By Zephyria 
156
“I heard the young master killed eight Eater Bugs?”
“Eight? By himself? That’s amazing.”
“I saw it. He pierced their eyeballs in one shot, right?”
“Eyeballs? With a bullet the size of a fingernail? Wow……”
“He’s no God of War, but how many Bondmates can kill eight at once?”
“That’s right, that’s right. It’s a big deal.”
“No wonder he’s the Captain’s partner.”
“I guess so.”
Soldiers carrying Devouring Ghoul corpses chattered as they came down the slope. Ho-eun, who was walking up, stopped breathing and hid behind a collapsed house nearby. Then, he hunched his shoulders and groaned softly.
“Ugh……”
He had heard such comments more than five times already on his way here. They were all good words, but somehow Ho-eun felt very shy and embarrassed by the praise.
It wasn’t like he wielded a sword or spear to kill them, all he did was stand still and pull the trigger. The ones who truly deserved praise were the soldiers who fearlessly charged at the Devouring Ghouls and fought them with their bodies, not him. But he was monopolizing the praise like this, and it felt awkward and uncomfortable, like he was taking something that wasn’t his.
“But……”
Did he really kill eight? He didn’t know.
When he was firing the Gun wildly, he didn’t have time to count. His head was filled with the thought of killing them as quickly as possible, as many as possible. The falling snow, Gil-sang standing beside him, all faded away, and he could only see the Devouring Ghouls.
But he killed eight. Not one, not two, but a whopping eight.
Ho-eun, who pointlessly counted to eight with his fingers, smiled faintly. Then, he gently pinched his cheek. Just to see if it was a dream. Fortunately, the sting seemed to confirm it was reality.
Ho-eun hid behind the wall, waiting for the soldiers to pass, and when the road was quiet, he went up the slope again. As he walked, he peeked to the left and looked around to the right. But he couldn’t find the person he was looking for.
Just then, Byeonguk passed by, so he stopped him and asked.
“Excuse me…… Do you know where the General is?”
“Haa, haa……”
Ho-eun, who had been climbing the slope again and again, stopped for a moment. Then, he put his hands on his knees and gasped for breath. Puffs of white breath poured out generously.
Unfortunately, the village was made up of slopes, making it very difficult to walk. The thought of having to come and go here every day made him dizzy, but he also thought that if he worked hard, he might be able to build up his stamina.
Ho-eun pressed his sleeve against his forehead to wipe away the beads of sweat. It was the middle of winter, and he didn’t have a fever, but he was sweating from moving his body. It was amazing.
He was wiping the sweat from his temples when suddenly, a familiar scent wafted in like a mirage.
It was the smell of tobacco.
Ho-eun quickly raised his head. Then, he saw Tae-muk sitting on the stairs overlooking the village, smoking a cigarette.
“General!”
Ho-eun called out to him in a bright voice. Then, forgetting how tired he was, he ran towards him. His Braided Hair fluttered in the wind.
Ho-eun arrived in front of Tae-muk with a beaming smile. And the moment he saw him, he had to suppress his smile.
Tae-muk was covered in blood again. The droplets of blood pooling at the ends of his hair trembled before falling down with a dull thud. The snow where Tae-muk was sitting was also stained red.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
Tae-muk denied it nonchalantly with a cigarette in his mouth. Ho-eun asked again, suspiciously.
“Then is that all Devouring Ghoul blood?”
“I guess so.”
“……”
Ho-eun hesitated to say anything more. He didn’t think he would get a proper answer even if he pressed him. It would be better to strip him down and see with his own eyes tonight.
He smacked his dry lips and sat down next to Tae-muk. The snow-covered ground was cold, but perhaps because his body was hot, he didn’t feel cold.
“Did you use up all the bullets?”
Tae-muk asked, exhaling smoke.
“Yes. I used them all, without exception.”
Ho-eun nodded and answered cheerfully. Then, he unconsciously shook his right hand. He held his right hand tightly with his left.
His hand had been twitching since he pulled the trigger a hundred times. The inside of his wrist was tingling, and his forearm and shoulder were aching. But it wasn’t uncomfortable or painful. He just felt proud. It was the first time in his life that he had lived so intensely and diligently.
“……”
Tae-muk, with a cigarette in his mouth, glanced down at Ho-eun’s hand. He could see the white, slender hand trembling. But there was nothing Tae-muk could do. He wasn’t injured, and he didn’t have a cold. It was also a pain that he had to go through to get to the next level.
……Still, should I give him a hot compress before bed? he thought for a moment.
