Chapter 1429. Continental War (9)

It was an opportunity for his world to widen a little. I had no idea how he had been communicating with NPCs, but it was clear that he never had any meaningful contact with them until now. Still, living on the continent would naturally involve some degree of interaction with them, but it seemed that he hadn’t experienced even that.

Whenever he visited restaurants or inns, did he just quietly eat his food in a corner? Had he never spoken to anyone, and had no one ever spoken to him?

Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t even look like he had ever joined a party. He was too young to drink, so he couldn’t have gone to taverns, and at places like blacksmiths or general stores, it seemed that he hadn’t engaged in any small talk disguised as bargaining with the owners.

I wondered if he deliberately chose a solitary life or if he became lonely, but somehow I felt the latter carried more weight. Few people were truly alone by their own choice. Just looking at his reactions made it clear.

It was a trivial encounter, yet his energy rose visibly, and having spent so much time alone, he was excited even by this kind of meeting.

In the current situation where the troops were at a standstill, the one who was the happiest was neither the Empire nor the Union of Kingdoms, but the Holy Sword Hero Sung Ji-Hoon. He was going wild as if he had come alone on a Boy Scouts camping trip.

“Oksana noona is calling you! Jin Yoo!” Sung Ji-Hoon called out.

‘Geez, since when did she become his noona?’

The fact that the troops couldn’t move turned out to be advantageous for us. As expected, it seemed they thought that, to move any further, they would need to reorganize things first.

A temporary camp was set in the middle of nowhere, and smoke began rising in the camp. It had been exactly one day since the temporary camp was erected.

‘The atmosphere is great.’

It was hard to believe that a war was still going on. Soldiers were gathered in small groups, receiving their meals, and as with any unit, those who stashed rations were cooking mixed stew in pots. Hygiene was obviously terrible, but our Holy Sword Hero seemed either indifferent to it or more excited about the stew than anyone else.

“Noona made stew! Lady Alps, come too! You too, nameless hyung!” Sung Ji-Hoon called over.

‘Damn it, I knew he’d try to get me to go eat that. I was already far away, but now, I can’t back out.’

“I’m fine with just the rations I got,” I told him.

“Let’s go together. Are you feeling embarrassed or something? Why are you so shy?” he insisted.

‘You’re the shy one. You’re probably scared to go alone, which is why you’re saying we should go together.’

Still, I had never imagined that he wouldn’t even eat by himself.

“She even put hambier meat in it. Before Charlie hyung got here, he secretly brought some, and today is a special day, as we've made new friends, so he just threw them all into the stew... I saw it with my own eyes.

"If you feel bad about it, you don’t have to. There’s a lot. Even an ogre could eat and feel full,” he reassured me.

“

Ahh

... really?” I muttered.

“There are tons of potatoes and other things too. It’s way better than the bland rations. I think there’s a ton of spices in it, too. It smells amazing,” he said.

“

Ahhh

...”

“Come on, hurry! Hurry!” he urged.

‘Don’t pull my arm, damn it.’

“Lady Alps, you should come too,” he said.

“O-okay...”

“You too, nameless hyung,” he added.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Hey, Jin Yoo. That hyung’s mask is really cool, right? Should I try something like that too? What do you think?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

‘I don’t know, man.’

“Maybe it’s because he came from the underworld, but he definitely carries a certain vibe. Honestly, I might want to copy him a bit... You’re interested in stuff like that, too, right?” he asked.

‘I’m not interested. What does that even mean?’

While I was exchanging pointless chatter with the idiot, I saw Oksana’s group in the distance. Just as the Holy Sword Hero had said, a huge pot of unknown origin and a fairly convincing campfire beneath it caught my attention.

The campfire was probably what had gotten him so excited.

‘Wait, is that a shield?’

Inside a pot that looked like a shield, some unidentifiable mixed stew bubbled and boiled. It looked like it had hambier meat, rationed potatoes or sweet potatoes, and basically everything thrown in except bread.

Alps was sniffing like Shiro, seemingly pleased with the food. In any case, it seemed she thought eating that would be better than choking on that hard, burnt bread.

