By Zephyria 
113
Ho-eun, who had been looking at the Gun for a while, belatedly realized that Tae-muk was organizing the weapons alone. To make a superior, who was also a teacher, do the work! Surprised, Ho-eun quickly helped Tae-muk organize the weapons. All he did was find the scabbard buried in the grass and hand it to him.
Tae-muk, having gathered all the weapons, approached Ho-eun. And was about to hug his waist. Ho-eun gently pushed Tae-muk’s shoulder away and said,
“Wait… how about we walk for a bit?”
“Walk? Why.”
“Just… as a stroll…”
Ho-eun said slowly. He hadn’t calmed down from the excitement yet. His heart was beating too fast. If he were to be held by Tae-muk and run across the mountain in this state, he might vomit his heart out. Even if he lay down in the tent, he didn’t think he could fall asleep right away.
“…A stroll?”
Tae-muk frowned slightly. He looked as if he were hearing the word ‘stroll’ for the first time in his life. But Ho-eun, not noticing this, nodded lightly.
“Yes. A stroll.”
He had always liked strolls. It was the only activity Ho-eun, who suffered from various ailments, could do. He would take a walk around the neighborhood with Deok-woo, or, when he didn’t have time, he would walk around the yard. It was always the same scenery, but it changed slightly with each season, so he never got bored.
But this was a place he was visiting for the first time. The trees were different, the grass was different, the sky was different, and even the moon was different. It was sure to be fun to look around.
“……”
Tae-muk stared at Ho-eun silently. Then he soon said, “If you want.” and strode off across the field.
Ho-eun quickly stood behind him. But it wasn’t easy to follow him. Tae-muk had long legs. To exaggerate, they might be twice as long as Ho-eun’s. His stride was that large, and his pace was fast, so Ho-eun had to almost run.
A stroll should be a slow walk, looking around, having a conversation, and such, but Tae-muk was walking straight ahead. Ho-eun thought that this wasn’t a stroll, but he didn’t bother to say it out loud.
But soon he started to get out of breath. He tried to hide his panting, but he couldn’t. Then he tripped on a protruding rock. Staggering, he reflexively grabbed Tae-muk’s elbow.
“……”
Tae-muk, who had stopped abruptly, turned around to look at Ho-eun.
“Ah, I, I almost fell…”
Ho-eun smiled awkwardly and let go of Tae-muk’s elbow. And while he was stopped, he took a few breaths and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Tae-muk, who had been staring at Ho-eun, started walking again.
But his pace was noticeably slower than before. Walking slowly with that huge frame made him look clumsy. It was as if he was walking slowly for the first time.
Thanks to that, Ho-eun was able to follow him more easily than before. After a few steps, he was even able to stand next to him. And around that time, Ho-eun realized that Tae-muk had slowed down his pace for him.
“……”
Ho-eun smiled faintly. Today’s Tae-muk was different from yesterday. Because of what Dong-ja and Man-soo had said, he seemed to be very kind to him yesterday, but today he could feel it himself.
He must be tired too. He must be really tired from moving all day, leading so many people, including the refugees of the Crimson Rain Brigade, and going around to deal with the Devouring Ghouls in between. He had readily brought him here when he said he wanted to learn the sword.
Besides, he didn’t know how to handle any weapons, he had no strength, and he was even weak, which must have been frustrating, but he never got angry. If it had been another teacher, he would have scolded him and crushed him.
Tae-muk was definitely fit to be a general. He was calm, gentle, generous, and had a great spirit.
“……”
Ho-eun, who was walking on the grass, glanced at Tae-muk. Strangely, his eyes kept going to Tae-muk.
Was it because the moonlight falling overhead was bluish? His face felt strangely unfamiliar, or rather, new. He knew he had a high nose, but how could it be so high? The shadow cast on the opposite side of the moonlight was so dark.
And his eyes were very deep. The shadow cast under his brow made his already dark eyes darker than the night sky. But the gleam in his eyes was sharp and alive…
Ho-eun, who had been blankly admiring Tae-muk, quickly lowered his gaze the moment he turned his head and was about to make eye contact. Then, feeling embarrassed for no reason, he started talking about this and that.
“Um… I have a question.”
“What.”
“Even someone as weak as I am can use a Gun, so why doesn’t the Crimson Rain Brigade have anyone who uses Guns? Most of them use swords or spears. Isn’t a Gun more convenient?”
“Do you only need a Gun to shoot a Gun?”
“……Yes?”
