Chapter 158: Box of Conscience
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 158: Box of Conscience
It took only a few minutes for the food to arrive.
“Here you go! Eat up!”
With a cheerful cry, Anna placed a bowl in front of me. It was filled with some kind of lumpy stir-fry, not much different from what everyone else was having.
It looked like no other food on earth. Its slight, oily sheen was the only silent testament to the fact that it had been stir-fried.
The Captain stared blankly at the bowl.
It was a familiar reaction, so Anna laughed heartily and spoke.
“Looks a bit strange, doesn’t it? But that’s just how this place is. All we have to fill our bellies are canned beans, and don’t you sometimes feel like cutting your own tongue out after eating nothing but that awful stuff? That’s when people come here, carrying their canned beans and one other ingredient to add.”
Anna ladled some soup and set it down before us as well. An assortment of complex aromas rose from the similarly unidentifiable soup. It must have contained at least a dozen ingredients.
The fact that this baffling aroma managed to whet the appetite was purely a testament to Anna’s skill.
“I take what they bring, stir-fry it or boil it all together, and make a new dish. It’s a kind of communal sharing, you could say. People help each other out to create a new flavor, something different from canned beans. It might look like a hodgepodge, but it tastes good, so don’t you worry…”
“Slurp. Hah!”
But the Captain was one of the people who had eaten the most canned beans in the world. The food’s appearance wasn’t what was stopping her. Her attention was already completely fixated on the bowl before her. Drool dripped from her slightly parted lips.
“Weren’t you going to eat? Then why are you just staring… ah.”
Anna finally realized that the Captain had no utensils in her hands. She rummaged through a cupboard, looking for spares.
“The rule here is that you bring your own utensils. You can make a makeshift bowl by hammering a can flat, but it’s hard to make a spoon or a fork that way.”
“A rule, you say?”
The Captain reacted strongly to the word “rule” and vehemently refused.
“If that is the rule, then I shall go and procure my own.”
“But I keep one or two spares for people who come without knowing the rule. Here, take this.”
“But a rule is a rule, is it not?”
“Well, giving utensils to first-timers is my own little rule. My arm hurts, so take it quickly. I was just cooking, and my arm feels like it’s about to fall off.”
Startled, the Captain quickly accepted it. Anna smiled benevolently, watching the flustered Captain with a warm gaze.
“You’re a good kid.”
Hit with the sudden compliment, the Captain clutched the spoon tightly and fell into thought.
‘That is not so. I am neglecting my duty. Not only am I hesitating, unable to make a decision, but I am also beginning to break the rules. Moreover… if I were to remain faithful to my mission. I would have to…’
Even such complex thoughts quickly faded in the face of humanity’s primal desire to eat. The Captain let the remnants of her thoughts trail off in a single word.
“…Negation.”
With great difficulty, her spoon moved toward the stir-fry. After hesitating a few times, the Captain finally gave in, scooping up a spoonful and putting it in her mouth.
The moment the food touched her tongue, the tension in the Captain’s face vanished as if it had been smoothed away.
‘…This is incredibly delicious! This is a flavor I have never encountered, not even in the 99 State Signature Series Recipes!’
They say even a shoe tastes good when fried. How much better would canned beans, which were edible to begin with, taste when given the same treatment?
Besides, despite her current appearance, Anna was once a woman who had experienced all sorts of cuisine. Fine-tuning flavors was a simple task for her.
No, in fact, it was a task that only she could accomplish.
Anyway.
“Anna. Where’s my spoon?”
“This isn’t your first time here, so what are you looking for a spoon for? If you don’t have one, eat with your damn hands.”
“Tch. Everyone’s so harsh on me.”
I guess I have no choice but to use my own. I didn’t want to take it out because washing it is a pain. I pulled my personal spoon from my bag and started digging into the stir-fry.
Seeing me holding a spoon, Anna stared at me with a cold expression.
“So you had your own all along. What has that child been eating with until now?”
“A slightly bent can lid.”
“You let her eat like that, while you alone? You’re a truly wicked child.”
“Aw, you don’t have to praise me.”