Lee Chang-Ryeol was the same, and even I found myself oddly tempted by the stew. Perhaps it was because I had long gotten used to the cheap hambier skewers, or perhaps because Big Boy and the others somehow changed my taste buds.

“Over here!”

“Okay!”

“Come sit here, Jin Yoo,” Oksana said.

“Thank you for inviting me,” I said.

“I wouldn’t go that far and call it an invitation. We ate together yesterday, too. It’s just a bunch of people who know each other getting together to heat up some cheap food and shake off the gloom. Honestly, I thought this chance would never come, but here it is. I’m not sure whether to thank the Empire bastards or not,” Charlie said.

“...”

“...”

“If I had to guess, we’ll probably be resting here for about three days, don’t you think? Devel?” he asked.

“Who knows, Charlie. Judging by how things have gone so far, they might not hold out long and will probably move the troops soon. I heard the ranger units are combing this area like they’re hunting rats.

" Maybe losing their supplies in that last ambush knocked some sense into them. Forget us, I feel bad for the guys waiting up ahead. They’ll just be sitting there waiting for food to arrive...

tsk

. Damn it....” Devel answered.

Devel scratched his head vigorously as he continued speaking.

“Let’s leave the gloomy talk at that.”

“Yeah, yeah. We’re gathered here for fun anyway. Don’t say stuff like that... First, let’s eat. Charlie specially put a lot of hambier meat in. Ji-Hoon, you should eat too,” Oksana said.

“Thank you.”

“Even thinking back now... I wonder what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been here,” Oksana said.

“It’s nothing. Helping people in trouble is naturally something you have to do,” Sung Ji-Hoon said.

“

Hahaha

. You’re quite cheeky. Doesn't that mean you're a good guy?” she asked jokingly.

“Still, isn’t it better to be positive? The others all look dead in the eyes. Being dragged into a battlefield at such a young age... If my son were a bit older, he'd be here, too. Come to think of it, have I ever shown my son to you?” Devel asked.

‘No. You really do not need to show it. That is a death flag.’

He pulled out a picture tucked inside his helmet and started showing it around.

“What the hell? He’s good-looking.”

“When the war’s over, my dream is to go back with presents for my kids. Charlie, what about you?” Devel asked.

“Me? Well... my wish is to get back to my fiancée as soon as possible,” Charlie answered.

‘No. Never bring up a fiancée. Ever.’

I wanted to tell them to please stop that kind of talk, but they were too busy chatting about their fiancées and children. In the middle of it all, Oksana carefully took something out.

“I wasn't planning to bring this out right now, but...” she trailed off.

“...”

“How about a drink?” she offered.

“What the hell, Oksana! Where did you get that?” Devel asked.

“I have my ways,” she replied.

‘It’s just cheap rum.’

“W-wait, that’s alcohol,” Sung Ji-Hoon stuttered.

“

Hahaha

, what? You guys were going to drink too? You’re still too young. This stuff’s stronger than it looks. Ever tried it before?” he asked.

The Holy Sword Hero spoke up like it was nothing. “Well... I drank it pretty often.”

‘Look at this fool trying to act cool again.’

It wasn’t that he hated being treated like a kid. However, the way he kept glancing this way was ridiculous. Whether he wanted to imitate some hotshot delinquent or prove he was a rebel, I didn’t know, but he kept staring straight at me as he went on.

“Jin Yoo, don’t drink this kind of stuff. I’ve been through all sorts of things, so alcohol tastes kind of sweet to me now... it’s bad for your body and, well... it’s not really good for anything,” he warned.

‘This is seriously painful to watch.’

“Then do you want a glass? This is the kind of thing you learn when adults are around,” Oksana said.

“Hey, don’t just hand it to them, Oksana,” Charlie said.

“What do you mean? He said he’s been drunk plenty before. One glass should be fine, right?” she asked.

“Still, that’s...”

“So killing people on the battlefield is fine, but this isn’t? What’s your problem? These kids are already adults, Charlie,” she argued.

‘Just don't drink it, damn it.’

'Don’t overthink it and don't try to show off.'

However, it seemed he had already decided to act all confident.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Whether he genuinely believed it was cool or not, he stared at me after pouring the cheap rum into a cheap bowl.

