Chapter 132 : Misunderstanding
Misunderstanding
On the battlefield, where lives are at stake, the only thing that matters is finding and killing as many mana users as possible.
However, I couldn't take care of all the tasks after a war by myself.
I had to closely control my subordinates.
The difference felt as stark as whether you play your own character in LoL, or control an entire army in StarCraft.
'Ah. This is driving me crazy.'
Watching the way my subordinates worked filled me with frustration.
I had asked them to check and clear the bodies of allies and foes, sort the spoils of war accordingly, and accurately count the wounded by severity, making sure not a single number was wrong in the report.
"Huh? Well, uh, you'll have to explain slowly..."
That was the response I got from the 1st platoon leader.
From the looks of it, the other platoon leaders were no different.
In the end, with my brow deeply furrowed, I decided to share with them one of Korea's famous memes.
"The company commander is disappointed in you."
I have no idea where that line originally comes from,
but, as expected, it was extremely effective.
The new platoon leaders all gulped nervously under the gaze of their freshly assigned company commander.
"Ricky!"
At my call, Ricky quickly rushed to my side and stood at attention.
Though his usual nature was endlessly flippant, in front of me Ricky was as meek as a lamb.
Seeing that, the platoon leaders flinched,
but I wasn't finished yet.
"A moment ago, what did I instruct these blockheads to do?"
Ricky recited every single order I'd given without missing a beat.
The faces of the platoon leaders turned pale at the sight,
but I wasn't planning on letting it slide.
As soon as Ricky's rapid-fire report ended, I smiled kindly as I spoke.
"You all heard him, right?"
"......"
"So? Why are you still standing here?"
Seeing my fierce expression, the four platoon leaders quickly scattered,
but I was still uneasy.
"Don't you think... they didn't memorize it all?"
Ricky replied, looking at the backs of the departing platoon leaders.
"If they understood on the first go, I wouldn't be the special operations corporal—one of them would."
I looked at Ricky's side profile in disbelief, and saw his nose proudly in the air.
That confident attitude made the corners of my mouth twitch in a grin.
"That's true. Ricky, you are a talented member from special operations. Hahaha."
The old-man voice slipped out on its own and Ricky shot me a glance, sensing my mood,
but I decided to go for the chak this time.
"If that's the case, you'll oversee and supervise them on my behalf."
Thunk! I booted Ricky on the rear and sent him off.
I had a fleeting suspicion he went 'tsk' under his breath,
but really, as long as the subordinate does the work well, that's all that matters.
So, I too,
'I should obey my superior's orders.'
Just a moment ago, the battalion commander had called me by voice.
I headed towards the garrison where the old man would be.
Step, step.
All the soldiers looked busy and exhausted,
but the mood wasn't bad.
No doubt that was thanks to the sweet fruit of victory.
Meanwhile, Lantz still looked busy as ever.
In fact, Lantz was currently the acting battalion commander.
He had to manage the members of both the 1st and 2nd companies.
Luckily, as the battalion commander's top disciple, he seemed to be handling the job well.
Thinking this, my eyes met with Lantz's.
"......"
There was a brief moment of awkward eye contact,
then Lantz slowly dropped his head in a greeting toward me.
Startled, I belatedly bowed my head back.
When I raised my gaze, Lantz was smiling faintly at me,
and all the soldiers and officers around Lantz,
"!!"
Were saluting me.
They had clenched fists against their chests.
There wasn't any formal salute command,
but in their gazes, I felt a searing gratitude.
Unable to just stand idly, I returned the salute.
Chak!
Perhaps in my entire life, it was the most sharp and disciplined gesture I'd ever made.
*
Only the minimum garrison force remained at the post.
I deliberately ignored the burning gazes of those stationed atop the spire and entered the tent where the battalion commander was.
Flap.
Inside, Hank lay teetering at the edge of life and death,
and beside him, the back of a bald head could be seen sitting in a chair.
"Loyalty shines upon you."
Instead of answering, the battalion commander tapped the seat next to him.
I quietly went and sat down, asking,
"Why did you call only me?"
It was because Lantz and Legion were still on site.
With that strange smile, the battalion commander replied,
"Well. Why do you think?"
Time for the battalion commander's signature reasoning test.
Normally, I'd have to stifle my irritation,
but today, I didn't feel like that at all.
He was a man who'd lost so much in this war.
A lifelong warrior, he'd lost one of his long arms,
and now stood to lose even his own son.
Even so, the fact that he was still reasoning calmly struck me with admiration for his mental fortitude.
So I answered him as I usually would.
"It's obvious, isn't it? You called me to talk about something you can't say in front of Captain Lantz or Special Investigator Legion, just between the two of us."
At my cheekiness, the battalion commander chuckled and answered.
"That's right. Hah, was it too easy a question?"
"Other than Commander Hank, I'd say everyone else would get it right."
"What?! Hahahaha! Fair point."
At my answer, the battalion commander broke out in loud laughter.
I joined in as well.
After a short while and a brief silence, the battalion commander spoke first.
"You once told me: for Granfen to survive, I, the battalion commander, must live."
