Chapter 512: The Visit(1)
Chapter 512: The Visit(1)
All sorts of incidents and accidents happen in the military. It is a miraculous collective capable of turning even the most highly educated individuals into idiots or fools.
There is a famous maxim regarding this: most things that happen in the military sound like lies, but they are actually true.
For example, a junior soldier losing a fight to the unit’s pet cat; a soldier throwing a combat knife out of boredom only for a bird to snatch it mid-air and fly away; or a car colliding with a wild boar the size of a Retona jeep.
Because so many bizarre incidents occur, people are often skeptical, yet more often than not, they turn out to be the truth.
No one knows exactly why. Some say it’s because such a diverse cross-section of humanity is gathered in one place, while others argue that similar things happen in society at large if you look closely enough.
However, the primary cause is likely the desire to alleviate boredom—in other words, they’re just bored. No matter how much the world develops, the military environment remains harsh.
Stress piles up even when you’re doing nothing, yet the ways to relieve that stress are limited.
Consequently, people do strange things just for fun to blow off steam, leading to accidents. This is especially true for men, who have a natural tendency to join in whenever someone starts doing something stupid.
Furthermore, unless it’s a time of war, the military is an organization that masterfully blends work ethic with cutting corners. In other words, it runs on "fudging it."
While "fudging it" plays a large role, the fact that "orders" are issued to a group containing such a wide variety of people inevitably leads to all sorts of incidents popping up.
[If they wanted a pretext, they would have fabricated one. But why did they have to create this specific situation?]
[Did they really need the excuse of a soldier going to relieve himself? It feels like Xenon is pushing it too far.]
The Second Sino-Japanese War was triggered because someone filed a missing person report while a soldier was away taking a dump.
To make matters worse, the soldier who was reported missing ended up joining the search for himself. It was a truly absurd cause and a prime example of the Imperial Japanese Army’s "extraordinary" nature.
Broadly speaking, it was a forced pretext. If you start a war out of pure greed without any justification, you’ll face nothing but condemnation.
The details were unusual, but the general consensus is that the Second Sino-Japanese War would have broken out eventually regardless.
[The Japanese army just needed a pretext. It’s a bit ridiculous, but it’s entirely plausible.]
[There was a clear trigger—the sound of gunfire—and tensions were bound to be high on both sides.]
[We think it’s strange because we live in peace, but soldiers living on the front lines are in an extremely grueling environment.]
Military experts, rather than literary critics, took my side. Even if the details were idiotic, the act of creating a forced pretext remained the same.
The Minerva Empire, in particular, shares borders with numerous countries due to its insanely vast territory.
Back when the political situation was unstable, border disputes nearly led to war several times, though fortunately, they were managed somehow.
Moreover, borders aren't always clearly defined; every country has different benchmarks. Because of this, people frequently find things to nitpick.
This is unavoidable, as the world is currently transitioning from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era, and borderlines haven't been properly established yet.
Unless they launch satellites into orbit, it’s going to be difficult. Border issues are something that will have to be resolved gradually.
Anyway, returning from the complex border issues to the main point, most people agreed that while the cause of the war might be absurd, the logic behind creating a forced pretext was sound.
[Even if it’s a forced pretext, isn't this caricaturing the military too much? I’m worried Xenon might depict even worse things.]
[I doubt it. When Hitler had his nightmare at the end, it showed the dangers of war and the fear of death. Looking at the tank that appeared at the end, he definitely won't caricature it.]
[The military is a place where people live, too. Can't we just treat it as a simple mishap rather than a caricature?]
However, just as my father had feared, people were worried after seeing the Second Sino-Japanese War arc.
They wondered if I was going to start portraying the military in a strange light—if I would end up harming the reputation of the knights, who live and die by their honor.
Regardless of time or place, soldiers are people who live and die for honor. Since they have to put their lives on the line in emergencies, they have no choice but to cling to it.
Some people ask if honor puts food on the table, but as you can see from my case, it literally does.
Furthermore, in this world, knights are objects of pure admiration due to the existence of monsters.
They are exemplary and noble beings who protect the country from monsters and foreign threats alike.
A knight’s honor must never be tarnished, nor should anyone be allowed to tarnish it.
People were concerned about this. They feared that I might accidentally dishonor the soldiers myself.
But I have no intention of doing that. My older brother and sister are knights; insulting their honor would be like abandoning my own family.
Instead, I want to show that knights aren't just "heroes" who are chosen ones, but people who exude "humanity."
