Chapter 12: The Old Man and the Brat
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: The Old Man and the Brat
“Whoa.”
I couldn’t help but marvel after taking a bite of the soup and rice from the random restaurant I’d picked.
Good grief, was Arasen actually telling the truth?
On the surface, it looked like a plain, pale soup, but the savory depth created by the harmony of the hot broth and the rice was on another level.
“This is delicious.”
I spoke my thoughts while earnestly shoveling in another spoonful, but the guard sitting with me looked puzzled instead.
“Hmm, it tastes quite ordinary to me.”
“Compared to Lukart, the quality is worlds apart!”
“The carriage drivers did complain like that whenever they returned from the capital region.”
“As expected of Hus, the flavor itself is a local specialty.”
“I suppose you could put it that way.”
This wasn’t just brainwashing from Arasen during the carriage ride. I was genuinely impressed and satisfied enough to offer sincere praise.
Seeing my unfeigned compliment, the guard accepted it with a hint of pride.
“Is it enough? Should I order some dumplings?”
“No, no! I’m on duty right now, so I’m fine!”
“Hey, your current duty is escorting me, so adjusting to my circumstances is your job. Have some more. Boss! Over here, some dumplings… actually, no. Add an order of boiled pork! Should I pay now?”
“I will pay!”
The guard tried to jump up in a panic, but I pressed down on her shoulder to keep her seated.
I don’t know why the women here act like the world is ending whenever a man tries to spend a little money. In the first place, as long as a man isn’t overly extravagant, there’s no reason for him to be short on cash.
“I have to be the one to buy this so I don’t get in trouble later. I’ll just say I insisted on eating and went and paid for it myself.”
“The fact that I let an honored guest spend money is exactly what I’ll get in trouble for.”
She really has no flexibility.
With her charming curly hair, this guard was a true soldier compared to the women in Lukart, who didn’t have a lick of discipline.
“If by any chance you’ve taken a liking to me, I’m afraid I already have a husband and a child. A son, at that.”
“You have a child? I’m jealous!”
That’s something I can’t even dream of. Simply because I’d lose the looks competition.
“What’s it like when a child is born? Does a lot change?”
“Well, let’s see.”
The guard was flustered for a moment, but after a brief pause, she answered calmly.
“It’s wondrous… and mysterious.”
“That’s quite abstract, but it’s an expression that hits home.”
“That’s the best I can describe it. When I go home and the childcare starts, it’s so exhausting that I find myself thinking I’d rather pull an extra shift. But then, when the baby looks at me and smiles, I realize all over again that I’m a mother.”
Setting her spoon down, the guard had a distant look in her eyes. She was likely thinking of her baby back at the nursery. Her gaze was unfocused, yet full of life.
“My husband also stops by my house almost every day to see the baby. He even threatens me to make sure I raise him well.”
“If he wants the baby raised well, he should just help with the childcare, shouldn’t he?”
The guard gave a bittersweet smile.
“I don’t expect that much from a man. Even when he’s holding the baby, he’ll scowl and look for me the moment a diaper needs changing. But it’s cute when he hands over the childcare subsidy without pocketing it for himself, telling me to use it for the child.”
“I’m so jealous~.”
As I sat there smiling warmly, the guard asked me a question in return.
“Do you like children?”
“I do.”
“Then, do you have plans to have a child of your own soon, honored guest?”
I silently shook my head.
“Even dating is a bit of a struggle for me.”
“Ah… I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. Wishing for the impossible is just greed. As long as I can live a diligent life, that’s enough for me.”
“……”
Haha, was it my turn to have a distant look in my eyes?
There didn’t seem to be any room left for the half-eaten soup. My appetite had vanished.
“Here’s your boiled pork!”
Of course it would come out now.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Please pack it to go. I guess I was too greedy.”
“Of course!”
The owner was surprisingly a young woman, and she fulfilled my troublesome request without so much as a frown. Looking at it this way, it seems the women of Hus all have good personalities, except for the fact that their devotion to men is a bit excessive.
The owner skillfully placed the steaming pork into a small container and handed it to me. I immediately thrust it toward the guard.
“Take this home and have it for dinner.”
“No, I couldn’t!”
“Take it. I’ve heard many stories about how hard it is for mothers to prepare meals while looking after a child. Even if you can’t manage vegetables, just open the lid and eat the meat comfortably.”
“…Thank you.”
No matter how many times I experience this awkward acceptance, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. To me, it doesn’t look like she’s just unfamiliar with a man’s kindness; it looks like she’s bewildered to be receiving kindness from someone like me.
Yeah, I think you’re right.
Kindness that the recipient doesn’t want only becomes another form of awkwardness or even violence. Since I don’t expect my kindness to be accepted as a matter of course either, it’s probably better to stop at a reasonable line.
After handing over the packaged pork, I shoved my empty hands into my pockets. I gave my fingers a rough wipe to get rid of the slight grease and looked up at the sky.
It was clear without a single cloud, and the sunlight was hot.
Strangely, I always feel a sense of déjà vu and loneliness on days like this. And when I get sad, a wave of intense fatigue hits me, making me want to sleep. I don’t know why, but I’ve been like this since I was a kid.
