BSW 248

It was bewildering. He had never imagined that Tae-muk would feel happy in a moment like this. He had naturally assumed Tae-muk would be miserable, in pain, and resentful, but to be happy?

Ho-eun suddenly felt the wind go out of his sails. It felt impolite to be so presumptuously pitying and sorrowful for a man who claimed to be happy.

Ho-eun rubbed his tears away vigorously with his hand. Seeing his already crimson skin turn even redder, Tae-muk pushed his hand away and gently wiped the tears for him instead. He even blew soft breaths of air—ho, ho—to cool the flushed skin.

Ho-eun watched Tae-muk quietly, then spoke in his characteristic soft voice.

“Me too.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m… happy too. I’m so, so happy that you are my God of War, General.”

“…….”

Tae-muk’s eyebrows slowly rose. Ho-eun’s pale face was clearly reflected in his black pupils. After holding his breath for a moment, Tae-muk awkwardly shifted his gaze into the air.

“……Is that so?”

He swallowed hard several times and cleared his throat. Then, with a face that looked somewhat broken, he began blowing air—ho, ho—onto the corners of Ho-eun’s eyes.

Ho-eun brought a flower over with his handkerchief and examined it closely. He looked exactly like a squirrel smelling the scent of a flower. After observing the bloom meticulously, he offered lavish praise.

“It’s so beautiful. I think it’s the prettiest azalea I’ve ever seen in my life. No, I’ve never seen a flower this beautiful among all flowers.”

“I don’t think… it’s quite that much.”

The corners of Tae-muk’s mouth tilted crookedly. The flower, stained with blood, was mottled and flattened. Even to Tae-muk’s non-aesthetic eyes, it didn’t look particularly pretty.

“No, it really is beautiful.”

But Ho-eun smiled brightly. There was not a hint of lie or exaggeration on his face.

“…….”

Tae-muk’s mouth parted slightly. He wanted to tell him that the face speaking those words was even lovelier, but he lost his words while admiring him. Then, Ho-eun smiled softly again.

“Thank you for showing me the azalea, General.”

“……Right.”

“Shall I give you a kiss in return?”

Having said that, Ho-eun carefully set the flower down and tilted his head up toward Tae-muk. Despite asking, he didn’t even wait for an answer. It was a gesture that said, I know you can’t refuse me. At this, Tae-muk’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he let out a small chuckle.

“Well, I have no reason to refuse.”

A large hand gently cupped Ho-eun’s cheek, and soon their lips met. As if he had been waiting, Ho-eun hugged his neck with all his might.

In that moment, where only the stained azalea and the two of them existed, they could momentarily forget that this place was a battlefield.

* * *

The battle continued day and night. Once he had recovered sufficiently, Tae-muk returned to the battlefield, while Ho-eun remained at the camp helping the cooks and medics with odd jobs. It was a cycle of making rice balls, removing blood-stained bandages, making rice balls again, and delivering antibiotics or anesthetics.

Then, sitting before a mountain of rice with his sleeves rolled up once more—

“You’re back again, eh?”

Man-soo, who was sitting opposite him, spoke while looking down the mountain. At those words, Ho-eun craned his neck to look down.

Aaaaah!

Units carrying unfamiliar flags alongside the Taegeukgi were screaming as they merged into the battlefield. It was a sight that repeated several times a day.

‘They’ll come steadily, unit by unit. Eventually, the time will come when those Eater Bugs number 10,000 and we number 100,000.’

It was the moment Man-soo’s words from a while ago were being proven true. Thanks to that, the Devouring Ghouls that had pushed up the mountain slope were being pushed back further and further, and were now floundering at the boundary between the river and the land.

Ho-eun glanced across the river. Tens of thousands of Devouring Ghouls were still swarming, but perhaps… they could win.

No, they would win. At this momentum, they certainly would.

Taking a deep breath filled with emotion, Ho-eun looked for Tae-muk out of habit. Fortunately—or unfortunately—finding him wasn’t difficult. It was because he was once again surrounded by dozens of Devouring Ghouls.

Throughout the battle, Tae-muk was relentlessly targeted by the Devouring Ghouls. The monsters seemed to know. They knew he was the strongest, and therefore the most bothersome existence. They lunged at him fiercely, desperate to stop him.

“…….”

As Ho-eun clenched his teeth in worry, a heavy shout suddenly pierced his ears.

“You fucking bastards! Where do you think you’re going, you want to die?! Get lost! Huh? Get lost, damn it!”

It was Dong-ja’s voice. She was acting as a reliable shield by Tae-muk’s side. No, she was more like a cannon. Watching from above, it looked as if Tae-muk had a cannon tucked under his arm. Every time she swung her spear, the heads of the Devouring Ghouls were smashed.

“Hey! I said move! If you don’t want to, then just die!”

She screamed continuously while attacking, and her voice was so loud that it surpassed the sound of cannons and guns. She was like a raging beast, or perhaps a monster… Ho-eun instinctively thought it was a relief she was on their side.

