Chapter 524
Heinrich was silent in front of a short letter from his brothers saying that they would kill him.
Heinrich checked the envelope once more, wondering if it was the wrong letter.
From a friend, to Heinrich von Schwarz.
That’s why it couldn’t have been the wrong letter.
“What is it, what is it about, so your expression is like that?”
Seeing Heinrich’s expression hardened, Kono Lint asked.
Shall we talk?
A strange letter came.
However, Heinrich folded the letter and put it in his bosom.
“Uh, no. not a big deal.”
“… … okay?”
Needless to say if this letter is someone’s malicious prank.
If this letter is really sent to inform you of a crisis, there is no need to share it, as it would be dangerous just to know.
“I’ll go and see. I need to rest.”
Heinrich took the letters in a mood of relief.
Heinrich walked through the garrison with a hardened expression and returned to his barracks.
After sorting out the letters, Heinrich closes the entrance to the barracks and sits in a chair, staring at a letter from an unknown person.
It’s not the wrong letter.
And, there is no such thing as a friend who will send you a letter like this.
Anyone can send a letter to Heinrich, so there’s a possibility that it’s just a joke.
It’s a simple sentence that says your brothers will kill you, without even a proper content.
can’t believe this
It’s foolish to believe
but.
‘If this situation is over, do you intend to return to Kernstadt?’
If the brothers started to see themselves as rivals rather than brothers.
Really, is it impossible for that to happen?
It could be dismissed as a malicious joke, and I think it should be.
However, this brought up a possibility that Heinrich had never thought of.
There is no naive belief that the brothers might be accepting the talented youngest child back into the family circle.
However, I understood that Heinrich’s thoughts were at best, then the brothers were trying to use me. He was trying to use it to strengthen his own influence as well as his influence over the General Headquarters.
was so accepted.
But to go further and kill yourself.
“It doesn’t sound like words… … .”
It can’t happen.
This cannot happen.
No matter how strong his position in this war becomes, Heinrich does not think that he can become Kernstadt’s successor, and he does not intend to do so.
The current heir to the throne, Louis von Schwarz, is also a strong man who has reached the ranks of a sword master, and continues to develop his specialty. So it’s not even lack of merit.
Heinrich and Louise were all just making their mark.
Even now we are at war.
This very important war is not yet over, and even if the brothers really have the heart to kill themselves, they will not attempt it.
Whatever it is, if the content of this letter is true, it was after the war.
It should be.
Does it make sense to kill one of the mighty forces of the Allied Forces at this moment just because it is a threat to the throne? How absurd, dangerous and foolish that is.
I don’t know politics well, I don’t know much about my brothers, but if I think about it rationally, it should never happen.
Before everything is over, even before the crisis is over.
There is no way we would make a foolish choice for the next crisis after that crisis.
but. Even in this situation, unnecessary politics and conflict are occurring.
People are stupid, Heinrich knows.
Heinrich saw and experienced the foolish actions of those who still looked ahead or looked too far, even in this army that had sent out with a cause.
but.
brother though.
brothers themselves.
Aren’t you trying to kill me?
Shouldn’t that be the case?
“Yeah, that can’t be… … .”
Heinrich burned the letter, which only caused unnecessary confusion, from his grasp.
Heinrich was staring at the remains of the letter that scattered as black ash with a firm expression.
* * *
It was a night for everyone to go to bed, and it was the same for Ellen, who had no night missions.
Somehow, after having had a cat that he liked for a long time, he eventually brought it to the barracks.
Originally, I was going to return it to the restaurant where it was originally.
‘It’s a kitten, so wouldn’t it be nice to stay with it? I even got abandoned… … .’
Ellen was about to bring the cat to the barracks after thinking about it for a long time because of Adelia’s words.
The cat seemed to be struggling with something, but in the end, it was somehow dragged into Ellen’s barracks without being able to get down from Ellen’s arms.
Somehow, it seemed that a little stability had come to my consciousness and mind that had been clouded.
When I removed the formal armor I was wearing, the cat watched quietly as the armor was put back on the armor stand.
I wonder if it’s because I encountered a strange little beast that I’m in a strange place like this.
It was strange that Ellen’s hazy consciousness was brought back by only one cat.
I feel like I’m under some unknown magic.
That’s it, and Ellen intends to wash from now on.
Ellen looks at the cat quietly.
I don’t know where or how it came from.
It wasn’t particularly messy, but it must have been rolling around in the dust of the garrison.
Although she had never owned an animal, Ellen felt that the cat needed to be washed. Because the dirt won’t be good for the baby.
Ellen picked up the cat sitting still on the barracks carpet.
– Ayeeng
Ellen headed for the bathroom area of the barracks, holding the crying cat in her arms.
And, did he know where he was being taken?
-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
“… … ?”
-Cow!
The cat began to struggle in Ellen’s arms as if it had intuited its fate.
