230
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake.
Chapter 230
Sanitation management is extremely important on the battlefield.
Especially in the Eagle valley, which is located in the Beast people Forest where typhoid fever once broke out, improper waste management can lead to massive non-combat casualties.
[That's why I told you to always keep the septic tank clean. Understood?]
The man with murky brown hair nodded and gave a thumbs up after seeing the writing on the ground.
It meant he understood.
One of the soldiers teaching the man erased the previous writing and wrote new words on the ground with a branch.
[By the way, what did you say your name was?]
The man picked up a branch and wrote next to it.
[It's Leon.]
Smack!
Leon got hit on the head.
[Who told you to write in a way that's easy for you to read?]
Leon looked at his senior with disbelief.
What in the world does this mean?
If he shouldn't write in the direction he can read, then how should he write?
[Shouldn't you write upside down so it's easy for me to read? You don't even have the basics down.]
So he needs to write in a direction that's easy for the senior to read?
Since this was an issue that lay in the ambiguous boundary between absurdity and courtesy, Leon just scratched his head.
Leon proceeded to write as his senior taught him, in a way that was easy for the senior to read.
[So what is your name, sir?]
[I'm Brian. Call me Sergeant Brian.]
Sergeant?
He thought Brian looked aged beyond his years, but didn't expect him to be a sergeant.
A sergeant handling waste disposal work, there must be quite a story behind this.
[Yes, understood. Sergeant Brian.]
Brian kicked the A-frame carrier with wooden containers for waste attached to it while looking at Leon.
Though no words were written, it was obvious he meant for Leon to pick it up and follow.
Leon hesitated in front of the carrier.
The carrier wasn't properly cleaned and had waste stains on it, and the wooden containers for excrement were more horrific inside than he had imagined.
'Do I really have to do this?'
Leon, or rather Caesar, agonized in front of the waste container.
Catching a doppelganger is one thing, but does he really need to carry waste containers?
He wondered if that bastard Le Aidim assigned him this position just to mess with Caesar.
'This is really driving me crazy.'
A stick flew at Leon's head again.
Leon instinctively dodged it with a swift movement.
Brian then looked at Leon with meaningful eyes.
His gaze seemed to question how Leon managed to dodge that.
Fearing he might get hit again if he stayed still, Leon quickly shouldered the waste carrier.
'Fine. I'll go. I'll do it.'
The waste carrier wasn't particularly heavy for Leon.
This was because he was using the body of the 'nameless soldier' that Caesar had first used when working as a spy in the Demon Realm War.
Leon couldn't remember how many times he had changed names while using this nameless soldier's body.
First it was John, then Bob, then was it Ash after that?
Anyway, every time the unit moved to a different location, he changed his name several times.
At that time, the concept of personnel management wasn't properly established, so he didn't even need to change bodies multiple times, he could just go to a completely different division and operate under a different name.
Originally, the enemies at that time were races with distinctly different appearances from humans, like vampires, succubi, and orcs, so identifying friend from foe was easy.
From a commander's perspective, only the number of soldiers under their command mattered, not whether someone was John or Bob.
It was even a romantic period where excuses about memory loss due to succubi's charm magic were readily accepted, so personnel management was extremely loose.
However, when doppelgangers including Caesar frequently acted as spies and passed military information to the Demon King's army, personnel management became quite strict.
That's why guidelines were issued requiring low-ranking commanders to maintain personnel management cards recording soldiers' names, hometowns, and family relationships.
By that time, Caesar had moved beyond being a low-ranking soldier and was operating as 'Mil, the Prince of the Sky', but still.
Lost in thought, he found himself stopped in front of the latrine.
Unlike the officers' latrines, these were built in the French style without even simple screens.
Like old Chinese toilets, they were made so people could squat and defecate while chatting with the person next to them.
Brian began writing on the ground.
[Watch carefully how I do this.]
Brian removed the leg supports on both sides to widen the waste container.
Then he inserted a long wooden ladle and scooped the waste into the wooden bucket that Leon had put down.
The process was truly nauseating and almost drove him mad.
Brian handed the ladle to Leon.
It was obvious he meant for Leon to do it now.
Leon had no choice but to take the ladle and scoop the waste.
