By Zephyria “The roads around the station are complicated, so follow me closely. Don’t get distracted and get lost. Foreigners get lost a lot here.”
“Okay. Let’s go quickly.”
“Why are you answering like that? I’m taking care of you because you keep drifting away.”
“…I know, but if you dawdle, we’ll be late.”
Leonardo replied dryly and took two steps ahead of the other person. The black uniform, the polished military boots, the sharply angled beret, and the military gear as big as himself were enough to attract people’s attention. It was already suspicious that he was covering his face, but he was even more concerned that he would stand out even more if he walked around with a noisy soldier.
“Who are we leaving early because of? You don’t even know how to be grateful.”
“If you tell me where it is, I’ll go alone, right? I’ll even give you your snack money.”
“I can’t explain it in words, can I? And do you think I’m doing this because of money? This is all― military spirit.”
The woman who answered that way stretched her chest wide, put strength into her whole body, and began to walk ahead. Her gait alternated between her left and right feet in time with a steady beat, as if she were doing drill training. However, the former Dark Silver squad leader saw many shortcomings. Her excessively tilted back and chin, and the awkward angle of her arms, were examples.
Leonardo shook his head, recalling his rigid appearance inside the store.
‘To be intimidated by a kid like that.’
The words ‘Relax your shoulders, straighten your back, pull your chin in’ almost came out of his throat, but he held them back. There’s no point in acting like I know anything. What good would it do to lecture a greenhorn who doesn’t even have a rank on drill?
Besides, he’s not a soldier anymore. Recalling that perfectly obvious fact made him feel stuffy.
He turned his eyes to the huge train station visible through the crowd ahead. Now that he had an unwelcome guide, he was heading to the station with the soldier who had burst into the store earlier.
The magic shop owner’s meddling was largely responsible for how things had turned out. The flashback went back about 15 minutes.
“Is this a black market site?”
When the Imperial soldier suddenly burst in, it was utter chaos. There was only one person in front of him, but when he suddenly started talking about the black market, Leonardo thought he was a supervisor who had been lying in wait and raided the site.
The transaction between himself and the shop owner wasn’t such a shady act, but he hadn’t officially registered the goods to avoid being tracked. Under Imperial law, it was a kind of tax evasion. Besides, the floor was still covered in blood and newspaper that hadn’t been absorbed, so it must have looked like a very suspicious scene to others.
At this rate, he might end up meeting the Council again on an unflattering charge. In the meantime, it crossed his mind that the owner might be an informant. When he investigated the store in advance, there were no such cases, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been tailed.
Leonardo, who was thinking of recovering his heart and running away if necessary, snatched the memo from the owner’s hand and took a step forward. But the owner’s reaction that followed was surprising. He grabbed Leonardo’s arm as if it were nothing and asked the soldier.
“We have a customer, don’t be rude and joke around. Is today your conscription day?”
The soldier who came into the store replied in a much lighter tone, as if his reaction was no big deal.
“They’re villagers anyway. More than that, didn’t I look like a real soldier just now?”
Why is it so dark inside? I really thought you were dealing on the black market. The soldier said that, pulled back the curtains on the window, and fixed them herself. She also nagged him to ventilate the place, saying it smelled bad.
Leonardo, who was just blinking at the rapidly changing situation, turned to the shop owner. The owner chuckled and said.
“Don’t be nervous. She’s my daughter, my daughter.”
Later, he heard that she wasn’t really his daughter, but that the villagers took care of the war orphans together and became like relatives. They were in a casual relationship where they joked around, and she sometimes took over the store.
Also, although she was wearing a military uniform, she wasn’t a formal soldier with a rank. She was a conscript who had just finished her physical test and examination about ten days ago and had only received her uniform and supplies. And her conscription day was in two days, so she came to say goodbye to the shop owner, who was like a father to her.
The problem was that her conscription unit was in the same direction as the destination in the memo. The shop owner asked the person who was about to become a trainee to guide the customer in his place. Leonardo glared as if it were nonsense, but the owner continued, saying that the road was a bit difficult for a first-timer.
He didn’t mention exactly what the ‘turtle on a train’ was, but,
“You know the big inn at the Station of Beginning and End? Take the customer there. Get some snacks along the way.”
After explaining the specific location, he told them to go and slipped a few bills into his pocket. At first, he wondered why he was giving it to him instead of his daughter, but it seemed to be the price of the Amulet made of Siculus. He seemed to be a very thorough person when it came to money, regardless of whether it was his or someone else’s.
Anyway, what is the Station of Beginning and End, and what is this talk about an inn? There were many questions, but the owner soon said that it was time for the Council to patrol and sent the two visitors out.
Leonardo, who had become the guide’s follower, fiddled with the bills in his pocket. Now that he thought about it, wasn’t it his money that would be spent on buying something for that greenhorn?