“You need to wash.”
-Aaaaaeng!
“oh… … .”
Upon entering the bathroom, the cat struggled as if it was absolutely impossible, almost frantically, and slipped out of Ellen’s arms.
Ellen stares at the cat, who has landed on the floor and runs away.
He couldn’t even hide properly, so he shivered with his head buried in a corner of the tent.
I don’t like it, but is it bothering me to force myself to wash it?
Ellen didn’t want to bother that little animal.
“… … .”
Come to think of it, did I say that cats hate water?
Ellen unbuttoned her shirt, thinking that the rumor must be true.
* * *
Ellen, who had washed up in the bathroom, lifted up the kitten whose head was stuck in the corner and sat it on her lap.
The cat sat still and trembled while I patted my head with a towel.
is it cold
I thought it was painful somewhere.
If you just look at it, it looks stiff, as if it’s a little broken.
Contrary to the image of a sleek cat, it looks somewhat sluggish.
As she was drying her hair, the cat sluggishly got up, came down from Ellen’s lap, and began to meow at the entrance to the tent.
– Ayeeng
“… … ?”
Like asking to open the door.
Unlike other tents, Ellen’s tent has a locking mechanism.
So these small animals, as well as people, can’t come in and out.
“I’m going… … ?”
Talking to animals seemed a little strange, but Ellen asked.
A cat abandoned by its mother, Ellen apparently heard.
So, there must be nowhere to go, so where are you going tonight? Or does she even know how to get back to her mother?
With no idea what he was thinking, Ellen just stared at the cat.
The black cat also stares at itself.
One is speechless and the other is speechless.
How many times have we looked at each other without speaking?
As if giving up, the black cat walked back toward Ellen from the entrance of the tent and tried to jump onto Ellen’s cot.
-puck!
– Aeng!
“!”
However, as if he wasn’t used to jumping, he hit the edge of Ellen’s cot, which wasn’t very high, and fell out.
“are you okay… … ?”
Ellen carefully lifted the black cat, who was terribly round on the barracks carpet, and placed it on a cot.
A cat that can’t even jump.
– Burr
The cat sits still next to Ellen, trembling.
Ellen couldn’t help but laugh as it seemed like she was embarrassed.
And, Ellen was surprised that she laughed.
Can you just laugh at something like this?
Haven’t you lost your smile yet?
Ellen wiped her hair with a towel and tickled the scruff of the cat, who was still trembling in shame.
* * *
The cat seemed to have decided to stay in Ellen’s barracks, perhaps giving up after trying to go somewhere.
Now that the operation is over, all Ellen has to do is rest.
Resting properly is also important. No matter how strong Ellen is, the battlefield takes her life in an instant. If you don’t sleep well or don’t rest properly, it will affect you the next day.
The fatigue and flashing of consciousness I feel these days are qualitatively different from such fatigue.
It’s definitely not that the fighting power is low.
Even if consciousness is blurred, even if vision is blurred, the sword knows the way to go and is swung in the optimal path toward the enemy to be torn apart and killed, and the body moves on its own.
It is a bizarre sense of deprivation, as if someone else is using your body instead as your own consciousness fades.
Because of this, Ellen felt as if her body had been taken over by someone else and that someone was wielding her body instead.
That’s why it was a strange state that even if it seemed like I was choking with fatigue and pressure, my combat power was not declining, but rather was boosted.
Lying on the cot with the lights off, Ellen stares at the black cat curled up in front of her face.
The black cat’s golden eyes, and the pupils in them, were staring at him in the dark.
It was very close.
If they were human, they would be close enough to see each other’s reflections in their eyes.
Ellen has never raised an animal.
Even in his hometown of Lizaira, there were a few houses with dogs, but none with cats.
In Regaira, animal was usually a word for game.
Of course, I never thought of wanting to grow it.
It’s not like I’ve never seen a cat before, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it up close like this.
But today, Ellen reached out to a cat she had never seen before, a cat that couldn’t be in a place like this.
The cat licked its finger as if it knew something.
that strange feeling.
But the strangely familiar sensation seemed to awaken something Ellen was missing.
Then, without realizing it, he brought this strange cat to his tent, and now he was watching from his bedside.
Cats keep staring at themselves in the dark.
golden eyes.
Those eyes that are somehow familiar.
Perhaps because of this, Ellen seemed to be understood by a small animal that knew nothing.
Ellen laughed at herself for thinking that way.
“Why are there people who keep animals… … . I think you understand.”
-… … .
Even though I can’t speak, I’m not raising it.
It’s because you can’t speak.
Because you can project any of your feelings and judge that you are understood on your own.
Even if you don’t know anything, you can be mistaken for knowing everything.
The moment Ellen felt that she was understood in the eyes of the cat, she thought it was a reflection of her wish to be understood in her heart.
The black cat just gently rubbed its head against Ellen’s face.