I searched my memories.
After I dealt with Schutmann,
I'd said something similar to the old man who was ready to sacrifice himself to save Hank.
"I did."
I nodded, and the battalion commander let out a deep sigh.
"In truth, it may be the opposite. Because of me, so many lives may have been lost in this war."
"No, that's not true. Today, thanks to your speech, more soldiers survived, and your strategies kept the officers alive."
"No. That's not it. Not at all."
"Battalion commander..."
"For an outsider like you, I don't know where to begin, but just listen as you will."
The battalion commander now grew solemn.
I prepared myself, bracing to bear the weight of what he was about to say.
"As Schutmann said, my real name is 'Kratnus Kaischen'. Royalty of the Duchy..."
The words that followed left me in shock.
"Half-brother to the Sovereign, Gillierm Kaischen."
*
I'm an old hand with deep knowledge of builds and strategies,
but I'm fuzzy on the lore and unknown NPCs.
Still, I know well-known NPCs like the Demon King Nabas, hero Rio, and Mercenary King Gardoc.
Among these named NPCs was Gillierm.
'The ruler of the North has always been Gillierm.'
It's a roguelike game where national powers shift each playthrough.
So, the key NPCs often changed,
but not once did Gillierm ever fail to leave his mark on the game.
The reason for that is simple:
'Because of Gillierm's brutality.'
In Korea, Gillierm's nickname was "Gil Bangwon".
Like the Korean prince who massacred all threats to solidify his rule,
Gillierm in the game slaughtered all his brothers, even his half-brothers.
That's probably why I didn't recognize the battalion commander's full name.
He was never someone I ever encountered in the game.
Thus, it was only natural to wonder,
'How did the old man survive?'
I don't know the exact timing of Gillierm's bloody purge,
but at this point in the game, it's late stage.
Kratun, the half-brother, should have long since died.
So how could he be serving as a battalion commander in a remote northern region?
The answer was stranger than expected.
"I came to Granfen as the price of extending my life. However, I had to agree to several conditions—I'd never leave Granfen, would never have children, and, finally, would never succeed to the 5th rank. That was the deal."
My mind was in knots.
After playing Belkhazium for 10 years, I'd never seen such a backstory.
Of course, I'd never seen it mentioned on any community boards either.
Could it be,
'A difference between the game and reality?'
Maybe reality's Gillierm is less brutal than his game counterpart.
I thought that for just a moment,
but the battalion commander's next words snapped me back.
"I agreed to all that, got castrated, and came to Granfen."
I barely kept myself from cursing out loud,
to which the battalion commander chuckled.
"If sparing my life was the price, what's a little thing like a manhood?"
Hmm. Maybe. I don't know.
If put in the same situation, I'm not sure what choice I'd make.
But, anyway, that wasn't the point.
"Then what about Commander Hank?"
"... Not long after I became the battalion commander of Granfen, a child came looking for me. His looks, his character, his green hair—there was no doubt he was mine. Hah."
A child born from a woman he'd once loved.
She died at the hands of Sovereign Gillierm,
and the secret child who had been hiding came to Granfen.
At a time when he thought he'd lost everything by choosing survival,
his own son appeared, and—
"After that, my entire life changed."
At first, being exiled to the frontier seemed like a foolish choice,
but it was Hank's arrival that brought light back into his life.
The battalion commander's face brightened as he reflected on that moment.
But his smile didn't last long.
A tear trickled down from his wrinkled eye.
I, too, felt a pang of sorrow,
but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
"So I kept it a secret from everyone that Hank was my child. If word got out, both Granfen and everyone else would be in danger. But... it looks like we've been found out."
The battalion commander seemed to think Schutmann had gone wild because of him and Hank,
"Jeros... however he found out..."
Grinding his teeth in anger, the battalion commander's rage was palpable.
Seeing that left my thoughts in chaos, to the point where my mind felt like a tangled ball of yarn.
'What's going on? Wasn't the outsider trying to use White Fang to create the Stack Labyrinth?'
I didn't know which of the two stories was true,
but I started to understand what he had meant before.
'So that's why he blamed himself.'
Many emotions flashed across the battalion commander's face.
So I came to a decision.
'I'll just tell him everything about the outsider and the labyrinth that will appear at the spirit stone quarry.'
I decided not to withhold information or weigh things endlessly like before.
Because I judged he was someone I should trust and support.
If I wanted to prepare for the future more cool-headedly, this was the better option.
Just as I made up my mind,
Puuuuk!
I saw a spray of red blood burst before my eyes.
In the battalion commander's hand was a knife, and from where it passed, blood gushed out.
'Huh?'
Since coming to this world, I'd seen many deaths.
I'd killed many myself,
and watched others die beside me.
But I'd never seen someone take their own life.
It was so shocking, it filled me with despair.
"Ba-Battalion commander!!!"
I caught the falling battalion commander.
The old man looked at me with fading eyes and said,
"Khk. If I die and an OOPArts appears... please equip it on Hank."
In the end, the battalion commander gave up his own life to do whatever he could to save Hank.
"I'm begging you."