125 times
precursor
125 ? Prelude #2
“War! War!! It’s war!!!”
Bayona, the knight who had stabbed his sword into the table, shouted the word war three times. The loud voice caused the chaotic and noisy interior of the inn to briefly fall into an unnatural silence.
“war?”
“War?”
Soon, a chaotic atmosphere filled the surroundings as each person spat out a word to the faces in front of them. However, no one spoke loudly.
It just mutters like a small hum.
Luna, Malco, and I also looked at each other’s faces and checked our expressions to see if what we just heard was some kind of joke.
“Hassan, it’s war.”
“That’s strange. There shouldn’t be any area where war could be waged near Sodomora.”
I didn’t know anything about war, so I just listened in silence. But among the people who were talking, someone couldn’t stand their curiosity and suddenly got up from their seat and asked.
“War? Who is it with who! Where is it with where!? Damn it, you should tell me that first!”
At that remark, voices of agreement such as “Yes” or “That’s right” grew louder.
As they were guests of a tavern, their faces turned red and they did not seem to be intimidated by the noble knights, which made me feel reassured, but at the same time, I felt very uneasy.
If this continues, not all the angry knights will turn it upside down, right?
As I was looking at him with such tense eyes, Knight Bayona, who had stuck his sword into the table, answered in an unexpectedly calm tone.
“You asked who we are fighting against. Our opponents are not the neighboring cities or the enemies of the kingdom. This war is between the living and the dead…! And between humans and monsters!”
“The living and the dead, so you’re saying we’re going to wage war against the Pluto cultists?”
“Yes! Tomorrow, we will organize a punitive force and raid their mountain base! I will now call out the names of those who will be conscripted, so unless there is a reason for your absence, everyone should stand up!”
The knight unrolled the scroll and began to list out loud the words written on it.
“First of all, a man of age or older who can bear arms! Get up!”
When you say age, you mean twenty? A man over twenty? It’s a story that includes me, which is really horrible.
To be precise, this story also included most of the guys drinking inside this inn.
Knock, knock.
So the men stood up, pushing chairs here and there, their expressions crumpled as if they were very dissatisfied. Draft, honestly, it’s so horrible that I feel like I’m going to vomit. Damn it…!
The inn quickly became chaotic as people got up from their seats. The knight’s eyes, revealed under his helmet, scanned the room.
“Okay, most of you are up. Now, I will select those who can participate in the glorious expedition. Those whose names are called out from now on, please take your seats! First, those without citizenship!”
citizenship?
Are you talking about the citizenship of Sodomora?
If so, then I have no such issue.
I’m Hassan, an illegal immigrant from a different continent than Gaia, without even a proper identity! Damn it, I survived because I was an outsider!
“Hassan, I hope you don’t have to go to war!”
Luna clapped her hands towards me, who was sitting proudly in my seat. Our palms clapped together like that.
However, Malkoman, who was still up from his seat, was looking around as if he was feeling uneasy.
“Sval, we’re in big trouble.”
“Second, an only child of three generations! Third, a head of household with eight or more family members to support! Fourth, a son of three generations!
In this way, the list of 15 reasons for disqualification from participating in the war was called out. Most of the guests at the inn, who had been standing, were now all sitting down, except for four or five.
But Sval Malko couldn’t sit down.
Soldiers approaching Malko.
“What’s your name?”
“Malcoyman….”
“Malko Ioman? Was that name on the list?”
“No, not just Malcoio, but Malcoyo.”
“Ah, Malko… Let’s see, somewhere here… Malko. Here he is. Alright, Malko. You have been selected to participate in the glorious city defense operation! Everyone, applause!”
The people sitting in the seats began to cheer and applaud for the conscripted Malko. I also gave a lot of applause to my friend who was going to the military.
“This little brat is going to have a hard time.”
Shit, it’s so funny that a wandering musician is being dragged into the army. But Malko himself couldn’t believe it, so he asked the soldiers.
“But, my dear friends, I have never held a weapon before.”
“Then you’re lucky. You’ll get a real-life experience from the very first training session!”
“No, it’s not like it’s a real-life experience, it’s just a real-life experience.”
“Be quiet!”