“Your nerve is something else…”
Sighing, Anna calmly watched the Captain devour her food. She must have been starving, as her bowl was already nearly empty.
Anna scooped another portion of stir-fry from the griddle, intending to give her a second helping.
“She seems like a pitiful child. Still, it’s a relief that she seems to trust and follow you. I suppose you’ve been treating her well.”
“Cough! Cough!”
Whoa, hold on. It went down the wrong pipe.
While I was coughing, Anna’s gaze grew even colder.
“You haven’t been teasing a child like that, have you? I trust you have at least that much sense.”
“Ahem. Of course not. I’ve been helping her in various ways to maintain her health.”
It wasn’t a lie. It may have been with reckless indifference, but the Captain did get to stretch thanks to me. So isn’t it all thanks to me that she’s maintained her health?
“Are you sure you were helping her? Not just playing with her?”
“Ahaha.”
But this is the signaller’s fault—no, the Military State’s. When you hear the rank “Captain,” you imagine someone living a life of luxury, sipping on ice-cold beer, not someone cooped up in a small room doing nothing but communications, right?
Anna’s gaze became even more suspicious. If I kept eating like this, I’d get indigestion. To divert her attention, I took out the item I had hidden in my bag.
“Ah, Anna. Here. I should have given this to you earlier, but I forgot.”
“What is it?”
“What do you think? The rule here is to bring an ingredient for the stir-fry or stew when you come.”
“Since when were you so mindful…”
The item I slyly presented was the portion of the Regressor’s spices that I had pocketed. Anna frowned as she examined the spice, then, startled, quickly hid it in her clothes.
Recognizing its value, Anna lowered her voice and asked again.
“…Sprinkled Gold Dust. How did you get this?”
“A noble person from a faraway land gave it to me.”
“What in the world have you been up to in the short time I haven’t seen you…”
After a moment of thought, Anna shook her head.
“No. This is too expensive. Especially for the people here to eat.”
“Who said anything about eating it? Sell it, take a reasonable commission, and give me the rest.”
Once upon a time, Anna was a renowned maid even in the kingdom. The noble knights, whose might was their power and authority, were always keen to gather trustworthy vassals, and a competent and loyal retainer was a precious asset that couldn’t be obtained even with a mountain of gold.
Anna was someone who had served under a powerful noble knight, handling everything from taste-testing for poison to cooking. Though she had given it all up now to cook for everyone, she was one of the few who knew the value of this spice.
Now that the Military State had a tight grip on the nation and placed high prices on luxury goods, only someone like Anna could sell it at its proper value in the right places.
After deep consideration, Anna spoke.
“I’ll just take 10%. Is that alright?”
“10%? Seriously? You’re too soft. How are you going to feed the kids and make a living like that?”
“…You have a natural talent for infuriating people. Fine, I’ll take less, so you take the rest. Consider it payment for taking care of that child.”
Just then, another order came from behind us. Anna turned to attend to it, pushing a bowl full of stir-fry toward the Captain.
“Still, you always had a habit of picking up pitiful children from somewhere. I trust you. So please, take good care of that child.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to give her a grand tour of the Military State’s back alleys.”
After we filled our stomachs, we walked the streets, exchanging greetings with a few people who recognized me.
Having lived in the back alleys for quite some time, I was on friendly terms with many, and those I knew treated me casually.
The Captain, who had been watching me with suspicion at first, grew more and more puzzled as the number of people greeting me increased.
‘This is absurd. How could a person like this possibly command such respect?’
How about you question your own preconceptions before questioning my reputation? What makes you so sure I can’t be respected?
Before long, it was 7 o’clock. It was a little early, but after a long journey, we needed rest. I led the Captain to my humble abode.
Now, it was time for the long-postponed moment of truth. What state would my home be in after I’d been away?
“I’m, uh, starting to get incredibly excited. I bet a child about to open a present isn’t as thrilled as I am right now.”
“Did you not say you were guiding me to your home? Why do you say you are thrilled?”
“Ah, you wouldn’t know. It’s a common story in the back alleys.”
