“Why does the Commander want to live so much?”
At the subordinate’s question, I furrowed my brow.
“What kind of stupid question is that? Are you trying to say you’re tired of living? You’ve been hanging out with those barbarian bastards too long. I’ll rip your head off right now…”
“AHH! Stop nagging already! The Commander is an orphan too, right? I was just wondering if there was a special reason you’ve survived this long.”
“Do people need a reason to live?”
“That’s for regular folks. But in this goddamn battlefield, after rolling around for 10 years, surviving feels like dying anyway. Just last week, some new recruits killed themselves…”
The guy tilted his head strangely and muttered, the light in his pupils extinguished.
It wasn’t just him.
After 4 years in the south, 6 years in the north… After a total of 10 years on the battlefield, they all ended up with that look in their eyes.
Maybe I’m no different.
“Commander… You’re a bit different from us washed-up fish, right? How should I put it… There’s something solid inside you, like a core or pillar… That’s the look in your eyes. I followed you just by looking at your eyes.”
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that for 10 years now.”
“So you’re not gonna answer?”
“Hmm… It’s something from when I was younger…”
At that moment, I saw something falling towards the subordinate’s head.
I instinctively kicked the subordinate away while swinging my sword.
CLANG-!
“We’re under attack! Enemy Shadow Snake Tribe!”
Focusing aura into my eyes, I could see the damn snakes’ eyes.
Barbarians with unique silent movement and camouflage abilities to blend into their surroundings.
Their specialty is coating their swords with ash to make them pitch black, and they’re assassins who launch night raids five times a week.
We always have to stay on high alert.
“You bastards are nothing without surprise attacks! Die!”
Roaring, I swung my sword down from above – first move.
Then I slashed diagonally upward, sending his sword flying – second move.
Finally, I decapitated him with the third move.
The snake didn’t even scream as it died.
I roughly wiped the greenish-black blood splattered all over my face and checked on the subordinate.
“Are you okay?”
“G-grgh… Not dead yet. Was pretty close though…”
“I was about to say…”
But I couldn’t finish my sentence when I saw countless arrows embedded in the guy’s arm.
They were soundless arrows, a specialty of the Shadow Snake Tribe.
And given their expertise in assassination, those arrowheads were surely poisoned.
“Shit…”
“I’m sorry, Commander. Guess our bond ends here.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. You’re not dying.”
Even a year ago, the lethal poison had a mortality rate over 90%, but now with antidotes developed, it’s dropped to less than 5%.
Seeing the syringe in his thigh, he wouldn’t die.
My swearing was because a capable subordinate was being evacuated to the rear.
He wouldn’t die, but would suffer from aftereffects for days or even months.
“Stay back there eating candy while I go exterminate those bastards.”
“As expected from the Commander. Then I’ll take a short nap…”
His eyes closed.
He fell into delirium as the antidote kicked in.
“Damn it… When will this war end?”
Grumbling, I tore open a scroll.
The magic contained within was concealment.
As it was a supply item, its effect would only last about 30 minutes, but that was enough.
“Anyone needing support, yell out!”
“ACK!”
“Okay! You’re getting extra training after this!”
“AACK!”
Swinging my aura-infused sword, I cut down snake bastards while recalling old memories.
***
Crystal clear sky.
Contrasting with it, filthy streets.
I was crouched on the dusty ground.
Because otherwise, there was no way I could endure the pain.
“Huff… Huff… Is it really…?!”
Lifting my head carelessly got my neck cracked by a boot.
Since it was unbearable, I violently vomited whatever was in my lungs.
Trying not to show my pain, I held my breath.
But I couldn’t stop my body from shaking.
“Damn it~ Cough, phlegm! Don’t come back here ever again! What rotten luck this morning”
Apparently satisfied with my suffering, the man spat loudly and left.
I don’t remember exactly how it happened.
Whatever it was, I must have offended the man’s mood and got beaten.
“… Shit.”
I muttered aimlessly.
The pain all over my body was excruciating, but what was worse was the hunger that wouldn’t go away even after getting beaten.
One day, probably four days ago…
I woke up to find myself as a boy named Allen.
With no other memories besides my name, I was a dirty and weak child.
I had no idea if this was possession, reincarnation, or if I’d gone insane from starvation.