I turned to the obviously nervous Sung Ji-Hoon and asked, “Are you really going to drink?”

“Well... actually, I-I’ve been drunk before. Th-that doesn’t mean I want you to be too scared... It’s not like I did anything that bad,” he answered with a tense face.

“

Ah

... I see.”

“I was on the good side,” he added.

‘Didn’t you say you were a troublemaker when you were in school?’

“Alright, then. Cheers!”

The mood was good.

“Hey! Someone play an instrument.”

‘Yeah. What’s a party without music?’

Apparently, they hadn’t brought any instruments, but when one person started singing, everyone began singing together. Beating on their bowls like this made them look like beggars or street performers, but somehow the songs these guys sang were actually fun.

After a sip of rum, our Holy Sword Hero was already feeling tipsy, banging his bowl along with the others and even singing along. He didn’t seem to know the tune or the lyrics, but after repeating the same lines over and over, he ended up getting the hang of it.

“

We are~ of the Republic~

”

‘You’re not even from the Republic.’

After shoveling a mouthful of stew into his mouth, he mingled with the others. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but the shy boy from yesterday was completely gone. He wandered around, chatting with everyone, and it seemed like he’d already gotten close with a lot of people.

Everyone had their arms around each other.

I felt like alcohol made that guy brave.

“Warriors of countless battles fighting on the green plains!”

“Hey!”

“You sing well!! Sing a little louder!”

“

We are~ of the Republic~

”

By showing off like this, he somehow became the center of the group. They started off playing in small squads, but the circle gradually grew until it felt like a festival. The commanders’ eyes and ears surely noticed this little rebellion, but no one intervened.

Perhaps they, too, wanted to forget their pain. The way they quietly nodded along to the rhythm while watching us almost made it seem like they wanted to join in.

Sung Ji-Hoon twirled around the camp while holding Oksana’s hand.

“Uncles, come over here!”

“What are you doing there, big guy?!”

“Hurry up!”

‘This is chaos, pure chaos.’

“Jin Yoo! Let’s make the fire bigger! Let’s make it really feel like a campfire!” Sung Ji-Hoon shouted.

‘Isn’t that a bit much? Geez, everyone around looks exhausted.’

'No matter how fun it is, you can’t sing nonstop for an hour or two.'

However, the seemingly indefatigable guy ran around the camp, rallying everyone mindlessly. In fact, Oksana, Charlie, and even Devel seem to find him more overwhelming than anyone else.

“Noonas! Come here!” he shouted.

“...”

“Hey! Guys!

Ah

! It’s Mr. Plume!”

“Big guy’s full of energy today!

Hahaha!

You always looked so exhausted, but now, you even made the effort to remember my name!”

‘He wasn’t exhausted; he's just an introvert.’

“It’s a festival! Jin Yoo! It’s a festival!”

‘No, it’s not really a festival. It’s just people in a war zone going a little crazy to blow off some stress.’

'And please, don’t start doing weird dances. It’s ridiculous.'

Tents were everywhere, and people shared their food with each other before huge campfires. Some secretly sipped their alcohol, some were singing, while some people were dancing.

I looked up at the sky and found it beautiful. The stars were sparkling, the moonlight was dazzling, and everyone was mingling, even with strangers.

They introduced themselves and asked each other where they were from. They were getting to know each other.

Yesterday, these people looked nothing but soldiers here for war in my eyes, but now, they had become a community.

Before we knew their names, they were just passing soldiers, but that was no longer the case.

“

Hahaha!

Oksana! Noona! Look at that!”

“But are we really allowed to do this? Won’t the commanders say something?”

“

Ah

, who cares! Just sing! Days like this don’t come often, right?”

“Come to think of it, we haven’t properly thanked our little hero yet.”

One man gave him a piggyback ride, and since he was completely drunk, he was just wiggling on top of the man. I found myself hoping that he wouldn't forget this day. That way...

‘He’ll feel it just a little more.’

That way, the news would hit him a bit harder.

“...”

“...”

The news that Devel and Charlie were killed in battle upon being dispatched with the reconnaissance unit.

The news came in the afternoon of the next day after he had a full night’s sleep.