“My, my, our Dong-ja certainly has a powerful voice… It cuts right through the sound of the cannons, it really does…”

Man-soo laughed heartily with a pleased expression. As he did, he put a handful of rice into a brass bowl and spun it around. This was how he made rice balls, having only one arm left. Normally, he would have been on the battlefield with Dong-ja, but now he was in a position of making mere rice balls.

“You seem quite excited; are my eyes deceiving me?”

Ho-eun asked, watching Dong-ja move freely among the Devouring Ghouls. At this, Man-soo chuckled again.

“I am excited. She’s wanted to go out and fight this whole time. That’s her true calling. [Read on Read BL Novels]unauthorized copywm: Read on Read BL Novels -->Imagine how stifled she must have felt, unauthorized copyholding her breath in the camp.”

Dong-ja was able to return to the battlefield after Ho-eun persuaded Tae-muk. However.

“I want to fight too…”

Man-soo seemed to regret it. He muttered to himself and rubbed his nose with his arm. Then, with a somewhat melancholy face, he began spinning the brass bowl again.

“…….”

Ho-eun watched Man-soo quietly. He probably wanted to fight too. Whenever Dong-ja ran wild on the battlefield, Man-soo had always been by her side.

Indeed, though he was a Bondmate, he was a magnificent soldier who did not fall behind any God of War. Thus, the current situation must be quite stifling, disappointing, and depressing. The sense of loss from losing his arm might have grown deeper.

Ho-eun looked at Man-soo for a moment, then grabbed a handful of rice. As he rolled it into a ball, he spoke casually.

“I believe we are fighting too.”

“Hmm?”

“Fighting isn’t only about holding a weapon. Making rice balls stolen content-->like this is also a type of combat, isn’t it?”

At those words, Man-soo blinked. He looked at the rice ball in the brass bowl and then at the soldiers sitting around eating them. Then, he slowly curled his lips into a smile.

“That’s right. This is all combat. If there’s anyone who thinks they can fight without eating, tell ’em to come out and show me.”

“Of course. Even the General makes sure to eat his meals.”

Ho-eun nodded vigorously. Then, as he shared a grin with Man-soo—

Kugung! Kugugugung!

The ground vibrated with a thunderous roar. At the tremor, which felt like an earthquake, Ho-eun almost slammed his face into the pile of rice. Barely regaining his balance, he turned his head toward the source of the noise. At that moment, another kugugung! roared.

The cannons lined up at the foot of the mountain had fired simultaneously. Since more cannons were added every time a new unit arrived, their number had now reached dozens. The fired shells flew toward the river in different trajectories, hitting the Devouring Ghouls occupying the river with a kung! kung! kung!

Kieeee!

Kureuk, kkuk!

The bodies of the Devouring Ghouls were violently flung into the air by the consecutive [Read on Read BL Novels[Read on Read BL Novels]style="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]explosions. And the dam the monsters had built—which had never collapsed since its completion—was smashed.

For the first time in a long while, the Yalu River began to flow. The river, which had only been stagnant and pooled, flowed violently as if releasing all its suppressed rage. The river, which had been entirely black and crimson, was dyed blue in an instant. Those crossing the river were swept away in a torrent.

Yaaaaah!

Waaaaah!

The soldiers in the camp cheered in unison. The cooks, the medics, and even the wounded soldiers who had been groaning in bed stood up and jumped in place. A smile crept onto Ho-eun’s lips as well.

* * *

“…….”

Standing on the highest slope of the camp, Ho-eun was looking down through binoculars.

It was the tenth day since the battle began. The allied forces had increased, and more Devouring Ghouls had died. It seemed fair to say that the momentum had completely shifted in their favor.

Although the enemy still outnumbered them about four to one, it was a vast improvement from when only the Crimson Rain Brigade was present and the difference was a hundredfold; it was safe to say they had almost caught up. In another two days, that gap would likely be halved again.

“But why…”

He didn’t feel great.

With his eye still pressed to the binoculars, Ho-eun repeatedly clenched his molars to the left, then to the right.

Zzzzzzt.

A blunt sharpness scraped long across his back. The texture was similar to the claws of a Devouring Ghoul. Startled, Ho-eun whipped around. One hand was placed on his hip where his pistol was.

However.

“Oh, my apologies.”

An elderly grandmother was standing there. She was carrying a A-frame carrier, with a mountain of wood stacked neatly upon it. It was firewood. It seemed a protruding branch had scratched Ho-eun’s back. Immediately relaxing his guard, Ho-eun smiled and said,

“It’s alright. Shall I help you?”

“No, no. This isn’t that heavy.”

The grandmother waved her hand, put her hands behind her back beneath the carrier, and trudged down the mountain. The wood [stolen contentstolen contentstyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999visit our sitepx;">]seemed four times larger than her body, yet she didn’t seem heavy or strained at all.

“…….”

Ho-eun stared blankly at her snow-white hair and wrinkled hands.

Even someone of such advanced age had willingly come to the battlefield, being a God of War and a citizen of this country. Filled with a tight sense of reverence, Ho-eun rubbed his chest.

“Young Master!”

Someone was approaching.