This world certainly wasn’t one from any novel or manga I remembered.
Whether it was possession or reincarnation, it didn’t matter – starting in a good family would have been nice.
Even as a commoner extra would have been better than this.
Surely being this penniless beggar kid wasn’t ideal.
“… Should I just die?”
Since becoming a beggar, the only food I’d had was yesterday’s rainwater and an apple that fell from a carriage.
Extreme hunger, confused mind, and an uncertain future had driven me to the brink of collapse.
If it weren’t for the delicious smell of bread wafting from somewhere…
“Are you alright?”
The glossy harmony of pale brown and golden yellow, shimmering under sunlight.
And atop it, small white granules were dotted.
“…”
It was my favorite salt bread.
Without thinking, I snatched the bread in front of me and stuffed it into my mouth.
Just as the sweet, savory, and salty flavors hit my tongue…
“… Gag!”
“You can eat slowly. Here, drink this.”
Choking, I regained some composure after drinking the milk offered by the person.
“Who are y-you… Ugh!”
Trying to create distance hurriedly, I twisted my leg and fell.
Before feeling the pain, I scrambled backward frantically.
Last night’s memory of a kidnapped orphan flashed vividly.
I tensed my whole body and cautiously looked at the voice’s owner.
“…”
Sunlight illuminated luxuriously shining hair.
A girl with snow-white skin smiled down at me.
And beside her stood a man with deep brown eyes guarding her like a knight.
“It’s best to leave now.”
“Hmm~ Just let me heal the wounds. Is that okay?”
“Hmph… Don’t stay too long. This isn’t a place to linger.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Smiling at the knight, the girl then turned her cheerful gaze toward me.
Her jewel-like eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
In the dark, gloomy alley, she alone shone brightly.
“My name is…”
The girl’s eyes glimmered like stars.
Something indescribable flowed from her.
When I sensed the mysterious energy, goosebumps ran down my body.
‘Huh, what is this?’
Startled,
As her hand suddenly approached, I reflexively curled up, causing waves of intense pain throughout my body.
“AHH!”
“You shouldn’t move like that. Does it hurt a lot? Bear with it for a moment.”
The girl’s touch brought forth a bright light.
Surprisingly, the pain began to fade.
It was the first ‘magic’ I witnessed in this world.
“How do you feel now? Are you okay?”
“… It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Good. It’s my first time using healing magic, so I was a bit nervous.”
Smiling gently, the girl extended a small pouch toward me.
I stared blankly at it.
“Take it.”
The girl personally unfolded my hand and placed the pouch in it.
Dressed in a pristine white dress, she looked like an angel.
Feeling warmth for the first time, I stammered.
“T-thank you… Angel-sama…”
There probably was a better way to express gratitude, but thinking back now, it was quite embarrassing.
Hearing my words, the girl giggled.
“People often say, ‘Even if things are tough now, we never know what the future holds.’ … Right?”
The girl tilted her head while asking, and the knight standing quietly sighed.
“… Probably.”
“See!”
Taking the knight’s response, the girl proudly posed toward me.
“Do you like salt bread? I do too. So we can be friends!”
“But… why… friends?”
Having barely spoken until now, my voice didn’t come out properly.
Looking back, it was rather childish, but the girl didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Because there aren’t any bad people among those who like salt bread!”
“…?”
Not understanding what she meant, I could only blink.
“It’s just a feeling. Isn’t it romantic to become friends over a single salt bread?”
Romantic… huh.
It had been a long time since I’d heard such a word.
The knight watching silently intervened at that moment.
“Miss, we should go now.”
“I don’t really want to go back though…”
“Miss”
The knight’s firm expression made the girl reluctantly nod.
“Let’s definitely meet again and eat bread together! I’ll try hard too, so you have to try hard as well! Got it?”
Saying that, the girl’s eyes looked somewhat like someone wanting to escape.
Because the reflection in the puddle beneath me showed exactly that look.
After hesitating briefly, I recalled the taste of the salt bread I ate earlier and mustered courage.
“If you run… it’s okay.”
“Eh?”
The girl’s round eyes immediately lit up with a mischievous smile.
“Then take me with you next time! I’ll be the princess locked in a tall tower, and you’ll be the prince riding a white horse!”
