Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Pig Hunt (2)
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For breakfast, I had a soup with a bit of dried meat in it, then stood up to head to the barracks on time for muster.
The moment I got to my feet, my wife started stacking and tidying the bowls.
Seeing my wife organizing the bowls—my beloved wife—I smiled and said,
"Alright then, I'm off, Maria."
As I moved to step out the door, Maria came to see me off, just like always.
"Honey, when does your shift end today? I'll have dinner ready for when you get back."
"...Probably around sunset, like usual. No duty, patrols, or training today."
Maria beamed with a bright smile at my words.
"Got it? Then let's eat together. I'll make something tasty. You like rye bread and dried fish, right?"
"As long as it's not hardtack. Actually, hardtack might even taste good if I'm eating it with you, Maria."
At the mention of hardtack, Maria's face turned serious, clearly recalling the time she had to smash it with a hammer.
"I don't even want to eat bread that needs a hammer to break. It's not even that cheap—it's just tasteless. Let's just have the rye bread together."
"Sounds good. See you later."
The moment I opened the door to leave, Maria hugged me lightly from behind, as she always did.
"Have a good day, honey. Don't get hurt today."
"I won't. You might not know it from seeing me at home, but at the barracks, they call me the invincible Mark! I'm serious!"
"Sure, sure. You're always right. So just come back safe."
"Got it. I'm really heading out now."
Since breakfast and our morning flirtations with my wife had taken a bit longer, I sprinted full speed to the barracks to avoid being late.
Back when I lived alone, rushing to work—even if I hadn't overslept—always felt awful...
But if it means spending even a little more time with my beloved wife in the morning, then running to avoid being late is a small price to pay...
It's actually nice.
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Thanks to running like my life depended on it without any breaks, I luckily made it to the barracks right on time.
"Huff... huff... Sergeant Mark, reporting for duty."
Seeing me out of breath, the platoon leader chuckled.
"Flirting with your wife again this morning and had to run for it? Must be nice. I should get married too. Damn, at this rate, I'm scared I'll end up single past thirty like Captain Johan."
"Don't say such awful things, sir. You're not a mercenary—Lieutenant Frost, unmarried at thirty? You're only twenty-four, aren't you?"
"I'm just saying. If I haven't married by then, I'll have to ask my father, Sir Frost, to play matchmaker... But none of the women he sets me up with are as pretty and kind as your wife."
The platoon leader wore an utterly ridiculous expression as he said that, but it was probably because he thought I was ridiculous for doting on my wife so much.
Proof was in his eyes—they were honestly telling me, "I'm jealous."
So, to tease this bachelor platoon leader a bit more, I decided to correct another one of his misconceptions.
"Sir, my wife Maria is a great cook too."
That hit home. He glared at me—the guy who got married before him—like he was seriously annoyed.
"That spear drill after lunch? Sergeant Luka was supposed to handle it, but I have to take him to meet the captain today. You're in charge."
"You're dumping that annoying chore on me? It's not even my turn."
"Or would you rather do the digging the captain assigns? Sergeant Major Hartmann's been saying lately that you're his future successor and wants to personally teach you how."
Spear drill might mean repeating the thrust and retract motion endlessly, dozens or hundreds of times in the same stance...
But it's still better than digging with Sergeant Major Hartmann. That man will make you dig until the angle is perfect, then hunt down even the veteran corporal mercenaries resting in the corners of the barracks to make them work too. He's a monster...
No wonder Sergeant Short from the scouts seriously tried to recruit him for reconnaissance duty.
To avoid the misfortune of joyful digging sessions with the sergeant major, I smiled and said,
"Of course, sir! I love training!"
"Too bad!! It was a great chance for sergeant major promotion!! Get going!!"
I bolted before the great platoon leader—who was far more tedious and grueling than any spear drill—could assign me extra work.
As I ran, I heard him mutter, "Can't even get married, dying of envy, and he has to flaunt his newlywed life in front of me..." Yeah, good call to run.
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After finishing spear drill, lunch was—as expected—hardtack and salted meat again.
"Why hardtack again today? Wasn't it three days ago too...?"
"They say there's a surplus of hardtack lately. His Excellency told us to eat it... It's even on the company commander's table..."
"'Yo'? 'Yo'? You deaf?"
Gellie, the private who dared use casual "yo" despite his low rank, cheekily replied to Private First Class Shark who had called him out.
"I'm not complaining about eating hardtack. Cut me some slack, Private First Class Shark."
"You gotta admit it's hardtack. Got your iron rod?"
"Yes, sir. And I brought milk too."
Mix crushed hardtack with a splash of milk and a lump of salt-cured meat into a porridge, and it's at least edible...
"Good work, private."
"Thank you."
With that, we split into squads and started smashing hardtack with iron rods.
