36 – The Youngest
Finally, the day arrived. The best day to leave behind the life of the youngest!
Now I don’t have to scrub anymore. I don’t have to sprinkle water on the floor, and I don’t have to open the window in the morning for ventilation.
“Hey, youngest, catch.”
But the successor I was expecting was not at all like the one I imagined.
“What the hell… Did they send you to screw us over?”
“What’s this personnel manager doing? Why didn’t he cut this off?”
“I don’t know. I’m retiring now, so I don’t care.”
The grumbling seniors suddenly looked over here and chuckled.
It’s an unsettling smile. That, what was done when attempting to curry favor, is exactly the same.
Soon enough, the curiosity about what happened was resolved.
“…Did I hear it wrong?”
“Noble. Your successor. Not just any noble, but a viscount’s son. From a family in the central politics.”
Damn it. Seriously, what the hell. Why did a noble brat crawl into a place like this?
I was hoping for a successor who would treat me well when I saved up a bit cunningly.
What? A noble? And not just any rural estate, but the son of a viscount in the central politics?
“Well, don’t worry too much. Everything has been decided from above.”
“What do you mean? Are you telling me to treat him like a superior?”
“No.”
The squad leader smirked, tilted his head, and suddenly chuckled.
“Call him George.”
“…What?”
“Treat him like the others did. No need to be considerate just because he’s a noble. No need to treat him well. That’s what came from above and from the noble’s family. He chose this, so give him a proper welcome and discharge him when the time comes, that’s it.”
I thought the noble who enlisted as a soldier was just a crazy guy, but as it turns out, they’re all crazy without exception.
No matter how you say it, what the hell are we supposed to do as ordinary soldiers?
A noble. Huh? A noble! Treating such a noble casually seems easy, huh?!
“Damn it. Hey, newbie. Can’t you clean properly?”
“I’m sorry!”
“If you apologize, does it end the military service?”
“No!”
“Is it shitty? If it’s shitty, throw it away. You, a noble. Go home and cry to your father, saying you can’t do it. Can’t you do that?”
“I’m sorry!”
“We don’t care whether you’re a noble or a commoner. Damn it, this is the army. Got it? You chose to come here. It’s not like you were conscripted like us. So do it properly. Got it? We’re all watching.”
Oh. It was easy. I was nervous for the first three days, and then they immediately started acting crazy.
What was his name? Oh, right. Karl. If the name was difficult, it would’ve been really annoying.
“Damn it. Hey, Karl!”
“Private Karl!”
“Don’t you recycle? Damn it, playing around? Huh?”
“I’m sorry!”
In less than a month, he transformed a guy who was on the verge of becoming a torture victim into someone resembling a private.
The only fortunate thing is that this guy named Karl at least has a pretty upright attitude.
At first, even though he was insanely clueless, he stubbornly endured, adapting to military life.
Naturally, I thought he would spill everything to his parents, but he endured to the end, enduring again and again.
Gradually, our evaluations of him among the senior soldiers and me also turned positively.
It’s still amazing and a bit annoying that a nobleman came into the army, but.
Still, he willingly volunteered to enlist with us, despite coming from a completely different life, living in a very high place.
One day, as usual.
“Oh, damn.”
“Why is that?”
“War broke out.”
The moment I heard that sound, my heart skipped a beat. War. Damn it, war!
Moreover, the location was the vast southern forest of the Empire, not far from our unit.
If this happens, our unit will inevitably move and take over the front lines.
“Damn, damn, damn….”
Biting my nails, I lamented the miserable, hopeless life.
While others quietly discharge after military service, why am I in a war?
I don’t want to die. I want to live. It’s scary. I don’t want to go out. I’m just an ordinary person.
Should I run away? Should I desert and live somewhere in the mountains?
“Private William, are you here?”
The youngest. My successor. Karl’s voice. But unlike usual, he’s shaking severely.
“Uh, I’m here. Why?”
“D-did you hear the news? War, war has broken out! It’s war!”
“Yeah. Damn, heard it.”
“A-are we going too? Are we really going? Yes?”
This kid, just looking like this, is trembling in fear.
He might cry any moment. It seems like he’s begging for his life.
“We have to go. What are soldiers for? If they say go, we go; if they say fight, we fight.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“But….”
“Are you scared?”
Upon hearing that, the knife hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Sighing, I personally gave him a headlock.
“Argh! Ah, it hurts!”
“You little. Don’t be scared. I and the seniors will take care of everything. Got it? Just do as you’re told. If they say run, run; if they say hide, hide. And if they say shoot… Oh, come to think of it, your shooting skills are really damn awful.”
It’s strange. He excels at everything else, but why is shooting the only thing he can’t do well?
“Anyway, there’s nothing to be afraid of. The seniors and I will take responsibility and win this.”
Honestly, I’m scared too. I want to run away. I want to live.
But I can’t show that in front of my juniors. After all, I boasted about being a senior, so I can’t break down in tears and show a pathetic side at moments like this.
So, I fought fiercely. With the members of my squad. With the seniors and juniors.
Enduring whatever crap the damn enemy threw at us, we held our ground. We held on, and held on. And held our positions.