A familiar two-story house in District 15-5. It wasn’t a tall building, but due to a design flaw, it was an old structure upon which no more floors could be added. My home was in this building, where the quality of life was overwhelmingly better as a result.
I continued my explanation as we climbed the stairs.
“They say that a person who was… ahem, wrongfully arrested and sent to a labor camp in a faraway place, even a heretic who doesn’t believe in God, will clasp their hands and pray before entering their own home. Praying that no one has robbed their house while they were away.”
The third room on the right corridor of the second floor. My home, and a place that had been vacant for the past few months.
“In this paradise for petty criminals, an empty house is no different from a treasure chest you can just drop by whenever you’re bored and grab anything valuable. So, whatever is left in an empty house is the conscience of this Military State. An empty house is, in essence, a Box of Conscience.”
The Box of Conscience in this back alley of the Military State was…
There was no need to check. The door was wide open.
“Looks like the Military State’s conscience has been completely stolen. Well, it’s been empty for months, no way it would be untouched.”
The Military State does not help you find your lost property.
Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re lax on public security. If a thief is caught in the act, they’re usually blamed for all the other recent thefts in the area. So, thievery isn’t something you can do without serious resolve. You have to risk your life for every penny you steal.
However, this doesn’t apply to houses left empty because their owners were dragged off to labor camps.
There’s no one to report the crime.
“Wow, it’s like a new house. In that there’s nothing here.”
My home was a mess, yet simultaneously clean. Because every single item, except for a few pieces of furniture too large to carry, had vanished.
Those bastards. They really cleaned the place out.
“It looks like it’ll be difficult to stay here tonight.”
As I muttered, looking at the disastrous state of the room, the Captain tilted her head and asked.
“…? I did not hear you correctly. What did you say is difficult?”
“Pardon?”
“I believe it would be manageable with just one blanket. I will go out and purchase one.”
Here? Stay here? How? It’s no different from sleeping on the streets.
‘It is more spacious than the windowless room I stayed in. That was unavoidable due to the nature of my profession, but still, this place… has a window. That alone is sufficient for me.’
Please, just stop with the sudden tragic drama scenes. It makes me feel so bad I can’t say anything. If it weren’t for her title as a Captain of the Military State, she’d just be another unfortunate soul.
I thought I was a heartless swindler, a cold-hearted magician who toyed with people’s minds. But I guess I was wrong.
Someone who can move a heart is greater than someone who can read one…
I sighed and walked toward one of the walls in the cluttered room.
“No need to buy anything.”
I fiddled with the alarm clock on the wall. One turn to the left, six to the right, and two back to the left. With a click, I heard something engage and the lock release.
I pushed the wall, and what I thought was concrete, a fake wall, slowly flipped over. A hidden empty space was revealed, and my real home appeared.
“This is my real home.”
“?! One person has been assigned two residences? That is beyond illegal; it is administratively impossible!”
“But there are rooms that aren’t registered as residences. This building had an extra room created due to a design flaw.”
Fortunately, this was the land of petty criminals. They might steal from an empty room whose owner had disappeared, but they wouldn’t dare think of tearing down the house itself. The Military State might not catch minor thieves, but they come down hard on anyone who damages buildings or property.
And as for unauthorized renovations, well, it’s not a crime if you don’t get caught.
The room I entered through the opened wall featured a comfortable armchair and a lamp. The air was chilly from being unoccupied for a long time, but as soon as I turned on the lamp, a bright light and a cozy warmth enveloped the room.
It wasn’t spacious, but it was more than enough for one person to live in. The low bookshelf held several books, the lamp in the center of the room was a high-quality item not easily found, and the rugs and blankets were appropriately laid out, softly welcoming their owner back after a long time.
To put it simply, it was a room of a luxury rarely seen in the Military State.
‘It is better than my windowless room…! Even setting that aside, it looks better than the quarters at headquarters! I am a level 3 Captain! Th-this is unfair! It is an extravagance!’
And it seemed the Captain was thinking the same thing.
“This is an extravagance! I question the assets you have accumulated!”
“Are you jealous?”
“Jealous…! I am not! I am a soldier of the Military State! However! I am merely questioning the items that appear to have been acquired through illicit means!”