The waste was heavier than expected.
Leon dumped the waste straight into the wooden container.
A wooden stick came flying.
Leon couldn't dodge this time for fear of splashing waste.
Smack!
[Who told you to throw it in like that? Want to walk around wearing waste-covered carriers?]
That was obviously not what he wanted.
Leon scooped the waste again and poured it carefully.
After repeating this several times, Brian finally relaxed and started smoking a cigarette on the side.
'This is really not something I should be doing.'
Going from being the highest commander of this unit, living proudly, to doing dirty and lowly work that even regular soldiers don't do, the sense of humiliation was no joke.
Just as he felt like giving up everything, laughter could be heard from somewhere.
"Ugh, these dirty bastards."
Someone called them dirty bastards while they were already doing an irritating job.
Leon saw soldiers smoking cigarettes and snickering nearby.
"Hey, that bastard is glaring at us. Guess he can hear?"
"No way, those bastards are all deaf. They can't hear."
Of course, Leon isn't deaf.
He's just pretending to be deaf.
'Stay calm. Stay calm.'
Having already started with poop splattered on his clothes, he couldn't just give up and turn back now.
Leon continued carrying poop, pretending not to hear.
"But why is Sergeant Brian still here instead of being discharged? Hasn't he been deaf for like 3 years?"
"Don't know. He must've had plenty of chances to discharge but don't know why he stays."
"That bastard used to be really successful though. He was even a Ranger platoon leader. Could he be hanging around hoping to get back into the Rangers?"
"Successful my ass. He disobeyed the battalion commander's orders, led his platoon into battle, and came back alone. That's how that bastard became deaf and lost his right toes, right? Who would use a cripple like that as a Ranger?"
Not just anyone can become a Ranger.
First, you must be an Aura user and pass strict physical, mental, and practical tests to become a Ranger.
Most Rangers are trained for special purposes, before the Demon Realm War, their main mission was hunting large monsters appearing throughout the Empire, but after the war, they evolved to hunting Orcs, Vampires, Succubi, and Beast people.
Rangers have tremendous pride, so they don't accept just anyone as their leader.
When inexperienced lieutenants or captains tried to become Ranger platoon leaders, they would sometimes be shot in the back of the head during remote operations and reported as killed in action.
So platoon leader roles were mainly filled by NCOs with lots of experience, proven skills, and strong leadership...
'Why is someone like that doing a job cleaning poop?'
Although he can't serve as a Ranger anymore since he lost his hearing and toes, Leon couldn't understand why he insisted on staying in the military just to clean poop.
"Hey, I'm bored. Wanna make a bet? Loser has to hit that bastard in the back of the head."
"That's too easy. Let's kick his poop bucket."
"I don't want poop on my feet though?"
"That's why the loser does it. How about it? Deal?"
"Deal."
Veins popped on Leon's forehead.
Fine. Come at me.
I'll shove your heads in the poop bucket when you do.
"Damn! You guys cheated right?"
"No we didn't! Hurry up and go kick it!"
Leon turned his back and waited for the guy to charge.
Just as Caesar was about to deliver a back kick when the guy came running...
Thwack!
Brian, who had been smoking, suddenly approached and kicked the charging guy in the side.
"Ugh!"
The guy face-planted right into the latrine bucket.
"Aaaahhh!"
The guy screamed like a girl with poop all over his hands and face.
Then he yelled at Brian.
"Hey, you deaf bastard! You got a death wish?!"
Brian flicked his cigarette in front of the guy and waggled his fingers.
It meant 'bring it on if you dare.'
When the guy was about to charge in anger, others ran over to stop him.
"Hey! Cool it, cool it!"
"What do you mean cool it!"
"Don't you remember the guy who got his arm crippled after picking a fight with Brian?"
"...Damn it!"
The guy swallowed hard, wiped his face with his clothes, and spat.
"Just you wait. When you get a bullet in the back of your head, it'll be from me."
What nonsense.
It's absolutely ridiculous having idiots like this in my unit.
When I return to being Caesar, I'm definitely sending these bastards to waste disposal duty.
Brian grabbed Leon's ladle and jerked his chin.
Presumably meaning 'let's go.'
Leon shouldered the poop bucket and followed him.