The man struck Malko on the head with something like a club he was holding in his hand. Malko fell to the floor with a short scream of “Gek-.”
And then soon several soldiers started dragging the guy’s body. We were all so shocked by the sudden situation that we were on edge, almost ready to draw our weapons.
“Okay, if there’s anyone else you want to be dragged away to, ask them.”
Knight Bayona set the tone with a rather heavy voice. None of us could easily open our mouths because we had seen Malko being mercilessly dragged away by those in power.
“Okay, it’s quieter now. Aside from the civilians being drafted, we are accepting applications from anyone who wants to go out and fight.”
At that moment, the innkeeper, who had been watching the commotion with his arms folded in the corner, opened his mouth.
“Is there anything good about volunteering for the war?”
“It’s a privilege to be able to participate in the glorious duty of sharing the fate of the city—that would be too old-fashioned. Lady Youngae has prepared a reward only for those who participated.”
A reward?
The atmosphere in the inn, which seemed oppressed by the word reward, loosens up a little. It seems that the knight Bayona is a guy who knows how to flirt.
“First of all, citizenship will be granted only to those who participated in the war! Secondly, if you committed a crime before participating in the war, your criminal record will be erased!”
“Fuck, I’ll do it!”
“Tsk tsk, me too!”
Suddenly, men here and there raised their hands at the end of the article. It was a sight I could hardly imagine, that everyone would voluntarily join the military.
But, among those who raised their hands, there was also Luna.
“Citizenship! Er, erase the record-!!”
Luna seems to have started talking about citizenship and erasure of records. Since Luna is not from this continent, but from the island of Ideope outside, it is not surprising that she would want citizenship.
But why are you interested in erasing the record? Did Luna have a criminal record? Sval, it’s so unexpected that I feel dizzy.
Anyway, the inn soon became noisy again with people talking here and there.
* * *
“Hassan, Luna. I’m going to rest at the inn for now. It’s hot… I think I need to rest a bit. I think I need to quickly reserve a room… .”
As I came out onto the street, I saw soldiers roaming around here and there, recruiting conscripts and veterans, even though it was late at night.
Indeed, the atmosphere in the city definitely feels like it is on the eve of war.
That’s why we decided to end the after-party early and go back to our respective homes. We were drinking while Malko was being drafted into the military.
“I ended up failing to get support.”
Luna smacked her lips as if she was regretting that she could not go to the battlefield.
Although volunteers were accepted regardless of gender or status, the soldiers who found Luna’s name on the list of documents refused to enlist her.
I don’t know the reason because they didn’t tell me. Maybe they rejected my enlistment because I have a lot of land in my hometown…
“I wanted to get citizenship.”
I asked Luna, who was mumbling to herself as if she really felt sorry.
“Is there anything good about obtaining citizenship?”
“The benefits are enormous! You can open a bank account! You can also get guild insurance, so the cost of treatment is cheaper. It’s all amazing!!”
It was similar to the benefits of citizenship that I knew. You get a proper status, and the benefits increase. Of course, there are also increased obligations, such as having to pay taxes or participate in wars.
However, as we saw earlier, citizenship is an important qualification that everyone wants to obtain.
“You can qualify by donating a certain amount to the city. I heard that you have to donate over ten gold coins to be recognized as qualified.”
“So, does that mean that citizenship itself is a reward worth about ten gold coins?”
Luna nodded at my question. Then she smacked her lips again as if she was very sorry. Ten gold coins for each battle. If it’s a decent amount, then it’s a decent amount of money, right?
For men with thick beards and scars, this could be considered a chance to make a killing. There’s also the extraordinary privilege of having your criminal record erased.
The record is erased.
“Hey, Luna. Do you have anything like that?”
I remembered Luna’s reaction to the words, “Record Erasure.” Of course, I knew that Luna was incapable of committing a great crime, but I was just curious. Luna was a criminal.
“Me, my criminal record?”
Luna flinched at my question and looked around furtively.
“…Why do you ask that?”
“No, just. But judging by your reaction, it seems like it’s real. What crime did you commit?”
“It’s nothing. It’s just… . It’s just, what is there?”
My interest and suspicion also grew as Luna changed the subject as if she didn’t want to answer. It seemed like something was not normal.