He had taken on a burden properly, even though the price of his heart had been cut down. He couldn’t just send away a kid who was about to enlist…
Grumbling, he pulled the mask that had slipped down the middle of his nose back up to below his eyes. Just in time, the soldier who was walking ahead turned around again. She seemed to be used to the distance between them, so she approached him and spoke.
“Why are you going to the Station of Beginning and End? There’s nothing to do there.”
Leonardo glanced at the woman. She helped out at the store, so she seemed to be talkative and nosy. He saved his words for fear that information would leak out, but he replied appropriately so as not to make her feel ignored.
“I have someone to meet.”
“…Hmm. Family?”
The thought of that crazy scholar being family made him frown. The soldier, noticing his unpleasant expression, hurriedly added.
“Ah, I used to go there often with my family when I was young. That’s why I asked.”
“……”
“We’re separated now, but I still go there sometimes, hoping I can meet them. It’s a place with a lot of memories.”
When the sudden family history began, Leonardo ignored her and just walked straight ahead. He was uncomfortable with people who brought up heavy topics before they had gotten close enough. It would be different if he had the time and interest to listen, but if not, it was just embarrassing and tiring.
Moreover, hearing about the family of a war orphan was torture in another sense. Was it because he was involved in a similar situation? He couldn’t help but worry that he might have been the reason why that woman was separated from her family.
Taking advantage of the fact that the other person was adjusting her military gear, Leonardo changed the subject without straying too far from the topic.
“Why did you volunteer for the military?”
It was a dry question without even making eye contact, but the woman stared at the person next to her with a surprised look.
“Usually, people in this area don’t like the Imperial Army, do they?”
It was the first thing the customer, who had been cold all along, had said to her. Pleased that the topic of conversation had been decided, the woman replied in the same cheerful tone as before.
“My sister is a soldier, and honestly, I hate to admit it, but she’s really cool. She enlisted in the army four years ago and was immediately deployed to the Siege of Irendel. She’s a veteran of the Turandos War. I want to be like my sister.”
Leonardo’s eyes twitched for a moment. Ah… it was a bad choice of topic. The woman’s story that followed was quite familiar to the former soldier.
The Siege of Irendel was a meaningful battle in which key forces, including Leonardo, were not deployed, but after four days of fierce confrontation, the fortress of the Turandos army hidden in the valley was destroyed. The battle secured a new infiltration route through the valley, which led to the stalemate tilting in Laina Rogia’s favor.
So, no Imperial citizen could have been unaware of the siege that had been a hot topic at the time. However, Leonardo just walked silently as if he were hearing it for the first time. It was definitely not his intention to ask another question that deviated slightly from the topic.
“Is she alive?”
“What?”
“Your sister, is she alive? You said you were separated from your family.”
“Ah, that’s about my parents, and of course she’s alive. My sister is so mean and tough. She’s the kind of person who said she’d take at least five guys with her when she dies, and she even received special forces training. She’ll come back alive even if she falls into hell, right?”
Even though she said that, the woman seemed to like her sister very much.
“There’s no way she’ll die, and I won’t let her die. My sister is my hero.”
When she lost her parents to the Turandos army’s shelling, her sister carried her on her back and walked non-stop along the railroad tracks to Riverside. She didn’t remember much because she was crying and fainted, but her sister’s shoulders never wavered as she crossed the barrage and screams.
At the time, it was about 11 years ago, two years into the war. They were only fourteen and nine years old. It must have been a difficult age to accept the reality of becoming war orphans after living peacefully. Just like he did.
Leonardo stared silently at the greenhorn soldier who was talking about her hero with shining eyes. It was fortunate in a way that she had a cheerful personality despite going through a difficult time.
He was about to ask the name of the person who was her sister when a shadow fell over his head and he turned his head forward.
“It’s the station.”
The woman, who had been chattering, also stopped talking and looked up at the tall building. The complex architectural style of the stone exterior walls with arched windows attached closely together stood out. In the middle of it, a wide entrance leading into the waiting room was spread out in a symmetrical way.
Numerous guests bustled in and out of the entrance, adding vitality to the station inside and out.
The soldier, who had readjusted her beret, muttered as if she were amazed.
“Wow, we got here so fast while we were talking?”
She didn’t even realize her luggage was heavy while she was talking, so she readjusted her military gear again.
Leonardo, who had been watching her, replied calmly.
“The shop owner told us to hurry, do you have a ticket? Isn’t it leaving soon?”
“Ah, that’s right. Come this way.”
The soldier gestured for him to follow her and climbed the stairs in front of the station. People occasionally stared at the black military uniform as it entered, but Leonardo had become accustomed to accepting the gazes.
Instead of pulling his hat down further, he matched his pace with hers and followed her about half a step behind. She would never know that someone was holding the buckle of her military gear and reducing the weight.