[I have no intention of tarnishing the honor of knights or soldiers. My own siblings are knights, and my father is a knight as well. However, I know that they are people just like me, and above all, I have heard the truth from my father.]
So, I issued a clarification. I had kept my mouth shut during previous controversies, but I couldn't just stand by and watch this time.
Since I had learned through my father that the military is, well, the military, the explanation itself wasn't difficult.
Of course, I was basing it on historical facts, but since they had no way of knowing that, it didn't matter.
[Xenon is right. There’s no law saying knights can't make mistakes. They are also human and have diverse personalities.]
[The reason knights have a stiff image is simply because of their group identity. If you dig deeper, there’s a lot of humor to be found.]
[Adventurers who used to be knights often say the same thing. There’s no place that smells more like 'people' than the military.]
Perhaps thanks to my direct explanation, people felt relieved and began sharing their own stories about knights.
Unlike the military of my previous life, the Minerva Imperial Army isn't closed off; it’s quite open. That’s only natural, since anyone can become a hero.
However, I had heard rumors that despite being open, they always suffer from a manpower shortage.
A person only has one life, and unlike my previous world, training takes more than a year.
That alone is grueling enough, but it takes at least five years to learn how to imbue a weapon with mana.
Unless you receive professional training from a young age, it’s difficult to develop significant martial power.
'Well, I’ve made my explanation, so the Empire can handle the rest.'
Oh, and of course, the fact that the Imperial Japanese Army were morons remains unchanged, so I plan to proceed with that as is.
It’s not because I’m from South Korea; the Imperial Japanese Army really was a collection of idiots. There were almost no normal individuals among them.
The Banzai Charge and the Kamikaze. These two things alone are enough to show how messed up the Japanese military was.
"Whew... shiver..."
As I let out a long breath, a plume of white mist rose and scattered into the air.
Back home, a sweltering summer was clearly approaching, but here, it was cold. Extremely cold.
When my father told me to forget about dignity and just bundle up, I wondered if that was really necessary, but I was wrong.
It was as cold as the winters on the front lines during my military service in my previous life. And this was early summer!
The winters in our territory are quite harsh, but here, even a slight breeze felt like it was slicing through my skin.
"You're very cold, aren't you?"
Unlike me, who was bundled up in every piece of winter gear imaginable, my father, who was wearing only a simple coat, asked casually.
That was partly because my father was a "real man," but also because he was accelerating his mana to generate heat.
You know, like that skill the protagonist of a certain pirate manga uses. Based on the explanation, it was a similar principle.
However, my father used it as easily as if he were going for a stroll, making me realize the extent of his abilities once again.
"Yes. It's freezing. Is the North like this all year round?"
"Pretty much. It gets even colder when winter actually arrives. What was it like where you served?"
"It feels about the same. Except there, it snowed as well..."
"Ah. You mean the trash falling from the sky?"
"Hahaha."
I laughed weakly at my father’s half-joke. Seeing me laugh, my father also cracked a small smile.
The place my father and I were heading was none other than the Navy Knights' base.
As mentioned before, we had come personally to visit Dave and Nicole.
Just because it was a base didn't mean entry was forbidden. A base is just a base, not a mission area.
The mission area was in the middle of nowhere, far from here. It was just damn cold, but the base had everything it needed.
Furthermore, after my father had roughly settled the border issues, Marshall’s efforts had made the supply routes active, so there was no shortage of goods.
"But Father, you did tell them we were coming, right?"
"I did."
"Who did you tell?"
"Marquis Mathews. He was a commander I suffered alongside back when I was serving. I heard you met him before?"
"..."
His personal connection is a corps commander. I was reminded once again of what an incredible knight my father had been.
So a connection from his captain days has now been promoted to corps commander. That’s a story that could happen in my previous life too.
It’s just that my father’s reputation is also sky-high. I could roughly guess what the situation at the Navy Knights' base would be like.
"...It’s going to be a bit noisy."
"Probably. Since you're going anyway, could you sign some autographs?"
"I don't mind."
Only my father and I had come to the Navy Knights' duty station. I had told Adelia to take a vacation and spend some quality time with Mari.
Even if someone were to attack, I wasn't worried, because my father—who had even taken down a dragon—was standing right beside me.
Besides, who would be crazy enough to track me through this cold? I could feel safe at this level.
"Hmm."
"...Father?"
"No. It's nothing."
Then, my father stopped for a moment and looked elsewhere. As if someone were there.