I somehow knew.
That was the girl’s true feelings.
“I promise… yo.”
Stuttering, I extended my pinky finger.
The girl blinked before hooking her equally delicate and soft pinky with mine.
This was the first covenant I formed in this world.
“Let’s definitely meet again.”
“Right. I’ll be waiting.”
“Al-len… that’s me.”
Until the knight, who had waited impatiently, led the girl away.
She kept chatting cheerfully toward me.
Looking at her, I thought she was like sunlight.
“…”
Could the girl have been an angel sent to me after unreasonably falling into this world?
By now, all my wounds had disappeared, and the pouch she gave me contained gold coins as shiny as her hair.
Even though I didn’t know much about currency values in this world, I instinctively understood it was a large sum.
“… Damn. Alright! Let’s give it a shot!”
With this amount of money, I felt confident I could live like a human.
Filled with the expectation that I could finally fill my beggar-like (though genuinely a beggar) hunger, I shouted aloud.
Of course, I didn’t know at the time.
That in the slums, such beautifully dressed girls were rare, drawing attention.
Therefore, the fact that she had given me money would quickly spread.
Most importantly, walking around the slums with gold coins as a young beggar was essentially suicidal behavior.
The vagrants of the slums kindly taught me that through brutal ‘violence’.
Thus, I fought to the brink of death and somehow won.
Thinking back now, it was probably thanks to the girl’s magic.
“Ugh…”
Sighing while stepping on the head of a fallen vagrant, I lost more than just the money pouch.
The wounds that had healed thanks to the girl reappeared on my body.
“Fucking hell…”
Though I gained nothing from the fight filled with losses, there was one thing I learned.
At least this body of ‘Allen’ was fairly strong and had talent for fighting.
Had it not been for that girl, I might never have considered fighting.
That’s how I lived day by day in back alleys until volunteering for the empire’s military.
Back then, I didn’t know this country called the Empire was at war.
If I had known I’d be fighting monstrous barbaric tribes, I wouldn’t have made that choice no matter how desperate.
This is how I ended up volunteering for the Imperial Army.
***
“Then why volunteer instead of going to an orphanage or something?”
“Because I saw that ‘poster’.”
“Aah, that’s intolerable.”
An overly serious old man pointing fingers saying “The Empire wants YOU!” on a poster.
What’s funny is it wasn’t 2D but 4D.
If you made eye contact with the old man for more than three seconds, he’d suddenly pop out of the poster and spout all sorts of persuasive lines.
Any real man must join, free meals and lodging, opportunity for social advancement…
What pierced my soul most was one particular line:
“Do you want to keep living like a beggar? If you want to realize your desires, enlist now!”
I was bewitched by the magical power contained in that poster and applied for enlistment without hesitation.
… Apparently, it was actually a ‘mind control’ spell.
“Honestly, enlistment rates tripled thanks to that poster. So the Magic Tower’s budget increased several times too.”
“But isn’t mind control forbidden?”
“They used a very mild version. You’d need to be mentally weaker than average to get affected.”
Was I affected because I was mentally shaken from losing the money pouch?
So that’s why I got ensnared…
“Damn it, if I ever visit the Magic Tower, I’ll cause a ruckus.”
“It’s useless now anyway. The guy who planned it has already retired and returned to his hometown.”
“… Damn”
This is the extreme rear, the military hospital located in the capital of the Empire.
The war is over.
Three more years passed after parting ways with this guy before it ended.
There’s much to say about what happened during that time, but
talking about it might mean I’d end up in the infirmary instead of him, so I’ll cut it short.
“What do you plan to do from now on, Colonel Allen?”
Through accumulated achievements, I became a colonel.
The first colonel of enlisted origin or something like that.
They flattered me quite a bit, but honestly, I didn’t care much.
“Hmm… Haven’t thought about it yet.”
“How about joining our house? My parents would surely like it.”
“Your house is one of the twin carriages of the Empire, the Dukedom, right?”
“Yes. While you’d receive benefits equivalent to a count, there’s a world of difference between a count and a duke.”
The guy enthusiastically pitched to me.
Earl Helios.
One of the few subordinates whose name I remember.
He was my adjutant until being transferred to the rear,
but what kind of adjutant can’t even take care of himself?