'But why is he doing waste disposal duty?'
Though he's deaf and difficult, he seems to have good leadership and skills based on how he moves.
He could probably find other work, so why is he doing this dirty job?
'Never mind. That's not important right now.'
Leon moved forward while carefully checking if there were any doppelgangers around.
'Phew, I almost died.'
The excrement wasn't heavy. Leon, who became an Aura user from eagerly eating magic herbs in the past, could easily lift this weight. However, his body was drenched in sweat from walking while focusing all his attention on making sure the excrement didn't splash onto his back or head.
The place where Leon and Brian arrived was the end of the ravine. Beyond that, the succubi's castle was visible. What would Agatha be doing right now? While your husband is carrying excrement around.
Brian pointed to the bottom of the ravine. It seemed obvious that he wanted Leon to pour it there. Leon tilted the wooden A-frame carrier and poured it down the ravine. Brian glanced at Leon's actions and wrote with a branch.
[Were you a Ranger?]
Leon felt slightly nervous. Had he been caught secretly using Aura? Caesar used psychometry.
-He didn't spill a single drop while moving the excrement container.
-It's strange that he didn't collapse from exhaustion while carrying the A-frame carrier, which would have happened to most people.
-But his footsteps aren't those of a Ranger.
-Just where did this fellow come rolling in from?
Indeed, it was suspicious that he didn't spill a single drop while carrying such a heavy excrement container. Leon thought briefly about what was written on his personnel record card and shook his head.
[I just know how to use Aura.]
[Since when?]
[It hasn't been more than a few months.]
Brian thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
[That's a shame. If you weren't deaf, you could have tried becoming a Ranger.]
Brian handed a cigarette to Caesar. Caesar took it and lit it with a dry match hidden in his clothes, offering it to Brian first. Brian lit the cigarette and stared blankly at the bottom of the ravine while smoking.
Caesar found Brian's gaze somewhat strange. Don't normal people look beyond the ravine rather than below? Why look down? Though curious about his past, he decided to ignore it.
Leon didn't come here just to defecate. He came to find the doppelganger.
[Sergeant Brian. Where are we going next?]
After reading Caesar's writing, Brian thought for a moment and began to write.
[We're going to the battalion command post's latrine.]
Before Leon came, he had asked Jerry to clean the bathroom. He thought the doppelgangers would frequent this area since there was a lot of information near the battalion command post.
Leon finished his cigarette and wrote.
[Then let's go right away.]
[You're strange.]
[In what way?]
[Usually, people try to avoid doing this kind of work.]
At Brian's words, Leon thought he might have stood out too much.
[I just want to finish the work quickly and rest.]
[Do you think this work suits you?]
[Of course not. I just prefer moving around to lying still in the hospital room.]
[I want to rest, so let's smoke one more.]
[Yes.]
Brian took out a new cigarette and lit it with his burning cigarette while glancing at Leon. Finding that gaze somewhat strange, Leon used psychometry.
-He's an extremely unusual fellow.
-Usually, when people become deaf, they lose motivation due to the shock.
-Perhaps...
Brian tapped his long cigarette and threw it into the ravine. Then he said.
"Let's go."
Brian observed Leon carefully. However, Leon didn't react to Brian's words and just kept smoking while staring at the succubi's castle beyond the ravine. Brian finally tapped Leon's shoulder and wrote.
[Let's go.]
[Already?]
[Just pick it up.]
Leon threw his long cigarette beyond the ravine and lifted the A-frame carrier. Then he broke into a cold sweat as he watched Brian walk ahead. Fortunately, he had read through psychometry that the guy would speak, or he might have reacted.
'He's extremely suspicious.'
Is it because he's ex-Ranger? This is exactly why Rangers can't simply be considered inferior versions of Knights. Rangers know they're weak, so their unique intuition is incredibly developed. Should I say they achieve effects beyond even learning Aura sensing operation techniques?
'Why did you assign someone with such good instincts, Le Aidim.'
Though Caesar was somewhat concerned about the possibility of being caught, he decided to look for doppelganger while using psychometry on him.
-I thought you were the same as those doppelganger bastards running around the unit recently, but you're not.
Suddenly, chills ran down Caesar's spine. How did this guy figure that out?