“Shall we go now?”
I wasn’t exactly dying to see the old man, but I wanted to finish the job quickly and go lie down somewhere.
The guard straightened her posture, mindful of the gazes of those around us.
“I will lead the way.”
* * *
“Company, attention!”
Sigh.
“Salute to the No. 1 National Merit Recipient, Alto Bertrand!”
This is exactly why I didn’t want to see this old geezer so early.
“We thank you for the peace achieved through the blood of you and your comrades!”
What are you doing saluting with that smirk on your face at your age, Count Dakuus? The more you smile, the more you look like a villain, you know.
“…May this peace never be stained with blood again.”
“At ease!”
To make matters worse, even the Countess was saluting with perfect posture, making this an agonizing experience. The guard who brought me here had long since returned to the wall, and I felt like I was standing alone in the middle of enemy territory.
I reluctantly accepted the salute, and only then did everyone lower their hands.
“It’s been a long time, Alto. Has it been five years? I haven’t seen you at all since the first victory commemoration.”
“It has been a while, but I didn’t expect to see you like this, Commander Geezer.”
“Hwahahaha! This fellow! When I saw him right after the war, he was so quiet I thought he’d finally become a decent human being! You’re as disrespectful as ever!”
“Hahahaha! Old man, when I saw you at the medal ceremony, you said you’d given up on world conquest, so I thought you’d finally become a decent human being! You’re still a villain through and through, aren’t you?”
“Hwahahahaha!”
“Hahahaha!”
We both threw our heads back and laughed heartily.
Ah, this is fun. It’s been a while since I’ve seen an old comrade.
“Hwahaha… Branch Manager, don’t hold me back! Let go! Let go! I’m not going to hit him! I just want to give him a hug since it’s been so long!”
The old man, who had been slowly creeping toward me while laughing, suddenly tried to lung at me. If the ponytail woman next to him hadn’t quickly grabbed him from behind, he would have gotten a punch to the face for charging at me.
“Who do you think would accept a hug from an old geezer like you?”
“Look at the way this brat talks! Honey, Wife! I told you he was always like this! He’s a brat who would have been summarily executed long ago if it weren’t for Marquis Dakuren!”
“Oh, is that so? Come at me. Come on! I still remember how you insisted on crossing the Baran Mountains, losing all the kids’ supplies and getting us stranded. I’ll give you the beating I held back then, right now!”
When I raised both arms and beckoned him with my fingers, the old geezer looked like he was about to lose his mind and go to heaven. His face didn’t look like a villain’s anymore; it looked like a monster’s. Since he didn’t look human, it made him even easier to hit.
“And what about you, you brat! I told you not to mess with Vulcanus, but you did anyway, and you have no idea how much she chased you around!”
“Why are you blaming me for that crazy bitch chasing me of her own accord! That’s why I took responsibility and killed her!”
Vulcanus was one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings. For some reason, she became obsessed with me and followed only me, which caused the Bertrand Unit a lot of trouble. On the flip side, it was from that point on that the old man Dakuus finally started coming up with proper strategies to exploit this, allowing us to punch holes in the demon army’s front lines.
Yes, she was one of the two Heavenly Kings who descended upon the right wing during the Final War, the crazy bitch I eventually killed after a duel.
What? Speak clearly? You say it wasn’t me, but you who killed her?
We killed her together. It’s hard enough dealing with the old geezer; don’t you start nitpicking too.
“Branch Manager, do not let go of him under any circumstances.”
“Yes, ma’am! I’m doing my best!”
“You, stop it as well.”
“Wife, didn’t you see?! This fellow has no respect for his elders and is so arrogant toward his senior in life, how can I—!”
“Honey, are you perhaps enjoying the feeling of a young woman’s body against yours under the pretext of being held back?”
The air froze.
Both the Count and I froze on the spot. And the ponytail woman called the Branch Manager had already let go of the Count and was breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Alto, you rascal! Know that I am enduring this only because I am the adult here!”
“It’s probably because you’re an old man and your stamina is failing.”
“This brat again! Branch Manager, don’t stop me this time!”
“Yes, sir!”
The ponytail Branch Manager really didn’t stop the old man. The old man, who was awkwardly approaching with a face that said ‘This isn’t how this was supposed to go,’ seemed unable to stop his own momentum.
Besides, if it were just the old man, I would have kept going until the end, but since the Countess and a third party were present, I figured I should wrap this up.
“More importantly, old man.”
“What! It’s too late to beg now!”
I dropped my provocative stance and asked him quietly.
“Where is the Marquis’s grave?”
At that, the old man stopped in his tracks.
“Are you trying to change the subject?”
“Of course not. I have to pay my respects. He was one of the Four Heroes who saved humanity.”
And he was also the General of the division that included the Bertrand Unit. As a subordinate, it was only natural.
“…Follow me.”
Before I knew it, the old geezer was fiddling with his annoying mustache.
“I’ll show you the way.”
In that moment, at least, we were comrades who had fought under the same General.