Following that, he turned his head back at my question and continued forward.
I looked toward the spot my father had been staring at. I saw nothing but trees standing firm against the bitter cold.
However, I needed to stay alert. My father wouldn't do something pointless like that.
'...I shouldn't let my guard down.'
Steeling my resolve, I moved forward toward the duty station with my father.
Soon, the moment we reached the station, my mouth fell open in admiration.
"...It's surprisingly large? Didn't you say it was a small elite force?"
"That's a prejudice that arose because so many people died. Since the speed of replenishment is faster than the rate of loss, the strength has increased. They also need personnel to support that strength. I heard they went through a remodeling as the supply routes became active."
The duty station was larger than I had imagined. Even the barricades stretching wide on both sides were made of stone, not wood.
It looked almost like a castle. It wasn't just a duty station; it was like a small town had been built.
Of course, inside wouldn't be a town, but the units where the Navy Knights resided. I exhaled, filled with anticipation.
My white breath rose in a plume and then quietly scattered.
"Halt! Identify your... Huh? Commander Hawk?"
One of the knights guarding the main gate widened his eyes in surprise. The knights behind him were the same.
I closely examined them; they were wearing armor instead of uniforms.
The armor itself looked light rather than heavy. The color was a dark navy, close to black, similar to the uniforms.
Instead, perhaps to withstand the harsh cold, fur was attached to every joint of the armor.
It seemed they had considered the environment in many ways, and the dark color was a characteristic feature, likely because they had more work at night than in the morning.
"It's been a while, Rick. Has everything been alright?"
"Oh, please. 'Alright' doesn't even cover it. Commander and Xenon..."
The knight my father called Rick stopped mid-sentence and turned his gaze toward me.
It seemed he had realized a bit late that I had come along. With not one, but two high-profile figures arriving, his brain seemed to have momentarily stalled.
I looked straight into his eyes, visible through the gaps in his helmet, and greeted him politely.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the second son of the Maishal family, Isaac Ducard Maishal. Thank you for your hard work in protecting the Northern Region."
"Ahem. Ahem. So it really is Lord Xenon."
As I greeted him, Rick, snapping out of his daze, hurriedly sorted out the situation.
The knights waiting in the back also seemed to have realized what was happening, as they began to buzz with excitement.
In terms of my previous life, it was like a famous celebrity had come to visit. It was a bit different, but similar.
"First, we will conduct a body search before you enter. Even you must comply with this, Lord Xenon."
"A body search wouldn't mean much, would it? Can't we just pass through?"
Since they seemed quite close, my father cracked a joke. But that joke didn't really sound like a joke.
In reality, my father was the kind of man who could beat an ogre to death with his bare hands. Without even needing to use mana.
Rick also knew this, so he smirked and countered the joke with one of his own.
"I am well aware that you could beat us to death with your bare hands, Commander. But wouldn't there be less loss of manpower if you didn't have any weapons?"
"Haha. Your wit has improved since I last saw you."
"Things have been more relaxed lately. Now, if you'll excuse me."
My father spread his arms without a word. I also spread my arms to help him conduct the body search easily.
"Hmm? This is..."
At that moment, Rick pulled a magic pen and a notebook from my front pocket.
The reason I brought them here was nothing special. I always carried them, so I had put them in out of habit.
At this, I spoke up quickly with a flustered voice.
"Ah. That's my notebook. You can keep the magic pen, but please just burn the notebook instead."
"Why is that?"
"Because the plot is written in there..."
"..."
When I said that, Rick silently put the notebook back into my front pocket. It seemed even the Navy Knights were afraid of that.
The magic pen was the same. He looked conflicted, perhaps worried that I might steal classified information, but...
"I brought that to give out autographs..."
"Ahem. Ahem."
He put it back in my front pocket. His reaction said he couldn't pass up an autograph.
My father, watching from the side, laughed silently at the situation. Indeed, it was a scene you couldn't watch without a smile.
Once the body search was completely finished, Rick signaled that the gate could be opened.
Before long, the knights who received the signal began to open the heavy doors. It wouldn't be long before I met my brother and sister.
"Then, please have a good time. Oh, and Lord Xenon?"
"Yes?"
"Just in case, please ignore any 'strange greetings' from the unit members. It's so embarrassing that even I find it hard to watch."
I should have realized what he meant when I heard those words.
"...Strange greetings?"
Just like the proverb about reaping what you sow, the seeds I had sown weren't limited to just the Great Depression.