Next, we put a big iron bucket over the campfire, added milk, salted meat, and crushed hardtack, and made porridge.
Hardtack porridge never looks like food fit for humans, no matter how many times I see it.
The milk, hardtack, and salted meat mix into a color like pale muddy water, and the taste...
"Ugh, it's disgustingly salty... How are we supposed to eat this...?"
"Why would His Excellency the Great make such awful food...?"
"Ahh, it's all because it's army rations."
As we choked down the horrific slop, Private Sands, the company messenger, approached me.
Whenever that guy shows up, it's never good news...
"Hey, what do you want?"
"Afternoon training is canceled. His Excellency has called for the entire army instead."
"The entire army? We heading into battle right now?"
"I don't know. I'll be going now."
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Instead of afternoon training, we all gathered at the base of the walls on His Excellency's orders.
As sergeant and deputy platoon leader, I naturally stood beside the platoon leader, and with nothing to do, we started chatting.
"Sir, why are we gathered?"
"Beats me. Even the company commander doesn't know."
If even the company commander doesn't know, it must be something huge... What mess is about to drop now?
"Last time we got called for something even the company commander didn't know about, the captains and platoon leaders from that other company got executed out of nowhere for stealing weapons, right?"
"Wonder whose head rolls this time... Please not just our company commander."
After some idle talk like that, trumpets announced Baron His Excellency's procession atop the walls.
And soon after, His Excellency spoke flatly from the watchtower.
"Before I begin, one question first. Proud soldiers of Kroitel—what do you fight for? Anyone, speak up."
Of course, none of us lowly soldiers dared answer the lofty Baron's question.
We just stood there blankly, waiting for someone else to reply.
His Excellency then spoke in an irritated tone.
"Fine. The one who shone brightest in my first war... Sergeant Mark!! Why do you fight?"
At those words, I felt grateful that His Excellency remembered a mere soldier like me—and resentment at why me of all people.
But I'm a soldier. Soldiers always do as the company commander says... If he says dig, you dig.
So I bellowed my answer.
"Your Excellency! I fight for you, who gave me a proper job and respect, and for my wife Maria!"
Pleased with that, His Excellency smiled and asked,
"No regrets?"
"None! If I hadn't followed you, Your Excellency, I wouldn't even be married—I'd still be doing menial labor, eating slop until I dropped dead, whoring with cheap street girls occasionally like the trash I was!!! Thus, the best choice of my life was becoming your soldier!!!"
Everything I just said was true.
I complain that hardtack tastes bad, but before joining the army, all I had was thin gruel with a few wheat grains—worse than hardtack—every day.
That life wouldn't have changed until I died, and I never would've dreamed of a 'future' like I do now.
I'd have lived miserably alone and died miserably alone.
His Excellency seemed truly satisfied with my answer. He clenched his right fist, raised it high, and shouted,
"Just as Sergeant Mark said, I will do my utmost so that joining my army becomes the best choice of your lives! As long as my house endures, I swear this promise."
He paused briefly, then took a deep breath and spoke in a mischievous tone.
"You've all probably heard it in the taverns by now, but you know how I dealt with Count Nant for laying hands on my beloved maid Ella. I assume no one hasn't heard—if anyone claims ignorance, their platoon gets hardtack rations for a month."
Harsh words, but unless you're some monk, everyone in the taverns has heard the tale...
We could all laugh at His Excellency's clumsy attempt at humor.
After a brief laugh, he drew his sword and continued.
"Yes, my esteemed liege, Count Nant, treated me—and you all—like dogs. Bound by fealty, I fed that pig slop anyway... but he's crossed the line. Even in the last war, he raped virgins from our allied villages... So I ask you married Mark here: if your wife is pretty, wouldn't that wild boar come claiming her?"
.... Even for a count, that's crossing into madness.
No, even if they hack off my limbs, I'd stop that.
"If he tried that crap, I'd rip off that bastard's arms and legs. How could such scum be my lord?"
His Excellency nodded at my furious words.
"That's why I can't tolerate that bastard's crimes anymore. Soldiers, I ask you again: is it right to subjugate this pig who steals the blood-earned pay of soldiers, flees in terror after trying to steal vanguard glory, and lusts after your wives, daughters, sisters, little sisters? Is that the image of your proud liege?"
I—and all the soldiers—replied in unison.
"We must kill him! Kill him for us!!"
His Excellency raised his drawn sword to the sky and declared,
"The entire army marches in two months to subjugate the pig who abandoned honor for women. This isn't for me. Fight this battle purely for your families, your most precious ones! And I swear: unlike that pig, I will reward your blood, sweat, and merits to the utmost!"
..... It was war after all.
But as His Excellency said, I'll now stake my life to protect Maria.
And return to her arms.