“Ah! Aaaah!”
“My arm! My arm!”
“Damn it! Karl, grab Rok’s leg!”
“Yes!”
“Rok. Rok! Calm down. Breathe! Breathe!”
A squad member, missing both arms, writhes in agony.
It’s painful. Too painful. And too frightening.
It’s a pitiful sight. But even so, we can’t just stand by and watch.
“You son of a bitch! Calm down! Breathe, breathe! Calm down!”
“Ugh! Gasping!”
“Hey, Karl. Get up on three. One, two, three. Let’s go!”
“Sergeant Rok! Endure just a bit more! Just a bit!”
War was horrific. Every day, swords clashed, bullets flew.
Arrows from the damn enemies pierced our comrades’ throats, and magic poured down like rain.
There wasn’t a single day of peaceful sleep. We relied on each other, taking catnaps while leaning on one another.
And, of course, we had to lose too many of our own.
“Thud!”
“Private Thomas!”
“Damn it!”
Thomas, who had been covering the back with a sword, collapsed. I checked hastily, but it was too late; he had died instantly.
“It’s not because of me…”
“It’s not your fault! Snap out of it, Karl! If Thomas sacrificed himself for you, then live for both of you! Huh?! Pull yourself together and live!”
There was no time for sorrow, no room for empathy. We would all die eventually.
He had already narrowly escaped death three times. And Karl, just yesterday, was on the brink of dying.
“Kahk!”
“Karl!”
A magical bombardment fell nearby, sweeping Karl away with it.
Martin, the guy who went to save him, fell victim to the snipers of the Kampf while in the midst of it.
Even then, Martin finally returned with Karl, but he himself ended up dead.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Karl, now fully conscious, looked worse than usual.
Though he seemed to be adapting a bit, his condition worsened again after Martin’s death.
“Hey, Karl.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
“Snap out of it, damn it.”
Despite hitting his head several times, there was no sign of improvement.
It took two days for Karl to regain his senses. And even then, he continued to make strange sounds.
“Damn it… Why does military life have to be twice as hard…!”
“You’re clearly paying for something. If you knew it would be like this, you should’ve lived a bit more decently!”
I thought he had finally lost his mind, but I didn’t say anything.
Honestly, how many sane people could endure this place?
Time kept passing. Our unit received the verdict of annihilation multiple times.
Those who shared this journey with us died or were sent away due to injuries. New recruits filled their places.
Yet, even they died within a day, and replacements came in.
Even that was not enough, leaving the unit with a 20% vacancy.
“Hey, Karl.”
“Private Karl.”
“Don’t give me your rank and name. What are you going to do if you go out?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s right. Well, after this war is over, I’ll go out and… Bam!”
Damn it. What the hell? For a moment, it felt like a shooting star burst in front of my eyes.
Turning my head, I realized that it was the moment the blade of the knife struck my head.
“Are you crazy?”
“Is Sergeant William the one who’s crazy? Don’t say such nonsense.”
“Huh?”
“Flag… I mean, damn it. Don’t talk about what you’ll do after the war ends, who you’ll meet. Don’t say such unlucky things.”
This guy. After being good for almost two years, he comes back with a senior beating.
I wanted to say everything I shouldn’t, but I held back.
If I said more here, I felt like I would really get shot by the knife.
…
Oh, no. Shouldn’t have done that. Damn it. If I knew this would happen, it was just a joke.
“Karl.”
“….”
“Hey, Karl.”
“….”
“This guy. Can’t even give a proper greeting. Did I eat everything from now on?”
“Keep your mouth shut.”
“There’s nothing you can’t say to a senior. Do you want to die?”
“Yes. I want to die. I want to die by Sergeant William’s hand. So, please stop talking.”
I quietly looked down. The red blood was pouring out steadily.
I don’t know much about the human body, but still, after more than two years of war, there’s something I’ve never experienced.
I’ve never seen anyone survive a hit in that area. Even if it’s not instant death, they eventually die for sure.
There’s no time to be transferred to the rear. So, I am going to die now.
“Youngest.”
“I’m not the youngest anymore. I’ll be a sergeant myself the day after tomorrow.”
“That’s right. I was a corporal not long ago.”
“….”
“Let me ask you for one favor.”
Will? I don’t really want to do that. Why burden myself with such a thing?
Leaving things for the family? I’ve already given everything. There’s nothing more to send.
It’s cold. Getting colder. My body stiffens. The surroundings blur.
It’s scary. That feeling suddenly comes. I even feel like crying out loud like this.
But I didn’t. Because there’s someone after me. It’s embarrassing, I can’t do that.
I don’t want to show that side to this guy, don’t want to add another burden.
“Hey, bring me a glass of cold water.”
“…Sure.”
“Fill it with ice. Nothing else. Just that. Got it?”
“Yes, understood.”
“Okay. Sigh… Hey, Karl. Don’t… don’t die.”
We’ve done everything we could. The seniors have done it all. The youngest one, don’t do it.
*
The youngest sat hesitantly in his seat. But soon, he stood up.
He had to live. It was the duty he had to bear as the remaining one.