“Evidence?”
“I-I have not found any yet…! But there must be something wrong!”
I knew it.
But from time immemorial, what tempts officials are recognition and wealth. I decided to win the Captain over. In the literal sense.
“Uh, sorry, but the smell is a bit strong, so it’s hard to talk face-to-face. Why don’t you wash up first and come out?”
“Smell? I do not smell anything…”
“You don’t smell it because it’s your own scent. Hurry up and wash.”
I pushed a towel and soap into the Captain’s arms and shoved her toward the bathroom. She sniffed herself, half-convinced.
A moment after she entered the bathroom, a scream erupted.
“Emergency! Emergency!”
“What is it now?”
“The water is hot! I suspect a fire!”
Does this Captain even know what a hot bath is? I sighed and shouted toward the bathroom.
“You won’t die. Think of it as penance, fill the tub with water, and soak yourself to get clean.”
“Hot water in the bathtub?! Are you planning to boil me alive?”
“I was planning to win you over, but now I see that was a pointless thought. I wash with hot water too, so you try it, Bbey.”
Perhaps gaining courage from the fact that I did it too, the sound of splashing water came from inside the bathroom. And then.
“Haaahhh.”
An exclamation of bliss escaped the Captain, who was washing her body with hot water for the first time in her life.
“It’s hot, it’s hot. But…”
“It’s bearable, right?”
“…Affirmaaaative…”
Her drawn-out voice echoed softly.
This wasn’t the life of an ordinary citizen of the Military State, but for the Captain, who had been living worse than most, an opportunity like this should be fine.
The sound of water stopped. The Captain had submerged herself in the tub filled with warm water.
‘…I must be faithful to my duty, but now, I am not so sure.’
What she had experienced today was the daily life of the citizens of District 15, but for the Captain, it was an incredibly powerful stimulus.
The outpouring of attention and kindness was something utterly foreign to a signaller who had spent so long in confinement.
‘He seemed to be highly respected. Surely, many would grieve if he were to die. In comparison, I… all I have are the few other signallers from my class. In that case, would it not be better if I were the one to disappear? Even without me, another signaller can simply take my place…’
Just you wait a little longer, Military State. I don’t know how you turned a signaller into this kind of person.
But I’m going to corrupt her thoroughly before I send her back.
‘…But this is a strange feeling. As if my flesh is being cooked, my body relaxing…’
Oh, wait. No, right? Surely not?
‘…Just like this, to fall asleep… and not want to wake up…’
“Hey, Captain Bbey?”
‘Zzz…’
She’s asleep! This crazy Captain!
“Bbey! Wake up!”
“…”
“Seriously, was your first hot bath ever that stimulating?! I said wake up!”
“…”
“Wheeeeeee!”
“…”
“Come on, you wake me up like this, but you won’t wake up yourself!”
Damn it, this is bad. I can’t read any thoughts. She must be really asleep. She’s not dead, is she?
I have no choice. I kicked the bathroom door open. Amidst the thick, blurry steam filling the bathroom, the Captain was fast asleep, comfortably submerged in the tub. Bubbles were fizzing near her face.
“Agh, for crying out loud!”
I pulled the Captain’s limp body out of the tub. I propped her against the edge, knelt in front of her, and pulled her arms over my shoulders to lift her onto my back. I could feel her soft skin against me. A scent like damp, dewy grass washed over me from behind.
Ah, damn it. It’s dangerous when I can’t hear her thoughts. Think pure thoughts, think pure thoughts.
“…Heeey. Piggy… back…”
Thank you. That cleared my head of any stray thoughts.
I quickly laid her on the bed, fumbled for her wrist, and fitted the pajama packet I had prepared onto it. Alchemic threads formed over her pale skin, which had rarely seen the sun, and soon transformed into pajamas that gently enveloped her body. The Captain slept on, oblivious to the world, with an innocent face devoid of any sense of crisis.
With a deep sigh, I pulled the blanket up to her chest.
“Good grief, you’re a handful. It’s like raising a little sister.”
Hoo. Anyway, she’s asleep.
Now then, shall I get to my own work?