Ho-eun blinked rapidly at the returning question. Then he let out an exclamation like a sigh.
“Bullets…”
Devouring Ghouls have been called Myriad Calamities since ancient times, meaning that at least ten thousand bullets are needed to kill them with a Gun. It was definitely difficult to get that many bullets. It wouldn’t be easy to carry them around all the time either. And you have to reload them every time.
“……”
Ho-eun pressed his lips tightly together. Then shouldn’t I use a Gun either? Thinking that, the precious Gun felt distant again. Ho-eun was groping for the Gun he had put in his side when Tae-muk said something incomprehensible.
“A handful.”
“……Yes?”
“You won’t have to shoot more than a handful of bullets. So don’t think about anything else and just practice.”
“……”
Ho-eun looked up at Tae-muk. It sounded like a very callous thing to say. But it wasn’t wrong at all. How much would I shoot a Gun anyway? It’s not like I’m going to stand at the forefront of the Crimson Rain Brigade and kill Devouring Ghouls, or save a town or a country by myself.
From the beginning, Ho-eun’s goal was just not to be a burden, to do his part. As Tae-muk said, he wouldn’t have to use more than a handful of bullets.
“Yes. I will.”
Ho-eun nodded neatly. After that, he subtly stood closer to Tae-muk. It was close enough that the fluttering jade-colored sleeves scratched Tae-muk’s military uniform. Tae-muk frowned unknowingly at that.
“I have one more question.”
Ho-eun chattered. His large eyes were sparkling with curiosity.
“What else.”
Tae-muk replied, still staring ahead. On the other hand, Ho-eun kept looking only at Tae-muk.
“Whether it’s a bow, a sword, or anything else, how do you know how to handle all weapons, General? Where did you learn it?”
At those words, Tae-muk’s eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed to be recalling something. Such as the time he had spent, the blood he had shed, the pain he had experienced. He smacked his lips silently and said in a subdued voice.
“You’ll do anything to survive.”
“Yes?”
“I learned it on the battlefield.”
“Then what about your teacher?”
“There’s no such thing.”
“……”
He had such skills without a teacher? Of course, the God of War is born with it regardless of a teacher, but Tae-muk was not just a soldier with great strength. He was good at everything, and he excelled at everything. But he had figured it out all by himself.
Suddenly, it felt like some kind of mysterious energy was emanating from Tae-muk. It was like meeting a hero from a classic novel in real life. No, in the future, there would be a novel with Tae-muk as the main character.
Ho-eun stood a little closer to Tae-muk. Now his fingertips were almost touching. But Ho-eun didn’t know that. All his attention was focused on Tae-muk.
“Can I ask you one more thing?”
“You have a lot of questions today.”
“Yes. I’m curious about you today, General.”
“……”
Tae-muk opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Ho-eun, interpreting that silence as permission, asked in his unique clear voice.
“You know how to handle so many weapons, so why do you fight with your bare hands when you actually fight? I don’t understand it with my limited knowledge. You have to get close to hit a Devouring Ghoul, which is that much more dangerous, and blood splatters.”
Ho-eun’s question was very long.
“Annoying.”
On the other hand, Tae-muk’s answer was as short as could be. Ho-eun immediately asked back at the incomprehensible answer.
“What is?”
“Carrying weapons around.”
“……”
Ho-eun froze for a moment. Then he let out a laugh without realizing it. He fights with his bare hands because weapons are annoying. It was absurd, but it also suited Tae-muk somehow.
Still, I wish less blood would splatter. It can’t be helped if he gets hurt and bleeds, but every time he’s soaked in the blood spewed out by the Devouring Ghouls, my heart aches.
But he’ll probably ignore me if I say anything. It’s also a presumptuous suggestion. After that, Ho-eun didn’t ask any more questions. He just walked in step with Tae-muk. Tae-muk didn’t say anything either.
“……”
“……”
As they were walking softly, the wind rushed in with a whooshing sound. It was quite a cold wind, but it wasn’t cold. It was hard to tell whether it was because he hadn’t calmed down from the excitement yet, or because the always hot Tae-muk was next to him.
Ho-eun inhaled the scent of the forest, which had become even stronger at night, and thought about various things. How many bullets his father had given him, how to get more if he ran out later, and how to train in the future, things like that.
As he walked, the field ended and the forest approached. It seemed like it was time to return to the tent. Just then, Tae-muk stopped abruptly. Ho-eun naturally went in front of him. To be hugged. But.
“……”
Tae-muk just looked down at Ho-eun silently with his hands behind his back.