Ho-eun scooted closer to Tae-muk. He didn’t seem to mind getting blood on himself at all. He looked at Tae-muk and stammered.
“Um, uh, I, well, I.”
Each time his small lips opened and closed, his breath came out in short, broken puffs. Tae-muk, who somehow felt sorry and regretful for it, urged him on.
“What.”
“I…… I killed, like, eight of them.”
“……”
“Eight Devouring Ghouls.”
Having said that, Ho-eun looked at Tae-muk with his uniquely clear eyes. It was a look that expected something. Like praise, or praise, or maybe something like praise. But.
“So. You want me to praise you for killing just that many?”
Tae-muk frowned and asked back.
“……”
At that, Ho-eun’s lips immediately turned downwards. He was sulky and turned his upper body, which had been facing Tae-muk, forward.
Tae-muk was too harsh, too cold. Would the sky fall if he was a little kinder? But on the other hand, he had used a hundred bullets and only killed eight, so maybe it was too early to expect praise.
Why am I so immature? Getting excited over something so trivial…….
Ho-eun’s shoulders drooped. Just as the silk Hair Tie that had been hanging below his chest lost its strength and drooped as well.
“You did well.”
A low voice passed by like the wind.
Ho-eun quickly looked at Tae-muk. He was looking down at the village scenery and exhaling smoke. His handsome face was expressionless and indifferent, as if he had never said such a thing.
But Ho-eun heard it. He definitely heard it. Ho-eun, who blinked a few times, laughed like a child.
He was praised by Tae-muk. He was praised by his teacher, his God of War, and at the same time, the General of this country. It was a joyous occasion. If his parents knew, they would have gathered all the people in the neighborhood and held a big party.
‘You did well.’
‘You did well.’
‘You did well.’
Ho-eun repeatedly recited those words, lifting and lowering his heels. Then, he laughed, shrugged his shoulders, or hunched and straightened his neck.
At that moment, Tae-muk put out his cigarette by rubbing it on the snow. Ho-eun unconsciously looked at it and realized once again that Tae-muk’s hand was covered in blood. He said it was the blood of the Devouring Ghouls, but you never knew.
“Shall we hold hands?”
Ho-eun asked cautiously. At that, Tae-muk, who had been chewing on the remaining cigarette smoke in his mouth, flinched, then replied in a low voice.
“……It’s bloody.”
“I don’t mind.”
Having said that, Ho-eun held out his hand. His hand, with its white palm and pink fingertips, filled Tae-muk’s eyes. Tae-muk glanced to the side once for no reason, and then looked at the air once, before reluctantly placing his hand on top of Ho-eun’s.
“……If you want.”
Ho-eun held Tae-muk’s blood-soaked hand tightly. He intertwined their fingers. Not satisfied with that, he kept wiggling his hand, trying to clasp their fingers tightly. It was annoying enough, but Tae-muk didn’t say anything.
Finally, Ho-eun, who had even pressed their palms together, wore a satisfied expression. Then, he turned his head forward.
Under the setting sun, he could see the collapsed fortress walls and the destroyed village. In between, soldiers were moving the corpses of the Devouring Ghouls. Other soldiers were riding horses and unloading luggage. They were preparing to build another garrison.
Seeing that, Ho-eun felt his heart pounding. He was looking forward to the days ahead. He was also excited. Of course, this was a battlefield, and there wouldn’t only be good things, but still, he was excited.
Ho-eun, who held Tae-muk’s hand even tighter, opened his eyes wide. His eyes, stained with the sunset, were shining gold.
The Crimson Rain Brigade completed the garrison in a day. In just one day. They demolished houses that were broken or useless and built military tents on top of them. Occasionally, houses in good condition were repaired and used as kitchens for the cooks or as food storage.
They also built the fortress walls much higher and thicker than before. Since they were all strong Gods of War, they moved rocks the size of houses with their bare hands. They threw the corpses of the Devouring Ghouls far away and cleared away the trees, snow, and dirt that had been piled up for decades.
Ho-eun got to use one of the few intact houses. It couldn’t be called magnificent, but it had a main room, two spare rooms, a small yard, a wooden veranda, and a bathroom.
The best thing was that he could heat the room. Thanks to that, he would be able to spend his days and nights warmly.
In fact, Ho-eun initially refused, saying that he was fine sleeping in a military tent, but he couldn’t refuse any longer because Byeonguk said that it was natural for the Captain to stay in the best house, and Gil-sang said that it would be a problem if he got sick.