Downgrading him to just a subordinate seems fitting.
“I’ll think about it and let you know.”
“Where are you going?”
“The old man summoned me.”
“Ah… Anyway, please consider it positively. Since the war is over, we should return to normal life, right? You don’t even have a place to return to.”
“That’s a fact, bastard.”
Waving casually as he left, Earl sighed looking at Allen.
“I don’t understand what he’s talking about at all.”
Though he respected his superior officer, there were times when he said incomprehensible things.
Having spent 10 years together, excluding the 3 years separated due to the Shadow Snake Tribe incident, the only familiar word was ‘damn’, which stuck strangely to his lips.
It seemed somewhat Korean, but he used it randomly, so it wasn’t entirely accurate.
That peculiar superior officer surely muttered ‘damn’ when the war ended.
Which is why he was suspected of being a barbarian.
“The youngest colonel ever…”
Few people accurately know Allen’s true strength.
That’s why Earl quickly proposed recruitment while his value hadn’t skyrocketed yet.
Allen was the most talented person he’d ever seen.
“Whatever happens, I hope he lives well. Commander.”
Thirteen years of youth on the battlefield.
A man who practically lived his entire life there.
Eil believed he deserved happiness after such a harsh life.
***
“Why did you summon me?”
I boldly burst into the room, throwing the door wide open.
Though it said ‘Commander’s Office’ on the plaque, it wasn’t my concern.
The relationship between me and ‘the Old Man’ was that close.
“Are you getting cocky now that you’re a colonel?”
Look at that.
Instead of getting angry, he’s smirking with raised corners of his mouth.
“You were doing this before becoming a colonel too. Nothing new.”
I shrugged and plopped onto the leather sofa.
Wow, the commander’s office sofa is surprisingly plush.
I sank in, putting all my weight into it.
“Why does the commander’s office exist in a hospital anyway?”
“We’re still in the military here. Though I’m not the actual commander, I borrowed this space temporarily.”
The Old Man replied calmly.
What level civil servant was the director of the capital military hospital again?
Probably a first-class official, but there’s no way they could refuse the Old Man.
After all, he’s Gold Eagle Palace (Golden Way Zodiacs), one of the twelve members representing the Empire’s asymmetric power.
“Hey, aren’t you pushing it by borrowing places and adding another star to your rank?”
“Borrowing, I said borrowing. Can’t an elder borrow from a junior sometimes?”
Look at that shameless face.
“So why did you call me here?”
“To hear your answer. You said you’d tell me after the war ended, right, brat?”
“Oh”
That old memory buried deep in my mind resurfaced.
It must have been during the southern campaign – 11 years ago?
While I was still a mere soldier, the Old Man randomly proposed adoption.
Specifically, as a grandson.
Apparently, adopting me as a son would have made him look too old.
Paulo Robert of the Marquess Robert Family.
That’s the Old Man’s name.
I still don’t know why the patriarch of such a prestigious marquess family left his heir with the family business and came to the battlefield.
The reason I like the Old Man is not just because he treats everyone equally regardless of status,
but also because he never passes on his duties to others.
Honestly, who would willingly send their own child to war?
“… We’ll discuss that later. So, your answer?”
“I decline.”
Though I told Earl earlier that I’d think about it and respond,
in reality, I had no intention of accepting.
Spending those cursed years on the battlefield completely ruined my perception of nobility.
Following absurd orders from shitty commanders will turn anyone like this.
Even if the Old Man is a decent noble…
I simply don’t want to become a noble.
I dislike being treated the same way, and these days, one doesn’t need to be noble to live comfortably.
“Hmm, I expected as much…”
Gently stroking his beard, the Old Man nodded.
“If that’s your wish, I respect it. Just don’t regret it later.”
“Yes sir. Is that all?”
“As your grandfather, I’m done speaking. But as the commanding general of the Capital Defense Force, I still have something to say.”
“… Damn”
I sighed.
How long has the war been over, and there’s still talk of orders?
If it’s a royal command delivered personally by the Old Man,
I’d rather not hear it, difficult or not.
Seeing my sour expression, the Old Man shook his head.
“It’s not from the royal palace.”
“Huh? Then what is it?”
“Do you have any interest in attending the Academy?”
“… What?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I blinked.
