sorts of penalties.

The constraint that the flag will revert to a normal flag for a year if it is held and steps on the land of another country.

The constraint that it can only be used for defense.

Is this enough? It should be enough, right?

"By the way, is there any design you'd like to have engraved on the flag?"

"A design? Umm..."

The King of Makai thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Saber-toothed tiger. Please draw the saber-toothed tiger."

"Saber-toothed tiger?"

"Yes. It is the animal that my current name is derived from."

Saber-toothed tiger, huh. Hmm. I drew a black saber-toothed tiger in the center of the flag.

Let's see, then let's think about the buffs to put on this flag.

First, morale enhancement. The morale of those fighting under this flag will be boosted.

Morale is like the will of the army. An army with a strong will cannot be easily broken.

The importance of maintaining morale is something anyone who has experienced large-scale battles in games would know.

And perfect vitality... Those directly under the command of the commander holding this flag will always be able to maintain the best condition.

And lastly...

I made a thin silver cloth grow at the edge of the flag.

A cloth of appropriate size to wrap around the head. By cutting off a piece of this cloth, those holding the flag can communicate their intentions to each other no matter how far apart they are.

It's like a kind of radio. It can be used by wrapping it around the head or the arm.

Oh, by the way, those receiving commands through this cloth will not receive the full vitality effect. After all, it's a buff meant only for those directly under the commander's command.

In other words, it's intended for the commander's bodyguards.

And... The cut cloth will disappear after about 7 days, and then regrow on the flag... That should be good enough, right?

I also attached a sharp spearhead to the end of the flagpole, so it can be used as a weapon. The flagpole, spearhead, and flag itself will automatically repair... Hmm. And then, and then...

I think this should be enough, don't you? Honestly, the morale boost and overflowing vitality alone already feel like a powerful buff.

I handed the completed flag to the King of Makai and said,

"If you command your army while holding this flag on your country's territory, the troops within your sight will not have their morale broken, and those directly under your command will always be in peak condition."

"Peak condition, you say?"

"Exactly, they will always be at their best. And if you distribute the thin cloths from the edge to your subordinates, you can communicate with them no matter how far apart you are."

At my words, the King of Makai ran his fingers through the thin cloths hanging from the bottom of the flag.

"The cut cloths will disappear after 7 days, and new ones will regrow on the flag. And don't forget, if that flag steps on the territory of another country... It will lose its power for a year."

"I see... I will keep that in mind."

Good. I think this is enough. Moreover, I have constrained it to only be used for defending against foreign!