What kind of life was Luna living before she joined me?
I thought we had a lot of conversation, but Luna’s past keeps being pulled up like a deep abyss. Can I ask this?
If it were a crime so great that I could never have imagined it, I don’t know if I could treat Luna the way I do now.
“Hassan, you’ve got a wrinkle on your forehead again. You’re thinking about something weird!!”
“No, what, what, what is it, no… What crime did you commit?”
“Do you really want to hear it? Hassan, you might end up hating me. If you really want to hear it, I’ll tell you…”
Luna had such a grim expression on her face that I felt like all the blood was draining from my body. There were two choices before my eyes.
Listen. Don’t listen.
But even though I pressed don’t listen, I felt like I would be the only one living my life in doubt because of this experience.
“What is it? Tell me. I won’t hate you even if I listen.”
So I chose to listen with interest. Then Luna sighed and began to mumble as if she was wondering what to do.
“This, this is when I first arrived on the continent. I was so, so hungry… I caught a rabbit and ate it…”
“You caught a rabbit and ate it?”
I already knew that Luna had a hard life, living off of tree bark and roots.
But I just wondered if eating a rabbit was a sin. Rabbits are creatures that adventurers who roam the forests often catch and eat. Their skin is good for making things like hats and tote bags.
“Is that a sin?”
“…Because it was a rabbit raised in the temple. A rabbit that ran around in the temple garden… . No matter how hungry you were, you ate a rabbit raised in the temple. Oh, that was a blasphemous sin. Hassan, I have committed a blasphemous sin…”
Luna cried like someone who had made a huge mistake and was repenting.
“Is that such a big sin?”
“I ate a rabbit! Hassan, this is a huge sin!”
“Oh, really? Okay, then calm down.”
Luna started to glance here and there as she screamed, so I had no choice but to calm her down. When I patted her back, Luna seemed to calm down and started breathing evenly.
“… But it was so delicious. I still think about it sometimes.”
“Oh, really? Rabbit, let’s go eat again next time.”
“Yeah! So I’m just asking, Hassan, why haven’t you volunteered for the war?”
Luna’s mood swings are something she hasn’t gotten used to yet. And it seems like she probably won’t get used to it in the future.
Anyway, Luna suddenly asked me a question, and I remembered why I didn’t participate in the war despite the many benefits it gave me.
Actually, I don’t even think about it.
“Because I don’t want to go to the military.”
But still, I had no desire to join the army. It wasn’t just about joining the army, it was a real war.
If you go to a place where you have to fight each other with swords and roll around in the mud, you might really die!
For petty bourgeois like me and Luna, it’s hard enough just living in a small hut like this, preparing to open a store, and doing our own jobs.
For most low-level adventurers who wander through the slums, the biggest problem is making a living from day to day, so not having a job for tomorrow is more important and scary than socializing.
“What is it? Something is stuck to it.”
As they were about to go inside the house and rest, Luna discovered a small note stuck on the door. Then, Luna slowly began to read it.
“Official document. Hassan of Samaria. You have been appointed as a glorious defender of the faith and are about to go on a punitive mission. Go? What? The wording is strange. Participating in the purge of heretics is both a natural right and a duty as a citizen of Sodomora-.”
As Luna fumbled through the letters, I began to wonder. Why was my name not appearing? Was this not a note that had been sent to Luna?
“What, what are you reading?”
“… Well, it says ‘warrant’… I can’t really tell what it says. The letters are also squiggly, so it’s hard to read…”
A warrant? What the hell is that? What the hell is that? That can’t be right.
So, with trembling hands, I took the paper from Luna’s hand and quickly read what was written on it.
It was certainly not easy to read the letters because of the hastily scribbled handwriting, just as Luna had said.
The only letters I can make out are part of the last paragraph.
Hereafter, you will be assigned to the newly formed 2nd Company of the Establishment Battalion, under the command of Count Enya Sardic, after midnight when the mobilization order is issued. – Count Hawkins Sardic (in).
“Oh, shit.”
“What? What is it? Are you happy? The Count’s name is written on it. Are you saying I’ll get a reward?”
“I want to enlist.”
[Work Review]
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Gratitude Voodoo has the effect of making the rest of Sunday pass by slowly..!!!
