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‘Jewel Knight.’

That warrior, specialized in survival, was called so.

A jewel of France, possessing beauty akin to a gem, radiant and shining like one.

Thus, that warrior became a symbol of France, its pride, and its essence—the most powerful weapon they could wield. The people of France, among the strongest in Europe, adored that dazzling figure and treated them with great esteem.

The government also made good use of that warrior.

No matter where sent, they returned alive, faithfully carried out their missions, and made for a great public image.

Where could one find such treasure?

Moreover, even if it bordered on unethical, they executed their orders without a word. Acting as if they were truly a knight, they dutifully followed the commands of their lord, the government, standing at the forefront during World War III and leading the way to territorial expansion.

The Saint’s Sword.

Beneath that holy feeling of white light and brilliance, France moved onward and onward.

Under the pretext of reclaiming old colonial territories, they headed toward weaker nations, longing for the days of their empire, and continuously expanded.

With the claim that the Indochina Peninsula was a territory of France recognized by the gods, they ventured into Southeast Asia and sought to restore France’s territories in the South Pacific, asserting that the world was in chaos and they would restore the order as they once had. They even dispatched troops to colonize Africa just like during the old imperialism.

With a sharp sword in hand, France felt unstoppable.

They regarded World War III as a golden opportunity to reclaim their former glory, showing no fear of creating dual, triple, or even quadruple frontlines.

How foolish of them.

Under the guise of eliminating conflict in Alsace-Lorraine, they declared war on Germany and invaded. They clashed with the British in the South Pacific, followed by declaring war on them. In Southeast Asia, they fought along the Vietnam-Cambodia alliance. They faced a trade war with China, which claimed the territory as their own, and declared war on Canada before occupying Quebec.

One could only wonder if they were so consumed by their pride that it had clouded their judgment.

France was no weak nation.

They possessed nuclear weapons and had quite a number of capable individuals, and the jewel knight they praised was a warrior powerful enough to make a name for themselves worldwide.

However, not only were they not a weak nation, but it was also a problem that they weren’t strong enough to cause friction in so many places and remain unscathed.

Many nations were taken aback by France’s sudden rampage, expressing their disbelief, and after being struck by France’s attacks, they erupted in anger. Yet, France believed, in their madness, that “since so many nations are entangled in complexity, even if I strike now, they won’t be able to respond properly,” and continued waging war.

And while at war, they thoroughly plundered the resources of the invaded areas.

With machines and systems drastically advanced beyond comparison to the past, they swept away everything without leaving a single mineral behind and transported relics and artifacts back to France.

It was at this point that Park Jinseong became entangled with France.

France, having forcibly incorporated the province of Quebec into its territory, was literally gathering the resources of that area when they stumbled upon a relic.

Records left from the late Bronze Age.

The people that had destroyed the once-great Hittite Empire and caused immense damage to the great powers of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece.

Those who committed destruction and plunder, erasing civilizations.

It was a relic presumed to be related to the Sea Peoples.

The relic was carbon-dated to have been created in the 10th century BC, with items made from the materials of large animals that were native to the American continent discovered, as well as objects presumed to have been plundered from other continents.

Naturally, France was thrown into a frenzy.

What kind of existence were the Sea Peoples?

A subject so difficult to study due to scarce evidence.

Though their existence is acknowledged thanks to curses and records left in various parts of the world, it seemed as if the Sea Peoples had sunk every trace in the sea, leaving nothing for researchers to grasp.

But now, something had emerged.

Not from a different nation, but discovered by France itself!

This century’s great discovery!

The academic community in France was in uproar, the citizens in excitement, and the government ecstatic.

If they began to excavate and study this, they could achieve an overwhelming first place in this field.

A first place so great that other European nations, and even the fractured and groaning United States, couldn’t catch up!

In a bid to protect this relic, France sent a knightly order comprising Jewel Knights and the warriors who followed them to Quebec. They were to thoroughly guard the relic and mercilessly cut down anyone who approached.

At this moment, Jinseong headed for Quebec.

With relics related to the Sea Peoples discovered, how could he remain still?

He hoped to inspect the relics and find magic records or divine objects within.

But when he arrived, he was met with a sudden attack without even a warning.

The Jewel Knight unleashed a blast of sword energy, cutting him in half the moment he approached.

“This is the territory of France.”

No, they did give a warning.

After bisecting Jinseong’s body with their sword.

“Truly rude fools.”

Holding the relic and blocking access was already an objectionable act.

They even showed no hesitation in attacking and killing anyone who approached.

Moreover, they took the first strike against someone who looked every bit like a shaman at that time—Jinseong.

Fueled by anger, Jinseong resolved to use his magic against these ruffians, attacking them by any means necessary. He struck against the Jewel Knights, the warriors, French soldiers, archaeologists, and researchers, contaminating the entire area to prevent anyone besides him from entering the ruins.

And from those contaminated ruins, he was able to find magic and divine objects, leaving the place with ease.

The Jewel Knight?

What a pity, they met their end.

Judging by their appearance, they still seemed to have a long lifespan…

But isn’t lifespan just that?

Living beyond one’s lifespan is tough, but dying before it is one of life’s many ease.

“This life, I hope to act a bit more appropriately.”

This life might have been different.

The Jewel Knight’s rude behavior and blind faith in power, as well as their violence and lack of hesitation in taking lives, had probably led to their demise. It was like the scent of blood attracted the beasts, and with indiscriminate violence, the reaper personally came to take their head.

France?

It followed the path of the Jewel Knight.

As France waged war against numerous countries, they started to struggle with the burden, even turning all their citizens into factory workers and soldiers, but it became insufficient to handle the fronts. Eventually, they met defeat, having to pay back all the resources they had plundered, along with interest, to other nations.

The pride of France became a poison.

Other countries were well aware of the pride and sense of self-esteem possessed by the French people and thought they would compensate sincerely as long as they didn’t completely exceed their limits. As a result, they saddled France with a massive debt that was just shy of killing them, stripping away all rights, leaving them barely hanging on.

France became a host, surviving but nourishing others.

And those other nations began to fatten up like parasites on the nutrients provided by France.

But sadly, their parasitism came to an end not long after.

Within France, voices emerged advocating for the re-establishment of a king, leading to the outbreak of civil war.

Additionally, with religious issues intertwining, things descended into chaos.

“There were heads rolling about.”

At that time, France was astonishingly dreadful.

Every somewhat significant square had a guillotine set up, and human heads rolled here and there.

Blood was channeled through drains to irrigate fields, growing blood-soaked mandrakes.

The corpses were cleaned up by the poor, who were paid a pittance for their trouble.

Those corpses either ended up buried in remote mountains, tossed into trash heaps… or perhaps ended up in someone’s belly.

Once outside the city, trenches were dug everywhere, densely surrounded by barbed wire. Between those barbed wires hung poles, with what were presumed to be the heads of deserters dangling from them.

Even without making towers of skulls like in the Republic of Korea, the French were cutting off heads as if possessed by something and seemed intent on turning people into fertilizer for a rebounding economy, using the blood of executed prisoners to grow and sell mandrakes.

The once-splendid civilization?

Most had long since crumbled.

Shattered during the wars, taken away after the wars ended, and further erupted during the civil war.

There was no way to remain unhurt.

However, agricultural technology, on the contrary, had progressed.

Numerous techniques were discovered and invented.

Among them, there was one that piqued Jinseong’s interest.

It was exactly what he was using now for farming.

The “artificial cultivation of mandrakes” was precisely that.

 

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