I just thought it was an illusion that I was understood on my own, but as if I really understood.
Ellen put her hand on the cat’s back and gently stroked its head.
It was amazing that such a small existence could hold on to my blurred consciousness.
It seemed that the fatigue, pressure, and hopelessness had alleviated a little bit.
So now something was clearly on my mind. Of course, under the influence of her fatigue, Ellen’s consciousness was gradually sinking into a deep sleep.
Today, with the help of that little being, I was able to somehow come to my senses, but how far can this go?
A small existence will only be able to receive a little help.
It is bound to disappear someday.
“I don’t want to disappear… … . I’m not… … .”
Ellen falls into drowsiness and looks at the cat with cloudy eyes.
in a clouded consciousness.
Ellen seemed to have seen tears forming in the little cat’s eyes.
Could a cat cry?
It was funny for Ellen to think that way.
Since when did tears only belong to humans?
Because humans can cry, and humans are animals after all.
Tears belong to all animals, not humans.
Then, of course, cats can cry too.
However, Ellen did not know why the cat was crying.
People are supposed to cry, but cats are crying.
“Cry… … mind… … .”
In her fading consciousness, Ellen carefully wiped the tears from the kitten’s eyes.
* * *
As for whether or not she sleeps a lot, Ellen tends to sleep a lot.
Back in the good old days of her hometown, Ellen was a kid who always woke up late, whether she went to bed early or late.
Because there was no resentment from mother, father, or older brother for oversleeping.
The late riser has become a late riser.
But Ellen found herself at the Temple to be familiar with the rules.
I could have woken up much earlier than the standard bedtime and did my morning exercise.
It wasn’t until after I grew up that I could cut down on sleep whenever I needed to, and that I could sleep as little as I needed in situations where I needed to sleep less.
I voluntarily reduced my sleep at the temple, and reduced my sleep by necessity in my current state in the army.
And it’s not particularly Ellen’s business. It seems that everyone should start the day early.
It was the season when the days were getting shorter, so Ellen, who woke up at dawn when the sky was dark, had to go to the headquarters to issue operational orders.
Ellen put on her inner armor after making appropriate preparations.
-Clap! Clap! Clap!
When the armor holder is activated, the formal armor that Ellen usually wears sticks to her body, and the seams of the armor are automatically put together.
The sword of the moon is worn around the waist and the cloak of the god of the sun hangs over the shoulder.
Although there are no major missions for the time being, Ellen must be in charge of a fixed operation to constantly check the safety of the camp and annihilate the monsters that appear at the vanguard.
Unit members are allocated from the headquarters, and after receiving operational instructions, they are dispatched to the field.
Camping is very dangerous, so missions are usually completed in one day, but sometimes it takes several days.
-Aug
“It must have been noisy… … .”
Perhaps awakened by the sound of armor being put on, Ellen was watching the black cat rubbing its eyes and yawning on the bed.
The black cat was staring at the fully armed Ellen with her eyes wide open.
Ellen, wearing colorful plates all over her body, squatted down in front of the cat who was not yet awake.
Then he carefully tickled the cat’s nape with his index finger.
“… … Do you want to be offended?”
Ellen pondered whether the feel of the metal from the gauntlet wrapped around her hand would be harmful to the cat, and cautiously bit her hand.
“I have to go.”
After only one day, Ellen got used to talking to the cat.
As if the cat understood what I was talking about, it got off the bed and landed next to Ellen.
-puck!
“… … .”
-… … .
Just like I’m not used to jumping, I’m not used to landing either.
How can you be so clumsy?
Still, the cat got up vigorously and cried while looking at the entrance to the tent.
Maybe you really understand what you’re saying.
Ellen had such a strange thought.
When I unlocked the lock and opened the tent, people who had already started early in the morning were busy walking around.
Ellen isn’t the only one who wakes up early.
The black cat that came out of the tent with Ellen also cries beside Ellen.
– Ayeeng
Just like Ellen was going somewhere, the cat seemed to be going somewhere too.
Ellen seemed to know what the cat was trying to do, just as she had the illusion that the cat understood what she was saying.
It was a strange feeling for the first time in my life.
Were cats originally free animals?
Ellen doesn’t know much about this.
But just like he is going somewhere, it seems that the cat is going somewhere. Even though it seems like I can’t even run properly.
Whatever it is, it cannot be forced. Because there is no such thing as self-confidence to raise properly.
Ellen looks down at the cat looking up at her and says quietly.
“Come again.”
– Ayeeng
With a cry that somehow seemed like an answer, the cat started walking somewhere cautiously.
He said he was going, but the cat goes first.
I was told to come again, but would I really come again?
that’s the unknown
It’s not bad if sleeping with a strange cat is a strange thing that happens only for one day in your life. Because it was a very strange experience.
But if this black cat comes again, that won’t be too bad either.
Thinking so, Ellen walked down the street.
