65 – Trickery (2)
Ned Moore was afraid of war.
“Ned! Snap out of it!”
“Ned!!!”
Every time he reached out his feet, someone he knew fell. There were many times when he couldn’t breathe properly and had to lie down to catch his breath.
Cold ground. Many times he thought he couldn’t walk anymore.
Someday, let’s leave.
Leave this tiresome place and find something else to do.
Ned Moore truly believed that. The life of a mercenary did not suit him.
The important thing is an excuse.
An excuse to leave the battlefield.
He, who was now familiar with the battlefield, needed a reason to leave, as he had become a coward who couldn’t leave with his own feet. A reason that others and himself could understand.
For him, who couldn’t do things properly because he was afraid…
A reason to leave the battlefield because he didn’t like it.
And that’s when he met her.
An abandoned baby on the battlefield.
“…….”
Her crying face was covered in dried tears. Her right arm was missing. It was as if it had never existed.
A small life moving weakly in the dust. Ned Moore held her in his arms.
The reason was simple. It wasn’t out of pity.
Excuse to leave the battlefield.
It was for that reason alone.
“Oh, Ned. Retiring, are you?”
“Well… I can’t raise a kid properly if I’m still working as a mercenary.”
“Good for you. You bastard.”
Colleagues who had shouldered with him walked away with a chuckle. Civilians he had encountered coming and going also smiled broadly.
“Mr. Ned is indeed a good person.”
Holding the baby was a great excuse. A way to leave this place without crumbling the image he had built for himself.
Ned Moore turned his head while holding the baby. Having lived in noisy places until now, next time…
“…a quiet town.”
No more wars. No more fights…
A small and quiet town.
“What do you think of going to Pinecone? It’s a nice town. Ned. Take it easy.”
Ned Moore set off to the recommended town. It was definitely a small and quiet town.
Adjacent to Harvest’s territory, but it was quiet. All the people living in the town were miners who had come here after finding the mine.
No one pointed fingers at him. Instead, they showed respect.
The person who brought fresh meat to the town. A kind person who didn’t charge too much.
“Sir.”
From raising the child he had drawn a clear line. I am not your father, so don’t call me father.
It was just a reason. Just an excuse.
So…
He tried not to hold any grudges. If he kept a grudge, if he pretended to be her father…
There was nothing more cowardly than that.
He simply raised her.
“Sir.”
He taught the boy who followed him around how to hunt. So he could survive on his own.
“Sir.”
To alleviate his conscience, he gave him a revolver. It cost quite a bit of money, but it didn’t matter.
“Sir.”
He taught him how to cook. Even if he didn’t have confidence, he taught him knowledge so he wouldn’t bow his head anywhere.
“Sir.”
From one day.
Out of nowhere, really sudden.
The kid said to himself,
“I want to become a mercenary.”
“Sir.”
From where exactly? Maybe it was from the time he got caught coughing secretly.
He said it was an incurable disease. But the kid still didn’t give up.
He went hunting more often. He pushed himself harder, saying that he’ll earn even a penny more.
The little kid grew up. The title of ‘Sir’ remained the same, but the meaning contained within changed.
And at some point.
He found himself chasing after her back as well.
The kid was just making excuses. She was just looking for a reason to escape the battlefield.
“…….”.
Actually, he knew.
No matter how hard he tried to draw the line, time doesn’t get closer.
Even if he’s called ‘Sir,’ the meaning enclosed within it is not the same as before.
He himself, also from some point…
He considered her as his daughter.
“…Wouldn’t you become the chief of Pinecone Village, Mr. Ned Moore?”
Twenty-three years have passed since he left the battlefield.
Ned Moore found solace in a small village.
With his beloved daughter and neighbors.
. . .
His chronic illness worsened.
His head was dizzy. Ned Moore bled endlessly. It was different from the previous episodes. It was like a burst from something that has been blocked for a long time.
He carried this incurable disease all the way here. He endured it without showing it, taking painkillers…
Why now, of all times…!
He knew better than anyone that the soldier’s words were nonsense. If he wanted to reveal it, he could do so immediately.
But the pouring blood blocked his path. He couldn’t breathe properly due to the explosive coughing.
Kiara.
“This, this is…”
“Captain! You have to see this!”
“Wait…who just blew the train whistle without permission?”
“I haven’t even boarded yet…wait…?”
“Hey! sh*t! Stop! I said stop!”
Kiara.
“Block it!”
“Are you crazy?! Get off! Get off you bastard!”
“…What is this…?”
“Lawton Miller lied!”
“Stop the train! I said stop!”
Kiara.
“Where’s Lawton Miller?”
“He’s on the train right now!”
“Avoid it! “
“Don’t stop it! We’ll be done for!”
“Shoot! Take out the driver!”
Kiara.
“Damn it!”
“It’s getting away!”
“Get in the car! Pursue it right away!”
“You’re going to jump over…you’re going to jump over!!”
“Clear out from the side! The train’s back end is tipping over!!!”
Kiara.
“Chief…!”
“You have to get out of here!”
“Get off the tracks now! The train is coming towards you!”
Kiara.
…Mine.
My Daughter.
The village chief raised his head. He couldn’t breathe properly, and his vision was blurry. He coughed even when he raised his head.
The
The body tumbled and rolled on the ground several times. It couldn’t grab onto anything.
…It was always like this.
Me.
I was always like this.
A clumsy guy who can’t do anything properly.
But even someone like you, properly…
Ki…ara…
…
“Sirrr!!!”
Kiara ran. I hurriedly followed behind her.
Edan Balph shouted from behind.
“Get on the escort vehicle! Chase the train immediately! Hurry!”
The two cars at the collapsed rear were in a state of chaos, with all the goods spilled on the floor. As a result, seven villagers were also crushed along with them.
The situation was a mess. The villagers clung to the resistance fighters trying to leave.
“Wait, just a moment! Just a moment!”
“Take us with you too! Please!”
“Let go! Everyone back now! Can’t you see the seriousness of the situation? We’re not trying to leave! We’re trying to retrieve the hijacked train!”
Confusion was adding to the chaos, and the situation was becoming more chaotic.
Kiara embraced the village chief. I knelt down next to her with one knee.
Injured. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but it struck my heart. It’s as good as injecting a fatal poison into my already messed up body.
“Sir! Sir!”
“Ki…ara…”
Their gaze turned towards me.
The village chief, Ned Moore, reached out his hand towards me.
Blood spurted out with a shudder. The pink liquid that fell to the ground slowly seeped in between the gravel.
“I’m… listening.”
“Drakan… Sir…”
“I’m listening. Sir.”
“My daughter…my daughter…in my place…my daughter…”
“Please, Sir! Pull yourself together! Please! No…no…”
“My daughter…my daughter…”
Ned Moore reached out his hand. Grasped my clothes.
“Anything…is fine…anything…as long as…”
“……”
“Everything…I have…everything…so…”
A father whispered.
Tears mixed with vomit in his bloodshot eyes.
“My daughter…please…my daughter…”
“……”
“I will give…anything…please…let us leave this place…”
I carefully released the hand holding onto my clothes.
Instead, I grabbed it.
“I’m a coward. Mr. Dracon.”
“My daughter…I trust you.”
“It’s a bribe. hahahaha. A little embarrassing but…”
“I’m lucky to meet Mr. Dracon.”
A fading pulse.
The earnestness contained within it was not directed at himself.
It was directed at the daughter who would be left behind.
It was somewhat heavy. Not knowing anything about their story, I didn’t feel much empathy.
After all, they were strangers.
Not close enough for me to naturally empathize with them.
…But I knew.
“…Don’t worry.”
I looked into his eyes. Eyes that seemed ready to extinguish at any moment.
Fighting fiercely…
Eyes that had struggled to the very end.
He is a good person.
He is the person who fed me the last remaining piece of meat and asked me to take care of his daughter.
I recalled a story that had passed by in the wind. Rotten Miller’s defiant voice mixed with blatant truth.
Ned Moore.
He is not someone who should die like this.
But I can’t save him. It’s too late to save him. The bleeding is severe, and his breathing sounds like it could stop any moment.
All I can do is make a promise.
…To accept the mission for him.
In any case, I am destined to become a mercenary. It wouldn’t be bad to experience it in advance. And above all…
I have a high fever.
“You can leave it to me.”
“Ah… Ahhh…”
Ned Moore laughed.
“Hmm… I… meet… you…”
His words were cut off. Kiara’s wailing engulfed the world.
I stood up. I took a few steps and looked back.
Father and daughter.
“Drakan! What are you doing? Get on immediately!”
“…I’ll go separately, Avakusa.”
“What?! What nonsense is this?”
“I received a personal request. I’ll handle it alone.”
My blood ran cold. My exhales became heavy.
I grabbed the gun. I slung it over my shoulder.
I looked back.
The townspeople gathered around him. Kiara crying inconsolably.
“What kind of request?! Damn it! Then what’s the reward?!”
“I already received it.”
“What?!”
“Beef stew.”
I boarded the vehicle.
“Run.”
“Yes…? Yes, yes!”
“At maximum speed.”
Whispered. Spitting out each word as if chewing them…
With certainty.
“Step on it. Right now.”